Duke sipped his third cup of coffee, needing the jolt of caffeine to stay awake. He"d been parked outside of Sasha Willis"s hotel for over an hour now, and it looked as if he had a long night ahead of him.
He"d received more orders by e-mail, asking him to keep a closer eye on what the new administrator was up to so he could report to the others at their meeting tomorrow. He glanced at his watch. Make that today, since it was now after midnight.
Earlier, he"d followed her to a barbecue at Lacey Sebastian"s place. Most of the local Paladins had shown up for the festivities along with their pet Others. No surprise there since one of the Sebastians-Lacey-was shacked up with one of those freaks.
The Willis woman had taken a cab to the party, so he"d expected her to call another one to take her back to the hotel. Instead, she"d walked out with Lonzo Jones and his Other roommate, Larem. Yeah, that crazy Kalith had even lifted her up into the truck cab. She hadn"t looked happy about having him touch her-it spoke well of her.
Afterward, Duke had hung back to make sure there wasn"t any more to it than the two guys saving her cab fare. But that wasn"t how it played out. Once they reached the hotel, Larem had once again put his hands around her waist and set her back down on the pavement. This time she"d smiled and leaned on his shoulders, where they"d lingered a little too long.
Lonzo had taken off right after that, leaving the two of them standing outside the hotel. Rather than see Sasha heading inside, though, Larem had tugged her around the corner into a pool of shadows. Duke had actually spilled part of his coffee in his lap out of shock at what happened next.
Sasha had not only let the Other kiss her, but Duke wouldn"t have been surprised if she"d let the Kalith f.u.c.k her right there up against the wall. How sick was that? He used his cell phone to snap a couple of pictures to forward to his contact.
How could yet another human woman allow herself to be used by one of those crazies? She had to know what he was. Furious, he"d driven by and taken a potshot at Larem with his paint gun, the only weapon he"d had with him. He"d aimed at the back of Larem"s head, but he"d been off by a couple of inches. Still, it was fun watching the lovebirds go diving for the ground.
Knowing the Kalith"s uncanny night vision, Duke had taken off right after to avoid being recognized. He"d driven to the rear of the hotel to park and then slipped into a back corner of the lobby just in time to see Sasha and Larem duck into an elevator.
After hanging around for fifteen minutes with no sign of Larem, Duke had bought a cup of coffee and headed back out into the night. He"d circled the block until a parking spot opened up that would give him an un.o.bstructed view of the hotel"s front entrance. Sure, Larem could go slinking out the back, but that would be the wrong direction if he was heading home.
Duke"s orders had been to watch, and that was what he was doing. Once he knew how long Larem spent in Sasha"s room, he"d go home and report in tomorrow. Although he had little info about the group that had contacted him, he knew enough to know that they"d be outraged by this development. He set his coffee aside and picked up his paint gun, staring down the sights at the bright light pouring out of the hotel entrance.
Too bad it wasn"t a real gun instead of a wannabe weapon. He imagined the satisfaction of watching a bullet hitting the center of Larem"s chest, exploding in a spray of red blood instead of blue paint. Yeah, that would feel d.a.m.n good. Maybe next time.
Then, as if his imagination had conjured up the alien, Larem walked out of the hotel, stopping long enough to zip his jacket before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking off into the darkness. It was d.a.m.n well about time the freak left. Duke checked his watch. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had been inside for close to two hours. Plenty of time to get it on with the Willis woman.
Duke turned the key in the ignition. If he hurried, he"d have enough time to get a few hours" sleep before heading to Whidbey Island in the morning. Maybe he"d come home from the meeting with a new set of orders to follow, ones that involved settling the problem of the Kalith permanently.
Larem skirted the dim light of the sidewalk, preferring to keep to the shadows. It definitely fit his mood better than the warm glow cast by the streetlights overhead. He could"ve flagged down a cab, but he figured he stood a better chance of outdistancing the demons nipping at his heels if he walked home.
What kind of fool leaves the warmth of a willing woman"s bed to hike his a.s.s home through the damp mist of a Seattle night? His kind, evidently. Even now, it was all he could do not to go back and beg Sasha to forgive him for taking off as soon as . . .
As what? As soon as he"d poured everything he had, everything he was, into her? He"d planned to show her how good it could be between them and ended up learning something far more important about himself: he was a fool. And not just an ordinary fool. No, he was the kind who managed to destroy his own honor and hurt the woman he cared about, all at the same time.
He"d promised himself to make it so good for Sasha that she"d never forget him. Fine. He"d accomplished that, because the s.e.x had certainly been spectacular. What he hadn"t counted on was the emotional connection that had been forged between them.
From the instant they got skin-to-skin, he"d been able to sense what pleased her and then what pleased her even more. How she liked to be touched and tasted, how hard and fast she liked to be taken, and how she"d clung to him as they"d both found sweet release.
But he"d also known how much she"d hurt when he"d turned away from her, unable to face what he"d done. Oh, she"d hidden it well, agreeing that it was best he leave so they could both get some rest. She had reports to write, and Larem needed to prepare for that big match Devlin had scheduled on Monday against those young Paladins. Besides, Lonzo might return home and worry about where his roommate was.
Yet none of their reasons would stand up to the light of day, because they were nothing but cowardly excuses. Larem held his face up to the falling mist. What other lies could he tell himself? How this night hadn"t mattered when they both knew it had?
The worst part was that the farther away he got from Sasha, the more he wanted to turn around and go slinking back to her door. He had few illusions that she"d let him in, but the least he could do was apologize.
A vehicle drove past him, going slow despite the lack of traffic. For the first time since leaving the hotel, Larem took notice of his surroundings. Had that car driven by before? He hadn"t really been paying attention, but something about it was familiar. Of course, he wasn"t particularly knowledgeable about such things. Trucks were easy. Cars, too. But the one that had disappeared around the corner ahead was somewhere in between. What were they called? Letters, not a name. "S" something.
He kept walking and waited for the right description to come to mind. Oh, yes, an SUV. Black and shiny. If it went by again, he"d memorize the license plate number. Either D.J. or Cullen could use those mysterious computer skills of theirs to find the owner. If someone was paying too much attention to Larem"s movements, he needed to know who it was.
Rather than take the direct route to the apartment, he backtracked a block, circled up the hill, and went back down a couple of streets over. If the SUV pa.s.sed him again, he could be pretty certain the driver was taking more than a casual interest in Larem"s business.
He was about to give up and go on home when sure enough, the car rolled into view. He must have done something to alert the driver to his interest because the SUV stopped abruptly. After a second, the driver turned in to an alley. Larem took off running, hoping to get a look at the license plate, but the driver gunned the engine and drove out of sight before Larem got close enough.
Great. First that paintball shot and now this. What was going on? He"d talk to Lonzo about it first chance he got. Alone now, he took the most direct route to the apartment, glad to get out of the danger that lurked on the dark Seattle streets.
The ferry ride across to Whidbey Island did little to calm Duke"s nerves. He was too busy second-guessing his decision to attend the secret meeting at the state park to relax. G.o.d, what had he gotten himself into?
He still didn"t know if he was going to be greeted by kindred spirits who were sick of how things were going or if he"d be facing the business end of a Paladin"s sword. Up until last night he"d been on the fence about whether to make the long trek to the park or skip it altogether.
Then he"d seen what he"d seen. How could Sasha Willis have hooked up with an Other? The very idea made Duke sick, not to mention seriously p.i.s.sed. Maybe he"d feel differently if she was unaware of what Larem was, but she knew full well what she"d invited into her bed.
His fury had carried him through the night and all the way onto the ferry. But once the boat left the dock, near panic set in. Halfway between the mainland and the island, he was safe from the repercussions of his decision. But once he drove off the ferry, there would be no turning back. h.e.l.l, there could even be someone watching him now. That idea had his head swiveling like a weather vane in high winds. As far as he could tell, no one was paying any overt attention to him, but it wasn"t much comfort.
The captain blew the horn, warning the pa.s.sengers it was time to return to their cars on the lower deck. He"d come this far; he"d go the rest of the way.
Duke followed the signs to the park, slowing at the entrance to decide which way to go. Finally, he chose a parking spot at random, picked up the newspaper he"d been instructed to bring, and started toward a cl.u.s.ter of picnic tables. Maybe the guy wouldn"t show at all, and Duke could relax in the sun for a while before heading back.
No such luck, though. As soon as he perched on a table a familiar figure appeared at the edge of the woods. It was that Rusty guy he"d met at the bar. Somehow he wasn"t surprised, but Duke stayed seated, letting the man come to him.
Rusty hovered a few feet away. "Glad you made it. You came alone."
"Yeah, as requested." He aimed for casual but wasn"t sure he succeeded.
"Good." Rusty c.o.c.ked his head to one side and stared at him. "I have to tell you, I wasn"t sure you"d show."
"Well, I did." Duke glanced around. "Where"s everybody else?"
The other man finally joined him at the table. "For now, there"s just us. The fewer people you know are involved, the fewer you can betray."
Okay, that had Duke seeing red. "Listen, a.s.shole, I didn"t come all the way here to be insulted."
"It works both ways, Duke. Those who don"t know you"re involved can"t offer up your name to buy a little forgiveness if they get caught either."
True enough. Maybe he"d listen some more. "So why am I here?"
"Because you"re as sick as I am of seeing the organization going to h.e.l.l. We both know Kincade was on our side. Yeah, he had his faults, but he always gave the guards a square deal. Now he"s in custody and the Paladins and their pets are acting like they own the whole f.u.c.king place."
Fairness had Duke saying, "They do most of the fighting."
Rusty sneered. "Yeah, but what else are they good for? If they didn"t get to kill all the Others they want, who else would they be killing-us? You know they"re all hardwired to swing those swords."
"So what do you want from me?"
"Nothing you don"t already do. Keep an eye on things. When you see something that shouldn"t be happening, let me know."
Rusty stared up at one of the towering firs that surrounded them. "I was sent here by one of the higher-ups who is concerned about the dark turn this sector has taken. If we can build a case against the Paladins, maybe we can force the Board of Regents to clean house and a.s.sign a new Regent, one who will get things back on track."
"They already sent Sasha Willis to do that job."
Duke threw that out to see how Rusty would react. Did anyone else know about her a.s.sociation with Larem?
"She won"t be here long. Her daddy won"t let her stay. The last thing a Regent would risk is having his daughter take up with a Paladin."
Duke sneered. "You mean like the judge"s daughter shacking up with Trahern?"
"Exactly." Rusty cleared his throat and spat. "How she can stand living with that crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d I"ll never know."
Duke gazed at the clouds scuttling across the bright blue sky, wishing he knew for sure if he could trust Rusty. It would be different if he knew who was really pulling the strings, but he understood the need for secrecy.
His companion stood up. "We shouldn"t hang out here too long. So unless you"ve got something to report right now, I"m out of here. Wait fifteen minutes and then leave, too. I"ll keep in touch. You do the same."
Duke almost let him leave, but in the end the rage he"d been fighting since the night before forced its way out.
"Before you go, there is this one thing, Rusty."
Monday afternoon, Sasha had no legitimate reason to be lurking in the hallway outside the gym where the Paladins honed their already lethal skills with bladed weapons of all kinds. She"d never had a chance to see any of them in action. Well, not before the other day in the tunnels, but that memory was blessedly a blur to her now.
The gym was two stories high, with open windows at the back that allowed spectators to watch from above. At the moment, she had the hall to herself. Every so often, she peeked in to see if anyone had arrived. Okay, so not just anyone-Larem. She was still a ma.s.s of unresolved confusion over what they"d done Sat.u.r.day night.
Oh, he"d fed her a good line about why he needed to leave. One minute they"d been in perfect accord and the next he was running for the hills. It couldn"t have been something she"d said, because he"d never even given her a chance to speak.
The jerk. She had spent most of yesterday working up a good case for being mad at him. That anger was definitely part of what she was feeling right now, but that wasn"t why she was hanging around. No, the blame for that could be laid right at the feet of an overwhelming curiosity about what was going to go down once all the players arrived.
Devlin had clearly sided with Larem in that near dustup between him and those young Paladins. Even Trahern had waded in on Larem"s side. If she hadn"t missed her guess, the older Paladins were really looking forward to watching those youngsters face off against a highly trained Kalith warrior. She"d seen Larem in action and actually pitied them if he decided to unleash on them.
The sound of voices drifted up from the floor below. She edged closer to the opening and looked down. Paladins were pouring in from all directions. Most headed toward the row of benches that lined the walls, shoving their equipment bags underneath and out of the way.
She recognized Craig and his two buddies standing over in the corner whispering among themselves and watching the door with understandable trepidation. Their big mouths had gotten them into trouble. It remained to be seen how much they learned from the experience.
A sudden hush fell over the gym as Devlin walked in with Trahern at his side. Barak q"Young was right behind them, along with Hunter Fitzsimon, Lonzo, Cullen, D.J., and Penn. Obviously, Larem"s supporters were out in number.
Her heart did an odd little leap when the man himself appeared. His dark hair was down, and he wore what had to be traditional Kalith clothing: close-fitting black pants and tunic with soft boots. She ignored the little surge of heat that flooded her veins at the sight.
Larem paused in the doorway to take a long, slow look around, then his eyes suddenly turned upward in her direction. She"d thought she was tucked far enough out of sight that no one would notice her, but she"d obviously been mistaken. Larem stared right at her.
She froze, unsure whether to wave or to take off running. She settled for holding her ground. Finally, he tore his gaze from hers and focused on the men grouped around the gym. It didn"t surprise her that the reaction to his presence was mixed outside his immediate circle of friends. Of course, with Devlin and Trahern on his side, the rest of the Paladin contingent couldn"t say much.
Larem stripped off his shirt, tossed it on the bench, and then did a series of stretches. G.o.d, she had it bad. All she could do was think about how amazing those supple muscles and that sleek skin had felt as he"d surged over her, in her. She"d like to think he was showing off a bit because she was watching, but for all she knew, this was his normal warm-up routine.
Finally Devlin stuck two fingers between his lips and let loose a shrill whistle. Silence settled over the room. He looked around, nodding at a few of the men as he did.
"Okay, we"ve got a little something extra planned for today"s practice. Larem q"Jones is here to give some special training to Craig and company."
Devlin took a minute to look around again. "It seems every so often I have to remind some of you that the Kalith warriors who live among us do so because they"ve earned that right with their courage, their loyalty, and their blood. I will not tolerate anyone treating them with anything less than the respect they deserve."
Trahern and the rest of Larem"s friends spread out around the room, their stances relaxed. But even from up above she could tell there was nothing relaxed about the way they watched the others in the gym.
When Larem was ready, he picked up his sword. Was it the same one he"d carried in the tunnels the other day? The shape was similar, but she couldn"t be sure. There was no way to miss how comfortable he looked with the weapon in his hand, as if it were an extension of his arm.
When he walked to the center of the floor, Barak came with him, his own sword in hand. The two Kalith warriors faced each other, smiling briefly before putting on their game faces.
Devlin spoke up again. "Barak and Larem have agreed to give us a demonstration of the Kalith style of fighting before they work with a few chosen Paladins."
He shot a dark look to the corner where Craig and his friends looked a bit sick. Devlin obviously took pleasure in their discomfort. In some ways, she felt bad for the kids and wondered at Devlin"s reasons for insisting on humiliating them in front of their peers. Obviously he had a point to make.
At some invisible signal, Barak and Larem charged at each other, shouting their challenge in their native language. When their swords clashed together, she grabbed the edge of the windowsill and held on for dear life. Their blades were a blur of motion, the two swordsmen moving with terrifying grace.
As the bout continued, the Paladins gradually gathered closer, no doubt as entranced by the amazing display as Sasha was herself. How could the human body move that way? Of course, they weren"t really human, but any differences were negligible. She had firsthand knowledge on the subject.
Gradually, the two men slowed down and then separated. With another nod and wider smiles, the bout was over. Applause broke out as Devlin tossed Barak a towel. Lonzo held one out to Larem along with a bottle of water. He took a long drink before handing it back. A quick swipe with the towel and then he headed back out onto the gym floor.
This time Hunter joined him, sword in hand. Once again, the two men saluted each other before the weapons came up and the action started. Their styles were markedly different but equally lethal. Hunter favored one leg as the match wore on, but he didn"t back off at all. When he lunged forward at the wrong time, though, Larem hooked the Paladin"s sword and yanked it out of his hand, sending the blade clattering across the gym floor.
Hunter froze, staring down at the curve of Larem"s sword poised just shy of his carotid artery. His smile was slow in coming but no less genuine for the delay.
He backed away, laughing and shaking his head. "d.a.m.n it, man, that"s the third time I"ve fallen for that maneuver."
Larem switched his sword to his left hand and held his right out to Hunter. "We"ll keep working on it until you learn to block it."
The two men shook hands, and Hunter clapped Larem on the shoulder before retiring from the floor. "I keep telling myself one of these days I"ll actually win one against you, but thanks for not embarra.s.sing me completely."
"You"re welcome, my friend."
Larem stayed where he was. He ran a finger along the edge of his sword, perhaps checking it for damage. As he lowered it back to his side, he looked to where Craig stood watching, holding his own sword in a tight-fisted grip. Larem motioned for the young Paladin to come forward.
Sasha could feel the tension ramping up in the gym as the two men faced each other. The situation had the potential for turning ugly fast. She crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.
Larem studied his new opponent. They were about the same height, but Craig carried more muscle than he did. Without having seen the young Paladin in action, he figured his fighting style would be similar to Trahern"s-more strength than finesse-although he could be wrong.
"Shall we?"
There was a certain determined grimness in Craig"s expression as he nodded and brought his sword up into fighting position. Larem had to give the kid credit for facing him without flinching.
With a quick flick of his blade, Larem signaled that the dance was on. Within seconds he was impressed. Craig"s technique was rough around the edges, but he definitely had the potential to be one of the best. He"d never be fast enough to master the style that Barak and Larem used, but that didn"t mean he wouldn"t be just as lethal.
Larem flashed back to when he used to train recruits back in his own world, loving the challenge of tailoring the lessons to best suit each individual. Craig was a quick learner, countering when Larem deliberately left him an opening. The second time, though, Larem hooked the kid"s sword and came close to striking it out of his hand.
He danced back out of the way and held his hand up to signal a stop. Craig retreated, his att.i.tude clearly suspicious when Larem moved to stand beside him.
"You"ll get yourself killed if you make that mistake in battle. Watch me." Then he went through the correct maneuver in slow motion, repeating it several times.
"Now you."
Craig mimicked his technique, flinching only slightly when Larem took hold of the kid"s thick wrist and corrected the angle just a bit. "Good. Go through that several times slowly so that you do it right. Rushing only reinforces bad habits."
At least the kid listened. After a few more repet.i.tions, Larem faced off against him again. "Okay, bring it on."