Eyes closing, Thomas trembled.
She rose to a sitting position and licked him from the base of his cock to its head. A tremor worked its way through his body. Heat pulsed in Sable’s loins, and her breath caught in her throat. The thought of his member entering her body, their cries mingling, and the spear of pleasure that would send her over the edge urged a shiver to work its way through her limbs.
He slid his hand beneath her ass and stroked her satiny folds, slipping two fingers into her. She stiffened, unable to move due to her position. A plaintive mewl tumbled from her mouth, her temperature soaring to insane proportions.
“Right here, right now,” Thomas said and pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him. He grasped her hips and raised his simultaneously, piercing her in one swift movement.
Despite the burn of his cock stretching her, Sable sighed, pleasure spiraling through her, and waited for her body to adjust to him. Bracing her knees against the mattress, she raised herself and then pushed down over him again. He palmed her ass and moved his hips upward. In return, she met his thrusts with wild abandonment.
Thomas’s grunts grew more urgent, motions faster, stronger. He filled her to the limit, his cock so rigid Sable cried out. He stretched her until she thought she couldn’t take any more of him and yet she still wanted him deeper. Sable ground her pussy harder, the coil inside her twisting tighter. The pieces and parts of that sensation exploded and traveled throughout her body. She screamed, bouncing faster on Thomas’s lap. Her inner muscles rhythmically gripped his cock, and her head lolled back as she yelled out in pleasure. She rode out the orgasm, her breathing erratic, heart slamming so hard she felt it bumping her breastbone. Tiny, golden stars burst behind her eyelids, and she curled her toes in the sheet.
With a lion-like roar, Thomas gripped her hips, his fingers pinching her skin. He moved faster, slamming his cock into her so hard he almost unseated her. He issued a growl that surprised Sable. Suddenly, he held her still, hips arched. His cock pulsed within Sable, and hot liquid bathed her insides. He relaxed and coaxed the last few drops into her body. Finally sated, he tugged her forward to sprawl across his torso, her face nestled in his neck. Thomas looped his arms around her waist, and they lay panting. She sighed and closed her eyes.
Moments later, she rolled off of Thomas, and he spooned her. I would love to spend the rest of my life with him like this.
Sable had begun to doze off, but a titter in the living area shocked her into wakefulness.
She sat up, her gaze zipping from each dark corner to one piece of furniture to another.
Thomas sat up, too. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you hear it?” she said in a choked voice.
“No.”
Another titter reached her, this one closer. She sat up straighter, her heart hammering painfully.
“Sable?” he said, gathering her hair to the side. “What’s wrong?”
“One of those things is here.”
“You mean the monsters you’ve been seeing?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I can’t see it, but I hear it.”
“Damn, damn, and triple damn!”
The titter turned into a low growl. Sable shivered at the sound. A black shape, one darker than the shadows around the living area, moved along the top of the sofa. Violet eyes blazed in the gloom. Neon green flames danced in their centers.
A gasp tore free from her mouth.
Thomas scrambled onto his knees behind Sable and wrapped both arms around her shoulders. “I see it,” he whispered so low she almost didn’t hear him. He let go of Sable and got off the bed.
“What are you doing?” Panic seized her.
He strode to the vanity and placed his hand on the mirror. A long shaft of glass dissolved, flowing into his hand. It transformed into a mirrored dagger. Turning, Thomas gripped the weapon and returned to her side.
The thing perched on the couch’s back, eyes aglow, mouth agape and full of razor teeth. It waggled its long, oddly jointed fingers at her. The dim light flickered along the thing’s sharp talons. On the sides of its misshapen head, tall, jagged ears wiggled back and forth as if searching the suite for other sounds. It licked its lips, its tongue slipping up into one nostril to draw out a milky string of mucous.
Sable shuddered.
The thing barely glanced at Thomas as he placed himself on the foot of the bed between Sable and it.
“You,” it hissed at Sable, “have been a very bad girl. You must pay for your sins.” It sneered.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry isn’t good enough,” the creature replied, its voice the whisper of a serpent, eyes glowing brighter.
“What have I done wrong?” Sable asked.
“Many things,” the monster said. “Everyone must pay the price sooner or later. Now it’s your turn.”
“Be gone!” Thomas yelled, frightening Sable. He stood and pointed the dagger at the fiend. “Leave us now and return to the Fae.”
“Stupid mortal,” the monster snapped. “We are not of the Fae. We are more than a lowly faerie.” It tittered as if it had a secret. “Your day of repentance cometh, too.”
“Oh?” Thomas countered. “And what crime have I committed?”
“You’ve killed many, and you’ve gone against the Judges wishes,” it shot back, the glow of its eyes burning brighter.
“Tell me what I’ve done wrong,” Sable said.
“You already know your sins!”
Was it something she’d done during her marriage with Hal? Perhaps she was guilty for not freeing Cheyenne from the Glais?
“How do I make things right?” she asked as fear caressed her insides.
“Die,” it said. The creature grinned, revealing a second row of knife-like teeth.
In an instant, Thomas flipped the blade over in his hand so he gripped the point and flung it at the creature perched on the couch.
The nightmare shrieked and leaped from the sofa a second before the weapon embedded in the edge of the furniture. “Valimar, stay out of this,” it snarled.
The thing landed on an end table and sprang from it to the vanity. A perfume decanter fell over and clattered into a cluster of nail polishes and a glass canister of facial powder.
“I’m afraid I don’t know you or your kind,” Thomas said. He stormed across the room, grabbed the dagger, and jerked it from the sofa’s frame.
“We are ancient,” the thing whispered. “We know you and that’s all that is important.”
Thomas flung the knife again. The creature leaped through the air, the dagger sinking into the wall. The monster hit the corner of the bed, slashing at Sable with its talons. She screamed and jackknifed over the side of the bed.
Thomas snatched the weapon from the wall and sprang at the monster, but it jumped to the floor and scampered across the carpet. The thing vaulted toward the patio doors, hit the glass, and burst into a dense puff of gray-black smoke that wafted up to the ceiling.
“Damn!” Thomas stopped. Panting, he dropped the dagger to the carpet.
Sable burst into tears.
In three long strides, he reached her and pulled her up from the floor, his arms gliding around her body. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m here.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Uninvited
L ater, after Sable and Thomas showered, he slipped on a pair of boxers and crawled into bed with her. She lay in his arms, her thoughts a wild, rolling mass of storm clouds, her damp hair hanging over the mattress’ side as it dried. Behind her, Thomas snored softly into his pillow.
What did the little monsters want, and why did she have to pay with her life? People sinned every day all over the world, so why were these things singling her out from everyone else?
She may have made many mistakes over the years, but what had she done that required her to die for her sins? Rick’s face came to mind, but she shoved that notion away. She’d begun to see the monsters be
fore meeting Rick.
There had to be another reason.
Her thoughts shifted to Cheyenne. Was her daughter really lost to her forever? Surely there was a way to return her to her human form. And who had converted Cheyenne? Sable couldn’t give birth to a perfect baby girl, raise her, love her, and then allow her to succumb to a paranormal world without a fight. Cheyenne was her daughter, damn it! How dare those things take her child from her! Anger simmered in her blood, but she had no idea with whom or what to even be angry. She had to get her daughter back one way or another.
She’d been permitted a brief glimpse into an amazing world full of new beings. Vampires were no longer something from books and movies. As hard as it was for her to comprehend, they were real, and so were the Glais. That left the question of what or who were Goldie and Isa. How were they tied to Emerald?
In her mind, Sable replayed images of the men, women, and other things she’d seen at The Threshold. Big ones, tiny ones, ones that were tall and willowy, others that looked like humanoid leopards and lions, some with fangs, some with wings, others with long capes or dresses—were they all from a different world or worlds?
She blinked at the ceiling. “Our worlds are too different, and when they collide, only misery and mayhem ensue…regardless of what the Neo Paranorms say.” Emerald’s words haunted Sable. What had the vampyress been talking about? Sable sighed irritably and shifted in Thomas’s arms. He murmured in his sleep, his breathing disturbed, but he quickly settled, drawing her closer. Questions tumbled through her mind as if her brain was a rock polisher. Questions she had no answers for.
And, amongst everything else, it seemed she possessed an odd magic, too. What was this ability to create sculptures that not only looked lifelike but also took on a life of their own? Better yet, when had it happened? Emerald’s words trickled through her mind. “Exercise caution when you sculpt.” She’d made a sleeping likeness of Hal with the cell’s dirt, and he’d slept for several hours. How was that possible?
Does this mean my career’s over? If she continued to sculpt, would there be repercussions? The Darkness Series had become living, breathing creatures that wanted to kill her. Although the monsters weren’t the actual statues, they were the essence of what was in her mind and heart when she’d formed and molded the clay with her hands. If she truly possessed this power, then she didn’t dare sculpt again.
Then what did she do with such a magical ability?
Her mind opened, and a revelation fell into it that shocked her with its noise.
Her eyes flew open. I can use it to infiltrate the Paranorm worlds. It’ll get me inside so I can find a way to save Cheyenne. She snuggled closer to Thomas.
A knock at the door scattered Sable’s thoughts. She jerked, waking Thomas, her heart flailing against her breastbone.
“What’s wrong?” he murmured sleepily.
Knocking sliced through the suite a second time.
“Someone’s at the door,” she said and sat up. “I’ll answer it.”
“Who could be knocking at this hour?” he asked, now fully awake.
“Most likely Hal. He’s always been bad about showing up without calling.” She glanced at the clock. “It’s only ten forty-five, so go back to sleep.”
“I think you should let me answer the door.” He yawned, throwing the sheet back. “I’ll tell Hal to come back in the morning.”
“No, I’ll take care of it. If you tell him to go back to his hotel he’ll just use it as an excuse to argue and stir trouble.” She seized her robe from the foot of the bed. “Then he’ll never leave because he’ll know we want him to get lost.”
“I don’t know, Sable,” Thomas replied. “After the last few hours—”
“Go back to sleep,” she insisted, walking away with her robe in hand. “The past thirty-odd hours seems like they’ve lasted for a week,” she whispered once out of Thomas’s earshot. “I’m not putting up with Hal when all I want to do is crawl back into bed with Thomas for a while.” She slipped into her dressing gown and cinched it.
Another more insistent knock sounded.
“I’m coming,” Sable grumbled. Pausing, she looked through the peephole. “Who is it?”
“Sable, please open the door.”
Warmth spread through her body. She had to see him, touch him. Her hand connected with the doorknob, her only thought to feel him against her body. She swung the door wide.
Rick smiled. The aroma of cloves swept over her.
More delicious sensations coursed through her body. Sable gulped and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.”
Her gaze moved over Rick in his police uniform. He looks good enough to eat. I could just… She shook her head, and the erotic thoughts cleared momentarily.
The walkie on his shoulder squawked. He turned it down, his attention riveted on her, his smile spreading wider.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she stated, lowering her voice.
“I had to see you.”
“Why?” She took one faltering step backward. “I know what you are now. You attacked us at the beach.”
Dark shadows passed over his face. “Are you upset with me?”
“You tricked me, Rick. You let me believe you could help me find my daughter when you were working for the Judges the entire time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s just that it’s late,” she said, taking one more step back. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
He laughed softly. “Sorry about that. I was called here to write up a fender bender in the parking lot. When I finished, I remembered this is where you’ve been staying so I thought I’d stop by.”
“I don’t believe you.” She stared at him as she processed his story.
“Can I come in?” he asked. “My shift’s over in fifteen minutes.”
She frowned and tightened her sash. Warning bells clanged in her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to yell for Thomas or to even slam the door in Rick’s face. What is wrong with me?
Rick’s eyes brightened, their hue molten. He flashed another stunning smile, the dimple in his cheek deepening. “I’ve missed you, Sable. Let’s have a nightcap,” he coaxed. “What do you say?”
More heat flowed over her body. Tingling began in her crotch and spread into her abdomen and loins. “N-no, Rick. You can’t be trusted.”
He stepped forward and caressed her cheek with the backside of his fingers. “I promise to shut this thing off.” He patted the piece attached to his shirt.
Desire surged through Sable on a wave of fire. The tingling between her legs grew worse until her pussy throbbed so hard she whimpered softly. She’d made love with Thomas and now she wanted more—and from a Paranorm? I can’t think straight, I can’t…Thomas, please hear me…
Her hunger for Rick grew, and she held her hand out to him. “Come in. What would you like to drink?”
“How about a taste of your lips?” he said.
He pushed through the threshold and took her in her arms. Rick’s mouth descended roughly onto hers. She moaned, tearing at the buttons on his shirt and fumbling with the front of his pants.
“I’ve missed you,” Rick breathed into her ear. He nibbled her earlobe, caressing it with his tongue. “I’ve thought of nothing but you since the last time we were together.”
She sighed and hiked one leg around his hip. “Get your clothes off and fuck me,” she said. She ground her pelvis against his. Oh, God, help me. I can’t be doing this!
“With pleasure.” Rick pulled his belt and police gear free of his uniform, unzipped his pants, and unfastened the last button on his shirt. He pushed her backward toward the sofa and tore her robe loose. The small tattoo of the infinity-and-lily symbol gleamed on his skin. Something stirred in Sable’s mind, something that whispered there was more to Rick, more to that symbol.
“Part your legs for me, beautiful,” he demanded and kicked off his shoes.
At his words, the whisper
evaporated from her head. She wanted only for his cock to plunge inside her and his body on top of hers. His erection bumped her pelvic bone. She sank back onto the cushions, parting her thighs.
He laid down on top of her, his cock hard and eager against her belly. Sable cried out, shuddering in ecstasy. Rick levered himself on his hands, poised to pump into her. Determined to have him, Sable wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her ankles behind him.
“What the fuck! Get off of her!”
At first, Sable didn’t know what or whom she’d heard. They were words that meant nothing to her. Cool air slipped in between her body and Rick’s as he lifted from her. Sable whined her distaste for the disconnection and looked up. He flew backward and crashed into the recliner, flipping it over.
“Sable! Snap out of it!”
She blinked up at Thomas. “What? Where did…?” The haze over her mind cleared, and the hormones raging in her body calmed as if ice suddenly filled her veins. Shame delivered a stinging slap. “Oh!” She covered her face with her hands, but realized her body was still exposed, legs splayed, and scrambled to one end of the couch, pulling her robe around her. “No, no, no!” she cried. “Not again.”
“I’ll kill that son of a bitch,” Thomas roared. His mouth flattened into a thin, gray line, and his eyes shone with pure fury.
“You’ll regret doing that.” Rick’s anger filled the living area. “She belongs to me. Sable is mine.”
“Get out while you still can, Paranorm!” The intensity of Thomas’s voice should have set Rick on fire. “Fuck this. I am going to kill you, consequences be damned!”
The two men faced one another, the recliner the only thing between them. Unease banged at the base of Sable’s skull.
“Come with me, Sable,” Rick said. He adjusted his clothes and slipped his softening member back into his pants. With another dazzling smile, he held out his hand. “We make a great couple. And let’s face it…” He looked directly at Thomas. “Sex with a Paranorm is mind-blowing and addictive. You don’t want to give that up, do you?” He spoke smoothly, his coaxing tone sending ripples over her body.
The Darkness of Sable Page 28