3013: FEVER (3013: THE SERIES Book 16) Read online

  “Luke, I—”

  “Quiet, beautiful,” he murmured against her skin, kissing his way past her belly button. “I won’t let you fall.”

  Hooking her legs over his shoulders, he knelt between her splayed thighs and licked a slow, wet path along her folds. She gasped and shuddered, pulling against her magical bonds in a vain effort to get closer.

  When she’d told him to channel his gift, to use it, this hadn’t been exactly what she’d meant, but she couldn’t complain when it produced such delicious results.

  Still, she wanted more, needed it. She was prepared to beg for it if that was what it took. Only his name made it past her lips before her plea was lost in strangled cry when he closed his mouth over her clit.

  He drew slow, languid circles with his tongue, then quick fast ones, lavishing attention on the bundle of nerves as he inserted two digits into her quivering entrance.

  “Oh, yes,” she moaned, dropping her head back and closing her eyes. “Yes. More.”

  In answer, he thrust faster, pushing deeper into her and wrapping his lips around her swollen clit. One twist of his wrist and a hard suction from his mouth was all it took to push her over the edge. Shaking, muscles straining, she called out his name as her inner walls tightened around his fingers and she tumbled headlong into blinding euphoria.

  “Perfect,” Luke praised, his voice raspy and filled with desire.

  He worked his way back up her body, his lips brushing over her sensitive skin while he continued to pump his fingers within her slick heat. He nibbled along the curve of her neck, nipped at her jaw, and finally, claimed her mouth in a kiss that had her moaning and panting once more.

  Thrusting between her lips, he mimicked the glide of his fingers, then retreated, only to do it all over again. Tasting herself on his tongue added an eroticism she hadn’t expected, and she groaned against his mouth, drinking him in greedily.

  When the magic he’d used to hold her immobile lifted, she dropped her hands to his shoulders, then slid them around to his back, mapping every bulge of his hard muscles. Stars, he was glorious, the type of male her gender coveted, and yet, every inch of his powerful, gorgeous body belonged to her.

  “Mine.”

  “Yours,” he agreed, slipping his fingers from her opening and replacing them with the flared crown of his cock. “Always.”

  Then he thrust forward, spearing her in one swift plunge. Her inner walls stretched to accommodate his girth, and she cried out his name as the sharp bite of pain ratcheted her lust to new levels. Clinging to him, she buried her face against the side of his neck and trembled with renewed need.

  Reduced to his most basic self, he drove into her, pounding her into the wall in a punishing rhythm that had them both gasping and moaning. His fingers dug into her hips, pushing and pulling, demanding she keep pace with him. Undulating against him, meeting him thrust for powerful thrust, she screamed when he pulled her away from the wall, changing the angle and pushing her right to the pinnacle of release.

  He snapped his hips harder, faster, pulling her down on his length with every plunge. Pressure built and exploded, flooding her with liquid fire as her second orgasm slammed into her like a tsunami, dragging her under a tidal wave of pure rapture.

  Two thrusts later, Luke let out a hard, ragged groan and clutched her tightly, his massive frame shuddering around her as he spent himself into her quivering depths.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked a moment when his breathing had slowed enough to allow speech. Gently, he eased his flagging erection from her body and lowered her to the shower floor on shaky legs.

  On the contrary, she didn’t think she’d ever felt so relaxed. “No, neelum, you didn’t hurt me.”

  “Nothing exploded.”

  “I think that’s debatable.” She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. “How did you do that?”

  “I don’t really know. I just thought about what I wanted to happen, and it sort of happened.”

  He sounded very pleased with himself. “Hmm, that’s nice.” She yawned deeply and shook her head. “We’ll have to keep practicing.”

  “Later,” he murmured. “You’re about to fall asleep standing up.” Again, he sounded very satisfied by that. “Come to bed with me.”

  “Your bed?”

  “Yes, beautiful, my bed. Say yes.” Tilting her head up, he kissed her lips, her nose, and both closed eyelids. “Say yes.”

  There was nowhere else she’d rather be. “Yes.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Seated behind the desk in his upstairs office, Luke stared blankly at the wall, unable to concentrate. He had a report to write, order forms to validate, and Jax wanted another update on their progress.

  All he could think about was Jael.

  Finally having her in his bed had been far better than he could have imagined, even if they’d done nothing more than sleep. Curled around her, having her pressed against him skin to skin, feeling the steady beat of her heart had lulled him into one of the best night’s rest he’d had in years.

  Leaving her cuddled under the blankets to sleep while he started his workday had been the worst kind of hell. Stars, she’d been too cute with her tousled hair fanned over his pillow, and her dainty hand tucked under her chin. He wondered if she knew she hummed in her sleep.

  A glance at the time projection that hovered on the far corner of his desk showed just after nine in the morning. Luke sighed. He’d been staring at the damn wall, lost in thought, for well over twenty minutes.

  When someone knocked on his office door a few minutes later, he should have been annoyed, not grateful for the distraction. When he activated the automatic door function and Jael waltzed into the room wearing one of his T-shirts and nothing else, all thoughts of work vanished.

  “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

  “Wonderfully, thank you.” She graced him with that special smile that always made his heart turn somersaults. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I just had a few things to catch up on, so I figured I’d give you an extra hour before we got started in the lab.” He watched her round his desk, opening his arms to her as his gaze raked down her bare legs. “Come here, beautiful.”

  She didn’t hesitate, crawling up into his lap and straddling his thighs. “Now, this is how I expected to wake up this morning.” Winding her arms around his neck, she pressed close and brushed their mouths together. “Mmm, yes, much better.”

  “Then, you’re going to love this.”

  It was all the warning he gave before tangling his fingers in her hair and took possession of her mouth in a hard, demanding kiss. A dark, primal energy buzzed through him when he thrust between her lips, but it was muted, not nearly as powerful or dangerous as in the past. Splitting his focus between pillaging the depths of her mouth and keeping his strange abnormality under control wasn’t easy, but for once, it was manageable.

  When the kiss ended, his mate leaned back with a gorgeous, triumphant grin. “Very good, neelum. You did it.”

  He still had a lot to learn, and he’d probably screw up more than a few times along the way. For now, however, he decided to take the win. Nothing had shattered, broken, exploded, flew across the room, or levitated off the ground, including them. Yes, definitely a victory.

  “While I’d love to stay just like this all day, we should probably get some work done.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” She didn’t make any attempt to move off of him, and the smile slowly faded from her lips. “Neelum, there’s something—”

  His wrist unit beeped from where he’d left it on the corner bookshelf. “Ignore it,” he instructed. “What were you going to say?”

  “When I was in the lab last night. Well, I—” His wrist unit beeped again, interrupting her once more. “Maybe you should answer it.”

  “No. Whoever it is, they can wait.”

  “No, I assure you it can’t wait,” a deep, rumbling voice echoed through the office. “I n
eed your help, Brighton.” The window shades lowered, and the holo-screen on the back wall activated. “Here’s the deal…”

  “Damn it, Nico!” Luke glared at the Krytos male on the screen while doing it best to shield Jael from view.

  “Ah, right.” Nico grinned, slow and lazy, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. “Bad time?”

  “I hate you.” Sliding his fingers along the underside of the desk, Luke fumbled for the small button to deactivate the holo-screen. Once it flashed and disappeared from the wall, he helped Jael to her feet and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. Do you want me to kill him? Because I’ll do it.”

  The sound of Nico clearing his throat filled the room. “You know I can still hear you, right?”

  Although her cheeks were tinged with pink, Jael giggled and leaned into him, pressing her lips to his chest. “Kill him if you must, but hurry. As you just reminded me, we have work to do.” She eased out of his embrace and turned to leave. “I’ll meet you in the lab.”

  Before she could walk away, he grabbed her wrist and jerked her back into his arms for one more scorching kiss. “I love seeing you in my clothes, but you might want to get dressed before you head down to the basement.”

  With a wave of her hand, she dressed herself in a flowing, pink top with black tights and matching boots. “Will this suffice?”

  Damn, she was stunning. “That’ll work.” He needed to get her out of his office before he took her right there on his desk. “Go. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Okay. Don’t make a mess.”

  “A mess?” Oh, right. Murder. Murder was messy. “I’ll do my best.” He waited for her to leave the room before turning on the holo-screen again. “What the hell do you want? And how did you highjack my shit?”

  Nico arched one dark eyebrow and gave him a droll look.

  Okay, yeah, dumb question.

  Nicolo Artane, one-third of Artane Electronics, was essentially a tech god. Once, in their youth, he’d remotely accessed the thermostats in the Hall of Regents and set the temperature to a sweltering ninety-five degrees. It had taken three days for them to undo his programming, and yet, he’d somehow managed to talk his way out of any punishment.

  Not only that, but he and his brothers owned a tech conglomerate that spanned the market on everything from children’s toys to shuttle navigation systems. In other words, their empire made Hart Pharmaceuticals look like a cute hobby shop.

  “I stand by my original question. What do you want?”

  “What? No, ‘Hey, Nico. Good to see you. How have you been?’ Well, thank you for asking, because—”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “—I have a problem. I need drugs.”

  “Yeah, I’m starting to get that feeling as well.”

  Nico’s eyes pale green eyes narrowed. “You already look like a failed science experiment. What the hell happened to you?”

  Luke waved his hand, not wanting to get into the specifics of it right then. “Long story. I’ll tell you later. So…about those drugs…”

  Thankfully, the male just shrugged and didn’t ask any more questions about Luke’s physical transformation. “Specifically, I need a sleep aid and a stimulant.”

  He hoped the guy wasn’t planning to take them both at the same time. “Somnium and caffeine tablets. You can literally pick them up from any med-center. Are we done here?”

  Nico narrowed his eyes again, and the tips of his fangs protruded below his upper lip when he growled. “Do you think I haven’t tried that?”

  It was impressive, Luke would give him that, but he’d known the Artanes for too long to be truly intimidated. “If Somnium isn’t working, I don’t know what to tell you.” The drug was one of the most powerful on the market for inducing deep, dreamless sleep. Rarely did it have side-effects, and even less often did it not actually work. “You don’t look that tired. Are you sure you need it?”

  “It’s not for me. Magnus hasn’t slept for three days now.”

  Luke winced. The eldest Artane was…intense, to put it mildly, and that was when he was rested. Without sleep, well, Luke had the urge to ask if anyone had died yet.

  “And the Somnium isn’t working?”

  “I just said that.”

  “So, what do you need the stimulant for?”

  Huffing, Nico carded his fingers through his short, dark hair and dropped back in his chair. “You really don’t need to know.”

  “If you want my help, I think I do.”

  “How about you just help without asking questions, and I won’t ask why you had a half-naked female in your lap. Or why you’re the size of a damn battle cruiser.” A smirk lifted one side of his mouth. “So, who is she?”

  Folding his arms across his chest, Luke leaned one hip against his desk and shook his head. “My mate, which also answers your second question.”

  And, that shut the male up in a hurry.

  Nico cringed back and dropped all pretense of superiority. “Damn, sorry. I didn’t know. Congratulations, Brighton.”

  “Thanks. She’s awesome. I’m happy. You know…feelings and shit.” He could talk to Jael for hours about his emotions, but that was different. He had no desire to bare his soul to Nico Fucking Artane. “What the hell is going on in your labs that you need both an upper and a downer?”

  “It’s still in development, so I’d rather not say just yet.”

  Luke could respect that. “Frosty, but you’ve got to give me something.”

  “Let’s back up.”

  A mental image of Jael literally moving her chair away from him entered Luke’s mind, and he snorted. At Nico’s raised brow, he waved his hand, but he couldn’t stop laughing. “Never mind. Keep going.”

  “We’re working on…something. It’s kind of fucking with our heads. Magnus can’t sleep. Raz can’t stop sleeping, and I just want to not dream about being eaten by zombies.”

  Luke didn’t even know where to start unpacking all of that. “Again, I repeat, what the hell is going on in your R&D department?”

  Ignoring him, Nico asked, “So, how do we fix it?”

  “Let me see if I have this straight. You need a stimulant to keep Raz awake.” He didn’t know Razar Artane as well as he did the other two, but from their few interactions, he liked the Krytos well enough. “You also need a sleep aid to knock out Magnus, plus something to stop you from becoming a chew toy for the undead every night. Does that about sum it up?”

  “You are strange, Brighton, even for a human.”

  “This coming from someone who used to be human,” Luke shot back. Considering Nico had been converted to a Krytos instead of being born one, he didn’t really have any room to talk about the eccentricities of humans.

  “Fine, yes, you are basically correct. That’s what I need.”

  “And you need it because…reasons.”

  Nico nodded curtly. “Yes.”

  Although his mind was already spinning with possible formulas, the need to get in one more jab was too strong. “Why don’t you just have one of your scientists develop something? You have enough of my people there to come up with a solution.”

  The scientists and lab assistants who had handed in their resignations after the attack on the city had obviously needed a new avenue of income. Lucky for them, Artane Electronics had been right there to smooth the way. Now, no less than a dozen of Hart Pharmaceutical’s former employees were on the Artanes’ payroll.

  “They needed a job,” Nico answered with a slight lift of his shoulder. “We gave them one.”

  “So, ask them.”

  “We want the best.”

  Luke smirked. “Aww, you’re making me blush.”

  “You’re such an asshole.”

  “Okay, okay.” Laughing, he held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. “Give me a few days, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “I appreciate it, and the sooner, the better.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Luke
disconnected the vid comm just as three hard knocks sounded at the office door. Assuming it was Jael again, he called for her to enter. It wasn’t his mate, however, but her brother who stepped across the threshold.

  “I don’t hate you.”

  “Uh.” Luke wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. “Thank you?”

  “You are very strange, even for a human.”

  Why the hell did everyone keep saying that to him? “So, I’ve heard.”

  “My sister cares for you, and while I didn’t approve at first, I believe you care a great deal for her as well.”

  Ah, now he got it. They were having The Talk. The Don’t Hurt My Sister, or I’ll Disembowel You in Your Sleep Talk. It was a similar discussion he’d had with Tariq once upon a time, but it felt a lot different being on the receiving end.

  “I do care about her.”

  He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He’d do anything for her, give up everything if it made her happy. She made him…better—a better brother, a better friend, a better scientist, a better person. It was like he’d been stumbling around in the dark for the last ten years, then suddenly, there was this ray of sunshine that had brightened his entire world.

  “I’m not going to hurt her, Xi.” He couldn’t. He loved her too much to ever cause her even a moment of pain. That felt like the sort of thing he should tell Jael before he said it to her brother, though, so he kept it to himself. “I’m not going to let anyone else hurt her, either.”

  “You are an honorable male.” Xi’s expression became pinched, as if the words had been physically painful to speak. “I offer you my blessing.”

  He could have said that he didn’t need Xi’s blessing or his approval, but he decided to accept the sentiment in the spirit which it was offered. “Thank you. I know that will mean a lot to Jael.”

  Xi held his arms out stiffly, frowning as if the beige tunic that covered him was somehow offensive. “Should we embrace?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think we’re quite there yet. How about a handshake?”