Shattered Dawn (Fallen Guardians Book 5)

by Georgia Lyn Hunter

  Mouth tight, Nik wiped his sword on the demon’s shirt and dismissed his weapon. It settled back on his biceps in its tattoo form.

  The human soul the demonii had just consumed departed his decomposing body in a fading yellow glow and vanished in a wink. The blood demon’s dark one shot out of his slain torso and hovered.

  No, he didn’t have to kill innocent demons for Shadow’s symbionts. There were always plagues like these around. His heart hammering like a drumroll, Nik waited, knowing the darkness would sense him soon enough. At least he could do this for her.

  The agitating black blob slipped down into the ground—

  “No!” Nik dove forward, landing on his knees, but the soul had disappeared.

  What the hell? He scanned the gravel surface, then the gloomy trees and squat buildings, but no sign or sensation of the familiar abrading, dark energy. And then it hit him like a punch in the solar plexus, the truth garroting him.

  No, this can’t fucking be. It can’t.

  Whatever Shadow had done, she had healed him completely. He no longer attracted the dark souls that had been his fate since Tartarus.

  The thought of her leaving skewered him like a dagger in his heart, the hope he’d hung onto smashing into fragments. There was no chance for them, not now—

  No, chance?

  Hell, she didn’t even want to try. And that gutted him.

  A human coughing hauled Nik back to where he kneeled on the ground. Eyes burning, he pushed to his feet. The dead man lay under the tree where he’d fallen, night concealing him. With the village bordering the forest, his death would be chalked down to some wild animal attack.

  Nik dematerialized and coasted above the village. He didn’t want to meet up with Race in the city, nor could he bear to see Shadow, knowing he would have to take her back to New York.

  He picked up the revelries of the all-night party carousers leaving Club Samhain in the far distance, the club’s usual, blinking sign dead, indicating the end of the night’s frivolities. So, it was probably just gone five in the morning.

  His mind in a roiling mess, he coasted away…only to find himself back on his bedroom balcony at the monastery. He reformed and then just stood there. Hell, there was no avoiding this.

  Exhaling roughly, he opened the door and entered. The heart-stopping scent of wildflowers enfolded him, hurting him so fucking badly, knowing it would soon be gone. He leaned against the shut door, so he didn’t march over and beg her not to leave.

  Fuck, he scrubbed his unshaven jaw. He was an outright mess. But there it was.

  Shadow lay on her tummy asleep and facing him. Strands of inky hair spilled over her face and the pillow. Like a glowing star in the dark, she drew him. Nik found himself crouching at her side, the absolute knowing that she was his settling in his gut.

  How do I get you to stay, Starshine?

  He gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

  A whiff of sulfur wafted to him. Damn, he stank from his kill. Nik rose, dragged his t-shirt off, and headed to the bathroom.

  What happens when she needs to feed?

  Skatá! Not now. Later, later he’d deal with it.

  Shower over, he dragged a towel off the railing and slung it around his hips. As he walked back into the bedroom, Shadow stirred then bolted upright, pushing back her heavy fall of hair. Her pale skin glimmered in the faint moonlight stealing through the window, casting a silvery, ethereal glow over her. “Nik?”

  Her soft voice wrapped around him, tugging at him. “Yeah. It’s me.”

  And like always, since the first time he saw her at the castle five months ago, then on the warehouse rooftop, and every time after that, the moment her gaze locked on his, it was like awakening from a long, dark sleep. His blood heated, thundering to his head, desire for her consuming him as he stood there, staring at her.

  Shadow swallowed when Nik hesitated, and her heart knocked hard against her ribs. Was he going to leave? She wasn’t sure after the way things had ended with them earlier.

  The bedside light came on, casting a soft glow over his damp, inked skin, and underscoring his silver nipple piercings. Her breath escaped in relief when he strolled over, the low-slung towel on his lean hips revealing his cut abs and pecs—muscles honed naturally from centuries of fighting and wielding his lethal sword, eliminating evil.

  He stopped at her side, his intense stare skimming her face, and something deep within her stirred open, a feeling as old as time. She wanted him to sweep her off her feet, make her feel alive, and make her his. “Nik—”

  He shook his head, grasped her arms, and dragged her up to him. The air in her lungs rushed out as she balanced on her knees and rested her hands on his cool, damp chest.

  “If I don’t have you, I’ll lose my mind.” The words were torn from him, and his mouth came down on hers.

  Shadow slid her arms around his neck. Between feverish nips and licks, she breathed, “I want you, too. So much.”

  With a groan, he slid his pierced tongue into her mouth, sucking hers in firm, sensual pulls. A whimper lodged deep in her throat as she kissed him back with everything in her, wanting more, wanting every part of him. He banded an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss, demanding her submission.

  And she gave it.

  He slipped a hand under her t-shirt, caressed her bare bottom, then he pushed the material upwards, broke their kiss, and removed her shirt. He dropped it on the bed. Burning ice-green glided down her and up again. “You’re beautiful, Starshine.”

  She glided her palms over his pecs, her fingers caressing his nipple piercings. “You, too,” she whispered. Now, even more so. He chiseled features no longer set in granite, but softer, passionate. And so gorgeous. Her pounding heart tripped.

  A snort escaped him, making her smile.

  “I don’t know about that.” He rested a knee on the mattress, bowed her body backward over his arm, and glided his lips alongside the healing nodes.

  Shadow clutched his thick biceps as he scraped his teeth over the swell of her breasts then licked away the slight pain, causing a tingling sensation to sweep straight to her core. He flicked her nipple with his tongue, and she grew wetter, desire hiking. His scorching stare met hers, and she swallowed. Her feelings for him overwhelming her. She yearned for him to claim her as his. Forever.

  But no matter how foolish the thought or what the sensual part of her demanded, her life wasn’t her own. She’d enjoy this time, be with him for as long as she could—

  “Don’t.” His fiery stare held hers, the heat making her tummy coil tighter with need. “Get out of your head. Feel. It’s just you and me here.”

  He lowered his head, one callused palm gently squeezing her breast. His warm mouth covered her nipple and he suckled, his tongue piercing dragging over her nub, the added stimulation awakening every nerve-ending in her body.

  God, she bit her lip and arched into him, her fingers digging into his buzzed hair. He released her nipple to start his sensual onslaught on her other breast. His hand slid between her thighs, and he slipped a finger between her folds. She shuddered, growing wetter as he circled her point of pleasure. A moan escaped her.

  Bowed backward as she was, he had absolute command over her body, and all she could do was shut her eyes and hold on. Feel. His towel-covered thigh moved between hers, brushing her skin like a caress, sending soft tingles along her skin. As he tugged on her nipple with his teeth, he pushed a finger into her aching core, then added another. Her insides tightened as he worked her with his hand and his tongue.

  “Nik…” she whimpered, body tensing, coiled like a spring.

  “Say it,” he whispered, giving her nipple another tug. “Say you want me.”

  “God, I do. Want you,” she panted. More than my next breath. “I need you—”

  And in that incredibly fast way of his, he shifted to lie back across the bed, pulling her astride him.

  Before she could settle over his groin, he moved her up
, and she curled over his face, grabbing the covers behind his head. Before her mind connected, his warm mouth settled on her core, his fingers sliding down her bottom and between her legs to push back inside her again. As his tongue slipped between her folds and tormented her achy clit with sweeping strokes and light flicks while he worked her core with first one finger, then two.

  “Nik, pleeeease…” A keening moan escaped her. So close.

  His whiskered chin teased her sensitive clit, and she gasped, wanting more of the friction. “You taste incredible,” he rumbled against her sensitive flesh, the vibration amping her need. “I could do this for hours.”

  He was going to kill her. “I don’t think I could stand it.”

  “Then tell me what you want.”

  “Make me come.”

  “With pleasure, my little machitís.” He ran his tongue over her folds, then sucked her aching nub into his mouth and tugged, the drag of his piercing adding a deeper friction. And as he pumped his fingers into her, he bit down hard.

  “Niiiiik!” she cried out, her orgasm crashing through her in a roaring wave, sending her flying over the edge…

  Breathing hard, she collapsed on Nik’s face, her own pressed into the covers.

  He stroked her backside then licked her sensitive clit. Squealing, she scrambled off him. He pulled her down, and she flopped beside him on the bed.

  He shifted and rested on his elbow, his gaze sweeping over her hot face. A breathtaking smile curved his sensual mouth, bringing a single dimple to life.

  Nik never truly smiled.

  She’d seen his amusement, or slight twitches of his lips, but never this. She touched his face. “I love your dimple.” Her finger traced the dent in his cheek. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you genuinely smile.”

  “I had nothing to smile about before you.” He stroked her hips with one big palm, then settled it on her tummy. “They are all because of you.”

  She swallowed, her feelings for him swelling and overflowing like a flood.

  Nik sat up and drew the towel off, tossing it aside.

  She shifted to sit, too. Then her mouth dropped open, her gaze fixed on his groin. Shit. He had a barbell piercing just beneath the crown. Why was she surprised? He was the epitome of big, bad, and dangerous, and inked up to his neck. He had a stud on his tongue and two more on his nipples, but crap… She bit her lip, warily eyeing his massive, pierced erection.

  “Are you just gonna stare at it?”

  At his drawl, heat suffused her cheeks. “You’re big—”

  She snapped her mouth shut. Dammit.

  “Oh?” He arched a brow, clearly amused now. “Then I’ll show you just how amazingly well we’ll fit.” He grasped her by the waist, lifted, and positioned her astride him.

  Her gaze lowered to the hard length between her thighs. She gripped his cock, swiping her thumb over the head, and smoothing the precum over the rounded crown and the piercing.

  “Fuck…” a groan escaped him. A pulse jumped on his tense jaw, his stare burning with need. For her. Her heart tripped. “Ride me, moró,” he whispered.

  She blinked, then biting back a smile, she dragged herself down his body, letting him feel her heat. His irises flamed white. She settled between his thighs and licked him over the head and the barbell, then ran her tongue down his rigid length.

  “Shadow.” A growl escaped him, and his fingers grasped her hair, stopping her. “It’s been too damn long. Don’t play with me.”

  “What? Two weeks?” she teased.

  He shook his head and brought her back up his body. “Later, you can do whatever you want, but right now, I need to be inside you.” He captured her mouth in a soul-scorching kiss, scattering her playfulness, then said softly, “Try millennia.”

  She reared back, her mouth dropping open. “What? How—”

  He kissed her, cutting off her questions. “I’ve been a Guardian for over three and half millennia,” he said against her lips. “There hasn’t been anyone until you.”

  Happiness spread in a warm wave at his quiet words, melding into her heart.

  He reached between her spread thighs, grasped his cock, and ran the head along her damp folds in a tormentingly slow motion, the barbell bumping her clit. Pleasure stirred, and she shut her eyes, just feeling—the sensation new, raw, and promising so much more.

  “Nik, condom?” Her eyes snapped open, but he shook his head, his other hand tightening on her hip. “I can’t get you pregnant. With us immortals, only destined couples can have a babe.”

  Oh. She nodded. “Good to know.”

  His eyes burned bright with a need that ignited her own. “Put me inside you, Starshine.”

  She lowered onto his erection. Her breath caught as her body stretched, widening, then the head breached her. She pushed more and froze, gasping at the burning pain.

  “Shadow?” Nik stilled beneath her. His brow creased, then his eyes widened. “Is this your first time?”

  Shadow blinked, shock stealing through her. It would seem so, wouldn’t it? Because she hadn’t known either. Stupid memory loss.

  “It’s okay, I’ll make this better.” His tender tone broke through her own disbelief.

  He moved and set her on her back, her hair fanning out like black silk, their bodies detaching. He shifted down between her thighs and ran his tongue along her cleft, circling her clit and gently sucking, drawing her pleasure to the surface again.

  “Nik…” She writhed under his mouth, grabbing his head. “Now.”

  He rose up and kissed her, then positioned himself and pushed back into her, stretching her once more. His hand slipped between them, and he rolled her aching nub, keeping her on the edge of pleasure. Her body tightened and moaned, her hips lifting. With a firm thrust, he slid through—

  Shadow inhaled harshly, eyes blurring with tears, her fingers digging into his thick, inked biceps at the stinging discomfort.

  Nik held himself motionless above her, the tendons straining on his neck as he waited for her to adjust to him. Then he gently brushed his lips over her wet eyes, her nose, her open mouth. “I have you, moró. Always.”

  At his soft words, her heart drummed harder. Meeting his tender gaze, her entire world shifted, her emotions coalescing and expanding for this hard immortal who wanted her. And who she wanted so deeply, too.

  The ache had receded, only a needy throb remained now. She touched his jaw. “I’m okay…”

  Something powerful blazed in those pale eyes, then he was kissing her, deeply, possessively, and he started moving again. The slow retreat and thrust of his cock stroked her insides, the brief pain a memory as pleasure deepened…

  Teeth gritted, Nik slowly pushed back into Shadow’s tight body, her core gripping him like a damn vise. Her gorgeous starburst-hued eyes shone with tears, yet she gave him a trembling smile. His chest tightened. The urge to claim her, so she’d belong only to him, gripped him by the throat, and he struggled not to pound into her. It was her first time—

  A virgin? Stars!

  He’d never thought or cared about that, yet a small part of him was so fucking glad. Because now, she’d belonged only to him.

  Nik shifted up to his knees and sat back, letting her straddle him again. A sharp gasp escaped her, her eyes widening as his cock slid deeper into her, her body flush with his.

  “This way, you have more control, Starshine.”

  He squeezed her hips, trailing open-mouthed kisses on her jaw and down to her chest, then he sucked on one nipple. Her hands fluttered to his shoulders, she rose on her knees, and he let go of her nipple, she sank back on his cock. Soon enough, she found her rhythm, destroying his mind. Hell, he grunted, pressing his mouth to her moving torso.

  Then his gaze caressed her flushed face, her eyes bright with desire. Her movement grew more frantic as she chased after her orgasm. And he let her, his own arousal ramping up.

  By the damn stars, the sensation of her feminine muscles clenching and releasing his cock gar
roted him by the balls. “Fuuuuck—” he groaned.

  Her eyes glazed over, her nails biting into his shoulders. Her body quickened around his dick, squeezing him like a vise. He angled his hips, giving her the added friction against her clit. With a raspy cry, her nails dug into him as her release broke free.

  Jaw clenched, and in a move as old as time, Nik gripped her hips and thrust harder, faster into her.

  His orgasm shot lightning-fast down his spine, tightening his balls. A harsh groan tore free, crashing, splintering his mind and his thoughts. His entire being flooded with an intense, joyful light as warmth spread through him. It was as if he’d passed from one form into another—as if he’d left his old, cursed self behind and were reborn.

  Chest heaving, he pressed his mouth to the rapidly beating pulse on her throat, sucking the visible sign of life, unable to stop touching her.

  Shadow pushed back, her eyes glowing with all their gorgeous colors, revealing streaks of lavender now, too. “Wow. That…” she panted, a beautiful smile curving her kiss-swollen mouth, “…was amazing.”

  Breathing hard, Nik huffed out a laugh and kissed her shoulder. She pressed her mouth to his cheek in a soft kiss, and his breath stuttered in his chest. Emotions crowded him, overwhelming him. For someone who’d been shoved from pantheon to pantheon as a child, never really wanted, and as an adult always alone, he’d finally found the one person who accepted him as he was, who soothed all the cold, barren places within him.

  “Nik?”

  At her quiet tone, his stomach tensed.

  Heavens, not now. He couldn’t deal with her talking about leaving, not after this gut-churning intimacy…and him claiming her as his.

  “I’ll stay.”

  It took him several moments for her words to sink in, and a shuddering breath of relief escaped him. He simply nodded, too overcome to speak.