She stared up into his eyes, hoping he might be bluffing, but she saw the truth reflected there. Shit. That rat bastard Mason had screwed up the paper trail and, in fact, had blown her cover.
“I got divorced,” she lied. “I took back my maiden name.” It was worth a try.
He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Here’s an interesting twist. Checking the current database showed you exist but when we searched outdated internet sites that social security number belonged to an Eleanor Brinkler. She was a seventy-year-old housewife who died ten years ago.” He slowly raked his gaze down her body then back up. “I’m no expert on what an eighty-year-old looks like but I’m certain you’re nowhere near that age.”
Kat panicked but tried to mask her features, struggling to think of something to say.He stepped closer. “You don’t look dead.” He stared at her chest. “You’re breathing.” His gaze met and held hers. “What is your real name? Who sent you and why?”
“This has to be some horrible mistake.” It was all she could say. She was nailed and Robert Mason had sent her into one hell of a mess. Her cover identity had been a muddled rush job.
Darkness leaned forward, putting his face close to hers again. “I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice lowered to a rasp. “Don’t make me do that, sweetheart. I have enough memories to assure I suffer nightmares almost every time I sleep. Just tell me who you really are and why you came to Homeland. You’re busted.”
She licked her lips, tempted to tell him the truth. Mason never should have sent her to Homeland undercover. It would probably get them both fired, but it would be even worse if she talked. No one wanted an agent working for them who cracked under pressure. Darkness was just doing his job and he was good at it. She respected that.
“You look so soft and fragile.” He paused, watching her. “Let me tell you a few things about me. Have you ever heard of a human named Darwin Havings?”
Kat blanked her features but her heart rate jumped. Havings was currently number thirty-two on the list of the Department of Homeland Security’s most wanted. He’d been a rich bastard with businesses mainly in the Middle East and ties to third-world countries. He was also suspected to have invested heavily in Mercile Industries. That last association had earned him a hard look from authorities and what they’d uncovered was some pretty nasty suspicions but no actual evidence. Havings was rumored to be wrapped up in drug and sex-slave trafficking. They’d also found indications that he might be guilty of stealing from the US military in Afghanistan and selling the stolen weapons to rebels. That had put his name on the wanted list.
“Nope. Is he an action star?” A crime lab technician wouldn’t be familiar with that name because it hadn’t been in the news.
“He’s a bad human I’ve met.”
She had to remember to regulate her breathing, something that was tough to do since she was frantically trying to figure out how that meeting was possible. Why? How? When? A horrible suspicion gripped her that her dickhead boss might have been right. Are they in business with Havings? The NSO would be the perfect place for him to hide. We don’t have jurisdiction at Homeland or Reservation. He could flip us off from inside the gates and there wouldn’t be a damn thing we could do about it.
“I was one of a group of Species he took from Mercile.”
“Why?” She relaxed slightly. That meant it had happened in the past when Darkness had been a prisoner of the company. Havings would have had access to New Species then. Is the connection still active?
“It was a test.” He growled, cocked his head and continued to watch her eyes. “They put explosive collars around our necks. We were biological brothers and they knew we were aware of the connection because they showed us proof. We were birthed from the same batch of embryos they’d created from two particular humans they had matched up. They always created multiple embryos, often from the same pair of humans, sometimes by pairing one or both with other donors for different physical characteristics. Our animal genetics varied but our human DNA showed a familial match. That was why he wanted us. He knew we’d protect each other and do anything for our brothers.”
Jesus. Some of her control slipped and she knew her expression revealed the sympathy she felt. “Why explosive collars?”
“We knew they’d set them off and kill our brothers if we didn’t follow orders.”
“That’s fucked up.” Also a terrorist tactic—an extreme one. She didn’t mention that last part.
He cocked his head and leaned in. His nose tickled as it brushed against her throat. He inhaled deeply, seeming to smell her. Kat didn’t protest but it made her aware of him in a new way. It was kind of sexual.
“We’re protective of our own by nature and they used that,” Darkness whispered. “Do you want to know what they made us do?”
“Sure.” Her gut twisted from a bad feeling that she wouldn’t like the answer.
“They taught us how to fight and kill. We were four breathing weapons with faster reflexes, stronger bodies and keener senses than humans.” He lifted his head and came at her neck from the other side, inhaling again. It brought his chest into light contact with her breasts. “Our teachers were mercenaries with strange accents. They were brutal.”
Fuck. The strange accents he spoke of were a tipoff. Darwin Havings only hired his bodyguards from his Middle Eastern contacts. They were the sorts usually linked to presumed assassinations. It was really bad news that they had trained Darkness. She could just imagine the things he’d been subjected to.
“I learned everything about how to torture someone into telling me whatever I want to know.”
Suspicion confirmed. She took another deep breath, shaking inside, terrified. She’d been trained to withstand torture but not the hardcore stuff he’d probably learned. Would he use it to break her? If so, he’d do whatever worked to get answers. It meant it could get ugly and dangerous, with the possible loss of body parts or death.
He moved again until he could stare directly into her eyes. “You’re frightened. I can smell it on you. Just tell me the truth.”
She wasn’t sure what to do. “Is that why you’re sniffing at me?”
“I’m not human.”
She really didn’t need the reminder. “May I have some time to think about it?”
His eyebrows rose. “You want me to wait while you try to come up with more convincing lies?”
“I want to tell you the truth but can’t.”
He braced both hands on the table, one on each side of her chest, and leaned in closer until he was almost half on top of her. “Do you know how animalistic some of us can be?”
“Not really. I read the papers and have watched interviews.”
“You see what we want you to. I’m not Justice North.”
She could believe that. Mr. North seemed downright friendly, even cuddly on television. He displayed a quick sense of humor and an easygoing personality. Darkness was none of those things.
He parted his lips and showed off those fangs again. Kat stared at them and hoped he wasn’t implying he’d use them to bite her. That would probably hurt like hell.“Imagine honing predatory instincts, combined with being encouraged to become the worst of humanity. That’s what I was made to be when I was pulled from Mercile and sent to those humans, if they could be called that. Tell me the truth or you’ll see what I’m capable of. It will be brutal.”
Real tears filled her eyes and there was nothing she could do but blink them back. He was a master at instilling fear since she believed every word he’d said.
“Honestly. I had no hidden agenda. I just wanted to stop those men from hurting your people.” She stared into his striking eyes, hoping he’d see the truth. “I don’t want any New Species hurt. I was looking forward to teaching some classes and getting to spend time here at Homeland. I thought it would be cool, almost a vacation.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t do that, sweetheart.”
“I swear on my life that every word I just said was absolutely true.”
“I meant don’t cry.” He closed his eyes and tucked his chin to look away. “Fuck.”
His reaction astounded her. He was either an amazing actor or a master at deception. Otherwise she’d think he was feeling a twinge of empathy. He looked at her again and the tortured expression on his face stabbed at her heart.
“I can’t do this.” He shook his head. “It’s not worth my soul or what’s left of it.”
“Can’t do what?”
“Pretend you’re a female from my past so I can effectively do my job. I actually admired your skill out there. I don’t think I could have done as well as you did or dealt with those humans as quickly. You either think fast on your feet or it was a brilliant strategic move. You’re one of the best assassins I’ve ever met if that’s the case. If I’m wrong…” He looked at her chest. “It makes you exceptionally sexy.”
Kat didn’t know if she should be flattered or offended. She said nothing.
He blinked a few times. “You pose a problem for me, Kat. If that is your name.”