Rebecca laid her head on Sedrik’s shoulder, unable to believe they were finally going to make love, or share pleasure as the Rodytes liked to say. It had only been a day and a half since she first encountered Sedrik, but so much had happened and she’d spent so much of that time longing for this that it felt much longer.

The lights came on automatically as he entered the bedroom. Like the outer room, this one was sleekly elegant, designed to maximize each millimeter of space. The slanted headboard and nightstands were built into the wall, creating a smooth, flowing esthetic. He set her down beside the neatly made bed, issued a Rodyte command that dimmed the lights, then went to work on his clothing.

Fascinated by his movements, and the impressive shape of his muscular body, she just stood there and watched. He removed his boots then tore off his socks. Grasping the back of his shirt with one hand he tugged the garment off and tossed it aside. He reached for the fastenings at the front of his pants, then noticed she was just standing there.

“Need some help?” He flashed a charming smile, then stalked toward her, gaze hot and hungry.

She’d seen his desire before, but this was the first time she knew he didn’t intend to stop. She toed off the slip-on shoes Lily had “printed” for her. The clothes she wore had come from a supply hub somewhere on the ship, but even the smallest Rodyte shoes had been several sizes too large.

Sedrik framed her face with his hands and tilted her head up until their eyes met. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’re hesitating.”

She shook her head. “This is what I want, what we both need. I’ve just never…I’ve never been with anyone but him.” Refusing to speak his name helped minimize his power over her.

Sedrik pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. “That creature was your past. I’m your present and your future.”

He caught the hem of her shirt and drew it upward. She lifted her arms so he could pull it all the way off. She wasn’t wearing undergarments, so her breasts were bare and he paused to explore the fact. He cupped one soft mound and then the other, his attention fixed on her nipples with such rapt interest one would think he’d never seen breasts before.

“Your body is so beautiful it’s a crime to cover it.”

She laughed, pleased by the praise yet embarrassed too. “My body is barely average. My breasts are too small and my butt is too big.”

He grabbed her ass with both hands and slid her up his body. When their faces were on a level, he gave her behind a firm squeeze. “You are perfect in my eyes and my eyes are the only ones that matter.”

The vehemence in his tone affected her more than his words. He meant every word. When he looked at her he didn’t see her imperfections. He saw his mate, the other half of his soul. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth, demonstrating her appreciation with actions rather than trying to put her feelings into words.

Their lips slid until they found the perfect position, then their tongues took over the kiss. He ran his hands down the backs of her thighs, separating her legs as he went. She wrapped her legs around his waist and his hands returned to her bottom. All the while, their lips and tongues explored each other. His taste was familiar now, yet she’d barely begun to memorize the shape and textures of his body.

He sank to the edge of the bed as they continued to kiss. She quickly folded her knees and rearranged her legs so she straddled his lean hips. His hands swept up and down her back, slid down her arms, then one sneaked between their bodies to cup her breast. He tore his mouth away from hers and bent, capturing one of her nipples with his lips. She gaped as his firm suction pulled sensations up through her body and into her breast. How could such a simple caress feel so good? The answer was simple. Her mate was touching her, arousing her. That had never been true before. Her clit twitched and her core clenched eager for his attention.

His mouth moved to the other side while he kept the first nipple hard with his fingers. She arched her back and rolled her hips, restless and hot. Empowered by the knowledge that this wouldn’t end until they both were satisfied and sleepy, she reveled in the sensations.

She stroked his head, shoulders and arms, anywhere she could touch. He hadn’t allowed her to touch him before, so she was thrilled by the freedom. His mouth moved back and forth, making her gasp and shiver. She ran her nails up his ribs and smiled when he gasped, then shivered.

“You want to play rough?” The growl in his tone would have frightened her if his gaze hadn’t been filled with warmth. He turned suddenly, laying her sideways across the bed on her back. His feet ended up on the floor and he arched over her half-naked body.

She watched him closely, fascinated by the combination of strength and control so apparent in each of his movements. The defused lighting cast his face into high relief, accenting the angles of his features until he looked sinister. She tensed, unwanted fear intruding on the perfection of the moment.

“Turn the lights back on. I need to see you clearly.”

He said another Rodyte phrase and the illumination increased. “Anything you need,” he reminded. “Just say it and it’s yours.”

She smiled, but the concept made her sad. It was a sweet sentiment, but inaccurate. She desperately needed to overcome the darkness created by her past. Yet already it was tainting their interaction. Her strategy had always been to shut out the pain. She had escaped Jim’s control, and with Sedrik’s help, she would make damn sure her ex couldn’t hurt anyone else. So all she had to do now was stay focused on the future.

With that goal in mind, she sat up and reached for the fastenings at the front of his pants. The simple garment was similar to the one she wore, so she easily parted the waistband and pushed the material to his knees. He stepped out of the pants and kicked them aside.

Her first look of his naked body took her breath away. Her imagination hadn’t done him justice. His torso flared dramatically from lean hips, but his legs were just as tightly muscled as his arms. And his cock… She looked at his sex, groaned then glanced away. The rest of his body was big. Why should his sex be any different?

She reached out, hand trembling, and encircled his shaft. His flesh was hotter than her palm, clear liquid beading on the broad tip. The long column of flesh was hard as polished rock, yet the skin was soft beneath her fingers. She stroked him, thrilled by the tension in his body and the obvious pleasure in his expression.

His eyes drifted closed and his hips pumped, sliding his shaft in and out of her fist. Fascinated by his reactions, she bent and circled his tip with her tongue. He hissed in a breath and his eyes flew open. Their gazes locked and feminine power rushed through her body. She quickly licked her lips and took just the tip into her mouth. His abdomen rippled and his hands pushed into her hair, his strong body trembling. For the first time in her life she understood why women enjoyed doing this.

She took him deeper, then slowly pulled back, savoring the slide of his shaft against her lips. His musky taste grew stronger as he moved against her tongue. She sucked harder, working his base with her hand while she caressed him with her warm, wet mouth.

He only allowed it for a few moments, then tossed her back onto the bed and quickly unfastened her pants.

“I wasn’t finished,” she complained, playfully kicking at him as he peeled off her pants.

“You were for now. I’m not coming until I’m deep inside you, and that needs to be soon.” His needful vow sent a fresh rush of heat cascading through her body.

He knelt on the floor beside the bed and pulled her hips right to the edge of the mattress. Hooking the backs of her knees, he opened her thighs wide. He stared at her sex with possessive hunger, and she fought back the urge to close her legs. She wanted this, had instigated it. Besides, she’d tasted him moments before. Turnabout was only fair.

“Mine,” he whispered the word as he lowered his head. He’d said it in English, so he obviously wanted her to hear. He traced her slit with the tip of his tongue, teasing without parting her folds.

She shifted restlessly and her clit throbbed, begging for his attention. He draped her legs over his shoulders, and grasped her hips, holding her still while he explored her slick crease. She watched him until the pleasure closed her eyes.

Tingles zinged across her skin and tension gathered deep inside her. She refused to think about how he’d gotten so good at this. All that mattered was he was hers now, and he was utterly focused on driving her crazy.

An orgasm built with alarming speed. She didn’t want to be this easy to conquer, but her body was so in tune with his. It was more of a struggle not to come than to let the pleasure take her. She arched and wiggled, powerless against the rising storm. But just as she accepted the inevitability of her climax, he pulled back and made her wait. The first time was actually a blessing. She hadn’t wanted the pleasure to end so abruptly. But he did it again and again, building the sensory shower into a raging tempest, then backing off and allowing the sensations to dissipate.

“Please!” she cried as he denied her for the fifth or sixth. “Stop teasing me.”

Rather than using his mouth to appease her, he surged up along her body and positioned himself at her entrance. She was wet and ready, but he was huge. Their gazes locked and he entwined their fingers, pinning her hands against the bed. His gaze drilled into hers, his expression pained yet elated. Then he slowly pushed inside her. Just his flared head at first, then more, and still more of him.

She stretched around his width, opening gradually, but fullness quickly turned into sting. She tensed, hissing out a breath as unwanted memories intruded again. She didn’t want her past to ruin this. Everything had been so perfect. She wanted this more than anything, wanted to move beyond the nightmare and—

“Look at me, Rebecca.” His tone was insistent but filled with tenderness. “Think only of me, only of us.”

She stubbornly blinked away the past and refocused on Sedrik, her lover—her mate? It was the first time she’d allowed herself to entertain the possibility.

“Relax, love. I won’t hurt you if you just relax.” He kept his weight balanced on his knees and one forearm while he brushed her hair back from her face. He hadn’t withdrawn, nor had he attempted to go deeper. He just waited for her to accept their joining and allow his body into hers.

Her tension gradually eased as he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. She opened for him, welcoming his tongue even as she struggled with the other penetration. He kissed her, tongue teasing rather than demanding. Then he slipped his hand between their bodies and covered her clit with his thumb.

She dove into the kiss, losing herself in his taste. His thumb circled and rubbed, encouraging her body to release more of her slickness. When the moisture finally appeared, he eased more of his length inside her. She moaned, but he stopped before the sting returned. He kept kissing and caressing her, and she took even more and more of his cock. The sensual cycle continued until his pelvis was flush with hers.

“Home,” he whispered against her parted lips, “where I belong.”

Home. The word echoed through her mind as his tongue filled her mouth. Home was a safe, welcoming place filled with people who loved her. She’d had that once, a very long time ago. But it had been so long since she’d even imagined having a home of her own that she could barely relate to the concept.

He carefully drew his hips back while his mouth caressed hers. She felt the unavoidable slide of his thick flesh pulling free from her clingy passage. She could almost see it and it was as if she were feeling it from the inside and from without.

Her eyes flew open as a staggering possibility disrupted her arousal. Was the link still active? Was she feeling what Sedrik felt as well as the signals being sent by her own body? It was hard to sort through the emotions and sensations. They were woven together too closely.

He drove back into her, faster this time and she focused on what she was feeling. The fullness was inescapable, easy to identify. But she also felt the tightness of her body wrapped around his. The disquiet was hers, but the frantic battle for control had to be his. She was too distracted.

Suddenly he stopped and tore his mouth away from hers. “Where’d you go? You’re suddenly in another star system.”

“Is the transfer link still open? Why am I sensing your emotions?” She was sensing more than just emotions. She was literally feeling what he felt.

He rocked back onto his knees, still buried deep inside her. “I’ll lock it down when we’re finished.” He panted harshly, shaking with the effort it took to remain still. “I don’t have the control I’d need right now.”

She shook her head, less concerned now that she’d identified what was happening to her. “It’s okay. It just surprised me. All this empathic stuff is new to me.”

He smiled, his phitons just beginning to glow. He ran both hands over his face and across his head, then he asked, “Are you with me now?”

“Yes. Only with you.”

The stipulation clearly pleased him. He shifted his weight again, moving his body over hers. He paused for a long, tender kiss before he started moving again. He filled her with slow, deep strokes while they stared into each other’s eyes. His phitons gradually intensified until they burned with purple fire. She stroked his chest and arms as he rocked over and into her.

His shaft moved easily now, her body fully adjusted to the size and shape of his. She drew her legs up high against his sides, taking him even deeper. The steady plunge of his cock into her core felt wonderful, yet experiencing the joining from his perspective was even more exciting.

She arched beneath him, mirroring his rhythm as he filled her again and again. He moved faster, thrusting even deeper than before. Desire burned away his determination to go slowly and make it last as long as possible. She appreciated the effort, but the ache inside her had long since flared into pain. She needed him pounding into her, driving away every thought, every sensation but her mate deep inside her.

Rather than attempt to articulate her need, she pushed the urgency across the transfer link. He cried out sharply and grabbed her hips. Then he thrust with frantic speed, and pleasure detonated like a sensory bomb.

She barely bit back her scream, arching violently as every pleasure receptor in her body was triggered all at once. She shook and moaned, her inner muscles rippling around his thickness. Sedrik threw back his head and shuddered as his body echoed her release.

He collapsed over her, only aware enough to catch the majority of his weight on his forearm. His chest pressed into hers and his shaft still twitched inside her. She stroked his sweaty back, struggling to regain control over her mind.

She’d known making love with Sedrik would be more intense, but she hadn’t expected flashing lights and a temporarily blown mind. A dreamy smile curved her lips as he rolled them to their sides. When she looked at him again, his phitons were no longer blazing. The purple rings smoldered, reflecting his contentment.

“Let me know when you’re hungry and I’ll order dinner.” He stroked her hair, clearly in no hurry to separate.

“I ate fairly late,” she told him, “and this feels too damn good.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.” He pulled her leg up to his hip, better aligning their lower bodies in an effort to maintain their joining.

For a long time they snuggled in silence, content in the afterglow. But reality gradually returned, filling Rebecca’s head with thoughts and worries. She would never be truly safe until Jim was in custody or dead. It had been a long time since she cared which outcome took him out of her life. “The bastard has several aliases. One of them might help you locate him.”

He tensed against her, then raised her chin until their gazes connected. “That is why I came after you, but it’s not why I’m here with you now.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I want to find him as badly as you do, and I finally trust you enough to let you help.”

“Glad to hear it.” He reached down and pinched her bottom, making her wiggle and protest. “Is it all right if we take a bath before we get back to work, or are you too distracted to relax?”

“I’m not sure we’ll both fit in your bathtub. You take up a lot of room.”

He pinched her again, a little harder this time. “Does sex always make you feisty?”

She dragged his head down to hers for a quick yet searing kiss. “Let’s do it again and find out.”

* * * * *

Sedrik worked in his cabin for the rest of the evening. He apologized to Rebecca for allowing work to cut into their time together, but he was still behind because of the hours spent in the cave. “Besides, I need to figure out a way to stop the Outcasts,” he told her. “Meeting with Arton, if it even happens, is more than likely a waste of time.”

“Did you get in trouble for yesterday?” He sat at his workstation, which put him perpendicular to her. She sat sideways on the sofa with her legs drawn up in front of her. It was becoming her favorite position. At least for relaxing, she thought with a dreamy smile.

He turned his head and looked at her, but the transfer link was shielded again, so she couldn’t feel him. She missed the closeness of sensing his emotions. “Let’s just say catching Big Jim and getting back the captives will go a long way toward restoring my reputation.”

“Then let me help you catch my useless ex.” Using her datapad, Rebecca made a list of Big Jim’s aliases, some lesser known associates and locations he was known to frequent, anything she could think of that would help Sedrik’s investigators. She also detailed what she knew about the three “secret rooms”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t much more than their locations. Much of the information was speculation on her part, but it would give the investigators a place to start.

“This is wonderful,” Sedrik told her after he read through the information. “I’ll input everything into the central database. That will make it accessible from any of our ships or facilities.” He stroked his chin and stared past her as his tone turned contemplative. “And I’ll send it directly to Kaylar.”

“Who’s Kaylar?” she asked, hoping that something in her list would move things forward.

“He’s my lead investigator. He organizes the tracker teams as well as personally questioning anyone he deems important.”

“Is he good? Can we trust him?”

Sedrik looked at her and nodded. “I haven’t known him long. He basically came with the ship, but his reputation and his record are impressive.”

Her only response was a tentative smile. She didn’t want to distract him from his work, so Rebecca read for a while. When her restlessness grew, she played letrexta, an addictive pattern game Lily had demonstrated when she gave Rebecca the datapad.

An hour or so later Rebecca looked at Sedrik and asked, “Is it all right if I call Thea again?”

“I thought you were going to give it until morning?” he muttered, clearly absorbed in what he was doing.

“I was, but with everything that’s going on, I’m starting to worry.”

“Of course. You can call whomever you like.” He glanced at her as he asked, “Do you remember how to activate cell phone emulation?”

“I think so.”

He nodded then turned back to his holo-display. After dinner, they’d tried to contact Thea again, but hit her voice mail. The first time Sedrik set up the call he’d done it so fast, Rebecca had no idea how to do it herself. So the second time, she slowed him down, making him explain each step as he did it. She accessed the main communications menu, then chose ship-to-planet transmission.

Ship to planet, the phrase made her smile. The Triumphant was so damn big, it was hard to think of it as a ship, and it still seemed impossible that a signal from behind the moon could activate an individual cell phone. The menu changed as it executed her selection and she chose mobile phone emulation. The datapad had saved Thea’s number, so all Rebecca had to do was tap on it and the datapad went to work.

Soon Rebecca heard a dial tone, then the call connected.

“Thea’s phone, Lenore Fermont speaking.”

How odd. Lenore must be the lawyer’s mother, the one who had taken Thea in, but what was she doing with Thea’s phone. “Hi, this is Rebecca Dayton. I’m a friend of Thea’s. May I speak with her, please?”

“I know who you are. Thea speaks of you fondly. Do you happen to know where she is?”

She could hear the tension in Lenore’s voice now. Something was wrong, very wrong. “I’m with the battle born. Is there a problem they should know about? What’s going on?”

Sedrik must have heard her questions. He suddenly rose and moved to stand behind the couch. “Put her on speaker.”

“Sedrik Lux is with me. I’m going to put you on speaker.”

“Oh thank you, dear. General Lux, we’re not sure what happened. Someone rang the doorbell, but there was no one there when I opened the door. I asked your men if they had seen anyone, but no one saw anything. When I returned to the front salon, Thea was gone.”

“Why am I just hearing about this now? Where are your guards?”

“Out searching for Thea.” Lenore was sounding more agitated by the minute. “And they did notify someone. I’m sorry, I don’t know who.”

“That’s fine. It’s not your responsibility to know. I didn’t mean to bark at you. Are you certain Thea has been taken?”

Sedrik could be autocratic, yet he was surprisingly careful with Lenore. The contrast was endearing, and encouraging. Rebecca was starting to believe that strong didn’t always equate to cruel.

“I thought she’d just gone to bed, but her purse was on the hallstand and her phone was in it. Thea doesn’t go anywhere without her phone.”

“How are you doing?” he asked. “Is there someone who can come stay with you until we have more information?”

“I got ahold of Jenna. She and Drex should be here shortly, but it’s very kind of you to ask.”

“I’m going to let you go now.” He spoke with restrained compassion, firm yet caring. “I need to make sure everything that can be done is taking place.”

Lenore said goodbye and Rebecca ended the call. She looked at Sedrik as tension gripped her stomach. If Thea was really missing, and it appeared that she was, there were only two possible explanations. “Are you thinking Outcasts or those RF bastards?”

“I was thinking Outcasts, but you’re right. The Resistance Force is equally likely.” He leaned down and kissed her briefly. “I need to find out what her guards know and why whomever they contacted didn’t notify me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She smiled, but her thoughts were more realistic. With everything that was going on, it was unlikely she’d see him for the rest of the night.

* * * * *

Jim returned to the L.A. station at five sharp and the engineers assured him they were very close to completion. Desperately wanting something positive to report to Abaddon, Jim waited. And waited. Hours passed and all he heard was one excuse after another.

With cinderblock walls and a concrete floor, the windowless room felt more like a storm shelter or a bunker than an interdimensional access point. He dragged a chair into one corner so he could watch the “geniuses” work. Granted they were attempting to repair alien technology, but Abaddon had given them the Evonti equivalent of a schematic, so what was taking so damn long!

He leaned back in the chair and locked his hands behind his head. Updating Abaddon on the engineers’ progress—or lack thereof—was unnecessary. Jim could feel the continual flow of alien energy through his brain, activating his implants. It was unlikely Abaddon himself was monitoring the situation, but some underling was doubtlessly watching and listening, using Jim’s body like a transceiver.

Evonti portals didn’t look like much when they were offline. The oval ring of interwoven cables had been lifted from the pool in which it was kept. Water was used as some sort of conductor though Jim didn’t understand the specifics. He just knew the portals didn’t work unless they were submerged. Each time the engineers thought they had the thing working, it was lowered into the pool for activation. So far each attempt had failed.

He rubbed the back of his neck and returned the front legs of his chair to the floor. “How much longer?” Impatience sharpened each word.

“Soon. Very soon,” one of the “geniuses” muttered without bothering to look up.

“You said that—”

The muted thud of rubble shifting snapped Jim’s attention toward the door. His heart slammed against his ribs then settle into a fast, even rhythm. The engineers worked on, oblivious to the sound. Jim took a deep breath and just about dismissed the interruption as paranoia—when the door handle rattled.

“Quiet,” he sneered, trying to catch the engineers’ attention with urgent gestures while keeping his voice low.

Their work gradually stopped and each engineer looked at him or at the door.

The silent pause stretched while the people inside the concrete room squirmed. Jim exhaled. Scavengers must have discovered the entrance then left when they realized they couldn’t get in.

As if to mock his conclusion, a resounding blast shook the entire room. The engineers scattered, diving under tables and crouching in corners. Jim knocked his chair sideways and knelt behind the pitiful barrier. He drew his plasma blaster, a gift from Abaddon, and pointed it at the door. If humans were attempting to “rescue” survivors trapped by the disaster, he’d have no choice but to kill them. No one could know about the portals until the Evonti were ready for everyone to know.

His hands shook and his chest heaved as a second blast echoed the first. There was no other way in or out of this room. If the battle born had found him… He didn’t even want to think about the ramifications of that development.

The door flew inward then fell, slapping the floor like a metal drawbridge. Soldiers rushed inside, boot heels ringing on the concrete floor, pulse rifles positioned against their shoulders. Their size and body armor identifying them as battle born and the strangest combination of dread and elation twisted through Jim.

He knew too much, so did the engineers. The Evonti had to kill him or risk his knowledge falling into the enemy’s hands. But would they finally allow him to stay dead? What choice would they have if the battle born had his body? How long after death could the Evonti still revive a human?

The questions were so absurd that he felt laughter bubbling up inside him. He set down his weapon and raised his hands, welcoming whatever came next. If the Evonti expected him to protect their secrets from the battle born, they were deluded. You better fucking kill me now or I’ll sing like a bird! He wasn’t sure they could decipher individual thoughts, but the situation was self-evident.

Rapid gunfire drew Jim’s attention to the lead engineer. Two of his colleagues collapsed as he turned his smoking gun on the other two members of his team. A stream of energy streaked past Jim’s face and drilled a hole in the center of the lead engineer’s chest. The remaining engineers huddled together, one sobbing hysterically.

“No one will be harmed,” a battle born soldier shouted from behind the mirrored visor of his helmet. “We’re looking for ‘Big Jim’ Dayton.” His head turned toward Jim. “Are you James Dayton?”

Before Jim could answer, one of the engineers screamed, grasping his head with both hands as blood trickled from his nose. Half a second later the last engineer did the same. Jim had never been sure if the “geniuses” had been physically modified like the ambassadors or if the Evonti had simply threatened their loved ones. Now he knew. Like him, they had never had a choice.

He watched their contorted features with morbid fascination, knowing he was next. Blood ran from their noses and eyes as two battle born soldiers frantically tried to determine the cause of their suffering.

The faint buzz of Evonti energy built inside Jim’s brain. He welcomed the pain, didn’t even care about the inevitable loss of his bodily functions. The battle born would have his body, so it was unlikely the Evonti could revive him, this time. Pain spiked, dragging a scream from his throat as his muscles began to spasm. He closed his eyes and surrendered to death, his last thought a fervent prayer, Please God, let it finally be over!