She gasped as he tugged the cloth aside and thrummed his tongue over her. The blossoming heat became an inferno that she wasn’t sure would ever be contained again.
“Sean,” she whimpered, needing something, but unsure exactly what. Her grip on his shoulders tightened, as she tried to stay standing on wobbly legs.
He met her gaze, read something on her face. Grabbing her hands, he tugged her down to her knees once more. Sean cupped her face, letting his palm linger on her cheek.
His breath caressed her lips as he stared into her eyes. “Are you certain you want to do this? Everything you would be giving up—”
She cut him off. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,” she whispered, kissing him with the fervent urgency building inside her.
He groaned, closing his eyes and kissing her back with the same passion boiling inside her.
With a flick of his wrist, her panties tore, leaving her completely naked. The chilled air hit her heated flesh, sending goosebumps over her skin.
He cupped her mound, his fingers doing wondrous things as they moved over her slickness. When he eased one long finger inside, her entire body quivered with exquisite pleasure.
Her heartbeat doubled, tripled. Her breath came on shallow gasps.
He eased his finger out, slowly slid it back inside. His thumb flicked over her sensitive nub. When he crooked his finger and rubbed in small circles deep inside, pleasure exploded.
Her cry of release escaped as the orgasm tore through her like a storm.
Sean laid her down on the sleeping bags, hurriedly undressing. She watched him, her eyelids heavy.
As he bared his thick hardness, her eyes widened. Long, velvety smooth, the tip was engorged, wet from his desire.
She reached to touch him, then drew her hand back, once more in the strange shy place where she didn’t know quite what to do.
In all the copulations she’d seen, the women basically laid still, forced to take, never participating. She knew this wasn’t like those despicable acts. But she wasn’t sure what Sean wanted from her.
He knelt beside her with a smile. As if, yet again, he could read her mind, he said, “Do whatever you wish, darling. There are no rules.”
She reached out once more, trailing a finger over the tip and along his hardness. His skin was as smooth as it looked, throbbing beneath her touch.
Chapter Sixteen
He trailed his hands over her breasts, her belly. Easing her thighs apart, he bent closer, licking the sweetness between her thighs. She shivered beneath his touch, her hands fisting in his hair and urging him not to stop.
He never wanted to stop, but he needed to fill her, to connect with her on the final level.
Rising up, he kissed her belly, then moved over her breasts. He paused to take each nipple into his mouth, sucking deeply.
Her back arched and a moan rumbled up her throat. His little hell cat sounded like a purring kitten.
When he captured her mouth, her nails scraped along his back, sending shockwaves of pleasure straight to his groin. She might be purring, but she hadn’t sheathed her claws.
He ached for the final act of joining, but it had to be completely right for her. She tilted her hips, and he eased inside her wet heat. She was tight, as he’d known she would be. He’d never bedded a virgin before, but he’d heard stories. And he never wanted to cause Mayah pain. Not even for this.
He leaned up, catching her gaze. Opened his mouth to say something, not sure what.
As if reading hesitation in his eyes, Mayah lifted her knees, planted her feet on the ground, then shoved her hips forward. He plunged into her, hating her small squeak of pain.
“What the—”
“It was going to hurt no matter what. Now it is done. Take me back to the place where it feels exquisite.” She smiled, though a fine sheen sparkled in her eyes.
His brave woman. He stayed still, letting her body adjust to him. When she wiggled her hips, he knew the pain had lessened. Slowly, he drew out, then eased back into her tightness.
She moaned, digging her nails into his ass and reaching up to place small kisses over his lips. “This feels so right,” she whispered.
He couldn’t have agreed more as he moved deeper, feeling her quivering around him.
* * *
Mayah had never felt such pleasure. They were connected on a level that, while frightening, made her feel whole at the same time.
With each mewl that escaped her, Sean’s confidence seemed to grow. The silly man, afraid of hurting her. She could see it plain on his face.
She raised her hips, meeting his next thrust, drawing him deep, deeper.
He groaned, moving faster like she wanted him to.
This feeling of completeness filled her with such warmth, with belonging. Trailing her nails over his ass, up his back, she continued to meet his thrusts until her mind clouded with pleasure. Another orgasm built, tossing her back into the storm.
He continued to drive into her.
Nearly mindless from the pleasure, she wrapped her legs around his hips. It allowed him to reach deeper still. As if reaching for her very soul.
She wanted it. Wanted him. Wanted all.
The storm built, lashing her with heat, until she screamed her release. Her body tightened, spasming around his hardness.
It made the orgasm much more intense as it continued to rage inside her.
Sean came with a bellow, spilling his hot seed.
She welcomed it.
As his body shuddered beneath her touch, he slowed. Long moments passed in a haze of pleasure.
He kissed her softly, then laid beside her, wrapping her tight in his arms. “Now I know what heaven is like,” he stated.
“Mmm.” She agreed. “As do I.”
Pressed against him, safe in his embrace, she drifted into a healing sleep.
* * *
Darkness reigned in her dreams.
Light flashed, blindingly.
Mayah cowered in a fog-drenched forest, surrounded by the screams of the dying. She blinked as some strange light pushed back the dark shadows.
The light narrowed, outlining a figure standing in front of her. Warmth washed over Mayah, full of love.
Daughter, the wind whispered.
Tears sprung to her eyes as she recognized the voice, though she’d never heard it after her birth.
How could that be?
The light disappeared and Mayah once more faced the cliff, fighting Brüs and his men.
Her brother and her lover were both covered in bright crimson blood. They moved slowly, their strength waning.
Faltering.
Above her, Brüs loomed. His boot slammed into her ribs. Pain exploded.
Her heartbeat fluttered, weakening as the two men most important to her fell beneath swords, claws and teeth.
Brüs laughed, his voice booming, shaking the very ground she lay on.
Mayah gasped a breath of cold air as the world around her, full of triumphant demons screaming their success, grew dim.
Darkness reigned.
Mayah woke with another gasping breath. Pain lingered in her chest, her ribs, but it was only a remnant of memory that soon faded.
Sean stared at her, his eyes full of concern, a scowl twisting his mouth. “What is it?”
She shook her head, tugging the blanket up to cover her nakedness, as the dark reality of the vision remained like a storm cloud in her soul.
He tucked his hand beneath her chin, lifting her face until she met his gaze. “Tell me,” he whispered.
“It’s nothing. Just another vision…” She trailed off, then it struck her. Her eyes widened. “A vision. I still have my powers.” She smiled, and saw a matching grin on his face.
“All that worry for nothing, then?”
“I guess.” She nibbled her lip, wondering if her magic would still end up slipping away.
Did it matter, in the long run?
She’d seen her death multiple
times. She could no longer pretend to deny the vision.
Whether making love with Sean had done something to her magic—or not, as the case seemed to be… so far—it didn’t really matter when she would soon be dead.
With that thought running through her mind, she dropped the blanket. Sean’s eyes lit as he stared at her.
Crawling into the haven of his warm embrace, she tilted her head back and kissed his jaw. “Love me again. I feel so…” She swallowed, whispered, “cold.”
He kissed her sweetly, lingering over her lips. “I’ll warm you. Always.”
She lost herself to this newly found pleasure, letting Sean sweep away the cloud on her soul. But even with his touch, with the love shining from his eyes, the sense of damnation only receded a small way.
* * *
The next morning, though the storm still raged, they packed up. Sean wanted nothing more than to stay here forever. Continue to explore Mayah. To love her. To keep her safe.
But their time limit was running out. The pendulum hanging over her brother’s head would soon drop.
Since her vision—which she still refused to talk to him about—something had darkened her eyes. It was as if she’d seen something coming that she was terrified of. He’d tried getting her to open up through the night, but she refused, telling him yet again that her visions of the future weren’t certain.
But this time, there was a waver of doubt in her voice, as if she no longer believed.
After a hearty breakfast, they loaded up and continued along the narrow winding trail leading up the mountain. Rain still fell, but at least the horrendous winds of the night before had slowed.
They passed the cliff face, and the drop off on the other side leading to the deep gorge where they’d thrown the bodies of the creatures who’d attacked them.
Who’d nearly killed Mayah.
His, whispered his soul.
His to keep safe. And yet, he’d almost failed against the lesser demons.
The worry raced around and around his mind.
As they hiked, Sean realized there might only be one way to keep her safe during their confrontation with Brüs.
“A few days ago, you mentioned something about trying to combine my demon and earth magics,” he said softly.
She stopped walking, turned to glance at him quizzically. Rain drenched her braids, her face shone from the wetness.
“Show me,” he finally stated.
“Are you sure?” She drew her lower lip between her teeth. “Like I said, it’s dangerous. If you’re not able to control it, such power could send you over the edge. You’d become crazed with the bloodlust most half-breeds fall into.”
He nodded sharply. His life or hers? He would always choose to save her first.
If something happened to her, it would damage him just the same. He at least had to try whatever he could.
She drew closer, raising her hand to his cheek. Faltering, she began to pull back.
Sean grasped her hand and brought it to his face, kissed her palm.
“I worry,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s not worth it. You could lose your soul to this thing.”
He rubbed his cheek over her soft hand. “We’re about to go up against a monster engorged with evil. One who’s undefeated. If this helps us win, then it’s worth it.”
Her eyes shone with fear, lips twisted in a grimace. Something he couldn’t define flashed through her gaze and she glanced back the way they’d come, over the forest valley to the horizon in the far distance.
“Maybe…” She stopped, stared at him once more. “Maybe you should go back. This is my brother, my fight.”
He grabbed her, holding her tight, biting his tongue at the flash of anger rushing through him. “You are mine. Therefore this is my fight as well.” Pulling back, he stared into her eyes. “Don’t ever forget that.”
She smiled, though it was wobbly. “Am I yours?”
“Always.”
She buried her face against his chest and he felt her breath hitch as if she was on the verge of tears. “Then we’ll do this together.” Some strange tone in her voice let him know she still hid things, but at the moment, he didn’t care.
All he needed was to figure out a way to beat this Abatu demon and get Mayah to safety. Later, he would have the time to understand the rest.
As they continued their hike, she told him about the myths and legends of the few half-breeds who had supposedly been able to combine their magic. She didn’t remind him, yet again, that in every tale, those who tried such a thing eventually wound up crazed.
The storm raged around them, the wind picking up speed. They climbed higher, the rain turning to sleet, then a heavy, blinding snow.
“You’ve been able to tap into your demon side,” she said, “But from what I know of the stories, combining your magics completely is different. You have to release control, let them do their own thing.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Magic is part of the person. It’s not like it has its own consciousness.”
“You sure?” she asked, flashing him a grin.
Compared to her knowledge of magic, he was a babe in the woods. No, he wasn’t sure. But it was a hard concept to try to wrap his mind around.
When he used magic, he directed it where he wanted it to go, what he wanted it to do.
When he’d healed Mayah, his magic had begun to combine. It had done what he wanted, true, but he hadn’t been in full control. According to her, it hadn’t been a true melding. And as soon as she was better, he’d locked his demon side up tight once again.
The power he’d felt when healing her had been controlling him, not the other way around.
And it scared the living hells out of him.
If it happened again…
If he let loose of that control, there was no telling what would happen. For all he knew, it would explode, taking everyone down, including her.
“And then what?” he asked, not voicing his fears.
“And then no one knows.” She continued to climb, matching his pace. “The books never said anything about what came next, unless it was bloodlust.”
“Comforting,” he stated.
She glanced at him. “That’s why the risk isn’t worth it.”
But as he watched her, determination filled him. For her, he was willing to take any risk needed.
That night, the storm picked up again, sending snow so thick it was hard to move forward.
“At least there’s no more rain mixed in,” Mayah said with a sigh.
Silently, he agreed. They continued on a few more miles before he called a halt. Walking was becoming nearly impossible. There was no point trying to fight through it without some rest.
Mayah agreed, though she clearly wasn’t happy about stopping when they were so close.
After pitching the tent and securing it to a couple stunted trees, he crawled inside. Mayah glanced at him, her cheeks tinged pink with a blush.
On the floor lay their sleeping bags, but this time, they’d been combined into one. A slow smile spread over his face. He started dinner, then drew her into his arms. They ate cuddled together, before slipping beneath the warm blankets, holding each other.
She trembled against him, worrying over her brother, the future.
“It will all be over soon,” he said, trying to comfort her.
Wordlessly, she turned in his embrace, pressing closer as she kissed him, letting him know now wasn’t the time for talking.
He let her take the lead, happily following.
Chapter Seventeen
The next afternoon, they crouched at the last line of trees crowning the flat, rocky mountain top. The huge fortress loomed a few miles away.
The sky above them was dark with the storm, though at the moment it wasn’t snowing. But as if some invisible, magical barrier resided in the sky, the clouds spread into a wide open circle, not daring to encroach above the castle.
Sean clasped Mayah’s hand as they studied the terrai
n. It had been cleared of trees, recently by the look of the dark angry gashes in the earth. Not even a boulder remained for them to hide behind.
The fortress was a hive of activity. Guards circled everywhere. Unlike the castle she’d been prisoner in, this place had an air of high alert. Brüs and his men were ready for an attack.
Shadows lingered in Mayah’s eyes, and Sean felt weariness down to his bones. They hadn’t recovered from the last fight, or the energy used to heal. Brüs was ready for them, but were they ready to face him?
Sean knew there was no chance of slipping in, rescuing Mayah’s brother and getting out without being caught.
Not this time.
“We’ll wait until it’s dark. That will be our best chance to get across without being seen,” he said.
Mayah nodded, though she continued to gaze longingly at the fortress. Her brother was so near, and yet, still far. Many obstacles remained for them to get past.
She had to be feeling the pull, needing to get to Cyrus and make sure he was safe. Alive.
Just as Sean felt the pull to tie her up and take her home, where she’d be safe, then come back by himself. But he knew very well that doing such a thing would be, to her, unforgivable.
Damned either way, he supposed.
His heart pounded as he thought about the most recent attack. This time, they’d be facing the undefeated Abatu demon. Sean didn’t have a clue how he was going to get them out of this one.
An hour passed, the sky darkening.
After another hour, the landscape grew into a long, stretching shadow, full of grays and blacks.
Sean led Mayah to the edge of the forest once more. About a hundred yards from the fortress, bonfires had been lit, creating an unbroken ring of light.
Mayah watched the hive of activity. “We might be able to get to the fires, but never past them without being seen.”
He shrugged. “We have nearly two miles to cover before worrying about that.”
She nodded and took a step out into the open.
Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 Page 12