Kristie Cook - Devotion

"You know what's not fair?" he asked, the gold in his eyes sparkling brightly. He leaned his head down again, his lips near my ear, as he took my hand and moved it to his hard groin. He whispered against my ear, "What you do to me isn't fair."

His soft lips traveled along my jaw line and to my throat as I rubbed his erection through his thin workout pants. My back arched as his lips moved to my chest, my breasts aching for his touch. He nibbled my nipples poking through the sports bra then moved lower to kiss my bare stomach. His fingers slipped under my waistband and I gasped. He moaned. He'd moved too low for me to reach anymore, so I took his head in my hands and pulled him up.

"I can't, Tristan," I whispered, my body screaming "yes, you can!"

"Not even out here?"

"We're too close. I can contact anyone in the mansion from here."

His eyes penetrated mine, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. A wide grin spread across his face, then he wrapped his arms around me. "I have an idea."

He flashed, taking me with him. We appeared in a tiny clearing, surrounded by ancient cypress trees that seemed to touch the black sky, leaving just enough to show a moon uncomfortably close to being full.

"We wouldn't be able to do this in a couple of nights–too many Weres would be running around," Tristan said. "But right now, I don't sense anyone for quite a ways. Can you?"

I dissolved my wall, and the mind signatures I felt were too far away, making them distorted and indistinguishable. However near the closest person was, they were beyond my mind-reaching capabilities. A smile stretched my mouth wide. I jumped into his arms, my legs encircled his waist, and I pressed my lips against his.

My hands tangled into his hair as I pulled him into me, separating my lips to taste his tangy-sweetness … mangos, papayas, lime and sage. Mmm … delicious. I thought I might devour him, if he didn't devour me first.

Keeping my legs tight around him, I only let go with my arms long enough for him to pull my bra over my head. I pressed my naked breasts against his bare chest, but not for long, as he slipped his hand between us, caressing and squeezing. His mouth traveled down my neck, and I leaned backward, his hands supporting me, so his lips could move lower, while I ground my pelvis against him.

"Alexis!" My name thundered in my head, but not in Tristan's voice and definitely not in mine. I stiffened. My wall had already fallen, and someone had moved into range. I immediately zoned in on the mind signature and picked up the thought. "... There's something about her …"

"What's wrong?" Tristan mouthed against my breast.

"Stop," I whispered. I let go of him with my legs and dropped lightly to the ground. "Someone's coming."

Tristan groaned quietly. "Are you sure?"

I listened for a moment and didn't hear anything–in my head or with my ears. I shook my head.

"Just wait a sec. Maybe she stepped into range and out again."

After maybe a minute that felt like an hour, I still didn't hear anything and neither did Tristan. He pulled me back into his arms.

"She's more powerful than expected."

I pressed my forehead against Tristan's chest and concentrated. The mind signature felt strange, unlike any of the others. She definitely wasn't a Were or a vamp. The texture was similar to the mages' signatures, but not quite the same. I thought maybe distance distorted it, but that didn't make much sense, since I could hear her thoughts clearly. Another moment of focus brought recognition–it was the same signature I'd noticed in the village earlier today … and the same voice I'd heard at the council meeting.

I picked up my bra and pulled it on.

"Seriously?" Tristan asked, barely making a sound, but I could still hear the defeat.

"Sorry," I mouthed. Weres and vamps had super-human senses and could hear the tiniest sound a mile away, so I explained telepathically. I think she's coming closer. Let me listen.

He nodded reluctantly, disappointment filling his eyes.

"But is she powerful enough? Is she as intelligent as they say?" I could almost hear what felt like a snort. "Nah, she is nothing. We have our leverage over her. Over Katerina and Sophia, too. We'll take care of them easily and the plan will go perfectly. We just need to keep the girl hidden long enough."

My hand flew to my mouth, and my eyes practically popped out of their sockets. I stood frozen until the thought was long gone. Then nothing. The signature traveled out of range again. I plopped to the ground, dumbstruck.

Tristan sank to his knees in front of me and placed his hands on the sides of my face, tilting mine up to his. He whispered only loud enough for my keen ears to hear. "What is it?"

I told him what I heard. "And it was the same council member. The same voice."

"But she still didn't say a daughter, just a girl."

"What other girl would anyone want to hide? And both times she's mentioned it, she paired it with my name."

Tristan shrugged. "At least we know for sure this is the traitor and there's some kind of plan."

"I need to figure out who it is so I can learn as much as possible. And I need to let go of this freakin' shield so I can give Rina proof."

"We can try again … return to what we were doing ..." No enthusiasm filled his words, though, as he gave me a half-hearted smile.

I frowned, and he nodded with understanding. Our moment ruined, he took my hand, and we flashed back to the suite.

I couldn't sleep. Visions of Sheree and how I'd almost killed her while trying to save her soul flashed in my mind, mixed with images of an auburn-haired, brown-eyed young girl trapped in a jail cell. With Julia's suspicious behavior and the voice I'd heard tonight, I couldn't help but think that's whom they kept in the Council Hall cellar. My daughter. Taken from me at birth and hidden away.

Tired of tossing and turning, I slid out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me before lighting the candle by the sink. Tristan surely couldn't have slept through my restlessness, but I didn't want to wake him in case he had. I stood in front of the mirror, pushed my fingers through my hair and pressed my palms against my temples while staring into my own eyes.

"What if …?" I whispered to myself. And the answer came right back. I have to know.

I grabbed my spandex workout pants from the hamper and quickly pulled them on, along with the T-shirt Tristan had taken off before our trip to the gym. It hung to my knees, but I didn't care. No one would see me. No one but …

Without anymore thought, I flashed to the Council Hall cellar. Darkness filled the corridor, now that the door upstairs and the one at the end of the hall were both closed. My eyes adjusted quickly and skimmed the five doors lining each side of the hall. I was only interested in one. The last door on the left, the one imprisoning the only nearby mind signature.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I crept down the corridor. No handle, no indication of a lock or anything interrupted the stone face of the door, except a small opening toward the top with bars and a metal screen covering it. Magic probably kept the door closed and locked the prisoner inside–magic I wouldn't be able to break through. I stood on my toes and peeked through the barred window.

A girl with stringy, matted blond hair and eyes such a pale gray, they were almost no color at all, huddled in the corner. She must have been about twelve years old–not my daughter–but looked younger, so pathetic and harmless.

"You can open it," a girl's voice sounded in my mind. "You're Royalty. And you can help me get out of here. If that vampire comes back … I can't take it again. What she does to me …"