by Hazel Hunter
When Selene pulled back, Elsa was slumped on the couch, but there was a soft smile on her face. Selene eased her down to lie on the cushions, exhausted but exhilarated as well. Her employers wouldn't be pleased, but she had failed on jobs before. She wouldn't starve before the next one came along. After all, who did they know who could do what she did?
She stood, ready to summon Elsa's friends to her side, and when she turned, she walked right into what felt like an immovable brick wall. She yelped in surprise, and then she felt her blood run cold. Colin stood next to her. He had appeared as silently as he always had, but the expression on his face was thunderous.
“This is the ladies' room,” she stuttered, because it was the only thing that she could think of.
He laughed, an angry bark of a sound.
“You're right,” he said, his tone deceptively casual, and his hand wrapped firmly around her upper arm.
“Wait!” she blurted, glancing behind her at the prone Elsa.
The girl rested quietly with a small smile on her face, but she was still so vulnerable. As Selene watched, however, two other girls rushed in, loud and teasing Elsa for sneaking away from the party. Elsa woke up smiling, and went to rejoin her friends.
“Okay,” Selene said softly. “Let's go.
Colin's gaze softened just a little bit, but there was still raw fury there. Instead of speaking, he nodded tightly, and they disappeared together.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TO SELENE'S SURPRISE, they appeared not at a Corps holding cell, but at her own comfortable apartment. She blinked, looking around, but Bitsy, pleased to be back in familiar surroundings, immediately zipped out and headed straight for her food bowl. When she found it empty, she chittered with such misery that Selene immediately went to fill it.
Colin didn't stop her. Instead, he stood in the center of her living room, watching her like a lowering thundercloud. When she had fed and watered her familiar, she finally turned to him.
“What?” she said, and the weariness in her voice made even Bitsy look up from her bowl for a moment.
“I'm here on formal business,” he said, and there was such a note of gravity to his voice that she was certain he was going to execute her. It was his right under Corps law, and under the oaths she had sworn so long ago to her coven. In this matter, his word and his judgment were absolute. She sat slowly onto the couch, watching him with wide eyes.
“I have spoken with the commandant with whom your coven master's charges were filed. I spoke with him, and I asked him to make a judgment based on what you told me and my own findings. Your coven master's claims have been dismissed, and as soon as a member of the Corps catches up to him, he will be speaking with one of our finest truthtellers, someone who can read intent, memory and thoughts as if they were printed text.”
“What does that mean?” she asked shakily.
“It means that you are a free woman,” he said, his voice falling like sparks from a flint. “It means that you have the freedom to go where you will and do as you like. You are free to join another coven, or to seek work with the Corps. My only suggestion is that you leave helpless girls alone with whatever grief or crime they are going to report.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked angrily, rising to her feet.
She couldn't fathom the idea of being free from the hunt, not after she had been on her own for so very long. Instead, she struck at the far more easily-recognized hurt, glaring at Colin.
“What do you think I did?” she said. “Why not tell me exactly what you think?”
“That girl is Elsa Mayberry, and she's a key witness in a case against one of the biggest industrial complexes in this part of the city. I didn't know where you were, so I came here. What should I find but an address you left on your computer when you were looking for directions to a club. I find you, and where are you but cozying yourself up to a woman who is due to testify in less than forty-eight hours. You have an apartment that no waitress could afford, and when I catch up with you, you're rising from her limp body like some kind of goddamn vampire.”
Selene's laugh was bitter, and there was nothing but contempt in her eyes when she stepped up to Colin. She hoped that her anger hid the hurt that was eating through her heart.
“Of course that's what the rogue must be doing, isn't it? I need to be doing the absolute worst thing that you can think of because that's what rogues do. Of course I must be someone who would rob a good person of their memories all in the name of big business and keeping myself comfortable.”
“Tell me what you were doing then. Lie if you have to. Tell me what you were doing in that bathroom with Elsa Mayberry.”
The words came out a challenge, but in his face Selene was shocked to see hope.
“You really do want to know,” she said, the anger seeping out of her.
“Of course.” Colin's words held a hint of defeat, and it took the rest of the fight from her.
“I helped her, Colin,” she said softly. “I didn't take her memories. I didn't take a single thing that she needed, I swear. I took away the edge of fear that was covering everything, just like I took away Yasmine's sadness. I made sure that she could remember everything clearly, and…”
Colin frowned. “And?”
“And I think I made her braver.” Selene shook her head. “I don't really understand it. I know what I can do. Inspiring people—that was never one of the things that I could try before. I made her brave, though. I made her remember why she had taken the files, and I made her proud of what she had done. She was always brave, I think, but I made her recognize it. That's what it felt like, anyway.”
Colin nodded as if he’d expected it. “That makes sense. I've found that what we have together is affecting me as well.”
“You mentioned that before. The old wives' tale.”
“It's real. I'm able to do more jumps from place to place without needing to rest in between. Though I still ache after a certain amount of time, the ache is far less. I am able to be myself far more quickly. Some people say that the union of a powerful witch and warlock will enhance each other's powers.”
“What do you think we have together?” she whispered, and the look on his face was dark.
“Together?” he spat. “I don't know what we have together. I woke up this morning to a man pounding on the door demanding to know how I got into the penthouse. When I wanted to look for you, I found that you had stolen the amulet from me. If you haven't destroyed it, I will want it back,” he finished cuttingly. “I am no longer required to hunt you, but that amulet could still help me save lives, especially if Templars are involved.”
Numbly, Selene reached into her purse and handed him the amulet. But when she laid the stone in his hand, he let it drop to the carpet. In a matter of moments, he had seized her for a fierce kiss. At first she was too shocked to kiss him back, but then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to her. His body was vibrating with anger and with desire, and now she knew that in this moment, nothing mattered to her as much as finding herself in his arms, needing his body and what it did to hers.
“Will I remember anything about this after we are done?” he hissed in her ear. “What else have I forgotten?”
“Damn you,” she snarled. “Do you think I would lose one moment of this?”
The answer shocked him into silence, and his mouth covered hers. There was no gentleness in his kiss. There was nothing there but raw passion and need. When his tongue breached her lips, she opened hungrily for him. His tongue plundered her mouth, setting a fierce rhythm that made her need rise even higher. Pressed hard up against his body, she could feel the hunger in him, and the way that he responded to her.
“You don't know what it was like to see you in that club,” he muttered. “You don't know how many eyes were on you, watching that gorgeous body saunter through the crowd like you owned it.”
“Were those eyes yours?” she asked, reaching up to bite his ear lobe. “Were yo
u thinking about what's under my dress?”
“I know what's under there, and it still drove me crazy.”
Selene squeaked when he lifted her up in his arms and started heading for the bedroom. He shut the door in Bitsy's inquisitive little face, ignoring her offended squall. When he came to the bed, he all but threw Selene on it.
“Look at you,” he whispered, and she couldn't tell if the light in his eyes was desire, anger or some potent combination of both. “Look at you, beautiful, beautiful woman.”
“You're the beautiful one,” she retorted. “All heat and muscle, what are you going to do to me?”
“Whatever you'll let me do.”
That was all the warning she got before he was on her. His heavy weight bore her down to the bed, and when she was stretched out flat on her back, he took both her hands in one of his and pinned them above her head. She gasped as his rough hand slid from her neck down to the neckline of her dress. He fisted the fabric in a vice-like grip, and ripped the dress straight down the middle with one hard jerk. She moaned with the pleasure of having her clothing ripped from her body, and she smiled to see his eyes when he saw what was revealed underneath.
She had bought more than just a dress when she was cruising Michigan Avenue. There were some amazing lingerie stores hidden here and there, and she had splurged. The ivory bra and matching panties, heavily embroidered in some places and nearly transparent in others, gave her skin a luminous glow, and for a moment, all that Colin could do was stop and stare.
“You look like you've never done this before,” she said innocently. “Should I show you what you should do next?”
His growl was barely short of bestial, and he buried his mouth in the crook of her neck, nipping at the skin there firmly before drawing it between his teeth and suckling. She groaned when she realized that he was going to mark her skin, leaving his brand as if she were his and his alone. For a moment, she knew that she wanted nothing more. With a flash of insight that would haunt her the rest of her life, she knew in that moment that she wanted this, with him, forever. Then his skilled mouth moved to one taut nipple, and she forgot the thought.
Selene wanted to touch him. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, to press herself close to him and to be with him as he gave her this amazing pleasure. But his hand held hers pinned as easily as she would pin Bitsy. She squirmed, and she twisted, and finally she was willing to beg.
“Let me touch you,” she pleaded. “Let me hold you, please, I need it.”
His laugh was dark.
“Unless you tell me to stop, I'm going to do exactly what I like. I swear on any god you care to name that you'll come over and over again, if I have my way. But you're going to do it my way. Say the word and this stops, but unless you are ready for that, you'll let me do as I please.”
Selene wailed because if there was anything she knew, it was that she did not want these intense sensations to stop. She didn't want him to stop sliding his hands along her taut body. She didn't want him to stop lapping at her nipple. She didn't even want him to release his hold on her hands.
There was something deliciously decadent about being restrained for her own pleasure, and she stopped fighting it. Her hands stayed pinned above her. His free hand roved over her body, exploring it and bringing shivers of pleasure. He teased at the waistband of her panties, running his finger under the fabric. Instead of tearing it away from her the way that he had her dress however, he simply traced the edges of the fabric, making the skin beneath burn with longing.
He slid his hand between her legs, and the feel of his fingers next to her slit with only a soaked piece of fabric separating them made her moan.
“Look at you,” he whispered. “Look at how much you want me.”
She whimpered in agreement, and then she gasped in surprise when he rose above her. He knelt between her spread legs, pressing them even further apart, and then he came forward to rest his weight gently on top of her. He pressed his hardness along her furrow and, as he stroked his length against her, she felt her control slipping. She needed him, she wanted him, and there was nothing that she could do about it.
“If I let you go, are you going to do what I say?” he whispered.
She answered before she could think about it.
“Oh yes, yes,” she wailed, and with nothing more than that, he let her go and rose to his knees.
“Take off your underwear,” he said.
She could hear the command that he had honed for centuries. His brilliant eyes were nearly black with desire, and Selene knew that Colin had every expectation of being obeyed.
With a shiver, she stripped off her bra and panties, and she lay in front of him, entirely nude. Some part of her wanted to cover herself, but a bigger part of her wanted him to see her, truly see her, and want her and need her as much as she wanted and needed him.
“Well, what a beautiful prize I have in front of me,” he purred.
With a possessive touch, he ran his fingers down her side, from her ribs to the swell of her hip. She shivered, and he stroked her as if she were a cat.
He was looking at her body with intense desire, and she realized he was examining her. He was taking in every detail about her, from the crown of her head to the freckles on her feet, and she could sense that no part of her was lacking in his eyes.
“All right,” he said abruptly, “on your stomach.”
Selene almost balked, but she did as he said. Now she could see nothing but the blankets in front of her, and for a long, nearly agonizing moment, he made no move to touch her. Then his hands were on her, kneading at her shoulders, running smooth palms down her back, stopping to stroke her sides. His hands paused on her rear, stroking her curvy bottom. His hands moved down to her thighs and her calves, but he let go of her feet quickly when she proved ticklish on the soles.
His silent examination made her shiver with pleasure. She thought of being a real prize for him, perhaps a girl that was brought before him back in the days of his youth. She imagined being thrust from darkness into light, and seeing those intent green eyes focused on her body. The idea of truly being his lit a deep fire in her belly, and when his hands traveled back up to her hips, she groaned.
“That's my beautiful girl,” he whispered. “That's what I want. Get up on your knees.”
She scrambled to obey, but instead of being allowed to raise her head as well, his hand on the back of her neck told her that she needed to keep her shoulders close to the bed. Her position, rear high up in the air and face flat on the pillow, should have humiliated her. It exposed her most private parts to Colin's piercing gaze. Then his blunt fingers were sliding along her achingly wet slit, and she didn't care.
“Look at how gorgeous you are,” he whispered. “Look at you being so wet and open for me.”
She squirmed when he entered her with his fingers. They felt amazing pushing inside her and opening her, but they were far from enough, and when they swept forward to touch her clit, she arched her back and groaned.
“Do you want me to beg?” she whispered, and Colin responded to her with a husky chuckle.
“Not at the moment, though I might consider it in the future,” he said teasingly.
Selene whimpered when he pulled his fingers away. She could hear him reach for his trousers and the tear of the little foil packet. Then he was behind her, hands light on her hips, and hard erection pressed against her thigh. She could feel the heat of it as he pushed against her.
“Please,” she whispered, and his shaky laugh told her that he couldn't hold out anymore either.
His hands tightened fractionally on her hips, and to her surprise, he didn't slam into her. Instead he entered her with painstaking slowness.
“You're so tight,” he said softly to her unspoken question. “No matter what I want, I couldn't stand hurting you when we do this.”
“You won't,” she swore, and though she could feel him shiver a little at her promise, he maintained his iron control
even as he slid all the way into her body. When he was fully seated in her, he paused and then drew back with aching gentleness.
The feeling of his hard flesh moving inside made her groan. But she knew she would never survive unless he gave her more. She took a deep breath, and then with deliberation, she squeezed the muscles of her sex tight. Colin’s body tensed, and his grip on her hips tightened.
“Selene, I can’t…”
“Don't try to stop,” she said softly. “Give us what we both want.”
The sound he made was hoarse, guttural and desperate. He began thrusting into her faster and faster, and she could feel the points of his hips slam into her rounded rear. He was taking her, an elemental act that established her as his, and a part of her wondered if this was something that could ever be undone. If he hadn't put on the condom, they would have eternity together, and for the first time, she wondered what that might be like.
His rough thrusts forced his shaft into her body. There was nothing she could do as he pushed into her over and over again. With a muffled cry, she reached between her legs to start touching her own clit. She was wet and needy, and behind her Colin's groans were pushing her higher and higher. Nothing had ever felt this good, this intense, and she wanted all of it. There was no limit for her when they were together. Their bodies pounded out an elemental rhythm that threatened to carry her away with it.
With another man, in another situation, she might have been frightened of the savagery that they had unleashed. However, here there was no fear. There was no room for anything except the pleasure that started low in her body and then overflowed to take over every part of her. Her own fingers grew as rough as Colin's movements were, and her own crisis swept in from somewhere low and then raced up her body.
She was shouting, calling his name and begging him not to stop, and her limbs were shaking so hard she thought she would be torn apart. Selene was aware that Colin was murmuring soothing things, dirty things, telling her that she belonged with him, that she couldn't deny it. Her body was clenched so tightly around his that the aftermath of her pleasure drew out further and further.