OnsetofDanger (7 page)

He materialized smoothly, Eloise cradled in his arms. After
communicating his thanks, he felt a tingling ripple of amusement. Not willing
to think about the implications, he looked around the room. Apparently they
were the first to arrive.

Exposed trusses and bold stonework suggested that the
building belonged to a previous era. According to Edrick, the main house had
been built twenty-seven years ago. The gatehouse looked at least a hundred
years old.

Arranged like a studio apartment, the living room and
bedroom shared the same open space. Bronik walked to the bed and carefully
placed Eloise in the middle of the king-size mattress. The adjacent bathroom
had obviously been added long after the original construction.

After a perfunctory knock, the front door opened and Prince
Alexi ushered two women into the room. Caitlyn, Alexi’s mate, looked calm and
watchful. Bronik didn’t know her well, but to attract and hold Alexi’s
attention, Caitlyn had to be something special.

Simone immediately crossed to the bed and placed her hand on
Eloise’s shoulder. With long silver-blonde hair and delicate features, Simone
was often mistaken for an adolescent. But the pain in her sky-blue eyes made it
obvious she’d experienced more than anyone at any age should be expected to
bear.

“How long has she been unconscious?” the healer asked him.

“Not long.”

“Did she complain of a headache or dizziness?” Simone kept
her left hand on Eloise’s shoulder while she skimmed Eloise’s face and chest
with her right. “She is extremely depleted. Was she not fed during her
captivity?”

“I offered her blood but she drank very little.”

Simone fell silent as she continued her scans.

“Did Eloise tell you anything before she collapsed?” Alexi
asked.

“Not much. She said her captor claimed that her mother stole
something and he intended to trade her for whatever Tara took.”

“But she didn’t know what Tara is accused of taking?” The
prince sounded as skeptical as Bronik felt. Very little of what Eloise had told
him had been believable.

“Not according to her.” Feeling the irrational need to
protect Eloise, Bronik reinforced his mental shields. It was unlikely Alexi
would scan his mind without permission but Bronik wasn’t taking any chances.

Alexi shook his head, his features tense. “Not likely. Did
she know who was behind the abduction?”

“If she did, she wasn’t saying.”

Something Simone did caught Caitlyn’s attention. She crossed
to the bed, concern plainly written on her lovely face. “What’s the matter?”

Without looking up, the healer said, “She’s starving to
death but she won’t take my blood. I don’t understand what’s holding her back.”
Simone had made a small wound in her thumb and she was rubbing blood over
Eloise’s gums, trying to stimulate her fangs. “And she…” Simone looked from
Alexi to Bronik then returned her attention to her patient. “I’m not sure I can
help her.”

“You’re unable to help her or you’re unwilling to help her?”
Alexi moved closer as well. “I know you were abused by the—”

“I would never allow my personal bitterness to prevent me
from helping someone. Even if I were so cruel, Eloise has always been kind to
me.”

“Then explain what’s wrong.” Despite her calm expression,
Caitlyn’s voice rang with unmistakable demand.

The healer hesitated for another moment before she
explained, “Her symbionts are completely unresponsive. She needs energy
desperately, but without her symbionts she is unable to adequately metabolize
blood.”

“Are her symbionts still alive?” Alexi asked.

“Yes, but they won’t be for long unless we find a way to
feed her.”

“Hook up an IV and—”

“More blood in her veins won’t do any good if she can’t
process the energy,” Caitlyn told her mate.

Simone straightened and tucked her hair behind her ears. She
kept her gaze on Caitlyn, clearly more comfortable with the other woman than
either of the men. “I think I can facilitate an energy transfer, but you and I
are the only Vladya hosts available. I’m not sure how Eloise’s body will react
to your Rom symbionts.”

Rom symbionts? If Caitlyn hosted Rom strain how had she
passed herself off as Vladya? She had been undercover in Tara’s camp when
Bronik and the other survivors had been taken to the Vancouver compound. “You
host two strains?” Bronik had never heard of such a thing.

“It’s a long story,” Caitlyn evaded with a smile.

“I can transfer energy,” Alexi told the healer. “What
exactly needs to be done?”

The Yeager bloodline was the oldest and strongest on
Strigoia Prime, which was why Yeager kings had ruled the planet for the past
millennium. Both Alexi and Bronik belonged to the royal family. Alexi had been
born to the reigning king, while Bronik’s mother was the king’s youngest
sister. Of course, the healer might not realize what all that meant. Most of
the hosts on Earth were initiated into a particular strain, rather than being
born with symbionts already in their blood.

“You’ll need to saturate her body at the cellular level,”
Simone told the prince. “Can you maintain that much control?”

Alexi’s smile verged on smug, but humor softened his
smoky-green eyes. “I think I can manage.”

Simone nodded then looked at Caitlyn. “Would you mind
scanning her while we do the transfer? I know your Rom symbionts allow you to
delve deeper than me. Maybe you can figure out what caused this.”

Caitlyn sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Eloise’s
hand. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

Alexi joined Simone on the far side of the bed. The prince
curved his fingers around Simone’s wrist then placed his other hand on the
center of Eloise’s chest. Silence descended as they went to work. Bronik stood
back, feeling somewhat useless. He was a soldier, a man of action. Though he’d
received years of in-depth training that allowed him to control his abilities,
meticulous finesse was definitely not his style.

Eloise moaned, her head jerking to one side and then the
other. If this didn’t work, would she die? A knot formed deep in his belly. Why
should he care what happened to this woman? They were little more than strangers.
Even as the thought formed he knew it was bullshit. He’d felt a connection with
this little spitfire from the moment she strolled into his cell dressed in
black leather and wielding a whip. She looked more princess than dominatrix now
but he still found her fascinating. He definitely didn’t want her to die.

“How are your levels holding out?” Alexi asked Simone.

The healer’s face was flushed and she was shaking, but she
stubbornly smiled. “Give her more. I’ll go feed as soon as we’re finished.”

Alexi accepted her decision with a nod and went back to
work.

Pivoting toward Simone, Caitlyn placed both hands on the
sides of Simone’s face. The others were engrossed in their task and didn’t
notice Caitlyn’s odd expression. Was Eloise in more danger than the healer
indicated? Bronik moved to the foot of the bed but he remained silent, not
wanting to distract any of the participants.

Suddenly Caitlyn’s eyes flew open and she looked at him.
Have
you been intimate with her?

What difference did that make? Defensiveness mixed with
guilt as he wrestled back the insistence that she butt the hell out. She
wouldn’t have asked unless the detail affected the current situation.

Knowing Caitlyn was trying not to distract the others,
Bronik sent his answer directly to her mind.
Things were headed that way
fast when she passed out.

Caitlyn nodded and closed her eyes again.

“I think we’d better stop.” Simone slipped her arm out of
Alexi’s light grasp. “I’m feeling pretty woozy.”

It took Alexi a moment longer to release his connection then
he lifted his hand and stepped away from the bed. “She’s at about seventy-five
percent, but I have no idea how long this will last.”

“Why is she still unconscious if the crisis is past?” Bronik
asked.

Simone looked at him and shook her head. “The crisis is only
postponed. We have to figure out a way to stimulate her symbionts.”

“I think Bronik can help us with that,” Caitlyn announced
with a sly smile.

“What are you talking about?” Alexi sounded a bit impatient.

“If I interpreted the images correctly, Eloise was coming on
to Bronik because her symbionts stirred each time he…made his desires known.”

“You want me to seduce her?” That had been his intention
before Eloise fell ill. Now, dominating her physically seemed incredibly
cavalier.

“Not exactly.” Caitlyn rubbed her arms, obviously
uncomfortable with what she was about to suggest. “It’s not a matter of
seduction. Eloise—the host—is not the problem here. Her symbionts need to be
stimulated and Vladya symbionts are known for their ruthlessness. Each time you
became sexually aggressive, her symbionts stirred. You must continue that
pattern. Become progressively more insistent until her symbionts—”

“I’ve never raped a woman in my life and I sure as hell
won’t start with Eloise.”

His vehemence seemed to please both Caitlyn and Simone.
“That wasn’t what I was suggesting.
We
know you won’t hurt Eloise, but
she needs to think she’s in real danger. It will excite her symbionts. Eloise,
the woman, might respond to your charm, but her symbionts need to be
challenged.”

“But I have no reason to treat her badly.”

“Actually, you do.” Caitlyn glanced at Alexi before she
added, “She lied to you, which isn’t surprising. But what I read in her mind is
confusing. Her abductor claimed to represent the Levari Brethren.”

“Edrick told me the Levari didn’t survive on Earth.” Alexi
rounded the bed and slipped his arm around Caitlyn’s waist.

“That’s what we all believed.” She snuggled in close to the
prince’s side, obviously content to be near him. “But what reason would her
kidnapper have for implicating an extinct strain?”

“It’s definitely worth exploring,” Bronik agreed.

“And you cannot be nice about it,” Caitlyn stressed. “The
more demanding you become, the more her symbionts will like it. This is about
them, not Eloise.”

Bronik stilled as the implications sank in. “If I can’t
awaken her symbionts, will she die?”

Simone came around the corner of the bed but stopped short
of touching him. “I’ll keep searching for another solution, but right now
you’re the only chance she’s got.”

Awareness returned in stages, drawing Eloise out of the
blackness. An acrid hint of smoke teased her nose then cool air brushed against
her skin. Though heavy-lidded and dry, she forced her eyes open and located the
source of the smoke. A fire churned and popped, safely contained behind a
fireplace screen.

Relieved that the smoke had not signaled danger, she
accepted input from her other senses. Her arms were raised overhead and secured
in wide leather cuffs. A short length of chain connected the cuffs to an
exposed beam in the ceiling. The restraints had kept her body upright even as
she was unconscious.

Fear zinged through her muddled mind, clearing the rest of
the cobwebs. She didn’t recognize the compact, rustic apartment. Had Bronik
handed her off to yet another captor? Dread knotted her belly at the
possibility. If Bronik had wanted her dead, he would have left her with the
Levari Brethren. Yet if he meant her no harm, what was with the restraints?

She knelt on a quilt-covered bed, her knees near the end of
the mattress. A satin thong was her only garment. How long had she been
unconscious? No, a better question was, why had she regained consciousness at
all? The last of her strength had faded as she slipped into the darkness. She still
felt shaky and tired, but something significant had happened while she was
unaware. Sleep alone would not have restored her strength. Somehow, Bronik had
fed her.

The rumble of deep voices sounded on the other side of the
door. She tried to amplify her hearing but her symbionts were still
unresponsive. She tugged against the restraints, not really expecting them to
give yet unable to passively accept her captivity.

The door swung open and Bronik moved into the small living
room, which was separated from the bedroom by a half wall. A rush of cool,
pine-scented air accompanied his entrance, but he closed the door before she
could see anything but shadows. He balanced a tray on one hand, locked the door
with the other then turned toward her.

“Feeling better?” Though his expression remained unreadable,
amusement seeped through in his tone.

“Where am I and what did you do with my dress?”

He chuckled as he crossed the room and set the tray on the
half wall. “We saved your life—again—and your first concern is your dress?
That’s not very gracious.”

“Who is ‘we’ and how were you able to pass me energy?” She
shifted her legs until her weight settled more squarely on her knees, relieving
some of the pressure on her wrists. The position wasn’t painful, just humiliating.
Nudity was often used by captors to denigrate their captives. Except this was
Bronik, who had made his desire for her obvious from the moment they met. Her
nakedness was more likely an indication of his next move.

Pausing to pour a glass of deep-red wine, he strolled toward
her. “What did the Levari do to your symbionts?”

His casual question impacted her like a slap. How the hell
had he figured out… He’d obviously scanned her mind or worse. What else had he
learned while he was trespassing? “I don’t know. When I woke up for the first
time after my abduction, my symbionts were unresponsive.”

“I understand why you didn’t want me to know but your pride
nearly cost you your life.” He moved closer and held the wineglass against her
lips. “Drink. The energy transfusion will last longer if your body is well
fed.”

Energy transfusion? He’d ignored her question before so it
was unlikely he’d explain now, but she needed to find out how he’d fed her. She
couldn’t allow herself to become that weak again.

She jerked her head to the side and wine splashed her upper
chest. “You first.”

“Afraid it’s poisoned?” His brow arched then he lowered his
gaze, caressing her quivering breasts. “Why would I go to all this trouble if I
wanted you dead?” He lowered his head and slowly licked the rivulets of wine
off her skin. One drop trailed between her breasts and he followed, exploring
her flesh with his lips and warm, wet tongue.

Her skin tingled and her nipples hardened even though he
hadn’t touched her there. “Why am I bound?” she whispered as his hand swept up
her side. His thumb teased the outer swell of her breast as he descended again
to her waist.

He lifted his head and returned the wineglass to her lips.
“Drink.” She took a reluctant sip and then another. The wine was rich and cool,
a welcome reprieve for her dry mouth and throat. He took a drink and then
offered her more. “On Strigoia Prime when someone saves a life that life
belongs to them from that moment on.”

“We’re not on Strigoia Prime.” She licked the wine from her
lips as he set the glass aside. What was his game? She needed to understand the
rules if she hoped to survive, much less best him.

“Perhaps not, but you’re mine, regardless of the cause.” He
picked up a plate mounded with fresh fruit, cheeses and cubed meat. “Your
mother doesn’t seem interested in ransoming you, so unless you can offer me
something more valuable than your delectable body, I intend to enjoy you to the
fullest.”

Horrified by his attitude more so than his threat, she
stared into his dark eyes. He couldn’t mean to keep her as a sex slave. Even
Tara would never treat a wellborn captive with such disdain. Then she
remembered how she’d first seen Bronik, bound in chains and stripped to the
waist. “Are there no protocols governing the treatment of prisoners on Strigoia
Prime? I’m a prominent member of—”

“We’re not on Strigoia Prime.” She opened her mouth to
object and he shoved a piece of fruit past her lips. “I might be willing to
barter privileges for information, but I have no intention of letting you go.”

Momentarily silenced by the fruit, she used the pause to
examine his strategy more closely. He desired her, that was no surprise, but
his real goal was obviously information. What could she tell him that would
seem important, yet not endanger Vladya strain?

It didn’t matter! If she told him anything, Tara would sense
the betrayal the first time she touched Eloise’s mind. “If I betray my strain,
I will be running for the rest of my life. Tara’s assassins will not rest until
they find me.”

He speared a piece of cheese with a long toothpick then
added a chunk of meat before he placed it in her mouth. “If you please me
well,” she closed her teeth and he slid the toothpick free, “I will protect
you.”

She consumed the bite as she glared at him. “I will
not
be your sex slave.”

Though his chuckle was warm, it held just enough mockery to
set her teeth on edge. “I wasn’t asking permission.” He set the plate on the
half wall then collared her neck with his hand. “You are mine, whether you like
it or not.”

Dark desire rippled through her body, making her painfully
aware of his strong fingers gripping her throat. For a moment she forgot to
breathe and excitement hummed through her symbionts.
Yes! Please awaken.
I’ve never needed you more than now.

A knowing light flickered within his gaze and she realized
she hadn’t shielded the thought. “If you won’t release me, why should I bother
playing your game? Do what you want with me. I’m not afraid of you.”

“Really?” He leaned down and caught her lower lip between
his teeth, pressing hard enough to make her yelp. “You had no problem spilling
my blood. It’s only fair that I return the favor.”

Images flashed through her mind, vivid and dreadful. She’d
been so arrogant, so cruel while she interrogated him. She’d whipped him and
sliced his chest in her effort to impress her mother. “That was a true
interrogation. This is…” She couldn’t find an argument that made sense. The
parallels were inescapable. An apology rolled across her tongue but she trapped
the sound before the impulse compounded her humiliation. She would not grovel
before this egotist.

He caught her nipple between his thumb and forefinger,
squeezing harder and harder until she gasped and looked into his eyes. “Would
you like to hear what I have planned? I’ve thought of little else since I
escaped you in Vancouver.”

“You didn’t escape me. You escaped General Kovac, head of
Vladya strain.” She held perfectly still, refusing to react to the hot
sensations sparking from his firm grasp.

His brow arched and he released her nipple. “General Kovac?
I thought you called her Mother.”

“And I thought Prince Alexi wanted you to question me.”

“I’ll have more control over my scans once I’ve satisfied my
hunger.” He leaned down and circled her throbbing nipple with his tongue,
soothing the beaded point with heat and moisture. “Have you ever had your
nipples clamped?”

Excitement washed over her, dark and intoxicating. Her inner
muscles rippled and her chest ached. His focus had clearly changed while she’d
been unconscious. Information was no longer his top priority. She closed her
eyes and savored the faint pulse of her symbionts. They liked nothing better
than when she gave in to her most elemental desires and indulged her need for
pain.

“I’m not intimidated by pain.” She licked her lips and
stared straight ahead. “Do your damnedest.”

His only response was to latch on to her other breast and
suck viciously. Her nipple pulsed, echoing the frantic rhythm of her heart.
Would he whip her as she’d whipped him? Slice her flesh or—

“I have something else in mind for my baby doll,” he
whispered without raising his head. He’d obviously heard her rambling thoughts.
“I’m going to spank your pampered ass and see how wet you get.” He finally
straightened and met her gaze. “I don’t have to ask if you’ve been spanked
before. Your eyes reveal your hunger.” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it
aside, muscles rippling beneath smooth, golden skin.

She watched him despite her determination to remain
unaffected by his intimidation. His body was amazing, the ultimate example of a
Strigoian male in his prime. Her hands clenched as she imagined how he would
feel beneath her fingers, so hard and hot as his muscles bunched and flexed.
She yanked against the cuffs and turned her head to the side, but his image was
burned into her memory.

“What’s the matter?” He ran his hand down her side then
teased the upper curve of her ass. “Not so brave without your whip?”

He was goading her, trying to provoke a response. She would
remain stoic and silent. She took a deep breath and calmed her expression,
drawing her focus inward. He wouldn’t hurt her. He might— His palm connected
with her butt and she gasped. “That hurt!”

He laughed and smacked the other side. “Isn’t that the point
of a spanking?”

Heat spread across her ass, sinking deep into the muscles.
Why had the sting been so sharp? Usually her symbionts dispersed the pain and…
Her symbionts were offline, paralyzed. She was
human
again.

Rather than delivering another swat, his fingers teased her
sensitized skin. “You’re so fair. I’ll have to be careful or I’ll bruise you.”

“I think you’re too late,” she muttered under her breath.

“Shall I kiss it and make it better?”

She tensed as he bent to one knee and curved around her
body. One hand splayed against her abdomen while the other grasped her thigh,
and then his lips brushed her behind, a feather-soft caress that sent heat
spiraling through her core. His breath was hot, his tongue hotter as he lightly
licked her skin.

Damn him. One second he was fierce and demanding, the next
achingly tender. How was she supposed to keep up with his moods? He kissed his
way across her hip and onto her belly, pausing to ring her navel with his
tongue. Then he worked around to her other ass cheek, lingering over the
tingling mark until the heat began to fade.

This was worse than the spanking. He surrounded her, his
hands exploring at will as his lips soothed and stimulated. His whiskers
lightly abraded, accenting the softness of his lips. Contrasts and
contradictions. It was intoxicating.

And just when she began to relax and enjoy his attention, he
hooked the sides of her thong with his index fingers and dragged the
undergarment down around her knees. That was as far as he could get without
lifting her off the bed, but he seemed satisfied with the arrangement. The
subtle pressure of the stretched elastic became another restraint, a taunting
reminder of her helplessness.

Her heartbeat kicked up a notch and she could almost feel
her blood sizzle. Could symbionts dream? Were they sensing her uncertainty and
excitement and incorporating the emotions into some sort of incorporeal
fantasy?

Bronik shifted to both knees directly in front of her, his
hands resting on her hips. “I still smell more fear than arousal. Are you wet?
Or should I try another couple of swats?”

“Do whatever you like. I can’t stop you.” She did her best
to sound calm, but her thighs were so tense they were starting to shake.

“And would you if you could?”

“Would I what?” She pretended not to know what he meant but
she had never been more aware of another person.

“Would you stop me from touching you?” He leaned down and
licked the gentle protrusion of one of her hipbones. “Tasting you?”

“Release the cuffs and let’s find out.” To her utter
mystification he released the cuffs with some sort of mental command and her
arms fell free. She was so shocked by the sudden lack of resistance that her
hands slapped against her thighs.

He grinned, eyes flashing with predatory challenge.

After a moment of frozen disbelief, she twisted sharply to
the side and tried to scurry off the bed. Her movements were hampered by the
thong still hugging her knees and she didn’t even make it to the floor. He
hauled her back and tossed her into the middle of the bed. She landed on her
side with a startled gasp and he yanked the thong off as she kicked at him.

“Go on. Stop me.”

She kicked and hit, twisted and clawed, but he barely
noticed her struggles. With a few effortless movements he had her facedown on
the bed, arms securely held in one long-fingered fist. She tried to turn over
but he pressed against the small of her back.