Authors: Kim Knox
The shadows of the narrow corridor swallowed me and the press of bare flesh eased away. I pulled in a deep breath and risked stretching straight, the cut stone cool against my spine. For a moment, I let my eyes close and willed the fire in my blood to simmer down. Doran Evander was a cunning adversary. I could never forget that.
I unclipped my gun and flexed my fingers around the grip. Ahead, small square panels gleamed in the darkness. I edged closer and found the first one fixed next to the frame of a door. Room twelve.
The next, room seventeen.
More of Van
’
s handiwork?
Whatever it was, I had to find room six. I skimmed my fingertips over the panel and tech burned under my fingers. The number twelve pressed into my skin. I tried the next, the one displaying seventeen, and found eleven instead.
“
They
’
d be too busy to look for room numbers, Van.
”
I muttered the words as I stroked every panel, feeling a different number to the one displayed. “The people here need more. You
’
ve never been very good with tech.
”
A hard smile touched my mouth. “That
’
s not where a
Tesh-dian
’
s
skill lies.
”
I touched a gleaming panel and six ran hot over my palm.
My heart kicked. I gave a final glance to my time-graft. Four minutes. Even inefficient as he was, he
’
d wasted my time. I was cutting it close, more closely that I had in too many hunts. I flipped the cover of the display panel, its white glow illuminating the circuitry buried in the stone. Something simple enough for me to reroute… The metal door creaked, hinges groaned, the heavy door pushed towards me and then flattened against the outer wall with a dull
thunk
.
I lifted my weapon. The room beyond was as dark as the corridor. Nothing moved within it. The distant thump, thump, thump of the music matched the fast thud of my heart.
“
Lights.
”
Nothing.
He
’
d disabled them. I eased into the room, pressing my back against the wall, searching the darkness with my gun. My remaining time counted down in seconds now and the fact pushed me into being reckless. “I know you
’
re in here, Van.
”
Nothing…until the hinges creaked and the door slammed back into its frame.
My heart hammered in the sudden, heavy silence, my palm sweaty around the grip of my gun. I bit out a soft curse. He
’
d improved his tech skills and now I was trapped in the dark room with him.
The time-graft vibrated, marking the end of my mission time, and male laughter cut through the room.
“
Time
’
s up,
Narda
.
”
“
Van—
”
“
The hunt is over for you.
”
Strong fingers gripped mine and tugged the gun from my hand. He dropped it and it thudded into the thin carpet. He pushed me into the cool stone of the wall, his chest pressing hard against mine and tugged at my shorts, ripping them away from my skin, his fingers finding my wet pussy. “Did you have fun on the way in? How many got their hands, their mouths here?
”
Heat scalded me and I tried to ignore the wild fire twisting through my veins. His index finger teased my clit, spiking need through my flesh. “You
’
ll have to try better than that. I had a man at the bar with more skill.
”
He grinned against my ear, his breath hot and quick.
“Him.
”
His low growl prickled my skin. “Too distracted to recognize me,
Narda
?
”
“
You?
”
The scent of his skin filled me and the ache for more of him, for him to take me, fuck me, burned through my body. I caught my fingers in his hair, pulling his head back. In the heavy gloom, I could just make out his smooth features and the hard gleam of his eyes.
“
Can
’
t prey play with its hunter?
”
He broke free of my hold and nipped at my earlobe. I gasped. “And those anonymous mouths, hands, made you hot for me. How could an
Ambran
resist that much flesh? It made it all too easy for me to catch you.
”
He freed his cock and teased it over my
mons
.
“
This is what you wanted.
For me to fuck you here, now.
”
The need for him coiled tight in my belly. Damn him. Fire licked under my skin but I would never admit it. “You
’
ll do.
”
“
I
’
ll do?
”
The hot growl of anger under his voice shifted my hips against him and his cock pushed against my sex.
I sucked in a quick breath and couldn
’
t deny the deep ache in my flesh. With a low moan, I yanked his hair and found his mouth. His kiss, hard, wild, ruthless, was everything I yearned for from a
Tesh-dian
. He gripped my ass and I hooked my thigh around his, opening myself, and with one fierce thrust he buried himself in my pussy.
I arched my spine, taking him deeper, urging him to move, my tongue mimicking the action I wanted, needed. An
Ambran
woman
’
s fierce sex drive intimidated most human males…but not a
Tesh-dian
. I knew I was a challenge to him. And I wanted him to make me scream. His strong hand gripped my thigh, holding me before he pulled back and thrust again. He swallowed my groan.
I needed him to push me, fuck me, and drive out the tension that every mouth, every touch, every whisper had fired in my body. I urged him harder, faster,
desperate
for his strength, his anger. I broke my mouth from his, my breath ragged. “Fuck me.
”
He muttered an oath and buried his face in my neck. “I
’
m in control now. Your hunt failed.
”
His thrusts increased, but I met each hard push of his cock. Delicious tension twisted low in my belly and I grabbed at it, wanting it, aching for it to explode through my flesh and overwhelm me. “You
’
re mine to do with as I please.
”
His words sank into me and there…there…
I cried out at the violent rush of fire that swept over my body, Van
’
s hands biting into my flesh as he found his own release. I let my head fall back against the wall. A moment of sated peace settled in my flesh and I couldn
’
t help the smile breaking out across my mouth. “Glad I resisted the temptation of the other room.
”
Van let out a slow, heavy breath and his forehead fell against my damp shoulder. Easing my leg down, he pulled free of me and wrapped my lax body in his strong arms. I teased my hands under his shirt, finding the smooth heat of his skin and traced a lazy pattern down the hollow of his spine. He pressed a hard kiss to my skin. “This drives me crazy.
”
I rested my face in the hot arch of his throat.
“Me too.
Want to stop?
”
Van
’
s low laughter warmed me. “A beautiful
woman,
practically stripped naked, pointing a gun at me. A
Tesh-dian
’
s
wet dream.
”
“
And it
’
s an
Ambran
’
s
fantasy to be overwhelmed.
”
I pulled in a deep, satisfied breath and kissed his skin, his familiar taste, his scent sinking into my body. I closed my eyes.
“
But four days is too long for a hunt.
Far too long.
”
I smiled against his skin. “You almost lost me to a clever mouth and the promise of a tail.
”
His hand stroked over my ass. “I would
’
ve ripped this place apart to find you.
”
The first fresh stirring of my never-ending desire for this man warmed my belly and I rubbed my pelvis against his. His cock stirred.
“Really?
”
I pressed a kiss to his skin and then another. “I thought that was my job.
”
He jerked me up and my thighs locked around his waist. His erect cock teased my flesh and my belly tightened. I couldn
’
t remember a time when I hadn
’
t wanted Doran Evander.
“
Lights,
”
he murmured and a soft wash of white illuminated the small room.
Van
’
s dark eyes held me and the memory burned of how we
’
d met, of how he
’
d cornered me in a
Tesh-dian
pirate raid and fucked me instead of killing me. I
’
d never known such an incredible release…and I
’
d tracked him down to have him again. Van was rich and it seemed that I offered more of a challenge than any raid. We
’
d been playing our games for six months. It didn
’
t get old.
His mouth twitched and I saw the rise of desire in his gaze.
“
It
’
s your job only because I allow it,
Narda
.
”
He turned toward the wide bed. “I
’
m keeping you here tonight.
”
I hit the mattress, the smooth material absorbing the impact of my body. I kicked off my boots and they thudded to the floor. I stared up at him, watching his strong fingers tug at his shirt. The first reveal of his skin and his spiraling tattoos caught my breath. I also never got tired of seeing his beautiful body. “I
’
m not your pet, Van.
”
A dark smile cut his mouth and his gaze traveled the length of my body. My pussy clenched. “A
Tesh-dian
owns what he captures. It
’
s our oldest law.
”
He lost his trousers, his boots, and covered my body with his own. The touch of his skin arched me into him and my fingers traced his spine before I cupped his ass. Van
’
s eyes narrowed. “When this night is over, I hunt you.
”
“
That wasn
’
t our deal, Van.
”
He caught my wrists in one hand and pinned them above my head. “I told you, your hunt failed.
”
He guided his cock and thrust deep into my pussy. His low, satisfied groan mixed with my sharp gasp. “Now it
’
s my turn.
”
I locked my ankles behind his ass, urging him to move, but the man was solid muscle. I glared at him. “I hunt you, you fuck me.
”
“
You will run.
”
He thrust deep and the flow of heat through my body forced an unexpected cry. I ached to touch him, but his strength defied the movement of my hands, my arms. My heart pounded. I needed this, needed his strength, his power over my body. “You will hide.
”
Another stroke deep into my flesh and I found myself desperate to agree with him if only to keep him hard in my pussy.
“The anticipation of my finding you,
Narda
.
Imagine it.
”
I did. The thought of me hiding, waiting, watching the seconds tick down and knowing that he hunted me, that he would find and fuck me, ran liquid fire through my flesh. My pussy tightened around him and he groaned.
His dark gaze held mine and the need there, his fierce desire, gripped me, and the first thrum of my release pushed me hard against him. “And you
’
ll expect to find me alone?
”
Anger surged through him and I grinned. “What?
”
He took my mouth as he took my body, hard, fast, with a power that I couldn
’
t, didn
’
t want to fight. Tension twisted tighter and I tasted the first heat of my approaching release. I hungered for more. I moved with him, gripping his ass, pushing him, wanting,
needing
him to—
Wild joy swept over me and Van swallowed my cry, his powerful and now erratic strokes intensifying the tremors gripping my body. He ripped his mouth from mine and buried his face against my neck, a low moan escaping him. His fingers flexed around my wrists and he released them, stroking his fingertips down my arms, the unexpected sensation bucking my hips.
His soft laughter tickled my skin. “I never get tired of this,
”
he murmured. He let out a heavy sigh and rolled his weight from my body, pulling me tight against his chest.
“Ever.
”
His words almost echoed my thoughts and I wondered if there was a hint of telepathy somewhere in his blood.
Which would be fun…especially as I had plans for him.
I let myself snuggle in my post-orgasmic peace and placed an absent kiss against his collarbone. “I
’
ve snared myself a
Tesh-dian
pirate.
”
His large hand squeezed my ass. “And I own this.
”
I laughed and thumped him, but pressed myself against him again. I didn
’
t want to deny it. Van had worked his way under my skin. My perfect mate, knowing what I wanted before I did, satisfying me in ways an
Ambran
woman could only dream.
“
Sleep,
”
he murmured, and pressed a kiss into my hair. The gesture warmed me and I let out a happy sigh. “In the morning it
’
s my turn to hunt.
”
Kim lives on an ancient boundary line, once marked by a Neolithic burial tomb. The tomb’s now a standing stone circle—thank the Georgians for that one—and stirs her mind with thoughts of history and ancient myths. She mixes the essence of the past into fantasy, along with the essential mix of magic and sex. She also writes science fiction romance, pushing out into the far future with effortlessly sexy men and the women who can’t resist them.