Skin Walkers Conn Read online

  That wasn’t what she’d meant when she made the comment, but now that he pointed it out… She licked her lips and drew in a deep breath, forcing her breasts tighter against his chest. She watched his eyes drop to the exposed mounds of her chest and when he dipped his head to where his eyes were looking, she leaned forward and licked his neck.

  Conn froze, a low purr began rumbling from his chest.

  Oh shit! When he lifted his eyes to stare at Aries, she slid her eyes to his full lips and stalled for only a moment before assaulting his mouth with her own.

  He knew what she was doing, but she tasted so damn sweet that he was willing to let her play her little game. His hand released both of hers and she pulled them from behind her back to wrap around his neck.

  His hands slid around her waist then curved down to cup her rounded ass. He squeezed and lifted her. Aries automatically wrapped her legs around his waist.

  The hard ridge of his cock settled between her thighs and as he returned her urgent kiss he blindly felt for the wall until he found it then pinned her body between himself and it. One strong arm slid under her ass to hold her up.

  ***

  Fuck! She couldn’t think. Her plan was to do as he’d instructed and use her sex to her advantage, but now that she’d started this game, she couldn’t seem to stop; what’s worse, she didn’t want to.

  His hard frame pressing up against hers made her feel safe and feminine, and those were two things she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She moaned against his mouth, her head swimming as she breathed in the earthy scent of him. It was enticing and seductive and coupled with the black licorice taste of him it was nearly too much sensory overload.

  Aries drew his tongue between her lips and sucked on it. There was something addictive about the taste of him, she couldn’t seem to get enough.

  The sound that emitted from Conn had her sex creaming. She hadn’t intended on getting this turned on, but it was him. He was too sexy, too fucking hot. She moaned and ground her hips against his, one hand curled in the black hair at the nape of his neck as she pressed her lips more firmly to his.

  His free hand slid up and pulled the strap of her slip. It fell down her shoulder and exposed one breast. His rough hand found it and massaged it in his firm grip. Aries had to gasp and pulled back, throwing her head back against the wall and arching into him as his teeth nipped the satiny column of her throat.

  It’s how York found them when he returned to the gymnasium. “Uhhhh….”

  Both Conn and Aries snapped their attention to him as he stood holding up a bag of rapidly melting ice. York’s eyes traveled down his Commander and their captive then back up.

  Conn growled and jerked the strap of Aries’ slip back up. “Stand fast soldier!”

  York snapped to attention, dropping the ice and locking his gaze on the far wall.

  Aries unwrapped her legs from Conn’s hips and he was setting her on the ground when James and Shane raced in.

  “Jenny’s right behind us!” James sucked in a breath and stared at Aries in shock. “Is she okay?”

  One corner of Conn’s mouth lifted, “She’s fine. Tell Jenny it was a false alarm.”

  Shane focused on the wall, contacting Jenny through the mist, while James’ features twisted in confusion. “But I scented her pain.”

  “I know,” Conn clamped a hand firmly around her wrist. “She’s always in pain. Remember?”

  James smiled knowingly and nodded, “Oh yeah.” His eyes snagged on York then and he titled his head to stare at the other man who still stood at attention. His eyes went back to Aries then Conn. His nostrils flared and he looked back at Aries knowingly. He studied the area where they stood and smiled, “Did she make it out the door XO?”

  Conn growled and jerked her closer to him, “No! But she tried.” He stalked toward the door pulling Aries with him, “At ease York!”

  Chapter 16

  Conn pulled her down the hall and she tried to stop several times, but her slippered feet only slid on the glossy linoleum.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Annoyed at her constant tugging Conn slowed long enough to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder without responding.

  Aries gasped and lifted a hand to pull the back of her short slip down over her ass to keep from flashing anyone they might encounter. Her other hand clamped to the front of her slip to keep her breasts from falling loose. “Conn!” she bit out, “Put me down!”

  He smiled to himself, satisfied that her hands were too busy trying to maintain her modesty to struggle against him.

  When he got back to the main estate house and entered the front door he bent and dropped her off his shoulder before clamping both hands around her upper arms and pulling her close. “It’s a school day. The children will be milling about. Don’t cause a scene.”

  Aries swallowed down her objection as a group of teenagers raced past. Conn led her to the elevator and once inside he pulled her to the far back corner when a handful of what she guessed were eight to ten year olds entered. She was silent as she lifted her head to watch the floor levels bing their succession. When she felt eyes on her, she dropped her head to stare at a little blonde haired girl who was watching them intently. The girls face was cherub round with bright beady eyes and a mere smudge of a nose.

  “Are you in trouble?”

  Aries smiled weakly and shook her head at the girl. “No.”

  The little girl looked at Conn, “You’re hurting her.”

  Conn loosened his grip but frowned at the girl. “No I’m not.”

  The little girl’s bottom lip jutted out, “I can smell it!” Her frown faded momentarily as Aries watched her little mind working. “Is she a bad woman?”

  Conn lifted his head to stare at the numbers that indicated their current location. “No, she’s just…under surveillance.”

  “Oh,” the little girl turned sad and tears formed in her eyes as she stared at Aries, “You’re one of the ones who doesn’t like us. You think we should die.”

  “No,” Aries gasped, “I don’t think that!” She turned to frown at Conn, elbowing him hard in the ribs before turning her attention back to the little girl. “I like your people very much.”

  Conn grunted and shot Aries a dirty look.

  The little girl sniffed and looked at Conn, “Is she yours?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t look at the girl.

  She pointed up at him, “Then how come she’s not wearing your halo?”

  Conn dropped his eyes to the girl and gritted out, “She’s my…guest, not my angel.”

  The blonde smiled, “She’s pretty. If you want her you should claim her. My dad says a Walker can’t wait forever to claim his angel cuz angels are hard to find, especially pretty ones.”

  Aries felt her cheeks flaming at the compliment. Halo? Angel?

  “If you don’t want her for your angel, my uncle Remy will take her.”

  Conn gritted his teeth and eyed the elevator numbers before urging, “Christ, come on!”

  The girl tugged on Aries’ slip and Aries bent a knee to get eye level with the girl who whispered, “If he’s hurting you, my daddy will stop him.”

  “That’s very nice of you, but I’m okay sweetheart.” Aries smiled, “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Mahkya. Mahkya Mulholland. My daddy is the chief of security and my mommy is his queen.”

  “Hmph!” Conn snorted loudly, “Figures.”

  Aries frowned up at Conn before turning her attention back to Mahkya, “Well, it’s very nice to meet you Mahkya.” The elevator chimed and when the doors slid open Conn bent and pulled Aries up from the floor. “Bye Mahkya, have a good day.”

  The little girl waved excitedly, “Bye pretty lady. I hope you find a nicer Walker to belong to.”

  Led down the familiar hallway, Aries knew Conn was taking her back to his suite. When he opened the door and pulled her inside he turned to frown at her as his eyes slid down her frame. “Why are you wea
ring that?”

  “They gave me my clothes before they put me in the cell. I was just told to change.”

  “Did they give you privacy?” A muscle in his jaw twitched.

  Aries dropped her eyes, “The guard turned around.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway toward his room.

  Aries’ heart thundered in her chest. “What are you doing?”

  He didn’t respond. Inside his room he crossed to a duffle bag that sat on the foot of his bed and jerked out a few articles of clothing. “Put these on,” he commanded before he strode from the room. “Be quick!”

  Alone, Aries did as instructed. She pulled on an oversized, black, button-up shirt and instantly recognized Conn’s scent on the article. The shirt was massive and she had to roll the sleeves multiple times just to expose her hands and wrists. She hadn’t bothered taking off her slip, instead she tucked it into the waist of the sweat pants she pulled on before tightening the draw string and bending to roll the hem of each leg. He hadn’t provided socks or shoes, so her black ballet slippers would have to do. She was just about to exit the room when Conn re-entered.

  “Let’s roll.” He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her with him.

  “Where are we going?”

  Again, he didn’t answer. In the hall, Aries was startled when York, Shane, and James flanked them. James took the lead with Shane and York falling in behind her and Conn.

  Aries watched as James scanned the hallway cautiously. She noticed that he kept his hand close to his opened jacket.

  Turning, she saw Shane and York also scanning the hallway, the men shared a similar look of concentration.

  “Look,” Aries turned to Conn, “I wouldn’t have said anything when I’d gotten off your base.”

  Conn too was focused as he responded, “This isn’t my base, and you wouldn’t have escaped.”

  She bit her lip and tried to wiggle her hand free as the platoon quickened their pace without command. “Are you taking me back to my cell?”

  “Quiet!” Conn barked in a hushed tone.

  She could feel the tension in the air and knew something wasn’t right.

  “Go.” Conn commanded and James took off at a dead run.

  They by-passed the elevator and followed the already-gone James down the stairs. Shane doubled his pace and took the lead in front of Aries and Conn.

  “Shane.” Aries looked at Conn when he spoke, but then Shane was running too and she turned her attention to watch him disappear ahead of them down the stairs.

  Frightened, she tried to pull to a halt, “What’s happening?”

  Conn didn’t falter. One large hand gripped her bicep and pulled her in front of him seconds before he quickly bent and lifted her into his arms without even losing pace.

  “York?”

  “I’ve got eyes boss. We’re clear for now.”

  The men were speaking in some code she didn’t understand, but she knew the situation was a tense one because she’d only ever seen them in this mode when they’d been hunting her in the jungle.

  Practically racing down the stairs, she had to throw her arms around Conn’s neck and hold on tight to keep from shattering her teeth with the jarring motion.

  Near the first floor she saw Shane pacing at the landing, his eyes seemingly searching everywhere without sticking on any one position too long. “Clear!” he stated without looking at his Commander.

  Conn and York didn’t break stride. Shane left his post and rushed to hold open the front door as the trio passed through. Outside a jeep was parked in front of the manor and James was in the driver’s seat.

  Shane jerked the back door open and Conn climbed in keeping Aries in his arms so that she was settled on his lap. Shane took shotgun and York quickly crossed behind the jeep and climbed in next to Aries and Conn.

  Her voice sounded small even to her own ears when she finally spoke, “Are we leaving?”

  None of the men responded.

  James slowly pulled the jeep from the curb and drove away from the main estate house and down the long winding road that led to the front gate.

  Aries felt Conn tense, his grip on her thigh tightened when the jeep passed a sleek black sedan. The windows on the car were too black to see who was housed within.

  “Shit!” James muttered forcing his eyes forward, “It’s Tyce!” His tone was laden with worry.

  Conn stayed rigid, “Steady.”

  As they approached the front gate a figure stepped forward and made a hand gesture to the jeep. James leaned forward and responded with a different hand signal before the guard stepped back into the guard house and the gates slowly opened.

  As they drove through the gates, James eyed Conn in the rearview mirror. “Directions XO?”

  Conn dipped his eyes to Aries, “We need to disappear for a couple of days.”

  James nodded stiffly, “Understood.”

  The vehicle accelerated and Aries could feel the tension in the vehicle dissipate the further they got from StoneCrow.

  Chapter 17

  Aries was startled awake. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen asleep until her eyes snapped open and she gasped, struggling against the strong arms that held her.

  “Easy beautiful,” Conn’s tone was soothing. “you’re safe.”

  Her eyes found his and relief washed over her. He’d been trying to lay her on the back bench seat of the jeep. Sitting up she peered around. The vehicle was stopped on a dark stretch of dirt road.

  “W-where is everyone?”

  “They just took off. It’s best if we split up for now, it’ll make us harder to track.”

  “Us?” Aries croaked

  Conn smiled knowingly, “Not us. Just the men.”

  Looking around Aries couldn’t help but ask, “How did they…”

  He didn’t let her finish before he pointed skyward. “We’re Walkers remember.”

  She nodded dumbly. “So what about us? Are you taking me back home?”

  His expression darkened as he stood. “Buckle up,” he ordered as he closed the back door leaving her alone on the back seat.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat while Aries tried to figure out what it was she’d said that made him so angry. “Conn?”

  “That jungle is not your home.”

  Of course it wasn’t, but it was the only home she’d known for a very long time. Keeping her retort to herself she buckled her seat belt as Conn began driving. “So where are we going?” She caught him glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

  “To my bunker.”

  The revelation instantly had her throat drying as her belly somersaulted violently. “You could just let me go. Let them think I’ve escaped.” She saw the corner of his mouth lift.

  “First of all, you wouldn’t survive on your own. Second, they’d never believe that you’ve eluded my team.”

  Anger flashed through her. “First of all, I have survived on my own all this time. Second, I have eluded you and your team. On more than one occasion I might add.”

  Proud that she’d stood up for herself, Aries sat a little straighter. Then her eyes slid to Conn’s hands that were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles shone white. Overreact much? When her eyes looked to his face, he wasn’t even paying any attention to her. His gaze was focused out the front windshield and he wasn’t blinking.

  Finally after several moments he cursed and blinked hard, “Shit!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Tyce wants you back at StoneCrow.”

  “Who’s Tyce.”

  His eyes found hers in the rearview mirror. “My commander. He was in the car we passed when we left.”

  Slightly confused, Aries screwed her face into a look of disbelief. “You just now figured that out?”

  “No,” Conn sounded like he was fighting hard to remain calm. “He just told me.”

  Her eyes shifted to his ear, but saw no earpiece. “How?”

  Conn sigh
ed, “Walkers can communicate with each other telepathically through a phenomenon we call the mystic or mist for short.”

  Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open as she gaped at him, “You’re kidding right?”

  He didn’t respond.

  Jesus! She hugged herself. “What else don’t I know?”

  “About Walkers?”

  She waited.

  “Well you know we can shift and now you know we can communicate telepathically…”

  “What are those things you all wear?”

  Conn lifted a hand to finger the stiff silver band around his neck. “We call it a halo.”

  “Does it give you your powers?”

  She heard the smile in his voice. “No. It’s part of our mating ritual. When we find our angel we gift her with our halo.”

  Aries laughed. “Halo, angel? It all sounds a little esoteric.”

  “It is,” Conn growled. “Most of the world doesn’t know of our existence and hopefully they never will. Our rituals and our abilities are sacred to us. We don’t want them shared with just anyone.”

  “Then why tell me?”

  He smirked not wanting to explain that he thought she was one of them. “Because you asked.”

  Falling back against the seat, Aries ran her hands through her hair. “Well Mr…”

  “Drago,” he supplied.

  “Well Mr. Drago, if asking is your only criteria to dolling out the Walker’s sacred information, then your race is doomed!”

  He smiled, “It’s different with you. You already know what we are.”

  The thought was sobering. Aries fingered the white streak of hair at her temple for several long moments before she decided to ask. “I watched a show once where a woman witnessed a crime. Once she saw the man’s face he had to kill her to keep her from blabbing to the police. He did it as a precaution.”

  Conn knew where she was going.

  “Is Tyce going to have me killed?”

  Instead of responding, he pulled the car to the side of the road and threw an arm over the back of the seat as he faced her. “No Walker is going to hurt you Aries. Ever!” His steel grey eyes held hers for long moments before he finally looked away. “You should get some sleep.”