by Lexi Ostrow
“I had hoped, even prayed, some part of the man I called brother lingered. I’ve promised to kill you, time and time again. But I was never able too. Now I have it within my grasp, I found it hard to use.” His eyes flashed bright silver. “That is no longer the case. You’re done. You’ve grown sloppy and disobeyed the rules. The prophecy is no longer yours to guide.”
“Amusing. Wrong, but entertaining nonetheless.” Curling his hand, he threw dark fire, relishing in the smallest victory as it connected with his brother’s gut.
His brother dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. His head hung low, and for the first time, he thought he’d found a way to kill his brother. Walking closer, he heard his brother’s whimpered breaths.
“I had no idea the dark fire from the witches would be so powerful.” Astonishment mingled with joy. “Your side had better find more magic users, or it won’t matter if I stop breaking the rules. You won’t win.”
When his brother looked up, there was a strange look in his eyes—sadness, uncertainty, pain. “I can promise you, your side will not win. Nor will they have any further advantages.” He closed his eyes for a split second, and when they opened, all that lurked within them was determination. “To the brother who was once in there, forgive me.”
He saw nothing, just screamed as he felt a sharp stabbing pain between his ribs. Fire seemed to spread from the site of the injury. He screamed as molten lava seemed to trace a course through his body. He scarcely felt himself slam onto the rug. His body convulsed as the substance running through his veins grew hotter. Words were being spoken by someone, but he couldn’t process who. Another scream tore from his throat as someone or something lifted him up. Agony was too kind a word for the searing spasms of heat and pain overriding everything.
While he couldn’t be certain, he swore he heard someone say a thank you before everything went dark.
19
Sean felt as if he were going to go mad. Putting his hand on the passenger headrest, he pulled out of the driveway of A Home for Spot. It was the thirteenth rescue organization he’d checked in Clark County. He’d spent every moment of his time off for the past three and half weeks trying to track her down. She’d quit her job at the shelter, and he’d practically stalked her house, waiting for her to come or go — but she didn’t.
Nothing had gone right that morning in his kitchen. His emotions had been on edge from what he’d overheard, and he’d reacted without thinking. Something that could get him killed on a mission and therefore something he didn’t typically do. It had all happened so quickly. One minute, he’d been furious there was someone in his house. The next, he’d been afraid for Marie, then pissed at her delayed response and then he had been getting his ass kicked. Even as the man in the trench coat had been practically giving them the good news, all he had been able to think about was that Marie was interested in ending it all. That option was as good as suicide, considering a life in a book meant a life doing nothing but fulfilling your story over and over again as it was read.
So he’d opened his mouth and inserted his foot. He’d expected them to fight. Fuck, he’d even expected her little hailstorm. He hadn’t been prepared for her to run away or for her to trigger an ice storm big enough to knock him out as she’d left. Once he’d woken up, courtesy of a neighbor thinking he’d passed out drunk on his driveway, he’d immediately called her. She’d ignored him and had gone on ignoring his calls ever since.
Stopping at a red light, he took in a deep breath and laid his head on the wheel, not caring in the slightest when the horn went off. That had been the final shelter or rescue group in Clark County, and he hadn’t even limited it to animals. No, he’d looked into Shade Tree, the orphanage and everything in between for every kind of living creature he could think of. This was the end of the line, and he’d come up empty.
He’d never wondered what it would feel like to lose someone else he loved. It had never even occurred to him he could fall in love again. Yet, what he had with Marie was as pulse-racing and world-shattering as what he’d shared with Stacey. It was different but still had the same bigger than life feeling to it. If he believed in soulmates, he would have wondered if a person could have two. Instead, he was left sulking and virtually stalking Marie.
An annoying honk broke him free from his trance. Lifting his head, he looked in the rear-view mirror and refrained from flipping off the cop behind him. He didn’t like interactions with anyone that pulled up records, it didn’t always end well if they dug too deep. His fearless leader had done some disturbing form of mind control to help him sneak past the military investigation, but hospitals and cops still made him nervous.
Driving slowly down Rancho, he tried to pick his next move. It was possible she’d looked into social work. It seemed up her alley and would mean she’d have enrolled at UNLV because no one fucking went to CSN.
“You should pack it in, Benton. There’s no point continuing, she doesn’t want you to find her.” Looking at the letter on the passenger seat, he frowned.
He didn’t do romantic. He hadn’t been written that way, and Stacey hadn’t seemed to mind it. Not that Marie seemed like she wanted romantic, but he thought the effort of apologizing would go over a lot smoother if he wrote it down.
He’d driven three miles before he realized he was driving the stretch of road out toward Centennial Parkway and Aliante. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel when he comprehended he was heading toward her.
“Just one more time. Check to see if she’s home one more time and then throw yourself into the job. If she moved on that easily, it’s time for you to stop acting like a wimp and move on too.”
His mind was a blank canvas as he drove the remaining two miles toward Marie’s house. It was as if he’d turned on an autopilot and retreated into his mind so he couldn’t think on his actions.
“Holy fuck me,” he murmured as he pulled up to her driveway and saw the door open, and the taillights on her car still on.
Slamming the car into park, he fumbled, clumsily tore off his seat belt and pushed open the Jeep door—nearly falling out.
“Marie!”
He could see her shape freeze inside the car. Though he couldn’t make out details, he’d bet anything a flurry of snow and ice was whipped up inside the car.
“Marie.” He said her name quieter as he jogged inside her garage next to her car.
She startled him by closing the garage door. His pulse hitched as he momentarily worried she was going to freeze him in a block of ice and stash him in her garage. Instead, she stomped one foot on the ground and then the other as she stood up out of the car. Her eyes glowed red-hot, something he wasn’t too seeing her usually detached gaze.
“You don’t take hints well, do you?”
“No Ma’am, just direct orders.” He had to work to keep the smirk from forming on his lips. He let his eyes linger over her and almost grinned because he’d been right about the icy sparks.
“What do you want, Sean? I’m fairly certain how we left things didn’t leave room for interpretation.”
“I’ve been trying to track you down for a fucking month.” His hands clenched at his sides.
“And I’ve been expertly avoiding you for a month,” she spat back at him as Duke barked from inside the house. “There’s nothing to say. We got caught up in our uniqueness. Period. What we felt wasn’t love. It was a connection we shared because we’re not human. Of course, we were drawn to each other.” Her eyes sparked as she spoke.
“Bullshit.”
Wrapping one arm around her back, he tugged her against him before slamming his mouth down over hers, kissing her with damn near bruising force. He crowded her back into her tiny car. She didn’t resist. Her arms wound around his neck, and her tongue matched his stroke for stroke. The groan of satisfaction coming from her set his cock on edge as blood raced to it.
All at once, she pulled back. Her lips were reddened, swollen from his. Lust sparkled from her crystalline eyes,
and he enjoyed the sounds of her heavy breathing as she tried to calm herself from their kiss.
“We need to talk.” His words were choked out, his desire riding him hard.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she asserted as she shifted her top. “You don’t trust me. I don’t do trust issues.”
Sean sucked a deep breath in through his nose. “I didn’t mean what I said that day. I was angry because you paused and pretty pissed that guy was in my house without my knowledge.”
Her arms crossed haughtily over her chest. “And that makes it okay to make the accusations you made?”
“Not in the slightest. Come on, Marie. Even Zach had to fuck up now and then.”
A grimace appeared at the mention of her former Word Speaker’s name, and he wanted to kick himself for bringing the man up. Thankfully, it quickly shifted off her face, the stern look falling back into place.
“He did. We all do.”
“Then why was what I said so terrible? Why is it the end of everything we were just accepting and starting?”
She stared back at him as she struggled to catch her breath from his kiss. Her mind was still spinning with impure thoughts, but she wouldn’t allow herself to become entangled with him once more. Getting over him had been nearly as painful as losing Zach. The only thing that had made it easier was the knowledge he was alive somewhere.
His logic made perfect sense, and she wanted to smack him for that. The whole day she’d walked out had been a rapid blur. One moment, she’d been content in bed, and the next, she’d been defending herself from an attacker. Then finally, she’d been accused of trying to leave her life behind from the man she was deeply attracted too. She’d forced herself to remain mad because she had fallen utterly in love with him and the accusation made it seem as if he barely knew her at all.
Which made her a fool for falling in love with someone who didn’t know her. Not willing to answer his question, she walked by him and opened the door. Partially to silence Duke, and partially in hopes, he would just go away and leave. She wasn’t interested in heartbreak, and he’d already caused that for her because she was so emotionally raw.
Duke didn’t hesitate to slam his big paws on her chest, slobbering on her face and then jumping down when he saw Sean.
“Traitor,” she sneered as Duke sat happily between Sean’s legs getting scratches.
Sean looked up at her, still playing with the excited dog. “You don’t get to just walk away from this. I’m apologizing for fuck’s sake. At least accept it.”
“I don’t want to accept it. I don’t want to admit anything that happened between us didn’t end exactly how it should have.”
His eyes narrowed, and he stood up, no longer petting Duke, which of course let to a long whine from the dog. “And why should it have ended that way? Why should it have ended?”
“I’m tired of being alone, tired of nothing but fear. I don’t understand what happened, just that you broke through my ice and then destroyed my heart in the blink of an eye with how upset your lack of trust made me. I want someone like me, a Guardian who knows my heart and my pain.” She could feel the small path of tears tracking down her face but refused to look away from him. She’d started to tell the truth. She wasn’t going to hold back if it was going to be the last time she spoke to him. “I love you, Sean. I don’t understand it because I swore I would never again, but I’m in love with you.”
“Say that one more time before I respond.” His words were a low growl as he crossed the space between them.
She wasn’t certain what would come next, but she was certain her body was on fire from the hungry stare in his eyes. “I love you, Sean.”
“Damn straight. That sounds as good as it did a second ago. I love you too, Marie. We didn’t rush this, and I’m sure as shit not letting either of us run away from this. We’ll make mistakes. Just because we have suffered loss before doesn’t mean we can’t be happy with each other again.”
He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that still seared her body from head to toe. She felt him lift her, cradling her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he walked. Mouths still locked together, she let her hands trail over his chest until he set her down on her bed, breathing heavily as he looked at her.
Animalistic hunger shone out of his eyes, and it sent a chill through her, one not linked one iota to her powers. He approached her, his big body blocking out her view of anything but him. She felt him tug down her sweats and underwear simultaneously before turning his attention to the cornflower blue top and tugging it over her head. Then, his hands were off her body. Curious, she opened her eyes and saw him tugging off his shirt until he stood completely naked before her.
Gently, he ran a finger across her core, and she heard his breath go ragged as he felt how wet she was. Without a word, he leaned down, covering her as he pressed his body against hers and slanted his mouth over hers. As with the last kiss, her head began to swim as desire grew within her. With eyes closing from pleasure, she looked up at him before allowing them to slide shut. Sean looked feverish with need, and she could imagine she looked the same. Her body was on fire, his hands leaving a warm path everywhere he touched. She’d wanted him the first time they’d slept together, and yet, it paled in comparison to the way her body vibrated and begged for his touch currently.
His hands trailed up her bare body, warm and inviting. With one hand, he tugged her bra open, dropping the torn item onto the bed before allowing his hands to focus on her supple breasts. He massaged her chest, tweaking her nipples and rolling them between his fingers. She couldn’t contain her gasp of pleasure as his hands worked in tandem with their kiss.
Leaving her breasts, he continued to trail his hands in a torturous path down her body. He lightly slid them over her clit, and she whimpered. She felt him smirk into their kiss and wrapped her legs around his body in return, giving a squeeze. She was lost in a haze of pleasure, but she wanted to play with him. Her hand wrapped around his hard length, barely able to close, and began to stroke him up and down as a finger slipped inside her folds. She whimpered again and started to ride his finger. His name was slipping out of her mouth before she could control it, and her hands were pumping along his long length.
“Sean . . ..”
He pulled back briefly and left a feather-light kiss on her cheek. “I love the way my name sounds on your lips right now.” A finger slipped inside her folds as he spoke, twirling lazily inside of her. He nipped the base of her neck. “I can’t wait to hear how it will sound in a few minutes.” Trailing his mouth over her collarbone, he settled it over her left breast, sucking it into his mouth and nipping at her pebbled nipple as the rhythm of his finger began to increase. Her hands scraped along his head, nails scouring a path as she moved them down to his back.
Relentlessly, he moved his finger in and out of her core. She could do nothing to control the response of her hips as they slammed down on his digits while her mewling filled the room as did his groans. Releasing his shaft, she allowed her hands to massage his balls the way he had massaged her breasts. Her release was cresting, a tightening band deep her in gut. She could scarcely focus on anything save for the feel of his finger spearing in and out of her.
When his name tore from her a second time, it was because he’d pushed her over the edge. She was dizzy with pleasure but shoved him off her and rose up from the bed, turning to face him. This was not only about her, and she was more than ready to prove she could give as good as he could.
He turned, planting his ass on the bed when she tapped him playfully on the shoulder. Sinking to her knees, she wrapped her mouth around his cock and slid him between her lips, trailing her tongue in circles as she went. She hadn’t had a chance to appreciate how perfect his prick had been the last time, but she reveled in it now as it stretched her jaw. Over and over, she bobbed her head up and down his length, loving the way his hips jerked him into her mouth at his desired pace, but his hands never tug
ged her head to him. Instead, he sat there, fingers white from gripping the edge of the bed so hard as she dragged her teeth against his cock and suckled him after. Flattening her tongue against the head of his shaft drew a satisfying moan from Sean.
“Marie,” Sean warned through gritted teeth.
Smirking around his length, she let him slide out, his erection sprawling into her hand. Letting her body glide over his hard shaft, she bit her lip to hold back the moan of pleasure. Despite her recent release, she was ready for him. Crawling up onto the bed, she straddled him, lifting her ass off him just enough to guide him inside of her. She smiled down at him, seeing lust shining out of his eyes was an aphrodisiac she’d never known prior. Slowly, she began to rock her body up and down along him, her tight walls grasping him with every thrust.
Every motion of their bodies sent sparks of electricity through her, and she tilted her head back as the pleasure began to build within her once more. She could hear the sounds of their bodies hitting together, his grunts mingled with her moans. His hands trailed down her sides, drawing a shudder from her before they landed on her hips. She felt his hands drive him down on top of him faster, harder.
There was nothing left in her mind save for the greedy need to climax, to feel herself come from the man beneath her. She felt him slam in and out of her, his hard length plunging over and over into her dripping wet core until her orgasm burst like a dam, and she had to bite her lip, drawing blood to not scream his name a third time. She felt his lips suck on her neck, biting gently, and felt him still thrusting up into her, even as her hips slowed in their pleasure. Ecstasy was all she felt. The release pulsing through her overrode everything else. He came with a forceful thrust and a grunt of his own.
Moments passed as their bodies began to slow, thrusts waning as they calmed from their releases. Sliding off him, she rolled to the side, laying her head on his chest above his heart. She could feel the slight glean of sweat covering their bodies and smiled. The feel of Sean’s heartbeat underneath her body was more satisfying than she could have imagined.