by Dannika Dark
“I want you to look in my eyes when you come,” he said in a thick, dominant voice. It wasn’t a request.
As he said this, Logan eased me onto my back and propped himself on his elbows, melting me with his molten gaze.
I released a whimpering moan as he worked his hips, analyzing my facial expression and reading my body like a book. He noticed the way my body writhed beneath him, and he scented the peaks in my desire. Logan was learning me. This man had the capability to become the ultimate lover who memorized the intensity of every thrust, touch, and kiss to determine what pushed my buttons.
And holy hell, he wasn’t just pushing my buttons—he was slamming them hard.
Heat licked over me as he increased the speed of his thrusts, shortening them so that I wanted more of him. Then he changed tempo and buried himself deep, rocking his body with mine.
I wanted to turn my head, but Logan touched my cheek with his hand so I would face him.
His eyes. My God, the intensity behind his eyes as they watched me nearing climax.
His words became an erotic whisper against my mouth. “Come for me, Little Raven.”
“I can’t,” I said, suddenly aware of our surroundings.
“Look in my eyes. Nothing else exists—only you and me.” As I looked up and licked my lips, his mouth pressed against mine with a crushing kiss. He tasted like velvety wine with every stroke of his inviting tongue and I craved more. “I can scent you, female. You’re almost there.”
When he quickened his thrusts and my body tensed, I instinctively leaned up and bit his shoulder.
He suppressed a roar, trembling as he pushed back to look into my eyes again. They were wild and wide—the action of biting him was supposed to incite him to climax, but he refrained with every shred of willpower he possessed.
“Oh God, Logan.” My legs shook and I felt the swell of power between them as he drove harder.
“Do I sate you, my female?”
“Yes.”
“Are you my kindred spirit?”
“Yes, Logan.”
“Am I the only male you desire?”
“Yes.” I threw my head back and gasped, holding my breath as he tilted my neck and forced me to look in his eyes. “Are you going to come for me?”
“Yes!”
He pounded so hard I began to see brilliant flashes of light. I’d never felt anything more intense in my life. When I came, it was seismic and aftershocks followed. My knees weakened and legs widened, but Logan hadn’t stopped his rhythm. As I reached the end, releasing a satisfied moan, Logan came off his elbows and fell over me.
“Bite me!” he growled. “Do it now!”
I leaned up and bit his neck, sucking on his salty skin as I did so. Not hard enough to draw blood, but his reaction was instantaneous.
Logan’s entire body stiffened and quaked as his rhythm slowed. Before he finished, he delivered a salacious kiss, his tongue like heaven against mine.
“I have always loved you, female,” he said firmly, tapering off his kisses and cupping my face in his hands. “I regret nothing. Maybe forever was too much to ask.”
I closed my eyes, curving my arms around him as he heavily fell to my side. I felt no concern if a guard walked in on us. I was in the arms of a man who had taken my heart captive.
I offered a smile as we struggled to pace our heavy breathing. “Have you ever slept naked in a prison with your lover?”
He chuckled wistfully and brushed a few strands of loose hair away from my face. “Tell me something you’ve never had and I will give it to you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Marriage.”
“Silver,” he whispered.
I sat up and snatched the blanket, draping it over us. “Sorry, Logan, but you asked.” I smiled as I fell beside him. “I’m setting the challenge and you’re just going to have to figure out a way. That means you aren’t allowed to go anywhere until you fulfill my wish.”
His lips tightened and he clasped my hand. “I can’t stop it if they choose to execute me. Your wish can’t stop inevitability.”
I snuggled against him and splayed my fingers across his heart. “Maybe it can. Maybe if I love you hard enough, the rest of the world will disappear.”
“Little Raven, I would not want the world to disappear. You are my world, so stay right where you are.”
Chapter 23
Logan slept for what seemed like hours. It was uncharacteristic, and so was the fact I could hardly sleep at all. I finally needed to get up and use the toilet. We take privacy for granted until it’s revoked, but the payoff far exceeded the sacrifice. As I washed my hands in cold water, I smiled at Logan and gave myself a small pat on the back for wearing him out the second time we made love; prison bars had proved a useful thing to grab.
He didn’t even rouse when I dropped the soap in the sink and it clattered about. The main lights still hadn’t come on, so I took a seat in front of the bars and tore open the package of cookies the guard had left.
“That’s not going to go on every night, is it?” I heard a deep voice say from a cell down the hall.
“The cookies?”
“The nookie,” he replied with a soft chuckle. “I ran the sink to drown out some of the noise.”
I nibbled the vanilla cookie and sighed. I’d promised to visit Justus in the Grey Veil during my stay, but I needed to speak to him in person. Hopefully the Overlord would grant me visitation rights. Technically, I wasn’t a prisoner, so I didn’t see any issues.
“Did the guard really bring you cookies?” he whispered.
“Yeah, you want one?”
“Not seeing that happening.”
I pressed my forehead against the bars, trying to peer down the hall. “Where are you?”
“Two cells to your left.”
I reached through the bars and set the cookie on the floor. “I used to be good at air hockey,” I said. “Get ready, because here it comes.”
I stretched my arm farther out so it wouldn’t bounce against the wall and end up on the other side. With a hard swing, I sent the cookie sliding across the concrete and then heard a grunt.
“Got it. Thanks!”
“No problem.”
“They used to let my girl bring me food, but that stopped when a guard complained. You seem a little happy to be in here,” he said in a hushed voice.
I nibbled on the filling and frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m a Sensor. I touched your cookie.”
Oops. It was a good thing I didn’t have other things on my mind.
“What are you so resolved about?” he asked, still munching. “You’ve reached some kind of decision, but I don’t like the way it feels.”
“Stop messing with my head,” I scolded. I decided I’d never let a Sensor touch my cookie again.
His voice softened. “Shit, I didn’t mean to nose into your business. I’m hypersensitive. I’ve been learning to control it more, but I can’t shut it off.”
Curiosity got the best of me. “What are you in here for?” I whispered.
“Murder.”
A gripping chill ran up my spine. While my mind wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, I knew these were hardened criminals. They had to be.
Then I glanced at the man asleep behind me. Yes, he’d spilled blood. But with that act, he’d saved countless lives.
“I’ll be out of here tomorrow,” he whispered back. “Been here a year.”
“A year?”
“Damn right.” He attempted to lower his voice and I could hear the excitement in his words. “It’s not so bad. It gave me a lot of time to think about what I want to do with my life. I got a girl waiting for me—a good girl. One I’m going to do right by.”
“Good for you.”
“Thanks. The guy who whistles has been here forever. You don’t have to worry about him; he minds his own business.”
I turned my mouth to the side and rubbed my thumb on the bars. “You say that like we
’re going to be making a bunch of noise or something.”
He chuckled and spoke with a mouthful. “First night in here and you’ve already set a record. I don’t think I had that much action when I was on the outside.”
I did a facepalm. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You love him. That’s a hell of a thing for a man to feel—the love of a good woman, I mean. That was a damn good cookie. What’s your name?”
“Silver.”
There was a brief pause as I heard him shifting around. “That’s an odd name. Are you also a Chitah?”
“No, I’m a Mage.”
“Holy shit. You’re serious?”
“What’s your name?”
The main door clicked open and heavy footsteps approached from the right. I scrambled back to the mattress and wedged myself between Logan and the wall. This was a different guard, and he lingered at the door, looking in. He carried a small flashlight and shone it on the bed. I remained silent with my hands curled against my chest, my heart galloping. While not a prisoner, I had a niggling fear they might eventually treat me as one and start giving me punishments. I didn’t want to risk being sent home or moved to another cell. I was also thankful I had gotten dressed, because he kept leering.
Logan’s voice rose with each word spoken. “If you do not remove that flashlight from my female, I will sever your hand.”
The words lingered in the room as if they held power. The Chitah drew in a few breaths before moving on.
Logan covered me with the blanket and turned on his side to face me. “Stay by my side at night, Silver. I can’t protect you if I’m sleeping and you’re not beside me.” His large hand stroked the back of my head and he peered over his shoulder toward the doors.
“The Overlord said he might have news by tomorrow,” I whispered.
The door shut after the guard finished his rounds. “I can break you out of here. The guards are mostly Chitahs and their venom won’t hurt me.”
“Silver, don’t speak nonsense,” he said dismissively. “You would only find yourself in your own cell. Don’t even consider retaliation.”
“Why not?” I said, talking out my fantasy and nestling against him. “We could run out of here like a couple of outlaws and head up to the mountains in Canada.”
“You don’t like nature.”
“We could stay in your cave and hide out.”
He kissed my forehead. “Without electricity?”
“Sure. I could cook our meals over the fire.”
Logan chuckled warmly. “You don’t like to cook, female.”
I touched his face, feeling the bristle of whiskers beneath my fingertips. “But I’d do it, Logan. If it meant we could stay together.”
He pressed his forehead against mine and traced the line of my jaw with his finger. “You must prepare yourself for the worst. Make peace with it because if they deliver a death sentence, you will need to find the strength to go on alone. I want you to become a great Mage, and that will take time and experience. Learn what you can from Justus, but take something from my brothers—your brothers. Courage, family, heart, strength, and all the things you need to arm yourself with in our world.”
I shook my head, trying to turn away. “Don’t say those things to me. Don’t speak to me like you’re leaving.”
Logan pulled me tightly against him. “I will never let you go if you keep me in your heart, Little Raven. I will never leave you as long as you hear my voice whispering in your ear. No one lives forever. It’s not what you take from this life—it’s what you give. When it’s my time—whenever that may be—I want to know that I left you with hope. You gave me that gift on the night we met, when I watched you hum a song in the kitchen while heating up enchiladas for a stranger at your table. Pass it on someday to someone who needs it more than you.”
While tears stained the pillow, I pulled his hand up to my mouth and kissed his palm. My beautiful Chitah.
“Don’t let death harden you as it did me, Silver. That is the inevitability of becoming immortal. I allowed the death of my mate to consume me, and it festered into something dark and venomous. I’ll always have that darkness in my soul. But now there’s light. There’s you, my little battery charger.”
I rocked with laughter. “Are you sure you don’t want to bust out of here?”
“And spend the rest of our lives being hunted by your Ghuardian?”
Whimsical idea—the two of us outlaws—but I could never do that to Justus.
The next morning, I woke up alone on the mattress with the sheet twisted around my right leg. I stretched my stiff body and sore back, noticing an unfamiliar smell.
The smell of prison.
Logan hovered over the sink, brushing his teeth, and I suddenly got an ugly dose of reality. We weren’t walking out of here and there were no chairs, sofas, nor a kitchen to cook up a meal. I sat up and leaned against the concrete wall with my legs outstretched.
“I’ll rub your back when I’m done,” he mumbled, continuing with his vigorous strokes. His pants were slung low on his waist and I admired the V-cut below his abdomen.
Using my Mage ability, I could sense it was just after seven in the morning. I got up and dragged myself to the bars, gripping the cold metal and staring at an empty cell across from us.
The water shut off and Logan’s arms slipped around my waist. “Ready to go home? I’ll call the guard.”
“No. I’m staying, Logan. But I need to talk to Justus.”
He pressed his lips to the back of my head. “The guards will be here soon. It’s almost breakfast.”
As if on cue, the outside door opened with a creak and I listened to the heels of someone’s shoes tapping in our direction. I didn’t recognize the guard who appeared before me.
“I need to speak to my Ghuardian. I’m here as a guest and the Overlord has—”
“I know who you are,” he snapped, appraising me with a look of contempt. He rapped his baton against the bars. “Get back, Chitah.”
Logan backed up until he touched the sink, his eyes predatory. When he drew in a breath, two canines descended. “Touch her and your blood will wash my floor.”
“Don’t worry, Cross, I like my girls clean.” He unlocked the door with a jangle of his keys.
I hadn’t even brushed my hair—it was a scrambled mess on my head. I hugged my body as the guard led me downstairs to call Justus. He didn’t tarry and promised to be there in ten minutes. I had my doubts since we lived so far out.
He made it in seven.
Justus was a force to be reckoned with as he torpedoed down the hall, removing his hooded jacket. His blue eyes centered on mine and he looked prepared to assail any man who got in his way as he approached my room. It was a confinement tank with two chairs, a table, and a scenic window of the front office. The guards had made a point to inform me the windows were shatterproof. Justus placed his fingertips on the receptionist’s desk just outside my door. She began fumbling with her hair and smiled dumbly when he leaned forward. I watched as she took off her thick glasses and mashed her burgundy lips together.
Justus was dressed in the same clothes he’d worn the day before—tan slacks and a white tank top, minus the blazer. If his Charmer ability wasn’t enough to make her drool, then his thick biceps and tattoo would seal the deal. You could almost see his washboard abs beneath the snug fabric of his thin undershirt. He draped his jacket over her desk and I backed away from the door, preparing for him to come inside.
He sailed through the door and I braced for a tongue-lashing.
Justus cradled my head in his hands and pressed his forehead against mine. “Learner, I will take you home,” he said, the door closing behind him.
“I can’t go. Did you find anything? Please tell me you did.”
I sat down and Justus dragged his chair beside mine. He leaned forward with his forearms on his knees.
“I have nothing that would satisfy the demands of the higher authority. Page is not able to prove co
nclusively you have Chitah in you from a blood test. Not without parental DNA.”
I smiled. “Is that where you’ve been? With Page? I thought you looked a little scruffy this morning.”
He sat up and drummed his fingers on the table, shifting his gaze to the door.
“Go home and check on Finn,” I said. “Levi went back to our house after he dropped me off, but he can’t get in without the codes. He said he was going to sit in the car because he didn’t feel right leaving Finn by himself, and neither do I.”
“Learner, there is no need for you to stay here,” he said in a rough voice.
“When you love someone, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them. Sleeping in a cell isn’t so bad because at least we’re together, and I don’t know how much time we have left. I’m still hoping for a reprieve and that all this will go away, but I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head doubtfully. “If Tarek’s family has some leverage… What if I paid them? Maybe the Overlord didn’t offer them enough. Maybe if I spoke to them, they’d have a change of heart.”
“I’ll make some calls,” he said, rubbing his bristly jaw. “I can help with money, but I don’t have swing in the Chitah community and they will resent the offer if it comes from a Mage.”
“See if Simon has any ideas, but make sure he doesn’t stop working on Finn.”
Justus frowned and his eyes looked darker somehow. “What’s he doing for Finnegan?”
I bit my lip. “I asked Simon to dig up something on Rupert, just in case he gets any ideas about extorting Leo for money. Reverse blackmail.”
“Silver…”
“Don’t quibble with me,” I said in a humored tone. “Just tell Simon I still want that on his priority list. I also need to borrow some light.”
That snagged his attention. “For?”
“If I need to speak with you, I don’t want anything preventing me from it,” I said with an honest shrug. Simon had a knack for going to the Grey Veil, but he was an older Mage and more in tune with his energy.
Justus set his hand on the table and turned it over, palm up. Retaining eye contact, I ran my left hand across his palm, hearing the hiss of skin as it made contact. Within seconds, tiny threads of blue light leaked from his fingertips and absorbed into mine. I felt a wonderful rush moving through me like a drink of water, and I felt Justus. His energy weaved with mine. I’d never just taken light from him without healing and it felt amazing.