Her Empath Read online

  Her Empath

  Mina Carter

  New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

  Copyright First Edition © 2011 by Mina Carter

  Second Edition © 2017

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  READ AN EXCERPT FROM CYBORG’S PRICE

  Also by Mina Carter

  About the Author

  1

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  The raised female voice filled the expansive office, making the man behind the large desk wince inwardly. Admiral Daniel Reilly knew better than to show such an emotion on his face when dealing with the woman who sat across from him. Any sign of weakness and she’d have him. Shoot from the hip, both barrels—that was her standard operating procedure.

  “General Ryland…Lyssa.” Reilly softened his voice as he said her name. It was a concession due to their long friendship and the need to butter her up. “When have you ever known me to joke about anything? Much less something as important as the assignment of a telepathic Empath?”

  She glared back at him, then let loose a curse that would make a Marine blush. He should know. He’d been one once, way back when. They’d both started in green. Then he’d switched service tracks and now drove a desk, while Lyssa was still out there in the field kicking ass and taking names. To say trouble followed her around was an understatement.

  He sighed as he sat back in his chair then looked over his steepled fingers at her. “You should feel honored, not many starship captains are assigned one.”

  “Yeah, right. I feel honored all right. Honored that I need a spy on my freaking ship… What is it, Danny? Don’t you trust me anymore?” She grinned suddenly, a flash of white teeth and a mischievous expression that reminded Daniel of the wild young cadet she’d been. “And we were so close too…”

  The mischief was still there, but nearly four decades of Fleet service had put steel in the expression behind it. Steel and a reputation no man in his right mind would fuck with.

  He snorted. “One abortive one night stand does not a relationship make, Lyssa.”

  Gods, didn’t he wish it did though. He’d kicked himself up and down for years after that night, unable to believe he’d screwed his chances with her so completely over something so small. Back then, he’d been too young and dumb to realize making fun of her scales would not be taken in the affectionate, joking way he’d intended. Even now, decades of service and, for him, twenty years of marriage to the sweetest woman imaginable, he still thought on that “what if” at times.

  He’d never mention it to Lyssa, though. A master manipulator, she wasn’t above using his weaknesses against him. Just like she’d routed out every last one of his spies on her ship and gotten rid of them.

  One she’d abandoned in the pleasure city of Cernas, another had been left to walk across the frozen wastes of Kranous and the last… Daniel winced. He should have known Lyssa would see through the ambassadorial act straight away. What he hadn’t expected was for her to take the damn actors to the trade negotiations at Heranas and actually manage to secure an exclusive deal with the Arachnids.

  She sat back in her chair, her eyes hard on his face. Daniel ignored her body language and her deliberate attempt to unsettle him. He was in charge of three battle groups filled to the brim with egos, and a host of squabbling junior admiralty. So her direct, almost acerbic manner, was somewhat of a relief.

  She was a striking woman. She was tall, with the fiery hair and amber eyes of her father’s race, the Telatians. She didn’t look her age. Anyone would be forgiven for taking her to be in her mid–thirties, rather than the fifty–two Daniel knew her to be.

  The slender and toned body, courtesy of her marine training, added to the impression of youth. Her eyes were old though. In his more fanciful moments, he’d thought you could see back through the ages in them…to the first Telatian who had walked the burning sands of their in–hospitable planet.

  “This is happening, like it or not. Have a paddy and throw all your toys out of the pram if you like, General Ryland, but this is going to happen and I expect your full co–operation.”

  He met her hard look for hard look as he pulled rank. If she thought she was getting to him using that “snake–look”, she had another thing coming. Even if she let the humanlike mask drop a little and revealed the scales he knew were just under her skin, he wasn’t budging an inch.

  She was a pain in his ass, and seemed determined to be one for a lot longer. That was why he was bringing in someone she couldn’t play. A small grin of triumph spread across his lips. The Combined Fleet’s Empaths were the hardest and sharpest minds in the galaxy, capable of discerning truth and lie just from the way a person’s eyes flickered. Incorruptible and totally loyal to the fleet, there was no way she’d get through to this one. Finally he’d manage to achieve the goal laid down on him by his superior officers and tame the Rogue of Telat–Moire.

  “Fucking jumped up, good for nothing, pain in the asssssss… Bloody wanker!”

  Lyssa stormed out of Reilly’s office and through the reception area. Fury surged within her, her normally silent footsteps reduced to stomping she was sure they could hear three decks below. She was so worked up, her speech had slipped and her hiss had come into play. Normally such a lapse would mortify her. Right now, though, Lyssa didn’t care.

  Sensibly, Daniel’s personal assistant kept out her way, but then, there weren’t many people who would stand up to Lyssa. Even if they didn’t know who she was, her Telatian heritage was easy to spot. Just a hint of red hair and amber eyes was enough to have most scuttling for cover just in case they came face to face with one of the famed snake–nomads.

  Her long strides took her out of the door like a small tsunami, the sheer energy of her anger swirling ahead of her. Deep in thought, she wasn’t paying attention to where her feet were taking her. As she stepped out of the door, she collided with something warm and solid.

  Before she could land on her ass in an undignified heap on the floor, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her. In the next second, she was yanked up against a broad male chest.

  “Hey there, Kitten. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  The voice, like silk over steel, slid over her senses in a sensuous caress. Whether it was the shock of being touched, the fact someone had just called her kitten or the sheer, sexual arousal that hit her at light–speed… Lyssa found herself struck dumb.

  On a normal day, she’d have taken his hand off at the wrist for the first two, but the last… Her gaze wandered up from the chest she was currently eye to ‘eye’ with, past a strong throat, and up to caress an equally strong jaw. Hell, he was tall.

  Above average in height for a woman, Lyssa had gotten used to being on a level with some men and towering over most. The feeling of being petite and delicate was an entirely new experience for her. One she found with surprise that she liked.

  Looking up further, she found bright blue eyes. A blue as deep as the sacred oceans on her home planet. They drew her in. Mesmerized her as surely as any old earth snake charmer. Blinking, she snapped out of it and stepped back.

  Human, her sensitive sense of smell informed her. She bit down on her tongue, the urge to flick it out and taste the air nearly catching her unawares. First she was hissing and now scent–tasting?

  “No, that will never
do. Thank you for your assistance…” She looked back at his collar again. “Commander. However, I’m more than capable of moving under my own power,” she informed him and extricated herself before she could do something stupid. Like kiss along that delectable jaw…

  Later that evening, Commander Jacob James Meyers, or JJ to the few people he called friend, walked into the lounge on deck forty–seven and headed straight for the bar. The place was full, as was normal for a base on one of the major trade routes. This was a Combined Fleet base with several warships in dock outside, so the atmosphere was restrained.

  He strode through the crowd with determination. As normal, people moved out of his way without really understanding why they did so. JJ didn’t bother to hide the roguish grin that spread over his lips. One of the many perks of his calling.

  “Dakarian vodka, make it a double, on the rocks,” he ordered as he slid onto the stool at the end of the bar. This morning he’d slept through his alarm, been late for an important meeting and the day had pretty much gone downhill from there.

  Apart from one noticeable exception. The woman who’d all but swept him off his feet outside Reilly’s office. He sucked down a large gulp of the drink the bartender slid his way and breathed in sharply through his teeth as it burned all the way down to his gut.

  She’d been the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen. JJ had seen more than his fair share of women, clothed or unclothed, and she’d been one he definitely wanted to see unclothed. Heat swirled through his veins and settled in his groin. Scratch that, he didn’t just want to see her naked, he wanted to be the guy to peel the clothes off that delectable figure. Slowly…preferably after he’d chained her to his bed.

  He shook his head and drained the glass in three long swallows. He was just torturing himself. A woman like that had to be attached…that or have a harem of men willing to cater to her every need. Perhaps Reilly was screwing her, even though JJ knew the Admiral was married.

  God alone knew why the man would want to cheat. JJ had met the Admiral’s wife several times and she was a sweet, quiet mouse of a woman who brought the protective instincts out in any man. She didn’t have any of the danger that had clung to his kitten earlier though. None of the ‘touch me if you dare’ challenge he’d felt emanating from her even before she’d landed in his arms. Sheesh, some guys had all the luck. Biting back a growl of jealousy, he thrust the glass back at the bar–tender. “Another. Make it snappy.”

  “You want to be careful on that stuff…I heard it can put a marine on the floor within three drinks.”

  The feminine voice beside him made JJ start a little in surprise. Not at the fact a woman had dared to approach him despite the scowl on his face. Without vanity, JJ knew he looked good. All Empaths did. It was an evolution thing designed to pass the genes onto the next generation.

  What surprised him was his immediate physical reaction to her voice. It wrapped around him like a lover’s caress, trailing soft fingers down the centerline of his torso right down to his cock and balls. Within a heartbeat he was solid and ready for action…his erection a savage ache that demanded to be appeased. He slid a glance sideways and felt his jaw drop.

  It was her. The woman from earlier.

  JJ paused, his hand still out–stretched for the return of the glass, and looked at her. Caught like a rabbit in the light of a lamp. The red hair he’d wanted to sink his hands into earlier was pulled back into a classic pleat with a few tendrils loose and framing her face. She was dressed casually, in a dark top and pants, but JJ didn’t pay them much attention. They were merely window dressing.

  “You’re Telatian,” he blurted out in surprise. Then felt like kicking himself for such a dumb comment. Of course she was Telatian, what else could she be with such amazing eyes and skin that was a cross between pale gold and burnished copper? His fingers itched to reach out and see if it was as soft as it appeared or as scaly as the snakes he’d been fascinated with in his childhood.

  She didn’t take offense or try to empty her glass over his head. Instead, the corners of her lips quirked a little. “Observant, aren’t you? Good thing you’re cute, you can get away with a lot the way you look.”

  She turned her attention to the barman. “Get him another and my usual, please.”

  JJ couldn’t help it. He laughed, intrigued and amused by his companion. Deep inside his male ego preened. He hadn’t had to track her down, something he knew he would have attempted after another few drinks. Instead, she’d come looking for him. Okay, so maybe she’d already been in the bar so perhaps she hadn’t had far to look. He was male, though, so he took the path of least resistance.

  “Usual? Does that mean you’re local?” he queried as she slid onto the stool next to him. Her scent, elusive and sensual, wrapped around him. His cock hardened another savage inch. JJ slammed his mental shields up high as his over–active imagination presented several high erotic scenarios with his lovely companion in the starring role.

  Suddenly he was glad he was still wearing the uniform of his last undercover identity, that of Commander Kurtis Mason, counselor aboard the Combined Fleet Ship, the Helios. Telatians were known to be highly suspicious of outsiders in general and Empaths in particular.

  His mind flicked back to his new assignment. He was due to report tomorrow to the CFS Arcadia as the ships Empath. That was the official story. In reality he was there to keep the ship’s captain, another Telatian, one with a bad reputation and a habit of defying command, under control.

  What were the chances of running into two Telatians on the same day on the same base? Instantly JJ dismissed the idea. General Ryland was in her fifties and apparently married to the service. No doubt some dried up old nun of a woman, nothing like this mysterious beauty sitting at his side.

  “Not exactly. Been here a while, leaving tomorrow.” She smiled at him as she lifted her glass.

  For a second JJ was lost. Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, he accepted the refilled glass from the barman and centered his attention on the woman at his side. He wanted her and he was going to have her. Before the night was out he’d have her naked under him, screaming his name.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh you will, will you? Bit over–confident, aren’t you? How do you know I’m not into women?”

  Crap. He’d been broadcasting. JJ fought the heat that wanted to crawl across his cheeks and gave her a hard look full of the heat he was feeling.

  “You’re not into women.” His voice was low but firm, assured. Women liked dominant men and he suspected this one more than most. “And you’ll come screaming my name as I take you. The only question is how long I make you wait before I let you come.”

  Whoa. He was good.

  Lyssa lifted her glass to her lips as heat and lust raged through her veins. Liquid heat slid from her pussy and dampened her panties at the thoughts his words conjured up. Her heart skipped a couple of beats and compromised her breathing. It had been a long time since any man had roused such a reaction in her. Especially one so young… She studied him from under her lashes. How old was he? Late twenties at most?

  Most humans were too soft to give her what she needed and, because she was a half–breed, most Telatian males wouldn’t touch her in case they broke her. As fierce as the hard deserts that bred them, Telatian warriors made love as hard as they fought. Even full–blooded females like her aunt were often hurt during the violent courtships of her father’s race.

  It led to a lonely life and lots of sexual frustration to pour into her job. There was a reason they called her the Snake–bitch of the fleet and other, less flattering names. The name–calling didn’t bother Lyssa, but the loneliness did.

  He held her gaze as he lifted his glass to his lips. At best, she found most humans passably attractive, but this one was gorgeous. High cheekbones and darkly handsome features were overshadowed by the force of his bright, blue eyes and the call of those sinfully lush lips. Lips that should have looked out of place on a man, but promised a night
of pleasure Lyssa desperately wanted to experience.

  She downed the contents of her glass in one go. Pure, ice–cold H2O. She shivered as it slid down to her stomach and waited for it to kick in. Bizarre, one of the most feared races in the galaxy and they could get falling–down–drunk on the smallest glass of water.

  She slid from her stool with a sultry look. “I do hope that’s a promise. I’m assuming you have a room on the base?”

  His empty glass joined hers on the bar and he stood up. Again Lyssa felt that little frisson of excitement as he towered over her. This time, though, he crowded her against the bar. The hard edge dug into her back, but she didn’t care, caught in a web of dark excitement as he placed his hands either side of her.

  “I do, but first I want something.”

  “What?”

  His gaze flicked over her face, then dropped to her lips. Lyssa felt that look all the way down to her clit, the shiver calling in on her nipples as it went and turning them into hard beads begging for attention. Begging for his attention.

  Gods, what was wrong with her? He’d only looked at her, for heaven’s sake!

  “Kiss me.”

  Lyssa’s eyes flickered shut for a second at the low order. A half–moan, half–whimper tried to escape her chest, but she managed to hold it in. She nodded mutely. Her lips parted as he leaned forward and her whole body tensed in anticipation of the touch of his lips on hers.

  “No, kitten, I’m not kissing you. You kiss me.”

  Lyssa’s gaze darted around the crowded bar. Despite her reputation, she was rather a private person, the natural reticence of her father’s people reinforced by the prejudice she’d encountered serving in the fleet. Nerves and excitement racing through her as she flicked her tongue out to wet her lower lip.