by Cynthia Eden
“You wore white and you were standing at the foot of a volcano. One that was about to erupt. I thought you were absolutely mad because I didn’t realize who you were, not at first. I raced to you because I wanted to keep you safe.”
Her smile slipped.
“Your back was to me, but then you turned, and I saw your face. I stopped. I froze right then and there.” And he’d known that everything was going to change for him. “That was the first time I saw you.”
Her face had softened. Her hand lifted and touched his cheek. “You planned to use me.”
I planned to love you. “I will not let you be hurt today.”
Her fingertips felt like silk against him. “Once the hounds come in this cell, how will I get out?”
He’d worked this out. “I’ll attack with the others. We’ll distract the beasts, then knock them out. That’s when you’ll flee. Once you’re clear—once we’re all clear—we’ll lock the cell door. They won’t get out after that. You won’t need to fear them ever again.”
Her breath rushed out. She glanced around the cell. It was quite large and it snaked to the left and the right. “This is where they’ll spend the rest of their lives?”
“It’s better than the fires of hell.”
She looked back at him. There was a strange wistfulness in her gaze. “We don’t have much time left.”
“Mora…”
“Will you make love to me, once more?”
His cock jerked. The damn thing was always eager for her. Always. But… “Here, baby? No, not in a cell, not you, not—”
She just nodded. “Here.” She rose onto her toes. Her lips pressed to his. “In a cell. With me.” She licked his lower lip. “I’m scared, Leo.”
“No—”
“Yes. And I need you to distract me so that I won’t be scared anymore.” She nipped the lip she’d just licked. “I want these last moments to be so good. I want them to be filled with so much pleasure that I don’t feel afraid any longer.”
“There is nothing to fear.”
She tipped back her head. “Of course, there is. Hellhounds are at the door—literally. And too much could go wrong. So I need this. I need you, okay?”
He could deny her nothing.
His mouth took hers. The kiss was deep and hard and hot. He pulled her closer against him, and her breasts pressed to his chest. He could feel the tightness of her nipples against him. He could smell the seductive scent of her arousal.
Just a kiss—and she wanted him, too. He liked to fool himself into believing that Mora had been made just for him.
He was pretty sure he lived just for her.
He tore his mouth from hers and began to kiss a path down her neck. He licked and sucked, and she gave a little moan as she rose onto her tip toes. “Leo…” She breathed his name in a husky voice that sounded like pure sex appeal. “Do that thing…where you make our clothes vanish…”
He did that thing. Their clothes vanished.
“We don’t have much time.” Her nails pressed into his shoulders. “I don’t have much left…”
You have forever. I’ll see to it.
“Right now, Leo. I need you now.”
He lifted her up. Her back hit the bars as he trapped her between his body and the cell. Her legs wrapped around his waist. Her sex was open. Ready for him. He just had to drive inside of her—
“No.” His voice was guttural.
Mora stiffened in his arms. “Did you say…no?”
He pulled away from her. Mora’s feet touched the stone floor. She trembled and pain flashed on her face. “You don’t—”
“No room for fear, right?” That was what she wanted. “If that’s the case, I need to give you enough pleasure to drive you right out of your mind.”
“You do, Leo, you always do.”
He dropped to his knees before her. “Let’s make damn sure.” His arms caught her waist again and he lifted her up. Her legs slid over his shoulders and she grabbed for the bars behind her head, stretching her body tight. She was in the perfect position, lickably close, and he put his mouth right on her.
“Leo!”
She wanted pleasure and no fear? He’d give her so much pleasure that she would go mad. He used his tongue on her, used his teeth in the most careful of bites. He licked and sucked, and he had her twisting and jerking feverishly against him. He didn’t let up, if anything, Leo went harder at her. He worked her with his mouth until she let loose a wild, desperate scream.
He loved the way her pleasure tasted. She was still trembling against him when he rose and re-positioned her body. Her hands still gripped the bars. He wrapped her legs around his waist and then his hands covered hers as he drove into her. She was hot and wet, and he sank deep. She clenched her sex around his dick, and he was in paradise. He withdrew, only to plunge back even deeper. Harder. She arched against him, sending her hips surging up to meet his. His cock grew even bigger, even harder for her. His whole body tightened as he thrust wildly into her. He was too rough, this was the wrong place—
But to him, everything about Mora was right.
She came for him again, not screaming his name but whispering it, and he followed her into oblivion. The pleasure slammed into him and his body jerked and twisted. He caught her lips with his and kissed her—deep and hard, then slowly, carefully, tenderly. His heartbeat was a thunder that shook his chest and seemed to echo in his ears, but it slowly faded to a normal beat.
His head lifted. He stared into her eyes. “Still afraid?”
She smiled. “No.”
He kissed her again, and then he slowly withdrew and eased her back onto her feet. A wave of his hand and they were both dressed. Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes gleamed, but otherwise, they were both back to normal.
And not a moment too soon.
He caught the scent of the wolf and heard the thud of approaching footsteps.
“Company,” Leo murmured.
Her hand immediately flew up to straighten her hair, but he caught her fingers in his. He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You’re perfect.”
Her face softened.
“Hey, asshole!” The wolf shifter called out.
“You’re perfect,” Leo assured Mora, “but that guy is a jerk who is gonna push me too far…” He eased away from her.
The wolf shifter was near the cell’s open door. “You have visitors, Leo,” Rayce announced.
Leo’s shoulders stiffened. “The hounds?”
“No, worse…a woman who said she’s an angel and a guy I know has to be a vamp.”
Trina and Merius. They’d tracked him? Unexpected.
Leo headed for the cell door. Mora followed behind him but… He turned. “You should stay here. The hounds could arrive any moment, and we need to make sure they come to this cell. They’ll follow your scent. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
She held his gaze and smiled. “Right. No mistakes.” The smile didn’t reach her eyes.
He should say more. Tell her… “Everything is going to be all right.”
“Of course.” But her voice was so flat.
His insides twisted. “The plan will work.”
“It’s a great plan,” Mora assured him. Again, though, her voice was…wrong.
He was missing something.
“Uh, dude, you coming out anytime soon?” Rayce pressed.
Shit. Leo whirled on his heel and marched from the cell.
“Leo!” Mora called.
He froze, then glanced over his shoulder. Mora had followed him, but stopped at the cell door. “I love you.”
He lifted his hand and rubbed at his aching chest.
“It was nice, you know?” She gave him that half-smile again. The one that didn’t reach her eyes. “To have a second chance with you. It was good.” Her lips thinned. “You are good. No matter what anyone else ever tells you, just remember that, okay?”
He didn’t want to leave her.
&nbs
p; Rayce shifted a bit nervously. “Yeah, um, not to tell you your business or anything, Leo, but, that vamp looked as if he were about two seconds away from plunging his fangs into the nearest throat, so you might want to speed this little scene along.”
Jaw locking, Leo headed away from the cell. Mora didn’t call out to him again, but he found himself looking back, anyway. She’d returned to the cot. She sat there, her hands fisted in her lap, with her head bent forward. Her hair hid Mora’s expression from him.
***
Leo strode through the corridor that led to the main house. After a few more twists and turns, he found Merius and Trina waiting for him—they stood right in the foyer, and they both looked uncomfortable as, well, all hell.
Trina was staring at Lila—Trina’s eyes were huge and her lower lip trembled as she gazed at the woman who’d once been a fellow angel.
And Lila—Lila was looking anywhere but at Trina.
“I missed you,” Trina suddenly blurted.
Lila’s gaze rose to meet hers. Leo stilled. Once, he and Lila had been friends, and he’d hated seeing the angel fall. It was my fault. He’d wanted to move heaven and earth to give Lila her wings back but…
She wanted her werewolf more than she wanted her wings.
“I almost lost my wings,” Trina continued, her voice husky. “I was under attack, and I thought I’d lose them for sure.”
Lila edged closer to her.
“How do you live without yours?” Trina asked as tears gleamed in her eyes.
“It’s easy,” Lila said, her words soft and gentle. Lila had always been the gentle one. “I just found something that mattered more than them.” She pulled Trina into a hug.
Merius watched them—and the guy’s fangs were out. Rayce had been right about the fellow. Merius seemed to be on the verge of lunging for the next available neck. Sighing, Leo marched forward and he clamped a hand around his friend’s shoulder. “Tell me you’re in control.”
“I’m in control,” Merius rumbled.
The words were a total lie and they both knew it.
“I can…I can help him.” That was Rose…inching forward and nodding a bit. “I can teach him control.” She bared her own fangs. “It’s not easy, but you’ll learn it.”
How…odd. Leo’s gaze swept the group. Dark and light paranormals were supposed to be natural enemies. Or maybe…perhaps they were just enemies because that was the way they thought things should be.
What if we’re all wrong?
***
“What’s the game?”
Mora didn’t jump in surprise when the low question floated to her. After all, she’d heard the footsteps. And she’d known that Luke would be coming to pay her a visit.
He’d waited until Leo had left her, and then Luke had come sneaking in to see her. She almost smiled. If the situation wasn’t so tragic, she would have. Instead, she was pretty much fighting just to keep her control in place.
“Mora…” Luke’s voice held the note of command. “I know you’re hiding secrets, and I don’t like it when people hide things from me.”
She lifted her head, then turned to gaze at him. The cell door was still open. He stood in the entranceway. He looked so very much like Leo.
“How’s your sister?” Mora asked him.
His face immediately hardened.
“Sorry…forgot. Amber is supposed to be off-limits, huh? Good thing she has such a good protector to stand by her side.” Her head tilted to the left as she studied him. “I mean, it’s not every day that a Reaper will devote his life to protecting someone.”
Luke grabbed the bar to his right. His hand clenched around the paranormally improved bar so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “I suppose you’re going to say that you were behind that pairing, too?”
Mora rose to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “My bad. Did you want to take credit for their alliance?”
A low snarl came from him.
She sighed. “Your beast is never far from the surface, is he?”
“I don’t like being manipulated.”
Weariness tugged at her. “No, you just like manipulating others. I have to confess, though, I truly could not have done all this without you. Sometimes, I swear it was like we were partners. We both wanted the exact same thing…”
“And what is that same thing?”
She licked her lips. “For you and Leo to survive. For the balance to be maintained. For life to keep going.”
He waited. She didn’t say anything else.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Seriously, what the hell are you? A greeting card?”
“I’m Fate. And I know what’s coming.” She straightened her spine. “Some things can be altered. Some can’t. Remember that. Remember…and help, if you can.”
A deep line appeared between his eyes. “More secrets?”
“I love your brother.”
Luke laughed. The sound seemed to echo around her. “That’s no secret. You’ve been rooting for him all these centuries…”
“I wasn’t supposed to meet him.” Now she shared one of her secrets because it was time. “I wasn’t supposed to stop by the foot of that volcano. I wasn’t supposed to get close to him. When I did, I changed things. For him. For you. For…me.”
“Mora?” For the first time, uncertainty hung in his voice. But then he stiffened and glanced over his shoulder.
She swallowed down her fear. “The hounds are at the door.” If she tried hard enough, she could hear their howls. She knew he’d heard them, as well. “I think it’s time to greet them.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Leo heard the howls. Deep, reverberating, unearthly. Leo turned to look at the front door, and he knew that the beasts had risen once more.
“Um…want to clue us in as to what’s happening?” Trina asked as she rocked back and forth on her feet. “Merius and I tracked you here so that we could help, but we need to know—”
The explanation would have to be fast. The short version. “Hellhounds are about to burst through the door.” Leo let his claws out. “Don’t kill them. We’re going to herd them back to the cells that Luke has in his place—fucking paranormal proof cells. We get them in there…”
Something heavy slammed into the front door.
“We lock them inside,” Leo added as he bared his fangs.
The wood of the door began to splinter.
“And we fucking throw away the key,” he finished.
The wood exploded inward as the hellhounds attacked.
***
Mora heard the screams—the howls of pain. She ran toward the cell—
But Luke slammed the door shut. “I don’t think so.”
She blinked. “What are you doing? The point is for the hounds to get inside to me.”
“No, the point is to kill the fucking hounds and to keep you alive. I don’t like this setup. It reeks of martyrdom, and I’m not in the mood for that shit.”
“Luke!”
He turned on his heel. “Now, excuse me, but I have some hounds to stop, and if those bastard beasts so much as breathe on my Mina, they’re toast.”
“No! Luke, no!”
He wasn’t listening to her. He’d left, rushing away. And she knew he was going to shift into the form of a dragon. He’d change and he’d use his fire to send the hounds back to hell…
But they’ll come back. They’ll keep coming back until they get what they want.
She yanked against the bars, pulling with all of her might. Paranormal proof, dammit! Not that she had super strength.
Her nostrils flared. She’d just caught the scent of ash…and brimstone. And the scent was coming—
From behind me.
Mora whirled around.
Dax stood there. In the cell. The same Dax she’d killed. The same Dax she’d sent to hell. He gave her a sad smile. “Hello, Mora.”
Her lip trembled. “Dax…”
He lifted his hand toward her. “I’m afraid t
hat I’ve come for you.”
***
It was working. They were leading the hounds toward the cell, putting up a token fight so the bastards wouldn’t be suspicious, but it was working and soon—
“Get out of the way.” A savage bellow of command.
Leo looked up—and saw that Luke had shifted. His twin had let out his true beast, and the giant, hulking dragon was opening his mouth.
The hellhounds were in his path—and everyone else backed the hell away.
“No!” Leo yelled. “Don’t!”
But the dragon opened his mouth. The flames flew out—and they went straight toward the hounds.
***
“I’m sorry, Dax,” Mora said softly. He wasn’t attacking her. He was just standing there, looking so sad and solemn, and her heart broke for him. “I tried to change your—”
“Fate?” Dax finished with a weary shake of his head.
Her heart jerked in her chest. The howls had stopped.
“They’ll be back,” Dax told her grimly. “Ramiel fixed things…they’ll just keep coming back, and they don’t even have to wait twenty-four hours now.” His words were low. “He took Leo’s blood and used it in his spell. I learned…I learned everything while I was down there. They don’t want to hunt you. They just want to be left alone. But they can’t stop. You’re the fire in their blood now. They have to come after you.” He looked around the cell. “I was supposed to sneak in here and take you while they distracted the others.”
“I think the others are dead.” Her lips felt numb. Cold slid over her body.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Anger roughened his voice, breaking past the sadness. “They’ll be back. Any second. They’ll just appear—”
Her gaze flew around, frantic—
“Right here,” Dax finished.
And sure enough, they were suddenly in the cell with her. Not outside of that paranormal proof cell, but right in there, with her.
How? How had they all gotten past the bars?
They were the men who’d hurt her so long ago…they were the men who’d kidnapped her recently.
They were the men who’d come to take her away.
“Distraction,” Dax said again. “The hellhounds wanted the others to think they’d won. That way, no one would be back here, waiting to protect you.”