Savor Me Slowly (Alien Huntress #3)(46)
Author: Gena Showalter

“That doesn’t help me.” Jaxon again scrubbed a hand down his suddenly tired face. “Are you sure we can trust him, Dallas? He’s obviously a Targon warrior.” And Jaxon knew that Targons were capable of extreme telekinesis. He’d even heard rumors that one Targon could freeze an entire city in place—and hack the citizens down, one by one.

Good men to have as friends, bad men to have as enemies.

Devyn preened like a peacock, back straightening, lips lifting smugly. “Actually, I’m king of the Targon warriors.”

Jaxon’s eyes widened and he whipped sideways to stare at Dallas. “Is he serious?”

“Yeah. And yeah, I know he’s irritating as hell,” Dallas added, “but he’s also pretty cool. Once you get past the world-size ego. Now, tell me what’s gotten into you. Did the beating cause brain damage? I’ve never seen you so stressed. First time I’ve ever seen you naked with the enemy, too, but we’re not talking about her so I won’t mention that fact.”

Enemy? Yeah, he supposed they should have been enemies. Technically they worked for the same side of the law. Her boss, though, had twisted her into something unpredictable, something dangerous.

God, he wanted to murder the man.

You have the skill to do it. That he didn’t dismiss that rogue thought as he should have, shocked him. Instead, he set it aside to be pondered later. I’m seriously f**ked up.

“What do you want us to do with the woman we’re not going to discuss?” Dallas asked.

His hands curled into fists. “Nothing. I’ll handle her.”

“But—”

“She’s mine. How many times do I have to say it?”

Dallas raised his palms in a show of surrender. “Fine. Whatever. Just make sure you do something to incapacitate her on a kinda-sorta-maybe permanent basis. I, uh, have a feeling she’s going to…” His voice trailed off, and he swallowed.

Jaxon frowned over at him. “What?” Past few months, Dallas had been having premonitions, he supposed was the word. The man knew things before they happened, not that he’d admit it.

“Don’t drive on Main,” Dallas had told him a few days after returning to work after his near-death hospital stay.

“Why?” Jaxon had asked.

“Just don’t.”

A few hours later, every news station in the city had buzzed about the eight-car pileup on Main. Seemed a sedan’s sensors had misfired and it had flown over a bridge and onto Main. Neither Jaxon nor Dallas had ever spoken of the incident, but it had settled between them like a fat pink elephant in a purple tutu.

Dallas tugged his earlobe. “Look, she’s going to bring you and everyone in our little rescue party down. One by one, we’ll topple. Because. Of. Her.”

“And how’s she going to do this?” he asked, not wanting to believe it. Surely Dallas was wrong. Surely it was Dallas’s dislike of Mishka, and not precognition, coloring his perception of the future. Jaxon didn’t want to believe otherwise.

“She’s going to shoot you,” was all Dallas said.

“I can put her to sleep for a few days,” Devyn suggested.

“No.” Jaxon had betrayed her enough, taking her freedom of choice like he had. Any more, and she might never forgive him. “Forget about her, okay? She’s not going to shoot me.” He hoped. “Now let’s talk about the case Jack had me working.”

For the next several minutes, Jaxon explained about the Schön, their virus, and the women they’d infected. He told about his experience with Nolan inside that bar. And then, finally, Jaxon spoke the secret he’d been hiding since the beginning.

“Testing the virus will require keeping the victims alive, perhaps keeping their babies alive, and both could very well cause it to spread at an accelerated rate.”

“That why you killed them?”

He nodded. “Once the body dies, the virus dies, because it cannot live without a living host.”

“Are you sure?” Dallas asked, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees. “You aren’t a doctor, and you aren’t a scientist. What’s more, Jack told me you made him promise not to allow either in the cells with the women. Why?”

“Each of the women I killed were given a message to deliver. Their lovers apologized for what they’d done and explained what I just told you. That testing makes everything worse.”

“Could be a lie,” Devyn said.

“I know that. But the only way to determine that is to test the blood of a living victim. I had to weigh the pros and the cons and ultimately decided to kill the victims before testing could be done.” Jaxon looked from one man to another, not even trying to hide his torment. “If the Schön were telling the truth, we can’t test it without severe consequences. If they were lying…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to believe, really. The past few weeks haven’t yielded any new information.”

He plopped into the nearest seat, his gaze snagging on the parallel bars Mishka had erected for him. Seeing them made his chest ache. She had been so thoughtful and concerned with his care. He pulled his attention to the scuffed wooden floor.

Overall, the compound wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t inviting, either. The walls were too white, almost blinding, and the furniture sparse. The air held no scents of home, no baked breads or pies, no fruits or perfumes. Only cleaners.

No, wait. Frowning, he inhaled deeply. He caught a hint of Mishka’s erotic fragrance. Spice and warm, feminine skin. His body instantly reacted. Arousal beat through him, eliciting images of Mishka underneath him, straining against his mouth, legs spread wide, female core wet and eager.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning.

He wondered how much time she’d been forced to spend here, who she’d been forced to stay here with—his rage sparked—and if she even liked the place. Her bedroom boasted a comfortable bed, feminine dressers, and a colorful carpet. Mishka. Bed. Arousal flicked brighter than the rage.

“Jaxon. Dude. Snap out of it.”

Fingers waved in front of his face, and Jaxon blinked. When he focused, he saw that Dallas was standing in front of him. Devyn was beside him, grinning like the madman he probably was. They’d approached him, yet he’d had no idea they’d even moved. Some agent he was.

“What?” he said, defensive.

“You left us.” Dallas.

“You also grew hard.” Devyn. “Didn’t realize you were attracted to me. I’m flattered. Truly. I do prefer women, though. I know, I know. You’re disappointed. No need to say it. I’m very handsome.”