Vaulcron (Enigma Series Book 3) (10 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Pain sliced through Mallory’s head as she attempted to roll onto her back. She couldn’t seem to draw breath into her lungs, and a great weight held her down.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the bright lights shining from the ceiling.

A deep groan resounded from next to her ear, leaving no doubt that Vaulcron lay half across her body.

“Vaulcron?” she croaked, attempting to slide out from under him.

What had she done? She couldn’t remember, but the fact neither of them were dressed was a pretty good indication.

Vaulcron slowly lifted his head and peered down at her through red-rimmed eyes.

He rolled to the side, taking his great weight with him.

Nausea rolled through Mallory with the first deep breath she took. Her body ached in places she’d forgotten she had. The tenderness between her thighs came secondary to the stinging pain of her neck.

She dragged trembling fingers up to her throat to encounter a warm wetness.

Mallory brought her hand around and blinked it into focus. A smear of blood stained her fingertips.
Blood
?

Flashes of memory sparked behind her eyes. The shower she’d taken. The heat of her skin. The longing to be taken by Vaulcron. The pain of his entry into her body. The lust, the uncontrollable need for release. The taste of his blood.

Mallory sat up so fast the room spun around her. Her horrified gaze landed on Vaulcron’s bare ass.

She attempted to slide off the bed. The need to be sick was dreadful and overwhelming.

Vaulcron slowly rolled to his back, gazing up at her in confusion and no small amount of regret. “Did I hurt you?”

“I-I don’t think so.” She continued to inch toward the side of the bed.

He sat up and wrapped his fingers around her forearm. “I do not know what happened here. I can only remember small pieces. Please allow me to make sure that you are all right.”

Mallory opened her mouth to tell him that she was fine, but he pulled her back down to the mattress before words could form.

Horror filled his beautiful green eyes as he nudged her head to the side. “I did that.” It wasn’t a question.

He suddenly slid down her body, gripped her knees, and opened her thighs wide. “I forced you.” The devastation on his face tore at Mallory’s heart.

She attempted to close her legs, but he only held on tighter.

“You didn’t force me, Vaulcron. I think we were drugged.”

He glanced up at her with tears evident in his eyes. “I do not understand. How can this be? I would never harm you, Mallory. Please forgive me. I—”

“You didn’t hurt me,” she interrupted, unable to take his tears. “We were drugged.”

“I am not familiar with the term.”

“Medicated,” she corrected, watching as understanding dawned.

“But I did this to you.”

“I wanted you to take me,” she whispered, her gaze dropping to the small wound on his shoulder. Her stomach clenched.

She reached up and gingerly touched it. “
I don’t remember biting him.”

“I do not remember the bite I inflicted on you, either.”

Mallory jerked her gaze back to his face. “How did you know what I was thinking? You heard me?”

“I am sorry, Mallory. I—”

Fredericks burst through the door, stopping short when he took in the scene before him.

Vaulcron bounded from the bed and had the guard against the wall before the guy could open his mouth to cry out.

Fredricks gripped the forearm pressed against his neck, obviously cutting off his circulation. His mouth opened and closed in a silent plea for air.

“Don’t kill him,” Mallory cried, wrapping herself in a sheet and hurrying across the room. “Please, Vaulcron. My sister’s life is at stake.”

Vaulcron continued to press his arm tighter against Fredricks’s neck, until the guy’s eyes were bulging in their sockets.

“Let him go,” Mallory demanded, attempting to hold her sheet in place.

With a growl of surrender, Vaulcron shoved him one last time and backed away.

Fredericks sucked in a harsh breath, nearly falling to his knees. He staggered to the side, but managed to stay on his feet.

“I have a message for you,” Fredericks wheezed, glancing at Mallory. “It’s about your sister.”

Mallory’s heart twisted. “What about Amy?”

“Anderson ran with her. They are on the lam.”

Mallory couldn’t have heard him right. “He helped her escape. How do you know this?”

Fredricks flicked his gaze toward the door, then back to Mallory. “A friend just delivered the message. Said that Glenn called him this morning from a hotel and wanted me to let you know that Amy is safe and out of harm’s way.”

“Why would he help us?” Mallory hissed, unable to believe Frederick’s story.

“I don’t know, and I’ve done what I was asked to do. You didn’t see me or hear anything from me. They will kill me if they find out that I helped you.”

“I will kill you myself,” Vaulcron growled, “if I find out that you lied to us.”

Fredericks stumbled toward the door. “Fair enough. But it’s the truth.” He disappeared into the hall, pulling the door closed after him.

Mallory swayed on her feet, another bout of heat spreading through her limbs. Sweat popped out on her forehead, and her hands grew clammy.

She noticed Vaulcron was experiencing something similar.

His pupils were dilated to the point where his eyes appeared black. “Go lock yourself in the bathroom before it is too late,” he rumbled, giving her his back.

Mallory stood completely still, her hungry gaze traveling from his massive shoulders to his incredibly muscular ass.

Wetness slicked her thighs. A throbbing began in her center, creating a domino effect throughout her system. Her nipples hardened, her breathing accelerated, and heat exploded between her thighs, nearly crippling her.

She staggered forward, wrapped her arms around Vaulcron’s waist, and laid her head against his back.

A growl vibrated beneath her ear. “I want to take you again,” he snarled, muscles bunching along his torso. “I ache to be inside you.”

Her insides responded to his words. More wetness settled on her thighs. She could feel herself swelling, needing to be filled.

Chills skated across her skin, followed by another bout of heat. “Oh God, Vaulcron. I ache.”

Chapter Twenty

Vaulcron’s entire body vibrated with desire. He glanced down at his painful erection as it pulsed with need.

“Get away from me,” he growled, fighting the urge to toss Mallory onto the bed and thrust into her waiting body again and again.

“I want you,” she whispered in a breathy voice.

Vaulcron’s control shattered. He spun around, lifted her off her feet, and situated her on her knees on the side of the bed in front of him.

Gritting his teeth, he fisted his shaft and stepped in close to her waiting heat.

An explosion suddenly ripped through the building, rocking the floor beneath Vaulcron’s feet.

He threw himself over Mallory’s body as the sheetrock in the ceiling cracked above his head.

“Oh, my God, what was that?” came Mallory’s muffled cry, her face now buried in the sheets.

The sound of gunshots erupted in the distance. Vaulcron jumped back and jerked his shorts up his legs. “Go into the bathroom.”

Mallory rolled from the bed, tugging the sheet with her as she ran. She disappeared inside the small bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming up the hall. Vaulcron braced himself as bullets peppered the iron door in an array of blasts that vibrated inside his skull.

“Vaulcron?” a voice yelled as the door was kicked in, and Braum came barreling into the room.

“Are you all right?” Braum rushed forward, anger etched on his face.

“I am.” Vaulcron turned and jerked open the bathroom door. “Mallory? Come. We must make haste.”

The sight of Mallory climbing from the shower stall with that sheet tied around her tore at Vaulcron’s heart. She shouldn’t have to experience the level of fear she experienced now.

Mallory ran to him, her eyes wild with confusion. “What’s going on?”

Vaulcron scooped her up into his arms. “We are being rescued. Keep your head down.”

“Rescued?” Mallory swung her gaze toward Braum standing in the middle of the room.

A low growl rumbled in Vaulcron’s chest as a small gasp slipped past Mallory’s lips. He pressed her head down to his shoulder and rushed toward the door. “I need a weapon.”

Braum jogged ahead, pulling a pistol from his belt. He turned slightly, handing it to Vaulcron as they ran. “The safety is on.”

Vaulcron nodded his understanding, switched the safety off, and shot off down the hall behind Braum. He kissed the top of Mallory’s head. “I will get you out of here, beautiful one.”

The door to the stairwell suddenly flew open, and two soldiers burst into the hall with guns blazing.

Vaulcron fired his weapon at the man on the right, taking him down with one shot. Braum felled the other.

“This way,” Braum whispered, taking the stairs the soldiers had recently vacated.

Following close behind, Vaulcron adjusted Mallory in his arms, keeping the pistol at the ready.

Gunfire could be heard from below them, ricocheting off the walls in consistent earsplitting explosions.

Braum held up his hand as he came to a stop at the door on the first floor. He eased it open enough to peer out into the corridor.

“Stay close to the wall, and head toward the front door. There is an armored truck waiting around the right side of the building. Get her to safety.”

“What about you?” Vaulcron hissed, touching Braum on the arm.

“I will be right behind you. Now go.” Braum threw the door open and darted across the room to draw fire, effectively creating a distraction for Vaulcron’s escape.

Hunching his shoulders over Mallory to shield her body from flying bullets, Vaulcron hurried toward the front door. He burst outside and ran along the front of the building as fast as his legs would move. He rounded the corner in record time, relieved to see the armored truck parked close to the wall.

Vaulcron opened the passenger side door and deposited Mallory onto the seat. “Get into the back and keep your head down.”

Mallory nodded and climbed over the seat. “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded, glancing back at him with wide eyes.

He opened his mouth to assure her that she’d be safe in the truck, just as Tony, Braum, Gryke, and Oz rounded the corner.

“Get in,” Tony barked, jumping behind the wheel.

Vaulcron practically dove into the vehicle, seconds ahead of the others.

Tony threw the truck in reverse, backing up with such force that Vaulcron nearly face-planted in Braum’s lap.

No one spoke until Winchester Industries completely disappeared from view.

“Was anyone hit?” Oz asked, turning in his seat to study the crew seated in back.

Two sets of gazes swung over the backseat to stare down at Mallory.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, sitting up with the sheet held to her chest. “Just a little shaken up, but I’m okay.”

Vaulcron’s mouth tightened in jealousy. “If you value your eyes, you will aim them elsewhere.”

Braum laughed. “I am sorry, Vaulcron. I did not realize that she belonged to you.”

“My sister,” Mallory breathed, meeting Vaulcron’s gaze. “How am I going to find Amy?”

Tony answered before Vaulcron could respond. "We’ve already located your sister. Zaureth is on his way back to Cuba with her and Anderson. They will arrive ahead of us.”

Mallory gasped. “He is bringing the guy that held her hostage back to Cuba?”

“He is,” Tony nodded, glancing up in the rearview mirror. “And I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Hauke finds out about it.”

Vaulcron met Tony’s gaze in the mirror. “What does Hauke know of Anderson?”

“Anderson was the one that filled Hauke’s gut with lead.”

Vaulcron’s brows lifted. “He shot Hauke?”

Tony nodded. “He also took Abbie and Naura hostage. Yeah. Hauke isn’t going to be pleased about this.”

“Zaureth should have killed this Anderson.” Gryke’s quiet admission brought Tony’s gaze back to the mirror.

“Anderson was acting on presidential orders. Besides, he did save Amy’s life. That should be worth something.”

“Of course it is worth something,” Vaulcron piped in. “He did not have to risk himself for a girl he does not know. It shows he had integrity, and we will not repay his sacrifice by ending his life.”

Gryke shook his head. “Tell that to Hauke.”

“Amy is Mallory’s sister,” Vaulcron reiterated.

“Yes,” Gryke agreed. “And Hauke is your brother.”