I was pretty sure that I was supposed to be quiet as death in the cavernous library. Especially because it used to be a huge Venetian Church. But right now I didn’t care. I was looking at my iPhone screen where my brother, Andrew, was face timing me as he held his new baby, my new niece.

“She’s adorable,” I said, as I looked at the wrinkly faced girl.

“C’mon, Andromeda, you think she looks like an alien.”

“That’s mean man, you’re her Dad.”

“I didn’t say I did. I said you did.”

I snorted.

“Okay yeah, but a really adorable space alien.”

Andrew beamed as he looked at his daughter and tears came to my eyes. I may not have wanted kids, but that wasn’t going to stop me from loving and spoiling the crap out of my nieces nephews.

“Mom must be thrilled,” I said.

“Oh yeah. Her first official gift was a contingent of bodyguards.”

I cringed. Our family was famous, to put it lightly. Kane Consolidated was one of the largest businesses in the world. My mother had made headlines when she, a middle class woman from New Mexico was in New York for a beauty pageant and ended up snagging my father instead of a crown. Their whirlwind romance had ramped up the media attention on the Kane family and with each subsequent birth of me and my siblings, it had only gotten worse.  The little one didn’t know it yet, but she had a future of bodyguards, bomb sniffing dogs and constant paparrazi to look forward to.

It had been hell for me growing up, hence why I ran away to the military and then to the Secret Archive, which was where I worked now.

Speaking of, I better get back to it.

The matronly woman who was in charge of the library glared at me from her desk and I swear she was plotting how to kill me in the ladies bathroom.

“I gotta go,” I said to Andrew, “the librarian is trying to glare me to death.”

She hissed at me behind my back and I smirked.

“Making friends as usual I see,” Andrew said. “Call me when you get back to the states.”

“Sure.”

I disconnected and ignored the librarian’s snappish Italian as I passed her desk. I’d taken too long of a break as it was and needed to get back to the adorably sexy and brainy Orc I was guarding.  Professor Luke Turner was apparently one of the few beings on the planet that was capable of tracking down the Holy Grail.

And that wasn’t a metaphor. I meant the actually Holy Grail.

I’d been assigned to protect this hot as hell braniac by the Secret Archive, a group that scoured the world for dangerous mystical artifacts and then locked them up to keep the world safe. The gig had fallen into my lap after my discharge from the Special Forces six years ago, a colleague of my father having recommended it. Before then I hadn’t realized the we humans shared our world with supernatural beings, of which Orcs were just one species. At first, it was kind of a hard adjustment, but once I got to know a few of them, I realized that we weren’t really all that different. We all wanted a good life filled with meaning, to build relationships and just live our damn lives. Not every human felt like that though, and so each supernatural had special glamours they wore to hide their true forms.

When I’d first joined the Archive, I’d thought it was a truly altruistic organization. But while it had certainly started off that way, I quickly learned that Director Francesca was in it for the power, no matter what it cost the Agents in her employ, or their families. I gripped the phone tight in my hand and thought of Andrew and his new daughter. My family were very public figures, and very powerful in their own right and therefore safe. But I still worried about them. Francesca had become more erratic and power hungry the last year, and more Agents had gone missing. I’d heard many a colleague worry that their spouse or loved ones would be next on the Directors’ hit list if they didn’t produce the results she wanted.

I believed in the Archive’s mission, and in the people working under the surface to bring the maniacal Director down. But I wondered how many more people would be hurt before the Archive was purged of Francesca’s poison.  Especially now that there was a rival group attacking Agents and stealing artifacts, hence where I came in.  We didn’t think anyone knew about our real mission. Luke and I were supposed to be a Professor and his assistant on a prolonged research assignment for the University of Edinburgh. So far the cover story had held, but there was something about Venice that had me on edge since the moment we arrived.

My steps echoed as I made short work of the distance from the front of the library toward the back room where Luke had been working non stop since we got to Venice three weeks ago. The library was a converted church dating back to the thirteenth century. Most of it had been replaced or renovated but the section we’d been camping out in had been part of the original structure and restored to a semblance of it’s former glory. Usually this place would be packed with tourists but the Secret Archive had managed to reserve it for our use exclusively. When I rounded the corner and into the circular room, I stopped beside one of the pillars as Luke came into view.

He was wearing his human glamour, which was a little disappointing because as an Orc, Luke was a walking wet dream. In either form he was over six feet tall, built like a linebacker but with the bookish energy of a professor. His thick fingers ran absently along his well trimmed goatee as he read some ancient text. On a small table behind him sat the sandwich I’d brought him for lunch, half eaten with a notebook beside it. Even money he forgot about the sandwich and notebook and would soon be looking for one of them. He did that a lot, got sidetracked with something, hyper focused on it and left a trail of items around the room that he’d be searching for an hour later.

The late afternoon sunlight was streaming in from the windows high above us, some of it filtering in pink, red and blue from the stain glass. It fell in odd angles on his body, casting his dark hair in green and blue hues, which was funny since as an Orc, his hair was a touch green. His biceps stretched the dark blue cotton of one of the dozens of nerdy T-shirts he favored. Today’s said “The dice giveth, and the dice taketh away” with a polyhedral dice showing both a natural twenty and a natural one. Thick, strong legs were clad in cargo shorts and I couldn’t help but stare at just how defined his body was. Luke certainly didn’t look like he spent ten hours a day in a musty library searching for something that may not even exist anymore. If anything he looked like every college co-eds fantasy version of a professor.

Oh damn, now that would be a fun little fantasy to enact. Shit! I’m gonna have to put that in the bank for later.

I shouldn’t have been watching him, it was kinda creepy I’ll admit. But lately I couldn’t help it. Our time together was coming to an end, and as each day passed it got harder to accept that soon I wouldn’t see his stupid grin when he discovered another clue, or hear him mutter to himself as he worked out a translation.

 I’d been guarding him for the past four months as we traveled the globe searching for clues to a key that would lead to the Holy Grail. Our lodgings here in Venice were a midsized house with paper thin walls. We’d taken to talking through the plaster to one another, taping out beats to popular songs as the other tried to guess what they were.

He knew how I took my coffee now, and I knew when he was worried about something. Luke recognized when my blood sugar made me hangry, and I could predict when he’d want something sweet. We had a routine in the morning as we danced around each other in the kitchen and tried to make breakfast. And then at night we curled up next to each other on the couch and read or watched the stars come out on the porch. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time that I was comfortable sitting in silence with anyone besides my family.

It was all something that we could shrug off as the natural progression of two people who’d been traveling together for months. And that would work if I also hadn’t caught him staring at me more often. And also if I hadn’t been having sex dreams about him for a week solid now.

I wasn’t supposed to become attached to Luke. He was a job, that was it. And considering everything happening at the Archive I’d have to be stupid to give the Director any kind of leverage to use against me. But here I was, my heart squeezing tight because I knew he was close to finding this damn key. And then we’d go back to London and our paths would split. I wouldn’t be serenaded by his snores through the wall every night and he would no longer give me shit for not liking chocolate.

I’m going to miss this big, brainy nerd.

“Ah-ha!” Luke said, slamming his meaty hand on the thick table.

I jumped, startled out of my gloomy and frankly inappropriate thoughts.

“If that old lady librarian comes in here shooting fire out of her eyes it’s your fault,” I said as I walked toward him.

He beamed up at me and my stomach flipped at the boyish excitement that shone from his eyes.

“I found it,” he said, standing up and holding out a book with yellowed pages. “The reference to the a cross that the last grand master of the Templars carried with him, right here, you see this? The cross is one of the last keys to the Grail. We get that, and then we can understand that map we found in Paris.”

He pointed to some words in curly script that I didn’t quite understand and I was once again struck with just how smart this guy was. There wasn’t a language we’d come across that Luke hadn’t been able to read.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I slapped him on his shoulder and tried not to let my hand linger on the firm muscle.

“I’m close. I just need another day or two and then I think I can send the location of the cross to the Archive outpost in Italy so they can retrieve it.”

“So soon,” I said before I could stop myself.

His brown eyes shot up to mine, and for a second I saw the same sadness that was burning a hole in my chest. Then he turned away and fidgeted with his pen.

“Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s a lot sooner than I thought too.”

“Well that’s great,” the enthusiasm in my voice was painfully forced. “Congrats.”

“Thanks. You think you’ll be on the extraction team? Maybe…maybe we’ll see each other when I get back to London. Ya know to uh…to do the intake on the item.”

“That’s not really my specialty. I’m more of a blunt instrument than an Artifact extractor.”

“Ah…well…You’ve been a very nice blunt instrument.”

He turned away but I still caught his wince. God he was fucking adorable!

I couldn’t help snorting at him.

“Thanks.”

“What I mean,” he looked up at me and then down again, “um…well, do you want to maybe go to dinner with me tonight and we can celebrate?”

My heart gave a sharp thud against my ribs and my mouth opened and closed twice as I tried to answer. What I wanted to say was right there on the tip of my tongue but instead of hell yes, and can I also order some cunnilingus for later, I stuck to the rules like a coward.

“I don’t know I…it’s not common for a bodyguard and her client to–“

“Oh yeah, sure. I understand,” he gave me a tight smile. “I just thought you know…maybe our last night in Venice and…”

Our eyes met again and the air became charged between us. My feet propelled me closer of their own accord, and the scent of him, paper and something subtly sweet, hit my nostrils like an invitation. Warmth spread in my belly and through my limbs the longer I looked at him. I reached out before I could stop myself, longing to run my fingers through the soft hair of his goatee. Instead I slipped the pen he was fidgeting with from his fingers and arched an eyebrow.

“You’re going to break this if you’re not careful,” I said, my voice so much more husky than I had intended.

He gave a nervous chuckle and ran a hand through his hair.

“And then I really will be in trouble for ruining these manuscripts.”

“Can’t have that now can we?”

His eyes darted to my mouth and he took a jagged inhale.

“No.”

I swallowed and set the pen on the table, my fingers brushing against his.

“Come out with me,” he whispered, twining his fingers between mine. “Pretend like we’re just an Orc and a hot mundane out for dinner.”

“Did you just call me hot?”

He gave me a shy grin and a tilt of his shoulders.

“Maybe. I could’ve been referring to the librarian.”

I let out a loud chuckle and slapped my hand over my mouth.

“She’s going to come in here and–“

“And what?” his hands on my hips pulled me closer, holding me a mere inch from his body.  “What will she see?”

Luke leaned down, his nose brushing against mine.

“Will she see me kissing you?” his voice took on a deep timber that made my clit tremble. “Will she see me backing you to the stacks,” he proceeded to do just that, until my spine met the old bookcase, “and then tasting you like I’ve wanted to do for weeks now?”

“You want to get caught making out in here?” I breathed as he brushed his lips against my jaw.

“I want to do many, many things to you in here,” his teeth nipped the skin just below my ear, “none of them as boring as ‘making out’.”

“Tell me.”

He was fast unraveling me with his lips as his hands pulled me flush with him. All I could do was clutch those broad shoulders I’d admired for so long and go along for the ride. My mind had ceased to work and now I was a puddle of lust and longing that Luke could do with as he wished.

“I want to spread you out in the alcove and lick your cunt until you cum all over my face. I want to bend you over that table and fuck you from behind,” he licked and bit my throat, “I want you to scream my name so it echoes here for all eternity and you never, ever forget me.”

I whimpered as his fingers slipped into my shirt and began to play with my pebbled nipples through the lace of my bra.

“Luke.”

“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you Andromeda. You haunt my every waking thought.”

“Even when you’re translating religious texts? How scandalous,” I gave a breathless laugh.

He chuckled against my skin.

“It is, especially when I’m rock hard like I am now.”

As if to emphasize it, Luke ground his pelvis against me and I let out a long groan. Orcs were well endowed but dear fucking god! The anaconda in his pants was certain to stretch me to my limit and I didn’t care.

“Tell me you want me too,” he captured my face between his huge hands, and as I opened my eyes I realized that he’d dropped his glamour.

The real Luke stared at me, the beauty of his green skin cast in gold from the light behind him, amber flecks lit up in his brown eyes and his short tusks jutted from his bottom jaw. I wanted to admit that I wanted him so bad that I ached with it. It had been a long time since anyone had worked their way into my heart the way that Luke had. But fear clasped my throat in a vise and I couldn’t get the words out. All I could do was run my fingers over his face, over the corded muscle of his neck and shoulders.

“What is it?” he asked. “Why are you so afraid?”

Tears burned my eyes and I shook my head.

“You can trust me,” he continued. “I…I don’t want just a quick fuck if that’s what you’re worried about. I want more than that from you.”

It was everything I wanted to hear and also everything we couldn’t have. I had grown to care for Luke as far more than a friend these past months, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of losing him to Francesca’s dark whims. So far I’d managed to avoid giving her anything to use against me, but Luke would be my undoing if I let him. And for both our sakes I couldn’t.

I took a deep breath and looked up at him. When Luke wiped my tears away with his fingers it almost broke me but I stood strong.

“Luke I–“

The Librarians harsh voice sounded from the front, only to be cut off suddenly. A few seconds later, the unmistakable thud of a body falling filtered to us. My tears dried up fast and my heart began to pound for a reason other than Luke’s attentions. I pressed a finger to my lips as he raised his glamour once again. I motioned for him to get out of sight behind me and I edged close to the end of the bookshelf, my gun drawn.

Two men lead by a giant of an Orc came through the doorway, weapons out as they scanned the room. Luke’s research was still sitting out and I could feel his frustration at my back. I turned and shook my head, giving him a silent warning with my eyes not to even think of it. His eyebrows drew together and there was a stubborn set to his jaw.

Fuck, is he going to make this difficult?

I shook my head again, more firmly this time. And he pressed his lips into a thin line, glaring at me.

“No,” I mouthed.

“Why not?” he mouthed back.

“Seriously?”

“I have to.”

“No.”

“Are you two almost done because we are on a schedule,” one of the men said.

Luke and I looked toward the table where all three men had their weapons pointed at us.

“Fuck,” I spat.

“Indeed. But don’t feel too bad. You were outnumbered,” the man said.

“No, I’m not saying fuck because of that. I really didn’t want to get reprimanded for getting blood on this old floor.”

He snorted, not at all taking me seriously.

Until I shot at him, that is. He managed to dodge out of the way of the perfectly lined up headshot, the move causing the man behind him to get the bullet instead.  Blood, bone and brain matter splattered into one of the others’ eyes and he yelped in shock.  Luke sprinted toward the table and started shoving things into his messenger bag.

“You fucking–!” the Orc began.

I rushed forward and pressed my gun to his forehead.

“Go ahead, finish that sentence. I dare you.”

He shot daggers at me and I was about to simply shoot him in the knee cap when movement out of the corner of my eye alerted me to the other one finally getting the blood out of his eyes.

“Andromeda!” Luke yelled in warning.

I spun and shot the blood covered man in the chest twice. Before he hit the ground, the Orc grabbed me from behind and lifted me off my feet. I bucked my head back and lady luck smiled on me because I was lined up perfectly to hit him square in the face. His howl echoed eerily in the large room and dropped me to my feet. When I turned to look at him, blood ran from his broken nose, murder flaring bright in his dark eyes. Fear coiled tight in my gut at the sight of this hulking figure, but I refused to let it show.

“I’m going to enjoy squeezing the life from you.”

I raised the gun to shoot and he batted my arm. The impact was hard enough to send a jolt of pain down my arm and into my hand. The gun clattered to the stone floor and I backed up right into the damn table.

He was on me in a second, pinning my body down as his meaty hands closed around my throat. My hands scrambled on the tables surface, desperate for anything to fight back with as panic began to set in.

Just when dark spots were starting to float on the edges of my vision, Luke appeared over the Orc’s shoulder and pulled on the assailants arms.

“Leave her alone!” he roared.

He was bent over attempting to grapple the Orc, who took one hand off my neck and punched at Luke over his shoulder. The impact sent Luke reeling, a long object falling from his grasp as he did.

It was the pen he adored, an old fashioned thing with a sharp tip. I didn’t hesitate to grab it and sink it into the Orc’s neck just as Luke lunged at him once again. I must’ve hit an artery because blood sprayed out onto Luke and I both. Seconds later, the man’s fingers loosened and he fell off me.

I laid there in shock for a moment as Luke stared down at the body bleeding out. Sticky warmth coated my neck and chest, causing a wave of nausea to roll up my throat. I swallowed it down and sat up. The room reeled and I had to gulp air before it passed enough for me to fully stand. The whole time, Luke just stared down at the Orc, one side of his face, neck and shoulder also liberally splattered with blood.

I wobbled over to him and framed his face with my hands, turning him to look at me. He shook his head and jerked his face away from me, eyes wide in horror.

“I’m covered in blood. Don’t touch–“

“Luke,” I finally captured his hands with mine, small as they were by comparison. “You’re okay, right?”

He swallowed.

“Right.”

“So how about we go to the safe house and get cleaned up?”

“Yeah…yeah. I should’ve helped more.”

“You did, you tried–“

“He could’ve killed you,” his eyes latched onto what was likely the start of bruises around my neck. “I just couldn’t bring myself to…Andromeda he almost–“

“But he didn’t.”

“I could’ve shot him or done something to help you!”

“You did, you dropped a pen and it saved me.”

His eyes widened.

“Oh my god you killed him with my favorite pen.”

“Sorry about that.”

“They don’t make those anymore.”

He was in shock but even so his obsession with writing tools was adorable.

“I will try to find a good replacement.”

He nodded. Glanced at the dead Orc and then back at me.

“You killed him…with a pen.”

“I did. So I guess the pen is mightier.”

He just stared at me for a second before a startled, somewhat nervous laugh poured from his mouth.

“Did you really just say–?”

“Yep I sure did. Now,” I chuckled with him, “let’s go before more of them arrive.”

At least we made it out of the library before Luke puked his lunch up.

****************************************************************************

The safe house was a tiny place facing the water at the end of an old cobble stone street. It looked like it had been here since before the first world war but it was still well maintained just the same, and brightened up with plants and vegetable gardens. The interior was spartan with a utilitarian bathroom, a living/bedroom/dining area and a kitchen so small that it was barely distinguishable from the rest of the space. But it was nondescript enough that we could probably hide here until I could get an extraction for us.

I dug out the emergency communication kit as Luke stood behind me, still shell shocked from his first kill. He’d puked three times since the library. It turned out that the smell of blood was a bit much for his heightened Orc senses.

“You take the shower,” I said without looking up as I got the SAT phone ready.

“Huh?”

“Shower.”

“…yeah…yeah that would be good.”

Luke’s foot steps were heavy on the creaky floors as he made his way to the bathroom. A few seconds later I heard the water turn on and forced myself not to think of him naked under the stream.

I was usually very good at compartmentalizing. It was essential for a job like this. No matter how many times I’d faced down an asshole with a weapon, I needed to be able to function past the adrenaline and fear that lingered and figure out how to survive. Processing it could happen later, and usually did with my therapist back home. But right now Luke’s emotions were ricocheting around me, denting the usually indestructable focus that had kept me alive all these years.

We’d been so close to crossing a line that had been a sacred rule to me. I had wanted him so bad that if my own fears hadn’t come in, those guys would’ve walked in on us with Luke’s cock inside of me. It shook me, this knowledge that I’d come so close to costing us our lives.

I need to take a step back, put some mental distance between us until I can get us out of here and then…then I have to get away from him.

Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks and I scrubbed them away with the back of my hand, which I noticed had some blood on it. I wasn’t squeamish as a general rule, but even so I wasn’t keen to walk around with dried blood on my skin.

I stripped out of my shirt, which was a lost cause and bent over the small kitchen sink. I used the cake of green soap in a nearby dish to scrub my hands, the back of my neck and even my hair. I rinsed until the water ran clear and rung out my hair. There was supposed to be spare clothes somewhere and I turned around to start looking for them when I came face to face with a shocked Luke.

He was standing there without his glamour, covered in nothing but a towel that barely fit around his waist. Water ran in rivulets down his green, hairy chest and abs, disappearing below where the towel was fast tenting. Luke’s eyes were running over me, the strong column of his throat shifting as he convulsively swallowed.

“I-I’m so sorry,” he said, turning away. “I, uh, needed clothes and I…fuck I’m sorry I should…”

“It’s okay,” I said, my mouth dry. “There should be extra clothes around here somewhere.”

I practically ran past him, trying to ignore the heat of his gaze as he took in my mostly bare torso. My bra was lace and so it was pretty much useless at hiding the way my nipples tightened as lurid pictures of Luke’s naked body played in my mind. I did my best to act like it was no big deal as I dug through the small dresser near the hide-a-bed. When I finally turned around with the largest sized pants and shirt I could find. I collided with Luke’s damp chest.

One arm went around me while the other juggled the towel, which slipped precariously close to giving me a peek at the equipment that was currently pressed into my belly.

Dear god, that thing is huge.

I swallowed and looked up at him, the clothes caught between our bodies.  The whole world, our mission, the men who were after us, it all shrank down to Luke’s heart pounding under my hand, our skin pressed together, warm, alive.

I could’ve died today…he could’ve died and I never would’ve known what it was like to kiss him.

“I found…somethings,” heat flared under my skin as I leaned closer. “They might not fit…but I think they’ll work.”

“Andromeda?” my name floated between us on a growl.

“Yes?”

“I don’t give a fuck about the clothes.”

“Me either.”

Our mouths collided in a frenzy of teeth and tongues. His hands were in my wet hair one moment  and ripping my bra off the next. My nails scraped along his skin as his hands squeezed my ass cheeks and lifted me off the floor. We were feral things, driven by lust and the thrill of being alive and it made us scratch and bite one another in an attempt to devour. His mouth trailed down my throat as he backed me against a wall, my legs wrapped around his waist. He was completely naked, his cock rubbing against the seam of my jeans, torturing my clit as I ground myself down onto him.

“Fuck Andromeda,” he snarled as he ripped my jeans down the center with one harsh tug.

“I liked those pants,” I breathed as I took his cock in hand.

“I’ll buy you…ah fuck!”

I was stroking him, hard and rough, precum coating my palm. Never in my life had I felt so powerful as I did now with this six and a half foot Orc at my mercy. His mouth gaped, hand slammed into the wall next to me hard enough to send a shard of plaster to the floor.

“Please,” he begged, “I need to be inside of you…please.”

“Condom?

“Yeah…I…in my pants.”

He dropped me onto my feet, and ran into the bathroom where his pants were. I slipped out of my thong, so aroused that I couldn’t stop myself from leaning against the wall and dragging my fingers through my wet folds. Luke came back out, the package in his hand but stopped midstride. His dark eyes glittered with a sudden predatory gleam.

I grinned up at him, using my fingers to part myself so he could see just how wet I was.

“Is this what you want?” I asked.

“Yes,” his voice as impossibly deep.

I slipped two fingers inside of me and started to pump slowly as my other hand skated up to my breasts. The wet sound would’ve been embarrassing with anyone else. But Luke’s nostrils flared as my scent hit his senses. With a deep, wild inhale Luke’s eyes rolled back and he let out a long groan of pleasure. My cunt was his drug of choice, and I couldn’t help reveling in that fact.

“Touch yourself,” I ordered him.

He took himself in hand and I finally got my first real look at what he was packing. Luke’s dick was a masterpiece. Long and thick, the purple head peeked out from the light green foreskin, a vein ran and pulsed up the side of it and a line of white dripped onto his foot.  I knew that while I might be sore after, I wanted to feel him fill me up so bad that my clit throbbed as I watched him run his hand up and down. 

“Look at my eyes,” his voice was ragged.

I couldn’t refuse his command and when I met his gaze it set my very bones on fire. He stared at me with feral longing, like he’d been waiting just for me and now that I was here, he was going to feast on me. Was I insane to rush toward that end? To throw away every reason I’d clung to all these months just for the chance to feel him in and around me?

“You want this don’t you?” he asked, giving himself a rough stroke.

“Yes.”

“Then get yourself ready. Let me see that pretty pussy good and wet.”

Hearing this shy, bookish hot snack pour forth such filthy things from the same mouth that could wax poetic about Byzantinian texts and Latin conjunctions was an unexpected turn on.  We may have had a good foot of space between us, but I felt his eyes on me with more heat and ferocious want than his hands could’ve ever conjured.  The wet sounds of our arousal, the sharp inhales and breathy words was our symphony as we both barreled toward a longed for end.

“Luke,” I gasped.

“Come for me baby,” his voice was strained. “Let me see you do it before I fuck you like I’ve been dreaming about.”

I threw my head back as the release took me by surprise, pouring through me in a molten wave that had my knees buckling.

Luke was there to catch me one minute, while he turned me to face the wall the next. One arm wrapped around my waist, the fingers of the other plunged into me,

“You’re so fucking wet,” he breathed against my skin as he pressed kisses down my back. “Wet for me, for my cock.”

“Yes.”

I arched back, the blunt tip of his dick replacing his fingers at my entrance. Achingly slow, Luke breached my entrance and I let out an obscene groan as he began to stretch me.

“Andromeda,” he growled against my shoulder. “You’re so tight…so perfect.”

I suppose I expected an explosive rutting considering how we started. But Luke had other plans, ones that I knew could shatter me completely.

The very act of his cock inside of me was intimate, but it was nothing to the way his hand caressed my body, the hungry press of his mouth and teeth to my shoulder. He wasn’t fucking me. Luke was savoring me like I was the end and the beginning of his every desire. As if I were a long sought after treasure, and this moment was everything.

As the slow undulations of his hips drove him deeper each time, strings of Orchish words trailed on the edges of his panting. I recognized a few and they sent my heart soaring beyond the fear that had tried to chain me.

Beloved.

Precious.

Lover.

There were no artifacts, no enemies, no mission. In this moment, there was nothing but the two of us, our bodies moving as one in an ancient dance that stripped me of every defense. Tears fell from my eyes as the shield around my heart cracked wide open and left me utterly exposed.

“Andromeda….”

“Luke,” I gasped as his thrusts became deeper, faster.

Heat coiled deep inside of me and I was fast consumed by the flames. I didn’t care if I burnt and never returned to my former state, I needed nothing but Luke’s body around mine, his cock filling me.

Pleasure chased pain as he began to unravel, hips snapping to mine and heavy sacks slapping against me in a near punishing pace that had my whimpers becoming screams.

“I’m so close…I need…”

“Touch yourself,” Luke panted, “I can’t hold on.”

The moment my fingers pressed onto my clit, light exploded behind my eyes and my orgasm crashed through me. I trembled as Luke’s movements became erratic and he let out a savage roar.

We both stayed there, riding out the dregs of it together. Luke’s breath puffed out of his mouth, cooling the sweat on my back and sending a chill down my spine.

“Stay here,” he said, “I’ll be right back.”

He ran to the bathroom to take care of the condom, his ass even more amazing than the perfectly sculpted thing I’d imagined. My legs shook and I managed to make it to the couch just as Luke came back. He scooped me up and set me on his lap, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch and tossing it over us. The couch groaned under us and I wondered if it would hold us considering Luke’s size as an Orc.

His thick arms wrapped tight around me, softening dick nestled against my thigh and I snuggled into his chest. I couldn’t resist running my fingers through the thick, wiry hair on his chest. He pressed little kisses to my still damp hair and let out a long, contented sigh. I could’ve stayed there with him forever, and let the world outside tear itself apart.

“Regrets?” he whispered after a few minutes.

“No,” I said, and knew it was the truth.

Even as fear began to tear at my post orgasm high, even with the knowledge that I was likely setting myself up for another heartbreak, I couldn’t regret what we’d just shared. Or how safe I felt in Luke’s arms, the sense of belonging cocooning me in a warmth that went beyond the physical.

“You were afraid in the Library, why?”

I took a deep breath and looked up at him as best I could. He was so damn handsome, I couldn’t resist running my fingers over his high cheekbones and down to his solid jaw. I wanted to bask a little while longer, pretend that there was nothing waiting on the other side to tear us apart.

“It doesn’t matter right now,” I answered, nipping at his jaw. “I just want this, you. I want to leave the world out there for a little bit more. Is that okay?”

“Definitely,” his voice was husky and he gave me a feral grin. “So how about you sit on my face so I can eat that pussy. I haven’t had nearly enough of you.”

*******************************************************************************

It turned out that Luke was an insatiable lover. After he gave me two more orgasms with his extremely talented tongue, we had a quick dinner of whatever tins we could find in the cupboard before it was back to cock city.

Now I was laying across his body after he’d just taken care of the third condom we’d used. I was sore, sweaty and sticky but I couldn’t care less. It had been years since I’d been fucked this thoroughly.  Our panting breaths skated over one anothers’ skin, cooling the moisture there and I shivered. Luke brought the blanket over mostly me, his legs and torso exposed though he didn’t seem to mind. At some point we’d managed to get the hide-a-bed out but the poor thing was sagging badly under Luke’s weight.

The knowledge that there was a clear expiration date to this had me wanting to keep it going even though I knew we’d both reached a limit. Still, I couldn’t stop touching him, running my fingers over his beautiful hairy chest, my toes along his hairy calves. I loved that while Luke definitely kept things trimmed, he was unashamed of his body hair. There were too few males these days that knew how to have a balance between overly manscaped and looking like a sasquatch.

“You are incredible,” he breathed, huge hands gripped my hips.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I grinned up at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this many in one day that I didn’t do myself.”

“That can’t be true. What male wouldn’t want to keep you in bed for a week just to see your face when you come?”

“Only you apparently.”

He gave me a wide grin, showing off his two short lower tusks and the rest of his enormous teeth.

“Well then,” he kneaded my ass, “after all this is finished I’m taking you to Paris and I’ll stuff you full of croissants and my cock, how’s that sound?”

It sounded like the best fantasy ever. But it was something we could never have, at least not until Francesca was dealt with.

My smile faded and I looked away, knowing he saw the way my expression changed, the way my body went from languid to tense.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk about after. Let’s just enjoy this and get through the mission, okay?”

Now it was Luke’s turn to tense up. He tucked a large finger under my chin and tilted my face up. His forehead was wrinkled and eyes hooded as I tried very hard to hide the panic and sadness breaking my heart.

“Andromeda, what is wrong?”

If he kept touching me, looking at me like that I’d spill it all and I didn’t want to. Why couldn’t he just leave it and enjoy all of this? Why did Luke have to want more?

I launched myself off the bed and went to the dresser in the corner. As I dug to find something to wear I heard the bed creak and groan behind me and I knew that Luke had gotten up too.

“You don’t want anything else?” he asked, his voice firm though I heard the hurt all the same.

It made me flinch and that made me angry. Why shouldn’t it be alright for this to remain casual? Why did it have to be more?

I slammed the drawer shut and turned to face him. Anger was easy. It was clean,like a sharp knife to cut off what needed to be severed. And I realized with a burning ache that this had to be cut off, right now before either of us became more attached. I was doing the right thing, the compassionate thing. If I kept deceiving him and Luke thought we had a future, that would be the cruel thing.

“This was perfect,” I said, pulling on clothes. “It was hot and fucking perfect and no, I didn’t want to think or talk about the future!”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t have one.”

“This is about whatever was scaring you in the library isn’t it?” he asked, getting dressed. “You said it wasn’t bothering you anymore.”

“No, I just wanted to have this for a little while. What’s wrong with a casual fuck fest Luke?”

“Usually nothing.”

“Then why couldn’t you just leave it?”

“Because I’m in love with you!”

That stopped me in my tracks, stomach plummeted to my toes. His chest was heaving, cheeks darkened as he a flush rose under his green skin. All we could do was stare at one another, those words hanging in the air between us like a promise and a curse.

“I’m in love with you,” he repeated, and stepped closer. “I’ve been falling in love with you this whole time and tonight…I thought you felt something too.”

He was right, I had felt something. And now hearing how he felt, knowing exactly how this could play out if only…

I shook my head, tears burning my eyes like live coals.

“You don’t understand Luke. If we don’t stop now, you could get hurt.”

“How can you know that?”

The faces of the Agents I’d seen wrecked with loss cascaded through my mind. I don’t know why I was so sure that was our future, but I felt it like a yawning pit of forboding deep inside of me and there was nothing I could do to make it go away.

“It’s too risky,” I finally said.

“Loving each other?”

“Yes! Are you not paying attention to what’s happening at the Archive? To how fucking insane she is? To the Agents who are losing people they love because they displease her?”

His forehead wrinkled in a deep frown and a fire burned in the dark depths of his eyes.

 “I have seen it. I lost my brother because of that woman.”

Fuck! How insensitive can I be?

I cringed.

“I didn’t know, I’m so sorry Luke.”

“It’s not something a smart being advertises around the Archive these days. It used to be a good place, a safe place to explore and discover knowledge that had been lost or misunderstood. But now? Sometimes I despair of it ever getting better.”

“But that’s exactly why we can’t start anything. I don’t want to risk losing you.”

The words were out before I could stop them and Luke’s mouth tilted up just a little.

“So that must mean you do care.”

I groaned and swatted at the hand that tried to touch me.

“Damn it Luke! Not the point.”

“I know that. But do you really want to give her this much power over our lives? To live in fear and deny ourselves something that could be amazing just because she might use it against us? If losing my brother taught me anything, it was that I needed to live every moment to the fullest. He died having lived his life without apology or fear. And it inspired me to do the same.”

I hated how much sense he was making, chipping away at my defenses with every word. The craving for a life with him, to see where this could go gripped me in a fierce hold until I couldn’t speak.

Luke’s hands framed my face and he tilted my head up to look at him. Tears rushed down my cheeks and he used his thick thumbs to brush them away.

“You are worth risking my life for Andromeda Kane,” he whispered.

“How can you know that?” I whispered.

He shrugged.

“I’m a romantic. When I find a woman I’d let use my favorite pen to kill a man, I think the odds are good that she’s a keeper.”

A loud chuckle burst from my mouth.

“That’s definitely very romantic.”

“I thought so.”

“But Luke what if–“

The window to my left broke and a small cannister landed in the middle of the room. I had a half second to recognize what that was before Luke shoved me out of the way and the flash grenade went off. My vision was gone, blinded by the light of the damn thing, followed by smoke coming from somewhere that made me cough and feel dizzy.

I’d let my guard down, gotten distracted by feelings and Luke’s exceptional fucking skills. Now those pieces of shit were here and they were going to get Luke.

“No,” I coughed, struggling to get to my feet.

My mind was becoming foggy, like the room and I still couldn’t see for shit.

“Don’t you touch her!” Luke roared.

Then I heard him grunting as if he were in pain and I tried to crawl in the direction I thought his voice came from but my arms were weakening by the second. The smoke must’ve had some kind of sedative in it. Something heavy fell to the floor and I thought it might be Luke, the smoke getting to him too.

“Luke,” I gasped, as I tried to stay awake.

“Keep her alive and I’ll give you what you want,” he said, his voice distant as darkness began to creep in.

He was going to trade the artifact for my life.  I couldn’t let him do that but my battle to stay conscious was lost as my eyes closed and my body finally collapsed to the floor.

 *****************************************************************************

I woke with a yell, followed by hacking coughs as my lungs expelled whatever the hell those assholes had used. My throat was raw and my head felt like someone had driven a railroad spike through my temple. But none of that mattered.

They’d taken Luke.

My Luke.

The adorable book nerd that had just confessed his love and who fucked like it was an olympic sport. An Orc like that didn’t come around every day. Especially one that I was pretty sure I’d fallen for long before the epic fuck fest.

I tried to get my feet under me but my knees buckled and I started to cough again. Frustration and panic started well up and I took a deep breath. I had to get my body to start working fast. I had no idea how much of a head start the attackers had but even if it was just a few minutes that was still too much. Luke could not give them the cross. Not just because it was dangerous but because I was pretty sure they’d kill him after.

As I stumbled to my feet, gripping the leg of an overturned table for support, my eyes scanned the now wrecked room. Not only did they break the window but the door was on the floor, plates were smashed, as was the SAT phone. I somehow made it to the sink and reached under it to find the burner phone duct taped there. I turned it on, texted an SOS to the one number on there with the address of the Library and then disassembled it.  Luke would take them back there since he was convinced the cross would be there. Even if he weren’t a terrible liar, Luke wasn’t a fighter. That was my job and I’d failed him by getting distracted. I could beat myself up for that or I could admit that what I was feeling wasn’t anger at myself, it was bone chilling fear that I could lose him. Which meant I was definitely a lot further gone than I thought.

“Problem for another time. First I have to save him. Then I can worry that I just signed myself up for heart break.”

The more I moved around, the clearer my head became. I managed to find some aspirin from the first aid kit and the spare gun and knife that was hidden in the bathroom. It wasn’t all I’d wish for going up against an unknown number of assailants but it was better than nothing.

I made my way through the darkened streets of this part of Venice. The occassional dog barking, or drunken couple staggering to their home was all I saw as I got to the library. I took my time scouting the area around the building for guards and found only two. Either these guys were overly confident or understaffed. I was really hoping for the latter.

I wasn’t about to go in the front, so I circled around back, where the guard there was lighting a cigarette, his back turned to me to block the wind. A seriously rookie move that made me start to wonder how the hell these guys had gotten the better of me.

Oh yea, Orc cock.

I shoved the blade between his ribs, hitting the lung on my first try. The man didn’t have any air to make a sound and I eased him to the ground, making sure to hide him in a shadow to the side of the library.

The door was old, and it stuck as I opened it, making a loud sucking sound. I winced and waited to see if anyone was coming to check it out. When no one had, I slipped through. I’d come back here at least once a day to make sure no one was lurking so I knew my way around the towering boxes and maze like narrow halls until I got to the door I was looking for. Apparently whoever had built this church was either untrusting as hell, or just your run of the mill perv, either way, I was glad for the secret passage that I was currently sneaking down. A small space between two walls, the passageway was behind one of the walls in the main room where Luke had been doing most of his research. There were six shallow alcoves where one could spy on the occupants of the room on the other side.

I pressed my face against the old stone of the wall frustrated that this didn’t give me more of a view of the room. I could see Luke sitting at the huge table, there was dried blood on his forehead and a bruise on his cheek which made rage coil in my gut. He was shuffling through some of his papers like he was looking for something, or at least pretending to.

“Time is ticking professor,” snapped a man just out of my view.

“This isn’t like reading directions to some tourist attraction,” Luke snapped. “If I get this wrong, we die.”

“Then don’t get it wrong.”

“Then give me time!”

A gun came into view, the end pressed to Luke’s temple. My breath caught at the sight and Luke stiffened.

“You don’t have any left. Unless you’d like my men to go back and drag your girlfriend back here to motivate you. I bet they could find lots of interesting things to do to her.”

Luke jumped to his feet, baring his teeth and an actual snarl rolled up through his clenched teeth. He had to be bigger than this piece of shit and yet he hesitated. It made me wonder how many others were in the room, and what they’d threatened me with that him so cowed.

“You leave her out of this,” he said.

“You know that this woman you’re so worried about is a Kane right?” he said with a hard laugh. “The Kanes of New York.”

Now it was my turn to cringe. I kept that fact secret because I liked people treating me like a normal person. And now this asshole was going and ruining all of that. I had to put an end to this, as much for mine and Luke’s sake as to prevent whoever this was from getting the artifact.

“I did know that, and I don’t care,” Luke snapped. “She’s one of the best people I’ve ever met so what’s your point?”

I was about to try and  find a better vantage point when those words stalled me completely. Outside of my family, there wasn’t a single person that didn’t use a connection with me to get something, who didn’t discard me when they were done. I grew up treated differently not only because I was a Kane, but because I was also mixed race. Outside of my family, I had almost no one I could truly call a friend because time and experience had taught me that I was valuable until I wasn’t, that I was a curiosity not a person.  And Luke may have been the first to just see me and not a name or a dollar sign.

“My point,” the man crowded him against the table, “is that if you don’t hurry up I’ll have no choice but salvage this any way I can. And I’m starting to think the best way to do that is to see what kind of price a woman like Andromeda Kane would fetch.”

“You fucking piece of shit.”

Luke, for all that he was definitely a lover and not a fighter, looked about ten seconds away from blowing his stack. And while the man in front of him was smaller than Luke, I had no doubt my dear bookworm was no match for his kidnapper.

I ran on light feet to the next alcove to try and see who else was in the room. The angle was worse here, but I spotted what was likely two others near the door. The last alcove that spied into the room showed me just the three attackers, no more. I’d have to just go off that and hope that was really all there was.

“You’re so naive,” the man scoffed. “You’re a walk on the wild side to woman like that, a story she’ll tell her snotty friends at ‘the club’ about the young Orc who was a good fuck. You’re not the male a bitch like that takes home to meet the family.”

Luke looked away, pain and anger in the set of his jaw. I wanted to pummel this asshole, but I also felt like this wouldn’t hurt so much if I hadn’t been in the middle of rejecting him when this whole thing blew up. Was that running through his mind right now?

It occured to me as I began to formulate a plan that it would’ve been really easy to just let Luke believe what this man said. But I couldn’t hurt him like that. If I walked away, it would be because of the truth, not a shameful lie.

“Now,” he got in Luke’s face, “get to work before I change my mind about her.”

Luke fell into his chair,  fingers flexing in his dark hair. For a second, I swore he was going to tear up but he took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders before diving back into the papers in front of him.  I made my way to the last alcove near the deepest part of the room, which was taken up with several tall shelves of books. This one had no real vantage point but it was a door that could let me into the room. And with the way it was nestled between the book shelves, I hoped it would afford me the element of surprise because I was going to need it.

The door squeaked just a little and I held my breath, waiting for the man or one of his lackeys to come and check. After counting to sixty and not seeing anyone, I opened it just enough to squeeze out, silently thanking my mother for talking me out of that boob job five years ago. I tip toed to the end of the shelf and peeked around,  gun in one hand and the knife in the other. I had a clear vantage of Luke, who was now facing me. Maybe if I could get his attention and get him over here we could just sneak through the door. Sure that might leave the artifact in their hands, but no blood would be shed.

I angled the knife to try and catch the light in the room. It took about half a dozen tries and I almost gave up until it finally caught it and I sent a bright shaft straight to Luke’s eyes. He frowned and looked up, right at me. I gave him a grin and his eyes grew wide. He glanced at where his brother must’ve been and back at me.

“What are you doing?” he mouthed.

“Rescuing you,” I mouthed back.

“No! Get out of here!”

“No way! Come here!”

He looked around and murmured something to himself. It looked suspiciously like “She’s impossible” right before he got to his feet.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the man asked.

“There’s a book I need over there.”

Luke’s hands were clenched into tight fists, his whole body rigid with tension. I saw the moment he began to panic and knew someone was moving in my direction.

“Do you want me to hurry or not?” he asked. “Because if you’re going to stop me every time I need a source, this is going to take all night.”

Sweat trickled down my spine as I waited to see if someone was going to round the corner and find me.

“You know what I think?” I heard the shuffle of feet.

“No!” Luke shouted.

The asshole darted into my line of sight, a wicked grin on his face.

“I think you don’t want me over here,” he finished.

“Bravo mother fucker,” I spat.

I jabbed up with the knife and he caught my wrist. But he didn’t notice the gun, which I aimed down and blew a hole in the top of his foot.

He howled in pain and fell back. I had to eliminate him as fast as possible and get Luke out of here. So I raised the gun while he was distracted by the wound to his foot only to have one of the other kidnappers rush toward me. He fired at me and I leapt out of the way, coming up on my knees and taking him down with two shots to the chest.

Two more men ran in, one of them running for Luke.

“Behind you!” I screamed.

Luke spun around and managed to dodge just as a knife sliced toward him. He kicked the chair he’d been sitting in at the assailant. It caught him in the chest, and since it was a heavy chair, the impact sent him down onto his back. I took the opportunity to fire but only managed to shoot him in the leg since his torso was covered by the chair.

I jumped to my feet and took a step toward Luke when a band of iron curled around my waist, holding me in place.

“Little society bitch has a bite huh?” the man I’d shot in the foot said.

“This society bitch was in special forces asshole.”

“Sure you were.”

I answered him by stomping on his instep and then thrusting my elbow full force into his face. He was tall enough that I hit his jaw instead of his nose but it worked. He stumbled back, dazed and it afforded me the chance to jab the knife into his thigh. He released me with a growling yell just in time to see Luke punch the last assailant across the face, and send him flying to the floor. He picked up the gun the man had held and fumbled to get it pointed the right way. Anyone with a gun in this situation could be dangerous but someone like Luke who had obviously never handled one before was doubly so.

I scrambled toward him only to be intercepted by the leader, who was bleeding out of two different wounds and should’ve been in enormous pain. Either he was on something or had supernatural blood in him because his pupils were completely blown and he had a wild look about him that screamed beserker.  Before I could dodge out of the way of his huge hands, the asshole punched me across the face. I tasted blood and my vision was all stars as pain blossomed across my jaw. The impact sent me reeling into a chair and I fought to clear my head. My gun clattered to the floor but I somehow managed to hang onto the knife. I turned around just in time to swipe it clumsily as he came at me. His fist connected to my stomach this time and all the air was knocked from my lungs. I collapsed to the floor, desperate for air as I coughed and gagged.

“No, leave her alone!” Luke screamed.

The cold press of a gun to my skull  was his answer. I had to get up, had to fight and try but I was still struggling to breath and my middle was  in excruciating pain.

“This is your fault you mewling weakling,” the man hissed.

The sharp report of a gun echoed through the room and I waited for the pain, for my vision to fade and death to claim me. But nothing happened. I knelt there, gulping in air when something heavy fell in front of me. I looked up through eyes that were still unfocused from the punch to the face to see Luke gaping as the man fell to the floor.

I coughed and gasped as I tried to get to my feet, but Luke was there in an instant.

“I couldn’t let him take you from me,” he said, arms holding me up, a hand cupping the back of my head. “Oh god Andromeda! Are you alright?”

I nodded, getting air to my lungs now but not enough to really form words. So I clung to him as Luke shook with the shock and adrenaline of the moment. He pressed soft kisses to my head and I buried my face in his throat, breathed him in as if I needed the assurance that he was unscathed.

“What now?” he asked after a few minutes.

“I–“

The sound of boots and shouts cut me off. I was exhausted, and sore. All I had was a knife in my hand and the guns scattered around the room were too far away to get to before the room would be flooded.

“We have to get to the door,” I whispered, my legs shaking.

Luke nodded and swooped me up in his arms. We made it three steps before men in tactical gear poured through the door. I had a moment of deep regret and anger before I recognized the swaggering asshole that came in behind them as the Directors pet agent.

“Well, well, well, quite the mess,” Derek Dearborne grinned at us, the only one not wearing a helmet. “We got your message but it looks like you did the wet work yourself. Pity.”

“We had no choice,” Luke said, still holding me.

Derek’s eyes took in the way I was cradled against Luke, the protective glint in his eyes. It was dangerous showing this kind of weak spot to anyone, most of all to the man who seemed glued to the Directors’ side. So I pushed on his chest until he let me down. I could feel his hurt and disappointment as he watched me walk away from him.

“If you’ve got the situation, I think Professor Turner and I should be debriefed before we travel back to headquarters.”

Derek’s gaze flitted to Luke and back to me. I held my breath, waiting for him to reveal that he knew what we meant to one another. But instead he just grinned at me and nodded.

“That’s acceptable. Report to the Senior Agent out front for your debriefing, I’ll handle Professor Turner.”

It was a test and I refused to balk at it. So, instead of looking back and giving Luke a smile, or any sign that I still cared for him, I forced my feet to carry me through the door and out to the lobby. Every step was like knives slicing my soul but it was the right thing to do. I had to protect him right now, until we could figure out how or if we wanted to have a future together.

 ******************************************************************************

My debriefing lasted a full week, including the travel time between Venice and London.  I must’ve given the same answers to a dozen different people, all of them digging for any proof that Luke or I had sold out the Archive. It rankled more than a bit since my record was spotless. But it also revealed that perhaps the Archive wasn’t as solid as I’d thought. It was obvious that there were more rival organizations out there than we thought, and that they were very well equipped and informed.

Not my problem though. I need to find out what the hell happened to Luke

I hadn’t seen him since the Library and I was terrified what Francesca may have done to him. Failure wasn’t something she took lightly. I had tried to ask about Luke in very round about ways at first but it yielded nothing. So now I was just asking outright, not caring what the repercussions may be. I was going crazy with worry and all I wanted was to see that beautiful smile of his, to feel the firm planes of his body against mine.

The answers changed but the purpose was the same every time: to keep us apart.

 I had no idea if this was his doing or Francescas but as I sat in the waiting room of the Directors’ office, waiting to have what I hoped was my final debrief about this mission, I hoped and prayed that Luke was alright. Besides that, the extraction team had left without the cross as far as I knew, and if Luke had been reassigned I wanted to be a part of it.

But if Francesca thinks I was incompetent I won’t only be kept from the mission I might be redacted and…

A chill raced down my spine. Redacted meant something completely different here at the Archive. It meant memory wipe and a month in a mental hospital as cover as a best outcome. Far more often it was disappearing and never being heard from again.

I couldn’t sit still in the comfy black chairs and instead paced, my short heels clacking against the black and white checked tile. The walls of the waiting room were a dark red that I’m pretty sure was to remind everyone of the color of dried blood and there wasn’t a single plant or magazine around to focus on in order to keep my mind from spiraling. I was sure this was on purpose as Francesca was not subtle in her intimidation tactics. Just when I was starting to wonder if being kept out here without information was my punishment, the black and silver door opened and a secretary in a crisp white and black pants suit opened the door.

“Agent Kane? The Director will see you now.”

I nodded and snapped into a military straight posture. My mind clicked over into that mindset of discipline and order. I had nothing to be scared of because I’d done nothing wrong and that was the truth. If the Director had a problem with me…

I stepped through the door and into the black and gray office, the thick gray carpet swallowed my shoes and the black and gray walls made me feel like I was in a giant box . A tall woman with sharp features and an expensive white pant and blouse outfit stood in front of a shiny black desk that looked like it was carved from Onyx. She was the only bright thing in the place, with her gold bracelets, white blond hair and pale complexion.

In front of her, lounging in a huge black chair was the man I’d been worried about all week. He held a demi cup that contained the dregs of espresso, a three piece suite of dark blue stretched across his unglamoured Orc physique and memories of what was under that fine fabric sent a rush of heat to my skin. He looked damn fine all cleaned up but I couldn’t help missing the silly T-shirts and cargo shorts.

“Ah, Agent Kane,” the Director said, her alto voice deceptively gracious, “Professor Turner was just telling me about how good you are at your job.”

I glanced at Luke, who was avoiding my gaze in favor of cleaning a nonexistent speck of lint from his pants.

“I’m glad to hear it,” I managed as I slipped into an at ease posture.

The Directors sharp gaze narrowed, her smile still in place as she took in the change in my demeanor.

“I like the discipline a military career instills in my Agents,” she said, “it means that you understand taking responsibility for things and not sugar coating the truth.”

Luke stilled next to me and my blood ran cold.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied.

She nodded, her chilly smile widening.

“I believe that you did indeed perform well in the field. That you did your best to protect Professor Turner and the artifact. But the fact remains that somehow an entire team of rival agents were able to track and trap you. They nearly succeeded in getting the cross, isn’t that correct Agent Kane?”

My mouth was dry but somehow I managed to answer, “Yes ma’am.”

The Director stepped up to me and I managed to stop my body from trembling by the narrowest of margins.

“I do not fault Professor Turner for this incident. Or for trying to protect you. He’s an academic, he doesn’t know any better. But  I expected better of a Kane. Especially one with your background. “

“Yes ma’am.”

The door to her office opened and in strolled Derek. His gaze slanted to Luke for the barest of seconds and then snapped to Francesca to whom he merely nodded. Then he crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall, as if this were some kind of fucking brunch and not a disciplinary discussion. 

“It’s done,” he said. “We found the cross right where Professor Turner said we would and his research is now securely stowed in the Archive Library. The operation was a win.”

“Well,” she said, glancing back at me, “isn’t that nice? Agent Dearborne managed to make minimize your mistake Agent Kane.”

“All in a days’ work,” he said with a shit eating grin.

I shot him a narrowed eyed look of pure hate when the Director turned toward her desk and he just shrugged. He probably saved both our lives so I should be grateful but all I wanted to do was punch him.

“Professor Turner you may report back to the Archive Library to make sure your notes are recorded correctly. Agent Kane, you are on leave for a month. I hope it gives you time to meditate on your failures with this mission and do better in the future.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said, trying very hard to walk at a calm pace from the room.

Luke was hot my heels as I rounded the corner down the hall and headed for the elevator. We didn’t say a word to one another the entire elevator ride, both of us knowing full well that the Director had cameras everywhere and giving that woman any ammunition was too high a risk. But the tension was  hot with everything unsaid between us. His fingers twitched against his pant leg, and I longed to weave them through mine. If I had any doubt about how much it would to be without him, this week had shown me in stark detail. He had been my last thought before sleep finally took me for a few hours, and the first person I thought of upon waking. At times I would turn with a smile to tell him something only to have a stabbing sensation cleave me in two as I realized that I may never see his smile or hear his voice again.

Now, here we were, a few feet from one another and we couldn’t so much as look at one another.

A thousand questions began to run through my mind, making the atmosphere in the enclosed space suffocating with worry. I almost threw caution to the wind and turned to him when the elevator opened onto the floor just above the lobby and in walked Agent Dearborne.

When the doors closed, he hit the stop button and Luke slouched against the wall.

“Cutting it close there Derek,” Luke said.

“You have roughly five minutes before this is considered a security breach, talk fast,” he snapped.

“What the fuck is going on?” I demanded.

“First things first,” Luke grabbed me and pressed his lips to mine in a hard, hungry kiss.

“Not the best use of this,” Derek said.

“Shut up,” Luke said, holding me to him. “I missed you so much but I had to stay away.”

“I understand but why is he here.”

“Gee feeling the love,” Derek said. “I’m here because your boyfriend here thinks that you’d be willing to join our little underground resistance.”

I stared at him and then snorted.

“You? Working to bring down Francesca? Aren’t you her faithful little lap dog?”

His jaw clenched and fury erupted in his eyes.

“Don’t believe everything you see Agent Kane,” he hissed, “I have my reasons. Are you in or not?”

I looked between the two of them.

“Is this real?”

“This is real and it’s dangerous,” Luke said. “I wanted to tell you in Venice but I couldn’t without Derek’s approval. This is how we have a life together, this is how we can make the Archive what it was supposed to be.”

Luke was smiling down at me, practically vibrating with excitement. He was right, this was how we changed our world for the better. But if being regular Agents had come with risks, this cranked it up to eleven.

Still, I’m tired of being afraid, of seeing the damage she’s bringing to others and doing nothing.

“Alright,” I nodded, “I’m in.”

Luke let out a long breath and crushed me to him.

“Alright lover boy,” Derek said, “we need to get moving again. You’ll find a note from the tailor in your inbox in two days time with a location and time to meet for new gear. That will be your first meeting. Don’t be late.”

Luke slipped me a piece of paper just before stepping away from me and Derek hit the elevator button to get us moving again. My mind was reeling with questions and emotions.

I couldn’t quite believe that Luke, with all his squeamish tendencies toward violence would be in a resistance like this, but I suppose it also made some sense. To pull off what Derek was talking about would take many different kind of people with a lot of different skill sets. I wondered where I’d fit, what the plan was.

But most of all, I wondered about Lukes feelings for me. Sure that kiss was dizzying, and he said he missed me, but being in the field was like living in a different world. It was intense and exciting, it had it’s unique set of challenges but every day worries didn’t factor in. Would he still want me now that all of that was behind us?

I owe it to both of us to put my big girl panties on and find out.

When the elevator opened, we all three exited, going different directions out of the building. The minute I managed to hail a cab and slammed the door shut, I opened the slip to see the name of a coffee shop twenty minutes away. Never had a cab ride felt so damn slow as that one did.

The car dropped me across the street and all the nerves came roaring back. My heart beat an erratic tempo in my chest, palms sweaty and my throat was dry as I stared at Luke. He was sitting at a table, his tie loosened and his Mundane glamour firmly in place, complete with mussed hair and a hint of stubble on his jaw. My body ached to feel his strong arms around me, to be surrounded by his warmth.

I hadn’t crossed the street yet when Luke looked up and saw me. Our eyes locked and the world faded away as a thousand memories flooded my mind. The way he could make me laugh, how good it felt just to be in the same room with him. How he kissed me, held me, fucked me like I was everything.

My entire body was hot, pulse pounding in my ears as I watched Luke jump to his feet, bolt out of the shop and cross the street toward me. He was heedless of the honking cars, of the shouts of angry drivers. Luke’s eyes were locked onto me, the only thing that mattered to him.  For all his bravado getting to me, his hands shook as he cupped my face, his eyes held bright shards of hope that I knew were reflected back in my own gaze.

“I know that being together is dangerous. That we might get our hearts broken, might lose each other,” he whispered. “But I want to take that risk because I have never felt this way before. And I know if I don’t give it my all, if I don’t do everything to try and convince you that we could do this, I will regret it the rest of my life. So please, tell me that you’ll give this a chance? I’ll work every day to show you how much I love you, if you’ll only say yes.”

My throat was clogged with emotion, tears spilled down my cheeks but somehow I managed to get words out.

“Yes you crazy Orc, I want to give this a chance.”

I barely got the last word out before he pulled me to him. His lips were hot and fierce as his tongue delved slow and possessively into my mouth. How had I thought that I could ever resist this male? I was a goner the second he’d smiled at me.

When he let me up for air, my entire body tingled and heat had started blossom in my core. When his nostrils flared I knew that Luke could smell my arousal and it only made me more wet.

“I want to take you home,” his lips skated across my temples, “and I don’t want the two of us to leave for a week,” now his teeth grazed my jaw. ” I want you naked and panting under me. I want your taste imprinted on my memory for as long as I live.”

I pulled his mouth to mine once again and devoured him, my teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

“Just a week?” I breathed.

He grinned down at me.

“For starters.”