Atticus came back to my side of the bed with a warm wash cloth. He knelt down beside me, his hand moving under the blankets. I gasped as the wash cloth touched my still sensitive body, he leaned down and kissed me gently before cleaning the inside of my thighs. My face was burning when he pulled away, got to his feet then dropped the cloth in the hamper.
Atticus slid into bed, rolled on his side and pulled me into his arms. I happily shifted over to press myself against him, my head resting on his arm.
“Are you sure you’re alright? I wasn’t exactly gentle.” He asked in a whisper.
“If it hurt, I would have said something,” I told him.
His fingers ran up and down my spine as if he couldn’t stop touching me. His lips rested against my forehead. “Will you always tell me if I hurt you?” he whispered softly.
“Yes.” I looked up at him. “Will you always listen?”
His eyes narrowed at me, his face changing. “Of course.” His eyes ran over my face, his body tensing. “Did that prick not listen?”
I reached up and touched his lips. Most of the tension melted out of him. “He couldn’t hurt me if he tried,” I reminded him gently. The anger melted away. I had one question that I still needed answered.
“The ring?” I said softly. “It’s not an engagement ring, right?”
He sighed deeply before meeting my eyes. “It is.” My heart jumped into my throat. “But I hadn’t planned on giving it to you so soon.” I lifted my hand from his chest and began to take it off to give it back. “What are you doing?” His hand stopped me from taking off the ring.
I met his eyes again. “You weren’t planning to ask. You should have it back. Then you can ask when you’re ready to.”
His hand didn’t leave mine. There was a struggle behind his eyes. “Keep it on,” he said gently. “See how it feels.”
The air left my lungs. What? “As a gift? Or as….”
“No,” his voice barely a whisper, “not as a gift.” He kissed my forehead and pulled me close. “Now, get some sleep.”
I laid in his arms as I tried to think, only his arms and body heat weren’t going to let me. I fell into a deep sleep.
16
December 22
Evelyn
I woke up curled against him. I wondered if last night was a dream until I realized I was naked under the blankets. I smiled to myself. That had most definitely been fun. I opened my eyes. He was on his back, my head on his shoulder, his arm holding me to him.
Seeing my chance, I took a closer look at his tattoos. They were beautiful. The lines flowed and the artwork was breathtaking. I traced my fingertip along one of the lines that ran along his pec. My body grew wet just from tracing his tattoo. Was that a Match thing or just an Atticus thing? Did it even matter at this point?
Wanting to explore, I ran my fingertip down his chest and over that mouthwatering six pack. I moved to his hip and the muscle line there.
“What are you doing, luv?” he asked, his voice slurred with sleep, his eyes were still closed. I smiled to myself.
“Playing,” I said innocently as my fingertips brushed him. He gasped, then moaned as I touched him. He opened his eyes to look at me as I straddled his waist. His eyes flared with heat as his hands went to my hips.
“You want to play?” He smiled, his hand moving down my belly to the front of me. I grabbed his hand and pinned it to the mattress.
I shook my head, smiling. “Uh-uh.” Heat flared in his eyes as I ran my hands down his chest. “You got to explore last night. It’s my turn.”
“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, as if it were fact. I focused on running my fingers over the muscles of his chest and stomach, enjoying the hard lines under soft skin I found. Then I moved back down his body, his legs parting so I could kneel between them as I ran my fingers over the muscles of his hips, his thighs, anywhere but where his body was standing at attention. He pulled the blankets to the side so he could watch me as I ran my fingertips over the inside crease between his thigh and groin. He groaned deeply. “You’re killing me, Eve.”
I smiled up at him. “And what were you doing to me last night?”
He smirked. “I sure as hell wasn’t teasing you.” My fingers ran gently over his balls. His head dropped back and he gave a deep groan as his muscles tensed. “Shit, Eve.”
I smiled, “What were you saying?” My fingers very lightly ran over his shaft. His hips moved.
“Not a damn thing.” He gasped as he watched me touch him. I wrapped my fingers around his thick shaft and moved slowly, my thumb rubbing the underside of his tip. His eyes closed as he gripped the sheets in his hands. I kept my hand moving slowly as I lowered myself. I blew over the large head. His eyes opened and shot to me. He watched as I licked a line from base to tip. He cursed, his eyes staying on mine. Then I slipped my mouth over him. His head fell back as his hips shifted. “Oh God… Evelyn…” I slid more of him into my mouth, surprising him. He cried out, his hands finding me. One in my hair the other cupping my face gently as he watched me slide his cock out of my mouth then back down my throat. His body shook as his face changed. Wonder filled his eyes as I worked my mouth and tongue around him. His face flushed, his breathing grew heavy. His eyes turned to molten gold. My body throbbed hard from the look of promise on his face. Oh, I loved this, playing until I was ready to do as I wanted with him.
After a long slide back from my mouth, his hands stopped me. “Eve…” A note in his voice told me his control was shaky. I let go of him and slowly moved back up the bed to straddle him. His hands moved over my skin, my hips, thighs, then to my breasts where he stroked and massaged. I leaned down and kissed him desperately. My body on fire, I sat up. Causing that look on his face was enough foreplay for me. I rose on my knees, felt him, then rolled my hips until the head of his cock found my entrance. I lowered myself just a little. He gritted his teeth, his hands ran over my skin. Then I sank a little more onto him, his hard body sliding into me. I shuddered as he held my hips. My breathing grew heavy as I lifted myself then met his eyes. I sank fully onto him, his body filling me completely. I closed my eyes and moaned at the feeling of being completely full.
“Damn… Eve. You’re killing me,” he bit out between clenched teeth. His entire body was tense, his muscles bunching. I rested my hands on his chest, grinned, then moved slowly. He cursed again, his hands ran up my thighs as I rode him slowly. His hips began to meet me at the pace I set. The fire grew as I took him over and over. Heart racing, I rotated my hips. He growled, his hands gripped my hips tightly, his finger biting deep.
My breathing grew heavy as heat rolled over me. Bracing my hands on his chest, I leaned forward, making his angle perfect for rubbing my clit against him. His hands ran up my sides to my breasts as I moved over him. His eyes stayed on mine as his hands moved over my body. I gasped as sparks shot from my breasts to between my legs where he was stretching me.
His eyes stayed with mine as the inferno built. I moved faster, his hips met my pace as his right hand moved to my hip, the other taking my breast, his thumb stroking the nipple. I moaned as I teetered on that edge.
The bedroom door opened. I instantly covered my breasts and dropped to his chest, hiding myself against him. Just as quickly Atticus covered me with the sheet.
“Whoa! Okay, you are in here.” Ranulf announced, shocked.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Atticus shouted, wrapping his arms around me as I buried my burning face into the crook of his neck.
“I-”
Atticus grabbed his pillow and chucked it at him. “Get the fuck out!” The door shut quickly.
“Oh my God…” I said, my voice embarrassed. He held me close as he brushed my sweaty hair from my face.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to kill him later.” he assured me before kissing my cheek. His hand ran down my spine then back again, comforting me as I tried to stop my face from burning. When I could, I rested my temple on his arm so I could look up at him. His face
was soft, his eyes worried as he looked down at me. “Are you alright?”
“I’m embarrassed. And a bit mad,” I admitted.
He frowned. “You’re beautiful, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I know I don’t,” I explained. “I’ve got a great body. But I choose who sees it and who I share it with. And Ranulf is definitely not on that list.”
His face grew hard. “No, he’s not.” He carefully slid from me before rolling us to our sides. He pulled back, making sure the sheet still covered me.
“I’ll kill him now.” He went to get up. I pulled him back to me because he didn’t sound like he was joking.
“What are you going to do?” I asked. His face softened but his eyes were hard as his hand cupped my face.
“I’m going to beat the hell out of him,” he stated. His fingers stroked my cheek. “No one else is allowed to see you naked.”
I held his hand to my face as I thought about it. I was angry with Ranulf. Who didn’t knock these days? “Just a little.”
His lips twitched. “I’ll beat him only a little.” He hesitated before he leaned down and kissed me gently. I wrapped my arm around his neck and melted against him. His kiss grew softer, his lips taking more of mine. He pulled away reluctantly with a small grin. “Go get ready for the day, then come over to the other apartment for breakfast.”
“Alright, I need a shower anyway. Someone got me all sweaty,” I said innocently. He chuckled before he got out of bed. I watched that muscular butt bend over and pull on his pajama bottoms. He finished tying them, picked up a white shirt, then went to the door. He looked back, his eyes running over me, a small satisfied smile on his lips before he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
I laid back and grinned like an idiot. Last night had been…. wow. Amazing? World shaking? I couldn’t even put a proper word to it. I had to get up. We had demons to kill, but at least this morning I got out of bed with a smile. A door slammed somewhere and I chuckled. Ranulf was in deep trouble.
Atticus
As I closed Evelyn’s bedroom door my smile dissolved. Ranulf. That stupid fucker had seen her, seen us. I took deep breaths as I pulled my shirt on, headed out of her apartment and walked into our apartment. Ranulf was pacing across the room. He turned when the door opened.
His eyes were wide. “I didn’t see shit! I’m sorry-” Rage boiled through me as I slammed him against the wall, my hand on his throat cutting him off.
“You will forget what you saw,” I snarled into his face. “You will never walk into that apartment or our bedroom again without knocking or I’ll fucking tear you apart.” My body shook with my rage. He violated her privacy, that would never happen again. “Do you understand?”
Ranulf nodded sincerely. Pulling back, I let him go. He gasped and stepped away from me. I stood still and it took several minutes of deep breathing before I calmed down enough to turn around. Zahur and Falk were in the kitchen leaning on the counters, watching me. I hadn’t even seen them when I came in.
Zahur smiled. “Well, Atticus.” He eyed me. “You’ve changed.”
“Don’t,” I growled as I headed for my bedroom.
“Oh, come on Atticus, that female is good for you,” Zahur lectured. I stopped walking. She was. She really was. It was time to tell them.
I turned to them. “Evelyn can’t go back to the community,” I announced. They grew quiet. “And I’m not returning either.”
Ranulf and Falk’s jaws dropped.
“What? Wait, you’re messing with us, right?” Ranulf asked.
“No,” I said. “After these demons are dealt with and we take care of whatever is bringing them through, you three are free to head home.”
“Why can’t she go back?” Ranulf asked.
I let out a breath then explained as I stepped up to the counter. “Cyrus.” I met Falk then Ranulf’s gaze. “We weren’t sent to investigate demonic activity. Cyrus somehow figured out she was in the city and sent us to bring her in if he was right.”
Ranulf eyed me. “What? Why?”
“Cyrus’s Match was Tatiana Savu,” Zahur announced, drawing Falk and Ranulf’s attention. “She’s one of only two females in our history to have two Matches. She saw Cyrus for what he was and picked the male she loved, Owyn Dalca.”
Ranulf cursed. “I bet he didn’t like that.”
“No, he didn’t. From what Evie has told us, he sent Owyn on suicide missions, harassed them, made life difficult for them. When they had enough they left,” Zahur explained. “Evelyn is their daughter.”
Falk didn’t seem surprised but Ranulf cursed.
“So, he what? Thought he’d be a Match for Evie?” Ranulf snapped.
“That is my theory, which was substantiated by him when I told him I wasn’t returning,” I told them.
Zahur turned to me. “He said those words?”
“Enough to confirm my suspicions,” I answered before turning to the others again. “So, when this demon situation is handled, you’ll head home. By then I’ll have Evelyn in another part of the city, in a more secure location and under a new name.”
Falk snorted.
Ranulf shook his head.
Zahur sighed. “Do you really think that’s going to happen?” What? Of course, it was.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Ranulf announced. “We’re a team. More than that, we’re family.” He crossed his arms over his large chest. “We’re staying.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was idiocy.
“You have lives back there, families,” I reminded them before turning to Falk and Ranulf. “If you stay, you will never find your Matches.”
They absorbed that for several minutes.
Then Ranulf met my gaze. “If we don’t stay, Cyrus could come for Evelyn and you,” he countered. “You may be the strongest male in our species but even you can’t take out several squads of gargoyles on your own.”
“Cyrus wouldn’t risk it,” I told him. “He likes to keep things quiet.”
“If he truly thinks she could be a Match for him, he’ll send as many as he thinks he needs to,” Zahur began as he met my eyes. “And they won’t be males who care if they hurt her to get her to cooperate.”
“We aren’t going to abandon you or Evie,” Ranulf repeated. Falk nodded in agreement. “We are staying here. Now go take a shower, you smell. I can’t understand how your Match stands it.”
Stunned by their decision, I walked into the bathroom and began to shower. What the hell were they thinking?
Evelyn
I took deep breaths as I braced my hands on my knees. That Fury had been a particular pain in the butt. It had nested in the top floor of an office tower. Unfortunately, it had been the office of a popular defense lawyer with known mafia connections. The secretaries had escaped intact, the lawyer and paralegals—I looked at the bloody pieces around the office—not so much.
As I got my breath back, Ranulf got to his feet and glared at me. “You caught me on fire!” he bellowed.
“You got in my sight line,” I pointed out. There were a few heartbeats before we both broke down and started laughing.
Ranulf patted his hair. “How’s the hair? Any bald spots?”
I chuckled. “No, I just got your armor.”
“Yeah, it’d be a pity if he lost his hair,” Zahur taunted. Ranulf flipped him off.
I walked over to stand next to Atticus and Falk as they looked down at the dead Fury. The skeletal creature was curled up on its side, its wings disintegrated by the fire I threw at it. The only way to kill a Fury was to take its wings. This one had been fast and it had taken longer than it should have. It didn’t help that I couldn’t get a clear shot.
I looked up at Atticus. “I could just burn it to ash now.”
Atticus nodded. They backed up as I gathered energy, my markings glowing blue. I sent a stream of fire over the body. The smell of burnt flesh filled the area. When the body had finally burned away, the flo
or below was deeply scorched.
“Just set fire to the office, it’ll hide all the evidence,” Atticus ordered.
“Alright. Back up to the stairwell,” I warned. The males moved as I asked. I tossed fireballs here and there around the area as I went, hitting the copy room especially hard. By the time I reached the stairwell the office was turning into an inferno. Instead of running down the stairs, everyone pulled out their wings and jumped down the stair shaft. Flapping only occasionally to slow my descent, I hit the ground and pulled my wings back. Then we hit the fire alarm and were out of the building before anyone saw us. We strolled over to the SUV. I turned to them, clapped my hands together and smiled. “Next one?”
After visiting the Preta’s crime scene, we followed the trail to a slaughterhouse. Fitting, since a Preta was a Hunger demon that could never be satisfied.
Before stepping more than a foot from the car, Atticus turned back to us. His eyes ran over me quickly before he said, “Evelyn, can you stay back with the car?”
I stopped walking and looked up at him. “The car?” I asked, hoping I heard wrong.
His eyes met mine. “Yes. If the Preta gets past us-”
“Atticus,” my voice warned him. He sighed.
“Fine,” he bit out before sending a look to the others and heading into the building.
The smell of blood and meat was thick in the air as we moved through the slaughterhouse. Cow carcasses were everywhere, the flesh gone from their bodies. We even walked past several human skeletons.
The sound of crunching bones echoed through the main floor. It was sickening. Ranulf spotted it first. He crouched down, we all followed.
“It’s feeding off another cow,” Ranulf said.
“Spread out and hit it from behind,” Atticus said.
“I’ll throw a barrier to keep it from running the other way,” I offered.
Found (Books of Stone Book 1) Page 24