Page 37 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"We can't just sit here," I insisted, pushing away the untouched ration pack he'd given me. "Every minute we wait, Hammond gets closer to whatever twisted goal he's aiming for."
"And rushing in without a clear understanding of the internal defenses will achieve nothing but our capture," Nirako countered, his voice maddeningly calm. "We know the general location from your vision, but we need a precise entry point, knowledge of guard patterns?—"
"While you gather your precious intel, those children are suffering!" I slammed my fist against the stone floor beside me, ignoring the jolt of pain. "Don't you feel it? Through the bond? Their fear?"
His lifelines brightened, the only sign my words had pierced his Aerie control. "Feeling their fear does not negate the need for planning, Claire. Emotion cannot guide a blade in darkness."
"My emotions are what got me this far! They're what connect me to those kids!" I stood, pacing the small space like a cagedanimal. "Maybe if you felt a little more and planned a little less?—"
"You think I feel nothing?" He rose to face me, his height forcing me to tilt my head back. The proximity sent a jolt through my markings, silver light flaring beneath my skin. "I feel your recklessness."
"I feel the danger you court with every impulsive decision. I feel the bond pulling me toward you even when my training screams caution!"
"Then stop fighting it!" I closed the distance between us, my hands finding the front of his tunic, gripping the rough material. "Stop being so damn controlled!"
His eyes dropped to my lips, then back up, conflict warring in their depths. "Claire, this is unwise."
"Since when has wisdom gotten us anywhere?" I pulled his head down, crushing my mouth against his.
For a heartbeat, he remained rigid, resisting. Then something broke within him. His arms wrapped around me, lifting me against the hard wall of his body as his mouth answered mine with a matching hunger.
This wasn't comfort or tenderness; it was raw, desperate, a collision of fear and need.
My markings blazed, silver fire against his lifelines. The bond flared open between us, carrying not just sensation but emotion—his frustration, his fear for me, his tightly leashed desire finally breaking free. It mingled with my own terror and need and created a feedback loop threatening to consume us both.
His hands were rough, urgent, finding the fastenings of my clothes. I fumbled with his belt, needing to close the distance, needing to feel him, anchor myself against the storm raging inside me. His tail curled possessively around my ankle as he deepened our kiss.
"We shouldn't," he gasped against my neck, his teeth grazing sensitive skin.
"Don't stop," I pleaded, arching against him. "Don't you dare stop."
The world narrowed to the feel of his skin beneath my hands, the heat of his mouth, the low growl vibrating through his chest. My head fell back against the stone wall as his lips moved lower, his touch igniting sparks along my nerve endings. Where his lifelines met my markings, tiny sparks of white light danced between us.
As I touched him, the hard muscle beneath the smooth scales of his tail flexed against my hip. His tail swept across my bare back as he moved above me, a surprisingly sensitive touch.
"I need—" I started, but the words died as pain exploded behind my eyes.
I doubled over, a scream tearing from my throat, unrelated to the passion of moments before. White-hot agony ripped through my skull. The vision crashed over me, vivid and terrible.
Children strapped to metal tables. Small bodies convulsing. Energy—raw, corrupted Nexus energy—draining into humming machines.
Hammond, standing over them, adjusting dials, his face alight with manic triumph. The walls around them pulsed with power.
"He's moving them!" I gasped, clutching my head as Nirako caught me, preventing my collapse. "Not the outbuildings—inside the main compound. Near a Nexus access point."
"He's connecting them directly!"
The shift was instantaneous. Through the bond, I could feel Nirako's desire vanish, replaced by sharp, protective alarm. His hands were gentle now, steadying me as the vision receded, leaving me shaking and nauseous.
"What did you see?" His voice was calm, focused, the warrior reasserting control despite our disheveled state.
"A lab... underground, I think. East side." I struggled to breathe, the psychic echo of the children's pain still reverberating through me. "Reinforced doors. Heavy security."
"He's hooking them up to machines—killing them, Nirako. Using their connection to power something."
Nirako helped me straighten, his hands efficient as he refastened the clothes we'd nearly torn from each other moments before. The heat between us hadn't fully dissipated, simmering beneath the surface, but the mission's urgency overshadowed everything.
"He's using their untrained connection," Nirako said, his voice grim. "Easier to manipulate than yours."
