by Elisa Adams
She raised herself up until his cock nearly slipped from her before she brought herself down hard, their flesh smacking together. She whimpered, and Eric knew she was close. He reached between them, stroking her clit with the pad of his finger. One touch and she came, bucking wildly on top of him.
It was then that the real problems started. Ellie’s fingers tore at his skin as she thrashed over him. He grabbed her wrists and flipped her over onto her back, settling her hard against the mattress. She hissed and bit at his lip when he kissed her. He thrust hard and fast, needing desperately to find release—but needing to keep his skin intact at the same time. She wrapped her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his ass and pulling his cock deeper inside her cunt.
He pinned her arms above her head and latched his mouth onto her breast, biting gently into her nipple. She gasped as his teeth clamped down a little harder. Her eyes darkened, and she arched her back, a moan escaping her lips. Encouraged, he moved to her other breast and bit her nipple, suckling her hard. She pulled her wrists out of his grip and raked her nails down his back as she came again. The pain of her nails tearing into his flesh sent him into the most explosive orgasm he’d ever experienced. He came hard, spending himself inside her before he collapsed on top of her, thoroughly and completely sated.
They were both silent for a long moment, and Ellie’s voice was hoarse when she finally spoke. “I think I may have underestimated you, Eric Malcolm.”
“How so?” He raised his head a little so he could look at her, but was too worn out to hold it upright for long.
“I think you’re dark side runs very deep.”
That caught his attention. He rolled off her. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She laughed and gently scraped her nails across his stomach. “Hurt? No. How are you feeling?”
“I think I’ll survive.” He laughed, gently rubbing the healing gash in his arm. “This is definitely going to take some getting used to.”
She was different now—untamed and wild. Part of that was being a new cat, but most of it was the nature of the cats themselves. He didn’t think he’d have a difficult time getting used to this new side of Ellie—he relished in it, actually. He liked it a little rough, and if the state of his body was any indication, so did she. It would take her some time to get used to her new powers, and until then he hoped she didn’t tear him completely apart.
He’d just started to doze when she lifted her head and looked at him, her expression tentative. “I want to go back home.”
“What’s wrong with staying here for a little while? You still need more time—”
“No. I don’t. I’m perfectly fine now. It’s been a week, Eric, and I’m sure Marco and Amara are worried. I miss my painting, my house, my life. I just want to go back and make sure everything is okay.” Her pleading gaze nearly did him in. “Don’t you have a job to finish?”
He sighed, weighing his options. If he took her back, he’d be bringing her right back into the danger. But Merida was there, in danger herself. If he went back, he could watch over both Merida and Ellie. “If it will make you happy, we’ll go back tomorrow. But if it gets bad, don’t think I won’t ship you back here.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t even try it.”
With any luck, he’d be able to make sure both of the women in his life were safe, and Aiala was destroyed before she could thoroughly possess Antonio. He kissed the top of Ellie’s head and tried to tamp down the feeling that something could still go horribly wrong.
Chapter 19
Eric pulled his car into the driveway and shut off the ignition, but didn’t get out. “Are you sure you want to do this now? You can wait to talk to them in a couple of days if you don’t feel ready.”
“I’m ready. More than ready.” Ellie struggled to give him a smile. “I think.”
Before she could chicken out, she got out of the car and walked up to the front door. She heard Eric walk up the steps behind her, felt his hand on the small of her back in a gesture of support, but she barely noticed any of it. Her nerves were fried, her stomach clenched in knots, and her palms sweaty. She’d wanted so badly to come back to Stone Harbor, but now that she was here, she wanted to turn around and run.
Amara opened the door after what felt like an eternity. She blinked hard when she saw them standing on the porch. “Ellie. How are you?” She looked even more shocked than Ellie felt.
Ellie forced another smile, more for Amara’s benefit than her own. “Great. How has everything been here?”
Amara licked her lips and glanced behind her. She looked Eric over, an uncertain expression in her eyes. Finally, she sighed and opened the door wider. “You might as well come in. Marco and Royce have been out of their minds with worry.”
Amara ushered them into the foyer and closed the door. She pulled Ellie into her arms for a hug—very unusual for Amara—not letting her go for a long time. “I was worried about you, too.”
“As you can see, I’m just fine.”
“Yeah, right.” Amara’s tone dripped of disdain and she focused a glare on Eric. “Maybe you should have waited in the car.”
“He saved my life, Amara,” Ellie butted in, not wanting an argument. “I want him here.”
Amara ignored Ellie’s comments. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is there something wrong with your brain? Wasn’t it bad enough that you had to draw my friend and my brother-in-law into danger? Why did you have to drag my husband into it, too? All they talk about is that demon, and how they’re going to kill her. I’m sick of hearing it. Thanks a lot, Malcolm. And then you had to go and…well, do whatever you did to Ellie to make her what you are. I don’t like it one bit.”
“How did you know?” Ellie asked, standing in between Eric and Amara.
“Please. It’s so obvious.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry, though. I won’t hold it against you. Just him.”
Eric, wisely, remained silent. Amara was relentless—no one ever won an argument against her so it was better to not even try.
Amara opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could say anything Royce came around the corner from the living room with Marco right behind him. They stopped and stared for a full minute before Royce finally spoke. “What the hell happened to you?”
“It’s a really, really long story, one I’m not going to bore you with right now.” She hoped he’d leave it at that, but life just wasn’t that easy.
“You disappear off the face of the planet for more than a week, you don’t let anyone know where you’re going to be, you don’t call to say you’re okay…do you really expect me to just drop it?”
“Actually, yes, I do.” She never knew what to expect from him, but she hadn’t expected anger.
Marco’s reaction was easier to predict. She’d known him long enough to be able to judge how he’d react. With him it was always the same—act first, think later. He lunged for Eric, but Eric stopped him easily with a hand in the air. Marco stumbled back, but held his ground.
“You couldn’t be satisfied with just having her with you, could you?” Royce asked Eric, barely contained rage in his voice. “You had to go and make her into one of your kind.”
The way he said “your kind” didn’t sit right with Ellie. “Shut up, Royce. It’s what I am now, so either accept me or don’t. But it was either that or die, and I really would prefer to live. Stop blaming Eric. It’s not his fault.”
“Did he ask your permission?” Marco asked, his tone surprisingly rational.
“Gee, it’s kind of hard to ask a dead person’s permission. At least he did something instead of just leaving me there. Would that have made you happy? Would you rather see me dead?” She did her best to keep her voice calm, but given the situation, it wasn’t easy. Tears of hurt, anger, and stress welled in her eyes, and she balled her fists.
“No. Of course not.” Marco pulled her into his arms and hugged her, earning a growl from Eric. “Don’t even talk like that.
You know that’s not what I want, I just want to make sure he’s not going to force you into things you’re not ready for.”
Eric stayed where he was, but Ellie could see he wanted to tear Marco’s head off. She shook her head slowly and Eric relaxed a little. She pulled away from Marco and explained what Eric had told her about her situation. “I’m hoping you would have made the same choice.”
Marco stared at her for a moment before he finally relented. “Yeah, I probably would have.” He glared at Eric. “But I’m not a killer, either.”
“Oh, stop being such a jerk. Eric didn’t kill anyone.”
“At least not yet this month,” he spoke from behind her. “There’s still time left.”
She whirled on him. “You’re not helping, you know.”
He just smiled and winked at her.
She rolled her eyes. “At least someone around here has a sense of humor.”
Eric shrugged.
“Are you really, absolutely sure you’re fine?” Marco asked.
“Of course I’m fine. Geez, Marco, get a grip.”
He smiled at her before he glanced at Eric, his expression a blatant challenge. “If you ever hurt her, I swear I’ll kill you.”
Eric leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Funny, I was just going to say the same thing to you.”
Sick of the male power play, Ellie left the room and walked into the kitchen. She got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water, draining the entire glass before she set it in the sink with a sound thump.
“Get used to it. If Eric is anything like Marco, it’s not going to get any better,” Amara said from the doorway.
“He’s really not. At least I didn’t think so until today.” She rolled her eyes, sick of the whole thing. “Why is it men have to be so territorial?”
Amara shrugged. “Beats me. You’d think they’d have grown up by now, but I guess even a couple centuries isn’t enough time for some people to mature.”
Ellie laughed.
“You know, I think we can find this sorceress before they do,” Amara continued.
“How?” Ellie asked.
“Merida will help. She can’t stand Royce, and I think she’d do just about anything to piss him off. What do you think?”
What would Eric think of she and his sister getting involved? He wouldn’t like it, that was for sure. “What can she do?”
Amara shrugged. “She’s been one step ahead of Marco and Royce the whole time you were gone. She knows where Tony is hiding, but she didn’t want to go after him alone. I guess Aiala is really powerful, and she’s literally been half living inside Tony’s mind. Maybe with three of us, we can take care of her.”
Ellie laughed. “I guess it can’t hurt. Why not?”
Amara nodded. “I’ll give her a call.”
“Call whom?” They looked up to see Marco standing in the doorway. “If you’re planning on calling Merida for help, don’t. Royce has been a bear lately as it is. Seeing her again will put him over the top. She spends enough time around here without asking her for more.”
“An added bonus.” Amara smiled too sweetly at Marco and brushed past him on her way out of the kitchen.
Ellie went back into the foyer to find Eric. She didn’t see him anywhere, but Royce sat on the stairs, still looking angry. “Your boyfriend is outside.”
She didn’t care for the way Royce said “boyfriend”, but she ignored it for now. Whatever his problem was, he’d get over it. She hoped. Life had changed enough without losing someone she’d come to think of as a close friend.
She walked out the front door, letting it shut quietly behind her. Eric was standing on the porch, looking out over the water in the distance. He turned and smiled when she approached.
“How are you holding up?”
“Fine.” She smiled back. “Everything is still a little surreal, but I’m okay.”
“Sorry about that in there. I guess it couldn’t be helped.”
She shrugged, not wanting to admit that Royce and Marco’s reaction had left a hole inside her. She needed them now more than ever, but she didn’t know if they’d ever learn to accept what she’d become. “So what do we do now?”
“We’re going to check into a hotel, a different one than the one where I stayed, and we’re going to wait until I hear from Sam.”
“Why wait?”
“Sam has some connections I don’t. He’s going to look into some things and get back to me.”
“We can’t go back to my house?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s not safe there. That would be like dangling a steak in front of a pit bull. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”
As much as she hated to do it, she relented. He had a point. There would be plenty of time later to go back home and settle in again.
* * * * *
A little while later, Eric had checked them into a hotel under assumed names. Ellie walked into the room and flopped down on the bed, more tired than she was willing to admit. She closed her eyes and felt the mattress dip when Eric joined her.
He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her temple. “Hungry?”
She nodded.
“Do you want to go get something to eat, or would you rather take a walk on the beach first?”
“I’m not really up for walking right now.”
“Okay, dinner it is.” He left her and walked to the corner of the room and took out his cell phone.
She didn’t know who he was calling, and she really didn’t care. She didn’t know what she wanted, or even who she was anymore. She’d thought coming back would be the best thing for her, but the people she considered friends didn’t exactly welcome her warmly.
“All set?” Eric asked as he slid the phone back into his pocket. Ellie got up from the bed and followed him out the door, going over and over in her mind what had happened earlier.
She was surprised when he led her to the small coffee shop on the first floor of the hotel. “I hope you don’t mind eating in a dive like this, but I have to meet someone.”
Not in the mood to meet anyone new, Ellie dug in her heels. “Why don’t I go back to the room and you can bring me back something later. I’m not really in the mood to sit in on some kind of business meeting.”
Eric frowned at her. “It’s just my sister. Come on. She’ll love you.”
He led her to a table in the corner, where a petite woman with reddish brown hair and fair, freckled skin sat. She smiled when she saw them and jumped up to give Eric a hug. Her smile widened when she looked at Ellie. “It’s nice to meet the woman who’s finally gotten my brother to settle down.”
Eric sighed. “Don’t start. Ellie, this is Merida.”
Eric’s phone rang just after the waitress came to take their orders. Ellie rolled her eyes, already sick of the thing. One of these days she was going to pitch it into the ocean. “I have to take this,” he said, getting up from the table. “It’s Sam. Be right back.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Merida leaned across the table. “Antonio hasn’t left Stone Harbor, you know.”
“He hasn’t?”
Merida shook her head. “He’s staying in some cabin out in the woods. Aiala won’t let him leave since he didn’t do his job.” She bit her lip. “I think she might have hurt him again.”
“Again?” That was a story Ellie had yet to hear.
Merida glanced around, looking in the direction where Eric had gone. “Okay, I guess Eric hasn’t told you everything yet. It was three, maybe four hundred years ago or so, ago when they all worked for Sam—Eric, Royce, and Antonio. Antonio got mixed up with Aiala. Eric tried to warn him away from her, but he didn’t listen. Aiala’s a black sorceress, and she gets her kicks out of enslaving and killing men. I swear, she would have done well as a succubus. Anyway, she made the mistake of killing Sam’s son. Well, you know how Sam is. He wasn’t going to let her get away with that.”
Ellie watched Merida in
wonder, thinking she couldn’t possibly be related to Eric. They had absolutely nothing in common, and didn’t share a family resemblance at all. “That’s horrible.” Ellie’s heart went out to Sam. She hadn’t known any of this, and she felt terrible.
The waitress brought their food, and Merida took a bite of her hamburger. Ellie shook her head, the story making her lose her appetite.
“Yeah, it gets worse,” Merida continued, absently munching on French fries. “Sam sent everyone he had after Aiala, but he didn’t know Antonio was having an affair with her. By then she’d already burrowed into his mind so that when they went after Aiala he attacked them—his friends. Royce cornered Antonio, but in the end, he couldn’t kill him. He hurt him pretty bad, though, and Aiala too. We all thought she’d died when we didn’t hear from her for so long, but obviously she’s a lot stronger than we’ve given her credit for. All these years she’s kept Antonio, but from what I gather she’s never been able to fully possess him since. Do you know what demonic obsession is?”
“No.” And she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
“It’s basically when a demon constantly bombards a person with harassment, kind of like a mental stalking, when a demon becomes obsessed with a human. It’s not the same as a full-blown possession in that the demon can’t control the person’s actions, just try to influence them. Usually it manifests itself in bad habits, stuff that can be considered sinful—lying, stealing, alcoholism, sex. Aiala’s in Antonio’s head, but not completely. She can’t really control him with her mind, so she has to resort to bombarding him with suggestions until he breaks, using physical punishment if he refuses. He’s teetering between obsession and possession, and that’s a very bad thing. The weaker he gets, the more she can push inside his mind. When she’s finally completely inside, like she was years ago, she’ll get all her powers back and he’ll snap. We have to keep that from happening. She’s pretty much indestructible now. If she gets her abilities back to their fullest…well, you don’t even want to know what could happen then. “