Darkness Read online

  “You’re smart enough not to insult me.”

  “So that’s what it takes to get your hands on me?” She arched her eyebrows.

  “I don’t want to share sex. I told you not to take it personally.”

  “I’m a caregiver. It’s my nature, it seems. I’m drawn to damaged males with anger issues.”

  “It’s not an issue.”

  She glanced at the downed bag again and smiled. “The equipment would say otherwise if it could speak. I imagine it would be crying right now or at least muttering ouch.”

  Her sense of wit amused him. He smiled back, relaxing a bit. “I suppose it would.”

  “I’m attracted to you. Call it a flaw of my nature but any time I see a very aggressive male it turns me on.”

  “All of us are aggressive.”

  “True, but you more so than others. Perhaps I miss the sense of danger when undressing for a male who doesn’t have his emotions under control.”

  “I’m in control.”

  “For now.” Her smile faded. “You are on the edge. I watch you closer than any other male because I want you. It’s only a matter of time before you break.”

  “I’d never allow it to happen.”

  “I just insulted you but you don’t have me pinned against a wall.”

  “You’re testing me?”

  “I’m just proving what I said. You feel something for the teacher.”

  Bluebird irritated him. “Fine. I am attracted to her but I’d never act on it.”

  “Why not? I didn’t see her struggling or yelling for help when she could have. That implies she didn’t mind your hands on her.”

  “Mind your own business.”

  “Fine.” She took a step back. “You know you don’t have to talk to her during shared sex. She’ll only be here for a short time unless you were to ask her to stay. I don’t see that happening since I was working the day she arrived. We both know she’s not who she pretends to be. You’ve never shown interest in a female before. You should take advantage of it.”

  “Use her?” He didn’t like the concept.

  Bluebird shrugged. “Humans used us. You’re walking a fine line, Darkness. I don’t care how tough you are. Everyone has a breaking point. I don’t need to tell you that though.” She paused. “Perhaps I do. You’re damaged, by your own words. You avoid our females but she isn’t one of us. She won’t have any expectations if that’s what you worry about.”

  He scowled.

  “I don’t mean sexual worries. I’m certain you’re skilled. We expect to be treated a certain way but she wouldn’t know that.” She seemed to appreciate the sight of his body. “You’re full of sexual frustration. I can spot it a mile away.” She looked into his eyes. “Unleash some of it on her and release the pressure. You’re about to boil over. She’s perfect for that. You know not to trust her and she’s playing games. I think you’re a master at that too.”

  She turned without another word and strolled away. Darkness clenched his teeth and spun, wishing to hit the bag again. It remained on the floor, damaged. “Fuck.”

  Bluebird had a point. A few of them, actually. He was sexually frustrated. Kat wasn’t anything like a Species female and she also wasn’t some innocent human. She’d come to Homeland with a hidden agenda. A highly trained individual never took sex personally when they were on a job. He couldn’t hurt her feelings and she wouldn’t expect any commitment.

  I could have her. His dick stirred and it pissed him off. It was a matter of pride. He’d never fall into that trap again. It had cost him too much.

  He left the training facility and returned to the guest cottage. After a quick shower, he sat on the bed with his laptop open. He watched Kat in the home next door. She fixed a sandwich for dinner and ate it at the bar.

  His fascination with her wasn’t healthy. She was the exact type of female he needed to avoid the most. It frustrated him that she was also the one who piqued his interest. Why couldn’t he have formed an obsession with a harmless human?

  The answer came easily. He’d destroy some soft-hearted female with his cold ways. They’d want to be with a male who could feel and show emotion. He kept everything inside where it was safe. Memories surfaced but he pushed them back. It only brought pain to remember the one female he’d ever allowed to get close to him. She’d fooled him and the price had been far too high. Lesson learned.

  His cell phone beeped and he blindly picked it up. “Darkness here.”

  “How are you?”

  He growled low. “Fine.”

  Fury paused. “I heard you destroyed a poor weight bag today. What did it do to you?”

  “Don’t you have anything better to do with your time? I bet Ellie and your offspring would enjoy you talking to them.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “Stop.”

  Fury growled back. “I can’t help it. I wish it wasn’t so but those are the facts.”

  “I’m fine. I hit the damn thing too hard. End of story.”

  “This female is getting to you. Do you want to assign her to someone else?”

  It was tempting.

  “You think you’re the only one who has ever experienced this? There are things you don’t know about me.”

  He watched Kat rise from the chair and begin washing her dishes. Darkness kept his gaze on the screen but he was curious about Fury’s remark. “Like what?”

  “I hated Ellie once. I believed she’d betrayed me.”

  That actually amused Darkness. “That female is so in love with you that I don’t buy it. She’s also very easy to read. She’s about as dangerous as a kitten.”

  “She worked at Mercile.”

  “I’m aware. She was the one who provided the evidence that blew the lid off them and got us freed.”

  “A technician had it out for me and came into my cell. He…” Fury cleared his throat. “He did bad things and was about to do worse.”

  “They were assholes.”

  “He sexually assaulted me,” Fury snarled.

  Darkness closed his eyes and leaned back. Pain stabbed at his chest. That was one indignity he’d never been subjected to. A strong sense of compassion rose in him over what Fury had suffered. “I’m sorry.”

  “Ellie came in and bludgeoned him to death with her testing kit.”

  That astounded Darkness and he opened his eyes. “Ellie?”

  “Ellie,” Fury confirmed. “She killed him and then set it up so it appeared that I’d done it before the paralytic drugs he’d given me took effect. She’d been kind to me up to that point but as I lay there helpless, realizing what she was doing, I felt betrayed.”

  “I can’t believe she’d do that. I mean, you were mistaken, right? No female is more loving than she is toward you.”

  “She’d acquired evidence that day that she needed to smuggle out to save all of us. She felt sure that I wouldn’t be killed for the crime and had to blame me. They would have killed her if they’d known she’d taken the male’s life. I didn’t understand that until much later. I attacked her on sight after Homeland opened. It was the first time I’d seen her since the incident. I couldn’t let it go even after I learned the truth. She’d seen what that male had done to me. It was a matter of pride and rage. I never got the chance to make that male pay. She became a target to me.”

  “I understand.” He did.

  “I became obsessed to the point that I stalked and kidnapped her. I took her to my home for payback.”

  Darkness flinched. “You hurt her? I can’t see you doing that. You love that female.”

  “I was fucked up,” Fury admitted. “I had her tied to my bed but I couldn’t follow through with all the horrible things I wanted to do. Luckily. I still wake up some nights in a sweat, imagining the horrible consequences if I’d allowed that rage to take control. She’s my life. I would have lost her forever.”

  “I’m glad you regained control of your emotions.”

  “Me too.” Fury took a fe