Chapter Eight

Leonidas watched her.  Even in sleep she gave off an air of sensuality.  He’d been fighting with himself for hours.  Bonding with her had been the last thing he wanted.  She was D’Harahn, the child of Constantine Belenus, a man whose family had kept him and his kind in virtual servitude for millennia.

Despite the peace that existed today between he and Constantine, Leonidas still harbored harsh feelings.  Had it not been for the ill-conceived plan by Constantine and Octavian all those centuries ago, he would not be here today, an exile on this alien world.

No, you would be as dead as the rest of V’Kar.  He bit down on the snarl that rose at the thought.  Yes, he would have been dead.  But he would have had years with his mate, years to have a family.

He stiffened in surprise as it occurred to him that his thoughts no longer carried the violent sting they once did.  The black hole filled with bitterness and pain he had lived with for so long was fading.

Because of her and the irresistible hunger she inspired.  She’d taken him.  Offered what was within her with her bite and he’d succumbed to the lure with an ease that shocked him.

What was it about her?  She was a smart-ass, independent, brash and bold almost to a fault.  A valiant warrior as she’d demonstrated, but one given to taking unnecessary risks with no regard to her own safety.

His blood stirred at the memory of her in battle. She rivaled her mother who was a formidable warrior.  And, she was ShaDahn, capable of bearing children.  He’d not considered that until now.  With her he could have the sons and daughters he’d been so long denied.

With her, he could have love.  Love?  It was almost a foreign concept to him,he’d lived so long without it.  Now it seeped into his every cell, permeating him.  It was almost frightening; something he’d never admit aloud, but recognized.  She was his mate, part of him and he would die before losing her.

With something akin to reverence, he smiled at her, allowing himself the luxury of sinking into the feelings.

Shilah felt him in her mind before she gained consciousness.  To her surprise, it did not seem like a violation or intrusion.  It felt…right.  A smile took shape on her face.  She opened her eyes and tilted her head back to look up at him.

Leonidas lay watching her.

“Good morning.”  She lazily ran her hand over his bare chest.

She saw his smile fade and felt his tension.  Almost immediately he tried to erect to bar her from sensing his feelings.  “What?” She sat up.

“Your father will not be pleased.”

She fell back on the bed in relief. “Whew, I thought it was something serious.”

“This is serious.”

“No, it’s not.”  She rolled over on her side to face him.  “He’s my father, not my owner.”

“It took a lot of time for us to make peace, Shilah.  This may fracture that peace.”

“No, it won’t.”  She argued.  “Leonidas, this is my life.  My choice.  And I chose you.  It’s done.  He may be surprised, but why should he care?  He should be happy.  You and he – like you said, you made peace.  You trust each other, depend on each other.  It should make him happy that I bonded so well.”

She laughed at her own words.  “That sounded so trite.  Like a human saying they’d married well.  And you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know. Still…”

“Do you regret it?”

He shook his head. “I never thought to know this again.”

That brought a stab of jealousy.  From their bond she’d learned a lot.  Like the love he had for his first mate.

“You have nothing to fear,”  he said softly.

“Are you sure?”

“Quite.”  He reached out to cup her face in one hand.  “You are mine, Shilah.  Now and for as long as we draw breath.”

“That sounded quite proprietary,” she teased.

“It is.”

Okay, here it was, the problem she knew they’d have.  “Look, just so we’re clear, I get it that I’m yours.  You’re mine.  And that’s how I want it.  But don’t think for a second that I’m going to suddenly stop being me, hide away and stop doing what I do.”

He rolled away and got off the bed.  “I don’t want to have this conversation.”

“I can see that.  But we’re going to.  Leo, look at me.”

He ignored her and started dressing.  She got up and went to him.  “Leo, I’m serious.”

“Yes, I know.”  He turned to her.  “You are who you are.  As am I.  And we will have this conversation.  One day.  But not today.  We’ve been redirected to Trinidad. We arrive today and deliver the data to our field office there..”

She was relieved and annoyed all at the same time.  She’d prefer to go ahead and get their roles in this bonding made clear, get in on the record, so to speak, that she wasn’t about to become some sit-in-the-wings mate who spent her time spitting out babies and waiting on her man.

That wasn’t her.  And she knew he realized that.  They were bonded, after all.  It was hard to hide much of anything from a bond mate, something she was just now starting to realize the ramifications of in their lives.

A bond mate wasn’t like any other relationship.  A V’Kar could shield their mind from a parent, sibling or compatriot.  Blocking a bond mate required a lot of energy.

“Already trying to figure out a way to keep me out?”  His voice interrupted her thoughts.

She pivoted on one heel and headed for the shower.  He was right.  Today their attention should be on the mission.  They had plenty of time to work out the kinks in their relationship.

I like it kinky.

She laughed at his voice in her mind.  It might be a challenge, but she thought she was going to like being mated to Leonidas.

*****

A car was waiting when they docked the speedboat, two of their agents standing beside it.  “Sir,” one of them nodded respectfully to Leonidas.  “Our field officer in Tobago requests an audience.”

“For what purpose?”

“They have Intel on a possible lead to our suspect.  And would like for you to personally review the data and decide upon their subsequent assignments.”

“We have an appointment here,”  he stated.

“Yes, sir.  The office here has been thoroughly inspected and cleared.  We have a full contingent awaiting Agent Belenus. She will be safe until your return.”

Leonidas looked at Shilah and as one they stepped away from the men.  “I know,”  she said before he had time to speak. “You need to go to Tobago.  That’s fine.  I have the card with the data.  I’ll deliver it and report in to my father.”

“Wait for me there.”

“Will do.”

He turned toward the men.  “We will deliver Agent Belenus to the office here then you will take me to Tobago.”

“As you wish, sir.”

Twenty minutes later Shilah and Leonidas stood at the door to the V’Kar office.  “Wait for me here,” he said.

“You already said that.”

“Shi.”

It was the first time he’d used the diminutive of her name and it brought a smile to her face. “I got it, Leo.  Wait here for you.”

His eyes narrowed for a split second and she grinned up at him.  “Go on.  I’ll see you when you get back.”

He cut a look over his shoulder to see if they were being watched.  They were.  “Later,”  he promised.

She knew what he meant by the word.  It wasn’t time for them to announce their bonded status.  For now they had to appear as comrads.  Later, well she was already looking forward to the promises she heard him make mentally.

“I’ll hold you to it.”

“Repeatedly,”  he replied and escorted her to the door.

Shilah entered the office, closing the door behind her and looked around.  The lobby was pretty much like the lobby of any office.  An attractive woman sat at the reception desk.

“Shilah Belenus,” Shilah announced herself.

“Oh, Ms. Belenus!”  The woman hurried to stand.  “Angelina Montrose.  Please let me escort you to the Director’s office.  He’s expecting—“

“Leonidas has other matters to attend to,” Shilah filled in the information she knew the woman was seeking.  “He will join us later.”

“Of course.  Please, this way.”

The woman led her to what Shilah would have described as a control room.  Equipped with cutting edge technology, technicians monitored satellite feeds and data transmissions around the globe.

A tall man with piercing blue eyes and pale skin hurried to them.  One look told Shilah that the man was Valian.  “Welcome,”  he greeted her. “Ian Shavantz, director of the Carribean field office.”

“Nice to meet you,”  Shilah shook his hand.

“I was under the impression Mr. Kahnn would be accompanying you.”

“He’ll meet us here later.  He had things to attend to in Tobago.”

“Yes, of course.  You have something for us?”

Shilah took a micro SD memory card from her pocket and gave it to him.  He hurried to one of the techs with the card.  The man inserted it into the card reader on his laptop.

Shilah had taken no more than two steps in the direction of the technician when the door leading out into the hallway blew.

The explosion sent her flying, along with everyone between her and the door.  She banged against a workstation, flipped across it and took the technician seated at it to the floor with her.  By the time she was on her feet, men in what looked like black SWAT gear, wearing face masks with breathing apparatus were storming the room.

It took her all of two seconds to access the situation.  These were not Alliance forces.  They were not armed with blades, a standard issue, and their weapons were not the typical favored by the Alliance.

A gas canister exploded at almost the same moment she flew into motion, rushing one of the men who was focused on others in the room.  She came up beside him, grabbed his gun with her right hand and jerked.  It threw him off balance, turning him toward her.  She immediately threw an elbow strike with her left arm and felt it connect with the side of his head.

The blow didn’t incapacitate him but it threw him off enough that she was able to follow with a kick to the sternum that sent him flying.  Shilah went for his weapon as he fell but the gas was making it impossible to breathe and the way her eyes were watering she could barely see.

Someone grabbed her from behind, twisting her left arm up behind her.  She tried turning into the twist to strike with her right arm but at that moment stars exploded in her vision from a blow to the back of her head.

She had only time enough to think Leo  before blackness took her.