I stepped back from the door and looked around for a weapon. A stupid reaction, really, when all the training I'd had over the last few months had made me as much of a weapon as anything made of steel or wood.
And there wasn't anything more dangerous than a water bucket in the stall, anyway.
I flexed my fingers, trying to ease the tension curling through my limbs as the footsteps drew closer. Kade flattened his ears and bared his teeth, yet his actions seemed to stem more from dislike than any attempt to attack.
The tingle of awareness suddenly caressing my senses told me why.
It wasn't a stranger, wasn't one of Starr's guards, who approached.
It was Quinn.
He stopped several paces short of the stall door. The anger I'd felt at his actions earlier crashed through me again, and for several heartbeats it was all I could do not to burst through the door and attack him. Not that physically attacking him would do me any good, because he was stronger and faster, but I'd always been inclined to use my fists more than my psychic talents.
Besides, I was pretty sure the latter wouldn't be effective, no matter how much stronger they might have gotten. I'd caught him by surprise last time. There wouldn't be a second time. I was sure of that.
So I settled for stepping forward, keeping the door a barrier between us, and growling, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
He had his "vampires don't do emotion" face on and his smile was cold. I wasn't picking anything up from him along the sensory lines, which meant he had shields on high and his feelings locked down as tightly as his expression. "Did you think I would give up on my revenge so easily?"
I snorted. "I've experienced the lengths you'll go to for your revenge, so no. What I meant was, how did you get here?"
"On the bus."
"With Rhoan? Somehow I doubt he'd have allowed that."
"I said I was on the bus. I didn't say I was in the bus. One of the benefits of being an old vampire is the ability to slip past perception when I wish."
"Rhoan is a psi dead-zone. You couldn't have touched his mind and stopped him from sensing you."
"I didn't have to. I simply ceased to exist in any term the human mind recognizes."
I raised my eyebrows. "What the hell does that mean?"
"That there are more talents in this world than you and Jack and others know of. And it's also a reminder that when I crossed the lines between life and death, I not only inherited the talents of my maker, but I brought with me those talents I had in life."
"Humans don't have the sort of talent you just spoke about, and you told me you were human."
"I considered myself so."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that I was raised human, but technically was only partially so."
"So the other half was... what?"
"Something that no longer exists."
I snorted softly. "And you wonder why no one is trusting you or being open with you at the moment? I mean, it's really hard to open up and give a direct answer, isn't it?"
Anger sparked deep in the dark depths of his eyes. "A fine statement considering the secrets you and Jack have kept. If you had confided in me more, I would not have been forced to such extremes."
Energy ran across my skin, and I knew without looking that Kade had once again shifted form and become human. The heat of him moved up behind me, a solid, comforting presence I was suddenly thankful for. Not because I was afraid of what Quinn would do, but rather, what I might do. I usually kept a fairly good leash on my temper, but right now, with everything that had happened and everything that was still left unsaid between us, those restraints were being tested to the limit.
Quinn might have betrayed my trust, but I didn't actually want to hurt him. And no matter how certain I was that I wouldn't be able to breach his defenses a second time, the mere fact that my psi-powers seemed to be developing at the rate of knots meant that if I did lash out again, it might be with more than I intended. Might do more damage than I intended. Not just to Quinn, but to Katie.
"Jack hasn't confided in you fully because of your single-minded determination to get revenge. There is more to bring down than just one man, you know."
"I realize that - "
"Do your" I cut in. "So why tell me earlier that you will have your revenge, no matter the cost?"
"Jack would not have let me in on this section of the mission, no matter how big a team player I was, and we both know it." His gaze moved beyond me. "Though why the horse-shifter is considered more worthy is anyone's guess."
It was the sudden flash of vehemence in his eyes more than the slight edge in his voice that suggested he wasn't exactly talking about the mission, and a fresh wave of annoyance ran through me. This man was always judging me, always questioning my choices. Expecting me to rise to his standards, when his standards were totally alien to a werewolf's beliefs.
"Kade is here because he plays by the rules. In the field, and in the bedroom." At least he was willing to accept what I was, the way I was - and what I was willing to give. Probably because a stallion played along similar sexual lines as a werewolf. Quinn just wanted to play it his way, and given he was a vamp and I was a wolf intent on finding my soul mate, that wasn't ever going to happen.
Kade's big hands pressed warmth on either side of my hips. Before I realized what he was doing, he'd claimed me in the most basic way possible, slipping so very deep inside.
"Playing by the rules has its benefits," he said, his deep voice somehow managing to be both mocking and amused. "You should try it sometime. It feels extraordinarily good."
Annoyance ran through me at Kade's actions, yet part of me also wanted to stick it to Quinn, to play along with Kade and make Quinn even angrier.
But then, common sense isn't exactly my strong point when I'm pissed off at someone.
So instead of stepping away from Kade, as sanity suggested, I pressed back against him, thrusting him deeper still. Quinn's eyes narrowed dangerously. Though he wasn't close enough to the stable door to actually see what we were doing, he was a vampire and an empath. He not only would have heard the sudden leap of my pulse, but would have felt the heated rush of pleasure and annoyance.
I met his gaze, held it. Awareness burned deep in those obsidian depths, an awareness that bounced right back to me, making my heart stutter and causing goose bumps to tremble warmly across my skin. Kade might be the one who'd claimed me sexually, but truth be told, it was Quinn I wanted inside - attitude, anger, and all.
Not that wanting him would make me go any easier on him. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"What are you intending to do next?" I asked, as Kade began to move ever so slightly, sending little quivers of pleasure shooting across my skin.
"I came here to inform you of my presence, and to get an update." His gaze was still on mine, and the awareness deep in his eyes had morphed into fierce desire.
The ever-pragmatic vampire might not approve of who was doing me, but he sure as hell was turned on by watching it. And who'd have guessed Quinn had leanings toward voyeurism?
"So you're not going to charge right in and kill Starr?"
"To do so might risk your safety, and Rhoan's. I have no wish to do that."
Meaning he had every wish to harm Kade. "In other words, you've realized it's not going to be as easy to get to Starr as it was to get onto his estate, and you'll bide your time until the chance appears."
"A very cynical statement."
"But a truthful one."
He paused for a second, his gaze filling me, consuming me, in a way that went way beyond anything physical. As if we were on the verge of sharing the best erotic dream ever, even though neither of us were asleep.
"Yes," he agreed softly, leaving me uncertain as to whether he was agreeing to the statement or the thought.
"If you didn't come here as a guard, you won't be able to move around freely." The words came out breathy, and it wasn't because of what Kade was doing. It was Quinn - the way our eyes connected, the way his thoughts seemed to be merging into mine, the sensation that we were becoming one in a way that went far beyond any sort of physical connection.
"The night is my servant." His soft words echoed around me, through me, full of power, full of passion. Somehow, he used the night and connection he'd formed between us to enhance the growing sense of intimacy and arousal, and it was a connection I couldn't fight. Not that I really wanted to. I wanted to see where he would take this. How far he was willing to go.
"But the day isn't."
"Not yet, it's not."
The heat in his eyes would have melted steel, and I have never claimed to be that strong. My body was trembling under the force of it, and though I was vaguely aware of Kade's body moving in mine, all my senses were attuned to Quinn. To what was happening between us. To what was building between us.
"The day will never be yours, Quinn. You are a vampire, and that is a fact you can never escape."
We both knew I wasn't only referring to the day, and his smile was almost arrogant. But oh so sexy.
"Do not bet on that. I have been around a very long time, and I intend to be around for many more centuries yet. All things come to those who are willing to wait."
"Not all things can be claimed with time."
"But many things can be claimed with patience."
Sweat trickled down my forehead, tickling my cheeks. I wanted to swipe at it, but I couldn't seem to move, held in thrall by the furnace burning between us, by the sensations and desire tingling across my skin, across my senses. I licked my lips, and somehow said, "Really? I haven't seen much evidence of patience lately."
"Perhaps not." He raised an eyebrow, his expression knowing, mocking. "But the real question is, would you like to see it now?"
"No." God, no.
His smile grew, and suddenly he was simply there, all around me, all through me, filling me with heat, filling me with passion. While it was Kade's cock that thrust deep inside, it wasn't Kade I could feel. Wasn't Kade I could smell. It was Quinn. All Quinn. He touched me, caressed me, claimed me. Perhaps not physically, but in a way that was total, absolute, and unlike anything I'd ever felt before. In reality our flesh might not be joined, but it didn't matter, because our spirits had combined and this dance went beyond intimacy, beyond mere pleasure.
It was all passion, heat, and intensity and I was drowning in it. Willingly. Wantonly. My heart pounded furiously, my body screamed for release, and every muscle, every fiber, felt so tightly strung that everything would surely break.
Then everything did break and it was such a sweet, glorious relief that I wept. His fingers touched my wrist, holding lightly, then his teeth grazed my skin. I jerked reflexively when they pierced my flesh, but the brief flare of pain quickly became something undeniably exquisite, and I came a second time.
As I remembered how to breathe again, I became aware of Kade, of his sated body still inside me. His sudden stillness, which was too unmoving to be natural. I glanced at Quinn, at his mocking, knowing expression, which was so at odds with the deeper depths of barely quenched desire in his dark eyes, then looked down at my wrists. At the two fast healing holes. Some of it, at least, had been real. I very much suspected that all of it had been, that he'd somehow crossed the boundaries of reality and imagination and merged the two.
I looked up at him again. Saw on the tip of one finger a droplet of water. A tear. My tear. He raised it to his mouth and slowly sipped it, and it was as if he were savoring the sweetest wine. Somehow, that one action seemed more intimate than anything he'd done in the last few minutes, as if he were drinking in my essence, my soul, making me his in ways I couldn't even begin to understand just yet. I crossed my arms to ward off the sudden chill.
"One day, you will be mine."
His rich voice was so soft, so sure. I licked my lips and tried to ignore the sensation that there was more going on here than I either realized or wanted. "You are not a wolf. We can never be what you wish us to be." Could never be what part of me wished we could be.
"Time will tell."
Yes, it would. And I had a feeling that only my death would dissuade him from his beliefs. But I didn't intend to die anytime soon, so my next bet was simply to ignore his statement, ignore my deep sense of uneasiness, and move on to other subjects.
"Horse-shifters can't be mind-read or mind-controlled. How are you holding Kade so still? How did you take control of him?"
"As I have repeatedly said, I am a very old vampire. And for a vampire, the older you are, the more power you have. Horse-shifters are difficult to read or control, but they are not impossible. No race or person is." He paused, his gaze sweeping the top half of me. "Except, perhaps, one."
I raised my eyebrows. "So are you telling me you can read Rhoan as well?"
"Two, then."
I let my gaze drift downward, and noted that he didn't have an erection. Either he wasn't turned on by what had happened between us, or Kade's release had somehow been his.
"There are more types of releases than mere physical," he said softly. "Emotional release is often far more satisfying."
He was reading my thoughts again, and though it should have pissed me off, it didn't. Right now, curiosity was stronger. I raised my eyebrows again. "So you're not standing there with a wet spot in your pants?"
Amusement touched his lush mouth, and made my hormones do their usual little dance. Sated they might be, but I was a wolf and it wouldn't have taken much to get them interested in another round.
"No, I am not," he said.
"Then how conic all that affected me physically and not you?"
"Because you are not ready to step entirely beyond the physical." He paused. "You once said that it must be amazing to share sex with another telepath. What you just experienced was merely an appetizer."
"And I take it the appetizer is supposed to make me hunger for more?"
"Yes."
"Why? I mean, the appetizer was good, but I can get that sort of good from Kellen any day of the week."
Which actually wasn't true, but hey, it certainly never hurt to remind him that Kellen was on the scene and was a true rival. Because he was a wolf. Because he could give me what Quinn never could.
His gaze tightened imperceptibly and I resisted the temptation to smile.
"You will never achieve the sort of intimacy I'm talking about with Kellen."
"How the hell do you know that? You have no idea what goes on between Kellen and me."
"I know, because the sort of intimacy I'm talking about can only be achieved between telepaths."
"And why would that be?"
"Because dropping your shields so that spirits dance means you are placing yourself completely open to the other person. There are no secrets, no hiding, no lies. Just you, your lover, and the emotion and truths that lay between you." He hesitated, and I had a feeling he was about to add something else, then thought the better of it. "It comes down to trust, complete trust."
"Which means we can never go any further than we already have, because I don't fully trust you." And probably never would after his stupid mind-raid for information.
He didn't say anything, just sort of glowered at me. I pulled away from Kade. He didn't move, didn't react. "Release him, Quinn."
The words were barely out of my mouth when Kade blinked, and a pleased smile stretched his lips. He stepped up beside me and put a propriety arm around my shoulders. Which annoyed me almost as much as Quinn's continuing insistence I would play things his way. Eventually.
But before I could say anything, the main stable door cracked open and the cold night air filtered in again. Quinn disappeared in an instant, the night and darkness swallowing him whole. Kade stepped back, shifted shape once again, then pressed in beside me to peer over the stall door. I wrapped the shadows around myself and listened to the light puff of breathing that belonged to the person down the far end.
After a moment, footsteps echoed. Soft steps, neither hurried or cautious, just a steady click of sound. I blinked. Those steps were from heels, high heels, not the work boots I'd seen the guards wearing. Whoever approached was female, not male. Not a guard. Someone else.
The night air stirred around me, bringing with it the teasing hints of jasmine and orange. And with those scents came the sense of something else - something not human, not even nonhuman, but something altogether different, altogether dangerous. A Fravardin. Tension slithered from my limbs. I flicked on the com-link so Jack could hear whatever was about to happen, then stepped up to the door and peered past Kade.
Dia walked toward us, her flowing white dress hugging her curvaceous figure and shining almost as brightly as her white hair in the shadowy darkness. Kade snorted softly, and it was an appreciative sound if ever I'd heard one.
Resisting the urge to smile, I let then shadows fall away from me and said, "You looking for me?"
She jumped, ever so slightly, then her powerful gaze centered on mine and again I was struck by the notion that this was not a woman you ever wanted to get on the wrong side of. And not just because of the unseen creature who gave her sight and kept her safe.
"Yes." She paused. "Why are you hiding in the stalls?"
"I'm in the stables because there's no one here at night, and in the stall in case a guard happens to walk by. And there's no microphones around here, so it's reasonably safe to report back to my boss. Why were you looking forme?"
"Because there have been changes since we last talked." She stopped several feet away, took a breath, then let it out slowly. "The timetable has been stepped up. He no longer plans to wait until Gautier has taken over the guardian division to attempt his cartel takeover."
We needed that like we needed a hole in the head. "What's happened?"
"He has been hosting not only his generals, but generals from some of the rival cartels. He has convinced them of his desire to work in unison with them to form an Australian-wide alliance that will profit all. The leaders of those cartels are coming here in two days' time for merger discussions."
Her information confirmed two things - that I'd read Merle's mind correctly, and that she was being as helpful as she could. "How many cartels are we talking about?"
"Three of the six."
"Half of them," Jack murmured. "It would be a damn good start to wiping out organized crime in Melbourne if we caught them all."
But it still left another three - and those three would undoubtedly step into the breach left by the other cartels' removal.
Still, taking half out was better than none.
"Two days doesn't give us a lot of time, especially since they are watching the new arrivals closely."
"I know, and I'm sorry, but there is nothing much I can do."
"Except give us information."
"Us?" She raised a pale eyebrow. "There is more than one of you here?"
I mentally cursed the slip of the tongue. I might believe Dia, might trust her desperation to get her child free, but that didn't mean she was playing on our side. If things went foul and if we were discovered, she'd do what she could to save herself and her child. Just like the spirit lizard. So I shrugged. "That's a metaphorical 'we,' not an actual one."
Her expression suggested she wasn't believing me. I really was going to have to get some lying lessons. "What information do you wish?"
"For starters, where does the second elevator on Moss's and Merle's Boor lead to?"
She frowned. "What elevator?"
"You know, the one opposite the elevator the guards take the lieutenants' nightly toys down in."
Understanding flickered in her unseeing eyes. "That's no elevator, but doors that lead into Starr's rooms."
It was my turn to frown. "I saw Merle key it open. It looked like an elevator."
"It might at a quick glance, but it is similar to an air lock. One door must close before the other opens, and only after the right codes and scans are entered."
Confusion ran through me. I knew what I'd seen, and I'd seen an elevator, not a form of air lock. "So can you get in there?"
She shook her head, sending slivers of silver cascading across the night. Kade snorted softly again, his hooves barely missing my toes as he shifted. I elbowed him lightly to remind him that I was there, that he had to be careful no matter how attracted he suddenly was. He glanced at me, velvet eyes sparkling with amusement and interest.
"I have been there under escort, nothing more. Starr is not fool enough to trust me with such access," Dia said, bringing my attention back to her. "As far as I know, only Merle, Moss, and the head of security have access to that lock."
"Is the head of security a tail, balding man with severe acne scars?"
She nodded. "Henry Cartle is his name."
"Any chance of you getting me a security roster?"
She hesitated. "I'll try."
"Try hard, because I can't do this without help."
She stared at me for a moment, as if understanding what I wasn't saying more than what I was, then nodded. "Anything else?"
"What floor is the lab on?"
"The second floor."
"Riley, you are not going in to rescue that child."
I couldn't answer Jack so I just ignored him. There wasn't anything he could do to stop me anyway, short of pulling me out, and we both knew he wasn't about to do that.
"And it has the same security precautions as the third floor?"
"Under no circumstances are you to go near that lab in an attempt to rescue the child. That is a direct order."
And I liked direct orders almost as much as I liked going to the dentist.
Dia nodded. "Entry is restricted to the scientists, Starr's lieutenants, and the head of security."
Meaning it might be easier to cozy up to one of the scientists to get in there than risk security, Moss, or Merle. "Where are the scientists quartered?"
Jack swore loudly. "Jesus, Riley, are you listening to me?"
For an intelligent man, he was mighty slow in realizing I wasn't. I touched my ear, flicking off the com-link. Yelling would be next, and I didn't need that on top of the headache I already had.
"The scientists are the next building down from security."
"And does this Henry Cartle bunk with his men?"
"In the same building, but he has his own room."
Better and better. "What can you tell me about escape tunnels?"
She frowned. "I do not know what you mean."
"I was following Moss through the trees earlier today, and he simply disappeared. Unless he can shapeshift, there has to be an entrance to the lower levels in those woods."
"If there is, I do not know of it." She hesitated. "I will see what I can discover, though. Starr likes his future read when I am here."
I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning you not only see the future when you touch someone, but can ferret out the past?"
She shrugged elegantly. "Sometimes."
"And what did you see when you touched me? Past or future?"
"Future." She stared at me for several seconds, her blue eyes seeming to see right through me, down to my very soul. "It will be troubled, with many unwanted detours. Some dreams will be yours to take or forsake. Some have already slipped through your fingers."
Avoiding direct answers seemed to be catchy. "Psychic mumbo jumbo that could mean anything."
She shrugged again. "Because I touched you without a specific question in mind, I saw only generalities. If you wish a more detailed reading, then I suggest you see me after this is over and we are all safe."
"It's a date."
She smiled and glanced at her watch. "I must be going before suspicions are raised. I walk the grounds before lunch. Meet me tomorrow and I will tell you what I have discovered."
I nodded. She turned around and walked out. As the closing doors snatched away the filtering moonlight, Quinn reappeared. "What was that thing with her?"
"A Fravardin. It gives her sight and provides protection."
Energy rippled across my skin as Kade shifted shape. "Whatever it was, it had no emotion as we recognize it. It was little more than a vacuum of emptiness to my senses. She, however, was delicious." His warm gaze met mine. "I demand an introduction after all this is over."
"If we make it through this, you'll get it." I glanced at Quinn. "Given you keep reminding me how old you are, I'm surprised you didn't know what that creature was."
His lips twisted into a smile that was bitter. "There are many places on this earth I've yet to visit, many people I've yet to meet."
"That thing couldn't be classified as 'people.'"
"Just because it hasn't human form as we currently recognize it doesn't mean it can't be classed as an offshoot of humanity." There was touch of censure in his voice, which was damn annoying considering he was the one who'd just called it a "thing." But given he seemed to be in an argumentative mood, there wasn't much point in saying anything. He continued, "Just as werewolves, shapeshifters, mermen, and the like cannot escape the reality that they are merely another branch of the well-spring from which humanity sprung."
"Werewolves, shapeshifters, and the like are not the ones you should be giving that lecture to," I reminded him tartly, "but rather those humans who hold themselves up as the pinnacle of development, and everyone else an oddity that should not exist."
He shrugged. "This is not the time for such a debate."
I snorted softly. "Yeah, that's why you're standing there throwing attitude my way - because you don't want to argue." I reached over the door and unlatched it. "I need to go find my brother before I'm tempted to get nasty."
"I shall accompany you." There was anger in Quinn's rich tones, but then, there often seemed to be when he was "talking" to me. "He needs to know I am here."
As did Jack, but given he was likely still ranting over my ignoring his orders, I had every intention of leaving Rhoan the task of informing our boss we had a fourth person on the ground.
I gave Kade a quick kiss good-bye, more to piss off a certain vampire than anything else, then headed out the stable doors. Quinn was little more than a shadow at my back, a presence I could feel but not see through normal vision. Hopefully, this meant no one else would see him, either.
"Unless they have infrared, they won't." His voice little more than a murmur that barely carried to my ears, but nevertheless brushed my senses as sensually as any summer breeze.
"They have infrared around the zoo and on the lower levels, so avoid those areas. And quit reading my mind."
"If you do not fully shield, I will continue to take it as an open invitation." Though I could not see his eyes, I could feel his gaze on me. "And in this place, it is extremely unwise - "
The rest of his words were cut off as an explosion ripped through the quiet night.