Chapter 11
Bloodlust [ bluhd-luhst ] noun (see also ’ lust)
A trait unique to the Breaker line responsible for their superior physical attributes and elevated pain tolerance. Secreted as a pheromone cloud during periods of intense emotion, a Breaker’s ability to project ’lust outward, intimidating rivals and/or attracting a mate, is one of the three criteria used to determine their rung in the hierarchy. Its use can be highly addictive, resulting in an increased likelihood of succumbing*
*A violent, berserker-like madness requiring prompt euthanasia.
– Excerpt from A Treatise on Talents , Third Edition
“Male Breakers have been enhanced for two things: violence and procreation. One could almost feel pity for their mates, if it wasn’t so apparent they share the same tastes.”
– L. Merkel, Head Geneticist ,
The Source
Kara thought she was back at the Source when she woke. The dim flicker of plaz lights in a windowless cement cube, heavy iron pipes running along the walls and ceiling… Was she in one of the lower cells?
An arm tightened around her waist. She relaxed beneath its weight, her anxiety fading.
Flynn.
He nuzzled the nape of her neck, sending chills down her spine. His lips quirked into a smile against her skin, and he rolled over, moving her above him. She traced her fingers across his stubbly jaw with a sharp breath. He cracked an eye, shrugging at her shock.
“It’ll grow back. We’re safe, and there’s a decon.” He jerked a thumb toward the far wall, stretching out beneath her.
Kara didn’t care. He was gorgeous—Why did he hide his face with that beard?
She kissed him fiercely, biting his lip. A surge of startled lust came from him, and he was above her before she could react, his gaze riveting hers.
Her breath caught. That other, dangerous part of him looked down at her. She sensed a massive internal struggle behind his hazel-green eyes, and whatever was watching her was winning. His chest rumbled, fingers digging into her hip, his breathing ragged. Her own sped in response, and she wet her lips in anticipation. All he needed was a little push?—
“Not a chance you’re fucking her on my couch!”
The lights flicked brighter, and a sneaker bounced off Flynn’s shoulder. Kara blushed, hiding against his chest. His heart beat very fast. He fought to master himself, pushing back like he’d been burnt and scrubbing his hands across his face. Leo snorted and went into another room.
“Want to show me where that decon is?” she asked, wetting her lips.
Flynn wouldn’t meet her eye. “Ah…maybe later.” He sounded pained. Kara’s brows knit. She could feel how much he wanted her through their bond. Why wouldn’t he—“It’s through there.”
He got up and pushed past Leo leaning in the doorway with a mug of coffee. From the expression on his face, it should’ve been a bag of popcorn. Jerk. She got up, crossing the concrete room to where Flynn had pointed. Why had he abandoned her like that? Had she done something wrong? She grabbed her bag from the pile on the floor and hit the panel, ignoring Leo’s smirk.
A section of the wall slid open, revealing a pristine white and stainless-steel bathroom with the promised decon-stall and a laundry module. She faltered stepping inside, a wave of familiarity sweeping over her. It was like any one of the hundreds of lavs back at the Source. What had Leo done, just shifted random rooms in tandem to cobble this place together? The longer she was Outside, the weirder it got.
Curiouser and curiouser…
She dumped out her bag, stuffing everything she owned into the module before getting into the stall, desperately trying to think about anything but Flynn. His rejection stung. She didn’t understand it, especially since it felt like the last thing he wanted to do.
Hurt, she hit the button to start the ultrasonics, forcing her thoughts to the day before. Not that it was any more pleasant to contemplate.
She’d killed that woman. She’d killed her and was glad.
Rogan would be appalled that she’d let the bloodlust come over her with a bunch of subalterns, but seeing that woman on Flynn…his poor beard. Why hadn’t he defended himself? He could’ve snapped her like a twig and never been injured.
Kara shook out her hair. The way he’d looked at her after, feeling what he was feeling, it was just the bond, wasn’t it? She had no doubt that they were bound together so tightly her death would’ve followed his in that garage, but that hadn’t been the only reason she’d almost burnt out her talent saving him. Her insides were raw after pulling so much.
She laughed. Glory, this was the last thing she needed. And judging by what was coming through their link at the moment, Flynn felt the same way, the jerk.
She sighed. Everything was so different out here. Who was she now that she didn’t have to play the timid medic jumping at shadows? Never mind that they’d seen her pull that much talent, it was the first time anyone outside the tower had seen her use her Breaker abilities. Rogan’s face filled her mind’s eye, and she pushed the image away. The thought of never seeing him again hurt too much.
The decon-stall clicked off. She got dressed and repacked her bag. That muscle in her calf jumped, and she winced at the accompanying twinge of pain, wishing there was another pile of wood to move. What she really needed was to spar. Fat chance of that happening. Taking a deep breath, she left the bathroom.
Flynn sat with Leo at the table, his eyes shadowed. He’d pushed down whatever he’d been feeling earlier, and that block on his emotions was back up. She frowned, hating it when he did that. Another Leo walked in with a platter of food, and she jumped.
Flynn cracked a smile. “That’s Graham.” The not-Leo made a small bow. “He’s cool. Leo’s the pain in the ass.”
Identical twins, right down to the seaming on their Hawaiian shirts. Today’s was orange. Kara was still baffled as to how they were related to Flynn. They looked nothing like him.
“Before we eat, let me do this,” he said, standing. He pulled her close, brushing back her hair.
She fought a wave of desire as he gave her the barest brush of a kiss. Leo made a choking sound. She laughed when Flynn pulled back. It was like he’d dared himself to do it. Coloring, he cleared his throat.
“Kara, you’ve met my cousin, Arileo. This is his brother, Grantham, my father’s brother’s son, and my cousin. Grantham, Arileo, this is Kara Scot, my wife.” His voice had taken on that formal timbre again. It echoed through the concrete chamber, bouncing off the exposed piping. The plaz light hanging between them didn’t do the rest of the room any favors. It sure made the twins look sallow.
They gave her matching half bows, then Leo flopped into his chair and filled his plate, glaring at them. Graham sat stiffly, carefully placing a napkin on his lap.
Flynn followed suit, grabbing food almost as fast as Leo. She went to do the same, then paused. He looked over at her, sensing her confusion, then another flush of heat from his gaze. They both tried to ignore it. Leo snorted in disgust, muttering under his breath. What was his problem ?
“Why Scot?”
The three men stared at her, then exchanged glances.
“That’s our House. Up north it passes through the men. When you marry, you assume it.” Flynn took a big bite of bacon, raising his eyebrows at her.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. How do you track offspring?”
He stopped chewing and sat back. “It’s not like the Source, where every year they breed you to someone else. If someone up north has six kids, they all have the same parents.”
“I don’t know, Flynn, you look like an Sh1 to me,” Leo drawled snidely.
Flynn glowered at him, tearing off another bite of bacon.
Sh1, then he was a First. That she understood. Males in the Source didn’t carry a last name, just a designation. Line, then rank. Kara gave Flynn a measured look. Being First was a big deal, he must be really talented, unless Leo was just being a jerk. That seemed like a distinct possibility.
Flynn kept glaring at him. The smaller man broke off from whatever he was about to say. He seemed to delight in pissing Flynn off. She had a sudden desire to watch him beat the crap out of his cousin. Short of that, she wouldn’t mind doing it herself. Flynn turned back to her.
“Other than the Original Houses, lineage isn’t as important up north, and marriage is a lot different than having a consort. When we bond, it’s for life. All the kids you have will be mine, and all of mine will be yours.”
Leo rolled his eyes, and Graham kicked him under the table. She shook her head, trying to ignore their antics.
“Flynn—”
“Laughlin,” Leo interjected gleefully. He rubbed his shin, giving Graham a dirty look. Flynn glared daggers back at him. “His name is Laughlin. Lord Laughlin James Scot, to be precise, heir to the illustrious Scot dynasty, and all the bullshit that comes with it.” He didn’t even try to hide his smirk. Kara was speechless .
“It’s an old House name. Very respectable,” Graham added. He and Leo nodded to each other solemnly, then laughed.
She glanced back at Flynn; he wanted to kill them both.
“I misspoke. That’s actually the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Laughlin?” A snicker escaped her, and he frowned at them all.
“Yeah. Trust me, I didn’t pick it. It makes me nuts.”
Laughlin? Kara giggled. His face went crimson.
“We left a bot in the garage,” Leo blurted. “They sent a full squad with a Radiant. Graham cloaked what residue he could, but he had to leave them something. They’ve got vectors assigned now.”
Kara looked between them. “What’s a Radiant?”
“A Talent that can see energy,” Flynn said around his mouthful. “Leo’s one.”
“Yeah, and I don’t know exactly what I saw, but I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t be possible.”
Kara played with her toast. “You’d be surprised what can be done with binding. Flynn was close to dying; I just kind of reacted.”
Leo pursed his lips, not satisfied with her answer. She didn’t care. He was a jerk, and she didn’t like him. Flynn shot her an odd look, picking up on her mood. She smiled at him, batting her eyelashes.
He snorted, putting his napkin on his plate. “Anyone gonna need the bathroom for a while?” he asked before he stood. “Then I call dibs.” Awkwardly returning her smile, he left the room. Kara sighed. He was going to have to get over whatever was bothering him.
Graham stole back to the kitchen. Leo kept scowling at her.
“The squad they sent after you, the lead contacted the Commandant directly to update him on their status.”
Kara bit at her thumb, unsurprised it’d moved that far up the chain. Their Patrons would be involved now. She hoped Nora could persuade Albanach to be understanding. “Was the lead a Peacekeeper?”
“Yeah. The Commandant called him Br3.”
She nodded, relieved. They’d pulled Riegel from the op. Probably for losing a man. She wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d gotten caught for killing him. Leo’s eyes narrowed at her reaction and he looked like he was about to say something else .
Before he could, she grabbed the plates off the table and took them into the kitchen.
Sterile and white, it was another windowless Source transplant. A wide stainless-steel island stretched across the majority of the room, like a bar. She blinked at the plaz lights reflecting off its mirrored surface. So weird…
Graham was cleaning a set of knives at the sink on the far end. He pointed her to the sanitizer for the dishes she was carrying. “Give me the knives. The binds fail when they go in there.”
“Really? Can I see?”
He flipped around the one he was washing so she could take the handle. She inspected it and smiled as he began cloaking so she could pull talent without a vector picking it up. Man, that was handy.
“The bind was misaligned. Want me to do the others?”
Grinning, Graham showed her the rest.
Pax glanced up as Ryker came into the command tent and stalked over to the corner Jones had set up in. The two of them conferred for a moment before Ryker approached his desk.
He looked like he’d fucked up.
“Sir, I missed a signature in our initial sweep.”
Pax raised an eyebrow. Ryker didn’t miss shit when it came to energy.
The redhead scratched under his cap. “I don’t know how it happened, but it did. There’s another Fetch signature mixed in with the ones going southwest. It heads due north, and terminates in the foothills. We could be there in twenty.”
“Initiate the craft. You two, Collins and Spatz, suit up. Guise and the others can hold down the fort,” Pax said with a slow exhale, his hand sliding away from the comms button.
Ryker and Jones exchanged a look, but didn’t question the play he was making for the Commandant’s rung. Marcos was close to aging out, and if he was on Titus’s shit list, making him look incompetent might push their Patron to cull him, giving Pax his rung without having to formally challenge the old man.
Ryker saluted crisply, leaving to relay the order.
Twenty minutes later, a craft hung over the coordinates where the shift had terminated. There was nothing but forest in every direction.
“Jones, run the deep thermal, and tell me what you see.”
The tek punched several commands into his screen. “Pay dirt.”
Pax leaned over his shoulder, examining the details of the bunker some hundred feet below them. “That the surface entrance?”
“Yeah, I don’t see another way out, unless it’s lower. The subterranean scan is only good for one-hundred-thirty feet with this craft, the older ones would’ve missed it. Even so, I’m only picking up the top three feet of the bunker.”
“You telling me there could be an army of dwarves down there?”
“Or sleeping giants. I’ve gotten one hit I can safely say is a man, a big one. Breaker, if I had to guess, and Ryker confirmed Fetch activity again as we approached. There’s definitely Talents down there.”
“Leave the craft aloft. I want you to stay up here and monitor. Ryker, Collins, Spatz, with me.” Pax grabbed his helmet and headed for the back hatch.
Jones lowered the ramp, and they leaped down before he took the craft back up to hover above the conifers. Once on the ground, Collins swept the area, locating the access panel in an outcropping of stone abutting a heavily treed hillside. He synced in their network and started running algorithms. It was a matter of moments before a door that hadn’t existed an eye-blink before slid back. None of them questioned it, bloodlust coursing through their veins, the anticipation of prey thick enough to roll over their tongues.
They were in.
Flynn leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, still trying to tamp down his lust from earlier. Over by the counter, Kara glanced up, her emotions echoing his before she ignored him, turning back to Graham. It didn’t feel like she was pissed, just trying to give him space. He appreciated it, but it kind of hurt.
Not that he didn’t deserve it after this morning.
Watching the two of them with their heads together, he felt like a dick. He needed to apologize. None of it was her fault. Everything at the garage had fucked with him hard, especially if he was hearing shit again.
A raw, mineral-laced darkness stalked the edges of his memory. He shoved it down, biting at the inside of his cheek. The way she’d bitten his lip…
Kara glanced up at him again, and he clamped down on the link between them, swallowing his need, painful in its intensity. The things he wanted to do—Goddamn it. He was losing control, and she was gonna get hurt.
No. He could keep it together.
She bit at the side of her thumb, peeking over at him.
How the fuck was he gonna keep it together?
Christ. Maybe by focusing on something other than his dick. Load differentials, square roots, iambic fucking meter—goddamn this compulsion!
It took a lot longer than it should’ve, but he pulled that blanket of calm again, letting it settle over him. The roiling beneath it became muted. His breathing steadied.
He could fucking do this.
Graham and Kara were messing around with pans. What the hell were they up to? Every piece of cooking paraphernalia his cousin owned had to be spread out across the counters.
“Getting lessons, Kara? You couldn’t have picked a better teacher. Graham’s a chef up north.” Flynn grinned at her blush. Woman didn’t have a clue what half of it was. Shit, he didn’t either.
Graham put away something that looked like a cross between a corkscrew and a cheese grater. “Restaurateur now. I bought the Park Club with my majority payout. I’m only down here because Cal—” He broke off with an embarrassed glance at Kara. “Anyway, this is wonderful, she’s been fixing the binds on all my gear.”
Flynn’s eyebrow rose. His cousin was rarely animated with anyone, never mind people he’d just met. Kara shrugged at his surprise. Flynn came farther into the kitchen, wandering over to a garish cherry pedestal table. The pleather seats of the chrome stools matched the Formica. There was so much crap out all over the place he hadn’t even seen it from the door.
An Ash’a board had been set up, and a game was spread across all three levels. Flynn picked up a piece, rubbing his thumb over the carved figure. It’d been a long time since he’d played the multidimensional chess game.
“How many moves?” Graham asked with a sigh.
Flynn scratched his jaw. “Red or white?” Dipping his head, he studied the board.
“Red.”
“Twelve, nine if white’s really stupid,” he answered after a moment’s thought.
Graham laughed at Kara’s confusion. “Man’s a demon at Ash’a. Cal’s the only one that can beat him. We used to play until he was a few moves from winning, then switch sides. He’d still wipe the floor with us.”
Flynn put the rook back on its square, glancing away self-consciously as Kara came over, wrapping her arms around his waist. His nerves mellowed. How did she do that?
Graham stumbled against the counter. His face went white, halos flaring a vivid mint as he cloaked them. “Someone’s here.”
You gotta be —Flynn pulled talent, his arms around Kara, cloaking them both. “How do we get out?”
“Through the tunnel they just came down, or with Leo.”
“Where the fuck is he?”
“He said he had to take care of something, I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
Flynn riffled his hair, he was gonna kill that sack of shit. Asshole was never around when you needed him. “If they have a nullifier or a pack we’re fucked.”
“Why a pack?” Kara looked between them with those big eyes of hers. He gritted his teeth at the flush of heat they sent through him. Goddamn, that was inconvenient .
“They can’t see or hear us, but we can’t cloak smell. Even a regular dog can sniff us out, and muties have thermals to boot,” Graham explained, picking up one of his knives. There was a series of rapid booms and flashes from the other room, accompanied by the sound of boots.
Flynn pushed Kara behind him, crouching down with Graham against the far wall. Something rolled across the concrete and plinked off the front of the island.
Stunner.
He threw an arm up over his face before he’d finished the thought. It sent out a blinding burst of light. What the hell were they using? R-32s? When it had dissipated, two Breakers had come into the room leveling guns. Graham was rubbing his eyes. Kara wasn’t much better off. Shit, even he was seeing spots.
“Clear!” one of them called over his shoulder, retracting his face shield and blinking furiously. The idiots must’ve overloaded their sensors. “Glory, you’re an asshole, Collins.”
Flynn held his breath. Maybe God didn’t hate him.
The big blond pinched the bridge of his nose. “How the hell was I supposed to know it would refract back like that?”
“Bigger’s not always better, Collins.”
“You tell the whores that?”
“Nah, just your dam.”
The Breakers cut the banter as a very tall man walked into the room, followed by another. The latter gave a confused frown, looking directly at them. Flynn broke out in a sweat at the black stripe on the left sleeve of their fatigues.
Scratch that. God wanted him dead. The track where his scar had sliced down his face ached with phantom pain. Peacekeepers. Christ, they were fucked.
“You got something, Ryker?” The tall man they’d deferred to as lead rested his gun against the counter, pulling off his helmet with a grimace. He turned to the man that’d come in after him. “Well?”
The red-haired Breaker looking in their direction shook his head. “I don’t know, Pax. It’s energy that shouldn’t be there…” He took another step toward them .
Fuck, it was the Radiant. Flynn glanced at Graham. He wore an expression of intense concentration. Ryker winced, taking a step back, his hand at his temple. Graham slid down the wall, looking like shit.
“You all right?” Pax asked.
Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing. “I must’ve overdone it earlier… I get headaches when I do, sir.”
Pax’s lips tightened as he looked in their direction. He punched something into the plaz panel on his sleeve. “Jones, you still picking up that heat signature?”
A man’s voice crackled through the comms. “No sir, I lost it just before you breached the last room.”
“Just now?”
“Yes sir, I watched it wink out on the eastern wall as you were going in.”
Flynn seized ahold of Kara with one hand and Graham with the other, throwing them behind the counter. A heartbeat later, Pax grabbed up his gun and sprayed the wall with bullets.
“Well, there’s nothing there that bleeds. Damn it. Ryker, you sense anything?”
“Sorry Pax, I’m gonna be useless for the next few hours.”
The lead swept a line of pots off the counter in frustration. They made a huge clattering racket as they hit the floor. He ran a hand over his close-cropped dark hair.
“Sweep the place again, and see if there’s anything in there to eat. I’m already tired of fucking io-bars… Maybe this won’t be a total loss.”
Flynn motioned for them to creep back over to the bullet riddled wall. Graham and Kara huddled behind him, watching the Breakers rifle through cupboards, throwing things onto the floor. One of them pulled a ham from the refrigerator, and they all converged on it, hacking off chunks with their tactical knives.
“Savages,” Graham muttered in disgust.
“So do we just wait for them to leave?”
Flynn shrugged at Kara’s question. There was no way they’d be able to take on four ’keepers, and the lead had radioed someone on the surface, which meant more were above. She and Graham might be able to squeeze by that Breaker to get to the door, but he wouldn’t. Still, if he could get her safe… Why the hell had the Source sent elite troops after her?
“Depends on what Graham did,” Flynn said.
His cousin was grim. “If I concentrate hard enough, I can mess with a Radiant’s ability for a couple hours, but it taps me out. I won’t be able to do it again.”
Flynn watched Pax come farther into the room and set up the Ash’a board, ripping off a mouthful of ham from the chunk in his fist. Another ’keeper leaned against the door frame with a beer. Shit. Sneaking past them was out, and it didn’t look like they were planning on leaving anytime soon.
“Can you bind them?” There wasn’t any point in not using talent, he and Graham would be lucky to get out of there alive. Kara started to answer when one of the ’keepers came into the kitchen grinning. He twirled a pair of her panties around his finger.
“These were in a Source-issued bag. I’m gonna say she was here.”
Pax swore, dashing his hand through the board. Pieces flew everywhere, peppering the three of them and ricocheting to the floor. The lead’s eyes widened, and he went for his sidearm.
Flynn swore, launching himself at the man and bowling him over. “Run!”
“Get a fucking nullifier!” Pax yelled over him, trying to fend off his invisible attacker.
The Breaker’s arms snapped tight to his sides. Two more men rushed the room, and the distinct screeching dissidence of a nullifier being flicked on filled Flynn’s mind. Its deadening field instantly cutting off his ability to pull talent.
Kara’s binds failed, and Pax’s fist shot out, clipping Flynn’s jaw as he popped into view. He saw stars, sprawling backwards. Goddamn! He’d forgotten how fucking hard a ’keeper could hit.
“On your knees, hands behind your head.” Pax laughed, drawing his sidearm as he stood. “No shit. I didn’t think your line really existed.” The other three men glowered behind him.
Flynn grimaced, assuming the position, the right side of his face in agony. He tried to rock his jaw and winced. Motherfucker’d broken it. He fought to keep his emotions in check, remembering the last time he tried to go up against a ’keeper. It was not a portion of his life he was interested in repeating.
Pax strode over and grabbed a fistful of his hair, jerking Flynn’s head up. The edges of his vision darkened from the pain, but he was grateful for it. It drowned out the urge to do something stupid.
“Big man. Too bad you don’t have anything to back it up.” Pax completely ignored Graham, his eyes moving to Kara. The Peacekeeper licked his lips and shoved Flynn’s head away.
“You’re the filly they’re looking for. Why they’re gonna waste a piece of ass like you on that cull, Riegel, is beyond me.”
Pax went to say something over his shoulder, and Kara moved faster than Flynn could credit. She disarmed the ’keeper and took a shot at one of the men behind him in a single fluid motion. His shoulder jerked back, and he swore, sliding down the wall. A bright trail of blood smeared behind him. Holy shit! How the fuck had she gotten that between the plates—Flynn looked back at her, the pistol trained on Pax’s forehead.
“You’re going to turn that nullifier off and let us walk out of here.”
That sense of menace rolled off her as she spoke. Perfume flavored the air. Every single one of the Peacekeepers tensed up like they’d discovered a bomb in the room.
Pax’s eyes widened, his nostrils flaring. “Well… I’d heard you were part Breaker but didn’t give it much credit. I sure as hell smell it on you now, though. I can’t just let you walk away, but I’ll tell you what, baby.” Pax licked his lips again, eye-fucking her. He took a step forward. Ignoring the gun, he inhaled deeply, pulling at his crotch.
“Damn you’re ripe. You beat me hand to hand, I’ll let all of you go. You lose, and I’m taking your bond right here on the floor.” One of the men behind him snickered.
Flynn fought the overwhelming urge to beat the shit out of him, his temper bubbling up. The Breakers’ attention snapped to him with a sharp intake of breath. Flynn tamped it down, hard. The air abruptly stank like someone had ripped one, and the Breakers behind the lead edged away, looking weak. One of them took a knee. What the fuck ?
“Huh, look at you, some kind of a fucking twist,” Pax drawled, his lips quirking up. He sniffed and ran a hand under his nose. Flynn frantically tried to find that sense of calm, his stomach dropping. Pax’s grin widened at his struggle.
“I have your word on that? Your men will agree to let us go?” Kara asked, drawing the Breaker’s attention.
“You questioning my honor?” Pax narrowed his eyes at her. “The hierarchy demands a Breaker’s word be inviolate. You beat me, you get a free pass. Collins’ll witness, but you gotta heal him first.”
Kara bit her lip, then unchambered the round, dropped the mag, and threw the pistol on the table. She went over to the injured man. Flynn flexed his jaw, the pain distracting him from Pax leering at her. Shit, they all were. Graham put a hand on Flynn’s arm with a warning look.
One of the Breakers switched the nullifier off, and Kara pulled talent. “It’s done.”
“Move all that shit in the common room out of the way,” Pax ordered his men, unbuckling his ballistics vest and winking at her. “Like what you see, baby? This’ll save me some time later. Damn, I can’t wait to rub my nose up in that.” He ran his eyes over her again and left the room.
Kara went to Flynn and raised her hand to his jaw. Her halos flared before he could stop her. Christ, he wished she hadn’t done that. The pain had been the only thing grounding him.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he growled. “He’s a Peacekeeper!”
Kara shrugged. “I’m not worried.”
He frowned. No, she wasn’t in the least. The fuck, it was like she was excited?—
“Let’s go!” Pax barked from the other room.
Flashing a smile, she left the kitchen. Flynn’s stomach churned. She had no fucking idea what that animal was capable of. He gritted his teeth against the overwhelming urge to go in there and do something incredibly stupid. He’d already come close enough. His emotions began to well up and take shape in the back of his mind. The sharp taste of copper filling his mouth. He’d bitten through his lip, knowing what was coming. That wave of rage blacking everything out, then the aftermath—An animalistic whimper eked from his throat. Fuck, not again, not where she could see ? —
“What’s she thinking?” Graham came up to stand beside him in the doorway. Flynn shook his head. The scrabbling had started in his guts. He tried to calm his breathing. What if he hurt Graham? Hurt her?
“You gotta—damn, that reeks.” A foul musk plowed through his inner turmoil. Graham looked at him funny. “Can’t you smell that?” It was worse than the Pinch at low-tide, Kara’s perfume threading through the revolting funk. By the look on her face, she smelled it too. The combination was nauseating. Had they broken a sewage line tossing the place? The Breakers all stood back, one by one dropping to their knees before Pax. He waited for Kara in the center of the room like it was fucking Christmas.
Graham looked at him blankly. How didn’t he…whatever, it wasn’t important. Kara had tied back her hair and squared up with the Peacekeeper. The anticipation coming off her matched what was on his face. God, she wanted this, wanted that fucking asshole to hit her. Jealousy surged through him, nausea churning his gut.
“Here baby, I’ll let you take the first swing.” Pax held his hands out to his sides, offering up his chin. His men laughed, and a massive rush of indignation came from Kara. The scent of that perfume abruptly drowned out the reek of sewage. She pulled back, then delivered a punch hard enough to make the asshole stumble into his men and spit blood.
Holy shit!
“My name’s Kara, jerk.”
The Breaker wiped his chin and swore. She pressed her advantage, hitting him again, and putting him on the defensive. He tried to grapple with her, and she danced back, blowing him a kiss. Christ, she was fucking playing with a Peacekeeper! She glanced over at Flynn, feeling his shocked jealousy and laughing at it.
Damn, she was beautiful.
Pax came at her again, more warily this time. They traded blows, and he landed one, bloodying her nose. Flynn’s stomach cramped, that crimson haze filling his vision. Two of the Breakers looked at him askance, their hands drifting toward their sidearms. Christ, he needed to calm down…
His fingers curled into fists. He turned away, breathing hard. All the shit he’d been burying was too close to the fucking surface again. Fucking Fuil, fucking ’keepers?—
‘She is our mate!’
The voice bit and tore at his insides. He stumbled, catching himself against the wall.
“You good?” Graham asked.
Flynn broke out in a sweat, fighting to keep it together. Fuck, no, he wasn’t. “Yeah,” he rasped, gripping the door jamb. His stomach was a mess. Goddamn it, he wasn’t going to lose his shit. Not in front of her…
Pax was doubled over, and Kara brought a knee up into his face. The man made a last-ditch effort to grab her around the hips and grapple. She pulled back, delivering a roundhouse to the side of his head. Stumbling, he went down hard. Kara kicked his leg out from under him, then kicked him again in the gut as he hit the ground. She slammed his head against the concrete until that awful smell dissipated. The gnawing in Flynn’s gut went away with it.
Goddamn. She’d just wiped the floor with a Peacekeeper.
The one she’d shot got to his feet. “I’m witnessing your win.”
She jerked Pax’s head up. Man was beat to shit. Flynn could feel her internal struggle to finish him. Christ, he knew what that was like. Slowly, that sense of menace receded. Her halos flared, and the Breaker groaned, healed. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she came to stand by Flynn. He rested a hand on her hip, his breath ragged. She’d come back. Chosen him.
She was his.
“I yield,” Pax gasped. “Son of a bitch. I fucking yield.”
“We’re free to go?” she asked.
“As far as I’m concerned, none of this shit ever happened. You’ve got my oath on it, and theirs.” He spat, glaring at the men in his squad. They all looked elsewhere .
Kara dabbed at the blood from her nose. The Breaker shook his head, still leering at her. Flynn’s temper spiked, a growl in his chest.
Pax shot him a dirty look. He grabbed up his ballistics vest, shrugging back into it as the rest of them gathered up their gear. “What a fucking waste. She should be with a real Breaker, not that fucking cull, and not with whatever the hell he is.”
Kara wrapped her arms around Flynn’s waist. Whatever the hell he was… Their eyes met, and a wave of lust washed over him, drowning out his anger. Kara’s breathing sped with a sense of possession. She wanted him. He raised a hand to her cheek, wiping off a spot of blood with his thumb. After seeing that fucker try to manhandle her?—
Just a taste. It’d been so goddamned long…
He brought it to his lips, a shudder running from his body to hers. The mineral tang was on his tongue, and his mouth filled with saliva. Kara’s body melted against his. The memory of that goddamned voice welled up, his lips forming the words.
“You are my mate.”
Her pupils expanded, her need bleeding into his.
The last of the Breakers hawked and spat as he left the room. Graham glanced over at them, then followed the squad at a distance.
Flynn slung Kara over his shoulder and carried her to the other side of the flat. She laughed and his fingers tightened. He hit a panel, opening a door to a small, neatly kept bedroom. Pushing her up against the wall, he kissed her savagely. They tore at each other’s clothes. Her skin was on his, and that perfume… She turned away from him, looking over her shoulder and panting. His heart leapt into his throat, running his hand over the smooth curve of her rear.
He needed to calm the fuck down.
She was making him want to do all the shit he’d promised he wouldn’t. He didn’t care. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. “You liked that… With him.”
“I—”
His palm slapped flat against her ass. Her gasp and the sting of it washed over him. Flynn closed his eyes, savoring both. Fuck his promise. Seeing that prick touch her—he rubbed over the mark his hand had left, breath ragged. “Didn’t you. ”
“Yes.” Her whisper was laden with need.
His hand fell again, harder, and she pressed against the wall with a cry, presenting herself for another. Like she knew she deserved this. Wanted it.
Flynn obliged, her bronzed skin blooming pink beneath his palm, perfume thick in his nose, rubbing away the sting when she began to whimper. His hand dipped between her thighs, spreading her swollen sex…so fucking wet. She pressed against his fingers, rocking needy.
“Please…”
“Christ, I love it when you beg.” He breathed in her ear, moving behind her, sliding between her rosy cheeks. She made a little noise, and he took a shuddering breath, his forehead resting against her shoulder, trying to calm the fuck down. Shit, talk about playing with fire?—
The scent of her arousal hit him anew and calming down wasn’t an option.
He grasped her hips, entering her forcefully, and she cried out at the invasion, elbows buckling against the wall. He reached up with one hand, roughly groping her breasts and sweeping her hair off her shoulder with the other. The scent of her skin—he moaned, lapping at it. Christ, what was it? He licked up her nape, wanting to eat it off her. To mark her, lay claim, fuck, she was just?—
“You’re mine.”
She arched, a massive surge of lust searing through their bond. Her nipple tightened into a point against his palm, and he pulled at it, feeling her get wetter. “Yes…”
“Say it.”
“I’m yours.”
He bit down on her neck, his stomach flipping, waiting for that moment when he crossed the line. Kara reached back, running her hand through his hair, urging him on. Pure, unadulterated carnality washed through their link. He wouldn’t hurt her…
“Please, Flynn…harder…”
That was a fucking lie.
Her skin broke, and he moaned at the tinge of copper coating his tongue. She gave an ecstatic cry, her hips tipping back, inviting …
“Oh, please…more…”
A groan welled up from his being at her wanton need. He licked over his bite mark, her desire matching his, their link rife with lust.
“No.” He panted, spinning her around, his mouth devouring hers as he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her to the bed, trying to hide his shame. He was on a slippery goddamned slope?—
“Yes.” She struck like a viper, biting up under his jaw, a line of fire shooting straight to his cock. He groaned at her teeth sinking into him, wishing she’d rip out a mouthful. Jesus fucking Christ, where had she been all his life?
They fell back on the bed, and he licked his blood from her mouth. Tongue sliding across hers, she nipped at him with a moan. He pushed back between her thighs, working his hips, losing himself in their echo. Him, feeling her, feeling him…
“How are you real?” he murmured. She answered with another cry, scoring his shoulders with her nails. He hissed in pain, a fierce grin playing across his lips. She panted, mewling at his deep, bruising thrusts, begging him for more. His chest rumbled, Christ, she was getting off on this as much as he was.
The headboard pounded rhythmically against the wall, her pleading cries music to his fucking ears. Flynn held her gaze, watching her brow wrinkle, feeling the tightness in her core build, spasm—he came hard, stars exploding across his vision, Kara gripping his hips, pulling him in deeper, milking him as she came.
Goddamn.
Flynn dropped his forehead to hers, her hand brushing across his cheek. Kissing her, he gave a little laugh, and rolled to the side. He lay there looking up at the ceiling, his emotions riot.
That look…it wasn’t there. She didn’t think he was a monster, hell, she’d gotten off on it as much as he had. Up North… Christ, he didn’t want to think about that. He basked in her afterglow, laughing again. This fucking woman.
“Shit Kara, you’re not freaked out?”
“About what? The spanking?”
“All of it.” Flynn propped himself up on his elbow and ran his thumb across the livid bite mark on her neck. Kara traced the tracks her nails had left. They stung as she went over them, and the wound at his throat ached fiercely. No one had ever marked him back like that. He reveled in it, and the small smile playing across her lips. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Why wouldn’t I be? It was hot.” Her brow furrowed. “Are you alright?”
“With this? Yeah. About what I saw out there? I don’t even know what to think. You beat the shit out of that guy.”
She shrugged and he felt her satisfaction, along with her amusement at his lingering jealousy. He growled and Kara rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t very good, and stupid enough to let me hit him first. Will he keep his word?”
Flynn sighed, lying back down next to her, not particularly concerned about them coming back. She snuggled under his arm. Fuck, she felt good. “Yeah, no question. He’s a Breaker. Their one redeeming quality is their fucked up honor, and regardless, we’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere until that prick Leo gets back.” He kissed the top of her head, her long hair sliding through his fingers. “It was hard watching that.”
“What else could we do? Flynn, in the garage, just now… You’re a huge guy, and you’re jacked. Why won’t you defend yourself?”
“Bad things happen when I lose my temper. Just leave it at that. I’m not that man anymore.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t supposed to be the man that did that shit in the bedroom either.
“But they would’ve?—”
“Just leave it alone, it’s no more than I deserve.” His temper rose, and he fought not to lash out.
“It’s not just you. They were here to take me back, Flynn.” She gave him a long look and pushed off him, gathering up her clothes and dressing.
Christ, how could he fucking explain…? He scrubbed his hands through his hair, frustrated at himself. Everything was too fucking raw since he’d met her.
She came back over, clucking her tongue at the gashes from Tracy’s rings. “Let me?— ”
He caught her wrist. “Don’t.”
Her eyes traced a line down the side of his face. “Do you miss them? Your scars?”
“I knew who I was with them.” And who he was when he was by himself. A miserable fucking twat. He pulled on his jeans, then sat at the edge of the bed, twisting his cuff.
“And now?”
“Everything’s different. Look, I… At the garage, you did what you had to do, what I couldn’t.” His mouth soured. “What I won’t. I’ll try to be worthy of it. I wouldn’t have let them take you, Kara… I just…” He forced a smile. “You can take care of yourself, right?”
She went to him, kissing him softly. They shared a quick glance when it ended, that last, unspoken emotion catching them both by surprise. But did it really? Fuck. She reached up and stroked his cheek, his frustrations fading beneath her fingertips. How did she do that? It was like none of it mattered when she was close. Taking her hand, he kissed its palm.
“Look, shit’s complicated. My head’s all fucked up about going north. I’ve been down here a long time.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “I had a very large, very public falling out with my House after my mother died. My father… ” Christ. How the hell did he explain Lot? He settled for brevity. “He’s an asshole. When we get up there, he’s gonna make things difficult just because he can.” And shit was gonna be hard enough. Flynn looked down at his wrist, tapping the tarnished metal cuff.
“The Fuil took this off me when they messed me up. It’s like a signet is for women.” He licked his lips. “More. This one’s old. Like the Founding old. Wearing it on the right means I’m challenging for head of my House. Cal tried to talk me into it after my mother died, and I ran. It was a mistake. Now I gotta eat crow and deal with all the other dumb moves I made.”
She’d gone very quiet, tracing the runes on the tarnished metal band.
“Then you’re someone, with people. Obligations. What, ah…” Her voice trembled, and he felt a deep-seated insecurity sweep over her. Where the hell had that come from? It was ridiculous after watching he r kick that guy’s ass, but it was strong enough to make his own stomach cramp. He pulled her close.
“What does a wife do?”
That was a loaded fucking question.
“Kara, up there I need you to be my partner. I’m not a consort, and your purpose isn’t to breed.” The emotion coming through the link filled him up, and he bent to kiss her again, his heart putting a name to it. He brushed a tear from her cheek. Her relief at his words was tragic. What the hell did they do to those women down there?
“I meant what I said. You’re the only woman I’ll be with. I don’t know how much of this is me and how much is the bond, but I don’t think it matters anymore. What I feel…” Burying his hand in her hair, he put his forehead against hers. Christ, it was fucking terrifying. She laughed, her cheek dimpling for him. He ran his thumb over it and smiled. Then why did he want it so bad?
There was a knock on the door. Graham’s muffled voice followed.
“Leo’s back.”
Flynn stood and finished buckling his pants. Jamming his feet into his boots, he grabbed his shirt up off the floor and opened the door. His cousin was standing in the middle of the room surveying the mess the Breakers had left. The little shit frowned, catching sight of Flynn getting dressed.
“Thank God you had time for a quickie. What the hell happened?”
Graham was beside himself. “I told you, I don’t know, I cloaked everything?—”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Leo patted him on the back. “There was a lot going on in that garage. How did they not find you?”
Flynn started gathering their stuff. “They did. Kara beat the shit out of their lead, and they left. Where the fuck’ve you been?”
His cousin blinked a few times before he got his back up at Flynn’s tone. “Working on the car and your papers.”
“They set?”
“Drop’s tomorrow.”
It fucking better be. Flynn zipped up his duffle. “You got another hole for us to hide in? ”
“Yeah, but it ain’t as swanky.” Leo glanced at Graham. “We’ll clean the place out after we get them situated.”
“They dented my good pans, Leo,” his brother fretted.
He put an arm around Graham in commiseration. Their halos flared simultaneously, and colors ran as they shifted to the next safe house.