Death of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  Though he chuckled, his eyes flashed with golden light as she slipped her palm down over the hard length still restrained by black fabric. “I don’t believe I used that exact phrase.” He touched a long, slender finger to her shoulder, then drew it down along the neckline of her shirt in a sweet caress.

  Arousal swam through her. “What phrase?”

  Sliding his finger back up, he stretched the neckline of her shirt over one shoulder, taking her bra strap with it, and bent to kiss the skin he’d exposed. “Pounding it out.”

  Her pulse picked up as he pulled the material down even farther, freeing a breast he cupped in one big palm. He tweaked her nipple with his fingers and thumb. Sensation shot through her.

  She gasped. “What can I say? I like it when you lose control and take me fast and hard, no holds barred.” Tilting her chin up, she sighed as he bent his head and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Leah rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around him. “No one makes me feel like you do, Seth,” she whispered when she came up for air.

  One hand still teasing her breast, he slid the other around to stroke her ass and urged her closer. “Good,” he murmured, “because you make me burn.” Sweeping her into his arms, he strode across the room to drop her none too gently on the bed. His hands went to his zipper. His form blurred with preternatural speed. When he stilled, he was completely naked and very aroused.

  Leah licked her lips. “Awesome. Now do me.”

  Again he blurred. She felt several tugs. And, quick as a blink, she was as naked as he.

  She sent him a wicked smile. “Now do me.” She spread her legs. “Any way you want.”

  His eyes brightened to brilliant gold. Curling the fingers of one hand around her ankle, he yanked her toward him until her ass hit the edge of the bed.

  Excitement skittered through her. Her heart pounded as she spread her arms wide and clutched the bedding in her fists to keep from reaching up and grabbing him. Damn, he turned her on. She could almost come just from looking at him.

  As if he had all the time in the world, Seth gripped her hips, then slid his hands up her sides, his thumbs meeting on her stomach. She shifted restlessly, moaning when he moved closer, his cock brushing her clit. He cupped her breasts in his hands, kneading and squeezing the heavy flesh, brushing his thumbs across her sensitive nipples and delivering sharp pinches.

  “Seth,” she breathed.

  Withdrawing his touch, he flipped her over onto her stomach so her torso rested on the soft covers and her toes touched the floor. He pushed a knee between her thighs, nudging her legs farther apart. Her breath quickened as his large hands caressed her ass. He slid one up her back, inspiring shivers. The other positioned his cock at her slick entrance.

  “You’re already wet for me,” he said, his voice deeper with desire.

  She moaned when he pressed forward, stretching her, filling her with his long hard length. “Yes,” she breathed.

  “You’re so tight,” he gritted, pausing to give her a moment to adjust.

  “You’re so big,” she countered. Unable to remain still—he felt too damn good inside her—she rolled her hips.

  Seth groaned and began to move.

  “Harder,” she pleaded, urging him to lose control, to take her as roughly as he wanted to.

  He leaned over her, kissing the back of her neck as he moved in deep, hard thrusts that stole her breath and increased the pleasure. He slipped one hand beneath her and cupped her breast. “You feel so good.” He slid the other beneath her stomach and down to stroke her clit in time with his thrusts.

  Leah lost the ability to think. Could only feel, moan, clutch the covers, and beg for more as the floor beneath her feet began to tremble. The scent of rain surrounded her, letting her know he’d released his wings. Her breath came in gasps as he thrust harder, deeper, those glorious fingers of his rubbing and stroking and driving the pleasure higher and higher, eliciting cries, until an orgasm crashed through her, so intense she screamed.

  Seth stiffened, shouting with his own release.

  Leah went limp, breathing hard as little residual twinges of pleasure continued to pulse through her for what seemed like forever.

  Seth’s hands stilled, then withdrew. He braced his elbows on either side of her and lowered himself over her, letting her feel some of his weight.

  She smiled. The first few times they’d made love, he had worried about being too heavy for her. But he had quickly come to realize that Leah loved feeling all of that hard, heavy muscle pressing down on her. She loved being surrounded by his warmth and scent.

  And right now she needed it. Tears filled her eyes. She had come so close to losing him. “I love you,” she whispered.

  His own breath still choppy, Seth pressed another kiss to the back of her neck. “I love you, too.” Then he huffed a laugh. “Damn it.”

  “What?”

  He pressed his forehead to her shoulder. “Now every time I make love with you, I’m going to picture all of them sitting out there in their rain slickers, holding on to their chairs for dear life.”

  Leah laughed. “Me, too. They do love to tease, don’t they?” When Seth withdrew from her body, she rolled over and sat up on the bed. “But I bet I know how to make you forget them.”

  He arched a brow. “Do you now?”

  Grinning, she pointed to the center of the bed. “On your back, handsome.”

  His smile broadened. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Leah watched Seth settle himself on his back in the center of the mattress as instructed. Leaning forward, she crawled toward him, drinking in the sight of his big, beautiful, bare body.

  Renewed arousal brightening his eyes, he grew hard again as he watched her approach.

  She slung a leg across him, kneeling above his waist. Reaching between them, she gripped his cock and played with him until a low rumbling growl spilled from his perfect lips. Then she lined him up with her entrance and slowly sank down on his long, hard length.

  He gripped her hips with his hands, face darkening with desire.

  “Now,” she purred, “let’s see what I can do to take your mind off everything but me.”

  When she rotated her hips, he dropped his head back. “Yes.”

  Leah sighed as consciousness beckoned. Sprawled on her back, eyes still closed, she smiled. The muscles in her butt and thighs ached from the vigorous sex she and Seth had enjoyed before she had pretty much passed out from exhaustion. He was such a wonderful lover. Dark and intense during one bout of lovemaking, playful and affectionate the next. And he didn’t need time to recuperate after an orgasm, so he could go all night. And day. And always seemed capable of coaxing one more orgasm from her even when she thought it impossible.

  She started to stretch but stopped short with a wince.

  Yeah. She had definitely overdone it. Even her arms and upper back were a little sore. But damn, it had been worth it. After coming so close to losing him, she had needed his touch, his nearness. She had needed to reassure herself again and again that he was alive and well and in her arms. And he must have sensed it, or maybe felt the same himself, because they had spent most of the thirty-six or forty-eight hours since Seth had defeated Gershom in this bedroom.

  A large warm hand slid across her stomach, then around and down, squeezing between her bottom and the mattress. Warmth seeped into her glutes and banished the ache. Next the hand caressed a path down one thigh and up the other, erasing the soreness there as well.

  Leah opened her eyes and peered up at Seth.

  He lay beside her, his weight propped on one elbow as he stared down at her. “I love you,” he said softly.

  Smiling, she cupped his face in one hand, his beard stubble rasping in the quiet and abrading her skin as she drew her thumb across his cheek. “I love you, too.” She shook her head and again found herself blinking back tears. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.”

  Turning his head, he pressed a kiss into her palm, then captu
red her hand in his and carried it to his heart. “I want to marry you, Leah.”

  Her heart leapt as joy flooded her. But when she opened her mouth to tell him Yes, that she wanted to marry him, too, he released her hand and pressed a finger to her lips.

  His look turned somber. “But before I ask you properly… and before you answer, I want you to meet someone.”

  Some of her joy diminished. “Who?”

  “Let’s shower and get dressed, shall we? They’re expecting us.”

  Leah did as he asked, anxiety creeping in when he didn’t even try to fondle her in the shower. Usually Seth couldn’t keep his hands off her when she was naked. But he maintained a careful distance this time.

  Who was he taking her to see?

  Not Gershom, she hoped. She never wanted to see that asshole again.

  Seth remained quiet, seeming pensive as she blow-dried her hair. Parting his on the side, he dragged a comb through the thick, not-quite-shoulder-length locks, then left them to dry on their own. He looked good. Leah had loved his hair long, the way it would pool around them like a curtain when he made love to her, the feel of it on her bare skin. But he looked just as heart-poundingly gorgeous with it shorter. And she thought he might be enjoying how easy it was to manage now.

  Seth donned his usual black boxers, black cargo pants, and T-shirt. While he tugged on his boots, Leah drew on another set of hunting clothes she’d borrowed from the extensive wardrobe David kept on hand for immortals and their Seconds. She enjoyed seeing little sparks of desire enter Seth’s dark brown eyes when he saw her dressed like one of his warriors. He definitely admired strong women.

  Grabbing her boots, Leah sank down on the sofa. Seth knelt in front of her and brushed her hands aside. He kept his gaze lowered as he lifted her right foot and slid it into the boot.

  Unused to quiet between them, unsettled by it as well, Leah reached out and combed her fingers through his soft, damp locks.

  His eyes rose. “Do you miss the longer hair?”

  “Yes,” she admitted, then smiled. “But I like this, too.” She winked. “You make every hairstyle look good.”

  His lips turned up a bit. “Shall I shave it on one side like Darnell did David’s?”

  On the side where bullets had apparently blown away a sizable chunk of David’s dreadlocks, Darnell had shorn the hair close in a fade, then cut an intricate design into the remaining stubble. The rest of David’s dreadlocks remained long. It was a very cool effect.

  She winked. “As long as you leave me enough hair to bury my fingers in.”

  Seth had a few bare patches of his own in back. She had discovered them while tunneling her fingers through his hair the previous night. And her blood had turned to ice when he’d admitted the missing immortals had shot him in the head multiple times. But the rest of his thick silky hair hid the bald spots.

  Catching her hand, he pressed a kiss to it and rose. “Ready?”

  “I guess so. Will we be teleporting there?” she asked. Wherever there was.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  The bedroom around them went black, then sunlight embraced them. Blinking against the brightness, Leah stared at a lovely pale gray cottage with bright white trim. Flowers overflowed hanging baskets on the front porch and proliferated in white window boxes. The neatly mown lawn in front was just beginning to brown with cooler autumn temperatures and bore a dusting of dried leaves.

  She looked around but found no other homes or structures in sight, just a plethora of trees. Some of the foliage that adorned them remained a dark, healthy green. Some boasted fiery shades of red, orange, or yellow.

  Seth led her up the walk to the front porch and rang the bell.

  The door swung open.

  A handsome man smiled at them. Clearly he was an Immortal Guardian. His hair was jet-black, his features similar enough to Seth and the others to betray their relation to anyone who looked closely enough. He was perhaps six foot two inches tall with a slender but muscular build and warm brown eyes. And he wore clothing identical to Seth’s.

  He nodded. “Seth. Good to see you.” He turned his gaze upon Leah and offered his hand. “You must be Leah.” He spoke with an Italian accent.

  Smiling, she clasped his hand. “Yes.”

  “I’m Tomasso.” He carried her hand to his lips for a kiss. “So nice to meet you. I’ve heard such good things about you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Leah fervently hoped the tales that had reached his ears did not all revolve around the thunderstorms and earthquakes Seth spawned when they made love.

  His grin broadened.

  Crap. He wasn’t telepathic, was he?

  “Come in. Come in.” Ushering them inside, he closed the door and led them into a quaint living room that definitely bore a feminine touch. “Dolcezza,” he called to the back of the house, “they’re here.” He turned back to face them. “May I get you something? A drink perhaps?”

  “No, thank you,” Leah declined with a smile, wondering why Seth had brought her to meet him.

  “No, thank you,” Seth seconded, then lowered his voice. “How has she been?”

  Though Tomasso’s smile remained in place, the light in his eyes dimmed. “She’s been well.” He shrugged one shoulder. “About the same.”

  Seth’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by.”

  Tomasso shook his head. “Don’t be. You’ve had a lot on your plate. And Zach has come by nearly as often as you do to heal her.”

  Leah studied them both. Was someone ill? Who?

  Light footsteps drew her gaze to a hallway that led to the back of the house.

  Seconds later, a woman entered the living room. She was slender. Small. About a foot shorter than Tomasso. An oversized cream-colored sweater hung off one delicate shoulder and covered her faded jeans to the thighs. Her long hair was a lovely silvery white with a stray blond strand here and there. A braid began at each temple, drew her hair away from her pretty face, and met at a clasp in back where the rest of the shining waves cascaded down to her waist. Several laugh lines spread out from the corners of her eyes. More lines bracketed her mouth. All deepened as she smiled up at Tomasso.

  Susan guessed she was somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty years old. Too old, surely, to serve as his Second.

  “Hi, Seth,” she said as she joined them.

  The smile Seth bestowed upon her was full of affection. “Good to see you.” Bending, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  Tomasso smiled down at the woman and looped an arm around her waist, drawing her up against his side.

  Nope. She was definitely not his Second. The two clearly shared an intimacy that went far beyond that.

  Leah darted Seth a look.

  Try not to stare, he cautioned in her head.

  That would’ve been a lot easier to accomplish if he had given her a little warning. Particularly since she now had a sinking suspicion why Seth had brought her to meet them.

  “Leah,” Tomasso said, “this is my wife, Cassandra. Cassandra, this is Leah, the human woman who has stolen Seth’s heart.”

  Again Leah darted Seth a look. “So I guess everyone knows about us?”

  Cassandra’s smile broadened. “Word travels fast in the Immortal Guardians world.” Unlike her husband, she spoke with an American accent.

  Leah winked. “So do the Immortal Guardians.”

  Cassandra grinned. “And they even gossip at preternatural speeds.”

  Leah laughed, liking her.

  Moving forward, Cassandra held out her hand. “Immortals and their Seconds are the biggest busybodies on the planet but will never admit it. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Leah shook the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too.” Though Cassandra was clearly in good health, her hand had a little bit of that fragile feel Leah had found in the hands of so many elderly men and women. And now that they were closer, she could see faint age spots peppering Cassandra’s pale skin. “I hope you do
n’t mind us dropping by like this.”

  “Of course not.” Cassandra motioned for Leah to have a seat on one of two sofas the living room boasted.

  Leah made herself comfortable.

  Cassandra sank down on the sofa across from her. “As soon as Tomasso told me Seth had fallen hard for a human woman, I knew he’d bring you to see us.” She smiled up at her husband as he sank down beside her and rested his arm along her shoulders. Settling a hand on his thigh, she turned back to Leah. Her smile took on a hint of sadness. “In case you haven’t guessed it yet, we’re the cautionary tale.”

  Leah felt her stomach sink and didn’t know how to respond to that.

  Cassandra sent Seth a narrow-eyed look. “I see he didn’t warn you.”

  Seth shrugged as he sat on Cassandra’s other side. “I feared she wouldn’t come if I did. How are you feeling?”

  “Old and tired. Same as usual.”

  “Release Tomasso,” Seth instructed gently.

  She did. Tomasso withdrew his touch and leaned back, stretching his arm along the cushions behind her instead.

  Seth placed one hand on Cassandra’s upper back, then settled the other on her chest over her collarbones. Both hands began to glow as Leah watched.

  Leah glanced at Tomasso, whose gaze remained fixed on his wife. His wife, who could easily be mistaken for his grandmother.

  Leah met the woman’s pale blue eyes.

  We’re the cautionary tale. Cassandra was human. And Tomasso was the immortal who loved her.

  Cassandra’s skin acquired a golden glow. She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Some of the age spots on her skin faded back to her natural pale skin color. But most of the lines in her face remained.

  When Seth withdrew his touch, she smiled. “Thank you.”