Shifter’s Station 3: Loving Your Enemy Read online

  “The captain wishes to establish this station as a trading post, correct?”

  Claire nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “I managed trade delegations during my years in the Cerian diplomatic corps, so I’m uniquely suited to assist the captain in making contact with merchants. I have gathered from our limited contact that Captain Devlin is not particularly skilled in diplomacy.”

  Claire pressed her lips together, obviously trying to suppress a smile. “Combat and strategy are his strong points, sir.”

  “Would you please inform him that I would like to speak with him?”

  “I can’t, sir. He told me he did not wish to see you again. I’ve been instructed to inform him when you’ve left the station.”

  “I’m not leaving without seeing him again.”

  Claire gnawed at her bottom lip for a few seconds. “I rather had the impression you’d want to get off the station as fast as possible.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  This time Claire didn’t try to hide her smile. “The captain doesn’t tell any of us much of anything. We’ve learned to make inferences from what he doesn’t say.”

  Kirlos grinned.

  Claire studied him closely for several seconds. Then she took a deep breath. “This could jeopardize my position, but I have to know. When he told me you’d been released, he was extremely distracted, not himself at all. And his clothes looked very hastily put on. Did he… sleep with you?”

  “I never kiss and tell.” Kirlos pitched his voice low and sultry and gave Claire a wicked smile.

  Claire giggled. “I think he needs to see you after all.” She pressed a button on her wrist unit. “Captain. Major Adesta insists that he speak with you before he departs.”

  “No.”

  “He says it’s urgent, sir.”

  “Tell him to get the fuck off my station.”

  “Yes, sir.” She looked up at Kirlos. “I can send you to his office and then override the lock from here and force the door to open.”

  “He’ll know it was you, won’t he?”

  “When it comes to this station, he knows everything.”

  “Don’t risk your position for my sake.”

  Claire smiled. “I’m not. I’m risking it for all of us. If someone doesn’t help the captain deal with the stress he’s been piling on himself, he’s going to snap. That would endanger us all in more ways than one. The crew can’t let that happen. We owe him. He saved our lives when no one else would have dared.”

  “And you think I can help him?”

  “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I don’t even know you.”

  “I don’t mind crazy. My wanting to stay here is crazy. Sometimes you just know what’s right for you.”

  Claire nodded.

  “Any suggestions on how to get through to him?”

  “Not really. The other officers and I deal with him by looking past his arrogance to see the man underneath. But I imagine you’ve already figured out that there are many layers to his personality.”

  Kirlos nodded.

  “In the space of a morning, you’ve broken down his barriers further than any of us. I’ve never seen him as flustered as he was when he stormed in here a few hours ago. I think he’s fallen for you.”

  Kirlos frowned. “I wouldn’t go that far --”

  “The captain’s had plenty of lovers since I’ve known him. None of them unsettled him this much.”

  Her words made Kirlos’s heart race. If he’d affected Devlin as deeply as the captain had affected him, then there was hope he’d be allowed to stay. He didn’t doubt he’d have a long fight ahead of him. Devlin struck him as a man who would rather run from emotions than admit to them. But the energy arcing between them was too powerful to ignore.

  Some of Kirlos’s previous lovers had the power to transport him beyond himself, but none of them had reached as deep inside him as Devlin. He shivered at the thought of the searing ecstasy they could create together if Devlin admitted to the chemistry between them.

  Despite that promise of pleasure, a sensible man would run from Devlin as fast as he could. Of course, no one would ever accuse the Cerian court of producing sensible men. He’d known Devlin for a matter of hours but between his glimpses into the man’s mind and the connection they’d formed as Devlin dominated him, he felt as if he’d touched the man’s soul. He wanted to help the captain escape from the darkness Kirlos had seen inside him.

  He wasn’t going back to Ceria, at least not until the current regime toppled. He had nowhere else to go. Why not stay here and see if he could unravel the controlled façade Devlin held around himself? Why not give their passion for each other a chance to heal the betrayal they’d both experienced?

  He probed the edge of Claire’s mind. “You’re certain about taking this risk?”

  “Yes.” Kirlos felt nothing but concern for Devlin in her answer. Any fear of Devlin’s retribution was small enough not to register without probing deeper.

  “Tell me how to get to his office.”

  “Go back through the door you entered. You’ll be in the command corridor. His door is second on the left. Wait there. When I open the door you’ll have less than a second before he tries to jump you. Get inside and I’ll seal you in. Even Devlin won’t be able to leave.”

  “Oh great. Locked in with an unbalanced man who never wants to see me again.”

  “If you’ve lived this long, he’s not going to kill you.”

  Kirlos thought about how close Devlin had come to doing just that. But he’d regained his control before any damage was done. “I believe you’re right.”

  Chapter 3

  Marc answered the last of his messages and pressed send. Business had taken his mind off Adesta for a few minutes, but as soon as he leaned back in his chair for a stretch, memories of the morning came crashing back on him: Adesta writhing under the whip. The feel of Adesta’s vibrating cock in his hand. The horror of his wolf breaking free. The certain knowledge that he would kill Adesta without being able to stop himself.

  Fuck! He’d thought he was fine when he denied the wolf his thirst for blood. The smell of blood and fear had turned him on ever since he’d been altered. Until now, he’d managed to keep his lust and his killer instinct separate. But sinking his claws into Adesta’s flesh had felt delicious. He’d wanted to rip his sides apart and watch the Cerian bleed while he fucked him. Marc shuddered and shook his head, trying to clear the image.

  Gods of Earth, he had to hold himself together. If he let himself kill for pleasure, he’d be no better than Ragland and the other shifters who wanted to use their powers to enslave normal humans. Marc had saved the shifters on his crew when they refused to join Ragland and his lackeys. He would not become what they’d run from.

  Marc’s office door retracted. He jumped to his feet, weapon drawn. When Adesta stepped through, Marc held his weapon steady. “Get out.”

  “No. We need to talk.”

  What the fuck was he supposed to do? Shoot the man he regretted trying to kill?

  The door sealed shut behind Adesta. Marc reached down and pressed the button on his desk that should have opened it again. The door didn’t move.

  “What have you done?”

  “I pulled the information I needed from Claire’s mind.”

  Adesta held himself rigid, his eyes focused on Marc. He was lying. If he’d been telling the truth, he’d have used the same taunting voice that had seduced Marc so easily.

  “No. The door could only be closed and locked from command. You were standing right here.”

  “She’s still under my control.”

  Marc shook his head. “You can force a truthful answer to a question. You can’t control people’s actions.”

  Adesta raised his brows. “Are you sure?”

  “If you could control people’s actions, and from a distance at that, you’d have taken over the station from your cell.”

  Adesta exhaled slowly.

  “Very noble
of you to protect Claire. She’ll be disciplined but not harmed. Unfortunately, I know just how seductive you can be.”

  Adesta smiled. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “You want me again, don’t you?”

  Marc sucked in his breath. Damn Adesta for being so beautiful. Marc’s heart pounded against his ribcage. “You can’t read my thoughts.”

  “No, but I can read emotions. Most Cerians with any serious psychic gifts can. During a mental probe, we can discern the type of emotions a person is feeling and often guess what they’re thinking. But even without touching someone’s mind, we pick up on strong emotions like lust.” He said the last word in the low sultry voice that fucked with Marc’s concentration.

  Marc knew Adesta wasn’t lying. But his answer didn’t explain how he’d known exactly how to get what he wanted from Marc, even when he was thrashing in pain. Nor did it give an answer for why Adesta affected him in a way no man or woman should. He pressed a button on his wrist unit. “Claire, open my door now.”

  “It will be opened once Major Adesta has spoken to you.”

  “You’re already in trouble. Don’t make it worse on yourself.”

  “Captain, you should listen to him.”

  “I’ll call security and have them blast the door open.”

  “Please don’t, sir. We can’t afford the repairs.”

  “Open the fucking door.”

  “No, sir.”

  “Do you know the penalty for mutiny?”

  “Death by exposure.” Her voice held only the smallest hint of fear.

  “Claire.” Her name was muffled by a growl.

  “Just listen to him, Captain. He has a proposal that will help us.”

  Marc took a deep breath. Claire had been assigned to his unit about a year before they were tagged for the shifter program. He’d admired her from the day they’d met. They’d been lovers for a brief period and managed to stay friends when their lust played out. He’d trusted his life to her judgment more than once. “He’s got ten minutes. Then I expect the door to open.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Devlin out.” He looked at Adesta. “Talk and make it fast.”

  “Before joining the Cerian military, I served in the diplomatic corps, managing trade delegations. You want to set up your station as a trading post. Hire me to handle merchant negotiations.”

  Marc stared at Adesta for a few seconds, unable to speak. He wanted to stay after what Marc had done? He couldn’t be serious. “There are no positions available here.”

  “Then create one.”

  “Our budget is so tight I’ve resorted to torturing men to extract secrets. Unless you’re willing to work for free, we can’t afford your services.”

  Adesta’s lips curled up in a sultry smile. “I’m sure we could work something out, or you could always try to extract my secrets again.”

  Marc froze. His cock hardened at Adesta’s suggestion. “Do you understand how close I came to killing you earlier?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to die?”

  “No. I trust you.”

  “I hadn’t taken you for a fool.”

  Adesta smiled. “Some day I hope you’ll trust yourself.”

  “I want you off the station by the end of the day.”

  “Have you heard of Cerian sex tables?”

  Marc nodded. Gods of Earth, he’d love to get his hands on one.

  “May I assume you aren’t concerned whether the trade you engage in is strictly legal?”

  “You may.”

  “Ever since a Sultanan trade delegation visited Ceria, our tables have been all the rage among the less devout men on their home world. But the religious zealots who rule the planet have made it illegal to import the tables or any other sexual aid. I’ve got contacts with the manufacturer and a trader on Sultana. We could broker the deal and make a substantial profit.”

  Marc had to admit he was intrigued. It was just the sort of job he’d been looking for. He’d stand to make a fortune if Shifter’s Station could become a place where men came to complete deals that wouldn’t be legal in their home territory or to examine merchandise they might not want to view publicly.

  “I’ve seen a vid demo of such a table, but how can I be sure they deliver all they promise without seeing one?”

  “Unless you destroyed the contents of my ship, I’ve got one.”

  Marc had to swallow before he could speak. His cock tightened until it felt like an iron bar. It was all he could do to keep from rubbing it to ease the ache.

  “Your ship was inspected. Weapons and rations were taken to fill our stores, but nothing was destroyed.”

  “Then I can give you a personal demo.”

  Marc could imagine where that would lead, and while his body wanted to go there, the sensible part of him didn’t. He needed more time to process what Adesta had suggested. “You have no desire to return to Ceria?”

  “The Cerian government has screwed me one too many times. I’m not going back, at least not until the current regime is out of power.”

  “That I understand. You witnessed first hand what my government did to me.”

  “You didn’t volunteer to be altered?”

  “I was in special forces, trained as an assassin. I was one of the best men they had. They offered me the opportunity to join an elite corps that would infiltrate terrorist organizations and take them out. I accepted. They drugged me during what was supposed to be a routine medical exam. I woke up with alien DNA spliced to mine.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, that’s what we all said.” Marc didn’t know why he was confessing to Adesta. He’d only talked about his experience with other shifters and then only rarely. But for some reason he felt compelled to explain what had happened.

  “Eventually Terra Gov realized that many of the shifters they’d created were unstable. We all feel the desire to shift when hit with strong emotions, but some of the shifters couldn’t fight this need. When they became angry or horny, they shifted and went on homicidal rampages. Terra Gov decided to terminate all of us and destroy any evidence of the shifter program.”

  “So you ran?”

  Marc nodded. “I was one of the two strongest shifters created. I took those who wanted to go with me and we left Earth. I have no intention of returning.”

  “Then you sympathize with my need to make a home for myself away from the Cerian Empire.”

  Marc nodded. “Yes, but there are many places you could go. Those of us who survived keep a tight rein on our beasts but sometimes, as you saw, they slip free when we don’t want them to. I managed to stop when I was still partly human. Had I fully changed, you would be dead now. The closer we come to our beasts, the less our human mind has control.”

  “But you never lose your humanity completely?”

  “No, our mind is always there, but our instincts take over in animal form. You’re not safe here.”

  “If I wanted to be safe, I wouldn’t ask to stay.”

  Marc took a deep breath. This was ludicrous. This man had been his prisoner a few hours ago and now he was going to hire him as a consultant. On the other hand, Claire obviously approved of him and she was a terrific judge of character. “I’ll give you a month to prove yourself. You’ll have a room, food, and anything you need from our stores. If the sex table deal goes through, I’ll pay you a fair salary from the profits.”

  Adesta smiled. “I accept your generous offer.”

  “I hope you understand there will be no repeat of this morning, no matter what you do with your damned sex table.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “No, we won’t. I’m allowing you to stay as my employee, not my lover.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  Marc paged Claire. “Adesta’s staying. Unlock the door now and get someone down here to show him to a room.”

  The door slid back. “You’ll be escorted to cargo bay ten in --” Marc checked the time on his wrist unit,
“-- two hours. Be prepared to give me a demo of the table then.”

  * * *

  Kirlos twisted the latch that held the sex table in its cubby. Once he’d pulled it down, there was little space left to move in the ship’s small cabin. Devlin tried to step back, but there was nowhere for him to go. They stood so close, they were nearly touching. Kirlos sensed Devlin’s unease mixed with lust. He couldn’t help but smile.

  “This is it?”

  When it wasn’t in use, the table looked similar to the tables humans used to play pool except the surface was covered in black velvet instead of green felt. “Touch it.”

  Devlin ran his hand along the surface. It gave under his touch, letting his hand sink in while cradling it. “Nice. Show me what it can do.”

  Kirlos smiled and licked his lips. “It can give pain, pleasure, anything you want.” He drew his words out slowly while rubbing his hand across the table like he was caressing a lover.

  Devlin scowled. “Cut the act. Pretend I’m a client and you’re trying to sell me one.”

  “A client as hot as you would get a special demo.”

  “Demo the fucking table or you’ll be on the next shuttle out of here.”

  Kirlos fought the urge to laugh. He loved how easily he could get to the captain. It would make seducing him again that much easier. If Devlin thought they were both going to live on the station without fucking each other, then he was a fool. So far, he’d proven himself just the opposite.

  Kirlos wasn’t ready to define what he felt for Devlin. He didn’t know how the hell the man had affected him so deeply, but he wasn’t going to lose the chance to experience more of the searing pleasure he’d had that morning.

  “The table is set to respond to the owner’s voice commands. It can also be keyed to other voices should the owner wish to release control to someone else. Once it’s activated, it will follow your instructions as long as you begin your statement with the word ‘table.’ Table on. Form a tongue and lick this man’s hand and arm.”

  A tentacle slithered up from the surface. Devlin drew in his breath as it swept across the back of his hand.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

  “If I wasn’t watching it, I’d swear it was a real tongue. How the hell does it do that?”