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  *.*.*

  Tansy came back to the present abruptly when she heard the soft squeak of the stair below her. Moving to the side, she blended into the shadows. She listened carefully to the hushed whispers. Tansy let a small smile curve her lips as she moved silently down the stairs towards the basement area. There were several doors leading out of the building but she was interested in the hidden one that would lead her under the streets. She made sure before she made the hit to know the area like the back of her hand. This little hidden jewel had been buried in the archives of the building department. Branson always taught her to know her prey and to have numerous escape routes.

  Always be ahead of them, Tansy. It is the only way you will stay alive, Branson’s soft words echoed in her mind.

  I know. I miss you, Branson, Tansy thought sadly, I always will. Tansy paused as the footsteps moved.

  “Есть ли какой-нибудь признак ее?” A raspy voice asked in heavily accented Russian if there was any sign of her.

  “Нет, ничто,” No nothing came the short response. “The doors were still boarded up. We had to break in to get inside. None of the windows were missing boards either,” the voice continued to answer him in Russian.

  “Check it anyway. Mr. Avilov wants her found and brought to him – alive. He wishes to have the pleasure of killing her personally,” the man said harshly.

  “Why?” The second man asked. “He usually doesn’t dirty his hands with killing… especially the females.”

  Tansy listened as the man who asked the question received a physical response. “It is not your place to ask why. You will do what you are told,” the first man coldly responded.

  The only answer was a muffled grunt. Seems like he didn’t like the first answer so he wasn’t about to ask a second. Tansy moved into one of the rooms off to the side. There was a hole in the floor leading down to the first floor. She carefully grabbed the long board she had propped inside of it and slid down. She broke out into a sweat as she silently hit the concrete floor harder than she expected. Her leg gave out and she landed heavily on her knee. Gripping her side and struggling to stand, she limped over to the door. The men were heading up the stairs. She waited until she could hear their footsteps above her before she moved through the bottom rooms. She stayed in the shadows, not trusting there might not be additional support behind them. Moving on silent feet, she quickly made her way down the hallway and to another set of steps leading to the basement. Ignoring the pain, she slipped into the darkness.

  Chapter 2

  Mak strode into his parents’ living quarters looking for his father. He growled out bad-temperedly when he discovered neither of his parents was in residence. In frustration, he walked over to the large bank of windows overlooking the huge palace gardens his mother loved so much. He took deep breaths to try to calm down before he continued his search. Mak pulled an image out of the front pocket of his vest and look at it for the hundredth time. He felt the rage burning deep inside him. He wanted the female. He knew she was his. Ever since he saw her image she seemed to take over his every waking and sleeping moment. Not even beating the new warriors in training could tire him enough not to dream about her. He had petitioned the council and his father for permission to bring her here but it was denied. The council was still waiting for Borj to return with his brother’s bond mate’s mother. In addition, there was concern about the human male who was still at large.

  Mak ran his finger over the female’s cheek studying her eyes. There was something in them that called to him. He felt a need to wipe the secrets that haunted her away. The first time he saw her image his whole world seemed to narrow in on her until nothing else matter but finding her, holding her, protecting her. Never had he felt such strong emotions from just looking at an image.

  Tansy, Mak thought rolling her name over his tongue.

  It was an unusual name for an unusual woman. Mak smiled as he let his gaze run over the image he had burned into his memory. She was built with more curves than her sisters. Her hair was a mixture of their red sands and the giant trees surrounding them. Not a bright red but a dark rich red with tints of mahogany highlights. She was looking out at the sea, a far-away look in her eyes like she was deep in thought. The white shirt with long sleeves she was wearing billowed out around her as the wind blew, pulling it back just enough to show hints of the small triangles covering her full breasts. She was wearing short, tan colored pants and thin leather sandals on her feet. But, most of all, it was her expression that haunted Mak. He could see the secrets in her. Secrets he wanted to discover, uncover, and share with her.

  “Mak,” a soft, feminine voice said. “What is wrong?”

  Mak looked up and his expression softened as the female approached him. “Nothing,” he said as a small smile curved his lips.

  Terra chuckled and shook her head. “I do not believe you. You looked like you wanted to kill someone,” Terra said as she peeked at the image Mak was holding. “Who is the female?”

  Mak glanced down at the image for a moment before he carefully slid it into the pocket of his vest. “No one,” Mak replied gruffly.

  Terra just looked at Mak quietly without saying a word. Mak could feel himself groaning inside. He hated it when she did that! It was so much like their mother, Tresa. Whenever either one of the women in his family looked like that at any of them, including their father, the men knew they were doomed.

  “It is J’kar’s bond mate’s sister, Tansy,” Mak said reluctantly.

  Terra smiled serenely before asking quietly. “You think she could be your bond mate, don’t you?”

  “I hate it when you do that, you know?” Mak grunted out. “Yes, I know she is my bond mate. It is the only explanation for my reaction to her image.”

  “How can you know?” Terra asked curiously. “Borj felt the same way about the female he has gone to retrieve. How do you know without the mating rite ceremony?”

  Mak shrugged his shoulder before glancing out the window again. “I cannot stop thinking of her. I see her in my dreams and there is an ache deep inside me to see her, touch her that is eating me alive,” Mak turned to look at his younger sister tenderly. “I need her and I plan to have her.”

  Terra shivered as she heard the thread of cold determination in Mak’s voice. She wondered vaguely if a male would ever feel that same cold determination to need and want her. She had attended several mating rites ceremonies over the last few years hoping to meet her own bond mate without success. She often wondered if she was destined to remain alone.

  It would not be a great sacrifice as long as I have my research, Terra thought.

  It was just that since she met Tink, her brother’s bond mate, she was more curious. Tink was so different from any female Terra had met before and her physical responses to J’kar often made Terra blush when she was around them. Terra had even noticed a difference in her parents since J’kar brought Tink to their world. Her mother seemed to have a glow about her and her father… Terra shook her head in frustration. She did not understand what was happening and as a healer and a scientist it was very frustrating to have so many questions and so few answers.

  “Then, you must bring her here,” Terra finally said.

  “Father and the council have denied my request. That is why I am here. I am going to tell father I am going to retrieve the female, with or without his permission,” Mak practically snarled out.

  Terra laughed, shaking her head. “That is not the right way to approach father.”

  “What do you suggest then?” Mak bit out in frustration.

  “Ask for mother’s help,” Terra said with a gleam in her eye. “She is learning much from Tink. That is how Borj was able to go. Mother ‘persuaded’ father,” Terra said softly laying an understanding hand on Mak’s arm. “Ask her. She will help you.”

  Mak hated having to rely on anyone for help. He normally just did what he wanted but in this case he knew he would need assistance. If he did not ha
ve his father and the council’s permission than even if Tansy was his bond mate, they could deny his claim which would be a death sentence to both him and the female he wanted. Mak ran his hand over the back of his neck and looked out the window again. His eyes widened as he saw his mother coming out from under one of the huge trees. She faltered a little, her hair was half up and half down and her dress was… ripped? Mak jerked up closer to the window thinking his mother had been violated by another when he saw his father hurrying out from under the same trees. He was fastening the front of his pants and his shirt looked like it was inside out. Mak watched in wonder as his father came up behind his mother grabbing her and pressing passionate kisses to her neck. His wonder turned to outright astonishment when he saw one of his mother’s hands stroke the front of his father while the other brought his head down to hers.

  “I told you,” Terra said with a curious smile on her face. “Ever since Tink came here they have been acting different.”

  Mak realized he was hard as a rock suddenly. Embarrassed for the first time in his life, he didn’t want his sister to see that he was extremely turned on by watching his parent's passionate embrace. Instead, he gritted his teeth and nodded to her before leaving quickly.

  He would need to go beat the shit out of some of the new warriors in a long training session, he thought as he ground his teeth together at the discomfort of his cock rubbing against the front of his pants, after he stopped by his own living quarters to relieve some of the pressure first.

  *.*.*

  Later that day, Mak learned Borj had returned with not only Tink’s sister, Hannah, but her parents as well. Borj was in a lengthy meeting with his father and the council. He thought of his sister’s words of advice. Terra was the smartest female he knew, besides his mother. Mak and Terra had always been very close. He was very protective of his sister and would do anything to make sure she was safe and happy. His mother was the only one who knew about the attempt to steal Terra last year. Even Terra was unaware of it. Tresa had made Mak swear to not tell his father about the incident. She knew if he found out that Teriff would send Terra away to the Isle of the Chosen. The Isle of the Chosen was a virtual prison for unmated females. The females were sent there to live until mates were found for them, either through the mating rites ceremony, or if none is found before the female reaches the age of thirty cycles, she would be given as a mate during a mating tournament. Tresa knew Terra would slowly die in such a place. Mak understood his gentle sister and agreed with his mother. The two men who tried to kidnap Terra in the hopes of mating with her died a long and painful death. Their clans hope of forcing an agreement with the ‘Tag Krell Manok clan died with them. Mak felt no remorse at killing the men. They thought nothing of thinking to rape his sister into agreement. Mak had no sympathy or patience for anyone who preyed on those weaker than them. As one of the strongest warriors, he felt it was his duty to protect those who could not protect themselves.

  Mak moved down the corridor to his parents’ living quarters rounding the corner just as he saw his mother coming out. He stopped and waited as she approached him. Terra was right. His mother did have a glow about her he had never seen before. There was a spring in her step and her skin and eyes seemed to have an internal light shimmering from her that made him realize just how beautiful she was as a woman. Shaking his head at the strange thoughts he had since seeing the image of the female he wanted, he wondered if he was going soft.

  “Why the frown, my son?” Tresa asked softly as she approached him.

  Mak shook his head again. “You and Terra are very scary, do you know that?”

  Tresa laughed. “Did she give you ‘the look’?”

  “Yes,” Mak grunted out.

  “Walk with me. What can I do to help you?” Tresa asked as she wound her arm through Mak’s huge forearm. “I am on my way to J’kar’s living quarters. I wish to meet Tink’s parents and her sister.”

  “I wish to meet her sister, as well,” Mak grumbled out. “But, not the one Borj came back with.”

  Tresa glanced up at Mak’s face. Out of all her children, he was the one she worried the most about and loved dearly. For all his fierceness, there was a gentleness he had for those who were smaller and weaker. He was huge even by Prime standard. Her heart broke as cycle after cycle she would watch during the mating rite’s ceremony as all the females he was introduced to would shrink back in fear from him. Even the warriors in the palace moved to the other side of the corridor when he walked down one. At almost seven feet of pure muscle, he towered over everyone.

  “I believe Tink said her name was Tansy?” Tresa asked gently.

  Mak gave a short nod. “Yes. I want her.”

  Tresa stopped in surprise when she heard the slight desperation in Mak’s voice. She looked up into her son’s hard, chiseled face for a moment before she smiled. Mak had found his bond mate. There was no doubt in her mind. She just hoped the human female could see beyond his hard exterior and huge form and not be afraid of her son.

  “Then, you shall have her,” Tresa said with quiet determination. “I will speak with your father.”

  Chapter 3

  Tansy shivered, tucking her hands under her armpits to try to keep them warm. Warmth, she thought as she leaned back against the dirty wall of the abandon warehouse she was staying in. She didn’t think she would ever be warm again. It had been almost a week since her escape from Boris Avilov’s mansion. Tansy was learning real fast the Russian mafia did not like you when you took things from them. They like you even less when you tried to kill their boss. Her bosses in Washington told her she was on her own. They could not help her. She did, though, need to send them the information she stole as soon as possible. They hoped she understood the importance of the situation and their regret.

  Regret my ass, Tansy thought in anger.

  She was collateral damage as far as they were concerned. Tansy’s job with the government’s anti-terrorist division was beginning to piss her off. No wonder they offered such a great retirement plan! No one lived long enough to collect on it.

  Boris’ goons were thickly spread throughout the region. She stopped trying to count the men following her as they appeared to grow daily. She had hoped he would give up and focus more on damage control between himself and the other bosses. She half suspected some of the men chasing her now were actually from some of those other bosses from the snippets of conversations she overheard.

  Whatever was on the microchips must be pretty damn bad, Tansy thought as she listened to the distant sounds of cars moving around the riverside docks of Moscow. At least it isn’t winter, Tansy thought with cynical humor. If she thought she was cold now, she would really be freezing her ass off.

  Her head jerked up when she heard some voices that sounded closer. Pulling herself up the wall, she hissed as her leg throbbed. The wound was beginning to heal but very slowly thanks to her not being able to rest it. She had torn the stitches out twice since she first put them in. She was running low on antibiotics but that was the least of her worries. At the rate she was going, she would either die of exposure, hunger, or a bullet before she died of an infection. Peeking out of the window, she watched as several homeless drunks built a fire in a nearby trash can. She had made sure when she arrived here late last night that she wasn’t seen. Unfortunately, her small stash of rations had been found – by the local rodents. There wasn’t much left by the time she retrieved them.

  Tansy slid down the wall shaking with fatigue and pain. There was no way out. Every avenue she tried was blocked by Boris’ men. There was only one thing left to do. Tansy pulled out the one item she carried everywhere with her. It was a special satellite phone that she had RITA design and program for her, only her voice could activate the information on it and only if she gave the order using a specific code. Tansy pressed the power on the phone and waited. A moment later she gave the command to activate.

  “Uh oh, what’s the matter sweetheart?” RITA asked immediately.


  Tansy swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed out the words she dreaded. “RITA, I need you to download some information I am about to send you and upload it to the following computers,” Tansy said giving RITA the information in a soft, determined voice.

  Tansy inserted the microchip into the base of her minicomputer and attached the cable to her satellite phone. In moments, the information was uploaded. Tansy felt a sense of peace come over her as she realized she had one more thing to do.

  “RITA, I need you to set up an immediate conference call with my parents, Tink and Hannah,” Tansy said. “I need you to do it now, no matter what time it is. They should all have their phones with them.”

  There was a slight pause before RITA replied. “Well, unfortunately, your parents and sisters are out of communication range at this time. I would be more than happy to give your message to them.”

  “What do you mean ‘out of communication range’?” Tansy asked in shock. “We agreed to always have our phones handy. Well, except for me. But, I check it several times a day. Even Hannah…” Tansy’s voice faltered for a moment. “RITA, I have to… I need to tell them something important. Please try to contact them. I’ll call back in exactly one hour.”

  “Tansy…” RITA began before Tansy cut her off.

  “RITA, I have to tell them goodbye,” Tansy said softly. “I have to tell them I love them one last time. Please… one hour.”

  “I’ll do my best, dear,” RITA replied.

  Tansy pressed the off button and leaned forward. RITA sounded so much like her mom it was more than Tansy could handle in her exhausted state. She laid her head on her knees and let the silent grief consume her. Her slender body shook from the force of her quiet sobs. Pulling her good leg up as close as she could to her body, she closed her eyes ignoring the freezing wetness on her cheeks and waited to call back one last time. She couldn’t leave this world without at least saying goodbye.