E.V.I.E.: 13 Slayers, 13 Missions

by Lexi C. Foss

“You’ve lost your damn mind. I had that ogre. You think I’ve never fought one before? You almost got us both killed with your ‘I run into danger because I’m an immortal fool’ routine. What were you thinking?”

  I open my eyes to find her close. So close. A fire roars beside us, the sun already fading from the sky. We’re in some sort of cave, covered and safe, the unicorns stationed at the entrance. My body warms, tingles, heals itself slowly. And when awareness comes racing back, I realize my mate is pressed against me tightly, her body entwined with mine beneath furs and her elven cloak. My cock is already hard. Maybe that’s what sparked the interesting ‘what the shit, man?’ commentary.

  “You’re saved. We’re back on track.” She sighs.

  “You’re naked.” I stare into her bewitching blue eyes. “You’ve finally accepted my claim—”

  “You were dying, freezing, bleeding—I did what I could to save you. Skin-to-skin contact is the best way to stave off hypothermia. That’s the only reason we’re like this.” She wriggles. “And now that you’re awake and have finally stopped bleeding all over the place, I can go.” She starts to push away.

  I capture her in my arms and press her close. A purr erupts in my throat as I feel her curves, her hard nipples, the heat between her thighs.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” she says, but I hear the breathlessness in it, the need.

  “That’s all I have so far. Ideas. Ones concerning my face between your legs, your breasts in my palms, your hot cunt squeezing me until I coat you with my seed.”

  She shudders, her cheeks turning a glorious pink in the fading light. “That’s … inappropriate.”

  “Entirely appropriate between mates.” I press my hips forward, my hard cock finding the softness of her skin, the warmth of her thighs.

  “We aren’t mates,” she grits out, but even I can sense the uncertainty. “And you’ve been hard for at least half an hour despite your injuries. I think maybe you’re one of those sex addicts. I mean, how could you even be hard when—”

  “You feel it, Ilsa.”

  She rolls her eyes. “That’s what I’m saying. Yes, I’ve been feeling it for a ridiculously long time. Should probably call your doctor about that; it’s what the commercials advise, anyway.”

  I give her a breath of space, but only so I can press my palm over her heart. “You know what I’m saying, mate. You feel me in here. You feel me. Just as I feel you deep inside, your voice my favorite sound, the essence of your soul dancing with mine from the moment we were born.”

  “You’re delirious from blood loss.” Her gaze flickers to my lips, and that’s when I know I have her.

  “I’m telling you the truth.” I kiss her forehead gently. So gently. Then drop more kisses along the bridge of her nose and lower until I’m kissing her cheeks. And when I move to her mouth, she doesn’t spurn me. She answers, her tongue a delight as it tangles with mine, her hitched breath a gift as I run my hand down her smooth back and palm her pert backside.

  She moans into my mouth as the last rays of the sun fade and the crackling fire is the only light that remains.

  I want to show her so badly, to mark her so we can feel the connection that burns between us. Her mouth is an enticement that I can’t resist, so I keep kissing her, our bodies on fire as we share breath.

  She moves her hands down my shoulders and to my back, her fingernails testing me, pressing on the hard muscle as I move on top of her.

  “Tell me you sense it.” I pull back and stare down at her, my whole world lying beneath me in this warm cave with danger all around us.

  She sighs low and long. “When I felt the call to be a slayer, it rocked me from head to toe. Jarring, painful, soul-shattering.” Bringing one hand to my face, she runs her fingertips along my cheek bones, then up to the tips of my ears. “It changed me. I wasn’t free anymore. It was a calling.” Her eyes water. “I feel you. I don’t want to, Darynder. I don’t want to give away another piece of me to a calling I can’t seem to refuse.”

  “Then don’t give it away to the calling.” I kiss her again, softly this time. “Give it to me because that’s what you want. Give it to me, because I will spend every day of the rest of my life proving to you I am worthy to be your mate.”

  “Why do you say things like that?” she chides.

  “Because I will always speak my heart to my mate.” I give her another gentle kiss, our tongues dancing with each other for only a moment.

  “Look. I will do this.” She groans. “Ancestors know I’m desperate to do this with you.” She moves her hips and spreads her legs, and that’s when I finally know I’ve come home. “But don’t think this means more than it does. Okay?”

  It means everything. “You’re so warm, Ilsa. Your cunt is wet and hot for me.”

  “You have a filthy mouth for a haughty high fae.” She arches as I kiss her throat.

  I sink beneath the furs, kissing her chest and spending ample amounts of time on each of her perfect breasts. I suck and nip at the brown buds, tasting her as her mating scent fills my nose and my feral purrs with anticipation.

  Her hands tangle in my hair, her fingers pulling and twisting as I move lower, drawn to the honey between her thighs. When I place the first kiss on her delicious cunt, her hips lift. I wrap my hands around them and keep her in place as I lick, suck, and taste every bit of her. I leave no part of her unexplored, and I delight in having my mate’s scent all over me.

  When I focus on that little bundle of nerves, she tenses, her moans growing louder. And when I plunge two fingers into her slickness, she freezes and moans low in her throat. I hear my name in the deep-throated satisfaction of her body, of the pulses around my fingers and the way she fights for breath. I almost spend right there, but I don’t. Not until I’ve marked her. When that bond snaps tight, I’ll fill her with me.

  Kissing up her delicious body, I return to her mouth and nestle between her legs. My cock rests at her entrance as her eyes flutter open.

  “Sated, my love?” I tease and nip at her lips, my fangs aching to pierce her perfect skin. “Finished with me?”

  “You better finish me off, haughty high fae.” She smirks and thrusts her hips, her core flirting with the tip of my cock. “If you don’t, I’ll have to find another—”

  “Never.” My feral roars to the fore, and I press inside my mate.

  Her breath stills, her eyes going wide as I stare down at her. When her hips move in invitation, I sheathe myself fully, feeling every bit of her hot cunt as I fill her.

  She arches, her mouth open as I claim it again, stealing her breath as I seal our joined fates. “Darynder.” My name on her lips like a prayer.

  I need her, all of her. Starting a hard rhythm, I thrust in and out as her breaths quicken, her body opening to me as I kiss to her throat. Wet sounds, growls, and moans fill the cavern as I make her mine. Her body was meant to be worshipped, loved, and ridden hard. So I do all of it. Kissing and sucking, pinning her nipples between my teeth as I slide in and out.

  When she reaches down to touch herself, I almost come from the sight of it. The erotic look of her small fingers in her needy flesh. But I want to be the one to give her that release, that ecstasy.

  Moving her hand aside, I use my thumb to massage her.

  Her eyes roll back, her nails digging into my upper arms as I thrust hard and sure, my entire body vibrating to her name, her heartbeat, her soul.

  And when she’s on the verge, when she’s so close as to fall off the cliff and dive down into her pleasure, I strike. With a vicious bite, I sink my fangs into her shoulder. She comes around my cock, her walls squeezing as I release right along with her. My teeth and my seed marking her as the bond explodes between us and links our hearts, minds, and every bit of our sparkling essence into a whirlwind of passion, fire, and love.

  15

  Darynder

  “Mates.” Ilsa kisses my neck, then down my chest. “Mated.” She shakes her head, then licks my nipple.

  My
cock surges back to life beneath her warm thighs.

  “I can’t believe it.” She sucks one nipple, then the other, a temptress atop me in the low firelight.

  “I love you, Ilsa.” I send the thought down the bond.

  She smiles against my skin. “How do you do that?”

  “You’ll learn in time. Your fae side will take over.”

  “It’s so …” She sits up, her heavy breasts calling for my hands.

  I cup them as she throws her head back and eases lower on my body. “It’s magical.” She lifts her hips and impales herself on me, sliding down my cock as she moans low in her throat.

  The sight might kill me. My beautiful mate, my bite still fresh on her shoulder, and her body on display for me to worship.

  “I feel how much you like this.” She moves her hips, her hair falling behind her in dark waves. “I can almost feel sex from your point of view.” She lifts her arms and pulls her hair on top of her head.

  “Wicked siren.” I thrust up, meeting her hips, filling her slick cunt.

  “Not a siren.”

  “I think you are.” I fuck her from the bottom, surging up as she rides me and I knead her breasts. “I think you’re an enchantress sent to tempt me.”

  She looks down at me, all mischief and sensuality. “Is it working?”

  “Like magic.” I thrust up again, then lick my thumb and press it to her clit.

  She shudders, her body going tighter as I stroke her and master her from beneath.

  “Don’t stop,” she breathes as her hips move faster, her body grinding against mine.

  My fangs lengthen, and I want to bite her again, to mark her all over so no male will ever dare speak to her, look at her, touch her.

  “Jealous.” She grins then grips my wrists as I pinch her nipples. “Just like that, Darynder. Just … Like …” She comes again, my name on her lips as I thrust deep into her and let go. We share our pleasure, our bodies joined on every level as I praise her in the old language.

  When her hips stop rocking against me, she falls onto my chest. I keep her there, one arm around her as I wipe her hair from her sweaty neck. I have the impulse to lick every drop of sweat from her body. I will, but not right now. Not when my cock is still inside her and my love is so tired.

  “Rest now, beloved.” I stroke her soft skin as her breathing deepens. “I’ll keep you safe. Always.” I pet her until she drifts off, her heart at ease.

  My perfect mate. A slayer. A temptress. A fighter.

  I only hope when she discovers who I really am, she’ll forgive me.

  16

  Ilsa

  “We didn’t even get to look.” My unicorn is still bitching. He can’t use any choice words or make any pervy pronouncements, but no spell can keep him from complaining about not getting to watch Darynder and I seal our bond. “I heard, but not enough. It’s just so unfair.”

  “Stop your whining.” I dig my heels in a little harder as we ride up a rocky slope. “Just do your job.”

  “It was a pretty big affront. You know how much we enjoy …” Darynder’s unicorn seems to be warring with how to word his thought. “Those types of things,” he finally goes with.

  “That’s enough.” Darynder’s stern voice gets them to shut up.

  I smirk and wipe some of the snowflakes from my hair. It feels like we’ve been traveling up. Not north. Just. Up. For the whole day. The peak lies above us, obscured now by low snow clouds. My senses tingle, telling me my quarry is near.

  Once I slay the vamp … That’s the question, isn’t it? Once I’ve done my duty, I’m supposed to return to headquarters. But now … I look back at Darynder, who gives me a sexy grin. I can’t leave him.

  “Of course you can’t. I’d chase you. I’d find you. Then I’d tie you down and do all the filthy things to your body I know you love.”

  “You don’t know everything,” I huff.

  “I know how to bring you to release with nothing more than the palm of my hand, sweet mate. But that’s not enough. It never will be for me. I want to be buried deep inside you, feeling you squeeze every bit of seed from me the way you did several times last night.”

  I should blush. I don’t. Because he’s right. This bond between us? It’s real. It’s as if half of me is inside Darynder. And I want to stay there, to pet his feral and feel his thoughts. The bite on my neck aches, but I love it. The same way I love him. But it’s complicated.

  “Doesn’t have to be complicated.”

  “Stop reading my mind.” I wrinkle my nose at him.

  “I’m not. I can just feel the direction of your thoughts. That’s all.”

  “I can’t feel yours. So what direction are your thoughts going in?” I challenge.

  He arches a brow. And then I do feel it. Right between my thighs. He’s thinking about bedding down for the night. The two of us naked, a warm fire, and him plunging into me from behind.

  “I can scent your desire, mate.” He’s practically purring, his eyes going feline. “I’ll be tasting it soon enough.”

  A pleasurable chill runs down my spine and ends in the spot he’s thinking about. Filthy fae.

  “First, I finish the mission, then we can talk about your, um, ideas.” The ideas that seem to have set my thighs on fire. I turn back toward the slope as we reach the rocky top.

  The unicorn huffs and stops on the stone as the wind blows hard and snowy just above the sheltered enclave.

  “Maybe we should make camp.” Darynder peers into the foggy grayness above. “The storm isn’t letting up.”

  “We’re almost there. I want to stake this vamp while the sun is up. Who knows what he’ll do if we let our guard down and rest this close to his hiding place?”

  “Fair point.” Darynder stares through the fog as if he can see all the way to the vampire’s lair.

  Something flickers down the bond. I feel it inside me, like a golden wire tying my heart to his in a game of otherworldly tin-can-telephone. I blink hard. Foreboding.

  “Are you afraid?” I ask.

  His gaze returns to me, and he shrugs. “I’m worried for your safety more than anything.”

  “I killed the ogre while you were busy trying to muck up the whole fight, remember?” I pat my blade. “I can handle a vamp. Don’t fret, darling little high fae. I’ll protect you.”

  He growls and reaches for me. I squeal as he easily lifts me from my saddle and plops me in front of him, face to face.

  “Seekers are deadly, Ilsa. And here in Arin, they’re more powerful. The magic that runs through these lands strengthens them.”

  I know. I lean closer, teasing his mouth with mine. “But they die just the same as any other. I’ll take this vampire’s head, and then we can talk about what the future looks like.”

  He catches my mouth, claiming me in a rough kiss I feel all the way down to my toes. “The future is the two of us. Always. Until the Ancestors call me home.”

  Our bond sings, my heart so warm I think I might combust. His kisses are drugging and delicious, but we’re losing light. “Must. Slay.” I pant between kisses. “Then. Play.”

  “Fine.” He pulls back, his brow furrowed. “Let’s get to it.”

  “Can you take us farther?” I pat my unicorn as Darynder places me back in my saddle.

  “Of course.” He bats his long lashes at me. “I can take you wherever you want to go, and I could’ve been singing a bawdy song while I trotted, but you don’t like it, so here we are.” He blows out a nicker.

  “You’ve done well.” I pat him again. “Almost well enough to restore my faith in unicorns.”

  He turns his head, his one opalescent eye trained on me. “Lift the bargain? No more gag order?”

  “I’ll think about it.” I pat him again. “Get us there, watch me slay, and then I might relent.”

  “Let’s go.” With renewed vigor, my unicorn climbs into the frozen heights. Darynder follows close behind.

  The bond goes quiet. Quieter with each step. Bu
t I don’t miss the echoing hint of his emotion. Dread. I want to ask him what’s wrong, what’s worrying him, and reassure him I can hold my own even if I’m part changeling. But I can’t. So we climb. I lean down and hold tight to my unicorn as the wind grows stronger, ravaging the stony ground and throwing pebbles, ice, and snow at us.

  But still we climb. The milky gray settles in tightly, and I can’t see much ahead of us. But the unicorn is sure-footed as he takes each slope, each break-neck twist along a ridge, each narrow ledge that leads to even more icy stone.

  When the hackles on my neck rise, I know we’ve arrived. As if proving my point, the milky fog begins to clear as the terrain evens out. A cave appears ahead, the mouth yawning and black.

  I glance at the sky, but the clouds make it impossible for me to tell how much daylight remains. Something swoops through the air overhead, and I duck lower against the unicorn.

  He shudders beneath me. “Wyvern,” he says before his voice is lost to the wild wind.

  Darynder pulls up beside me, both our mounts speeding their pace as huge wings create eddies in the fog overhead. His dread is pulsing through the bond now.

  I draw my sword as we enter the mouth of the cave. Enchanted green fire lines the icy walls, illuminating some rough-hewn wood furniture, a desk scattered with scrolls, and a darker passageway behind it.

  The wings swoop close by again, and both unicorns ease farther inside.

  “You’re safe.” I slide off my unicorn and cast a glance over my shoulder. “No way a wyvern as big as that could fit in here.”

  “Not comforting.” My unicorn nickers. “We still have to get back down.”

  “It’s fine.” I wave away his concern even though I share it. Deeply. A vampire? I can fight and win. A wyvern? Not a chance.

  “Stay close.” Darynder hovers at my elbow as I creep into the vampire’s lair. A quick look at the papers on his desk tell me all of nothing—I may be able to speak fae, but I can’t read it. Darynder, though, stares hard and unfurls one scroll after another.