Tempting Evil (25 page)

“Done deal.” Merle was standing at the sidelines, his arms crossed and expression avid. “But this blood is mine to lap, I can assure you.”

“The winner is mine,” Starr said quietly. “I shall find either one entertaining.”

If I ever needed another reason to lose, then that was it. Starr’s evil was soul-wearying enough now—I couldn’t stand it one on one, for hours on end. I’d die—maybe not physically but probably psychically. I wasn’t a trained empath and my growing talent was too raw, too untrained, to survive the vile outpourings from Starr’s aura for very long.

Not that I wanted my brother to face him, either, but at least he wasn’t psychic and he did have the advantage of years of training behind him. At the very least, he’d give away less than I would.

“Let the fight begin.”

The words were barely out of Starr’s mouth and my brother was attacking, a whir of arms and legs and vicious, deadly blows. I backed away, ducking and weaving and generally avoiding each attack the best I could. The force of each one blew across my skin like a cyclone, sending chills down my spine. And yet, having seen my brother in action before, I knew he was nowhere near fighting speed.

Which was scary, considering how fast he was.

My foot slipped on the reeds, and as I struggled to catch my balance, the air screamed yet another warning. I twisted away from the blow, felt a slither of pain along my side as my muscles protested the sudden movement, then yelped as a blow skimmed past my cheek, drawing blood. Even so, the blow wasn’t at full wolf force. Rhoan was holding back, keeping his promise. And that was dangerous.

I dropped and spun, kicking his legs out from underneath him. As his rump hit the floor, amusement briefly lit his eyes, then he was up and at me in one smooth movement. In the following few minutes, he let me know just how much he
had
been holding back.

If I’d been me, not Poppy, I could have let rip and at least held my own. But that wasn’t an option here. Poppy was part human, not part vampire, and the time had come to get bloody.

I avoided one more blow, then let his roundhouse kick hit me in the side. The force of the blow hit like a red wave, a shudder of pain that went from my hip to the end of every hair follicle. The sheer power behind it sent me flying across the arena. I stumbled, fighting to keep my balance before going down on all fours. The vibration of Rhoan’s approach ran through the reeds. I grabbed a handful before twisting around and lashing out as hard as I could. The straw whipped across his chest, drawing a thin line of blood. He laughed, a cold, harsh sound I’d never heard from him before, then he bent and grabbed a handful of straw himself. I jumped to my feet and backed away. He followed, the thick slithers of golden reeds creating a whooshing sound as he whipped them back and forth.

I ducked several slashing blows, then lunged forward, attempting an inside punch at his solar plexus. It was a stupid move and we both knew it. He dropped the straw as he sidestepped, then grabbed my arm and twisted it. Hard. Bone snapped and a scream ripped up my throat. As the red tide of pain welled, another blow came, not to my body but to my chin, snapping my head back and sending me flying. Stars danced in front of my eyes, and my mind briefly flirted with unconsciousness.

Then my back hit the floor, my head something solid, and the flirtation became cold hard fact.

Chapter 12

I
t didn’t last long enough. Awareness surfaced, drifting in and out, as if my mind was caught in a fragmented dream. My arm felt like fire, and the heat of it mingled with pain that seared deep and hard. Laughter rolled around me, through me, a pain of a different kind but just as sickening. Starr enjoying the moment, enjoying my agony.

The reeds under my back trembled with the force of approaching steps, then hands were on me, moving me. The blackness surged again, and for a while there was nothing but the peace of that void.

When consciousness surfaced again, it came with a feeling of time having passed and a deep sense of familiarity. Of having been here before, in this same situation if not the same place.

My arms were raised above my head, tied at the wrists with something that was smooth and tight. The pins and needles in my fingers suggested they’d been that way for some time. The fierce fire and pain of the break had gone, meaning somewhere along the line I’d shifted shape and healed my arm, but the memory of it still drifted through my limbs and there was a weakness in my right arm that had nothing to do with the pins and needles. The rest of my body just ached with a tiredness that made no sense. Rhoan hadn’t bashed me around that much, nor had we fought very long, so why the bone-deep weariness?

Sweat stung the air, sweat that was both mine and another’s, and with it came the heady aroma of sex and lust. My back pressed against something soft, silky, my stomach against flesh as hot as the sun. Hands were on me, caressing me, their touch bruising and familiar. Heat filled me, thrusting hard and fast if not deep, but the crescendo he was reaching certainly wasn’t mine.

I cracked open my eyes. It was Merle who rode me, Merle who reached for his orgasm.

Relief swept through me. Merle certainly appeared one of the saner inmates of the asylum, and at least I knew I could touch his thoughts. If I could touch them, I could control them. Maybe not for a hugely long time, but long enough to get the hell out of this place.

Maybe.

But until I knew where we were—what the odds were—I wasn’t doing squat.

My gaze drifted beyond him. The sheer blandness of the room was instantly recognizable. We were back in Merle’s bedroom—and had been here for some time if the aroma of sex and sweat riding the air was any indication. I drew in a deep, careful breath, testing what other scents lie in the room. There was little beyond the staleness that came with air-conditioning. I couldn’t see anyone else, nor could I smell them—though that in itself didn’t mean much considering Starr’s DNA experiments.

Merle’s body began to jerk spasmodically. I closed my eyes, keeping still as he came. He slumped against me for several minutes, his deadweight making breathing difficult, then he slowly climbed off.

I cracked my eyes open again, watching him. And noted the fresh scars down his back and barely healed scratches on his arms and side. It looked as though Merle had been a little too close when I’d changed shape to heal my wounds. Couldn’t be sad about that.

And it certainly explained why I was tied up.

“Iktar,” he growled. “A drink.”

The spirit lizard was there almost instantly, a bottle of soda and a glass in hand. He poured the drink then offered the glass to Merle.

“Sir, Mr. Starr phoned five minutes ago and said that he will be finished by six. He wants you in the toy room at that time.”

Merle glanced at his watch—which indeed was gold and gaudy. “Gives me just over an hour to play with the bitch.”

It was five already? I’d been with this bastard for nearly six hours? Christ, no wonder I was achy—it wasn’t from the fight, it was the pounding I was getting from Merle.

Obviously, Starr’s lieutenants had nothing better to do all day than rut like dogs. Though even the worst of us dogs had a hell of a lot more class in the loving stakes than Merle did.

Iktar nodded, but as he turned, his glance fell on me. He
knew
I was awake. That was so evident in the gleam in his eyes, the slight smile touching his thin lips.

Merle came back to the bed as Iktar left. I closed my eyes, but my other senses were on high. Not that they needed to be. Merle was extraordinarily easy to track—all I had to do was listen to the soft sound of his steps and follow his sweaty, in-need-of-a-shower smell.

The bed dipped as he sat on it, then his fingers were on my breasts, plucking and pulling my nipples. It wasn’t pleasant to simply lie there and take it, especially when my wolf soul wanted to rise up and rip the bastard’s hand off. It was even harder when his fingers moved down, roughly exploring. I’m not sure what he was trying to achieve, but it certainly wasn’t any form of foreplay I was familiar with.

After a while, his lust stirred anew and his body shifted over mine. As his cock slid inside, I carefully felt for his mind. His shields were as tight as ever, but as his body began to move, the wall wavered, became less solid. It still felt like I was pushing through thick glue, but either I was stronger than before, or Merle’s recent efforts in the loving stakes had left him weaker, because this time I got through quicker.

Once past that barrier, I didn’t bother with finesse, simply stormed in and took control. It was a rout in every sense—in a matter of seconds, his body and mind were mine. Now I just had to decide what to do with him.

I ordered him off, then made him lie on the bed as I searched his thoughts for any mention of the labs. But as before, there was little. Either he didn’t know, or the knowledge was buried so deep it would take hours and hours to uncover. As I had neither, I called for Iktar.

The spirit lizard appeared instantly, a smile of amusement touching his lips as he walked across to the bed and undid my bindings. “And here he was, only last week, boasting he was strong enough to repel any psychic attack.”

“Barring Starr, I’m guessing.”

Iktar shrugged eloquently. “That is a given.”

I sat up and rubbed my wrists. “Are there cameras in these rooms?”

“Only in the hall.”

“No other security device we should be wary about?”

“No. Unless Merle regains enough control to hit the alarm on the panel near the bedside table.”

“Good.” I rose and headed for the bathroom I’d seen my last time here.

Iktar followed, watching as I soaped up and washed the blood and sweat and fluids from my skin. If he was at all aroused, it wasn’t showing. “What is your plan? You cannot hope to hold him forever.”

“I know.” Even as I rinsed the soap away, I could feel the muted ache behind my eyes beginning to grow. I may have controlled people this completely before, but never one who was psychic. Controlling Merle took a whole lot more power—and strength—than I thought it would. “Who has access to the main security area?”

“Merle, Moss, and those guards who man it. Access is thumbprint-and key-coded and there’s armed guards at the entrance and exits.”

Joy. “Is there one man or two on each shift?”

“Generally three, but because of the kitchen and the loss they incurred there, they’ve pared it down to two so they could put a watch on the rebuilding crew until new recruits arrive.”

Well, at least Nerida’s action had achieved one good thing. Not that it pacified the dead. Their need for revenge still heated the air. I couldn’t see them, though, and of that I was glad. Vampires were dead enough for me—I didn’t need to cope with the truly dead as well. “You’d better pray that the bomb controls are in central security, because there is no way in hell I am willingly going back into Starr’s rooms.”

“We had an agreement—”

“Have you ever been to Starr’s rooms? Have you any idea of the security he has in there? I wouldn’t get two steps in and I’d be dead.”

I stepped out of the shower and he handed me a towel. “If you can control Merle, maybe he—”

“Starr is a powerful telepath. He’d sense my leash on Merle the minute I got within range of him.”

Iktar was silent. I asked, “What of the labs on the second floor? Would there be a key stored in security?”

He shrugged. “I would guess so.”

“Are all calls to there monitored?”

“As far as I know, only outside calls are monitored and recorded.”

I threw the towel in the laundry basket and finger-combed my hair. “Is it shadowed enough outside for you to disappear?”

Amusement briefly sparked in his eyes. “There only needs to be the slightest hint of dusk and I can be gone. The spirit lizards Starr makes do not match our natural skills.”

A scary thought. “So would it be possible for you to arrange for the power in this place to be temporarily shut down?”

The amusement deepened. “At what time would you like this possibility to occur?”

I blew out a breath. Merle had a six o’clock appointment, which didn’t leave me a whole lot of time to play with. Especially given I had to be back in the arena by seven. “In ten minutes.”

I might be able to use Merle to get me in there, but I didn’t want any physical record of me actually going near the place. Which meant we had to take the cameras out.

“You realize they have maintenance on standby to cater for such problems. The main power will not be out for more than ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Then maybe you need to smash up the power box a bit more, so it takes them longer to find that many replacements.” I hesitated. “What about backup systems?”

“They have several emergency generators that will kick in immediately. The main one provides power to the security systems if the main source goes down. There are also smaller units in the labs and security area to provide them with lighting and electrical systems.”

“And if we shut down the main backup?”

“Everything will lock down. You would not be able to get in anywhere.”

“Ah. No point in doing that, then.”

I rubbed my temples wearily then spun and walked back into the bedroom. Merle was still prone, his mind still caught tight. I dove deeper, taking control of his speech and movement centers, then forced him to reach for the phone and dial the security center.

“Security. Harris speaking.”

Merle’s thoughts told me Harris wasn’t the main man, security wise, just one of the plebes who watched the cameras and monitored phone calls, and maybe that was just as well. A man who was only there because he had to be was a far easier target—and one more likely to stray.

“Harris, Merle.”

“Evening, Mr. Merle. What can I do for you?”

“I’m sending a woman over to collect a copy of the day’s reports.”

“A woman, sir?” It said a lot about Merle and Moss that only the faintest hint of surprise showed in the guard’s voice.

“Yes, Harris. You got a problem with that?”

“No, sir.”

“She’ll be there in ten. Make sure the guard on entrance ten know she’s coming and lets her in. I don’t want my toy harmed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lances of fire were beginning to shoot through the back of my eyes, and sweat trickled down my spine. I had to end this quickly, before the totality of control slipped and he became conscious enough to fight me. I made him drop the handset, then touched his forehead with my fingertips. Though I had no idea if touching him this way would help enforce my will, it just seemed the right thing to do. Besides, Jack had done it the few times he’d subjugated prisoners, so it had to be of some use. “You will sleep until you are woken. When awake, you will remember nothing more than having sex all afternoon and ordering Iktar to escort me upstairs at five before falling asleep. Go to sleep now, and sleep the sleep of the well sated.”

As the orders slipped into his subconsciousness and became fact, I pulled out of his mind, carefully erasing the traces of my presence and making doubly sure he remembered nothing more than fucking the hell out of me.

As the connection fell away, a shudder ran through me. The pain behind my eyes became so fierce that for several seconds all I could see was shooting stars. I took a deep breath and swept a hand through my damp hair. What I’d really like to do right now was to take a painkiller or two and catch a few hours’ sleep. But I’d given myself an hour’s window to do some worthwhile investigating and maybe even some rescuing, so I couldn’t waste it, no matter how much my head ached.

“Wake him just before six.” I rubbed my eyes wearily and pushed to my feet. “Let’s get going.”

“You know where central security is?”

“Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question my knowledge, simply led me out of the rooms to the elevator. When it was moving, I looked at him. “Ten minutes, remember. And if you don’t do what I asked, I’ll find those detonators and set them off myself.”

“I will do as you ask.”

“Good.” I glanced up, saw we were almost at the ground floor. “What is the toy room you mentioned earlier?”

“A torture room on the first level.”

Trust Starr to call a torture room a toy room. “What else is there?”

“An armory. Secure meeting rooms. Stuff like that.”

The elevator jerked to a stop and the doors opened. I headed left, but not directly toward the security area. There was ten minutes to kill before the power outage removed the threat of the cameras, so I pushed open the nearest exit door and walked out into the coolness of the gathering evening. The sun had moved behind the mountains and trees, and shadows hunted across the ground. The scent of eucalyptus filled the air, and kookaburras were beginning their evening laugh-fest. I walked across to the nearest gum tree and squatted down on my heels. Awareness tingled across my skin, and I glanced sideways to see a guard appear a few doors down. Meaning my earlier guess that we would be watched from now on had been spot-on.

I casually touched my ear, then plucked a long blade of grass and idly fiddled with it.

“Hey, Jack,” I said softly. “Any more news of Nerida and Berna?”

“And good fucking morning to you, too. Or evening, as the damn case is.”

“This is the first chance I’ve had to report, so don’t pull the heavy on me.”

“It doesn’t take much to flick your ear and let me hear what is going on even if you can’t speak.”