The swinging double door slammed shut and they were alone.
Her heart pounded from the unexpected contact with him when he had freed her from Christian's grip. She could still feel the warmth of his body on her back, the firm arm around her stomach, the breath that had brushed her hair. She hadn't been able to classify his reaction and was paralyzed.
She stood still now, too, but for a different reason than before. Though she was really determined to act confident, she just wasn't. She wasn't really afraid of Dareon, but the angry look that surrounded him earned her a good deal of respect. Like trying to get close to a cobra. Better not to make sudden movements.
Dareon had his broad back to her and was staring at the door as well. Her eyes stayed on her strong shoulders, her fingers tingled. She wanted so much to touch him. But when he turned to her, he looked so upset that she decided to postpone the fulfillment of this wish. She nervously pushed back her hair,
Dareon sprinted out of his room. As he walked, he tied the bow tie that went with the black tuxedo. He often wore suits when he went on his nightly jaunts and in his long life he had worn every kind of fine thread. Until yesterday he would have said nothing could surprise him anymore. But then Cat showed up and taught him otherwise.It had struck like a comet, into his halfway orderly world and now he had to grapple with unsettling thoughts. About the way she looked at him. How did her skin feel and how comfortable her lips?He hated the way he reacted to her and he wanted to just get in his car and sneak away. But what he said this afternoon was true. He wanted to fix what he had screwed up. And his sudden obsession with this woman had absolutely nothing to do with it!Determined to get tonight off the stage professionally, he turned the corner and reached the stairs to the foyer. His gaze fell on the assembled crew at his feet. Most were wrapped in the dark le
It was a dark night. Not a single star could be seen.Recurring, cutting gusts raged over them, heralding the storm they were waiting for.It couldn't be long before it happened.Aurelia pressed closer to the steel pipe of the ventilation system to avoid the whistling wind that penetrated the roof of the 40-story skyscraper to the bone.With a quick glance, Aurelia checked the time - 2:33 a.m. For nearly two hours they had been huddled behind this pipe, waiting for their action. The damned cold was now in her limbs and she spread her stiff fingers a few times to free them from the cramp around the gun and knife. The machine gun pinched her back uncomfortably and her legs slowly went numb. In centuries of practice, she shifted her weight slightly to one side, thus relieving the other without changing her posture. Absolute stillness could save your life in some cases.Suddenly torrential rain set in, which accompanied the rush of the storm. Wit
The small passage was in the upper area of a room wall. The room beyond was bathed in dim light generated by control lights and computer screens. Small machines rotated, robotic arms moved as they worked. On the opposite side was a large plexiglass pane through which spectators could watch what was happening in the laboratory. Sideways, Aurelia saw what they had come for.A glass case housed six pea-sized stones, which were anchored in a socket in a chemical bath. The box was swung back and forth by a machine so that the liquid sloshed around the stones in motion. A faint green light made the stuff slightly fluorescent.After a short concentration, she gave Row a curt wave to understand that it could start. This pushed up next to her and briefly closed her green eyes to collect herself. She folded her hands and jerked them open facing the grille. The silent pressure wave blew the square cover into the laboratory, first with a metallic tear, then accompanied by a rattle
Aurelia tore off her breathing and ski mask, removed the earplugs from her player and shook her soaking wet locks. Viktor, who had done the same to her like the others, laid a brotherly hand on her shoulder. He squeezed lightly, then passed around a pair of headphones for the group to talk to during the flight. Aurelia put the thing on and took a deep breath to shake off the tension. Her muscles were still tingling, waiting for the physical exertion to continue.Accompanied by a few clicks and clacks from the radio system, she heard Aiden's warm voice."Damn it, what the hell was that stuff?" He scolded, holding up his gloves that he dipped in the liquid to loosen the stones. Salt-like edges had formed on it, like on shoes that one wore in winter when it was slippery and scattered. In some places the thick leather was so damaged that small holes were created.Row took it from him and looked for traces of the chemical. "Looks like a strong acid or a
While the others smirked, Aurelia couldn't take pleasure in the banter. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, a memory made its way into her consciousness. Although she struggled to concentrate, she couldn't prevent the first of a series of images from quietly creeping into her mind's eyes. Just one of the many gruesome scenes her job brought with it.She screwed up her ice-blue eyes to push away the feeling of oppression, but quickly opened them again. Pareios was fixing her with his gaze. His face took on a concerned look, then he skillfully changed the subject. He, of all people, interrupted the fateful course of the conversation. The two of them were a team on a professional level, but didn't know each other very well privately, as Aurelia was not personally close to anyone, except maybe Viktor. Pareios, on the other hand, had many ... contacts.“Can you finally tell us why you dragged us out of bed in the middle of the night and dragged u
The helicopter descended and landed gently on the floor of an abandoned factory site. The group got out stiffly and packed up their equipment. They had left the thunderstorm behind, because the sky here was clear with stars.Aurelia ran alongside Pareios as they left the fence behind them and headed for the adjacent wooded area. Their footsteps were the only sounds in the dark and after about five minutes' walk they reached the spot. Aiden, who had gone ahead, kicked the underside of an angular, dark rock. A trapdoor opened beneath the man-high rock, revealing the otherwise hidden staircase that led down to the bunker.Aurelia was pushed to the entrance by Viktor, but she broke free. "I should move a little more ..."He looked at her carefully, but understood immediately. He had known her long enough to know her habits inside out. Most of the time, the mind and body were so excited after a fight that she urgently needed the exercise so that all the stress hormon
Fortunately, this time Pareios did not seem to realize what had just happened. He had beaten her, got her absolutely cold. But he seemed to blame her changed mood on the fact that she had decided to let it happen that way."In war and in ... love," he completed the saying he had quoted and stared defiantly into her eyes.That tingling again.Aurelia tried to hide the not unpleasant surprise and the growing aversion. Both feelings wrestled inside her. Outwardly she tried to glare at Pareios angrily and look behind the cool facade. What was that in his look that had changed? Did he understand the fact that she had let him outline her as an attempt to flirt?She couldn't grasp it before he jumped up with lightning speed and dashed away through the trees. "Tricked!" He called back, giggling like a little boy.Dazed and a little confused, Aurelia sat petrified, still where he had pushed her to the ground. But finally got up indignantly and started a cha
The windowless chamber was filled with heavy, aromatic smoke that made her eyelids heavy. The ventilation would soon have sucked him outside.While she inhaled the last few puffs and so slumbered in front of her, she tiredly tried to ward off these strange new thoughts about Pareios, mainly because, thanks to her messed up manner, they were accompanied by this terribly familiar feeling of fear. Funny that these absolutely different emotions, affection and disgust, were linked in her. How often had she tried to break this absurd connection, even if her attempts were rather weak and not very convinced. They mainly arose out of the need not to attract attention, in which one conformed. But not from the desire for genuine attention.She thought about her relationship with Viktor and secretly compared him to Pareios. Viktor enjoyed her complete confidence. She respected him and appreciated his straightforward and sincere character. He never failed in his judgm
Dareon sprinted out of his room. As he walked, he tied the bow tie that went with the black tuxedo. He often wore suits when he went on his nightly jaunts and in his long life he had worn every kind of fine thread. Until yesterday he would have said nothing could surprise him anymore. But then Cat showed up and taught him otherwise.It had struck like a comet, into his halfway orderly world and now he had to grapple with unsettling thoughts. About the way she looked at him. How did her skin feel and how comfortable her lips?He hated the way he reacted to her and he wanted to just get in his car and sneak away. But what he said this afternoon was true. He wanted to fix what he had screwed up. And his sudden obsession with this woman had absolutely nothing to do with it!Determined to get tonight off the stage professionally, he turned the corner and reached the stairs to the foyer. His gaze fell on the assembled crew at his feet. Most were wrapped in the dark le
The swinging double door slammed shut and they were alone.Her heart pounded from the unexpected contact with him when he had freed her from Christian's grip. She could still feel the warmth of his body on her back, the firm arm around her stomach, the breath that had brushed her hair. She hadn't been able to classify his reaction and was paralyzed.She stood still now, too, but for a different reason than before. Though she was really determined to act confident, she just wasn't. She wasn't really afraid of Dareon, but the angry look that surrounded him earned her a good deal of respect. Like trying to get close to a cobra. Better not to make sudden movements.Dareon had his broad back to her and was staring at the door as well. Her eyes stayed on her strong shoulders, her fingers tingled. She wanted so much to touch him. But when he turned to her, he looked so upset that she decided to postpone the fulfillment of this wish. She nervously pushed back her hair,
A little later, Cat was on the way to Ceiling. Xandra and Blaise were also in the car, the former driving.“What's going on between you two? Did something happen today at noon? ”Xandra asked after a while of quiet harmony. Much to Cat's chagrin, there was no need to discuss who 'you two' were. Dareon's behavior in Ferroc's office had been conspicuous enough, and apparently Cat's quick approval of the deal confirmed Xandra's suspicions. Since she already knew that Cat was into the guy, she hardly had to add one and one together."I'd like to know that too ...", Cat only mumbled and that was the truth. She had no clue what was going on in the object of her desire. Why he'd acted like that and then treated her so dismissively. "Dareon behaved quite ... inconsistently ... I can't figure him out.""So there was more to it than his rejection?" "Slightly."Blaise appeared between the two front se
"And what did he say?"Cat had barely stepped off the elevator on the third floor when Xandra was already attacking her. Less enthusiastic, she reported without going into details, only that Dareon had refused. Especially the fuck off she left out.An arm came comfortingly around her shoulders. “Oh, that'll be fine. Give me a little time and I'll find someone else who can help you. I promise you, I won't leave you alone with this. "Cat looked into the sincere eyes and she almost came to tears. She couldn't believe that an almost stranger wanted to stand up for her like that. Besides, the idea of honing her gift with someone else didn't make her particularly happy. It should be Dareon. She couldn't get him out of her head and the need for his presence hadn't subsided despite his rejection."No. I'm ... just doing it with him ... "she mumbled to herself, lost in thought, while she thought of the pressure of his hands on her waist. The Elevender at he
Dareon stood in front of a group of Elevender and tried to bring them closer to the benefits of close combat. He had put the people in pairs and was now watching them repeat the exercise he had shown them. It was about contact, because one of the basic rules of this technique was: Once you are close enough to the opponent that he can hit you, you have to forestall him. Therefore, he trained his students to seize control of the fight at this moment, to internalize the techniques in such a way that they forced their will on the opponent from this point on. He was not allowed to play again. At least that was the ideal. Of course it would be a while before his students were ready and he would teach them many other things that could save them from sticky situations.But for today he ended the lesson. He wasn't happy with the results they'd gotten, but wasn't sure if it was due to the ineptitude of his students, or maybe more to his miserable mood.More and more Elevenders h
The next morning came too fast for Cat's liking. The rays of the summer sun cheated through the gaps between the curtains that she had drawn up the night before. One of the bright spots of light finally blinded her when the golden ball in the sky had moved a little further, which put an end to her cozy doze. Sighing, she heaved herself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to freshen up. In the morning she slept for a long time and could also get a bit bitchy. She took her time and put on makeup again, as she used to wear with her goth look. She found the mascara and cajal she needed behind the mirror over the designer washbasin.In this way she regained a bit of her identity, which had been taken from her again yesterday. She wistfully wished for dark clothes, but then, resignedly, pulled on the forest green sweatshirt dress. It was long, but the length seemed fine. The hem came up just below her knees. She didn't even want to try the jeans, she would have needed a belt
After an hour in this tiny office, he couldn't take it anymore.Hard to believe, but the room was really losing size. The walls seemed to get closer and closer, it got darker and darker. But maybe the latter was just his eyesight. When a panic attack loomed, he got tunnel vision that was announced by a dark and blurred field of vision. The other signs of it were also raised. His neck felt like an elephant was sitting on it, and his hands and feet went numb. He figured he had about fifteen minutes before snogging the carpet. All the emotions in the room made him dizzy, he had to swallow hard as his stomach rebelled.Roman's inner fear billowed through Slater, his subliminal agony crashing against him like waves in the ocean. They tugged on him and he had to put both legs firmly into the ground to brave the onslaught. If Roman was around, it was worse. Then every smallest nuance of the Puerto Rican's emotional world spilled over to him and the more intensely the other fe
Cat looked around the large room. If that was a hotel, it was probably five stars or something. She was standing right next to the entrance and to the right of her was the bathroom. Then the small hallway opened and widened into a huge room, the sand-colored walls of which were lit by soft skylights. The opposite front of the room was almost completely taken up by a frameless window, only the balcony door at the left end had room.The bed stood with the headboard on the right side, the wall behind it was covered with upholstered fabric in a pale gold tone. Two magnificent reading lamps hung down from above and enabled the separate lighting of both beds in the seductively comfortable double bed.Cat walked over and dropped into the chocolate-brown blankets. She landed face first on heavenly scented, soft pillows. A real boon after she hadn't slept or allowed herself to relax for a while. The exhaustion was not only physical but also mental and left her no peace even now
Xandra granted the young woman's wish. She had thought Catlynn Campbell was a fragile, withered branch, but today the young woman had shown amazing strength. After that day that would have blown even the toughest cop, she was still standing upright in Ferroc's office. Although she looked tired and had dark circles down to the back of her knees, her long, thick hair was tousled, the expression on her face was determined. The hand that held out the glass to Xandra did not tremble.After handing out vodka again to everyone involved and each taking a sip, Xandra decided to speak."Listen, Cat. You don't have to decide now whether you want to believe us. You can rest and maybe stay for a while while we try to get to the bottom of your gift. You can move around freely and watch Blackridge and how we live in peace. ""We have more than enough space!" Agreed Ferroc.Cat looked around, then gave them both a quick look. Finally she took a deep breath and nodded. "O