Second Alliance

by Kelly Goode

  ‘I believed in you, Ember Lane. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.’

  His declaration caused my body temperature to spike and the beer in the bottle started to boil causing little bubbles to erupt from the top. Carter’s gaze fell briefly on my lips, before he released his claim on the bottle.

  Carter was a hard man to decode, and my thoughts drifted to Harvey. At least with him, you knew what you were getting upfront. If Harvey wanted sex, he told you he wanted sex. Carter kept his guard up all the time. The only occasion he’d thrown caution to the wind was when he’d been drunk.

  ‘Stop looking at me like that,’ Carter said, snapping me from my thoughts. His voice was gruff and seemed to bounce around the vast, empty room.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like you want something from me.’

  I put the warm beer bottle on the floor, and slid across the bench towards him. I felt his muscles constrict beneath the soft cotton of his trousers, as I boldly laid my hand on his thigh.

  ‘And what could I possibly want from you, Agent Liam Carter?’ I teased.

  ‘Something you know I can’t give you.’

  ‘Because I’m not human? Because you don’t want me?’

  Carter seemed surprised by my question, but my bruised ego needed reassurance. I’d hated the way he’d looked at me at that stupid “human-only” restaurant with a mix of pity and anger. I wanted to connect with him on a primal level, to show him I was as normal as any other woman was. Not some freak or supernatural creature.

  Carter reached out and slid his hand gently through my hair until his large palm settled around the back of my neck. His light-blue eyes focused on mine, as if searching for an answer within them.

  ‘Don’t test me,’ he said, his voice dropping to an almost-growl, ‘and you have no idea what I want.’

  His grip on my neck intensified, as if he was battling to remain in control.

  ‘Maybe you should just take what you want,’ I whispered. ‘It’s not like you’re chief of this unit anymore.’

  I held my breath, wondering if the challenge would work twice.

  It did.

  Carter tugged me closer and my body tingled in anticipation until his lips touched mine. He started with soft sweeps at first but when I responded, they turned into longer, harder kisses. I groaned when he slid his tongue inside my mouth and swept it across mine. His grip tightened in my hair, forcing my head back so he could deepen the kiss.

  My arms circled his neck. Carter lifted me up and set me astride his lap, never once releasing his claim on my mouth. His kisses felt desperate, as if he’d already decided that once we broke away then that would be the end of it.

  My thighs settled on the outside of his, putting his erection in the exact place it belonged. I rotated my hips, grinding myself into his hardness and causing a flood of warmth between my legs. The movement earned a throaty groan from Carter and he reluctantly pulled away from me. We were both breathing heavily, and I readied myself for the imminent rejection.

  ‘Stay with me tonight, Ember,’ Carter said. ‘Please.’

  52

  Carter’s hands slid across Ember’s arse, pulling her further into his lap and harder against his straining cock. He had no idea what he was doing. He hadn’t planned to let it go this far, but after staring into her green eyes, heavy-lidded with lust; he knew there was no way he was letting her go tonight. She’d been right earlier, he’d already broken the rules by sneaking out of the unit, so what was one more reprimand added to the list? At least this one would be worth it.

  Ember worked her bottom lip through her teeth as she considered his proposal. He was sure she hadn’t intended the action to be sexy, but it was driving his cock crazy. Carter captured her lip and sucked it into his mouth, biting down on the soft flesh.

  ‘Stay with me?’ he repeated.

  ‘Ok.’

  That was all he needed to hear. He lifted Ember from his lap and set her down on her feet. She pushed her long, red hair over one shoulder and studied him, as if unsure whether he’d suddenly change his mind.

  She didn’t need to worry, as even a full-blown invasion wouldn’t stop him from dragging her to his room.

  Carter stood up and captured her small hand in his. Bringing her knuckles to his mouth, he kissed them tenderly, already envisaging what the inside of her thighs would taste like.

  Armed with a raging erection that he couldn’t hide, Carter led Ember down the hall, praying he didn’t bump into anyone else. Fortunately, the place was deserted. A pang of guilt hit him as he thought about the others out on assignment, but surprisingly it didn’t last long enough for him to consider not taking Ember upstairs to his room.

  ‘For fuck’s sake,’ he cursed, when for the second time the scanner beside his door wouldn’t accept his handprint.

  It was probably because his palms were sweaty, so he rubbed his hands against his trousers, and held it against the scanner again. Ember giggled, but she covered her mouth when he turned to her with a thunderous look on his face.

  ‘Are you laughing at me?’

  ‘No,’ she said, but then changed her mind. ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m going to make you pay for that,’ he replied, lowering his voice and enjoying the way her eyes widened in anticipation.

  This time the door beeped and allowed them entry. He yanked Ember inside his room then backed her up against the wall. Using his body to keep her in place, he kissed her mouth, her neck, and her collarbone. Anywhere he could see skin exposed; he nipped and sucked with his teeth, until her hips were bucking against his in a rhythm he wanted to replicate when they were naked.

  Ember scraped her fingernails through his short hair and he groaned. Their tongues tangled together as his hands explored the curves of her waist, her hips, and down between her legs.

  He only broke away so he could pull Ember’s T-shirt over her head. She gave no resistance, and as soon as she was free of the garment, she pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders. He eagerly shrugged his arms out of the sleeves and then removed his tie.

  Buttons were unfastened; zips were undone until piece-by-piece, their clothing ended up on the floor. Carter trailed kisses across Ember’s breasts as he unhooked her bra.

  ‘You’re so beautiful,’ he murmured against her skin.

  She responded by releasing a flare of heat, which smarted against his mouth.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to do that. I told you before that it happens when I get nervous or excited.’

  ‘And I told you I’d invest in a flame-proof uniform. Don’t worry about it.’

  Carter scooped Ember into his arms and carried her to his bed. He laid her down and gently eased her knickers down her legs. His palms skimmed over her thighs and calves, earning a low moan from her. He thought she might shy-away from his hungry gaze, but she dropped her knees apart, opening herself to him completely.

  Carter’s mouth went dry and his cock twitched in response.

  53

  Carter stood at the foot of the bed in only a pair of tight white boxer shorts, looking every inch like an underwear model. Well apart from the massive erection that pressed against the thin cotton. His chest, abdomen, and thighs were solid muscle, and I longed to run my tongue over every bump and crevice.

  His hungry gaze roamed over my naked body, settling on the small strip of hair between my legs. I brazenly opened my legs wider, and he made a strange noise in the back of his throat as his eyes clouded over.

  Before I could tease him about it, he fell to his knees and grabbed my ankles. I shrieked in surprise as he pulled me further down the bed, until my bottom was on the edge and my thighs were resting on his shoulders. He didn’t give me time to recover, and I felt his hot breath against my sex before his tongue flicked out and parted me.

  I moaned and groaned, as Carter kissed and sucked, until I was bucking against his face. His fingers pressed harder into my hips as he tried to hold me still, his tongue delving into m
e repeatedly. He didn’t let up until I shattered around him, calling his name as I climaxed.

  ‘I’m glad to hear you don’t only call me by my first name when you’re pissed off with me,’ Carter said, kissing the inside of my thigh as I caught my breath.

  I felt boneless, the intensity of my orgasm causing my heart to thump rapidly against my chest.

  ‘Mmmmmm,’ was the only reply I could give, which caused him to laugh.

  ‘Although I did hear “Oh, God” mingle in with “Oh, Liam”. That’s high praise.’

  ‘Mmmmmm,’ I repeated, too content to feel embarrassed about my lack of original sexual phrases.

  Carter eased my thighs from his shoulders, and I managed to haul myself up to the top of the bed with as much grace as I could muster. I breathed steadily through my nose, feeling my heart rate slowly settle back to its regular pace.

  Carter got to his feet and wiped his mouth. The tent in his boxer shorts looked even bigger than before, meaning it was my turn to reciprocate the pleasure.

  ‘Come here,’ I said, curling my finger and beckoning him closer.

  Carter obeyed and when he drew level with the bed, I got up onto my knees. I eased his boxer shorts down, and carefully took his cock into my hand. He was hot, heavy, and unbelievably hard. As I stroked him, I watched his jaw clench and unclench.

  ‘Ember, you drive me fucking insane,’ he groaned.

  ‘I hope you meant that as a compliment,’ I replied.

  ‘Hell, yeah.’

  As I moved my head closer to his cock, his large hands tangled in my hair. I’d intended to take him inside my mouth, but at the last second, he yanked at my hair, forcing my head back.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, seeing the look of alarm on his face. ‘Don’t you want me to do that?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘No? I thought men liked-’

  ‘It’s not that,’ he cut in. 'It just reminds me…of…’

  Carter’s voice trailed off and I realised who he was referring to - Sasha.

  ‘Oh, I see,’ I said coolly.

  Sasha had been a succubus, and another supernatural recruit like me. She’d invaded Carter’s dreams for sex, while relieving him of a little bit of his soul. I hadn’t taken the dream-sex thing seriously, but it seemed whatever she’d done had really affected him, and for one horrible moment, I was glad she was dead.

  ‘No, you don’t see,’ Carter said, tugging at my hair again.

  The action was hard enough to put tension on my hair follicles but also made my nipples harden in anticipation.

  ‘I was dreaming about you before she came to me,’ he continued gruffly. ‘I wanted it to be you, not her. But now you’re finally here, I can’t get her out of my head.’

  54

  I wanted to kiss away the anxiety etched onto Carter’s face, and decided that in this case, actions would speak louder than words. I tested how far forward I could move while his hands were still in my hair. It wasn’t quite far enough to reach him, so I jerked my head, ignoring the pain until my mouth finally settled around him.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked, tugging at my hair and pulling his hips away.

  ‘Showing you the difference between a dream and reality.’

  I took him as deep inside my mouth as I could and slid my tongue around his smooth shaft. I used my hand too, as I bobbed my head faster and faster. Carter’s resistance eventually faded and his hold on my hair loosened as he began to move his hips, pushing himself deeper into my mouth.

  ‘Ah, fuck, fuck, Ember.’

  He guided my head in a rhythm that soon had him muttering “Oh, God” a few times of his own until he pulled away.

  ‘Wait, stop, I want to finish this properly.’

  Carter reached down to his bedside table. After rummaging through the drawer, he found a condom and covered himself while I repositioned myself in the middle of the bed. Carter settled himself between my open thighs, and kissed me hard on the lips. The feel of his thick shaft sliding in and out, soon had me wrapping my legs around him, begging him to go harder and deeper.

  ‘Ah, yes, Liam, God, more, there, yes.’

  He bucked his hips, and I lifted mine to meet the force of each thrust. I drew my fingernails up and down his spine, and he bit down on my shoulder causing me to cry out. This wasn’t going to be sweet or tender. Carter didn’t strike me as that type anyway. This was going to be hard, demanding sex.

  Carter forced my arms up above my head, capturing both my wrists with one of his large hands, taking away my ability to touch him. He lowered his head to my breasts, teasing and sucking my nipples as he continued to pound into me.

  My legs began to tighten as I felt a flood of heat erupt at my very core, signalling I was going to climax. Carter grunted something indecipherable, before pulling out of me, flipping me over onto my stomach, and then dragging me up onto all fours.

  His thighs hit against the back of mine as his cock plunged in and out again, his grip on my hips helping secure me in place. I felt his hard chest press against my back as he leaned over me. He kissed across the top of my spine then latched onto the side of my neck.

  My stomach tightened as Carter’s thrusts grew more dominant. He rammed his pelvis against my arse, as if desperately searching for his own release. The rough treatment brought me closer to a climax, and when he slid his hand down my stomach and between my legs, I felt myself tighten around his fingers.

  Carter grunted his approval and with one final thrust, pushed us both over the edge.

  Part Four - Allegiance

  55

  ‘You took your time, Agent Carter.’

  Carter wiped the grittiness of sleep from his eyes and squinted against the harsh fluorescent lightening of the laboratory. Typically, the early morning phone call from Agent Myles had wrenched him from the deepest sleep he’d had all week.

  ‘I didn’t realise everyone was already here,’ Carter replied, silently cursing Agent Myles for making him look foolish in front of the team.

  The imposing forms of Harvey, JC, Ghent, and Perry took up most of the laboratory, but amidst the stainless steel work surfaces and trays of gleaming scalpels, he found Ember looking composed and beautiful, dressed in blue jeans and a black jumper. Having her warm body wrapped around his last night had contributed to his peaceful slumber, and he’d been disappointed to find her already gone when he’d woken.

  Carter didn’t return the tentative smile Ember gave him, because he knew that if he did, he’d be grinning like an idiot for the rest of the day, and he didn’t want to rouse anyone’s suspicion, especially not Agent Myles.

  Ember’s green eyes narrowed at his blatant snub, but he didn’t dare react. He concentrated on Doctor Porter instead, who looked as if she hadn’t slept much last night either, but for an entirely different reason to him. Her white lab coat was covered in coffee stains and her hair was coming lose from the knot on top of her head.

  Carter looked across to where John Alvis stood beside the door with his arms folded across his chest. His full attention was also on Doctor Porter, and Carter concluded that his vampire-friend had a thing for the pretty human.

  Whether Alvis knew that yet, was a different matter entirely.

  ‘This had better be good,’ Carter said, trying to relieve the tension in the room. ‘I broke off a very important meeting with a bacon sandwich.’

  Doctor Porter’s face pulled into a deeper frown.

  ‘I would have thought that you, of all people, would take the progress of this case and near apprehension of our suspect more seriously,’ she said.

  ‘Say that again?’

  ‘We almost had him,’ Harvey answered instead of Doctor Porter, which caused a sudden outbreak of grumbling to circle the room.

  ‘Almost?’

  ‘He got away,’ Harvey replied, and Carter could tell the demon was furious about that. He wondered which of the four recruits’ fault it had been as there was a tense atmosphere between the men. Ghent kept
looking down at the floor, JC wore an unusual offsetting smile, and Perry openly stared at Ember with palpable scorn.

  ‘Why the fuck didn’t someone think to tell me about this last night?’

  ‘You switched your phone off,’ Agent Myles said, and Carter found his gaze drawn back to Ember. He hadn’t switched it off. He’d just forgotten to plug it in.

  Fuck!

  ‘The battery died.’

  ‘That’s what a fucking charger is for,’ Myles snapped. ‘You need to be contactable at all times.’

  Ember’s face paled and she looked as sick as Carter felt, as the realisation of why he hadn’t charged his phone hit home. He’d been distracted.

  Carter caught Harvey staring at him with a quizzical look on his face and so he childishly stared back until he conceded and looked away.

  ‘Putting aside Carter’s failure to use modern technology correctly,’ Myles continued, ‘even though we lost the demon last night, the mission wasn’t a complete failure. At least we know what we’re hunting now.’

  ‘What does it look like?’ Carter asked. ‘Did you identify any weaknesses?’

  Harvey opened his mouth, but Myles shut him down with a wave of his hand.

  ‘You can read the full report after Doctor Porter shares her latest finding. It adds another angle to our case.’

  The doctor stepped forward and after a reassuring nod from Alvis, she addressed the team.

  ‘I was up all night researching fibre content. We’ve been assuming that the demon dressed all the victims, but the first two girls - Mary and Katrina – the wedding dresses they wore were made from an undetermined material, and by that, I mean it’s not man-made. There’s nothing similar to these fibres in any database for composite samples that I was able to test against.’