Free Tempt Me Eternally by Gena Showalter Page B

her . . . did you learn how she was able to become you?”
    He sighed. “Not yet, but I will find out.”
    â€œThe change was amazing. You are keeping her for yourself, I gather.” Talon switched to the Earth language on the last sentence, a hungry gleam in his golden eyes.
    â€œYes,” Breean answered, a little stiff.
    â€œNo sharing?”
    His hands clenched at the thought, dark possessiveness clamoring through him. Aleaha stiffened as well. “No.”
    â€œShe—”
    â€œIs mine.”
    A nod and a grin from Talon; a growl from Aleaha.
    â€œI thought as much. Very well,” Talon said. “We have been monitoring the headsets from the agents as you told us to do, but the female voice has stopped talking in them. And this morning, Torrence found and destroyed the cameras they used to watch.”
    â€œOh, God.” Aleaha groaned, paling. “The cameras. I had forgotten about them. They must have seen me . . . what I . . . oh, God.”
    â€œExcellent,” he told his second, ignoring her outburst for the moment. Otherwise he would have drawn her into his embrace and forgotten his purpose yet again. “How much do you lack before the tunnel is empty?”
    â€œWe’re down to the last.”
    â€œFinish up, then. I’ll stop bothering you.”
    Talon returned to directing the men, and Breean’s attention returned to the woman as if pulled by an unbreakable cord. Finally. Her lips were puffy, as if she’d been chewing them, and a bright, vivid red. Like blood. He should have been repulsed.
    He wasn’t.
    Moonlight bathed her, and he would have sworn stars twinkled around her, as drawn to her lovelinessas he was. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds, and strands of dark hair whipped around her face.
    Obviously, her agent’s mind had flipped on. She was studying the surrounding area with sharp precision, taking in every detail. He could not wait to have all that concentration directed at him.
    As if sensing his perusal, she faced him. His desire must have been evident because she shivered, gulped, even inched backward, sinking deeper into night’s shadows. But when she realized what she’d done, she straightened and reclaimed her position in the moon’s amber rays. A true warrior, she was.
    â€œWhat’s inside the chests?” she asked, only the slightest catch in her voice.
    He liked that voice, layered as it was with equal measures of fear, courage, and sexuality. “Weapons.”
    Her attention whipped back to the boxes, as if she could burn a hole through the metal with her gaze. “What kind?”
    â€œDoes it matter? They all do the same thing.” Kill.
    â€œWe’ve got everything,” Talon called.
    Good. Breean didn’t remove his focus from Aleaha. “Close the pit and head out.” He wanted the girl to himself for a while longer. “We’ll be along shortly.”
    â€œAs you wish.”
    He couldn’t stay long; in a few hours, the sun would rise. Only once had he made the mistake of coming to Earth during daybreak. The sun was simply too hot for a Rakan’s golden skin, too blistering, something they weren’t used to since Raka had threealternating moons and a small, sun-like orb that produced only the barest hint of light.
    From the corner of his eye, he saw Talon and a few others secure the tunnel doorway, then gather their supplies and stride away. He should be helping them—he never asked his men to do something he wouldn’t do himself—but again, he couldn’t force himself to walk away from this moment with Aleaha.
    â€œI thought the agents were in there. Where are you moving them?” she demanded. “ When are you moving them? What if they’re injured and need medical attention. And why did you leave me in that room so long?”
    He didn’t have to answer, but he found that he wanted to alleviate her