Christy - Loving a Mercenary (Project Zeus - Olympia Book 3)

Chapter 2

    Vlad sat quietly in a chair in the corner of her room, waiting for her to wake up. Guilt had punched a hole in his chest when he heard her scream in pain. Misery had filled him when she turned away from his offer of comfort, and Alex’s explanation of her reactions did very little to assuage his feelings. As he sat, he wondered how she would react upon finding him in her room when she awoke. Would she cringe away again? Would those fascinating midnight blue irises be lost once again in the spread of her pupils? She drew in a sharp intake of breath and sat up, and he thought, well, I’m about to find out.

            “Chris?” He called hesitantly, waiting as her eyes tracked hesitantly to his face. “Are you feeling better?”

            Chris let out a sigh as Vlad hesitated to approach her. And could she blame the poor guy after her erratic behavior in the workout room?

            “I’m ok, Vlad. You can come closer. I won’t bite.” She shot him a teasing grin and watched some of the tension leave his body.

            “I was worried about you, Dorogaya.”  Emotion flooded his voice as he stepped forward.

            “I’m sorry Vlad.” She replied thickly. She had no right to worry him and she truly regretted it. Shock filled her, leaving her speechless as he leaned down and pressed his lips gently to hers.

            “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He muttered against her mouth as he pulled away.

            “Great, you’re up.” Allie called from the doorway, startling her. When had her sister gotten there, and why hadn’t she felt her? She looked from her sister’s face and back to the wild blue eyes of the Russian and sighed. Her answer was starring intently into her face. She hadn’t felt Allie because everything inside of her was focused on him.

            “How are you feeling?” Allie’s concerned question had her swinging her legs over the edge of the bed? How was she feeling? How did she answer that? Physically, she was feeling much better, but emotionally, she was a wreck, because while she had been under, she learned something very disturbing. She knew that her siblings weren’t going to believe her, but she knew that the knowledge that she held was true. She knew it deep down in her heart.

            “Hungry.” She shot her sister an amused grin, doing what she could to cover the turmoil inside. “So, why don’t you let me shower and change and I’ll meet everyone downstairs in the kitchen?”

            “Chris?” Allie’s green eyes turned questioning and then she felt the slight mental tug, signaling that she was trying to look.

            “Kitchen.” She reiterated, pushing up off the bed as she quickly fortified the wall around her thoughts. She went to the dresser for a change of clothes, ignoring the curious looks shot at her back. She showered and changed quickly before making her way to the kitchen. Nerves danced in her belly as she thought of the things she needed to tell her family. Cullen in particular, wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but she couldn’t care. This was about the safety of her other half.

            Every member of their little team sat anxiously at the table as she entered the kitchen. She ignored the tension in the room as she went to the refrigerator in search of food. She found leftover lasagna in a plastic container and went about heating it as she organized her thoughts.

            “What gives, Chris?” Cullen finally broke the silence. She should have known that he’d be the first to speak. He was the oldest of them and also the caretaker.

            “Brendan is alive and he’s in trouble.” She watched pity fill his eyes at her words and she wanted to swear. She knew that Cullen was thinking about Donovan and the things that he said to her after he shot him with that flesh-eating agent.

            “Chris.” It was Allie that spoke, sympathy in her voice, but it wasn’t sympathy that she needed.

            “No, Allie, it’s not what you think.” She quickly cut her off. “I’m not being delusional and I’m not going off of the words of a lunatic. He’s out there and he’s in trouble. I felt him. I felt him while I was under.”

            “If he’s alive, then why is this the first time you felt him?” Cullen challenged, making her face him.

            “Because he figured out how to block me, to block us.” She explained in an exasperated voice. “But he’s in trouble now so his guard against me is slipping.”

            “What kind of trouble?” There was still skepticism in Cullen’s voice, but he was asking questions. Chris sighed in relief as she answered.

            “I don’t know.” She grabbed her container and headed back to the table. “It’s all really vague.” She speared one of the sauce-laden noodles and guided it towards her mouth.

            “Then we’ll move when the images aren’t vague.” He said, decisively.

            “But Cullen…”

            “No buts.” He cut her off quickly. “Your impulsiveness is a weakness, and if this danger involves anyone from Olympia, they will exploit that. Hell, they could be using him for bait.”

            “But it’s Brendan.” She looked around the table in disbelief when none of her siblings jumped in. Where they really just going to leave Brendan hanging?

            “Chris, if it’s Brendan like you say, we will help him. He’s our family, too.” Ethan’s quiet voice pulled at her, reminding her that she wasn’t doing a good job of shielding her thoughts. With a sudden lost of appetite; she pushed her food away and stood to her feet.

            “By then it could be too late.” She muttered under her breath and turned to walk away. She heard a chair scrape the floor behind her and felt Vlad at her back.

            “You know they’re right.” His quiet voice had her whirling around to face him, misery in her eyes.

            “Not you too, Vlad. I need someone on my side here.”

            “I’m on your side. Always.” He promised fiercely. “Never, for one second, doubt that.”

            His passionate words had her wrapping her arms around him.

            “Thank you.” She pulled back slightly, pressing a light kiss to his lips. As his taste came into her, she nearly forgot how to breathe. Her pupils expanded in excitement, but this time there was no rage to cloud the lust. As she pushed closer to taste more of him, she felt his arousal press eagerly at her thigh. With a moan of satisfaction, Christy sank deeper into the kiss.

            Vlad felt himself grow harder and harder as the kiss progressed. He knew that if he didn’t stop now, they were going to cross the line, and once that line was crossed, there would be no turning back. He stepped back, reluctantly breaking the kiss as he looked into her dazed eyes.

            “As clichéd as it is, I have to say it. Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me.” At her teasing tone, he shot her a sheepish grin even as he stepped away.

            “More than happy to see you.” He replied thickly, his hands still at her waist. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, but I can’t take advantage of you. I won’t take advantage of your condition.”

            “I will admit that there’s something in you that calls to me on an animalistic level, but my attraction to you isn’t all from my screwed up DNA.” Her honesty had him swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, as he ached to be buried inside of her.

            “Chris, you’re killing me.” He groaned.

            “Hey, don’t worry. Now that I know what set me off, I’ll be able to control it.” She gave him a friendly pat on the cheek as she gently broke his hold on her and turned to walk away.

            “That’s not what I’m worried about.” No, he wasn’t worried about her self-control, but his own. How was he supposed to spend so much time around someone as alluring as Christy, and not want her beyond desperation?

            Chris managed to keep the hurt at bay as she made her way slowly upstairs and to her room. His offered support had been surprising and sweet, and perhaps she over reacted when he kissed her, but something about his taste, his smell, touched her, made her want more. She wasn’t lying when she told him that she responded to him on an animalistic level, just like she wasn’t lying when she told him it was more than that. Usually when she got the urge, she scratched the itch and the itch was easily satisfied. Then it was sated until the next feline mating cycle. But this time the urge was stronger, and there wasn’t exactly a random horny guy she could use to curb it. She was confined to this tiny island and she was ready to climb the walls.

            “Hey Chris, you up for a workout. Everyone else seems to be previously engaged?” The deep masculine voice pulled her from her thoughts as she looked up and into the amused eyes of Cooper. He was Allie’s fiancé’s best friend, but more than that, she’d felt an instant kinship with him, from the first moment she met him.

            “Sure, why not?” She gave a careless shrug as she followed him out. His muscular form was encased in a fitted tank top and loose shorts. Chris felt a mild starring of interest and tamped it down. Maybe a sweaty bout was just what she needed to burn off some of the lust.

            “So, are we warming up or going all out?” She asked as she crouched into a fighting stance.

            “All out. What’s the point otherwise?” He shot her a wicked grin that had excitement pooling through her.

            “Let’s do it.” At her words, Cooper attacked, but she was ready for him. She quickly countered his move and sent him sprawling to the floor.

            “Are we counting by takedowns, Cupcake, because if so, that’s one for me?” She taunted, smirking as he scowled up at her.

            “Nah, we’re going until the first person bleeds.” With that, he sprung nimbly to his feet and began to circle her.

            “My favorite game.” The excitement thickened her blood now, as she rushed him at a speed beyond normal physical limits. She quickly took him to the floor, knocking the wind out of him. From her vantage point above him, she leaned down, taking his bottom lip into her mouth. She bit down, drawing blood. As the metallic taste filled her, she felt a buzz of awareness flow through her and dampness moisten her inner thighs. It would be so easy to sate her appetite, as he was aroused and pressing between her legs.

            “Chris, what the hell?” There was shock in Coopers voice as he pushed at her. Lust tightened in her belly as she thought of how good it would feel to ride him, to feel his muscles flex underneath her fingers. She nearly purred at the very idea.

            “Chris, get off of him!” The deep, possessive voice had her looking up guiltily into Vlad’s wild blue eyes and then back down at Cooper as shamed filled her. What the hell had she been thinking? He was her friend; he was another brother, and she was about to make a mistake that she couldn’t take back.

            “I’m sorry.” She rolled swiftly to her feet, pulling Cooper up with her before releasing him and turning to make her escape.

            “Chris, wait.” Vlad reached out to stop her, but she evaded his hand.

            “Don’t.” She muttered as she rushed passed. She didn’t need to look up at him to see the disgust in his eyes. That would only top off her humiliation.

            Vlad had gone in search of Chris because he hadn’t liked the way things had ended between them. He found her straddling Cooper, her mouth fastened hungrily to his. Logic had told him that it was only the condition of her DNA that made her react to Cooper that way, but logic had been drowned by possessiveness and jealousy. He had wanted to kill Cooper on the spot for touching her. In fact, it had taken everything in his power to stand in place and not follow through. The misery and humiliation in her eyes had been enough to put a damper on that though as she rushed passed him.

            “Man, what’s gotten into her?” Cooper asked in confusion, glancing at the door Chris departed through.

            “She’s in heat.” Vlad glanced up the steps and into the eyes of his dearest friend, but he remained quiet.

            “She’s what?” Cooper asked in disbelief.

            “In heat.” She repeated as she came slowly down the steps. “That good old dash of feline DNA comes with the feline mating cycle, so three times a year, we’re extremely horny.”

            Though she was answering Cooper’s questions, she was looking at him with concern and sympathy in her eyes.

            “Wow, you and Dodge must have an interesting s*x life.” Alex’s eyes narrowed on him, even as her lips twitched in amusement.

            “Beat it, Coop.” She stabbed her finger at him, making him laugh even as he exited the workout room.

            “Vladimir, are you ok?” She asked quietly, once they were alone. How did he answer that but with honest truth?

            “No.”

            “I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, offering comfort. Vlad allowed himself a moment of her comfort before he stepped back. He knew what he had to do. He had to leave. No matter how painful the thought was, he had to get away and clear his head.

            “Perhaps I should continue my search for your other sister.”

            “Are you going to say goodbye to Chris?”

            “I can’t.” He muttered in defeat. How was he supposed to look into those beautiful midnight blue eyes and walk away?

            “Vlad, you’re going to break her heart.” The sadness in his friend’s eyes tore at him and he wished he could explain to her what walking away from Christy was going to do to him.

            “Have a safe trip, Vlad. I’ll talk to her.” The sympathy in her voice made it obvious that he wouldn’t have to explain, as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before turning to leave. With an uneasy sigh, Vlad headed back to his room to pack his belongings.

            He was gone. He had left without saying goodbye and it had punched a hole through her chest. Allie had told her that it wasn’t her fault, that he just needed a little time, but she knew it was all bullshit. Of course it was her fault. He probably couldn’t get away fast enough, and she couldn’t blame him for it. She wasn’t normal and she could never mean anything to him.

            Christy raced down the shore under the dying sun, doing her best to outrun the thoughts that were crushing at her heart. As she reached her tenth mile and pressed for more speed, a sudden pain hit her. It gripped her in its intensity, stealing her breath. She felt her head spin as she dropped to her knees, gripping at her side.

            “Brendan.” She whispered as her eyes fell closed. She could see her brother in a similar position, but instead of a harmless beach, he was in an alley. Three men surrounded him with guns trained on him. From the intense pain that she felt, she knew they hadn’t used the usual rounds on him. No, it was something different, but very familiar. As the phantom pain gnawed in her side like acid, she knew why it felt so familiar. It was the same flesh-eating agent that Donovan used on Cullen. Brendan was in more trouble than she thought. As she focused on her brother, she felt her mind link to his.

            “Brendan, I know you hurt. I know the pain is beyond belief, but you have to get out of there.” She pleaded, frantically.

            “Can’t.” His mental voice came back weakly. “Hurt too much.”

            He didn’t have to explain any further. She knew exactly what he meant. He was in too much pain to focus.

            “I’ll create a distraction. Just get out of there.” She sank down into the sand as she pushed her mind at the three men that surrounded her brother. She had never tried a mental link from so far away. And she prayed that it would work.

            “Freeze!” She nearly sighed in relief when one of the men swung around, aiming the gun at her.

            “What if I don’t want to freeze?” She offered him a smirk as she pulled a knife from her waistband. “What if I want to kill you all for trespassing?” Her smile turned lethal as she pressed the flat of the blade against the one of the other men’s throats.

            “What the hell are you doing, Strombs?” Nerves jittered in the other man’s voice, and she watched as her intended target shook his head as if to clear it.

            “Triton, do you see a girl behind Armstrong?” He called to the third man, drawing his attention away from Brendan.

            “Go now!” She shouted the frantic mental message before she lost the connection and fell into darkness.

            Chris didn’t know how long she had been out, she only knew that she awoke with a sense of urgency gnawing at her. She had to get to Brendan and it had to be now. She dusted the sand off and then dashed back to the house. She had a lot to get done and only a short amount of time to do it. She quickly packed her duffel bag with the things she would need before writing a quick message to her siblings. That way, they could choose to help or not, but they wouldn’t be able to stop her from going to Brendan. At first light, when she knew Allie would be asleep, she would hitch a ride with one of the locals over to Canada and take the first flight out.