A Touch of Lilly Page 7
Color flooded Dallas’ cheeks and he stood abruptly.
Thaegan growled low. “I’m afraid you don’t get to ask the questions here, woman.”
“But he’s—”
“Just fine,” Dallas cut her off. “No thanks to you.”
“It’s not like I meant to—”
“You,” Thaegan shook his finger at Lilly, the hatred narrowing his golden eyes to dangerous slits, “need to stop talking. I’ve never hurt a female. But there’s always a first time.”
“Really, I—”
A deep growl bounced off the wooden walls of the cabin as the Ka’al lunged for her. Dallas was quicker. His fist shot out, catching the alien in the jaw. Thaegan stumbled back and Dallas stepped between her and the angry alien.
“Don’t do it, Thaegan. I’m warning you.”
The hulking Ka’al’s stunned expression would have been comical if it weren’t for the animosity sluicing off the men.
“How the hell can you defend her after what she’s done?” Thaegan absently rubbed his jaw. “She needs to tell us the truth. A little persuasion would be a satisfying means to that end.”
Dallas worked his fist, no doubt shaking out the pain. “We’ll get her to tell us the truth, but not with violence, Thaegan.”
The Ka’al screamed in frustration. “Let me prove to you how dangerous she is.”
“What the hell?” she countered. “A tiny woman against the two of you? How can I be dangerous? Especially trussed up like someone’s Sunday dinner.”
Dallas turned slowly, his eyes darkening with some very negative emotions. “You know, Lilly, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I have no doubt whatsoever that you controlled first me then the Znedu and now Thaegan. I just don’t know how you’re doing it.”
“But I do.” Thaegan stepped around Dallas and the human didn’t try to stop him this time. “I’ve got you figured out, Seraphelium.”
It took all her effort to keep from reacting to the word the Ka’al spat out like a curse. She forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to her own ears. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, asshole.” She looked around Thaegan to where Dallas stood. The man’s broad shoulders were thrown back, his arms crossed over his chest, as if protecting his heart. She should have expected Dallas’ resentment after she’d used him, but to see it so visibly written in his hard expression, stabbed at her heart. She laughed again, this time with more conviction, trying to dismiss Thaegan’s statement. “Dallas, do you have any idea what this Ka’al is blathering on about?”
“It appears Thaegan is the only one here who knows exactly what’s going on. As his partner, I have to defer to him. If he thinks an interrogation is the only way for us to move forward, then so be it. I’m not going to stand in his way.”
Obviously, Dallas had decided to let the Ka’al do some persuading. Cold fingers of dread walked up her spine and lifted the hairs on the back of her neck. She forced herself to meet Thaegan’s critical gaze. Her body chilled as fear knotted in her gut. Lilly didn’t know these men. Had no idea what they wanted or who they worked for. If one thing had been confirmed for her in the last couple of hours, these men were on a mission. The only question was which side of the law held their allegiance.
The Ka’al stepped closer. Laying his hands on the arms of the chair, he leaned in, the smooth heat of his cheek brushing across her face. He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with her fragrance. She squirmed in the chair, releasing the musky odor that must be driving him insane. Controlling the men while their libidos raged was her only hope.
Warm air lifted her hair as he exhaled. “Your smell is sweet to be sure, Lilly. But we both know without your hands you’re quite dead in the water.” His voice was a mere whisper of breath in her ear. “I intend to prove what you are to Dallas. You can either cooperate or not. Either way, I don’t give a shit.”
He straightened, and for the first time since she’d escaped captivity—Lilly feared for her life.
The quiet snick of the Ba’alkin dagger was like a sonic boom in the stillness of the room. She couldn’t control the gasp of terror or the twitch of muscle as the sound filled the cabin. When Thaegan lifted it, the blade reflected menacingly in the low light of the cabin.
“Dallas, you’re not going to let him…not with the Ba’alkin dagger?” The question trembled through her dry lips. “This is seriously out of control. I’m willing to answer your questions without violence,” Lilly begged as Thaegan laid the cold blade against her cheek, sending shivers of alarm through her veins. Lilly closed her eyes, waiting for it to rip through the pounding pulse of her jugular.
Chapter Five
Dallas trusted Thaegan with his life. In the past five years, the Ka’al had saved his ass more times than he cared to remember. But he wasn’t sure exactly what Lilly had done to his partner. Thaegan seemed hyped up on some drug that had him operating in an alternate dimension.
“Thaegan, go easy with the knife.” Dallas shifted so he was in his partner’s peripheral vision. “She’s tied up like a prisoner of war, for chrissake. She’s not going anywhere.”
The blade brushed down Lilly’s neck, the hard throb of her pulse lifting the alabaster skin of her throat. Dallas had kissed that spot, thrilling in the power he’d had to make her heart race. Now, as she forced her eyes open, the cold glint of fear offset the proud set of her jaw and Dallas worried for her safety. “Thaegan, put the God damn knife away.” The command did nothing to shift his partner’s attention.
“I can’t,” he said without taking his eyes off Lilly. Thaegan dragged the tip of the blade down her chest. “You’re not going to admit anything unless we force the issue, are you, Lilly?” With a flick of his wrist, the first button of Lilly’s blouse flew through the air and bounced on the wooden floor. The noise split the heavy silence like a gong.
“Thaegan,” Dallas said his name evenly, stepping closer to the chair. He wasn’t sure how he could take down the Ka’al without the blade injuring Lilly. Dallas was becoming more convinced with each passing minute that his partner was losing his grip on reality. “I really think you need to put the knife down.”
With another twist of Thaegan’s wrist, the second button followed the path of the first. “Not going to happen, Sawyer. I intend to prove,” the knife flashed and a third button flew, “what she is. Then we’ll figure out what the hell she’s up to.” Flick, flick, flick and the last three buttons fell to the floor.
Thaegan used the knife to part Lilly’s blouse, exposing the creamy flesh of her heaving breasts. The Ka’al leaned in close and inhaled her scent. The low purr of his partner’s arousal vibrated the air. Dallas had heard it before, but never when the big alien was holding a woman at knife point.
“Jesus, Thaegan, what the hell are you doing?” Dallas stepped closer.
Thaegan turned, aiming the knife at Dallas. “Back. Off.”
“I’m not going to stand here while you rape Lilly.” He used her name on purpose, trying to keep everything personal.
“Leave him, Dallas. The big, red asshole doesn’t frighten me.”
Lilly shifted in the chair, sitting up straighter. The subtle roll of her shoulders accentuated her plentiful cleavage. The lines between her brow softened and Dallas could swear her mouth became fuller, more inviting.
“The Ka’al doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s an oversized male with a knife. Probably trying to compensate for his small…parts.” Her chin jutted forward. “Strip me bare. I don’t give a shit.”
Thaegan leaned in close, his mouth curving in a maniacal smile. “It’s exactly what I intend to do, Seraphelium.” The knife came up fast and hard, cutting the center of Lilly’s bra. The lacy slips of material fell away, leaving her luscious breasts exposed. Pink patches of skin showed where Dallas’ whiskers had burned the tender flesh earlier in the evening.
“That’s enough.” Dallas spoke with conviction, trying to get his partner’s attention. When that didn’t work, he step
ped forward, his hand coming up under Thaegan’s forearm and catching his wrist. He used his momentum to twist the knife away from Lilly’s vulnerable flesh and push the Ka’al away from the chair. “What the fuck are you doing, Thaegan?”
Anger rumbled through the alien’s chest, vibrating the air. They both knew it would take nothing for Thaegan to break free of Dallas’ grasp. But his partner just stood toe-to-toe with him, the knife between them, his eyes locked on Dallas.
“Get out of my way, human.”
“You’ll have to go through me to get to her.” Dallas nodded his head in Lilly’s direction. “You’re better than this degradation.”
“But I need to prove it. Even with her hands bound, she controls us.” Thaegan inhaled deeply. “Tell me her scent isn’t heating your blood.”
Dallas couldn’t admit that. The moment he’d bound Lilly’s legs to the chair, he’d smelled the intoxicating aroma of her. It had brought him back to the silken heat of her flesh surrounding his cock. But he’d pushed that aside, he needed to focus on the madness overtaking Thaegan.
He lowered his voice. “The only thing that’s important right now is finding out what she was doing with Grebetz.”
“Sawyer.” He felt the muscles of Thaegan’s forearm relax. “She has the mark. I know it. I just don’t know where.” His partner stepped back, turning his palm up, offering Dallas the dagger. “It’s the kiss of evil. I had no intention of hurting her. I was just trying to find it.”
Dallas took the knife.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be so close to the witch,” Thaegan said, visibly shaken by what had just happened. “You search her, and when you find it, you’ll understand the truth.”
Dallas looked over his shoulder at Lilly. Unspoken questions ricocheted in her coffee eyes and trembled along her chin. He suspected his partner understood something he didn’t. The woman definitely had some kind of hold on men. And this was deep space after all. There was no reason Lilly couldn’t be some alien life form he’d never heard of. Resigned to keep her safe, Dallas decided to follow through with his partner’s plan.
“What does it look like?” Dallas asked.
His partner looked at him as if he’d grown a second Xerick head. “How the hell should I know? It’s a fucking male fantasy that I never believed would become flesh. But here we are.”
Dallas walked back to Lilly. The corners of her sumptuous mouth trembled with a nervous smile. “If I untie you, would—”
“You are not untying her,” Thaegan yelled.
Turning around, Dallas faced a very angry Ka’al. “For chrissake, Thaegan, there are two of us and one of her.”
“No. No. No. And did I say fuck no?” Thaegan grabbed Dallas’ shoulders, digging his beefy fingers into the muscle. “Please just trust me on this. Leave her bound to the chair. If there’s no mark we’ll release her and I’ll commit myself to the loony bin on Pteran Omega. Because then I’ll know this shit-assed heat sparking through my veins, driving me fucking nuts and making me horny as hell is all in my head and not something she’s doing to me.”
“She’s not even touching you.”
Thaegan released Dallas and waved his hands in frustration. “But it’s in the air. Like static electricity, it’s just hanging here.” Thaegan’s gaze dropped to Dallas’ leg. “But I think you can control her.”
Dallas didn’t know if that was the case, but the undisciplined way his logical partner was acting was completely out of character. He had to believe something was going on.
“What do I need to do?” Dallas asked.
“Cut off her clothes and search every inch of her skin for something, anything that isn’t a normal human mark.”
He turned back to Lilly. She’d schooled her expression. Her face no longer held any emotion, as if she were resigned to whatever he needed to do. What he really needed to do was release her and sink his cock deep in her wet heat and forget that she’d likely screwed up everything with Grebetz. What Dallas did instead was turn and drop to his knees front of her.
“You know I’m not going to hurt you, right?”
Her head bobbed in affirmation, but her eyes and thinned lips remained firm and immovable.
“You would make it easier on us if you just told Thaegan what he wants to know.”
“But I haven’t any idea what he’s talking about.” Lilly’s chin jutted forward once again, her tone pitched ever so slightly higher as she spoke.
If Dallas hadn’t spent months in Quantico, studying interrogation techniques, he wouldn’t have picked up on the lie.
He wasn’t sure what he’d find, but he was resigned to stripping her naked to uncover whatever it was she was hiding. Looking into the chocolate pools of her eyes was too difficult, so Dallas stood and walked to the back of the chair. Gently, he put the blade of the Ba’alkin dagger into the cuff of her fur coat. The black mark on her shoulder, singed by the laser, screamed at him. Like he needed another reminder of how he’d already hurt her tonight.
Dallas tried to convince himself that none of this was his fault. If Lilly would come clean he’d have the truth and this whole ordeal would be over. He’d simply turn her over to Bastower at QAL headquarters and file this night under the “Shitty Memories” category.
But Lilly was forcing him to humiliate her and that just pissed him off. Well, he’d just get this whole damn mess over. He pressed the blade upward, intent on cutting through the coat’s sleeve, but it jumped out of control. The dagger curved toward her wrist and Dallas whipped it away before it ripped open Lilly’s arm.
“What the hell was that?” Dallas looked up at Thaegan.
“I guess I should’ve mentioned the dagger feeds off strong negative emotions. Anger. Resentment. Misery. It senses it in the handler and seeks to draw blood.” Thaegan shrugged. “I have no idea how it works, but it’s the reason Ba’alkin daggers aren’t legal. I figured you knew.” He shot him a false smile. “Think happy thoughts and you won’t hurt her.”
“You could’ve mentioned that before I put the blade to her skin.”
“My bad.”
Dallas brought the blade back to the sleeve of Lilly’s coat, filling his mind with thoughts of her writhing against his body. With gentle sawing motions, he cut from wrist to neck, letting the front of the coat fall to the floor. He did the same to the other sleeve and soft fur lay at her feet like some wounded animal. He wouldn’t bother with the back until he’d separated the sleeves of her blouse.
He couldn’t quite ignore the quick rise and fall of her breasts, their pink nipples pinched into tight points, begging for his attention. Blood rushed to his cock and Dallas had all he could do to focus on the sleeve in his fingers. With great care, he cut down the white satin fabric from throat to wrist, the material only half as soft as the skin beneath. He lifted the straps of her bra away from her shoulders before slicing them through.
Setting down the knife, he offered Lilly another chance to stop this madness. “Are you sure there isn’t something you want to tell us?”
Lilly’s shoulders stiffened beneath his hands. Continuing to stare straight ahead, she shook her head in response. The flaxen waves of her hair brushed seductively across the backs of his hands and Dallas had to bite back a groan.
He hated that she was making him do this, but he had no choice. He felt Thaegan’s anticipation like a force slamming into him. He reached over her shoulders and laid his palms high on her chest, brushing away the remnants of both the front of her blouse and the bra. The floral scent of her perfume wrapped around his nose and he wanted nothing more than to step to the front of the chair and bury his face between her breasts, filling his lungs with the heady scent.
When Thaegan’s hungry gaze traveled the length of her torso and back, a shiver rippled up Lilly’s back. Dallas gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze as his thumbs absently stroked the sides of her neck.
“There’s nothing there.” Thaegan cleared his throat and pointed. “Now the skirt.”
Dallas parted the yellow silk of Lilly’s hair, brushing it over her shoulders and covering her breasts. He thought it would be easier, but when his hands swept over the milky curve of her back, he heard Lilly’s sharp intake of breath and his cock jumped. “Lilly, lean forward so I can pull the shirt and coat away.”
With her arms bound behind her, she couldn’t do more than arch her back, which of course thrust her chest forward and he nearly groaned at the sight of her dusky nipples poking through the golden curtain of hair. He pulled the fabric free, adding it to the growing pile on the floor.
Thaegan came around her back and bent for a closer look. “Pull her hair away from her neck.”
Dallas ran his fingers along the back of Lilly’s skull, lifting the hair and exposing the delicate arch of her neck, taunting him to lean over and kiss the tender skin until she sighed his name. Not finding anything, he dropped her hair and reminded his dick once again that this was about identification and not seduction.
The Ka’al checked through the rungs of the wooden chair. “I’m not seeing anything. Skirt next and then the boots if we don’t find anything.”
Dallas picked up the dagger and shifted positions so he was kneeling in front of the woman. The misery in her eyes tracked his every move. With the heat of her body radiating through his clothes, Dallas had all he could do to focus on their objective. Jesus. Under normal circumstances, he’d love to have Lilly naked, bound and at his mercy. But this situation was quickly deteriorating from craptastic to completely shitty.