by Calinda B
Without taking his eyes off of Stepan, Lucian twisted his hand and snapped the newbie’s neck. When he hit the floor with a loud thud, the older Maji released roaring laughter.
“Splendid,” he complimented with merriment.
“WHERE IS SHE?” Lucian roared over his laughter.
Stepan’s laughter immediately ceased. The smile vanished from his face and pure evil flashed in his hateful, blue eyes. Lucian raised his hands for an offensive strike, but the older Maji waved his hand. As if he was swatting a fly, he tossed Lucian against the hard stone. Lucian quickly recovered and thrusted his own powerful magic in retaliation. Stepan fell backward against the altar, but before he could recover, Lucian pulled the .45 he’d borrowed from Bogdan from his waistband and fired a bullet into his chest.
The older Maji’s eyes grew wide with shock as he clutched his chest and gasped for air. Clearly, when Stepan fell to his knees, he hadn’t expected a bullet to the chest. Seconds later, he collapsed on the floor of the cellar and drew his last breath. Lucian crossed the room and stood over his body. Realizing the man had already lived way past any normal lifespan, Lucian took no chances and fired another round into the Maji’s head, splattering brain matter all over the dirty floor.
“Now that was magical,” he muttered as he walked away in search of Ruby.
16
Ruby heard the distinctive sound of gunfire coming from somewhere in the house. She could do nothing but hope and pray it was Lucian killing that son of a bitch. Then suddenly, she found herself able to move. She got off the bed and raced out of the room, only to come to a stop at the top of the staircase. Lucian rushed toward her.
“Lucian, Lucian!” she cried.
“Ruby. Thank God!” he called out as he reached her and wrapped her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes I am now. Is he dead?”
“Yes, he is. It’s all over baby. It’s all over.” He placed his hands on either side of her face and fused their mouths together.
She twined her arms around his shoulders.
“I could have lost you, again. This time forever. I can’t do that. Don’t ever do that to me again. I love you, Ruby. I love you.”
Her heart thumped with joy, but he didn’t give her a chance respond. His lips were back on hers, and his tongue invaded her parted lips. She had no idea how long they stood there in their own little world, but eventually she heard a sound. Lucian raised his head and looked around.
She glanced over his shoulder and spied an older woman.
“Is he dead?” the woman asked.
“Who are you?” Lucian said instead.
“His slave.”
Ruby was shocked and she could tell Lucian was too. But perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised. “Yes, he’s dead.”
“Then I am free. Thank you.”
Before they could question the woman further, she spun around and rushed out of the house.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Lucian said to her.
Without a backwards glance, they exited the house of horrors. Ruby shivered as the cold air hit her. Lucian noticed and took off his coat.
“Stay here. The car’s not far, but I’m going to see if I can find your coat.”
“Where are we?”
“Gulcha,” Lucian replied.
“Where the hell is that?”
“Still in Kyrgyzstan.”
“Had no clue.”
“I’ll be right back,” Lucian said before going back inside.
He came back out with her jacket and she returned his to him. “Thank you.”
He placed his arm around her waist, and she rested her head on him.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. You knew I’d come for you right?”
“Yes. I knew.”
He kissed her nose.
“Can we go home now?” Ruby asked. “I need a shower and a nice Merlot.”
“You got it.”
They couldn’t immediately return home. First, they stopped to see Bogdan. She needed to find out if Bogdan could help to get proof of Stepan’s involvement in the kidnapping and death of Emma, as well as Lucian’s mother. They could find no proof of him killing her father in prison. That would have involved majicks, and an explanation of the Maji, which they wouldn’t do. However, since Stepan, or the others he worked with, had done the same thing before, Bogdan had been able to help her establish a pattern across several countries, including the US. And Lucian had helped follow the money trail they’d left. She forwarded all the information to her law firm. Todd should be released by the time they returned to the US.
Finally, they said goodbye to Bogdan and promised to visit with him longer another time. They boarded Lucian’s plane and the crew greeted her like she was an old friend. She smiled at them all, but made straight for one of the seats in the back and strapped in. It had been a grueling last couple of days.
Lucian sat next to her and held her hand. Sitting back, she closed her eyes, feeling tired from everything that had happened. But she also at peace. All of it having to do with the man seated at her side.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes, just tired.”
He played with her hand, stroking his thumb on her palm. Soon they were in the air and on their way home.
“You know, you never responded to what I said to you.”
She smiled slightly. She’d been waiting for him to bring it up. It had been twenty-four hours. She opened her eyes and stared at him. At the same time, the pilot came on and said they were free to walk about now.
“How about I respond right now,” she said, unbuckling her seat belt. She got up and headed straight for the bedroom in the rear.
At first, she heard Lucian get up to follow her, but Veronica called his name. Ruby kept going. Her carry-on bag had already been placed in the room beside the bed, and her suitcase was in the cargo hold. She would need neither right now. Quickly getting out of her clothes, she turned off all the lights in the room, and shut the blinds on the window before climbing into the bed.
As soon as she’d gotten under the duvet, the door opened. Lucian smiled at her and closed the door. She smiled back at him. Without a word, he took off his clothes and joined her.
“Damn, I should have left more light on so I could get a better view.”
“Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time for you to view my body. Right now, how about you just feel me. All over.”
“I believe I will.”
Ruby didn’t give him a chance to take charge this time. She was a woman on a mission. When he settled beside her and reached for her, she tossed the cover aside and rolled on top of him.
He threaded his fingers at the base of her hair and drew her mouth down to his. His lips were already parted, and she took full advantage. Her tongue invaded his mouth and they dueled a timeless dance. His arms went around her to hold her to him, but she wasn’t going to stay there.
Pulling away from him, she kissed his chin and then his neck. He raised his chin a bit more, pushing against the pillow. She grinned as she kept sliding across his chiseled torso, making sure her tits brushed against his chest. She paused for a minute to lick his nipples. Loving it when he inhaled sharply but she didn’t stay. Not today. She had another goal in mind.
His cock was thick, long, and hard. It called to her. She brushed her thumb over the slit feeling moisture at the tip. She rubbed it around the crown. Glancing over at him, she saw his eyes were wide open and watching her. She licked her lips, he groaned.
At first his legs were together, but she used hers to spread them apart. Then she used her body to separate his thighs even more. He shifted to make it easier for her, allowing her body to settle perfectly between his legs.
Grabbing his cock with one hand, she lowered her mouth and covered his head. Using her tongue, she licked over his slit and around his head, covering the same path her thumb had taken. She felt his ass flex beneath her. Opening her mouth wider, she lowered her
head until she took more of him into her mouth.
“Oh fuck. Yeah, baby. Take me deeper.” His hips flexed, trying to give her more of his dick.
She shifted her body to curl her legs under her so she could position herself over his cock and take him even deeper. With one hand, she held him still. With the other, she moved it from his thigh to grasp his balls. She gently squeezed as she applied more pressure, sucking on his cock. His ass rose off the bed and he groaned.
She began to move her head up and down, faster, taking a bit more of him into her mouth. She’d never be able to take all of him, but she loved what should could take. He seemed to be enjoying it as his body began to tremble against her.
“I want to come in your mouth. I want you to fuck my cock with your mouth.”
Her pussy clenched at his words, but this wasn’t about her. Without removing her mouth from his cock, she held onto his thighs and spread him. Then she placed her hand at his root, the place just behind his balls, and she squeezed. His body jerked… once… twice. She could feel the pressure as his cum raced through him. Then, warm liquid filled her mouth. He kept coming and she kept working him. Finally, he stopped. But his body continued to move. His hips kept flexing up and down, pushing his cock as it softened into her mouth. She took every drop he had to give. Whatever spilled out, she made sure to lick clean.
“God damn, baby! God damn!”
Finally, she raised her head and smiled at him. She began crawling up his body, but he was already reaching for her and took her into his arms. Before letting him kiss her, she whispered, “I love you, too.” Then her lips covered his and he rolled her over. Holding himself up by his elbows, he stared down at her. “I love you more.”
Epilogue
Ten Months Later…
* * *
Lucian stepped off the elevator, walked through the small lobby, and exited the building. Ruby was waiting out front. She was looking out into the street with her back to him, so he stopped and took a second to appreciate her beauty.
She had just left her office and she was still dressed in business attire. The tall heels raised her inches in height, and her smart gray pantsuit complimented her womanly curves. She had release her thick auburn/ blonde hair from the neat bun she’d pinned it in earlier that morning, allowing her thick tresses to glow under the rays of the setting sun. As he stood, watching her like some kind of weirdo, Lucian realized that he had to have been the luckiest man alive.
“Hey, Beauty,” he called out from where he stood.
At the sound of his voice, Ruby turned around. She smiled. Her luscious, inviting lips framed perfect white teeth. Her smile disarmed him, and every time she did it, his heart warmed.
“Hey,” she sighed, hurrying into his arms.
She linked her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. Lucian placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer. He lowered his mouth to hers. She raised her mouth to his. And they shared a kissed that nearly made his knees buckle.
There they were, standing in the middle off a busy New York sidewalk, loving each other as if no one else existed.
Ruby eased her lips from his, breaking the kiss. Lord knows that Lucian couldn’t have. He felt disappointment at the severing of their connection, but he guessed they couldn’t stand out there and kiss all night. However, before he allowed her to step out of his arms, he snatched one last peck. Smiling down at her, he asked, “How was work?”
She shrugged. “Another day, another dollar.”
Her attempt to blow off what she did for a living was not convincing. Lucian knew all too well how much she loved her job. Since the horrible miscarriage of justice bestowed upon her father, she had taken up the cause of freeing the innocent. Her work was important to her. It was important to the country. And Lucian was as proud of her as any man could be of his woman.
She’d set out with a goal to clear her father’s name, set her innocent client free, and get to the bottom of the murders of innocent people. She’d accomplished that goal. Only, in the process, she’d not only helped set Todd Croaker free, but she’d freed Lucian as well.
“How was yoga?” she asked with a grin.
“Yoga was just fine, thank you,” he chuckled.
Word had gotten out all over the world among the Maji that Stepan, the murderer who had sent the remaining Maji into hiding was dead. Finally able to live free from the threat of death, some came from around the world to train with the Beckers. In his free time, Lucian helped to teach the few remaining Maji how to control and enhance their powers.
He draped his arms over Ruby’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
“Let’s go home,” he told her.
She nodded as she snaked her arm around his waist. Together, they walked, in comfortable silence, toward the penthouse they now shared. Lucian stuck his free hand into his pocket and toyed with the four-carat diamond that he intended to place on her finger after the romantic dinner he’d planned.
He’d set his own goals. The first, and the most important would be making Ruby Crane, Ruby Reid.
The End
About The Authors
About Phoenix Daniels
I am a novelist who enjoys fictional stories about love, romance, crime, with a whole lot of sex. I started writing as a tribute to my late daughter, Jasmine. Her untimely death interrupted the process of her writing her first novel and I wanted to fix that. I have lived an eventful life, and I have also suffered the greatest of losses. I write to get through it. As an eighteen-year veteran of one of the largest police departments in US, I have seen and done a great deal in law enforcement. I often infuse some of my experiences into my writing. My men will always be “alpha males”, and my women will always be strong, kick-ass, heroines.
www.phoenixdaiels.com
https://www.facebook.com/AskphoenixD/?ref=bookmarks
About LaVerne Thompson
LaVerne Thompson is a USA Today Bestselling, award winning, multi-published author, an avid reader and a writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi sensual romances. She loves creating worlds within and without our world. She also writes romantic suspense and new adult romance under the pen name Ursula Sinclair.
* * *
She is a certified chocoholic and is currently working on several projects. Some might even involve chocolate. But writing helps maintain her sanity.
* * *
Sign up for her newsletter for sneak peeks and advance info on new releases as well as a few freebies to subscribers. http://bit.ly/1hA7C9W
* * *
http://lavernethompson.com
http://facebook.com/groups/lavernesnews https://www.facebook.com/ursulasinclairauthor
http://twitter.com/lavernethompson
http://instagram.com/ursulasinclair
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ursula-sinclair
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/laverne-thompson
Losing Control
Reana Malori
1
Melanie tried to ignore the loud voices floating across the warn night air. But something held her in place. The more she listened to the woman’s pleas, the longer she stayed. Even if she'd found the strength to ignore the words, the desperate tone of the woman's voice would have captured her attention.
"I thought this was going to be our night to start over, Simon."
When HIS voice reached her ears, she cringed and took a step back and closed her eyes. Oh no. Not him. She'd know that voice anywhere, because she'd heard it for as long as her memory would allow. Her mother would tell her eavesdropping on a private moment wasn't very ladylike, but now that she knew he was involved, there was no way in hell she was walking away. He spoke again, and she held her breath to catch every word.
"Go away, Charlotte. I've told you repeatedly, I'm not interested."
Wincing at the dry, clipped tone, she almost felt sorry for the woman hearing those words. Thank God his words weren't directed at her. At least not this time.
; Simon Wendell Quinn, her childhood crush and bona fide first love. That he was breaking another woman's heart in the middle of a garden at a party in his honor did not go unnoticed by Melanie. It was par for the course with him. Nothing he did surprised her anymore.
It took everything she had to not peak around the corner to see who he was speaking to. Curiosity had always been her downfall. Well, that and her mile-wide stubborn streak. There had been so many scrapes and close calls in her childhood, her parents had taken to having Simon watch over her.
Walk away from this, Melanie. It's not your business. Then again, what if the woman decided to do something drastic and stalk Simon after he broke her heart. Melanie might be the only witness to know the identity of the woman who wanted Simon to suffer. See, that was enough of a reason for her to find out who the woman was. It was no longer about her being nosey. Now it was about Simon's safety. Yup, now that she thought about it, she had no choice but to stay and look.
Gathering up her long evening gown in her hands, she tiptoed closer to the voices and tilted her head in the direction the sound came from. A woman's voice, high-pitched and nasally, was the next sound she heard.
"Simon, why do you always do this to me. We never go out in public. You haven't even introduced me to your parents," the woman whined.
Good lord, could she sound any more desperate? Rolling her eyes, Melanie was tempted to turn around and walk away. Ignore her need to know everything and leave them to their own devices. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the silence, waiting to see what he'd say in return. To be honest, it was like a damn train wreck. There was no way in hell she was walking away from this juicy conversation just yet.