The Nightwind's Woman Read online

  As they continued down the long corridor and viewed several of the species caged within the cells, Kenzi felt the gorge rising in her throat. Each new reveal was worse than the one before.

  And then came to a group of doors that were painted scarlet red.

  “From here on the creatures are immortal so cannot be destroyed,” the Supervisor said. “Believe me, if we could rid the Megaverse of these beasts, we would. You will not be required to treat them. They are never allowed out of their cells or anyone allowed in with them. I’m showing them to you so you will know the real reason Tearmann exists. It is here to house things that have no business being among humanity. Don’t be fooled by their appearances.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked Randon.

  “Sometimes true evil comes in pretty packages,” he said softly.

  “As in the case of the miru,” the Supervisor stated. “Take a look.”

  The woman sitting demurely on the barren floor of the cell was spectacularly gorgeous. Her facial features were perfectly molded and framed by a thick mane of ebony curls.

  “She hails from the Cook Islands of Polynesia,” Randon said. “And she’s a nasty piece of work. I captured her.”

  “She looks angelic,” Kenzi said.

  “Aye, well, looks can be deceiving,” the Nightwind said with a grimace. “She will intoxicate her victims with the kava plant—the roots from which produce a sedative, anesthetic effect—then she will roast them in an oven she keeps burning day and night. Legend says her victims are the souls of dead people but when I found her she was roasting a live man an inch at a time.”

  Kenzi turned away.

  “I think she’s seen enough,” Randon told the Supervisor.

  “Just one more and then we’ll go,” his boss said. He led them past a dozen or so doors to one that had thick titanium bars wielded across it and there were two card slides on either side of the door. “With this one, we take no chances. The cell is encased in iron to prevent him from using magic. It takes my card plus Randon’s, the Reaper’s, and my counterpart at the Exchange to open this door. Each card must be used at the same time. “

  “Very strong security,” Kenzi commented.

  “That’s because this one is the worst of the lot,” Randon said. “It took us two years to capture him. Four good men died before we brought him down.”

  She moved away from her escorts and went to the vid-com screen. What she saw shocked her worse than any of the others she’d viewed.

  This creature bore a striking resemblance to a handsome television star whose series she watched faithfully and—truth be told—upon whom she had a fan crush. Tall, dark and handsome with a fantastic athletic build, the creature was standing in the center of the cell staring straight at the camera. He slowly smiled to reveal straight, white teeth and when he did, his blue eyes twinkled mischievously. His dark-brown hair was streaked with fair highlights, the stubble on his cheeks a much darker shade than his hair. Twin dimples showed in his tanned cheeks and deepened as his smile did.

  She felt drawn to him as though she’d known him all her life and had been awaiting his arrival. It was more than just his intense resemblance to her favorite action TV star. It went deeper than that but had her life depended upon doing so she could not have explained why that was. Her body reacted to his exacting male beauty but her soul reached out to his, her heart yearning to know him as a man.

  “That is a wendigo,” Randon said, not bothering to look at the vid-com. “The vilest of the vile. He has developed the ability—only the gods know how—to shape shift. That makes him doubly treacherous.”

  “He has enormous strength, an insatiable hunger for human flesh, is keenly intelligent, so fast he cannot be seen by the human eye and he is evil incarnate,” the Supervisor added. “There is no other predator in the facility as savage and cunning or as dangerous.” He took a step toward the vid-com.

  Then, in between one breath and the next, the handsome being in the cell changed into a repulsive beast that rushed the camera—opening a maw of a mouth in which hundreds of needle-sharp teeth gleamed and an overly long, thick blue tongue swelled. Huge yellow, protruding eyes glared at her with such virulent hate she felt it like a blast of sulfurous wind slamming into her face.

  Hello, pretty lady, the beast said in a garbled voice. I’ve been waiting for you, McKenzi Delaney.

  Kenzi felt the blood drain from her face and when the evil thing inside the room winked at her, she stumbled back from the vid-com, putting her hand up to ward him off.

  “Do you understand why Tearmann is necessary?” the Supervisor asked. “Why these creatures must be contained?”

  “Get me out of here,” she said, trembling.

  Randon took hold of her arms and leaned over her. “You are safe with me, Kenzi. Never for a moment forget that.”

  “He… It…” She shuddered hard.

  “He can’t hurt you,” the Nightwind said. “He is within the strongest cell in this facility.”

  “I don’t know that I can do this,” she said, her bottom lips quivering. She cast a fearful look to the screen where the wendigo was once more staring back at her in human form. “What am I doing here? Why me?”

  “Because the Consortium believes you are a good fit for us,” Randon replied. “First and foremost, we are the front line of defense against things that have no business being among humanity, Kenzi. Not all of them are evil like that thing in there. Some are simply mischievous, even playful, but they can’t be allowed to intermingle with the human population. Imagine them hop-skipping in front of the local Safeway supermarket with bags of raw meat clutched in their claws. Some are a bit more dangerous but the danger they pose isn’t lethal. The creatures who would kill humans are the ones we seal up tight and throw away the key.”

  “Some creatures are evil but can be controlled,” the Supervisor said. His gaze was locked on the Nightwind. “All they need is the right incentive and we believe you are that incentive.”

  “I need to think,” she said, shrugging out of Randon’s hold. “Please take me back upstairs.”

  Chapter Five

  Sitting as still as a statue in the Supervisor’s office, Kenzi stared down into the glass of bourbon he had poured for her. Hip leaning against the man’s desk, the Nightwind was watching her with concerned eyes.

  “I want the job,” she said without looking up.

  “I am glad,” the Supervisor said. “I believe you will be an asset.”

  “What cemented the deal for you?” Randon asked.

  She shrugged. “The fantine,” she said. She lifted the glass and drained the bourbon.

  “My kind of woman,” the Supervisor observed.

  “Why the fantine?” Randon queried.

  “He was cute and I have a thing for weathermen,” she said in a brusque, matter-of-fact tone then put the empty glass on the table beside her with a firm rap. “So what now? What do I do about the life I have in West Des Moines?”

  “We will send a team to pack up your belongings and vacate your apartment, terminate your lease. We will pay all your bills, close your accounts, give your car to charity, and basically disappear you,” the Supervisor said. “From this moment on, McKenzi Delaney no longer exists in the human world.”

  “And my friends? Coworkers? Neighbors?” she asked. “What are they going to think?”

  “We’ll start a rumor that you went into WITSEC,” Randon said. “Who knows what kind of crime you may have witnessed?”

  “Since you have no family to concern themselves with your disappearance, it makes things a bit easier,” the Supervisor told her. “No need to make those who know you worry needlessly. The Federal Witness Protection Program has worked well for us in the past.”

  “When can I start?”

  “After the contracts are signed, you sit through the initial indoctrination and are issued the necessary credentials to move about, you are on your own,” her new boss replied. “Take a few days to acclimate
yourself to the facility. I’ll assign you an advisor to answer any questions you may have. On Monday, you will begin in-depth training with our director of personnel. By the end of the week, you should be up and running well enough to begin a supervised shift or two with our Primary Physician. After a two-week probationary period, you’ll be running shifts on your own.”

  “I can’t leave.”

  “You can’t leave,” the Supervisor replied. “Not for a year or two at least.”

  “What if I don’t work out?”

  The Supervisor smiled. “There’s very little chance of that happening.”

  “And if I don’t like it here?”

  “You will,” Randon said. When she turned up her eyes to him, he gave her a look that put a flush to her cheeks. “I will make sure of it.”

  “Then why don’t you take Dr. Delaney—”

  “I’d prefer Kenzi,” she said. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Kenzi it is,” the Supervisor stated. “We are informal at Tearmann.”

  “Aye,” Randon said. “Most of the time he just calls me shithead.” He pushed away from the desk and held out his hand. When she slipped her palm into his, he levered her to her feet.

  Kenzi gave the Supervisor a small smile before moving with Randon to the door.

  “One other thing, Kenzi,” the Supervisor called out.

  She turned to him.

  “Don’t worry about the creatures on the lower level. You won’t have any interaction with them unless absolutely necessary.”

  “That suits me just fine,” she said.

  She was quiet as she walked beside the Nightwind. He was taking her to the personnel office to sign her contracts. Randon tightened his grip on her hand and she looked up at him.

  “What’s bothering you?” he asked.

  “What isn’t?” she countered. “I’ve got a lot to mull over. When I took my shower this morning the last thing on my mind was meeting monsters.”

  “Or your life-mate.”

  “Didn’t you hear what he said to me?” she asked.

  “What who said?”

  “The wendigo.”

  Randon came to a halt. “He spoke to you?”

  “You didn’t hear him?”

  His hand became a vise over hers. His eyes held a glint of red as he stared down at her. “No.”

  “He said he’d been waiting for me. He called me by name.”

  The Nightwind’s eyes narrowed and the glint of red became a glow that stopped her breath. “He did what?” he asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. When she didn’t immediately answer, he moved closer to her. “Tell me! What exactly did he say?”

  “He called me McKenzi Delaney. He knew who I was,” she said when she could draw air into her lungs again.

  Randon shook his head. “That’s not possible.”

  “He did,” she insisted. “I wasn’t hearing things.”

  For a long moment he stared at her then resumed walking.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, stumbling along in his wake.

  “The contracts can wait. There is something else that needs to be done now!” he replied mysteriously.

  * * * * *

  He took her back to Level Four and to her room. Her eyes widened when he put his hand to the scanner beside her door and it opened.

  “Why do you have access to my quarters?” she asked.

  “Because you belong to me,” he replied.

  “What?”

  He didn’t answer but drew her with him through the great room and into her bedroom and to the bed. He let go of her arm and began to unbutton his black shirt.

  Kenzi gaped at him. “What are you going to do?”

  “You know perfectly well what I am going to do, Kenzi,” he said as the shirt came undone and he flicked open the buttons at the cuffs. He shrugged out of the shirt then tossed it to the chair beside the bed. His hands went to his belt.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head.

  “I’ve claimed you dozens of times in your dreams,” he said through clenched teeth. “It is time I claimed you in real time.”

  “Not like this you won’t,” she said and turned to go. She didn’t get far before he snaked out a hand to grab her, pulling her back to him, slapping her against his naked chest. When she struggled against him—pushing against his pecs as hard as she could—he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

  “Be still,” he commanded harshly and when she turned furious eyes up to him, he took possession of her gaze easily with the powers he had at his command. When he ordered her again to be still, his voice was a soft, insistent demand that wound its way sensuously through her mind.

  A tingle shimmied through her body as he held her against him. The heat of his body went straight through her clothes to pool between her thighs.

  “You are mine,” he said, holding her eyes. “You have nothing to fear from me, Küçüğüm.” He unwrapped one arm from her body to place his palm against her cheek. “I must do this. I must claim you to keep you safe.” He caressed her face then cupped her chin. “Do you trust me, Kenzi?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, unable to look away.

  “Do you want me?” His voice wove around her like bands of electricity.

  “Yes.”

  He regarded her silently for a moment then released her, stepped back to continue removing his clothes.

  “Undress for me, sweeting,” he ordered in a gentle voice as he unbuckled his belt.

  Held captive by the heat in his amber eyes, Kenzi did as he asked. She watched the color of his gaze go from tawny to molten gold as she unhooked her bra and let it fall at her feet. The intensity of regard deepened, grew so hot she felt moisture gathering at her temples.

  “Now the panties,” he said in a husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.

  Pushing the lacy garment down her hips while she watched him step out of his own pants made her lower body clench. He had no underwear to hide the hard jut of his thick cock from her. Her eyes lowered to that long, powerful shaft and held.

  “All for you,” he said.

  She drew in a breath at the sensual offer inherent in his words and slowly lifted her eyes to his. The golden orbs were undulating with a lust so potent her entire body felt the power. From scalp to toes, she was tingling.

  “All for you,” he whispered and drew her to him. Hooking one arm under her knees and bracing the other behind her back, he lifted her high against his chest, turned and carried her to the bed.

  He dipped one knee upon the mattress and lay her down like a sacrifice to his growing desire. Held captive by his compelling stare, she flicked out her tongue, curled it over her bottom lip then slowly drew it back into her mouth. His gaze lowered to the wetness on her lip, lingered for a moment then rose to meet hers.

  “I have waited a lifetime for this night,” he said and eased his body over hers—one knee to either side of her hips. For a moment he supported his weight on his hands, which were braced beside her shoulders, then he slowly, sensuously lowered his body to hers, sliding his chest down hers. He stretched out atop her and fit as though they had once been part of the same mold. Reaching down, he threaded his fingers through hers then brought her hands above her head.

  “This is so much like my dreams,” she told him.

  “What I do, I draw from your subconscious,” he said. “Those things that arouse you, bring desire to your body, are the things I will gift to you.”

  He shifted his weight to one side then insinuated first one knee then the other between her legs, easing her thighs apart so he was wedged between them. His cock felt like iron pressing intimately against her core as he pushed it against her.

  He lowered his head, put his lips to her ear. “Do you want me?” he whispered.

  Shivers ran down her side as his warm breath spiraled through her ear. The muscles in her lower belly compressed. His weight was so sublime pressing her into the mattress. The strength of him, the delicious heavines
s that seemed to push the blood directly to her cunt.

  “Yes,” she answered, unconsciously trying to lift her hips in invitation to be taken.

  “Then you shall have me,” he stated. His fingers tightened around hers, he arched his back and with one sure stroke he entered her. “All of me.”

  Kenzi heard a sound come from her throat she’d never heard before. It was a soft, growling sound that seemed to emanate somewhere deep inside her and it was lost as his mouth descended upon hers. The insinuation of his tongue between her lips brought another sound—an expectant whimper—that caused her to dig her fingernails into the backs of his hands. She ground against him for he was immobile as he lay over her with his cock buried within her aching folds. She groaned and tried once more to writhe beneath him, to entice him into thrusting, but his weight was too heavy and he was content to let her lie there impaled by his rigid flesh.

  She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and moaned.

  She whimpered.

  Then she growled in frustration and heard the soft—almost evil—chuckle that irritated her even more. He wasn’t moving. Wouldn’t move and she was on fire needing him to. He had possession not only of her body but her mouth for his lips and tongue were all that were moving. She was drowning in his kiss for it was doing things to her she neither understood nor was handling very well. She felt like a captive and he the conqueror who was in complete control.

  She grunted and a fleeting thought spiraled through her mind to bite him in order to get her point across but when she opened her eyes she saw he was staring at her as his tongue raped her mouth. There was a warning in his gaze that made her think better of hurting him.

  He continued to kiss her—hard and thoroughly—until she believed she’d go stark raving mad then he stopped and slowly lifted his head. His fingers released then clenched even tighter around hers and then with infinite deliberateness he began to ease out of her cunt.

  “No!” she pleaded. Her body was one hot mess of need. She could feel her juices clinging to him. Tears formed in her eyes. “Please.”