Dangerous Games

want to catch the people responsible for sacrificing the women, but there were still limits to what I would do for the Directorate's cause.

The sound of flesh slapping against flesh, and the moan that followed it, had another tremor running across my skin. Jan might want what they were doing to her, might have paid big money for it, but all I wanted to do was get up and smack them all.

Then go find Kellen, who was into common old everyday sex, and fuck his brains out.

'Are you willing to pay more for your needs, Jan?' Jin asked. 'Are you willing to go all the way?'

All the way? Something about that phrase had warning lights flashing. I mean, how much more could any human—male or female—take?

Obviously, a whole lot more if the sudden surge of desire and desperation coming from Jan was any indication. 'Yes, yes,' she said.

Jin glanced at the big man beside him and smiled. It was a cold, pleased thing, and sent ice slithering through my soul. There was nothing remotely human in that smile. Nothing even resembling humanity.

'We have another candidate, Marcus.'

'We do.' The big man's voice was a rich rumble that should have been sexy, but only sent more chills skittering across my skin. 'I shall inform the boss.'

'Good.' Jin glanced at the woman. 'Finish her off then take her to the recovery room. I better go check our other patrons.'

'The women in rooms two and three bleed sweetly.'

Jin snorted. 'But the woman in two gives no pain. No fear, and only a little desperation.'

'She is lesbian, is she not? Could we use that?'

'She's bisexual, so no. Death intends to keep trying, but I think she'll become another meal for him. I don't believe she can provide what we need.' He slapped the other man on the shoulder. 'Don't forget to get the papers typed up for Jan once she regains consciousness.'

'Will do.'

Jin left. Marcus casually unfurled his whip and snapped it across the silence. I jumped. Jan merely moaned, the sound one of anticipation.

'Tell me what you want, Jan.'

'Finish it. Hard.'

'Tell me,' he said, voice almost lost under another snap of the whip.

'Beat me,' she whimpered. 'Just beat me.'

'As the man said, I can't do that. Not yet.'

She made a gargled sound full of despair. He breathed deep, as if sucking it in. Just like Jin had appeared to be sucking in her pain.

God, was Jan the only human in this room?

'Please,' she said again.

Marcus coiled the whip back up, then ran the handle end down the torn flesh of her back. 'You want it fin- ished, I want your desperation. I want to feel your torment.' He reached up with one hand to grab the rope tying her left arm to the ring. 'You will give me that, Jan.'

Her arm flopped free. He grabbed it before it could fall to her side, then spun her around, shoved her back roughly against the wall, and tied her back up.

Then he fucked her, using the thick whip handle rather than his body. All the while, the big man breathed deep, his body shuddering in pleasure as she twisted, screamed, and, eventually, came. Then she collapsed against the ropes and blacked out.

Marcus leaned forward and kissed her lips, as tenderly as any lover, then carefully undid her ropes and carried her out. I stayed where I was, battling the mix of rage, disgust, and desire sweeping through me, trying to control the twin urges of finding someone to beat senseless and finding a man to fuck the hell out of.

Right now, neither were exactly practical.

I blew out a breath then stood, knowing I had get back to the spa before someone came looking for me. I padded across the room and carefully opened the door. The corridor still lay in shadowed darkness, but it was far from silent. Screams and grunts were now coming from the room that held the odd scent—which was room two, I noted, suddenly seeing the small number on the door.

Who was the man referred to as death in that room? Was it Gautier, or someone else? It didn't smell like Gautier—not exactly—and besides, Gautier didn't do sex. And whatever else was happening in that room, sex was definitely involved.

I shuddered and got the hell out of there.

As I opened the door at the end of the corridor, a door down near the torture rooms opened. I scooted out the door as fast as I could, but not fast enough.

'Hey—'

I didn't hang around to hear what else was shouted, just ran. I hit the buzzer to open the glass doors, waited impatiently for them to open, then pushed through and ran for the spa.

Once there, I stripped off, slid the pass out of sight behind the stool, then dove into the spa. As the warm water began to take the chill from my skin, I ducked under the bubbles, wetting my hair and feeling the heat caress my face.

In the hall outside, doors opened and closed.

Someone was checking who was and wasn't around.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, my door opened and Jin's thick scent filled the room. I opened one eye and looked up at him. 'Twenty minutes isn't up yet, is it?' I groped for my watch, which had slid toward the little stool. It was then I noticed a little bit of the pass-card's lanyard sticking out from behind one of the stool legs.

Shit. If he took one more step, he'd be able to see it.

I grabbed my watch, then rose. I didn't step from the spa, though, just let the droplets stream down my water-warmed body. His gaze followed them, as I thought it would. Whatever else he was, he still wore the shape of a man, and all men looked when presented with nakedness. But I pressed a wet hand against his chest, just to ensure he didn't move.

'According to my watch, I still have eleven minutes left.' Which was a huge shock. I mean, with all that I'd seen and done, I would have sworn at least twenty minutes had slipped by. 'Are you trying to cheat me?'

He grabbed my hand, squeezing it harder than necessary. I winced. He smiled. 'It can hardly be cheating when you're getting it for free.'

I arched an eyebrow, and kept my voice low. Sultry. 'And here I was thinking I was going to be paying for it all later.'

He chuckled, then pulled me forward, the unexpected force of it making me slip. He caught me, his arms sliding around my body, the strength of his grip brutal.

'What games do you play, little one?' He dragged me up, out of the water, his voice was a dark whisper against my ear.

'No games.' My breath little more than a pant of air, but the cause wasn't excitement. He was holding me so damn tight it was a struggle to breathe.

'You had better not be. I do not like being made a fool of.'

'I'm not trying—'

'Then why were you in a restricted area?'

Shit, shit, shit. I raised my gaze to his, saw nothing but coldness in those alien depths. Whether he'd truly seen me, or merely fished, I couldn't honestly say. I'd been moving with vampire speed—most people wouldn't have seen more than a white blur.

But Jin wasn't most people.

I tossed a mental coin to decide between a lie and the truth, then said, 'I went to the toilet. I didn't know it was restrict—'

He swung me around and flung me back against the wall. Hard. Pain flared briefly, reverberating through my body, and I had to resist the fierce desire to knock him back onto his ass.