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“How’re we going to get to headquarters?” Claude stood next to him and peered out the window.
Raiden let the curtain drop and clasped his hands in front of him. “I confess, I’ve never been inside your CIA headquarters. What I need you to do is visualize your office. When you do, I’ll have the ability to take us there.” He’d rather not teleport when he could help it. Doing so drained a lot of his energy. Hopefully, the short distance wouldn’t be a problem.
“Okay.” Claude shrugged and closed his eyes. “I’ve got it. Now what?”
The man’s visualization of his office became prominent in Claude’s consciousness. Easy enough to latch onto. Hooking them mentally together, Raiden willed them there. When Claude stumbled, Raiden grasped the man’s shoulder to steady him.
“Do you need assistance?”
Claude ran a hand through his graying hair and cleared his throat. “Nah, I think I’m good.” He peered around the darkened room lit with red emergency lights. “Damn, the power must be out.” He went to the door and opened it a fraction to peek out. The hallway only had one or two people rushing back and forth. “Wonder where everybody is.” Claude spoke under his breath.
“Which way to your director’s office?”
“Follow me.” He glanced behind him. “Just act like you belong here and nobody will question you. We’re way past the security checks.” He headed down the corridor with long strides.
Raiden followed with a small smile. The man didn’t know Raiden could bypass any security guards with a mere thought.
“With the power out, we’d better take the stairs.”
After climbing several flights up in a stairway crowded with people going down, they exited on one of the top floors.
The dim hallway was quiet.
Claude headed to the door at the end. “As far as I know, this is the director’s office. I’ve never been there myself.” Turning the knob, he led the way into a vacant foyer.
Several desks had stacks of paperwork scattered haphazardly around dark computer screens as if people left in a hurry. Prominent at the end of the room was a thick mahogany door with the name plaque “Director Obsidian”.
“I doubt he’s in there.” Claude gestured to the empty room. “No one else is.”
An unexpected tug from the person in the other room compelled Raiden. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before. With a mere thought, he swung the door open.
Sitting behind an executive desk was an older, African-American male who stood when he and Claude strolled in.
“Agent Stygian! What is the meaning of this?” The Director glared with a frown.
The man’s imposing figure didn’t fool Raiden. The image of a powerful-looking human was an illusion. Try as he might, he couldn’t penetrate through the falsehood. But he recognized it was the same power blocking him from accessing Claude’s memories.
“Not the right question.” Raiden answered for Claude. “The real question is, why the subterfuge?” He gestured to the tall, muscular man.
With the stride of an apex predator, the man left his desk and strode toward them. Without giving Claude a second look, the man waved his massive hand.
The human disappeared.
Still connected to Claude, Raiden sensed the man had been sent back to his office.
“What? You don’t like what you see?” The deep baritone of the man purred as he stood mere inches from Raiden. With thick fingers, he caressed the side of Raiden’s face.
An unexpected ache of pleasure from the light touch flooded Raiden’s body.
Leaning close, the dark man whispered into his ear, “How about you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine?”
Raiden jerked away and probed into the dark pools of the man’s eyes. He glimpsed a deep well of longing, passion, with a sense of yearning. He’d never sensed those emotions before when someone returned his stare. Relying on instinct, he allowed his natural form to replace the human one. He sighed with relief. It was like taking off a tailored suit that fit, but was still uncomfortable.
“Oh my God, you’re more beautiful in person.” The baritone voice whispered. The director stepped back and opened his arms. Without a word, the broad man changed and melted into a feminine form.
One Raiden had only seen in his dreams. “Jazmi? Is that you?” He couldn’t believe it. For the first time in his long life, surprise overtook him. All these months he had searched for this woman who danced out of his reach. In a rush, he grabbed the sides of her face and groaned. Instinct as old as time had him pressing his lips against hers. Nirvana enveloped him when she eagerly opened. For the first time in his life, Raiden experienced a reality that outshone any illusion he’d ever created.
Raiden!
