As Alerio led her out onto the dance floor, Dona told him over the mission com channel, “Actually, the training thing sounds like a good idea.”
“I’ll have to come up with a suitable program.” Taking her into his arms, he spun her out among the swirling crowd of dancers. And damn, it felt entirely too good.
Neither Enforcer had ever waltzed before, though the German aristocrats they were pretending to be would definitely know their way around a dance floor. Which was why the mission’s required Educational Data Implant had included popular dances of the period, along with an English language refresher, Victorian slang, and the finer points of nineteenth-century etiquette in the Deep South. Having absorbed the EDI’s package of skills before the Jump, they could probably dance rings around anyone else in the room.
Gazing up into the chief’s handsome face, she found herself acutely aware of the warmth of his palms even through her evening gloves. His eyes should be glowing now, judging by the arousal her sensors detected. Luckily his comp’s imagizer concealed the effect.
Dona swallowed and licked dry lips as her own need rose. His gaze tracked her tongue tip with heated interest. Yeah, definitely glowing. And if Dona had been a Warfem, her own would be lit with the same red blaze.
Unable to hold his stare, she aimed her gaze over his shoulder.
His sensor implants were probably telling him exactly how she felt. A memory flashed through her mind: the last time they’d made love.
Dyami, black eyes flaming as he drove his cock into her with long, driving thrusts that sent corkscrews of pleasure twisting along her nerves . . .
I could have that again, she thought. Tonight. When we return to the Outpost, we could make love. And then I’ll lie awake cursing my lack of self-control.
She couldn’t afford to keep giving in to her desire for Alerio; that would only make it harder to resist the next time. In the end, it would be like the colonel all over again. Her life would sail out the nearest air lock as she was forced to turn her back on everything. Her home, her career, her rank, the skills she’d spent years developing . . .
Though she’d been able to join Temporal Enforcement after Kavel got through wrecking her existence, that wasn’t the sort of second chance that came around more than once. Which was why she’d been devastated when Ivar had turned out to be a traitor. She’d come so close to being charged as his accomplice, she’d figured she was well and truly screwed. She had been wrong.
Then.
But if she didn’t stay away from Dyami, she might find herself in the same sort of ugly mess. Like Temporal Enforcement, Arania’s military had been small. Rumors could travel through its ranks at light speed. Whispers about her relationship with Kavel had dogged her like ghosts, until she’d had no choice except to leave.
If she was stupid enough to make the same mistake with Alerio, she could expect the same result.
Assuming Alerio treats me the way the colonel did. True, the chief seemed to be a fair man, especially compared to Kavel, who’d thrown her to the wolves the minute he’d needed a scapegoat. Alerio would never do that.
You didn’t think the colonel would prove to be a conscienceless shit, either, but you were wrong then, too.
Then there was Ivar, surely the worst mistake she’d ever made. At least the colonel hadn’t committed treason.
Every man you fall in love with turns on you. Watch your step, or Alerio Dyami will be next in line.
Still a little nauseated from the return Jump to the Outpost, Dona closed her eyes and braced her armored boots apart. She’d changed back into her T-suit the minute they were far enough from the plantation, having grown thoroughly sick of that gown. Especially the corset.
The familiar light blast and thunderous crack announced Julia and Geneva’s return. It’s a good thing Mission Staging has good shielding, or everyone on the Outpost would be permanently blind and stone-deaf.
Opening her eyes again, Dona found the carriage and its horses on the Jump pad. The three mares whinnied and danced. Pendragon just looked bored.
Despite its fragile appearance, the reinforced carriage was equipped with temporal generators powerful enough to drag all four animals along for the ride. Still, Jumping would have been hard on the animals if not for the nanotech harnesses that compensated for often ugly side effects of temporal warps. Not quite as effective as a full T-suit, but you couldn’t dress a horse in armor.
Alerio appeared with the standard thunderclap, as usual Jumping last. He shot Dona a probing look as if to make sure she’d arrived with mind and body intact. That wasn’t always a given; warps could sometimes have unexpectedly ugly effects for no apparent reason.
She nodded at him, silently acknowledging his concern.
Geneva’s voice rang out from inside the carriage, edged with a distinct whine. “Lost gods, that was sickening.”
“The wages of time travel, my dear. One gets used to it.” Despite the offhand words, Julia sounded deeply relieved to be back.
The carriage rocked as the substitute coachman jumped from the driver’s box to the staging pad, then moved to unfold the steps and swing open the carriage door. Still playing his role to the hilt, he offered Geneva a half-bow and a hand down. She accepted it and descended the steps, twitching her skirts into place.
“Why can’t we have T-suits?” the actress demanded when she had both feet safely on the pad. Glancing up, she spotted Alerio and stalked toward him. “Armor would make the whole thing a lot less stressful. Besides, then we’d be able to escape any sodding kidnappers.”
“Except the government couldn’t control where you’d go,” Alerio explained patiently. “We can’t have tourists Jumping wherever the hell they want. We tried that a couple of decades ago, and it was chaos.”
“Besides,” Julia added, “Galactic Union law states no one can legally possess a T-suit except TE agents.”
“Too bad that never actually stops anybody,” Dona said over the com channel. No matter what steps TE took to curb the practice, bootleg suit manufacturers always found ways to sell their wares to temporal criminals.
“Good thing, too,” Alerio replied dryly as he moved to join her. “Otherwise you and I would be out of a job.”
Geneva headed for them, skirt swaying like a great bell with the roll of her hips. She looked as ethereal as a fairy queen as she rested one hand on Alerio’s armored chest and raised her huge, famous eyes to his. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of me.” Dark lashes dipped as she rose on her toes to press a lingering kiss on his tattooed cheek.
Dona managed not to grind her teeth.
Just.
Alerio’s gaze flicked warily in her direction before he gave the actress a coolly professional nod and stepped away. “That’s what you pay us for, Ma’am.”
With a wistful sigh that verged on tragic, Geneva dropped her heels to the deck and offered Dona a limp hand. “Thank you, too. Dona, isn’t it?”
Enforcer Astryr. She managed to bite back the correction and shook the actress’s disinterested hand. Good Enforcers don’t break a tourist’s fingers. Even when she richly deserves it. “We’re delighted to have been of service,” she lied.
Geneva’s smile was strictly perfunctory. “I’m sure.”
“Thank you so much for protecting us, Chief.” Julia glided over, taffeta petticoats rustling. “You too, Enforcer.” True gratitude lit the smile she gave Dona, who smiled back. “You’re welcome to escort my tours anytime.”