~ Love's Sweet Assassin ~

by

Angela Verdenius

Keeping one eye on the slumbering man, she carefully opened drawers and peered in, moving aside objects or garments as necessary. There was nothing useful in any of them.

Frowning, she glanced around then her gaze settled on the bedside drawers upon which the light sat. Ah-ha. The one place she hadn’t looked and it made sense that if the instrument to unlock the collar was anywhere, it would be close to him.

Which meant she had to be close to him.

Be calm, take a deep breath. Move quietly, bump nothing. Don’t touch anything that doesn’t need to be touched.

On tiptoe she approached the drawers and slowly opened the top one. Conscious of Kiile sleeping less than an arms length away--what a nerve-wracking thought--she scanned the contents. A folded hanky, a small notepad and pen, a deck of cards and... fine silk cord? Ye Gods, what was that for? Don’t think about it.

A nervous glance proved him still asleep. It also showed that he was naked, at least, his top half was. The covers bunched on his lap hid any further evidence of his state of dress--or undress.

The man had an impressive physique. The high-necked, black uniform jacket had hinted at his strength but hidden the muscles that swelled in his chest and arms. Even his stomach, though flat, was ribbed with muscle. She wondered if the skin covering the impressive show of muscle was as smooth as it looked.

The feel of something cool brought her attention back to the second drawer in which her hand was carefully exploring. Black satin scarves? Kiile, she decided, had unusual tastes. She’d never seen him wear a scarf. And why were the scarves here instead of the clothes drawer? And this bottle of... massage oil?

She nearly dropped it when she read the label ‘Bedroom Secrets’. Quickly she replaced it in the drawer. It was no secret now what he used it for. Wiping her hands on her tunic--a trickle of oil must have been on the outside of the bottle--she glanced once more at the slumbering figure.

The handsome face was even more boyish in sleep. Deceiving, that. Closing the drawer quietly, she opened the third and nearly fell headfirst into it in shock. A book lay inside, the cover leaving no doubt as to the contents. A man and woman in a very compromising position wearing nothing but smiles. Very big smiles. Very big, satisfied smiles.

She nearly slammed the drawer shut but a glint of metal sticking out from between the pages caught her eye. Perhaps this was the key to unlocking the collar!

Lifting out the thick book, she flipped it open and a thin instrument winked dully up at her. The peculiar shape at the end perfectly matched the peculiar shaped hole on the side of the collar. It was the key to her freedom!

Picking it up, she fitted it into the collar, which opened instantly. Catching it before it hit the floor covering, she pushed it beneath the big bed and started to replace the key in the book until the picture caught her eye.

What the hell were the couple doing? Turning it sideways, her eyes widened. She was lying on top of him, facing his feet, her mouth on his... and his mouth between her thighs against her...

Katina didn’t know which way to look until she remembered that she was alone--you really couldn’t count a sleeping person--and looked back at the picture. What else was in here?

Turning the page, she studied the picture. The naked man was sitting on a chair--so what?--and a woman was straddling him, preparing to lower herself on his big, jutting--oh. That’s what. The picture opposite was similar except the woman had her back to him. Turning the page quietly, Katina thought she’d never look at another chair in quite the same way again. Glancing quickly around the room, she spotted a chair in the corner and uncomfortably her heart started to thump. Stealing a look at the boyish face, she wondered if he’d ever used it like that.

Berating herself for a fool for lingering, she started to close the book but couldn’t resist peeking at the next picture. Her cheeks flushed.

A woman on hands and knees, her head arched back, an expression of pure ecstasy on her face. Behind her knelt a man, his hands grasping her hips, his staff half buried inside her. His jaw was clenched, eyes squeezed shut.

Katina’s hands started to sweat. They also started to tremble when she flicked through the rest of the book and noticed how well thumbed it was. Several pages had the corners bent over to mark their place.

Were these Kiile’s favorite positions? Ye Gods. She licked dry lips. The key to her collar had been placed between the pages of this book. Had he been thinking of her when he’d placed it there? Had he been thinking of doing those... things... to her?

A mixture of cold and heat swept through her. Closing the book, she slid it back into the drawer. She should have been horrified but somehow she felt...

Shocked! That was right, absolutely shocked! Her heart pounded from it, her knees shook and it made her palms sweaty!

Reassured, she stood up and started to back stealthily away.

The man in the bed rolled over to face the opposite direction, the bed covers dragging over with the movement, baring the back of one muscled leg and taut buttock.

Even in sleep he was shameless, she thought. Next thing, he’d be throwing the covers off and--God above!

Restlessly Kiile rolled over onto his stomach, the covers sliding off to the side.

The man was totally bare-arsed naked now! Katina had a wide-eyed stare at both taut buttocks and long muscular, bare legs before he bent one knee and spread his legs and she saw--

She was out of the room so fast she nearly ran into the bedroom door. By the time she halted at the closed door that separated his apartment from the rest of the palace, she had to wait several precious minutes while she regained control of her galloping heart, sweaty hands and shaking legs.

Taking herself firmly in hand, she took a deep breath, blocked the disturbing visions from her mind and concentrated on escaping undetected.

Urgency pricked now, the knowledge that the serum was wearing off fast and leaving her at Kiile’s mercy and deviant ideas of torture and seduction. There was no doubt now in her mind that he was a master in that area.

The corridors were deserted, the palace quiet. Everyone was asleep. Deciding to leave through the back entrances, she made her way to the huge kitchen and out the back doors. A bowl of sugared berries sat forgotten on the table and she swiped a handful of them on her way out. Had to keep her strength up.

She noted the guards in the distance but wasn’t worried; she’d taken notice of them when she’d worked with the healer’s daughters. Knowing their timing, it was relatively easy to hide nearby until she could slip past unnoticed. Being small certainly helped, for there were many low hedges and bushes to hide behind unseen.

Entering the forest, she congratulated herself on escaping. Now all she had to do was use the forest for cover while she worked her way around to the spaceship docking bay and steal a craft.

Damn, she was good.

~ * ~

He didn’t have to look in the empty bedroom to know that Kat had escaped. The puzzle of how she’d done so undetected was solved when the signal from her collar led to its discovery beneath his bed.

She was a smart wench, no doubt about it. The signal coming from his room had convinced the guards that she was in bed with him. But she hadn’t been smart enough to realize that the space shuttles and fleet crafts were imprinted with their owner’s body auras and anyone unauthorized attempting to enter them set off alarms. It was a precaution he’d added several years ago and he grinned. He’d foiled her escape attempt.

“She’s trapped here.”

Eulie raised one brow. “Somewhere. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly where.”

“She’s still trapped here.” Kiile rubbed his hands together, still grinning.

“I don’t know why you’re so pleased,” Marten said sourly. “The little witch is more trouble than she’s worth.”

“She’s a challenge, Marten. Smart, sassy and inventive.”

“Obviously this pleases you.”

“The serum is also wearing off.”

Wylin observed his leader’s predatory grin. “Ah.”

“As soon as dawn breaks, I want a small patrol out with a vis.comm tracker. Once visual contact is made of her vibes, it’s merely a case of following and overtaking her.”

“You think she’s going to return willingly?” Eulie started to laugh. “The patrol captain will have to be warned to take cuffs.”

“And a gag,” Marten added.

“You won’t have to tell anyone,” Kiile said.

“What do you mean?” Appalled, Marten pushed away from the wall against which he’d been leaning. “You don’t mean--”

“Do you honestly think I’d bypass the opportunity to see the expression on her face when we catch her?”

“But--”

“Be ready at first light.”

With a groan, he flopped back into a chair.