She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and pressed her heels against his taut ass, begging him silently to take what he wanted from her, but he held still above her.
“You couldn’t have waited for me? I would have loved to have seen you touch yourself.”
Her head shook back and forth. “I wanted to. I think I even fell asleep, but each time my skin brushed against the sheet or my hand skimmed along my skin, I wanted to come. It wasn’t until I touched your mark that I lost control. When my fingers touched my clit, twice, I came while I thought of you.”
Reaper closed his eyes, and the moan that burst from deep in his chest sent a quiver of excitement through her.
With a strength that she hadn’t known she possessed, she flipped him onto his back. Opening her palms on his chest, she held him still as she sat on his stomach. Her desire was evident as she slid her hips against his stomach, leaving moisture behind and drawing a low growl from Reaper.
“Do you want me?” she asked.
With her words, he sat up and slid his hands to her back. His cock rubbed against her when he moved, and her eyes shuttered closed as she wantonly rubbed herself against his hardness. Her mouth sought his, and her eyes flew open when he nipped her lower lip, drawing blood.
“I will always want you, beautiful. You are mine.” He emphasized the last word.
He licked the wound clean before he opened her lips and tasted her. He captured her moan in his mouth, and before long, her body shook as wetness pooled on his stomach. It had been days, but she still needed him with a hunger that would never fade.
As their kiss continued, leaving her breathless and aching, she rubbed her slick lips against his cock. Their moans mingled together, and she chose that moment to lower herself onto his cock until he was seated deep inside her. Her wet head surrounded his hard, pulsating cock and once again, she couldn’t control her craving for him.
Pressing her hands on his shoulders, she lowered him onto his back. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, and she loved the way he looked at her, through hooded eyes. She chose that moment to squeeze his cock with her inner muscles, and loved when his clipped curse reverberated in the room.
His hands gripped her hips, holding her in place, but her hips shifted forward as she rubbed her clit against him. The spark of pleasure from that move shot throughout her already primed body. She lifted her hips, causing his cock to slowly withdraw from her, before she sank back down. She repeated the movement, over and over again, yet the orgasm that she sought evaded her.
“I know, beautiful.”
With ease, he flipped her onto her back without withdrawing from her body, and lifted her right knee to her chest. Her nails drew across his chest, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to raise the skin. As she marveled in her ability to mark him, he drove deep inside her, leaving her thoughts scattered. With each thrust, she closed in on the brink of her orgasm.
He leaned closer to run his teeth over her mark. By pure instinct, she licked the area around his shoulder, and loved it when she drew a groan from him. Her teeth elongated and she bit down on him, tasting a hint of blood. With her teeth embedded in his shoulder, he flung his head back and roared out his release.
His orgasm triggered hers, and as she gently removed her teeth from his neck, her body shook as he continued to drive deep inside her. His lips met hers the moment of her release, and she clung to him, savoring the sensations he drew from deep in her body.
His mouth traveled down to her neck and his teeth nibbled against her mark, drawing out the pleasure. When his teeth broke the skin, another strong orgasm overwhelmed her and she buried her face against his neck as she clung to him.
Tired from the earlier run and making love with Reaper, she cuddled against his chest after she sagged against his side and closed her eyes. She pressed her lips against his neck. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, beautiful. Sleep now.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ara
Ara dodged Kane’s swipe and turned in time to see Hunter, in his panther form, leap toward her. Not having the time to drop to the ground, she shot in the air a split second before he struck her, and successfully avoided him.
Several knives flew by her while she hovered several feet in the air. She spotted Jade’s arm held straight, away from her body, and smiled at the fox when she cackled. Ara used her powers to flip Jade upside down, and dangled her feet from the floor to keep her out of the way.
A second later, one of the blades nicked her bicep, but she ignored the flash of pain and continued her perusal of the coming attacks from the other assassins.
Reaper cursed when he noticed the blood that flowed down her arm, but she knew she would heal. One of the many wondrous things she discovered after becoming an immortal shifter.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough to deflect the knives, and flinched as the two knives stuck into the wall. She heard Kai’s laugh and relaxed a fraction.
“Don’t worry about it, Ara,” Kai said.
While her attention was averted to the damage the knives caused, Ax took advantage of her inattention and leapt straight toward her. Although she noticed the movement from her peripheral vision, she wasn’t fast enough to avoid him. His humongous form slammed into her and brought her to the ground. When her back slammed against the floor, her breath wheezed out of her and she looked up at Ax’s smug face as he pressed his entire weight down upon her.
“Well…fuck,” she gasped.
Busy trying to get air back into her lungs, she didn’t have the strength to push Ax off her.
He lowered his face until she could feel his breath against her cheek, and she froze. He had the devilish look he normally had when he flirted with her, but with Reaper close by, he was taking a huge risk.
“You should…get off.” She tried again to push, without success, trying to save him from Reaper’s rage.
“I’m going to kill you, Ax. Get the fuck off her!” Reaper charged toward them.
The pressure of his heavy body lifted and although she should have taken a moment to catch her breath, she shot to her feet before Reaper could harm Ax.
Reaper’s rage was evident on his face. Without taking a moment to think about the consequences, she darted between them and shouldered Ax out of the way and pressed her hands against Reaper’s chest. She flinched as Ax slammed against the wall with a thud, but her gaze never left her mate. Before he acted on his anger, she jumped into Reaper’s arms and wrapped her arms and legs around his body to prevent him from moving.
“What are you doing, beautiful?”
She buried her face in his chest and answered. “Keeping you from killing Ax.”
“He knows better than to touch the mate of a shifter. I promise I won’t kill him. I just want to hurt him a little bit. Okay, maybe more than a little bit, but he’ll heal.”
Tightening her grip on him, she refused to budge when he tried to set her aside. Reaper turned with her still in his arms, and glared at Ax, who floundered slowly to his feet. She must’ve thrown him across the room with more force than she thought and winced.
“Sorry, Ax,” she mumbled.
“He deserves more pain than that. The next time he touches you, I will kill him.”
Something about his tone sobered Ax and he nodded once before he walked away.
“Okay, training is done for the day,” Ghost announced. “Reaper, a word.”
Unlocking her hold on him, she gave him a short kiss before she headed downstairs to see Liv.
She had been training for the last month, eight hours a day, and had grown closer to the group of assassins who had taught her everything they knew. They treated her like a sister and were almost as protective of her as Reaper. Almost. But during her training, she had neglected her friendship with Liv.
She had been grateful that Reaper hadn’t given up on her, and because he’d found her, she had a group of people she could call her friends. They had come into her life like
a battering ram, and instead of hiding away in a shell that had become a constant, they drew her out and she quickly became close to them. Apart from getting to know them on a personal level, she worked hard to hone her skills and built her endurance, wanting to keep up with the others.
With each day that passed, she grew stronger but her one defect was shifting. After the first shift, she expected the transition to be seamless, but it was far from it.
Each time she had tried to shift, she relaxed her body and welcomed the shift as Reaper sat patiently beside her. But her body didn’t want to cooperate.
His words were encouraging, and she understood what happened to her during the shift, but it still took her close to a half an hour to complete the change. It never hurt, but after watching Reaper transform within a couple of seconds, her lengthy shift confused her.
All of the shifters told her that she had done better than they did when they first turned, but she put pressure on herself to do better and she should have progressed further along.
She wondered whether Liv had the answers, and while Reaper was distracted, she headed to talk to her friend. She had missed spending time with Liv, and as she made her way to the lab, she felt guilty that her training and sequestering herself away with Reaper at night had allowed her to neglect her friendship. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she smiled as she watched Liv dashing around her lab.
“Hi, Livvy.” Ara smiled.
“Not you, too,” Liv groaned.
Ara laughed and pulled the small vampire into her arms. She was grateful that she fell into her arms without resistance, and smiled.
“I was kidding. I see your face every time Jade calls you that, and couldn’t resist.”
Liv snarled at her and Ara laughed again. Although she was a vampire, Liv wasn’t even close to vicious, although she tried.
“What are you doing?” Ara asked.
“Comparing how your blood differs from when you were human. I had a small sample of my blood from when I was human, but I drew several vials from you before you turned, so I’m recording the changes that I find.”
“Will my blood be able to tell you why I can’t shift as quickly as Reaper?”
Sensing her worry under the innocuous question, Liv reached for her hand and squeezed.
“From what I learned, each shifter is different, but no one takes to shifting quickly for the first few years. I think because it’s a huge physical adjustment; your bones are lengthening, teeth and claws extend, and your body is covered with fur that makes the shift hard at first. Your body will get used to it. Until then, don’t worry so much. You’re strong in both wolf and human form.”
“I knew that I would feel better talking to you.”
Liv squeezed her hand before she went back to the microscope and peered at the slide. Before Ara could pull up a chair and help Liv record the results, they both sensed tension in the house. Heavy footsteps thudded above them, and they both glanced at the stairs as Reaper and Kai darted downstairs. Reaper pulled her into his arms and squeezed.
“What’s wrong?” Ara asked.
“The perimeter alarms were tripped. Jade and Gunnar are out doing recon. Let’s go up to the central hub and see if we can spot movement.”
Within minutes, they watched as men dressed in black, military style garb, holding a various array of guns, surrounded the house. One man stood out, dressed in an impeccable dark-gray suit, bright blue tie, and designer shoes. He smiled at the camera.
“Do you recognize him?”
“I’ve never seen his face, but yes, I think it’s him. He likes high-end suits, and the shoes look familiar.” Ara swallowed. Ara turned to Kai and found Liv had left. “Where’s—”
“Locked in her lab.”
Relief flooded through Ara.
The other assassins flooded the room, and each silent as they assessed the situation. Ara took a split second, and counted at least thirty mercenaries, who were heavily armed. She didn’t know how many were in the surrounding mountains, but she knew that the man would know who he would be up against, and be prepared.
“Technically, we can’t kill them until they engage us or step foot inside the house with intent to harm. I have instructed Jade and Gunnar to surveil only, not engage. Until we know the entire situation, we should wait to see what they do,” Ghost said.
For long minutes, they watched as the men stood outside, not making a move toward the house. She didn’t know what they were waiting for. This was the exact situation she feared, but she had been trained by the best, and she knew that she would do her best to protect Reaper and the others from the monster outside.
Jade appeared silently. “Those men on the screen are all he brought. We aren’t surrounded, and from what I gather, they don’t have backup. Gunnar and I set up more sensors, in case.”
Ara kept her eyes on the screen during Jade’s report. She narrowed her eyes when the man in the suit broke off from the mercenaries and walked a couple of steps forward.
He paused before he held up a hand. His face turned away from the camera and he motioned for five of the soldiers to step forward. They flanked him, two on the right, two on the left, one who shadowed his back. He continued his casual stroll to the front door and without pause, knocked.
“It’s time,” Reaper sneered.
Ara nodded. No matter what happened, she would be free.
Chapter Nineteen
Reaper
With Ara’s hand grasped in his, Reaper took a deep breath, and then another, to control the rage that had continued to build the moment Ghost called him aside and told him that they had visitors. Reaper and Ara followed behind the others and they headed downstairs, and he watched as the assassins took their strategic positions around the room.
During the weeks where they had trained Ara, they had also gone through scenarios in which the final confrontation would take place. The common opinion during many of their discussions was the possibility that the note was meant to draw Ara out of the house and away from the assassins. The fucker had waited a month, ready to capture Ara once she left, but he hadn’t counted on Ara finding a family with him and the rest of the assassins.
Ara had grown stronger over time, due to her training, but also because of the relationships that she had formed. She looked to Liv for advice, Jade, Ax, and Gunnar for a good laugh, and the rest for their friendship. Friendships that had changed her. Her need to protect those around her had ingratiated her to the group from the beginning. She cared for each of them in her way and silently, they had dedicated themselves to protect her.
The shifters were fascinated by their relationship. Although shifters were more likely to find a mate than vampires, Ara had been the first true mate of a shifter and it gave the rest hope that they could find someone to love. Lately, their questions had become frequent. Since Ara had become a shifter and Reaper had claimed her as his mate, they wanted to know the nuanced details of his feelings from the moment he stumbled upon her. He couldn’t explain it to them in a satisfactory way, so the questions had become intrusive. He knew that they were curious, and hopeful, so he tried to not let it get to him. In time, he managed to convince them that once they met their mate, they would know it.
Reaper growled when he caught the scent from the front door and he relayed the information to the team. It’s the guy who sent Ara the note.
He glanced around the room. To the casual observer, the assassins were over for a casual get-together, but he could see the tension and awareness in their posture and gaze. Each of them glanced at Ara, and then met his gaze. With a nod, they communicated that they were ready to do whatever they had to in order to protect Ara.
Meeting Kai’s gaze, he nodded and readied himself for the fight. He released Ara’s hand and stood slightly in front of her, to protect her in case they came in, guns blazing.
Kai opened the door and waved in their guests. The suit walked in as if he owned the place, but the mercenaries who followed him were much more he
sitant.
Professional mercenaries showed no fear because they knew that each mission might be their last, but these men were wary.
Reaper relaxed a fraction.
Mercs knew how to fight, and they were on par with the assassins when it came to gun and knife handling skills, but these men were hired bodyguards. Their vests and cargo pants were weighed down with ammunition, and by the way they held their rifles, they weren’t adept at using them. And they would die because of their need to make a buck.
He relayed this to the rest of the assassins through the mind link they shared. Although they understood what they were up against, they didn’t relax their ready stances. Experience had taught him that unskilled humans were dangerous. They proved it a moment later when Kai shut the door behind them, and they jumped, pointing their guns around the room.
“Relax,” Kai demanded.
The mercs looked at the suit, and when he gave a small nod, they lowered their weapons.
The suit glanced around the room, and the moment he spotted Ara, he smiled.
Reaper could sense her rage. Before he could speak, Reaper growled at the man, capturing his attention from Ara. He lost it a moment later when Ara reached for his hand, interlocking their fingers together, and gave them a squeeze. His tense muscles lowered a fraction before he squeezed back, but he couldn’t take his gaze from the suit.
Despite the immaculate suit and groomed appearance, the man looked gaunt and sickly. The pale skin and the prominent nose stood out on his face. With an air of superiority, he strolled to a chair near the fireplace and sat without taking his eyes off their hands. He crossed his legs, and although he looked indifferent, Reaper could see the tic in his jaw as he clenched it.
That infinitesimal movement told Reaper everything he needed to know about the fucker. He wanted Ara. And because she rejected him numerous times and even escaped, she had become an obsession that he wouldn’t give up on.
He has a preoccupation with Ara. He doesn’t care about us; he just wants her back.
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