Sage

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Author: Walker Shiloh

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An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Sage

ISBN # 1-4199-0601-1 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Sage Copyright© 2006 Shiloh Walker Edited by Pamela Campbell Cover art by Willo.

Electronic book Publication: April 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning:


The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers.This story has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

S-ensuouslove scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

E-roticlove scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-ratedtitles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

X-tremetitles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storylineexecution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

Sage Shiloh Walker

Chapter One

“You have got to be kidding me.” The vampire merely arched a brow as he leaned back into the molded cushions of the chair. Turning his attention to the computer, he addressed the other person holding the line in the online conference. Dismissing Sage. Narrowing his eyes, Sage glared at Jax and said, “Send somebody else.” Jax cut Sage a look. “And who do you think is physically capable of forcing Anni back here? Danny is scared to death of her. I suppose we could send her brother but I don’t plan on bringing Dustin back any time soon.” “Why in hell does she have to be forced?”


Jax turned away from the computer, focusing his midnight eyes on Sage once more. A lot of people would have been intimidated by that look, but it wasn’t something that had ever occurred to Sage. Jax was just another soldier in their war as far as Sage was concerned. “I need her back here and she’s ignoring my orders.” Rolling his eyes, Sage jammed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and rocked onto his heels. “Maybe that’s the problem…Master. Not many of us care to be ordered to do any damn thing. She’s a free woman.” “She’s a free woman who wants this war won as much as the rest of us. You know the drill—you do what I say…or you walk.” Sage glared at Jax. “And you wonder why not too many people like you much. You’re an asshole, Jax.” A cool smile appeared on Jax’s face. “That may well be, but I’m an asshole who knows how to fight—and win—a war. Can any of you say the same?” They’d gained considerable ground since Jax had come onboard. That was something Sage couldn’t deny. After the small army had successfully stopped more than forty public executions of Firewalkers, they’d had the pleasure of watching as the World Federated Government stopped public executions. They had continued with them covertly, but those made it easier for the Firewalkers to get in and out…and dispense a lot of damage on the way out. The government had suffered alot of damages in the past few months. Sage didn’t know if they were on the right path but they were sure as hell accomplishing more than they had been before Jax had come. Still… “I don’t care if you’re George Washington crossing the Delaware, pal,” Sage snarled. “You don’t treat people like they are your damn slaves.” Jax sighed, closing his eyes for a minute. “I treat them like soldiers, Sage. I was placed in this position for a reason, and all of you agreed. I give orders—you follow them. Otherwise, get out.” For the first time, a small tendril of resentment formed in Sage’s gut as he glared at Jax. He couldn’t walk. This fight was his life—his only reason for existing. “You’re a fucking bastard, Jax. And you had better hope to hell you have a good reason for making me do this.” Closing his eyes, Sage summoned an image of her face to his mind. As it solidified, he loosed the power inside him and let it sweep him away. After Sage left, Jax looked up to find Caris watching him. Her eyes were carefully blank as she studied her husband and Jax suppressed a smile. He could all but hear the angry words bubbling in her throat. But instead of explaining himself, he asked, “Who is George Washington?” She ignored him, sauntering into the room with her hands tucked inside her pockets. “You know, I


realize you take this being in charge deal seriously. And you do a good job of it. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen you act like such an authoritarian ass.” Jax cocked a brow at her. “I tire of being called names, pet.” Caris gave him a sugary sweet smile. “Well, when you stop acting like an ass, maybe you’ll stop being called one. Now why don’t you tell me what in hell that was about?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Jax replied levelly, “It was about solving a problem.” “A problem?” “Indeed—the problem both of them have been over the past year. And it only gets worse. With Anni being in the condition she’s in, if she doesn’t do something, dealing with her will become damn near impossible. And Sage is already impossible.” For one sweet moment, Jax had the pleasure of seeing his wife speechless. And then her warm golden eyes narrowed and she whispered, “You conniving bastard.” “You’re welcome.” Caris shoved a hand through her hair. “Life doesn’t work that way. You can’t take two people determined to ignore each other and expect them to just…just…” “Just do what they’ve been dying to do for years?” Jax offered. “They can’t go an hour without thinking about the other. And everybodyknows it, except the two of them. Make it to where they can’t avoid each other, and they’ll have to accept facts.” Caris snorted. “But you sent Sage to get Anni and bring her back. He’ll be back here in a matter of minutes.” He started to laugh. “Oh, please. Do you actually think Sage is going toforce Anni into anything?” ***** “Damn it!” Anni sobbed as she leaped out of bed, her entire body tense and aching. Shehurt . She hadn’t ever needed like she needed right now—she felt entirely too empty. Skin too tight, itchy…toohot . The vibrator on the bed had stopped buzzing the minute she’d released it and she turned around to glare at it. Damn it, she couldn’t find the relief she needed.Nothing helped. She’d tried that damn vibrator—she’d abused the showerhead. Everything just left her aching for more. Covering her face with her hands, she dragged air into her lungs, trying to clear the fog from her brain. This had happened before—a hunger that was damn near uncontrollable, but she had been able to use toys to take the edge off. Or she’d found some guy at a bar and gotten laid. Now it was as though she just couldn’t do it. The thought of letting some nameless faceless man touch her made her stomach crawl.


Just one man—she wanted just one man. And he didn’t even know she existed. He wasall she had ever wanted, all she could think about. Damn it, she could all but smell…oh shit. Dropping her hands, she whirled around and found him standing there. His eyes burned into her flesh and she flushed as his gaze ran over her, from her bare feet, up the length of her legs, lingering for a moment on her sex before moving on to her breasts. Her skin tingled, almost as if he had reached out and run his hands over her, instead of just looking. By the time he met her eyes, her heart was slamming into her ribs with damn near bruising force. She forced a cool smile though, as she stared at him. “What in hell are you doing here?” “It would appear I’m looking for you.” His voice sounded odd. Shrugging it off, she turned on her heel, feeling his eyes on her butt while she strode across the room to the small closet. Jerking the door open, she grabbed a T-shirt out of it and jerked it over her head. “Why? I’m on vacation.” He didn’t answer and she turned around to find him staring at her bed. She flushed to the roots of her hair as she realized what he was staring at. That damn useless vibrator. “Looks like you’re having fun,” Sage said mildly as he looked from the vibrator to her. Baring her teeth at him in a mockery of a smile, she purred, “Oh, tons. Now get out.” Sage just lifted one shoulder in that damnable shrug of his as he replied, “Sorry. Can’t.” Then he turned on his heel and strolled out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Closing her eyes, she crossed the room and flopped down on the bed. Her hand brushed against the vibrator and she pushed up on her elbows, glaring at the offending object. Damn useless piece of flexinal. The lifelike vibe had set her back damn near three hundred credits. And she was still as desperate for release as she had been for the past eight days. Worse. As she breathed in, she could scent his skin and it made her mouth water. Her nipples were tight, hard as diamonds, and deep inside she ached. Throbbed. She could feel how wet she was—slick, slippery—groaning, she tried to blank her mind. Slippery. She was so damn needy, he’d slide inside her almost easily. “Damn it, stop!” she growled. Jackknifing off the bed, she grabbed a pair of jeans and jerked them on. As the denim rasped against her sensitive sex, she whimpered. She had to get him out of here. And then she was going to have go get laid. She couldn’t go on like this. Chapter Two


Sage closed his eyes, thunking his forehead against the wall. The image of her long, sleek body, gloriously naked, wasn’t something he needed. He had a hard enough time sleeping as it was. His cock throbbed within the tight confines of his jeans and his hands itched. All he had wanted to do was grab her, yank that naked body against his and cover that sassy pink mouth with his. But that damn cool tone of hers, paired with unreadable blank eyes and he had suspected that a touch from him was the last thing she wanted. Damn it—how could he want her like this? His skin started to buzz and he moved away from the wall, dropping onto the couch. Focusing on the vid-screen, he gave the oral command for it to turn on and selected one of the sports channels just as she came into the small living room. “Nice tin can you have here,” he said without looking at her. “Bite me,” she drawled. Her voice was low and smooth, sexy as all get-out. He slid his eyes her way. One of these days… Shoving the thought out of his mind, he said, “Jax needs you back.” “Too bad. I’m not going back right now.” “Why not? You need to get off a few more times?” The minute he said it, he could have bitten his tongue, but it was too late. “Jackass. That’s hardly any of your business, now is it?” Anni said shortly, stalking away from him. No. But he sure as hell wished it was. Lifting his eyes, he stared at the slim line of her back as she crossed into the kitchen and punched a couple of buttons on the prep unit. A minute later she turned around with a wineglass in her hand and held his gaze as she sipped from it. “Probably not, but getting you back to the base is. So what’s keeping you?” She braced one shoulder against the narrow doorjamb and lifted her other one in a shrug. “Just need to get away for a while.” “You’ve been gone a week.” He had missed her. They rarely spoke, but he knew when she wasn’t there. The scent of her skin faded and the base seemed a little duller. Empty—as empty as he was. “So? Maybe in another week, I’ll be ready to come back.” A week. Cutting his eyes her way, Sage smirked. “Fine. Hope you don’t mind a roommate. I’m not dealing with Jax unless you’re with me.” Unless he was mistaken, her body stiffened. The dark gray of her eyes seemed to grow even darker and for a minute, the tension in the room tightened almost unbearably. Then Anni blinked and relaxed minutely. A small grin curved her lips and she murmured, “Whatever you want, Sage. Hope you like the


couch. It’s as hard as a rock.” Then she sauntered past him and left the room, going back down the hall and closing the door. Small as the place was, after she closed the door to her room, he didn’t hear so much as a single sound from her. But he was unbelievably aware of her. Stuck on the narrow, distinctly uncomfortable couch, he leaned his head back and muttered, “I’m going to kill Jax.” ***** “I’m going to kill Jax,” Anni swore desperately as she lay on the bed hours later. She hadn’t left the room since talking with Sage early that afternoon. Her belly rumbled with hunger, but she didn’t want to leave while he was out there. “Can’t stay in this damn room for a week.” Rolling from the bed, she moved to the door, pressing a hand against it. Even through the soundproofed walls, she could hear him moving around the small living room. Her belly growled loudly and Anni groaned. Closing her hand around the doorknob, she jerked the door open and stalked down the hall, ignoring Sage. “You look happy, sugar,” he murmured as he finished spreading a sheet over the couch. From the corner of her eye, she could see he had shed his shirt and the warm gold of his skin gleamed in the dull light. The aching knot of hunger in her belly faded as the other hungers roared to life. Clenching her jaw, she didn’t respond as she moved into the kitchen. She hadn’t stocked up enough to feed two people, which meant in a day or two, she’d have to leave to get more food. Anni didn’t like leaving. The apartment was secure but leaving it made her nervous. Just outside St. Louis, this small Missouri town was about as anonymous as she could hope for but she didn’t like to expose herself. Well, normally. Right now, she was almost ready to flee the security of the apartment just get away from Sage. Damn it, she could smell him. A whimper rose in her throat and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from letting him hear it. A week of this? Too damn preoccupied with what she was doing, she didn’t hear him as he moved up behind her and when she turned around, he was right there. Oh, hell. Her nipples tightened, heat suffused her entire body and her heart started dancing the rumba inside her chest.


“You’re jumpy.” He stared at her, his head cocked, thick black hair tumbling onto his forehead. The heat from his body teased hers, and that whimper broke free. Slamming a hand against his chest, she dodged around him but only made it a foot before his hand closed over her wrist. Jerking against him, she said hoarsely, “Let me go.” “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, still holding on. Using his grip on her wrist, he held her still as he moved a little closer. Touching his fingers to the side of her cheek, he scowled. “Are you sick? You’re burning up.” Anni bared her teeth at him. “I’m not sick.”Just dying of need. “Damn it, Sage, let go of me.” “What’s going on?” Her ears roared and her vision narrowed down as she stared at him, unable to see anything beyond his face. She could see his lips moving, but she was more interested in his mouth than his words. Damn it, she wanted, just once, to feel that mouth of his against hers. Faintly, she said again, “Let me go, Sage.” Staring down at her, Sage just barely managed to resist yelling at her. Adrenaline surged through him as he studied her face. Her eyes were wide and dark, the elliptical pupils flaring. Her face was flushed pink and her chest heaved with ragged breaths. He was certain she was sick. But then his skin started to burn as she continued to stare at him. Not at his face—his mouth. His eyes darted over her slender form and he took in every nuance. Nipples were hard, beaded under the fine cotton of her shirt. Under his fingers, her pulse pounded rapidly. Slowly, he released her wrist and trailed the tips of his fingers up her arm. She stood frozen, slowly lifting her eyes to stare into his. It was like blinders falling away as he stared into those dark gray depths. She didn’t have a fever. She wasn’t sick. She was burning up with lust! Blood pounded in his veins. Sage closed one hand around the delicate length of her neck, his thumb resting in the hollow there. Her skin felt like heated silk and there was that subtle fragrance that was uniquely Anni’s. Her pulse beat in a rapid tattoo and he could feel it against his palm. With a muttered curse, he lowered his mouth to hers and did what he had been dreaming of for years. He tasted her, tracing his tongue along the bow of her lips before pushing inside the sweet hollow of her mouth. She whimpered against his lips, a soft little purring sound that would keep him awake at night. As her lips parted under his, he used his other hand to drag her against him, molding those soft, supple curves against his aching body. Hunger tore through him, making his blood boil and his head go foggy. All higher thought processes


stopped and the only thing in his mind wastake, take, take . Her mouth was like wine-drenched velvet, impossibly soft, impossibly intoxicating. He backed her up against the narrow kitchen counter and boosted her hips onto it. Lifting his head, he stared down into her glassy eyes as he stripped her shirt away. Under it, she was naked, the small, plump curves of her breasts topped with berry-pink nipples. Dipping his head, he took one in his mouth and she arched against him with a soft little growl. Her hands dipped into his hair and Sage felt a tiny little pain as her nails bit into his skin. She wasn’t wearing her gloves…the odd thought flickered through his head as he moved to her other breast, teasing that nipple with soft biting kisses. “Damn it, you taste better than I thought you would,” he muttered hoarsely as he straightened. She blinked, staring at him with unfocused eyes. One hand cupped the back of his neck and Sage gave into that gentle urging, lowering his mouth to hers and pushing his tongue inside. By feel, he found the button of her jeans and opened it, urging her hips forward and off the counter with the other hand. Once she was standing, he lowered the zipper and started to slide the heavy denim down her slender legs. As he bared the soft mound of her sex, he sank to his knees. Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss just above the neatly trimmed thatch of hair. “Sweet heaven, you smell delicious,” he murmured. Hunger tore at him and he quickly stripped her jeans away. Sliding a look up, he whispered, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.” He pressed the flat of his hands against her thighs, smoothing them down and then up, cupping her hips and gently taking her to the ground. Her dark gray eyes were fogged, staring at him blindly. “Sage…” He covered her body with his, groaning at the feel of her underneath him.Finally… Slanting his mouth across hers, he pushed his tongue inside, devouring her greedily. She arched, pressing her sex against him and Sage’s nerve endings exploded. He could feel her wet heat through his jeans. Shoving up onto his knees, he tore them open. His freed cock was so damn hard, he hurt . Even the soft, cool kiss of air on his aching flesh was pure torture. Sucking air desperately into his lungs, he tore his shirt away and then sprawled between her thighs, pushing them wide. Staring down at the mound of her sex, he slid one finger down her folds, opening her. Over the length of her body, Sage met her eyes and held her gaze as he lowered his mouth to her pussy. As he touched his tongue to her flesh, she cried out. He used his fingers to spread her open and then he began to stab at the dew-slicked folds with his tongue. Her hands fisted in his hair and she began to rock her hips up against his mouth. Soft, pleading little moans fell from her lips and Sage took his cue from those, settling on a fast-driving rhythm that had her shuddering under him. “Damn it, you’re sweet. I could eat you for hours,” he muttered hoarsely against her flesh. He pushed his fingers inside her sheath and when she clenched around him with a cry, he changed his mind. “Maybe not. Least not yet.”


With his tongue on her clit and his fingers pumping in and out of her sex, he pushed her into orgasm. As soon as she erupted under him, he shoved up onto his hands and knees, crawling up the length of her body. He mounted her, wedging his hips between her thighs. All the while, he stared into her dark gray eyes, watching as they slowly cleared. Her lashes started to drift down and her breathing leveled out. “Look at me,” he ordered gruffly as he smoothed one palm up the silky length of her leg and bringing it high over his hip, opened her completely. Her lashes lifted slowly—her gaze was wide, eyes dazed. Squeezing the taut flesh of her ass in his hand, he stared into her eyes as he pushed against her. Anni keened low in her throat. She was wet, but so damned tight, resisting his entry. It was like fucking his way into a silk-swathed vise. Even as he forged his way inside, she started convulsing around him, soft desperate little cries falling from her lips. Sage shifted back and up, bracing his weight on his free hand as he used his other to stroke a path around her hip, across the flat plane of her belly. Lightly, he touched the hard, swollen bud of her clit, stroking it as he began to pump inside her. Her hands clutched at him and he felt a sharp little pain as her claws slid out, drawing blood. The pain only added to the fever in his head and he growled, hunkering low over her body and slamming into her. She screamed and he covered her mouth with his, swallowing the broken cry. He kissed her roughly, greedily, before pulling away and lowering his mouth to her neck. He cupped her head in one hand, tangling his fingers in the short choppy strands of her hair and using his hold to arch her head back. Sage raked his teeth along the taut skin of her neck. She whimpered. That hungry, helpless female sound of need made his blood burn even hotter. Desperate to feel her come around him, he moved higher on her body so that he could stroke against her clit as he fucked her. Then he began to shaft her with short, deep digs that had her pussy tightening around him. He pressed his lips to her ear and muttered, “I want to feel you come around me, Anni.” And just like that she exploded—arching up, throwing her head back and screaming. She bucked under him, rocking her hips back and forth, her pussy gripping his cock with milking caresses. Sage slammed his other hand down onto the floor and with a roar, he plunged his length completely inside her. She screamed, a shocked, startled sound. Her hands flew up, gripping his sides. There was a sweet little pain as her nails bit into his skin. He pummeled her, shoving inside her with a damn near brutal intensity. Hunger tore through him like claws. Lowering his head, he slanted his mouth across hers and feasted on her. He could feel her heart slamming against his chest, felt the muscles in her belly working as the orgasm held her in its grasp. She relaxed slightly, her hands sliding limply to the floor and Sage lifted his head, staring into dazed eyes. A soft smile lit her face and he shook his head, lowering it to catch her full lower lip between his teeth, biting lightly. “No,” he rasped. “It’s not over. Not that fast.” Pushing up onto his elbows, he cupped her head in his hands, holding her gaze as he started to ride her


with teasing, circular thrusts of his hips. Her breath caught in her throat—a soft moan shimmered out of her as she started to lift her hips to meet him. “That’s it, Anni. Stay with me,” he whispered gruffly. Sweat-dampened flesh gleamed in the low lights, the sounds of heavy breathing and throaty moans drifted through the air. Linking their hands, he pinned them down on the floor by her head. Anni moaned his name and Sage felt his heart clench in his chest. Words rushed to his lips and he had to clench his jaw to keep from saying them. In his head, though, he did. Pressing his brow to hers, he groaned as she climaxed around him again and as he gave himself up to his own orgasm, he whispered to her silently,I love you…

Had that really just happened? Anni lay pinned under Sage’s heavy weight, trying to breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard, she couldn’t hear anything beyond that rapid rhythm. And she couldn’t think. Damn it, she couldn’t think. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen…nope. Seconds later, Sage shoved up to his knees and then to his feet. Air rushed into her starved lungs and she still couldn’t think. Couldn’t move either, although he stood there, staring down at her with heavy-lidded hazel eyes. He stooped and lifted her. Startled, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he straightened. He turned his head, pressing his lips to her temple, holding her cradled against his chest. Tears burned her eyes for a second and she lowered her lashes until she knew she could keep them from falling. By the time she opened her eyes, he was carrying her into her small room. He lay her down and then curled up behind her, hauling her back against him before flipping the blanket over them. Anni didn’t dare speak. She had no idea what to say. Against her rump, she could feel his cock, still a little damp. He pushed against her and his cock cuddled into the curve of her ass and he slid one hand up her torso, cupping her breast in his hand. Anni lay there, frozen, completely surrounded by him. “Go to sleep,” he muttered. No way—she wasn’t going to be able to sleep with him pressed against her like… She sank into sleep like a stone into water, completely and quickly. Chapter Three


Anni awoke to find herself hovering on the edge of orgasm. She lay facedown, her legs sprawled wide, a pillow beneath her hips, keeping her ass in the air. The flexinal vibe was buried deep inside her sheath, rotating and vibrating, the small fingerlike extension teasing her clit while the shaft worked its magic inside her. And Sage—blood rushed to her face as he pressed oil-slick fingers against her ass. She tried to push up onto her elbows, but realized she was tied down. Her arms were spread apart, each one bound at the wrist, strapped to the bed. As were her ankles. There was just enough give in the restraints to let her shift on the mattress. Turning her head, she saw the remains of what looked like her T-shirt. It had been torn into strips and used as padding for the autocuffs he had used to secure one wrist to the scrolled synthetic iron of the headboard. Turning her head, she saw that one of her scarves had been used on the other. She couldn’t shift around enough to see what restrained her legs. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice breaking. He pushed his fingers into her ass just as she spoke and her question ended with a wail. “Something I’ve dreamed of for years,” he muttered. He shifted, sliding one hand under her head, cupping her cheek. Sage stared her, his hazel eyes hot and hungry as he murmured, “I’ve had fantasies about fucking this ass, fucking it until you screamed for mercy.” Then he lifted her just slightly and covered her lips with his, shoving his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. And lower—she moaned into his mouth as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her ass, lubricating her with the oil. And all the while, the flexinal vibe rotated and squirmed inside her sex, teasing her closer and closer to orgasm. Slowly, he pulled away and Anni stared at him. Their gazes locked as he pushed another finger inside her ass. Hovering between pleasure and pain, she pressed her hips into the pillow, trying to pull away from his deep, probing strokes. “Be still,” Sage ordered gruffly. “You’re tighter than a damn fist. If I’m going to push my cock inside here, I need to open you up first.” His words painted an image that her trembling. She couldn’t decide if she was excited, or terrified. But she didn’t have time to figure it out. Sage adjusted the flexinal vibe and it sped up. At the same time, he changed his own rhythm, going from slow and exploratory to a quick, driving rhythm. The pain-pleasure didn’t go away—it expanded, exploding through her and turning her brain to mush. She no longer cared if it hurt or not. She needed more. Anni moaned into the pillow, trying to push her hips back to meet his pumping fingers, but the restraints kept her from moving more than an inch or two. “You want more?” he asked softly, pushing his fingers a little deeper, a little harder.


“Hell, yes,” she whimpered. “Good…” he pulled away, his fingers leaving her body with one last, lingering caress. Feeling bereft, Anni whimpered. He laughed. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered as he shoved another pillow under her hips. The restraints on her legs pulled a little as he repositioned her, pushing her legs wider and settling between her thighs. She heard a soft snick and smelled more of the oil he had been preparing her with. Then he pressed against her, his cock slick from the oil. Her body oil, she realized with a start. “I love the way this stuff smells,” he murmured as he started to rock against her, sliding his cock back and forth between the cheeks of her ass. He kept teasing her with those slow caresses as he continued to whisper, “I love the way it smells on your body. When you first come out of the shower, it’s stronger. Makes me want to press you against the wall and fuck you silly. And every time I smell this stuff on your skin, I’m going to remember this. Remember how you moaned while you were still sleeping, pushing your ass back against me.” Anni sank her teeth into her lip as he pushed just a little inside. “I’ll remember that,” he added as she started to gasp for air. One big hand closed over the fleshy mound of her rump, spreading her open as he worked a little more of his cock into her. He continued to do that, talking softly to her as he worked his cock inside. Anni felt like she was being stroked by a million hands between the velvety whisper of his voice, the thick press of his cock forging inside her ass, and the vibe in her pussy, teasing her mercilessly. He raked his teeth over her shoulder and murmured, “And I’ll remember what you’re doing now.” That was when Anni realized she was begging him. Blood rushed to her face and she pressed it into the mattress as he teased, “I’ll remember how you begged me to fuck you,please …now…” Sage shifted, moving up onto his knees, crouching between her spread thighs and staring down at her. The pink flesh of her ass stretched tight around him. He cupped her slim hips in his hands, rolling his hips slowly against her, once, twice. She took it easily, pushing against him desperately, seeking more. “Please…” he repeated, “…now.” And with that, he slammed into her, the muscles in his hips, back and thighs working as he propelled his length inside her. She screamed, harsh, staccato sounds, clenching around the thick length that impaled her. He pulled out slowly, watching as his cock left her ass, the ruddied skin gleaming from the oil. Then he pushed back in. Keeping that same slow, leisurely pace, Sage gripped the cheeks of her butt in his hands and spread her wider. “Just looking at this, watching you take me, is enough to make me want to come.” Anni cried out, the muscles inside her ass clenching around his cock. His eyes narrowed to slits and his breath left him in a harsh rush. His cock jerked inside her and that had her clenching around him again. His self-restraint went flying out the window and he drove into her—one quick, hard thrust after another. In seconds, she was screaming under him, climaxing around him. The muscles in her ass clenched so damn tightly, he could had to fight to get back inside her.


Then, with one last, gasping cry, Anni went limp under him, her tense body sagging against the pillow as she moaned. Sage muttered harshly, “Not done yet.” Once more, Sage slowed his pace, settling back into that slow, lazy rhythm. He lowered his head and raked his teeth across her shoulder, trailed his hand up her side. He felt it the moment she started to respond. Her body tensed, the tight clasp around his cock convulsed and she moaned, the sound a sexy little purr that drove him nuts. Her skin was hot and slick, glistening under a light sheen of sweat. Through the thin membrane, he could feel the pulsing rotations of the flexinal vibe. Her spine arched and the restraints rattled as she tugged against them. Resting a hand against the base of her spine, he murmured, “Shhh…slow down.” Anni panted out angrily, “I can’t—” Slapping his hand against her ass, he whispered, “Hush.” She stiffened as he slapped her, her head flying up as she whipped her head around and stared at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, gleaming—indignant. But she heated around him. With a slow smile, Sage held her gaze and spanked her a second time. “You like that,” he said softly. With a sly grin, he leaned back and freed the restraints around her ankles, guiding her up onto her knees. As her ass lifted, he slapped her again, watching as the flesh of her butt bloomed pink. He looked up and watched her face as he spanked her once more. Her pupils flared, her spine arched. “Oh, yeah. You really like that,” he muttered. Falling into a new rhythm, he began to spank her each time he pulled out. It didn’t seem possible, but she grew even hotter under him. The scent of her hot flesh bloomed through the room, flooding his head. He fucked her harder, groaning harshly as she started to slam back against him, taking the thick length of his cock greedily. Bracing one hand low on her spine, he held her still as he drove deep. With his other hand, he continued to slap her ass. The color of her flesh darkened from pink to red. He had to come—the need was like a fist clenched around his balls, painful in its intensity. He pulled out, watching as the thick head of his cock appeared from the snug hole of her anus. Sage held there for one second, and then he slammed back in, seating himself completely inside her. Underneath him, Anni began to come, screaming her way into climax. She clenched around him like a silky fist. He felt his sac draw tight against him, a hot warning tingle dancing along his skin. She bucked against him once more and that was enough to push him over. His head fell back as he moaned out her name. His cock jerked in her snug anal sheath as he started to come. He sank down against her, his forehead resting on her back. He stayed like that, resting against her as he waited for his vision to clear. He heard metal rattle and he straightened slowly, his cock sliding from her tight ass with a soft, sucking, wet sound that drove him insane. He slowly removed the vibe, then stretched up and pressed the pad of his finger to the touchpad on the cuffs. As it recognized his touch, they fell open. He freed the other wrist that had been tied with the scarf. Then he rolled to his side and pulled her against the curve of his body. “I could hold you for the rest of


my life,” he whispered. One hand came up, covering his. Their fingers linked and they slid into sleep. ***** Sage came awake with his entire body tensed. There was a scream. Not one he could hear, but one he could sense. Shit. “What’s wrong?” Anni muttered sleepily. “Somebody needs help.” That woke her up. She sat upright, stretching her long, lean body out in the same movement. Then she stood and strode naked out of the room. He heard the water come on down the hall as he sat there, trying to filter out all the outside stimuli and focus on the voice. A girl. He had that much in focus as he stood and followed the sound of water to the bathroom. He could see Anni’s nude form behind the treated glass of the shower stall, watched as water flowed over her in a silken caress. His cock jerked and he shook his head wryly.Not now… There was a washcloth hanging on a loop by the mirror. Taking it down, he pushed it under the spigot. Water came on automatically—hot. Anni liked the water hot—she always programmed it so that it felt hot enough steam in. He said, “Lower temp.” After it had cooled marginally, he wrung out the washcloth and cleaned himself. He rinsed it and dropped it beside the hamper sitting against the wall behind him. Sage washed his hands, then his face and by the time he was done, Anni had shut off the shower. She stepped out and he met her gray eyes. “Where is she?” Sage’s eyelids lowered a little and he murmured, “Close.” “How much trouble is she in?” Sage cocked his head. Anni thought he looked like he was listening. Listening to something she couldn’t hear. “She’s hiding. They’re looking for her, but she knows how to hide.” “Let’s go get her.” Within minutes they were dressed. Sage watched as Anni pulled her gloves on. As he stepped up behind her, wrapping her tightly in his arms, he whispered, “Tell me you’ll wear those gloves later on.Just the gloves.”


A heartbeat later, her startled laugh was lost as he pulled them into the void, following that voice. When they landed on solid ground, Sage held Anni for a minute. “You okay?” She nodded and stepped away. She tolerated the teleporting better than most and he only watched her for a second to make sure her stride was steady before he took stock. An alley. There were people. Close—drawing closer. They didn’t have long to find the girl. Turning, he started to say something to her, but she had already moved. She stood near the wall, staring upward. “She’s up there. Go get her.” Sage could feel her. Young. Scared. Sliding Anni a look, he said, “Be careful.” Anni laughed as she turned and started to move away. They only had a minute. Less. The footsteps pounded ever closer and she braced herself. Four of them—most likely men from the sound of it. She lifted her gloved hands, staring at them. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she remembered Sage’s words.Tell me you’ll wear those gloves later on. Just the gloves. Heat splintered through her and she smiled. Flexing a hand, she watched as her claws slid through the narrow slits in the ends of the gloves. Ivory claws gleamed in the pale light. As two dark shadows appeared around the corner, she lifted her eyes and smiled. As the first one lunged for her, she shifted to the side and swiped out. Blood splashed out in a fountain from his neck and, as he fell down to the ground, she squared off with the second one. Her sharp ears detected the sounds of Sage as he searched for the girl. Just a few more minutes and they’d be gone. She felt the tension gathering in the air and she smiled as she sensed Sage teleporting away. A few more seconds…she started to move in on the third one, lashing out with her foot, kicking him in the knee, and as he buckled, she pivoted again and kicked him in the gut. He staggered—starting to fall. She smiled as she felt that burst of energy—the burst that always came and went with the appearance of a teleporter. But it wasn’t Sage. And the man in front of her hadn’t fallen. Not yet. She froze as he sighted her down, lifted a modified rifle and aimed. The blue dart came flying at her too fast and she couldn’t move away. ***** The girl didn’t want to come with him. Sage snarled as she fought like a damn wild cat. “Bestill ,” he ordered. “You really want them to find you before we can get out of here?”


But she was too terrified. He couldn’t take her struggling into the void. If she got free of him, she’d be lost. Grimly, he focused. Her eyes fluttered as he touched his mind to hers and then they closed and she slumped. She would have fallen bonelessly to the floor if he hadn’t been standing close and ready to catch her. He strode to the window and stared down at Anni. Two men lay dead on the ground and two more circled around her, staring at her with wary eyes. Sage couldn’t help but smile. Those two had no idea what they were getting into. He whispered, “Stay safe.” And then he was gone. He took the girl to base in Montana, appearing in the huge dining room just as most of his companions were slowly trickling into the kitchen for breakfast. He heard a couple of muttered curses, a few gasps, ignored them all as he strode over to Caris and Jax. He dumped the girl in Jax’s arms and looked at Caris. “Had to make her sleep,” he said shortly. He took time for nothing else. But he still didn’t get back quickly enough. He had been gone less than a minute. He watched as the third one started to weave, falling to the ground as he raised his gun, sighting her along the barrel. Sage took off running, but she was hit. A small blue dart stuck out of her neck and Sage watched, frozen in shock as her eyes moved to him, dazed, drugged. The tranquilizer worked quickly and pulled her under in mere seconds. Sage moved toward her, but a fourth man appeared behind Anni, catching her boneless body in his arms and smiling at Sage. Terror wrapped Sage in a cold grip as the man smiled. He cocked his head a little and Sage’s heart stopped beating. The man was a Firewalker. His eyes flashed that odd shade of blue as he smiled. He studied Sage for mere seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity and then he glanced at Anni. “She’ll do just fine,” the man said. Sage lunged for him. But that’s when the man simply disappeared, holding Anni tightly against him. Sage felt it as the void opened around the man, pulling both Anni and her captor away. A teleporter—and worse. One who belonged to the other side. ***** Caris felt the darkness screaming at her even before Sage appeared. He appeared only minutes after he had disappeared, but he looked like he had aged five decades. His face was pale, his eyes wild.


“Anni…” “Sage. What’s wrong?” she asked softly, moving away from the young woman whom Jax had laid on the couch in the huge family room. His eyes tracked her as she moved closer, but she had a feeling Sage wasn’t really seeing her. “Anni…” his eyes closed and she watched his throat work as he swallowed. “They got Anni.” ***** Misha stared into the eyes of his commander stonily. “Why this way?” For a long moment, the giant was silent and finally he looked up, meeting Misha’s eyes across the room. The young Firewalker who Misha had grabbed was still under the effects of the tranquilizer. He only had a few minutes left though before her metabolism would burn through the drug. “Why?” Misha repeated. Cool green eyes studied him appraisingly and, as he cocked his head, the green flashed to blue and then back. It was a disconcerting sight, considering how hard Lucian Deveraux fought to hide what he was from nearly everybody. It was the only way he was safe, safe to continue doing the work he had started years before. Finally, Luc said, “Because we have to know. Have to know what we are dealing with. There can be no more mistakes. Not after the last one…” The last one. The last one had resulted in a young boy being grabbed, his mother killed. Misha had trusted the wrong man, a psychic who had claimed he was just trying to help. Yeah, he was trying to help. Trying to help the government. There was a soft, weak moan and Misha turned to stare at the young woman. She was pretty, young, looked terribly soft, even with the formfitting black pseudo-leather she wore. Was she strong enough? “And what if you are wrong?” Luc sighed wearily. “Then I am wrong. And if I am wrong, she needs to be eliminated.” Growling, Misha snarled, “I’m more worried if you areright . Damn it, she’s not another plant. She’s the real thing and we have no right to put her through this.” Spinning silently away, Luc stared out the window. After a moment, he murmured, “We do what we must, Misha.” ***** It took a few minutes for the fury to work past the shock. But once the fury caught hold of him, it was all the rest of them could do to keep Sage inside the house. He waited uselessly as Caris tried to track Anni. “They’ve hidden her good,” she said thickly, her head falling back to rest on the padded chair after hours and hours of searching.


He turned away, covering his face with his hands.No. Not Anni! They had lost people before. Sage had lost close friends—too many. He’d lost far too many. But not Anni… He spun to the wall, screaming in rage. A hot vicious pain shot up from his hand and he heard a loud, cracking sound. That was when he saw his fist, and the mirror shards around it. Blood. Slowly, he pulled his hand back, staring at the blood that streaked his flesh. The small rivulets of blood seemed to grow, expanding until a bloody red river was all he could see. Pain was all he could feel. Anni… Something in his gut started to burn, a tingle flooding his extremities, dancing through his veins. He continued to stare at his bloodied flesh, but it wasn’t his blood, his flesh he saw. Anni… Her mouth was bleeding, her eyes flat and grim as she stared up at the ceiling. Someplace dank and gray, cold. Reeking of blood and death. Caris whispered, “I can’t feel her.” He turned his head, staring into the tear-drenched amber gaze, her words echoing through his mind. The image in his mind moved and he watched as Anni lifted a hand to touch her lip, wincing in pain. He felt an echo of it, his own mouth spasming. Something pulled him. Like the cries of the children he had dedicated his life to saving, like the cry of the girl they had rushed to save earlier. Pulling him…toAnni . “I can.” He stared into Caris’ face as a tear spilled out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. “I can feel her,” he repeated. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes blank and uncomprehending. Then she shook her head. “You’re not a tracker,” Caris said. “You’re no empath.” A quiet voice from the doorway said, “No, but he is psychic. And he has a strong bond to Anni. Very strong.” Kelly stood behind him, her hazel eyes sober and worried. Sage forced a smile at her before he met Jax’s eyes and said quietly, “I’m going after her.” A deep red brow lifted and Jax said, “I know. Miguel—” Sage shook his head. “No. Alone. When I find her, I don’t want to worry about moving two people. Just me. I’ll find her. I…I lost her. I have to save her.” “Sage, you can’t go alone,” Kelly said quietly, moving around Jax, shaking her head. “Who’s going to watch your back?” “I’ll be fine.” Sage turned away from his sister and looked at Caris. He heard Kelly sigh quietly and leave as he crossed over to Caris. He knelt in front of her, taking her chilly hands in his. She stared at him as she turned her hands around so that she could link her fingers with his.


Carefully, he disentangled one hand and reached up to cup her face, using his thumb to gently wipe away her tears. “I’ll find her,” he said quietly. “I will.” He had to. Before either of them could speak, he loosed the power within him, ‘porting to his room to grab the emergency pack all the Firewalkers kept ready at all times. Throwing it over his shoulder, he tipped his head back, focusing on her face, letting that draw him. Just as he slid into the void, he felt two hands come up and grip his hips. Throwing a scowl over his shoulders, he saw Miguel’s cocky grin and he swore. Too late now…reaching down, he locked his hands around Miguel and decided if the bastard made it through the trip through the void, he was going to beat him. Miguel’s low, easy voice murmured, “Sorry, amigo. Your sister threatened to kill me if I let you go alone.” They fell through the void, and Sage relished the rush of power that skyrocketed through his veins. Hurtling through the folds between time and space was exhilarating. Heady. Powerful. As they finished the jaunt, Sage felt the firm earth beneath his feet and then he shoved away from Miguel’s tight grip, turning around and glaring at him. But before he could say so much as one thing, Miguel fell to his knees and promptly puked. Sage turned away, unable to keep from laughing, even through the fear and rage that swamped him. Chapter Four

Miguel nipped another drink of water and gargled, spitting it out onto the ground as he followed Sage through the undergrowth. Damn, but he hated teleporting with Sage. Hell, with anybody. Sage could make the jump much easier than he had, make it almost as smooth as a jet flight, especially with one small jump like that.If he wanted. But the bastard had been pissed and had made the jaunt as rough as he could. Miguel’s gut had finally settled and for the past six hours, they’d walked steadily. Miguel kept waiting for Sage to stop and teleport closer to wherever they were going, but they just kept walking. Up and down the small hills, climbing the fallen forest giants and tramping through leaves and creeks. Miguel’s legs were starting to burn, the muscles aching. But Sage moved on tirelessly. Finally he asked, “How come we don’t just ‘port closer?” Sage glanced at him. “They’ve got Firewalkers. If I use it too close, too soon, they might know. They can’t have any warning.”


Miguel sighed. So they walked. The heavily wooded areas of Maine were slowly disappearing, although the reforesting efforts of the late twenty-second century had repopulated a great many of the deforested plains. Overpopulation had taken its toll, though. Forested wildlands had drastically disappeared and eventually the World Federated Government had stepped in. One thing they had done right. The land they moved through now was protected by the WFG, and most likely would remain that way. The population boom had died. Families were restricted to one child throughout the country. On the off chance that there were twins, the government charged an extra four thousand federated credits in taxes. Triplets doubled that. Women found to be carrying more than three frequently aborted them, because none but the rich could afford the taxes beyond triplets. The population control seemed to be working. Slowly. As so many people died off, fewer children were there to replace them. And those children were trained to live the way the World Government liked to see children reared. Thinking the same way the government thought. Their lives were becoming whitewashed and bland, lesslively , with every new law that passed, with every summit of the World Government. More laws. Each lawn must be manicured, with flowers indigenous to that locale planted. Pets must be monitored, only one pet allowed per domicile and breeding required strict licensure and taxes. Families were allowed one child. Thrice weekly classes on citizenship, parenting, history and unity wererequested . Requested in the form that attendance would give the family one very large tax break per year. Since the taxes were skyrocketing continually to maintain the upkeep of the government, most families went. They couldn’t affordnot to. And when they completed one level of classes, they went on to the next, and the next…until the general population looked alike. Thought alike. Spoke alike. Color had gone out of the world, bleached away by the laws of the World Government. There were, of course, those who lived outside the government laws. The underground refugee camps once lived in secret. But there were so many now. And frankly, the World Government didn’t have the guts to handle them. Too many Firewalkers among them. And they knew the underground. The government had no idea how to handle the rebels. Oh, Miguel knew they tried. Often, the spokes-idiots showed their pasty faces on TV and spouted how a new troop was being sent to bring the underground people into the world of the living.


And said troops either returned heavily disabled, or they never returned at all. The underground wouldn’t come into this world as long as the World Government ran it. And if they did, the only reason would be to fight them. Sometimes, Miguel had to wonder if the underground wasn’t living the smarter life—staying away from the public that hated so many of them, living a real life, if somewhat hidden. Miguel couldn’t remember the last time he had talked with somebody other than his fellow Firewalkers, that he hadn’t been nervous around. One word. That was all it would take. You didn’t even have to have the gift to be considered one of the enemy. Like Salem of old, witch hunts were happening more and more often. There had been a news reporter who’d had the brilliant idea to seek out Firewalkers, to try to prove to the population that they weren’t the freaks and monsters the World Government made them out to be. He was beaten to death outside his home the next day by Natural Supremacists, the militant group that had risen over the past decade, touting that the gifted Firewalkers were spawn of Satan and must be destroyed. They were dedicated. They were insane. And they were deadly. Many militant groups throughout history had been small in comparison to the general population they lived in. The Nazis, the KKK. But Natural Supremacists—their church had grown, enormously. Every day, thousands more joined their ranks. And they weren’t peaceful protestors. A female Firewalker had been outed by a student at a high school in North Ridge, Illinois. A group of students who belonged to the local Natural Supremacists had dragged her from her car, raped her, beat her, and hung her from the side of the school building. Her husband had gotten her children out just before the Supremacists had come for them. Morgan had gotten the family into safe hands, hidden with the contacts he had fostered over the years. Miguel just hoped that the little kids hadn’t seen their mama on TV as news stations had broadcast the grotesque pictures of her corpse while local authorities removed it from the school. Their faces haunted him. The two little girls, faces identical, with their mama’s eyes. For weeks after there were bounties offered for the capture of the twins. To make sure they weren’t marked by their mother’s unclean blood. And the father, for secreting them away. Looking at those pictures, he finally understood the rage Sage had brewing inside him. Lives of the innocent. And the government would kill them. If they ever found them. Sage slowed and looked back at Miguel, lifting a black brow. “You’re thinking serious thoughts.” Miguel shrugged, and murmured, “Yeah, man. Some serious thoughts. Anni. The kids we go after. Hell, even the rest of the world. They are squeezing the life out of us, Sage. Slowly, but surely.” “I know.” Sage’s voice was quiet and Miguel felt something inside him shift nervously at the look in


Sage’s eyes. Fury, raw, barely restrained fury. Heaven help the people holding Anni. If they had harmed her, no force on Earth would save them once Sage got his hands on them.

Miguel’s face was in shadow. All Sage could make out was his eyes, that dancing black gaze now level and dark. “We need to get some rest.” Miguel glanced up and Sage glanced at the darkening sky. “Getting too dark—can’t keep moving in this. And I have to…have to think.” Had to look for Anni. That’s what he had to do. When he was silent, when he was still, he could feel her. That hot fear that flooded her, sick and sour, and the anger. Nothing else. Just those hot, ripe emotions. But the more tired he got, the more nebulous the emotions became. Too tired. Had to focus. The jaunt, carrying Miguel’s not inconsiderable weight, hadn’t been so bad. But the hike through the uneven terrain, carrying the food and supplies they needed, and the strain of trying to follow a trail of emotions, when he’d never done such a thing before. Damn it, he was exhausted. Emotions were Caris’ stock in trade. His sister’s. Even the vampire and Anni could use emotions. But Sage had never had any use for emotions, other than the burning rage that fueled him. And the unquenchable need for Anni. He stumbled over his feet as he fumbled with the heavy pack on his back, and when he finally set the gear down, he fell to his knees, exhausted. Closing his eyes, he muttered, “A minute. Just give me a minute.” Miguel’s reply was lost to him, because the moment he focused on Anni’s face, his body fell away as his soul hurtled to find her. Alone…cold…it was dark. Men in the halls, but they don’t dare come in here now.Even when they outnumbered her five to one, she did damage. The sickening thud of bone breaking. The scent of blood heavy in the air. The sticky feel of it on her hands. The taste of it in her mouth. No, they don’t dare come in here now. Too damn cold. Sage was unaware of the goose bumps that broke out on his overheated flesh, unaware he had started to shake.


Too cold…tired. No. Can’t fall asleep, if I do, they’ll try to come in here again.The muscles in her legs ached and pulled as she rose from the ground, her eyes locked on the walls as she started to pace. When the door swung open, Anni spun around and found herself staring into a familiar pair of eyes. The teleporter who had grabbed her. He could feel the wall against his back, feel how she cringed away without realizing it, recognizing the danger in front of her. But he didn’t do anything. Except cross the room and set down a small washcloth and a bowl of water. That was all. And then he turned and left. ***** When Sage came out of the daze, it was late. Very late. He was in the small tent, but his clothes were still on, down to the heavy, thick-soled boots. Uncomfortable as hell. He lay on the Teyan fabric that made up the floor of the tent, padded and waterproof, enough to keep the chill from his flesh as he slept. The sleeping bag tossed over him helped a little. Would have helped more if he was actually inside it. “Sorry, man. My control isn’t as good as yours,” Miguel muttered sleepily from the other bag. “What happened?” Sage asked, swallowing. His mouth was dry. A bad taste lingered on his tongue. Spying the bottle of water Miguel had left lying close to his bag, he grabbed it and downed half of it as Miguel sat up. Miguel shrugged and drove a hand through the short, wavy locks of his hair, his olive skin nearly gray with exhaustion. “You said we should stop for a rest and then you hit the ground. Eyes rolled back in your head, and then you started talking. Now this going to sound weird, but you sounded like…like somebody else.” “I kept seeing Anni,” Sage whispered as the strange blips of memory from the dreams formed something solid. ***** They were close. Very close. He could almost smell Anni. The low-level burn of anger was starting to boil out of control and he couldn’t see beyond the red cloud that obscured his vision. “Breathe,” Miguel whispered softly. “Pull it in, man. You can’t help her if you lose it.” Sucking in a desperate breath of air, he focused. He concentrated on his heartbeat, on the flow of air in and out of his lungs. Slowly, the rage receded. Just a little. But enough for him to think again. Enough for him to reach out and feel her.


***** Once more, they were on the move, and he went as long as he could before he made them stop. It was time to look for her again—even though he didn’t really trust himself to do it. Even without extending his senses, he could feel her. Could almost smell the warmth of Anni’s skin, the sweet scent, like a ripe peach that clung to her. And her fear—it was a hot, nasty ball in the pit of his stomach. “I don’t understand this… How can I feel her?” he murmured, barely aware he had spoken aloud. Miguel’s black eyes glittered at him in the dark. “Anni?” Sage pressed his fingers to his eyes. “Damn it, how is this possible? How can I feel her?” Miguel’s low, easy voice barely penetrated the fog closed in around his brain. Finally, his voice rose to a sharp demand as he said, “Sage!” His hands closed around Sage’s arms and Sage felt the other man’s fingers digging into his arms, shaking him. Opening his eyes, Sage stared at Miguel, sucking air in, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t be able tofeel her.” A short laugh escaped Miguel as he let go of Sage’s arms, dropping to the ground as though he was exhausted. “Sage, man, you’ve had a hard-on for Anni for years. Everybody knows it. You’re so damned attuned to her and her moods, hell, you probably know the last time she got laid.” Unwittingly, the answer leaped to Sage’s mind. A few hours ago. But that wasn’t what Miguel meant. Sage knew what he meant. And he did know when. Eight months ago.She’d left the base for a few days, coming back with a soft smile on her lips, her motions loose and relaxed. The warm scent of her body had been changed just a little. Overlaid by the slight musk of man. Even as he fought to shove the memory aside, he snarled. Jealousy had eaten at him for days. Miguel smirked, a soft snicker leaving him as Sage met his eyes. “See?” Sage shook his head. “I’m a telepath. Anni’s not a projector, hell, she’s practically a psychic void. I can tell what she’s thinking if I’m touching her, but only if I’m touching her. Her feelings shouldn’t play into it, so why do I know she’s exhausted but afraid to sleep because she knows that’s when they’ll come in?” Hands closing into fists, he spun away, stalking over to a tree, leaning his forehead against it. As the rough bark bit into his skin, he sucked in air, trying to focus. It wasn’t working though. It was like closing the distance just made the bond tighter and the more he thought about her, the more closely he felt linked with her. “Shield.”


The low words didn’t make sense at first. Turning around, he stared at Miguel blindly as in some dark corner of his mind, he heard a door open, felt his chest constrict with fear. Increased heartbeat, breathing faster…wanting to cower against the wall, but knowing that to show fear was the worst thing to do. Sage breathed in and felt Anni’s scent flood his senses. “Shield, damn it!” Something hot and electric jolted him in the chest and he blinked, clearing the image of a small cell from his vision as he found himself staring into Miguel’s eyes. Miguel’s palm lay on Sage’s chest and as Sage blinked, trying to focus, he felt another shock jolt through his skin. “Shield,” Miguel repeated. He felt the power crackling and building in Miguel’s palm as the kinetic prepared to zap him again. Instinctively, he slammed his shields up and once more he was isolated in his mind, left alone with his thoughts and his emotions. “How is this happening?” Sage asked thickly. Miguel cocked a brow at him. “You tell me. One of your best friends is an empath, amigo. You should understand a little more about an emotional bond.” Sage shook his head. “I never bonded with Caris.” “No, but she’s your best friend. One who formed a soul-deep bond with a vamp. Because they love each other—just like you and Anni love each other. Love does weird things with our kind, Sage.” The level, flat tone with which Miguel spoke seemed so at odds with the impossible words he had just said. Shaking his head, Sage whispered harshly, “She’s not in love with me.” Even as part of him remembered the way she had stared at him as he sank inside her. With longing. With need. Like he was the complete center of her world. Miguel arched a brow at Sage, those black eyes dark and deep. “No? She watches you, all the time. You walk in a room and she freezes. She knows your every emotion, knows your every mood…but she doesn’t see you watching her the same way.” Sage shook his head. No. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t even think about it. Not now. Miguel smiled slowly. “Why in hell do you suddenly look so scared? I’ve seen you stand before armed assassins who have orders to kill any Firewalker, and laugh at them. And you love her. You can’t deny that. But the thought that she might love you back scares you.”


Sage turned away, his throat tight, eyes gritty and dry. It wasn’t the thought that she might love him. Love him, not just want. It was the thought that Miguel could be wrong. Most likely was. Feeling Miguel’s eyes on him, he finally said, “I don’t have time for love, Miguel. There’s no room in my life for it.” Miguel chuckled. Grass and leaves crunched under his feet as he moved away, and when he spoke again, his voice came from lower, like he had sat down again. “Man, there is no making room for love. It just happens. Usually when you least expect, and with the last person you expected to love.” Miguel knew that for a fact. He had fallen in love young, and he had fallen hard. With a woman who had cried as her husband’s ashes were sprinkled over the endless plains of grass at Caris’ ranch. The tears that had rolled down Kelly Maguire’s face had broken his heart. Falling in love with a woman the same day she put her dead husband to rest—oh yeah, he sure as hell knew how to pick his moments. There was no room in his life for love—no room in his life for wanting and craving a woman who didn’t even know he was alive. But it didn’t mean he’d stopped loving her. The image of her wide-set, dark hazel eyes followed him into sleep nearly every night. That soft mouth, the angles and curves of her face that should have made her features awkward or homely just made her so exotically beautiful it hurt to look at her. His body clenched with need and he closed his eyes, shoving the image of her deep inside. Sage was shielded down tight, but if he caught a glimpse of the thoughts that went through Miguel’s mind regarding his baby sister… And Miguel needed to focus, needed to concentrate on drawing strength inside himself. The cool thing about his skill was that electromagnetic energy lingered in the air all around them. He could draw strength and refuel his reserves simply from the air. “We need to get moving again.” Lifting his eyes, he studied Sage’s shadowed face and asked, “You sure you’re ready?” Sage nodded. “I’m cool. But you better be sure you’re ready—it’s time to teleport in. And you’re going to have work.” Arching a brow at him, Miguel forced his mouth into a cocky smile and said, “Let’s roll then.” Chapter Five

Miguel opened his eyes once the immediate urge to puke had passed, staring around him. They were inside a low, squat building that seemed to wrap around the trees and through them like a maze. Miguel studied the odd buildings with a frown as he flexed the kinetic shielding around him.


There were a series of sounds,pop…pop…pop thatonly Miguel could hear, then he nodded at Sage. “They’re down for a few. Extensive security. We don’t have much time before they come investigating.” He turned his eyes back to the odd schematic of the building, shaking his head. “Ground cover,” Sage said quietly. “They don’t want this place seen from above.” He closed his eyes and Miguel watched as a line formed between his brows. “Anni…” If Miguel had been a lesser man, he would have backed away from the fury he saw in Sage’s eyes when they opened. “Come on. She’s hurting.” Sage pulled them through the void once more in a series of stops and starts, their feet only landing on solid ground long enough for him to get a feel and then move in a different direction. Although Miguel couldn’t see a damn thing, he had a feeling they were moving downward and when at last they stopped, they were in a small, dank hallway. Most of the prison had been in a bright, brilliant white that almost hurt the eyes. Miguel had just vague glimpses of that bright white, but it was enough to leave his head hurting even more. It changed though, when Sage finally stopped moving downward. In between the times where Sage sucked them back into the void, they caught glimpses of gray stone walls, poor lighting, metal doors. In an alcove, Sage stopped ‘porting for just a minute while they surveyed the cold, dank area. It was reminiscent of a dungeon, and neither of the men cared for that similarity. “She’s here.” Sage waited against the wall just long enough for Miguel to nod at him, and then he was gone. “Wait for me.” Well, hell, it ain’t like I can just poof out of here, Miguel thought darkly as he leaned against the wall for a minute. He tried to catch his breath and kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to be sick. When the door to Anni’s cell opened, though, he had a minute where he was pretty damn sure he would be sick. It stank in there. Slowly, moving around the door, he stared in, battling the urge to fall to his knees and vomit.

The smell hit Sage and for one long moment, he feared the worst. That was the smell of death. But then his mind clarified…olddeath. The smell of urine and human waste was strong in the air though, and he fought the urge to howl as Anni slowly lifted her head, staring at him numbly. It had been just hours since he had seen her—and she looked like she had aged decades. Her face was


gray, eyes dull and she stared at him blankly, like she didn’t recognize him. She was cowering in one corner that was relatively dry. But she wasn’t. Neither were the floors. Urine. A snarl tore from him and he crossed to her, kneeling down to take her in his arms. He pulled her limp body against his just as her lips parted and she whispered, “Sage?” A low sob tore from her throat and she started to shake. Her lower lip was bruised and swollen and her hands trembled as she tried to push him away. “They…they…don’t touch me, Sage. They pissed on me…they couldn’t get close, too afraid, but oh, hell…” He crushed her against him and whispered fiercely, “Don’t, Anni. It’s over.” All over. “Get her out of here,” Miguel said quietly. Sage turned to stare at the kinetic and saw the odd purple glow forming in his eyes, the streaks of lightning that flickered there making his black eyes gleam. “They’re coming. Get her out.” Sage held out his hand. “You’re not staying. I am not leaving another person behind.”Not ever again. “Get over here.” Anni was quivering in his arms and he had to fight every instinct inside him to get her away from here. But he didn’t leave people behind. Miguel smiled coldly. “Oh, they won’t mess with me.” “Miguel…” Anni whispered, lifting her head. The dark-skinned man clenched his jaw and Sage knew he couldn’t withstand that look in her eyes, not any more than he could. But Miguel wasn’t leaving this place untouched. As he crossed to Sage, they all heard the booming in the distance. And when Sage touched Miguel’s skin, there was a harsh crack of electricity and his skin started to burn where their hands met. His skin crawled from the electrical buzz that continued to flow from Miguel, but the door flew open and Sage met the eyes of the guards just as they raised their weapons. There was a crackle of power in the air. Sage cut his eyes to the left, narrowing them as the teleporter who had grabbed her appeared out of thin air. His body tensed and he had to fight not to lunge for him. No…no time for taking blood now. But the timewould come. Softly, Sage said, “You all are dead.” He glanced at the Firewalker and whispered, “And you…you’re going to wish you were.” The man smiled. “I already do.” And then he pivoted, lifting one hand. The men aiming their las-rifles at Sage, Miguel and Anni went


flying back, crashing into the wall, through it, falling into bloody broken piles just beyond the wall. He slid Sage a glance. “Get lost. There’s not much time.” There were more coming. Sage heard them, rushing down the hall. Looking at the teleporter, he said softly, “This isn’t over.” “No. I’m afraid you’re right—it’s just beginning.” Guards hurtled through the gaping hole in the wall, but before they could so much as get a bead on them, Sage flung them into the void and this time, they kept moving through it. One place—there was only one place he could think of right now. Home…The little house in the foothills of the Rockies belonged to Sage. As he touched solid ground, Miguel’s hand fell away and the other man stumbled a few steps away before sinking to his knees on the freezing ground. “You ass,” he mumbled. Sage ignored him as he pulled Anni against him, carrying her up the steps as the door slid silently open. The lock on the door wasn’t one that could be opened with any sort of key or code. He’d designed it, using a science so advanced many of the World Government geniuses would have been amazed. It responded to brain waves. And only to brain waves—his and Kelly’s. “Get up here, Miguel, unless you want to spend the night out here and freeze.” He carried Anni through the living room, down the hall, past Kelly’s room, into his. From there, he crossed the thick, plush carpet, carrying her trembling body into the bathroom. Caris had spoiled them. Instead of the typical sonic cleansing units most people had, he had installed a large shower, and a deep sunken bath. It had cost an arm and a leg, three or four times as much as he would have paid if he could have used typical contractors to lay the extensive water pipes. But typical contractors might remember the house, so isolated no normal person could get there—not by any air or land vehicle, unless they wanted to land in one of the clearings to the south and hike through the thick forest growth for a day and night. That was why Sage had built it. Isolated, private, but to build it had required people who wouldn’t talk. He had never been so glad about spending that money as he was right now, stripping Anni’s stinking, saturated clothes from her pale skin, stripping his own away as well, once he realized that she was shaking so hard, she might fall on the black tile floors. Some of the blood was gone from her face and hands—she’d tried to clean up. A memory rose up—that odd connection he’d shared with Anni, watching through her eyes as that teleporter entered her cell and left the rag and water. Even the memory of that man’s face made him want to spill blood. Forcing that from his mind, he


focused on Anni. “Come on,” he whispered against her brow. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Her eyes met his briefly, darting down to his nude body, then to hers. A soft flush stained her cheeks pink and she started to shake her head. Using one finger, he lifted her chin to his. “It’s okay, Anni. Come on, now.” Taking her in his arms once more, he carried her into the shower. The water automatically turned on, the temperature set to one hundred degrees. As he propped her against the wall, he ordered both the showerheads to adjust their angle and lowered the temp. The showerheads moved silently down to her shorter height, striking her just below shoulder level and the water streamed over them in a soothing curtain of heat, sluicing away the filth. Anni just kept staring down, the tension holding her spine stiff. As Sage soaped his hands, she stood there shaking. He murmured to her reassuringly as he started to smooth the slick lather all over her body. There were bruises on her flesh, dark ugly circles that marred the silky pale perfection of her skin. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the furious growl that rose in him as he counted the injuries. One ugly, long mark on the side of her ribs. He touched it gently, searching her face as he checked the injury. “Doesn’t feel broken,” he whispered quietly. “We’ll get one of the healers to check it.” Somebody had kicked her. He wanted to lower his head to that dark stain and kiss it, but he didn’t. On the outside of her right thigh was another mark, and the skin had split. “God, Anni…I’m so sorry.” Her eyes moved to his for the briefest second. “It’s not your fault, Sage.” The hell it wasn’t, Sage thought. He hadn’t ever felt so helpless. So pissed. She had bruises on her—he should have saved her. He filed away each mark on her, swearing silently that he’d have blood for every last bruise. “How many of them were there?” “I lost count. But they look worse than I do.” As she spoke she flexed her right hand and he lifted it, staring at the bloody, torn knuckles. Both fury and pride moved through him and he murmured, “I bet they do.” Still holding her hand, he rubbed some of the soap across it, opening her palm and checking for any other injuries. The elongated tips of her nails, thicker than his own, but not quite as dense as a true cat’s, were still showing. He saw why once he started washing each individual finger. Blood, and unless he was mistaken, a decent amount of human skin was embedded under them. If she retracted her nails, some of that might get inside her system. Anni had a hypersensitive immune system and could fight off damn near every germ, virus and bacteria known to man, but she was very fastidious. Grabbing one of the loofah sponges that Kelly had stocked in all the bathrooms, he used it to clean under her nails as best as he could. “That will have to do for now,” he murmured, reaching for her other hand and cleaning it as well.


“Thank you.” Once he had cleaned her hands and finished washing her torso, he turned her around, checking her back as he went. There were small scrapes in her skin that had him seeing red. Dermal scrapes. Somehow, they had gotten her down long enough to get dermal skin samples. Damn them. They hated people like Anni and Sage, but that didn’t keep them from trying to figure out what made them different. An odd thought flashed through his mind. That other teleporter—did he have scars left from the government’s tests? Sage clenched his jaw.Anni …she was what mattered right now. After slicking shampoo through her short black cap of hair, he nudged her under one of the showerheads, rinsing the bubbles away, then washing the dark strands again. Once he was sure he had her hair clean as could be, he turned her back around. He’d put it off as long as he could. Staring at the sweet curve of her ass was hard. He kept remembering how he had pushed inside the snug heat, how she had screamed and begged just before she’d climaxed around him. But it wasn’t as hard as this. He knelt in front of her to wash her legs, putting his mouth right on level with the core of her. Maybe he should do it with his eyes closed, he thought briefly as he skimmed his soapy hands over the outside of her thighs. Shit. That wouldn’t do any good. The memory of her body wasn’t one he’d ever forget. Besides, Sage was anything but a saint. Glancing up, he saw her cheeks were flushed red, but her eyes were closed. His cock jerked, aching, demanding. Slowly, he lowered his eyes back to her mound, his blood pounding through his veins hot and heavy. Hell, he could practically taste her, feel her clenched around his cock, hear her screams. He ran his hands up her thighs while he stared at her hungrily, taking one foot and massaging it with his hands. One hand came up, bracing on his shoulder and Sage slid a glance upward. Anni still had her eyes closed, her lashes a black fan. She sighed shakily, and as Sage released her left foot he caressed one hand along the inside of her calf. Her breasts heaved as her breath hitched in her lungs and Sage damn near came. The telltale flush on her cheeks, her erratic breathing… He started to lower his mouth, intent on fucking his tongue inside the hot little hole of her pussy, but then he made the mistake of running his eyes over her sleek form. Bruised and battered. Shit. Fucking timing. He shifted his aim and just pressed a gentle kiss to her belly. Then he settled back on his


heels and closed his eyes, focused on breathing in slow, steady breaths. His hands were shaking—for the love of God, his hands were shaking. He wanted her that fucking much. How could he want her like this? They’d damn near killed each other earlier and then…Damn it! She could have been killed. With quick, almost brusque motions, he finished washing her, but he couldn’t resist pulling her against him as he rinsed her body off. Her soapy flesh pressed against his as he lowered his head and asked, “Is that better? All clean?” Her sense of smell was acute. Though he imagined she’d feel dirty for some time, if sheknew in her head she was clean, she might rest a little easier. She nodded shakily, her wet cheek against his shoulder. Pressing his lips to her brow, he eased her gently back against the wall of the shower so he could quickly slather soap over his body. A few suds still clung to him as he pushed against the door. At his touch, the water stopped automatically and the door slid open. In a puff of steam, he carried her out and grabbed a towel from the heated rod, wrapping it around her and setting her down on the commode, rubbing at her wet body until her flesh glowed pink. The choppy, short strands of her hair were still wet, clinging to her head as he rose and ran the towel over them. Once he had absorbed most of the water, he tucked the towel around her and caught her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “I’ll be right back.” Her mouth trembled and he saw the fear enter her eyes for one brief second before she nodded, a muscle jerking in her jaw. Forcing a tremulous smile, she said, “I’ll be okay.”

As Sage walked out of the bathroom, Anni heaved a sigh of relief. Damn it. This was too much emotion for her to handle. The fear and disgust from what the guards had done, having to fight the urge to puke, to cry from the pain. The confusion she’d felt when that guy had shown up with a rag and water. Relief at getting even some of the blood and gore from her body. And then the relief she’d felt when the tightening in the air alerted her of Sage’s arrival. She had known it was him. Somehow, she had known he’d come for her. The fear and shock had overtaken her mind for a long time, but then he had taken her into the shower and as his roughened hands traveled over her body, the shaking changed from tremors of fear to tremors of need. She wanted him so much she ached with it. Tears stung her eyes and her clit seemed to throb as she recalled his hands traveling over her. Anni had heard his heartbeat as it sped up. Had felt his eyes on her as he knelt at her feet and washed


her clean. She knew what those physical signs meant. He wanted her. For a minute, she had thought he was going to touch her. She had ached for him to do just that. She needed something to wash away the dirty feel that clung to her skin. And even as she wished he’d touch her, she had remembered the bruises. The pain. She ached deep inside. Breathing was a trial. Each time she tried to breathe regularly, she felt it pull in her side. No. She wasn’t ready for him to touch her yet. She studied the bruises on her wrists. The bruises would heal. She wouldn’t have so much as a single scar within a few weeks. Just the memories. He’d gotten dressed. She wished he’d waited—she hadn’t had nearly enough time to admire his naked body. Uh…hello? You just got rescued from hell—maybe that can wait.Even as the calm voice of reason tried to settle her libido down, Anni had one sudden, powerful vision of her kneeling behind him, his hands pressed against the wall, her hands skimming over the hard planes of his body, then leaning forward and sinking her teeth into the muscled curve of his ass. Closing her eyes, she flushed, feeling the cream as it gathered in her pussy, slicking her folds in preparation for his cock. She pressed her lips together to keep from moaning aloud. Memories rose to taunt her. Sweet hell, had it just been hours ago? Not even a full day had passed since they’d left her small apartment. As his footsteps neared, she took a deep breath and tried to calm the fire in her belly. By the time he crouched down in front of her, she was able to raise her head and levelly meet his eyes. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans, but nothing else. In his hands he held a white T-shirt which he started to gently tug over her head. Voice muffled, she said, “I can dress myself.” The shirt smelled like Kelly, Sage’s younger sister, and the only female Anni could scent throughout the house. Of course, her senses were probably a little dulled by now. Fatigue. Shock. Hunger. But she was glad he hadn’t given her something that a lover of his might have worn. Anni wasn’t sure she could have handled that. “I bet you can,” Sage murmured. She flicked a glance at him, frowning at the odd, tight note in his voice. His eyes were gleaming, pulsing hot, the way they did when he was angry. Arching her brows at him, she said, “You okay?” His jaw clenched and Anni found herself staring at the firm line of his jaw, the curve of a mouth that looked almost too soft for Sage’s face. When he spoke, she jumped, so caught up in staring at him, she’d forgotten she’d asked him a question. Swallowing, she shook her head and focused on his face. The anger in his eyes softened, just a little, as


she said, “I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight. What were you saying?” When his hands touched her skin, drawing her gently to her feet, Anni had to fight the urge to throw herself at him and wrap her arms around him. But she didn’t know if she wanted to jump him—or break down. The tears that had been threatening her for hours were looming ever closer. She wasn’t going to be able to hold them back much longer, but her pride—could she break down in front of him? She wanted to cry—hell, sheneeded to cry. She needed to feel his arms around her and have him hold her while she broke down. Sage was so damn strong, had always been—and she felt so weak. Then he was holding her, and the knot in her throat rose, and she thought, surely she could cry. Now she could break. “It’s okay—you can cry, Anni,” he whispered. She mutely shook her head. No, she couldn’t. She didn’t know why, shewanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn’t come. He sighed, stroking a hand down her back. “Let’s get you into bed,” he murmured. She wouldn’t sleep. She couldn’t. No way. But Sage stretched out next to her, drawing one of his blankets over her, his warmth, the scent of his body surrounding her. Without warning, she tumbled into sleep, wrapped in his arms. ***** Sage moved to the doorway, standing there in silence and watching as she tossed restlessly on the bed. Her sleep was restless, but that did not surprise him. Once he was certain she’d stay asleep, he searched out Miguel. When he found the kinetic sleeping like a babe in Kelly’s bed, he grinned. Pushing the small notch on the wall, he waited until the door closed behind him, a soft snick assuring him the soundproofing had been engaged and then he crossed over to kick the bed. The thick gel pad absorbed most of it, but Miguel rolled to his feet, his eyes heavy-lidded but aware. When he saw Sage, the tension drained from his body and he dropped back onto the bed, falling down flat on his face. “What do you want, you sick bastard? After you damn near killed me, can’t you at least let me get some sleep?” Sage laughed. “Hey, you’re the one who insisted on coming.” Miguel pushed up, propping himself on his elbow and glaring at Sage balefully. “Actually, Kelly insisted I come.” Then he flopped back down, face first, into Kelly’s sheets. Sage laughed. “Yeah, like she could really make you.” Miguel muttered, “You have no idea.” The odd note in Miguel’s voice had Sage’s eyes narrowing. “You know, she’s going to skin you if she finds out you’ve been sleeping in her bed.”


Miguel lifted his gaze, and from under his lashes, his dark eyes gleamed. “Might be worth it.” Sage scowled. “You know, that’s my baby sister you’re talking about. I don’t think I like the look in your eyes.” Miguel grinned, a sleepy smile that looked entirely too—Fuck ! “You want to sleep with my sister,” he snapped. Miguel’s grin faded and a serious look crossed his face. “Sage, that doesn’t even cover what I want from your sister. But she’s still in love with a guy who died years ago.” Opening his mouth, Sage started to say something, but then he just snapped his mouth closed and glared at Miguel. “That’s my baby sister,” he finally muttered. Miguel sighed, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling with brooding eyes. “That’s the woman I’m in love with.” Sage turned away, pacing to stare out the window at the rolling creek that bisected the side yard. “I don’t want to think about this right now. Matter of fact, I don’t want to think about itever. I’ve got to get back to the base—let everybody know Anni’s okay. Get some clothes for her.” “Why’d we come here?” Miguel asked, closing his eyes once more. Sage started to answer. Then he fell silent. Finally, he said, “She doesn’t need to be surrounded by people right now. She prefers solitude, especially when she’s upset.” And he had to be near her. If he was back at the base, chances are Jax would send him off on a mission within a few days, and he needed to be with Anni. Miguel opened one eye, staring at Sage narrowly. “You going to tell him about the base we found?” Sage shrugged. “Why? Is it even standing?” There had been a buzz in the air as Sage pulled through the void. The electric buzz associated with Miguel’s power. Miguel cracked a grin, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “Nah. But there could be more like it. Now that we know what to look for…” Sage dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’ll get to Jax, let him know. But my priority is Anni.” As he turned away, Miguel snorted, “Since when is that news?” A hot flush darkened his neck and cheeks, but he didn’t say anything. After all, it was more or less true. Before he could ‘port, though, Miguel spoke up. “You need to rest soon, pal. If you don’t, you’re going to be useless.” Sage tossed Miguel a sidelong look and just shook his head. Rest?Now? When Anni was sleeping warm and naked in his bed?


When she had her body marred with bruises and cuts and scrapes? He had too much rage, too much hunger, too much need trapped inside him. Sage couldn’t see himself sleeping any time in the near future. Emotions were fuel to him—he’d use them as long as he could. He could sleep later. Chapter Six

He finished describing the base with short, terse terms, linking with Caris’ mind briefly to give more elaborate details without wasting the time to try verbally explaining them. Caris glanced at Jax and Sage knew she was relaying those details to the vampire even as they finished speaking. “How is Anni?” Jax asked quietly, barely glancing at the information disc Sage had quickly compiled. His dark eyes were worried, full of guilt. Sage was still too furious over what had happened to care much about that. Let him suffer a while. “She’s hurt. Sore. Battered. They beat the hell out of her.” Jax clenched his jaw. “Did they…was she…was she raped?” With the heat of his own fury driving him, Sage harshly said, “No. She fought too hard. Scared them.” Caris laughed. “That’s my Anni.” Mine. The word leaped to Sage’s lips and he had to bite it back.My Anni! Damn it, he wanted to claim her so much it hurt. Wanted to hunt down the men who had hurt her and kill them. Slowly. Painfully. Except he was pretty sure that Miguel hadn’t left anything standing. “They were waiting until she was too worn out to fight,” he said, turning away from them to stare out the window. “You got there in time, then.” “No. I didn’t. She was still beaten. She’s got bruises all over her. They pissed on her.” A soft keening wail escaped Caris and part of Sage wished he hadn’t said it. Damn it, he swore silently. The guilt and anger was choking him. Why in hell had he given Caris that brief glimpse? He turned to see Jax holding his wife, stroking a hand up and down her back. “They’ll pay for it, love,” the vampire whispered quietly. “They will pay.”


Sage said sardonically, “They can’t. They are likely all dead.” When Jax lifted his head to look at Sage, he just shrugged. “Miguel.” Jax scowled. This wasn’t the first time Miguel had killed somebody before Jax could do it. Wouldn’t likely be the last. But now Sage could understand the bastard’s frustration, because he itched to feel flesh and bone break under his hands. “Bring her home.” Sage shook his head. “No. You know how Anni is. The more people she had around her, the more caged she’s going to feel. I’ll take care of her. Keeping Miguel with me for a while—he’s down from jump sickness.” Jump sickness, the term given to the symptoms that plagued somebody who was pulled through too many teleports in a short time. Jax nodded. “Keep him close. This…this worries me. The teleporter the government has, there are likely more of them.” Sage closed his eyes as he turned away. Yeah, he’d figured that. “We knew they had ours working for them.” Quietly, Jax said, “No. They are notours . They may share your talents, but they are monsters. They are the enemy.” Sage turned his head and met Jax’s eyes levelly. They killed monsters. That was their job. “This teleporter—is he likely dead?” Jax asked. Sage scowled. “I don’t know.” “You say he brought Anni water, rags, let her clean up. That he kept the guards away. But he’s also the one who grabbed Anni in the first place?” “That doesn’t make any sense.” Caris spoke from the circle of Jax’s arms, lifting her face and staring at Sage. “Why would he grab her, then help her?” Jax’s face chilled. “He did not help her. He is the enemy.” Caris shook her head. “Aid to the enemy—that is what he did. Letting Anni clean up, even a little, that is comfort. The government has no use for comfort, for humane treatment.” Sage knew that. And there was more that bothered him about the teleporter. But he was still dead.


Sage moved through Anni’s room, grabbing her emergency pack and shouldering it before turning to her closet. He couldn’t go back with just standard combat gear. Not after what she had been through. Hanging from a hook inside the door, he saw deep, shimmering red. It was slinky, soft as silk, sexy as hell. It smelled like her. He took it down, just barely resisting the urge to bury his face in the cloth. A raw, savage hunger ripped its way through him, making his blood burn, his hands itch. His cock ached, throbbing like a bad tooth. “Get it under control, Monroe,” he muttered to himself, grabbing a small suitcase and shoving the shimmery red nightgown inside, out of his sight, his reach. Didn’t help though—her smell was everywhere in here. Signs of her touch and her presence. Clenching his jaw, he rifled through her closet, grabbing a few shirts from the hangers and some jeans from the shelving units there. All black. She rarely wore anything else. Hell, he could count on one hand how many times he had seen her wearing anything besides her basic black. And it had either been utilitarian white T-shirts or drab colors so she’d blend in with shadows as she worked. Never that shade of red. His mouth watered as he pictured her wearing it, the slick cloth clinging to her long, supple form. “Damn it!” he growled, spinning away from the closet. Only to see Kelly there. “Anni’s fine—or she will be,” he said shortly. She just smiled serenely, her hazel eyes unreadable. “I’m going with you.” “No.” Kelly just arched a brow. “Like you can stop me,” she drawled. “I know where she is—there’s only one other place you’d trust as safe enough. And it would be safer if you to just take me with you, instead of me getting there on my own.” “Since when have you been afraid to go anywhere alone?” he demanded, tossing the bag down and holding her gaze. Waste of time—a stare-down with Kelly wasn’t something he’d win. He never had the patience for them and she hadn’t ever been intimidated by him. She grinned as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. “I’m not. But you don’t like me to go traipsing around the country on my lonesome, not with things as bad as they are right now. Do you, brother dear?” “I didn’t give you enough spankings when you were a kid,” he muttered, turning away and moving over


to Anni’s dresser. He prayed Kelly couldn’t see the fine tremor in his hands as he reached in the top drawer and closed a hand around a bunch of the silk and lace panties inside. Kelly dropped silently down on the bed as she responded, “You didn’t give me any spankings when I was a kid, sugar.” Shooting her a narrowed-eyed glare, he said sardonically, “I guess that’s the problem.” Trying to ignore her, he shoved the panties inside and turned back to grab a few bras. Tucked inside a different drawer, neatly laid out in rows. More black. A few white. Anni was probably the most monochromatic female he had ever met in his life. He tossed the bras in and stood there, looking around the room. Was there anything else? “Books.” Glancing at Kelly, he arched a brow. “Excuse me?” “Take some of her books,” Kelly said patiently. “She loves to read. Even if she isn’t really able to read much, having a couple there might help.” She rose from the bed and crossed the room, opening the glass-fronted bookcase and taking out a couple of ancient books. Ancient—as in still printed on paper. They were worn with age. Being inside the glass away from the dust protected them, but you could tell just by looking at them how fragile they were. She fished something out of the closet—Sage arched a brow at the small transport case. “Anni will kill us if we don’t transport them safely,” Kelly drawled. Rolling his eyes, he waited impatiently while she secured the books in the case. Catching sight of him, Kelly smiled. “You obviously don’t understand Anni’s love of books, brother mine. They are like gold to her, and old ones like this? Worth more than that.” “Yeah, well, her wellbeing is worth more than gold to me and I don’t want to be away long so hurry it up already.” Smiling serenely, she tucked the case inside the bag and said, “I’m sorry to have delayed you by thirty seconds or so.” Sealing the bag, she held it out to Sage and waited for him to shoulder it before moving up close to him. Lowering his brows, he said, “Don’t suppose I can convince you to stay here, can I?” Kelly just shook her head. Sighing, Sage wrapped his arms around her. Just before he let the power suck them into the void, Kelly said, “And Sage, darling, if you make this a rough trip, I’ll knock you into next week.” ***** The cabin was silent when the siblings alit in the living room. Sage thanked God that Anni was still sleeping, and he suspected Miguel was, too. The past day had been hell on the kinetic. It had been hell on Sage—if he didn’t draw so much energy from his emotions, he would be pushing burnout level. As it was, he was physically worn out. His body ached with exhaustion. And it would be a wonderful,


long night on the couch since he hadn’t planned on company. He’d built this place with Kelly and they’d had two occupants in mind. Just them. That being the case, he hadn’t stored any temp sleeping units. Then he scowled. Shit, he was going to be sleeping on the floor. Kelly would get the couch. She sighed and said, “It sounds quiet. I’m going to get some rest before I talk with Anni. I’ll probably need it.” Turning slowly, Sage studied her. “Kelly, Miguel is sleeping in your bed.” She paused, pursing her lips. “He is?” Protective brotherly instincts rose to the fore and he said, “I can kick him down here if you want.” Kelly shook her head. “The bed’s big enough for me to crash there, too. You sleeping on the couch?” Narrowing his eyes, he said, “You can sleep in my bed with Anni.” His sister gave him that look only a sister can give a brother—that wordless look that saidYou are so dumb . “You’re telling an empath to go up and sleep next to a very restless, very tormented soul. And how am I supposed to rest?” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she drawled, “At least Miguel isn’t going to put me in emotional hell.” ***** Less than ten minutes later, Kelly was about ready to eat her words. She’d known if she didn’t sleep here, Sage would bunk on the floor and he’d been through enough in the past few days. He needed better sleep than that. But damn it—she hadn’t been expecting this kind of hell. It had been too long since she’d been this close to a man, close enough to feel his heat, smell his skin. Close enough to touch him in any way she could possibly want. Healing didn’t count. And part of her worried just a little as she lay on her side staring at Miguel’s profile, would another guy have bothered her like this? She’d forgotten how he bothered her. Maybe on purpose. Maybe that female part of her that she tried so hard to silence had made her forget, just so she could lie this close. If she’d remembered how hot her belly got when she stared at him, she wouldn’t be lying here, sharing her bed with him. Damn it, his scent was going to be imprinted on her sheets. Even after the scent faded, or she tried bleaching it out, Kelly had a bad feeling that every time she lay in


this bed from here on out, she’d remember how Miguel looked, long limbs sprawled loosely on the bed, that angelically beautiful face relaxed. Either go to sleep or go sleep on the floor, she told herself. She couldn’t go sleep in Sage’s room with Anni. The other woman would wake up and she needed her rest. She could always go sleep in the living room, but Sage would insist on her sleeping on the couch.I’m buying gel mats , she thought, irritated. They hadn’t figured they’d need them. Closing her eyes, she blocked on Miguel’s image and focused on her breathing. She could induce herself to sleep—most healers could. Of course, it was a bit harder than normal… ***** Sage flopped on the couch, debating between sleeping and dragging Kelly in there so she could sleep on the couch. Hell, she’s a grown woman, he reminded himself,one who had been married already . Married, and widowed. A grown woman. Still didn’t change the fact that he didn’t like thinking about her lying beside Miguel. Especially since he knew Miguel had some pretty intense feelings for her. Hell, Miguel probably felt the same way about Sage’s baby sister that Sage felt about Anni. Andthat thought didn’t do a damn thing to lighten his mood. Of course, Kelly was probably oblivious to Miguel. Ever since she’d lost her husband, she’d lived in a bubble. She sure as hell hadn’t been concerned about bunking with the bastard. Sage shifted around until he could lie on his belly, pounding the pillow a little before burying his face in it. The linens smelled clean and fresh—as though they had just been washed. So why in the hell was he still smelling the tantalizing scent of Anni’s skin as he washed her clean in the shower? His mouth watered and he wondered what she would have done if he had licked away the beads of water as they rolled down the slopes of her breasts, down the flat of her belly…and the bruises. Damn it, the bruises. Clenching one hand into a fist, Sage groaned. “Sleep,” he muttered. “Sleep.” Blanking his mind, he tried to will himself into unconsciousness. He heard a soft moan. His body tensed and he jerked upright on the couch. He heard it again. Rising, he strode down the hall. He heard it again just as he pushed open the door. Anni lay in the bed, struggling in the covers. A soft cry escaped her lips, louder, more panicked, full of fear.


Crossing over to her, Sage sat on the edge of the bed. “Anni.” His heart clenched as she did nothing but sob again, still trapped in whatever nightmare held her. He knew better than to touch her just yet—Anni was the same as he, a fighter. Fighters didn’t like being touched— Well, at least he didn’t think she would as she suddenly launched herself at him, still sound asleep. But she managed to wrap an arm around his waist and bury her face against his thigh. Sage groaned, cupping the back of her head in his hand. “Anni…come on, honey, wake up.” She just sighed, squirming around to curl her body around his before she settled back down to sleep. Quietly, this time. “Damn it.” Sage shifted around on the bed, reaching across and snagging a pillow to jam behind his back. Anni moved with him, her breath soft and quiet. Staring at the wall, he muttered, “It’s going to be a long night.” ***** Miguel came awake the same way he always did. Alert, awake…and aching. He’d dreamt about Kelly, just holding her. Feeling her body against his, the scent of her flooding his head while he slept. There was a sigh—soft and female. A long, warm body pressed up against his and he slowly slid his gaze down to see a mass of curls spilling across his chest. A slender arm lay against his belly. “I don’t believe this.” Lifting his head, he peered at Kelly Maguire’s sleeping face for a long minute before dropping his head back onto the pillow to swear silently in Spanish. Life is cruel, he thought bitterly. His entire body ached, his cock throbbing, hard enough to drill through steel and he wanted nothing more than to flip her onto her back and come into her, riding her until they both exploded and she screamed out his name. Small problem, though. Kelly Maguire was still in love with her dead husband and totally unaware that Miguel existed. She shifted, her thigh rubbing against his, her knee dangerously close to his balls. She sighed again and snuggled closer to him. Didn’t mean a damn thing, he told himself. Hard to convince his body of that, though. He ached. Miguel lay there for a few minutes, torturing himself with the feel of her body, the scent of her.You better move, man, he thought. Before he went mad—or did something he’d regret. He started to edge himself away but her arm tightened around his waist. “Don’t go,” she murmured, her voice husky with sleep. He slid his eyes down to stare at her face. Kelly’s eyes were still closed, her lashes lying against her cheeks. Still asleep. Miguel wrapped his hand around her wrist, moving her arm back to lie against her side. She turned her hand over and linked her fingers with his. Her lashes lifted just a little, enough to show a sliver of her golden hazel eyes. “Don’t go, Miguel,” she repeated. She sighed a little, snuggling closer to him. “I hadn’t realized…”


Her voice trailed away, leaving Miguel frozen there for the longest time before he finally asked, “Realized what, baby?” The seconds ticked away and he didn’t think she was going to answer. When she did, the ache in his heart just spread. “How lonely I was.” ***** Kelly woke burning with humiliation. She hadn’t been awake—not exactly—but she sure as hell remembered what she had said. Lost in that place between dreaming and waking, she’d beenaware . Just not in control. She lay on her side with her back to Miguel. A few hours had passed. He’d stayed in the bed with her and she’d drifted back to sleep. When he had been climbing out of bed, she’d woken up completely. Of course, she still feigned sleep. She couldn’t roll over and look at him right now. Sweet damnation, she’d never be able to look at him the same way again. It was a farce—that happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care casual façade he showed everybody. It was a farce. She’d never looked much beyond the surface with him, so she hadn’t been prepared for what she’d discovered while lying in bed next to him. Bare skin had touched bare skin. She’d felt him, all of him, what lay inside. Blood rushed to her face. She hadn’t known—hell, how could she have known? She heard the door close and when he left it was like some of the life drained out of the room. It was always like that with him—he carried so much life inside him. When he left, she felt it, but it was different this time—even more lifeless. Rolling onto her belly, she pressed her burning face into the pillow. How was she supposed to handle this? Images of Jed’s face rolled through her mind. She could still see his face as clearly as the day they’d married. Of course, she couldn’t if she went too long without looking at his holograph. He’d been gone for years—she missed him. But she couldn’t remember how he smelled anymore. Couldn’t quite remember the sound of his laugh. Or what it felt like to lie next to him while he slept. Those first few months after he had died, she had been sure she’d never forget those things. So sure she’d never want to hear another man’s voice saying her name. Never want to know that another man had feelings for her. This should make her uncomfortable. And it did. Except…not the way she would have expected. Not the embarrassed “geez, why me” way.


More like melting into a hot buttery pool of sensation. Curiosity about what his mouth felt like, how he tasted. She didn’t want to feel that way about a man again. Ever. But the harder she thought about it, the longer she thought about it, the worse the feeling got. She sighed, her body felt too hot, too tight. Thinking about him like that reminded her of something she’d tried hard to forget. That she was a woman. Not just a healer, but a woman with her own needs. “Damn it, Miguel,” she whispered quietly. Kelly had a feeling that if she wasn’t careful, Miguel’s face would start haunting her dreams. And it would be even harder to remember Jed’s face. Summoning his image, she tried to remind herself of how it had felt to lie next to him, to touch him, just to wake up with him in the morning. For a while, she had been able to see what it was like to be a woman, to be something more than a Firewalker. To be wanted and needed for more than what she could do. Just for who she was. And over the past few years, she’d forgotten. A soft sob escaped her and she started to cry into her pillow. “I don’t want this.” Wrapping her arms around the pillow, she whispered fiercely, “I don’t want to feel alive again.” ***** It took running through the woods for damn near an hour before the heat inside his veins cooled. An icy shower before he was finally able to close his eyes without seeing her face. But as he walked out of the bathroom, Miguel saw her again, sitting at Anni’s feet with her legs crossed, her eyes closed and her hands linked with Anni’s. And the storm was back on—the need for her was like lightning sizzling through his veins. Consuming, powerful…terrifying. Tearing his eyes away from her, he found Sage staring at him. A commiserating smile appeared on the teleporter’s face for a minute, his eyes lingering on Anni. We’re pathetic, Miguel thought irritably, flinging his body down on the couch. Brooding, he stared up at the ceiling. The silence in the room was tense, stretching out—the women were mostly unaware. Anni sat there, her body trembling minutely while Kelly stared into nothingness, her face serene. From the corner of his eyes, he studied them. Anni looked far too pale, her skin almost gray. The bruises stood out in stark relief against her pale skin and her eyes looked almost black in her face. The bastards. Miguel wished he’d had a few minutes with the men who had done that to her, although he suspected Anni had taken a few pieces of hide. There was nothing left of the base. If the men who had brutalized her were there when he leveled it, then at least they were all dead. He could take a little pleasure from that.


They wouldn’t hurt another woman, wouldn’t grab another child. But there were hundreds left to replace them…thousands. As the silence stretched on, he laid his head back against the cushioned couch, closing his eyes. They had a serious problem, though. Just how many Firewalkers were working with the government? Who were they and what were their gifts? The sound of two soft sighs drifted through the room and he opened his eyes just as Anni and Kelly separated hands. Anni looked a little pale, Kelly looked more so. Lines of strain fanned out from her eyes. He stared at her for a long moment, watching as a flush tinted her cheeks pink. She tore her gaze away from his and pushed slowly to her feet. She looked weary as she glanced at Sage. “Ribs are bruised, but she heals so fast on her own, she’ll be fine in another day or two. No other real physical injuries.” Kelly brushed a hand down Anni’s hair and she murmured, “You need to talk, you find me.” Anni’s lashes lifted slowly and she looked at Kelly with fogged eyes. She almost looked drugged—healing sometimes had that effect. She nodded but Miguel wondered if she really understood what Kelly had said. “Take her to her room,” Kelly murmured as Anni’s upper body swayed a little. “She needs to rest.” Sage caught Anni in his arms and lifted her, looking at Kelly with critical eyes. “You need to lie down, too,” he said to his sister. Kelly flicked him a tight smile. “Yeah.” Miguel watched as she started to shuffle toward the door. As she walked by the couch, she stumbled a little and Miguel rolled his eyes, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. It took just the lightest tug to pull her off balance. He guided her down onto the couch and rose, grabbing one of the throw pillows and moving to tuck it under her head. Kelly tried to sit up, twisting away from him and he crouched over her until she either had to touch him or just lie down. “You need to rest.” “I’d rather do it in my room,” Kelly groused, her brows lowering over her eyes as she glared at him. Miguel shrugged. “Sure. You think you can walk there?” She just closed her eyes and sighed. The action had her breasts rising and falling with the movement and Miguel swallowed the saliva that had suddenly started to pool in his mouth. Focusing on her face, he cocked a brow and waited for her to answer. Thick lashes lifted, revealing golden hazel eyes. “No.” She said it mutinously, almost daring him to say anything. “No, I don’t think I can walk. I’ve been pushing too hard and I’m worn out.” A smile tugged at his mouth. “Would you like me to help you to get to your room?” Her eyes narrowed and she ground out, “No. I’m fine right here.”


Miguel reached up, pushing her hair back from her face. “You and your brother are so much alike, so damn stubborn.” He cupped her face in his palm, stroking his thumb over her lower lip. Soft…soft and silky. So warm. Kelly’s eyes widened, her pupils flaring a little. She breathed in softly and her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. For one second, she seemed a little warmer, a little more touchable. And then she blinked and the shutter fell back down, closing him out. “I’m tired,” she whispered, rolling onto her side, facing the back of the couch. Her fiery red hair spilled out behind her, and Miguel caught one fat curl, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. Softly, he asked, “Sage thinks he brought you back, doesn’t he? But he didn’t—you’re still resting in the grave with your husband.” Then he stood up and walked away.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and Kelly fought to battle down the anger that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Damn him anyway. He saw too much and she hated it. But he was wrong. She hadn’t lain down and died with Jed, as much as part of her wished she had. Kelly had felt dead inside for a very long time. It wasn’t until recently that she had acknowledged, even to herself, that she needed to get back to life. She hadn’t really planned on doing it, though. Just existing was safer, but when Miguel glanced at her with those dark, warm eyes, she felt just a little more of the ice around her heart melting. Then last night—why in the hell had she slept in the same bed as him? Ever since she had woken this morning, lying so close to him, her skin had been buzzing. Heart racing. She ached for him. Kelly hadn’t ached for a man in years. She’d all but forgotten she was a woman since Jed had died. She didn’t want to feel this way—caring about people was dangerous. Especially in her world. Too many of them had short life spans. Kelly was a healer, she didn’t work on the front line. Miguel, though, was one of the warriors. And the warriors had the shortest life spans of all. No. She didn’t want to feel anymore. ***** “Do you have to leave?” Anni asked drowsily as Sage started to pull the covers over her. He stilled, glancing down at her pale face. She looked a little better—not so pale, not as strained.


Combing his fingers through her hair, he murmured, “You need to rest.” Her hand came up, closing over his wrist. “I’ll rest better if you stay with me.” Sage’s heart clenched. Forcing a smile, he said quietly, “Yeah, I can stay.” Her hands fell away and he sat on the edge of the bed, toeing his shoes off and lifting the cover back up, climbing in bed beside her. She rolled toward him, burying her face against his chest. She slid an arm around his waist and Sage heard her sigh and slowly, her body relaxed. He held her as she fell asleep and then he closed his own eyes and slept. Chapter Seven

Kelly avoided Miguel like the plague for two days. Anni spent most of those two days sleeping. The tension in the house mounted until Sage was pretty sure it would drive them all nuts. On the third morning he woke to silence and knew they had to get out of there before one of them exploded. As he stood from his bed on the floor, he stretched, arching his stiff back and scowling. A gel mat—first thing he was doing was getting some gel mats out here as soon as he could. Glancing at the couch, he saw it was empty. Miguel had slept on the couch. The two men were swapping nights and tonight Sage would get the couch. But he’d much rather be in his bed…feeling Anni curled around him. That was assuming the four of them made it to nightfall. He remembered the tight lines of strain he’d seen on Kelly’s face the night before and he knew he had to get his sister out of there. Empaths were far too sensitive to handle living on the knife’s edge of tension like they’d been dealing with for the past few days. He couldn’t imagine how stressed out she must be. He was about ready to crawl out of his skin. He knew how to shield against the intrusive thoughts of others, but when they were this loud, this chaotic, it placed more stress on his shields. Psychic shields were like any other kinds of shields—too much stress and they’d eventually give. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he muttered, “You need to get out of here for a little while.” Most of his clothes were in his room and he didn’t want to risk waking Anni. Fortunately, he’d thrown some into the cleaning unit last night. He’d throw a T-shirt on with the loose cotton pants he’d worn to bed and go outside for a little while. Ten minutes later, he stepped outside and crouched on the synthetic wooden floor of the porch to tug on his athletic trainers. The shoes tightened automatically, adjusting to his feet. Behind him, the door closed in a silent whisper. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind but that didn’t work so he just took off running. Ten minutes passed. The muscles in his thighs screamed but he just continued to circle around on the miles of


trails. After twenty minutes, he was breathing hard enough that he could focus on his breathing instead of Anni. After forty minutes, he was tired enough that he figured he’d run his energy level down to where he could function without feeling like a ticking time bomb. The cabin was about a half mile away and he slowed to a walk, desperately sucking in air in an attempt to calm his breathing. Yeah, that had helped. His body felt loose, muscles turned to mush and the tension from the past few days was gone. Maybe, just maybe, he could even relax a little. Then again, maybe not. He froze in the middle of the path as a familiar tension invaded the air around him. His muscles jumped, his skin felt tight and the roaring in his ears had nothing to do with all the miles he’d just run. “Shit,” he muttered. He ‘ported back to the house in a heartbeat. The floor of the living room solidified under his feet and he found himself staring at a broad back, covered by what looked like the uniform of a Federated soldier. The other teleporter stepped aside just as Sage reached for him and Sage found himself staring into the eyes of the bastard who had grabbed Anni. “You are dead,” he rasped. The man smiled. “That is likely true, but it would be better if you held off on killing me. I’ve come from the underground.” Sage flicked his eyes to the uniform and growled, “I’m pretty sure that the boys in the underground prefer a little more casual clothing.” A faint smile. “Yes, but infiltrating the Federated Army was necessary. And useful. It is much easier to take out prisoners when you know where all of them are, when you know the guard schedule and when the executions are planned.” They weren’t alone any longer. Sage glanced at the open doorway, giving Miguel a slight nod. Energy cracked and a kinetic shield sprang up, wrapping Kelly and Anni in an impenetrable barrier. “You want me to believe that you’ve pulled prisoners out of the prison camps,” he dropped a glance to the insignia on the man’s lapels, “lieutenant?” “You can believe what you wish. But you all aren’t the only ones capable of retrieval operations.” Miguel started toward them and the lieutenant sidestepped so that he faced both the men. “We’ve had men in the military for the past fifteen years, but it’s time our people stopped acting independent of each other. We both have the same goals.” Sage narrowed his eyes and Miguel stepped a little closer, cracking his knuckles. “I don’t think you want to see yourself gutted,” Miguel drawled. “Oh, I don’t want him gutted. I want to see him beaten down, tested like a guinea pig, and pissed on,”


Sage said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m pretty sure what was next for her involved rape and execution.” He gave the ‘porter a chilly smile. “You’re not my type, but I bet we can find somebody who’d be more than happy to give you a try before we kill you.” “She wouldn’t have been raped,” the lieutenant said shortly. “War makes a man do many things he would rather not do.” “Like terrorizing innocent women?” Sage offered, curling his hands into tight fists. The lieutenant glanced toward Anni. She was silent, still as a statue, but the light of fury lit her eyes. “She’s not an innocent woman. She signed on to fight a war—as did we all. We know the risks.” Fury ripped through Sage’s veins. “Risks? Is that how you see the women and children your damn government has killed? Are they acceptable losses?” “No.” The lieutenant’s voice was quiet. “Not one of them is acceptable.” Sage started to reach for the bastard, intent on ripping him limb from limb. Anni’s older brother had done that once, tore a Federated soldier’s arms clear off his body. That memory had sickened Sage for a long time, but now he could picture himself doing it. Easily. But as his hand closed around the lieutenant’s uniform, Anni’s soft voice broke through the haze of his fury. “You never lifted a hand to me. Why did you help me?” Still clenching the front of the lieutenant’s uniform in his fist, Sage looked at Anni. “You don’t need to be here. Kelly, take her to her room.” Kelly looked from Anni’s pale face to Sage, her eyes wide. “No way, you leave me out of this, brother dear,” she said, shaking her head. Anni flicked a glance at Sage. “I’m not fragile, Sage. And I have a right to understand…how he could possibly take me there, turn me over to them, and then protect me.” Sage stared at her bruised face. “You don’t look like you were protected from anything.” She didn’t look at him as she responded, “They had me strapped to a table, ready to do a full spinal and cranial series. One of them even mentioned amputating a hand so they could run more complete tests on my physical makeup when he came in and ordered the tests to be stopped. More than five soldiers were in my cell—they were trying to get me pinned down. He ordered them to leave and when one objected, he pulled a gun on him. When they…they…” her voice trailed away. She cleared her throat and swallowed before continuing, “He brought me water so I could clean up.” She reached up and placed a hand on the barrier Miguel had erected. “Miguel, take this down.” Sage growled a warning at Miguel but Anni just glared at him before turning her eyes to Miguel. “Just restrain him, Miguel. He can’t teleport with you restraining him.” Miguel looked from one to the other. “Hell, I’m with Kelly on this one, pal. Don’t pull me into a lover’s spat. She’s not a weakling, Sage.” Sage felt the crackle of energy in the air as the shield dissolved and then the kinetic energy refocused. It


reformed around the lieutenant, a retraining band that bound his arms and hands. “No. I’m not a weakling,” Anni repeated. “And I’m starting to think that’s what this entire thing was about. He wanted a way in, but he had to be sure…didn’t you?” The lieutenant smiled, flicking a glance toward Kelly. “And our intelligence said she was the empath.” Anni crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “What do you want with us?” The lieutenant just continued to stare at her with that smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s time for us to stop fighting separate battles—we need to join forces.” ***** Okay, if it was up to Sage and Miguel, the bastard would be dead. Even Kelly kept sending him looks of acute dislike, but she couldn’t give either of the men a solid reason to kill him. She’d touched her hand to him, very briefly, but it had been long enough to determine one critical piece of information. He wasn’t lying. His name was Misha. He’d been reared in the underground but had been living a double life in the military for years. Everything made sense, too much sense for them to completely toss aside everything he said. The attacks on the underground—it had been long suspected that there were spies in the military who fed the rebels the information they needed to evade capture, time and time again. Finally, they left Misha alone, trapped in one of Miguel’s kinetic shields that confined Misha to a space roughly four feet across. They headed for the office, tucked in a small room at the back of the house, as far from their unexpected guest as they could get. “I would just as soon fry him as look at him,” Miguel said bluntly the minute the door slid shut behind him. Sage bared his teeth in a grim smile. “I’m all for seeing the bastard dead, but I’d rather use my bare hands.” Across from them, Anni stood staring out a huge window, her eyes roaming sightlessly over the rolling acres of trees and mountains. There was a small part of her that didn’t want to see that guy suffer. The rest of her was kept imagining what it would be like to see Sage or Miguel get their hands on him. Might not be logical—he had kept them from hurting her far worse. He had brought her water to drink, to clean up with. But he had also handed her over to them. She had bruises on her flesh because of him. But…blowing out a breath, she said, “And if he’s telling the truth? We’ve been trying to get word to those in charge for years. Every time Morgan thinks he’s made a successful contact, a new one shows up. They don’t want us getting close. If this is for real…” Kelly interrupted, her voice flat and dull, “Oh, it’s for real. He’s not lying. And for what it’s worth, he


was seriously against everything that happened.” Sage snarled, muttering under his breath as he spun away to pace. Kelly smiled a little. “I’m not overly impressed with him either. But he…he’s a soldier. We follow orders, and sometimes we don’t like them.” “If that’s the kind of army the underground has made, then we’re better off without them,” Sage said, his voice tight with anger. Still staring out the window, Anni said, “No. We aren’t. We need them. Damn it, Sage, they managed to infiltrate theArmy . That’s like infiltrating the inner offices of the Federated President.We haven’t been able to do that, at least not successfully. None of our people last very long in the military.” Miguel murmured, “Well, that’s true enough.” He’d served a few years. Gotten out as soon as his contract expired and it was a wonder he’d made it out without killing himself or somebody else.Or worse …if the Army had realized they’d had an unknown Firewalker among their ranks. Well, rumor had it the Firewalkers who were discovered were offered only one choice. They could work for the Feds. If they refused, they became just the next body in a long line of executions. “Look, we can’t make this decision on our own,” Kelly said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “There’s no decision to make,” Sage said, his voice a low, menacing whisper. “You all wait here. I’ll handle this.” Both Kelly and Anni studied him with somber eyes. “Sage…you can’t.” Anni crossed the floor, her arms crossed over her chest, her face pale and unhappy. She moved until they were close enough to touch, until just scant inches separated the two. “You think I don’t want to hurt somebody for what happened? I do.” She lifted her hands, flexing them. The ivory tips of her claws had slid through the narrow slits of her gloves and she whispered, “I want to hurt somebody. I want to hurthim . I want it so bad, I can almost taste it.” Then she shook her head. “But can we let that interfere with what could be a chance to level the playing field? Sage, there are rumors that the underground population has reached into the millions. And that they aretrained . Trained like Jax has been training us. We could become a real army. We could finally have the numbers to do more than just these little shots in the dark.” She stilled as Sage reached out, brushing his thumb over the fading bruise on her cheek. “There were other ways, Anni. If this guy is for real, there were other ways to get our attention.” Faintly, she smiled, shaking her head. “It’s not our attention they wanted. It was credibility—he’s in a place where he is surrounded by those who hate us, those who are willing to do anything for their bloody cause. We know the government has men and women who have betrayed us. He had to make sure he was dealing with the right people.” ***** Sage lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as sleep continued to elude him. Their prisoner was currently sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, trapped inside one of Miguel’s shields.


He seemed perfectly at ease with that, and had yet to ask any of them if they’d consider just getting rid of the shields. That bothered Sage even more. Misha hadn’t once tried to convince them they should trust him, hadn’t offered apologies that he knew weren’t welcome, hadn’t made any excuses. It was that stoic acceptance that Sage hated more than anything. Because it made Sagebelieve him more. He didn’t want to believe him. He wanted to kill him. Every time he remembered the bruises on Anni’s flesh, the need just got stronger. But it didn’t look like they were going to get a chance. After the four of them had spoken, they’d sent a coded transmission to Jax. His relay back—Jax would be there in the morning with Caris. The final decision would be made come morning, but Sage already knew the outcome. Like it or not, this bastard was an ally. “Can’t sleep?” He jerked a little, that soft, quiet voice startled him. Anni stood in the doorway, leaning against it, her eyes unreadable. “Ah…no. No, I can’t.” And Sage was pretty certain he wouldn’t ever sleep. In fact, he was going to die. Right there. Anni was wearing that red silk nightgown. It glowed like a jewel against her creamy skin, clinging to the soft curves of her breasts, the flat plane of her belly, skimming over her hips and ending high on her thighs. “Me, neither.” She glanced toward the spot on the floor where Miguel lay sleeping and she held out her hand, waiting patiently. Sage wasn’t sure he could stand, much less walk upright. He had the hard-on from hell, but from the calm look in her eyes, he suspected Anni would continue to just stand there until he got up and followed her. He rolled to his feet and walked over to her. Her gaze dropped and he felt his cock jerk under her stare. He could feel that look almost as if she had touched him. Ignoring her hand, he padded out of the living room and down the hall. She moved past him and he closed his eyes, praying for strength as she headed for his room. The moment the door slid shut behind him, Sage knew he was going to need more than strength. He needed sanity. He needed oxygen flowing to his brain. Right now, all of his blood seemed to have flooded his loins and his dick was so damn hard, he ached with it. Anni stood just a few feet away, staring at him with those dark gray eyes. Her tongue slid out, licking her lips and Sage had to fist his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for her. “This is your bedroom,” she whispered, glancing around. “You shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.”


Sage blinked. Then he shoved a hand through his hair, fisting it at the nape and tugging. He had hoped the light pain would clear his mind, but it didn’t work. With a ragged sigh, Sage turned away from her, moving a few feet away and resting his forehead against the wall. “Anni, if I climbed into that bed, sleep would be the last thing on my mind.” Her hand reached out, trailing over the muscles in his back. Squeezing his eyes shut, Sage wondered what in hell he’d done to deserve this kind of torture. Then she leaned forward, molding her body against his back, her breasts pressing flat, her arms wrapping around his waist. She kissed his shoulder and whispered quietly, “Sleep isn’t on my mind, either.” His hands came up, covering hers. “You better be sure you mean that. If you don’t…stop touching me and go to sleep.” She didn’t stop touching him. Instead, she slid one of her hands away from his and cupped his cock through his trousers. “I don’t want to sleep, Sage.” Control shattered. Clenching his jaw, he rasped quietly, “Step back.” Her hands fell away slowly and the minute her body wasn’t touching his, he whirled. Reaching out, he grabbed her and hauled her against him, taking her mouth in a rough, demanding kiss as he jerked her nightgown up, reaching between her thighs and finding her naked. And wet—she rocked her hips against him and the slick folds of her pussy slid across his fingers, coating them with hot, sweet honey. Keeping her pressed against him with one arm, he turned, walking her back to the wall. He let go of her just long enough to shove his pants down and then he lifted her. Her legs wound around his waist, he pushed inside, and both of them cried out. She clamped around him like a hot, tight fist and as he pulled out, she clung to him, the tiny little muscles in her sheath vising down like she wanted to keep him locked inside her for always. “Look at me,” he panted, staring down into her face. Her lashes lifted, revealing eyes gone smoky with desire. “Say my name,” he whispered as he pulled out, pushed back in. A slow smile curved her lips and she murmured, “Sage…” The sound was like a purr, stroking down his spine, tightening his balls, driving him insane. Already, he felt the need to come and he throttled it down, determined to hear her scream out in climax before he shattered. He shifted, turning around and pressing his back to the wall. With his hands clamped around her waist, he lifted her up, let her slide down. His muscles flexed, sweat gleamed on his body. The silk of her nightgown hid her breasts and he almost reached up and tore it away. “Take your nightgown off.” She leaned back a little and her lashes fluttered as her weight pressed him even deeper inside. Her back arched, lifting her breasts, as she reached for the hem and stripped the silk away. It fell to the floor and she leaned back into him. “Ride me,” he rasped as he bent his head and caught one pink nipple in his mouth. Her thighs tightened as she started to move slowly up and down his length. Each slow thrust was like a glide of satin perfection—she gloved him so tightly, fit him so perfectly. The silken folds of her pussy were dewy and wet, clinging to his cock even as she rocked up and down.


Pulling up, he leaned his head back against the wall and filled his eyes with the sight of her taking him. Watched as his cock disappeared into her sheath, as the muscles in her thighs worked when she slid back up. Her knees hugged his hips and Sage cupped her ass in his hands, keeping her rhythm slow and steady when she tried to speed up. Her breathing caught, a flush spreading upward from her breasts. Her head fell back and Sage leaned forward, raking his teeth over the exposed line of her neck. Her pussy clenched around him as she shuddered and cried out, “Sage…please…” Taking her to the floor, he draped her thighs over his and cupped her ass in his hands. His cock swelled as he started to fuck her slowly, staring down, watching where they joined. The flesh of her sex was stretched wide around him and his cock gleamed from the cream of her body. He pressed his thumb against her clit and began to stroke it with fast, firm little circles that had her clenching around him. Anni thrashed her head back and forth on the floor, arching upward. Levering up over her, Sage caught her legs and hooked them over his forearms just before planting his hands on the floor behind her head. As he plunged deep inside, she screamed out his name, clenching around him. “I need you,” Sage rasped, holding her gaze with his. “I always have. And if we keep this up, I may never let you go.” Anni’s eyes widened. He lowered his head, kissing her gently, slowly, even as he shafted her with fast, deep digs of his cock. “Scream for me, Anni. Say my name…” His name was a long, broken moan on her lips. Sage slowed his strokes, staring into her face from hooded eyes, watching as her irises darkened almost to black. Her nipples were diamond-hard, stabbing into his chest. Sliding out, Sage released one of her legs. Then he smoothed his hand over her hip and cupped the curve of her ass. He squeezed tightly and pulled, separating the taut flesh of her cheeks. As he pushed against the puckered hole of her ass with one finger, he whispered, “Scream…” Then the tip of his finger penetrated her and she did scream—a harsh, breathless sound. Working his finger deeper, Sage slammed into her again, and she climaxed around him, her pussy clenching down, gripping him convulsively as he started to come inside her. Convulsions continued to rack them both as he withdrew and collapsed on the floor beside her. She rolled into him, pressing her mouth to his chest. “Stay here…with me,” she whispered. Stay… ***** Stay…The memory of that soft, husky little plea was the only thing that kept Sage rational the next day as Jax and Caris appeared on the porch. “So much for privacy,” he growled. Now damn near anybody would know where to find him when he wanted to take a few days away.


And that was just the least of his concerns. The big one was sitting in the kitchen, still calm, still patient. Still waiting. He glared at Jax and said, “I told you that you shouldn’t have sent me out after her. Hell, I’m bad luck, haven’t you figured that out?” Jax calmly replied, “And if you hadn’t been there and Anni had gone off on her own? It might have taken us a few days to realize she had been captured.” Then Jax’s voice lowered, filled with a soft, deadly menace as he demanded, “Now…where is this bastard?” His voice was filled with soft, deadly menace and Sage smirked a little. The vampire was about to get a taste of the frustration that had been eating at Sage for a long time. Miguel wasn’t going to let anybody rip their prisoner limb from limb until he was satisfied that was the best way to handle it. And nobody could convince Miguel of that, not now that Kelly had quietly voiced her opinion. Like it or not, Jax was going to have to listen to the bastard, Misha. And he wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing to convince Miguel otherwise. Looking away from Jax and into the warm golden-brown eyes of his former lover, he asked, “Have any trouble finding the place?” Caris smiled sweetly and stepped up closer. As she did, she fisted her hand and rapped it lightly against his head. “Of course not, I just locked in on that hard head of yours. Tracing you is amazingly easy. Well, at least for somebody who knows you the way I do.” With that, she sauntered past Sage. Pausing in the middle of the wide-open living room, she stared around with a small smile on her face. “Nice place, Sage. Had it long?” He lifted a shoulder restlessly. “Few years. Where Kelly or I come when we need quiet.” “Cost a pretty penny,” she mused. Sage rolled his eyes and started to comment, but Jax stalked past them and growled, “We are not here to discuss real estate, Caris.” She glanced at Sage with a cynical grin on her lips before falling in step behind her husband and trailing him into the kitchen. “The man is nothing but work, work, work.” Sage got there just in time to see Jax reaching for the man sitting at the table, and to see him fist his hand the second he encountered the invisible barrier. He slammed it into the barrier, his face completely calm, his voice expressional as he said, “Drop the barrier, Miguel. Now.” But he hit the barrier so hard, his skin split and blood splattered across it. Miguel lifted his coffee cup, but instead of drinking, he just stared into it. Flicking Jax a mild look, he said, “He’s no good to us if you rip him apart. Believe me, both Sage and I felt like doing the same thing, but somebody with better eyes than us took a look at him.”


In a deceptively gentle voice, Jax said, “You will not keep shielding my prey from me, Miguel.” He turned, staring at Miguel with eyes that began to glow. Fangs had already pushed down past his lip and when he smiled, the look on his face was enough to make Sage brace himself. “Let it down. Or would you rather bear the brunt of my anger?” Miguel just lifted one shoulder in a shrug. He never lifted his gaze but when Jax lunged for him, Miguel’s eyes glinted. The barrier that slammed up between Jax and Miguel wasn’t invisible. When Jax’s body slammed into it, it glowed white-hot and Jax leaped back just as quickly as he had jumped forward, his body moving in a flash. “Are you such a coward that you cannot even face me for daring to defy me?” Miguel snorted with a derisive laugh. “A coward for not getting into a fight with a man who can tear me into pieces without even breaking a sweat? Hell, I’d rather fight Dustin.” A nasty smile edged up the corners of his mouth and he set his coffee down, pushing away from the counter. “Of course, if you wanna level the playing field a little…” His dark eyes flashed once more, like lightning spiraling through the midnight sky. Jax had no time to brace himself, and Sage knew it wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Jax went flying back so fast, so hard, the wall cracked when he slammed into it. Sage snapped out, “Damn it, Miguel. If you tear up my house, you and me are going to have at it, boy.” Miguel smiled a little. “Oh, I’m done.” He watched as Jax slowly climbed to his feet and then he met the vampire’s eyes with an icy glare. “I do my job—just like the rest of us. But I’m sick and fucking tired of you treating us like we are your subjects andmust obey your every command.” With one hand, he pointed toward Misha. “That man holds information Morgan would damn near cut off an arm to get. Talk to him, or we will just take him Morgan.” Blood gleamed in his eyes as Jax rasped, “This isn’t over.” That was when Caris snapped. Before any of them had time to do anything, she stepped in front of her husband and said, “Oh, the hell it’s not.” She glanced at Miguel over her shoulder and said softly, “Drop your shield, Miguel.” The shield fell and by silent agreement, Sage and Miguel both left the kitchen. Caris waited until they were alone—well, as alone as they were going to get for the moment. The man sitting at the table had yet to say a single word, had yet to look away from his thorough contemplation of the wall in front of him. “It’sover , Jax. You have to remember something—you’re a part of a damned team. You can’t keep expecting people to jump simply because you say so.” “A team? I do not remember joining ateam . I remembering agreeing to lead an army,” he said silkily, but he wasn’t even looking at her. Fury splintered through Caris. Rising on her toes, she snarled into his face, “An army…yeah, I remember, where everybody is expected to followyour orders blindly, with no concern for anybody else. That’s not always the best way, is it, honey?” Now he was looking at her. Something flickered in his eyes. “Caris, this is nothing like that. That will


never happen again.” Quietly, she said, “But it didn’t have to happen at all, did it, Jax? You can’t say you weren’t warned. Yet you did it anyway. You always have to be right, don’t you? And this time—if you’re right this time? What? You kill him?” A muscle ticced in his cheek as he stared into her eyes. “He deserves to die.” “No, he doesn’t. The man sitting there is a soldier, just like Miguel or Sage. Or me. Ordered to do something by another man who is so certain he is right.” “You know nothing about him. You haven’t said a single word to him.” Caris shrugged. “I don’t have to. All I have to do is look at him and I see it. I imagine that is just what Kelly saw when she looked at him.” She paused, looking at the man, and she couldn’t help the anger that rolled through her. “I want him hurt as well. But he didn’t hurt Anni…did you?” Turning, she moved closer, stopping just before she would have touched the barrier still hanging between them and the lieutenant. The lieutenant looked up at Caris. His eyes were a pale, pale blue. “Didn’t I? I took her there.” “Soldiers, lieutenant,” Caris said softly. “You take orders.” Her lashes lowered and her mouth drew tight in a frown. “You don’t take them from a man in a uniform, do you?” “You’re very good,” the lieutenant said. “Telepaths usually cannot read a thing from me.” “I’m not a telepath. Empath. The shields you use to keep a telepath out don’t work as well with me.” “Ahhh…so you read emotions, memories, not thoughts,” he mused, nodding. “Empaths are few and far between. They are generally kept very much under wraps. My line of work could drive them nuts.” “I imagine being a spy could drive nearly anybody nuts.” She paused a moment, cocking her head as she watched him. “What is your name?” He replied, “Misha.” And then he went back to staring at the wall. “You argue with him…a lot.” Misha didn’t even bother to ask who she was referring to. A slight smile curved his lips and he nodded his head. “Yes, but it does no good. There are some leaders who listen when their people talk.” He glanced at Jax as he added, “And there are some who listen to no one.” “What was this order?” “It was not a single order, it was an objective.” Misha laid his hands on the table, flexing them, closing them into fists. “For the past twenty months, we have been attempting to establish contact with the unit that calls itself the Firewalkers. The leader…Morgan…has had contact among the underground, but too many times we have had traitors slip among our ranks. We could not let them come to us. We searched for somebody besides Morgan. He is too…adamant that we trust him. Our leader does not trust anybody who is as insistent as Morgan has become.”


“Morgan has reason to be insistent,” Caris said quietly. “You expect me to believe that you come from the underground?” Jax growled, slamming his bloodied hand against the barrier. Misha said softly, “I care little what you think.” He sighed, lifting his hands to scrub them over his face. “I want this war over…that is what I want. And I am willing to sell my soul to the devil to see it done, to see that no more innocents are lost because of those government bastards.” There was a black, roaring agony inside Misha. She could feel it. It was so strong, it battered at her shields, choked her. Battling it down, she asked hoarsely, “Who did you lose, Misha?” For a long time he was silent, and then finally he took a deep, shaky breath. He looked up and Caris felt like she was looking into hell’s abyss, the pain was so great. His voice was flat as he replied, “My wife. My daughter. Alana went to her parents. They hadn’t seen Melissa since she was a baby.” He paused, swallowing. “Melissa’s gifts started emerging early. We’d cautioned her,You can’t let anybody know . But she trusted her grandparents. Lissie was a pyrokinetic. She was so proud that she could hold fire and it wouldn’t burn her. Wouldn’t burn anybody unless she let it.” Caris heard Jax’s rough breath but she was too focused on Misha. Tears already burned her eyes but she tried to keep them from falling. “Your in-laws…they called the police.” He nodded. “Yes. Alana’s father was a retired Marine. He…he loved his daughter, but I think he also believed the line that was standard fifteen years ago. That all Firewalkers were considered capable of rehabilitation.” Rehabilitation—the glossed-up word for the torture and brainwashing that the Federated Government had attempted to use when they pulled Firewalkers out of their beds, off the streets. “What happened, Misha?” “‘The bad men came’…Lissie only knew them as the bad men. She screamed it out to me. I can still remember. Dear God, I pray she didn’t realize that her grandparents were the ones who turned them in.” His voice wavered and finally there was some sign of the turbulent emotions Caris could see in his eyes. The stoic lines of his face seemed to crumple and tears began to fall to his cheeks. “Lissie was telepathic, not strong, at least not yet. She was only five. She could speak with those she had a connection with. Her mama. And me.” He closed his eyes, lifting his face to stare at the ceiling, but Caris knew he wasn’t seeing the painted plaster. “The bad men came. And they grabbed Alana. But they wouldn’t touch Lissie. She was burning. Strong emotion can make a literal field of fire burn around an untrained pyro. I imagine you’ve had some experience with that. They told her if she didn’t put out the fire, they would kill her mother. Bargaining…with a five-year-old child.” “They killed her mother and Lissie lost control?” she asked quietly. She couldn’t see anything beyond the black maw of grief his emotions had become. What had been so clear was now nothing but darkness, nothing but grief. Misha blew out a shaky breath as he lowered his head. Broad shoulders slumped under the sturdy black cloth of his uniform. “Lissie…she could also pick up random thoughts. I think she probably picked up something from Alana. We’d talked about it, you know, my wife and I. If we were ever taken and


couldn’t escape, it might be better if we were dead. I don’t think Lissie lost control. I think she picked up something from her mother and burned the house down…well…on purpose.” As if he couldn’t stand to stay seated any longer, he stood up, but the kinetic shield around him kept him from moving away from the table. He bent over it, his hands closing convulsively around the edge, squeezing until his knuckles turned white and Caris heard something crack. “I got there just a little too late, but when I saw the house, I knew. If Lissie had lost control, the fire would have been different. The fire would have been burning out of control. But it was just the house. Just the house and my family…” He turned away from them and Caris stood up and turned around. Jax’s face was stony and pale. Reaching out, she closed her hand around Jax’s wrist and tugged until he followed her out of the room. She sought out Miguel and said quietly, “He isn’t going anywhere and he’s no threat to us. Let the shield down.” “Caris…” She wheeled on her husband, long golden strands of hair flying around her head. “Why did you bring me, Jax? Did you want my opinion? I’m a helluva a lot better judge of character than you. You see only black and white. This is a lot more complex than that.” Turning her head, she looked at Miguel and just arched a brow. He shrugged one shoulder and replied, “Already done, sweetheart.” There was no sound from the kitchen, but Caris could still feel him. Tears stung her eyes and she breathed out a shaky sigh as she walked across the room to stare out the window. She was going to feel that wrenching pain in her dreams for weeks. Chapter Eight

Misha either had ice water for blood, or balls of solid steel, Sage decided. He sat there as Jax paced around him in a tight circle. Right now, the way the big vamp was pacing around the lieutenant, it reminded Sage of a tiger. He’d only seen one of the big cats once, when he was sixteen and he had ‘ported himself and Kelly into the Chicago Zoo for her birthday. Jax had that same predatory stare, the same aura of barely caged danger. Instead of a cage made of systeel or plastin, though, Jax was caged by the woman sitting across from Misha. Her eyes looked entirely too haunted. She had told him what Misha had shared with her earlier, so he understood why her eyes looked so dark and troubled. Turned out, Misha had been a cop in his former life. He had just shrugged when Sage had asked him how in hell he had pulled that off. “I…tend to blend in.” He smirked a little. “Been called a chameleon. I don’t know if it’s a gift or if it’s just me. But people look at me and tend to see what they want to see. It’s how I got these.” He stroked a finger across the bars on his collar. “How long have you been in the Army?” Miguel asked quietly.


“Nearly ten years,” Misha murmured. “I was placed in the accelerated program for officers right out of basic.” Miguel winced. “You’ve been hiding for ten years? Hell, I was going nuts after one.” Lifting one shoulder, Misha said, “I believed I could do some good.” He sighed and for the first time, Sage saw the weariness in his eyes. “I tried to go to the Firewalkers, right after…after the fire. But Morgan wouldn’t accept me. He trusted no one who had worn a uniform, I was told.” He flicked a glance at Miguel, smiling a little. “He has learned to bend his rules.” Miguel shrugged. “Eh, I saved his ass once. I think he decided I might come in handy.” “And I imagine you have,” Misha murmured. “I landed elsewhere—with Luc.” Silence fell at the mention of that name. Whether or not Lucian Deveraux indeed led the underground was something that had been rumored for years. Man or myth, nobody really knew. Therehad been a boy by that name, but he had disappeared nearly fifty years ago. He’d come from the bayous that had taken much of the land in Louisiana after three devastating category five hurricanes had struck in the twenty-third century. Much of the land had been given back to nature. The government had wanted to rebuild, but the land had become too swampy, too wet to support any large community. Smaller communities had settled in, and had proven to be much more resilient, more adaptive. Legend said that boy who had lived in the bayous had been a genius. He had organized very successful protests against the government’s treatment of the Firewalkers—nearly twenty of them during his three and half years of college. But just a few weeks into his last semester, he’d disappeared. Nobody heard anything about him, nobody saw him. Years passed and the boy was forgotten. Then, at the first public execution of a pyro, two unknown Firewalkers had appeared. Or at least, it had been the first one to be scheduled. It was said that Luc and an unknown teleporter had grabbed the pyro just before the firing squad had been ready to open fire with las-rifles. The government still insisted that Lucian Deveraux was not a real person, but a figment invented by desperate minds. But the legend held that that figment had been seen repeatedly, and always, he was seen flaunting his abilities in the face of the government. When the rumors of the underground had started, there had been repeated press conferences. The government had adamantly denied the existence of a secret underground population. It was also rumored that Luc had appeared at each conference. That had been the start of the Firewalkers’ movement. It was almost as if seeing one man brave enough to face the government had given courage to those hiding among the general population. Small factions formed, joining together to sneak the children away when threats appeared. Strikes were made against local detainment centers and more and more Firewalkers were “liberated” before they could be executed or reprogrammed.


And as more and more people became active in the movement, less was seen of the man rumored to have started it all. It was pure speculation that the unknown Firewalker was really Lucian Deveraux. After disappearing for so long, many people doubted that the boy had lived. And even fewer believed that the man who led the underground movement was in fact Lucian. The silence stretched on as they all tried to digest that piece of information. It was Jax who ended it with the simple question, “And who is this…Luc?” Caris glanced up at him. “I thought he was just an urban legend.” She explained some of the stories behind Lucian and finished up saying, “Rumor has it that he leads the underground movement.” “Oh, Luc isn’t a rumor.” Misha glanced at them with a smile. “He’s a focused, driven bastard who often can’t see the forest for the trees. But he’s saved thousands of lives. He’s a good leader, sometimes a cold one. He’s let the resistance become his entire life…and sometimes that blinds him to everything else.” With a faint smile, Sage looked toward Jax. “That sounds like someone I know.” Jax didn’t respond. “How was allowing one of my people to be captured and tormented— How was that supposed to help in any way? Anni’s a brave woman who was only trying to protect an innocent girl. I fail to see his reasoning.” “For the past twenty months, we’ve tried to establish contact with the leaders of the surface resistance. Twenty months. Once, there was a boy and his mother…she was one of our watchers. Her son, Erik—you might remember the name—was a Firewalker, but his talents hadn’t emerged yet.” “Erik…” Sage muttered, closing his eyes. He remembered the boy, all right. They all did. He had been bait for the Firewalkers. The resistance had fallen into a very clever trap and if it hadn’t been for the combined efforts of several of the Firewalkers, the Army might have caught them. Erik’s mother had been killed, but none of them had known how. Erik hadn’t remembered and chances were that he never would. He was safe and secure with the underground now. Misha smiled. “You remember him. His mother’s name was Leah. She was just a watcher. She wasn’t gifted, but she was sensitive. She could see the gifted before their gifts emerged. She should have had a few more years before she had to come underground—Erik was so young. But the gift came on him early. From what our healers can tell, it was forced out. Somehow, we think that Leah came under suspicion. You know most of the rest,” he said. He rose from the chair and walked past Jax without blinking an eye. He pressed the prep unit and waited for the glass of artificial juice. Everybody was silent as he took a long drink. As he carried the glass back to the table, he started to talk again. “Before that, was another—James Conlin. He was waiting for a meet with Morgan in New Angeles. They were meeting in an open air café, in broad daylight. Morgan was late. A little too late. We found out later that there was an incident involving a strange man—one who wasn’t human.” He glanced at Jax. “You know much about us,” Jax said, a muscle jerking in his cheek, his eyes glittering.


“Hmmm.” Misha took another drink of his juice before he continued. “Conlin was leaving. He was detained, and we didn’t find out until he was already scheduled for execution. I usually have that information before it happens, but I was…tied up.” “Tied up?” “We cannot be in two places at once, Sage. Not even those with gifts like you and I.” He was silent for a minute, looking lost in thought. Finally, he shook his head and looked back up at them. “It was finally decided that perhaps the most efficient way was to find a Firewalker, establish a contact there. Through you, we can reach Morgan. Luc is willing to meet Morgan on your terms, on your ground. But we had to make sure it wasn’t a trap. The Army has baited some very attractive traps for both sides. Our people as well as yours.” Jax studied the lieutenant, his face impassive. “Perhaps you’d like to take a shower…rest a little.” Misha cocked a brow. “How considerate of you,” he said dryly as he pushed back from the table. Sage knew he wasn’t the least bit fooled, but Misha left the room without speaking another word, following Kelly down the hall. Jax walked over and pushed the keypad, waiting until the door slid shut and the soundproofing activated before he said, “I do not trust him.” Snorting, Sage headed for the clear-paneled cold unit and pulled it open, grabbing a bottle of beer from the shelf. The door swung shut behind him as Sage popped it open and took a long swig. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me, oh fearless leader?” he drawled sardonically. Glancing at Caris, Sage asked quietly, “What’s your take on the matter, sugar?” Jax’s eyes narrowed a little and Sage bit back a smile as he waited for her answer. But he already knew. Sage knew Caris better than anybody else in the room, including her husband. She believed Misha, even though she was pissed off at him. Caris sat at the table, one leg drawn to her chest. She stared out the huge panels of plastin that made up the back wall, but Sage suspected she wasn’t seeing the landscape. “I believe him,” she said quietly. Glancing at Sage, she smiled a little. “Although I imagine you already knew that.” Jax said icily, “It is a heartbreaking tale he wove, but I know better than to let emotion color my judgment.” With a smile, Caris said, “It isn’t my emotion that I’m basing my opinions on, love. It is his. The kind of pain inside him—it can’t be faked.” Anni sat on the counter by the prep unit with her legs crossed. She still held her coffee cup and occasionally took a sip. Throughout the entire thing, she had remained silent. Now she looked at Jax and said, “He never once hurt me, Jax. Did everything possible to keep me from being hurt.” Jax crossed the room and reached out, taking her arm. Above the gloves, he could see bruises ringing her forearms. Stretching it out, he held her arm out for display. “Everything.” Anni didn’t bother trying to pull her arm away. “Everything he could without blowing his cover. If he had done too much, they would have become suspicious. And I don’t want to think of what they’d do to a


man they considered a traitor.” As he let go of her arm, she put her hand in her lap, closing it into a tight fist. “Several times, men crowded into the cell with one thing in mind. And each time, he stopped them.” Jax muttered under his breath, something in a lyrical, fluid language that none of them understood. He turned on his heel and glared at Miguel and Sage. “Do not tell me that you two have lost your minds, and your sense, as well.” At that moment, the door panel slid open. The second Kelly stepped inside, it closed with a quiet little snick. She looked at Jax, her hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans. Finally, she just shook her head, a smirk on her lips. Sage hid a grin as he took another swig of his beer. Then he looked back at Jax. “I’d just as soon beat the bastard into a pulp, Jax, but…I can’t deny what I see when I look at him.” “And what is that?” Jax demanded with a growl. For a long time, Sage was silent, staring at the amber bottle in his hand as though it held the answers to the universe. “I see a man with honor, Jax. I don’t like his methods, but then again, there’s been a lot of times when I haven’t liked yours, either.” Jax turned to look at Miguel, waiting. Miguel had that familiar little smile on his face, the one that fooled many people into thinking he was too easy, too lazy, too amused with life in general to be a threat. He lifted one shoulder in a shrug and said, “I didn’t even have to hear his story, Jax.” “So what was it that made up your mind, Miguel?” Jax asked silkily. Miguel glanced at Kelly. She stood with her back to them, staring out the plastin panels, her hands still tucked into her back pockets. That one glance was answer enough. Miguel trusted Kelly and Kelly trusted Misha. “Just as easy as that?” Jax murmured to no one in particular. “He can take one of our people and you all forgive him.” Caris said softly, “Nobody has forgiven him, baby. But…look, you’ve only been here a few years. You don’t know as much about the underground as we do. They…they don’t use the normal methods when it comes to getting your attention. Hell, they don’t use normal methods for anything. But what they do…works.” “You’re completely certain he is from the underground?” Smiling a little, Caris said, “Completely.” “Wouldn’t you sense it if he was lying, Jax?” Sage asked before he emptied the beer bottle and tossed it into the recycling unit. “You’ve always been able to before.” Kelly glanced over her shoulder and said, “He wants Misha to be lying. It’s clouding his judgment.” And to that, Jax really had no response. *****


In the end, the only decision that could be made was to leave it to Morgan. Jax knew whathe wanted, but he couldn’t forget the grief he’d seen in the lieutenant’s eyes. Nor could he forget the look he’d seen in Caris’ eyes, one he’d seen far too often of late. “Bloody nuisance, this world is,” he muttered. It was hours later and Caris and Sage were seated at the comm console, sending coded relays to Morgan’s compound in New England. The annoying thing, though, was part of him understood why he still found these people so damned frustrating. Jax had spent decades subduing the inherent dominant traits most of his kind were born with. They were born to rule, to lead. And even though he was placed in charge of these people, they weren’t thralls who would blindly do anything and everything they were told. Nor were they soldiers who had been reared in strict regimentation their entire lives. These people had rebelled against any sort of authoritarian rule their whole lives. It was the dictatorship from the World Federated Government that had driven many people underground—gifted and ungifted. Earth-born humans, Jax had come to realize, were deeply independent. Made his job a serious pain in the ass. The larger part of him demanded he continue as he had been. A leader led. They didn’t discuss their decisions in a committee. But he was tired of facing such constant antagonism. Tired of looking at Caris and seeing that damn censure in her eyes. “He wants to speak with Misha.” At the soft sound of Caris’ voice, Jax turned away from the window and looked at her. Sage leaned back in his hair, scrubbing at his eyes wearily. Jax’s wife sat with one knee drawn to her chest, her face unreadable. “When?” “Sometime today. He’s sending Ari,” Caris replied wearily. “We should really get back to Montana. There’s not room for all of us in this small cabin.” Jax’s lids barely flickered. “I take it that our presence wasn’t requested.” Caris laughed. “No. It’s Morgan they’ll need to convince. In the long run, he will make the ultimate decision. And he’ll do it without us.” A flicker of unease worked through Jax, but as he thought about it—themore he thought about it—the better. He was still a stranger in this world and there would be things coming into play that he wasn’t equipped to deal with. Caris didn’t have the mindset of a leader, so he couldn’t rely on her instincts when it came to decision making. Seven suns, this was a perfect example. His instinct—kill the man. Misha was an outsider, an unknown, and therefore, Jax couldn’t risk his people by trusting him. At leasthe didn’t want to take that risk.


But he was in the minority here. None of the others were willing to sacrifice this opportunity. He smirked a little. Not even Sage. He’d been certain he’d have an ally in Sage. If it had been Caris… Feeling somebody watching him, he looked up and met Sage’s level stare. “You don’t understand any of it, do you?” Cocking a dark red brow, Jax shook his head. “No. I do not.” “If this plays out, you will. But I can tell you this—if Misha had laid so much as one hand on Anni, left so much as a single mark, he’d be dead.” Chapter Nine

Anni awoke to silence. The door panel was wide open, so it wasn’t the soundproofing that made everything seem so quiet. Then, distantly, she could hear Sage. The low, rhythmic cadence of his heart, the steady rate of his breathing. Nothing else. Nobody else. Slowly, she stretched, arching her arms high overhead, groaning at the faint twinge of still-bruised muscles. But at least that blasted exhaustion wasn’t weighing so heavy on her mind. Healing could leave a person exhausted. Anni wasn’t sure how Kelly could do it. If it left Anni this tired, didn’t it have a worse effect on Kelly? She climbed from the bed and debated heading into the shower, but she wanted coffee more. And food. Her belly rumbled demandingly and she climbed from the warmth of Sage’s bed, heading for the kitchen. Sage came in as she was punching buttons on the prep unit. “Where is everybody?” she asked, waiting impatiently for the coffee. It had barely finished pouring into the cup before she grabbed it, sipping at it with mindless greed. Hot—too hot—burning her tongue, but she didn’t care. Just that first sip had some of the clouds clearing from her mind. “Ari came for Misha. Miguel went with them for damage control, so to speak, in case Misha causes problems. Kelly went back to Montana with Jax and Caris.” “Did Misha cause problems?” she asked, arching her brow. Sage shrugged. “Depends on who you are. I bet it’s causing Jax all sorts of problems. Word has it that Morgan’s agreed to meet with Luc. Bet that pissed our high-and-mighty commander off pretty bad.” She smiled a little and then her smile faded as she stared into her cup.


“We need to be getting back.” Sage shook his head. “No. You’re off-duty for another week. Kelly’s orders. And she made Jax promise she could take a look at you before he even considered letting you back out in the field.” Rolling her eyes, Anni said, “I’m not an invalid.” “No, but you had the crap beaten out of you. The stress alone is enough to justify taking it easy for a few days.” There was a gentle bell tone as the prep unit finished up her breakfast and Sage took the plate, grabbing a slice of bacon before turning it over to her. He ordered up his own meal as Anni carried her plate over to the table. “I don’t need a week,” she grumbled. He was silent and Anni spent the next few minutes eating and sulking. Inactivity would drive her insane right now. He joined her with his own plate of pancakes and bacon, the scent of synthetic maple syrup rich and sweet. A week, she thought darkly, shaking her head slightly. If she didn’t keep busy, she was going to think— Clenching her eyes closed, she blocked out the thoughts before any of them could fully form.Nope, not gonna think , she told herself resolutely. She heard a clatter and opened her eyes to see Sage sitting back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. He stared at her with dark, angry eyes as he demanded, “Is a week with me really that bad?” Rolling her eyes, Anni said, “Of course not.” But he didn’t seem to hear her as he shoved back from the table and started to pace the room. The jeans he wore clung to his thighs and hips and Anni felt something hot and hungry stir in her belly as she watched him stride angrily back and forth. “I want him dead, Anni. You need to understand that, but there’s too damn much at stake right now. Our safety, our survival, everything.” His words didn’t make much sense and Anni forced herself to play them back in her head, tearing her eyes away from the sight of his firm, tight ass. Even then, they didn’t make sense. “Sage, what are you talking about?” He spun around, glaring at her. “I can’t kill him, Anni. As much as I want to, we need this.” Okay, maybe she was still a little too tired. “Sage…I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about.” She watched as he spun away and drove a hand through his hair. Wide shoulders slumped as he leaned forward, pressing his brow to the wide plastin window panels. “I let you down, Anni. Don’t think I don’t realize it.” Finally, everything he was saying began to make a weird sort of sense. Misha. He was talking about Misha. Pushing away from the chair, Anni walked up behind him, but before she could reach out to him,


he turned. There was a look in his eyes that Anni didn’t think she’d ever seen before. Vulnerability. She understood that. She felt it all too often around him. But she hadn’t ever expected to see it in him. Not about her. Hell, not about anybody. Not from Sage. He was so focused on the war, nothing else really seemed to matter. The proof of how wrong she was stood right before her. He was beating himself up inside because he couldn’t let himself take revenge on Misha. Damn it, Anni didn’t really want revenge, not now. She’d heard the pain in his voice, even though he’d tried to hide it, as the lieutenant shared had his story with them. No, she didn’t really approve of his methods, but the underground resistance movement operated on a much larger scale than anything the Firewalkers had dealt with. War led to sacrifices. She knew that. Anni stepped up against Sage, pressing her body against his as she slid her hands up his chest, linking them behind his neck. “You didn’t let me down, Sage,” she murmured quietly. Laying her head against his chest, she listened to the powerful, steady beat of his heart. His hands came up, gripping her head. Through the thin layer of synthetic cotton, she could feel the heat and strength of his body and it made her shiver. Sage made her warm. She hadn’t realized just how cold she was until she’d felt this heat. “I did. I let you get taken. I couldn’t stop it. And then when the bastard who did it showed up, I couldn’t even kill him for you.” Lifting her head, Anni stared into his hazel eyes. Rising on her toes, she pressed her lips to his mouth gently. “I don’t need you to kill anybody for me, Sage. If I wanted him dead, I’d do it.” When he started to speak, she reached up and covered his lips with her fingers. “I’m a soldier, Sage. Just like you. And I want this war over every bit as much as you do. We can get stronger, if the underground is really ready, and we can’t risk pushing this aside. I understand that.” Then she grinned, tipping her head back as she stared at him. “But I really do like knowing you’re all torn up inside just because you can’t kill him.” His eyes flashed at her and the hands at her hips tightened to the point of pain. “Torn up? You think that even touches it?” he muttered. Then he pushed her away and stalked around her. “If you’re not angry over that, then why…” His voice trailed away and he was silent. “Why what?” He was silent for a long time. Finally, he slid one hand up, cupping the back of her head as he drew her closer. But instead of kissing her, he simply laid his lips along her cheek as he murmured, “Nothing’s changed, has it?” Anni could feel his heart slamming against hers, scented the change in his body chemistry in the air surrounding them. He was upset—thatmuch she had figured out. But why?


Before she could ask though, he gently eased her back and walked around her. As she stood there and watched Sage walk away, she scowled, wrapping her arms around herself. Nothing’s changed. Nothing’s changed. Yeah, she had acted that way, but how in hell else was she supposed to act? It wasn’t like he really had those kind of feelings… But even as the thought occurred to her, Anni felt her heart start to pound heavily in her chest, her skin heating, tightening. Dragging her tongue across her lips, she finally let herself wonder. Exactly what does he feel about me? Anni knew what she wanted him to feel. She knew how she felt. And the way he had looked…

Arm thrown over his eyes, Sage lay in his bed. The whole damn room smelled like her. His skin felt hot, tight, and his stomach was a damn mess of acid, the few bites of food that he had eaten sitting in the pit of his belly like a stone. No, nothing had changed, and it was his own damn fault for letting himself think it might. In the world they lived in, sex didn’t always come with a hidden meaning. If he had thought maybe there was something else between him and Anni, chances were his own damn obsession with her was to blame. There was a whisper of air as the door panel to his room slid open and Sage suppressed a groan. “Lemme the hell alone for a while, Anni,” he said shortly. Flopping onto his belly, he buried his face into the mattress. She didn’t leave though. Even before she reached out to touch him, his body tensed. As she trailed her fingers up his spine, Sage fisted his hands and prayed for strength. He couldn’t do this. Heaven and hell, he wanted her, but there was no way he could sleep with her, no way he could hold that sleek, naked body against his, ever again. As soon as he could work out the logistics, he was transferring out east. Seeing her, holding her, touching her and never really having her would be more hell than Sage was prepared to deal with. “Nothing’s changed,” she whispered as she lay down alongside him. Sage thought he just might combust as he realized she was naked. Her breasts pressed against his arm and as she shifted, bringing one knee up to hook over his thighs, he could have sworn he felt her heat. “I know that, Anni. Do me a favor and leave,” he said gruffly. His hands were fisted so tightly they hurt, and he knew if she didn’t move away soon, his control would snap.No more . The last memory he had of them together, he wanted to at least have the illusion that they might really matter to each other. And he didn’t have that now.


Her lips skimmed over his shoulder and he felt the mattress shift just a little as she pushed up onto her elbow. “There’s not much anybody can do to change what I feel, Sage. Not you, not me…not anybody,” she said softly. As she spoke, she stroked one hand up and down his back. But her hand wasn’t bare. He felt the smooth, velvety texture of the synthetic leather gloves she wore. She hadn’t had them on five minutes ago. Just the gloves…he had said something to her just days earlier, about her wearing just the gloves. As the image of that formed in his mind, hunger blistered through him and bitterly, he loosed his fragile grip on control. So much for illusions. He flipped over, moving so fast that Anni fell flat on her back. Her hands landed by her head and he groaned as he saw the smooth, formfitting black that covered her hands and wrists, halfway up her forearms. Grabbing one wrist, he brought her hand to his face and nuzzled his cheek against her palm. Okay, what would one more time hurt? Sage let go of her hand as he levered his weight over her. Wedging his knee between her legs, he pressed his hips tightly into the cradle of her thighs. He could still pretend, right? “I love you.” Stiffening against her, Sage closed his eyes. His imagination wasn’t that vivid. But maybe it was. He knew he hadn’t really heard that soft, throaty whisper. Her hands slid up his sides, the tips of her claws pushing through the slits in the fingertips of her gloves. A trail of fire streamed along his skin under her touch and he buried his face against her neck. One of her hands came up and fisted in his hair, tugging slightly. He trailed his lips up her neck, along the line of her throat, seeking out her mouth, but she just turned her head away. “Damn it, Sage. Will you look at me?” Her stormy gray eyes stared into his and this time her voice was louder, firmer. “Did you hear me? I said I love you. I have for years.” Her black-gloved hands came up, cupping his face and they stared into each other’s eyes as she slowly brought her mouth to his. The heat was there—whenever he looked at her, thought of her, touched her—the heat was there. But this time, there was something else with it. His heart raced and Sage felt like somebody had come and wrapped a giant fist around his lungs, squeezing the air from his body.I love you… That wasn’t even something he’d ever let himself dream of. Slowly, he pulled his mouth from hers, lingering to lick at her lips before lifting up to stare at her. “Say it again,” he whispered gruffly. That slow, sexy smile curved her lips, a smile that was totally feline, totally female. “I love you,” she murmured, her voice a low, velvety purr. Lowering his head, Sage pressed his brow to hers. “Years, huh?” “Hmmm…I started daydreaming about you practically the first minute I met you.”


Sage levered up onto one elbow, staring down into her face. “You were just a kid.” Anni ran one fingertip down his shoulder. “I didn’t stay a kid, though, Sage. Daydreams can turn into something a bit more…obsessive.” He scowled down at her, brows drawn low over his eyes. “You never said anything.” She laid a finger against his lips as she grinned up at him. “Well, you still haven’t.” Opening his mouth, he bit down lightly on her finger, watching as the pupils in her eyes expanded, feeling her heart skip against his. Sage reached up and closed his hand around her wrist, gently pinning it down on the bed. He lowered his head and bit her chin lightly. “No…I haven’t.” As he stared down at her, his hazel eyes unreadable, Anni decided that she wanted to bite him. And not in a good way, either. Before she could really settle into her sulk, though, he covered her mouth with his, pushing his tongue inside. One big, hot hand swooped down her side, kneading her hip and then sliding down to cup her leg just behind her knee. As he brought her knee up, Anni whimpered. She could feel him now, the denim-covered ridge of his cock throbbing against her. Sage started to move with slow circular motions and each movement made her burn hotter and hotter. He brought her to climax just like that, his mouth on hers, his hips moving against her sex until she exploded underneath him, screaming into his mouth, her fingers digging into the hard, bunched muscles of his biceps. Then he left her. Anni cried out at the loss of his body, weak little mewls that sounded foreign. Seconds later, he was back, pressing a soothing kiss to her mouth. “Shhh…” he whispered as he wedged a knee between her thighs. She clenched her legs together as his muscled thigh brushed against her. Arching up, she rubbed herself against him hungrily. Sage chuckled against her lips as he lifted up, pushing back until he was on his knees. Anni reached for him but he caught her hands and gently pressed them down into the mattress. Anni couldn’t stop the soft, frustrated growl, but lay still, closing her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. Her claws tore into the tough, synthetic leather covering her hands. His hands came up, palms pressed against the outside of her thighs, slowly skimming upward until he reached the apex. Then he shifted his grip and moved his hands to her inner thighs, pushing her legs apart. That done, he settled against her. Anni cried out at the shocking heat of his cock—thick, heavy and naked—pressing against her. Anni reached for him, locking her hands around his neck and pulling his mouth to hers. She kissed him hungrily as she pumped her hips against his. She slid slickly over him and he throbbed against her. “Look at me,” Sage demanded as he pulled his mouth away. Her lids were heavy, her brain fogged with need, but she forced herself to look up at him, staring into eyes that burned with a hunger that echoed her own. He pressed against her as their eyes met and pushed the first inch of his length inside her. “I love you,” he murmured. Anni felt tears sting her eyes as he continued to move inside her, a slow possession, surging in,


withdrawing, each move slow and designed to drive her out of her mind. She arched up to meet him and clenched the muscles in her sheath around his cock, trying to keep him inside her. As tears started to trickle down her cheeks, he lowered his head and kissed them away. “No…no crying, baby,” he crooned as he pushed completely inside her. “Can’t help it…say it again.” He laughed softly, covering her mouth with his. The pace of his thrusts picked up and she whimpered, feeling him throb within her. She clenched around him, gripping his cock like a silken fist. She was hot, silky and wet, her pussy convulsing around his cock in a milking caress as he pumped in and out. Sweat beaded on his flesh and Sage groaned, shifting higher on her body so he could ride her clit. As he brushed against the hard little knot of flesh, she cried out. In the cradle of her hips, he circled against her, shifting his angle so that he’d brush against her G-spot with each stroke. The scent of her grew stronger as her body heated more. A soft flush spread upward from her breasts until her ivory cheeks were pink. Lowering his head, he traced his tongue around the hard crest of first one nipple, then the other. Anni wrapped her legs around his waist, arching up against him. He slid a hand under her, cupping her butt and lifting her. His thrusts picked up in speed and she cried out, tightening around him. Sage nuzzled her gently and then bit down lightly on her nipple. As he did, she convulsed around him and started to come. While she sobbed, he lowered his head. Sage bit down on the lobe of her ear and then he muttered, “I love you…damn it, I think I always have.” Then he gave up to the burning inside and exploded with her, feeling her arms wrap around him, holding him as he lost himself in her. He rode it out until the very end, emptying himself completely before he collapsed against her, shifting down so his head was pillowed between her breasts. Her hands stroked up and down his shoulders and he caught one wrist in his, bringing her palm to his lips. Her fingers twined with his and they stayed like that as they tumbled into sleep. Sage’s last thought was,Finally…she’s mine .

About the Author

They always say to tell a little about yourself! I was born in Kentucky and have been reading avidly since I was six. At twelve, I discovered how much fun it was to write when I took a book that didn’t end the way it should have ended, and I rewrote it. I’ve been writing since then. About me now...hmm... I’ve been married since I was 19 to my high school sweetheart and we live in the midwest. Recently I made the plunge and turned to writing full-time and am looking for a part-time job so I can devote more time to my family—two adorable children who are growing way too fast, and


my husband who doesn't see enough of me...

Shiloh welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Ave., Akron, OH 44310. Also by Shiloh Walker

A Wish, A Kiss, A Dream anthology Coming In Last Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails II anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales From the Temple IV anthology Every Last Fantasy Firewalkers: Dreamer Her Best Friend’s Lover Her Wildest Dreams His Christmas Cara His Every Desire Make Me Believe Myth-behavin’ anthology Mythe & Magick Mythe: Vampire Nightstalker: Back From Hell Once Upon A Midnight Blue Silk Scarves and Seduction Telling Tales The Dragon’s Warrior The Dragon’s Woman


The Hunters: Ben and Shadoe The Hunters: Delcan and Tori The Hunters: Eli and Sarel The Hunters: Jonathan and Lori The Hunters: Rafe and Sheila Touch of Gypsy Fire Voyeur Whipped Cream and Handcuffs

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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