by Jaime Rush
“You think I’m weird,” she said, setting her bag on the desk.
“The more I know about you, the more you fascinate me.” He purposely didn’t look her way as he said that, instead focusing on an Andy Warhol–style painting of Frankenstein.
A black cat jumped up on the back of the sofa where Kye stood. “This is Vlad. I named him for the man who inspired Dracula because he’s got huge incisors. Smile, Vlad.”
The cat meowed, and yes, he did have long-ass fangs. Kye stroked Vlad, her fingers and red nails contrasting with his dark fur.
“He’s beautiful,” Kasabian said, finding his gaze moving to Kye’s face.
“He was at the shelter. The guy working there said that people were freaked out about his fangs, afraid he’d be vicious. And the volunteer at the shelter said that black cats are usually the last to be adopted because people are still superstitious.” She picked up the cat and rubbed her cheek against his. “He’s the sweetest thing ever, aren’t you, lover kitty?”
Kasabian ached at the sight of her snuggling the cat and the affection he felt from her. The bond still allowed him to pick up her emotions. To divert his thoughts, he walked into the kitchen nook and set the bag of takeout food on the table. She fed the cat, then ducked into her room to change. When she emerged, she wore a white skirt and a red tank top. She washed her hands and got out utensils and plates.
He watched her eat, the way she deftly used the wooden chopsticks. Especially the way they slid in and out of her mouth. Her tongue flicked at a drop of soy sauce on her lip. She suddenly stopped and looked at him.
“You’re making this a lot harder, eating like that.” He had to shift to accommodate what was getting physically harder.
“Eating like what? This is how I always eat Chinese.”
He couldn’t help chuckling. She really had no idea. He opened the second package of chopsticks and broke them apart. “Allow me to demonstrate.” First, he mirrored what she’d been doing. “Maybe you’ll understand better if I do this.” He slipped his tongue between them and drew it slowly up and down, thinking of the way his finger had slid between her folds. Her cheeks reddened, and she set her chopsticks down and picked up a fork. But the beast of desire had been woken. In him and in her.
He felt the glorious rush of it seductively twining inside him. “You seem to be enjoying the idea of my tongue moving up something that’s much softer than these sticks.”
The mist churned in eyes that grew heavier with her lust. She squirmed in her seat and gave her shoulders a shake. “And you would know, having stuck your hand down my pants.”
He rode the wave of desire, giving in to the thrill of it. “Go ahead and sound indignant, but I know you enjoyed it. At first you felt a jolt of shock, but it changed to desire. You were wet, love, and I hadn’t even touched you yet.”
She clamped her teeth on the edge of the fork. Her cheeks were getting even more red. “While you were warning me away. Telling me how dangerous it is for us to be together.” She squirmed again.
“And you see that I was right. That part of me is still saying it, way in the recesses of my soul. But the Shadow part wants you right here.” He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the zipper down an inch. “Straddling me. Naked.” His cock throbbed for her. Now she shivered, but her struggle for control was clear on her face. Good girl, that distant, logical part of his brain said.
“Then you’ll own me. You got control of the Shadow before. You can do it again.”
He gave her a grin he knew was devilish. “I don’t want to gain control of it at the moment. Do you know how good it feels to lust for you without pain?” He tilted his head back and tunneled his fingers through his hair. “Kye, you can’t imagine having repressed desire your whole life and then suddenly be able to feel it.” He met her gaze. “Or maybe you can.”
She drew her hand to her collarbone. “Too well. But I’m afraid to go…there with you. Your eyes are glittering black. I can feel the power of the Shadow, like the dangerous energy that comes off a wild animal just before it attacks.”
He turned his chair and stretched one leg toward her. “You’re both afraid and turned on. Tell me, which is stronger?”
She took in the length of his leg, as though it were a barrier to escaping. A sheen of perspiration created a dewy glow on her face. “Unbutton your shirt.”
He arched an eyebrow but complied with her command. Mmm, where was she going? “As you wish.”
Those words seem to fire her even more. “Unzip your jeans.” So did the sight of his erection straining past the top of his blue briefs. She seemed to force her gaze up to his chest. “You have no tan lines. I noticed that when you were taking a shower.”
“I Leap up to the roof. There’s a private spot where I can grab some sun in an unrestricted way.” He shrugged. “It’s my one small vanity.” He hitched his fingers over the waistband of his jeans. “Shall I take these off, too?”
Her pupils dilated. “No! I mean, it’s not necessary. Just sit back and relax.”
He felt the most curious sensation, like a magic glove wrapping around his cock. A glove with a thousand electrical points that sent a wave of heat and…hell, he didn’t know how to describe it. Other than amazing, incredible, and yes, magick. Now he was squirming.
“What in all that’s decadent is that?” he ground out, trying to control his physical reaction.
“Sex magick.” She tilted her head, a deliciously coy smile on her face. “Is it working?”
“Gods, yes.” He shoved his jeans and briefs down and gripped his cock. “Why are you tormenting me? I’m already on the edge.”
“I’m not tormenting you.” The sensations increased, and so did her smile. “I’m protecting myself. If you get release, you won’t be so scary. And obviously you need release.”
His body bucked. “Holy Zensu.”
“It’s not actually Zensu magick. All Deuces have sex magick,” she said, before continuing to torture him.
He arched in his seat as pleasure pushed him closer to the edge. And she watched, wisely using her magick from a safe distance. Maybe it would work. Except as he let out a hoarse moan and brought his hand down as the orgasm seized him, he could feel her desire as much as his own. Hell. He didn’t think this was going to work.
He threw his head back and shuddered. Gods, it had been forever since he’d come. He felt her magick rolling through his body as viscerally as if she were physically touching him.
When he drifted back to himself, he caught her gaze riveted on his hand gripping his stiff cock. Her eyes were as heated as his own. With a small gasp, she met his gaze and her cheeks reddened even more.
“Watching you come was…” She shifted her gaze away. “Interesting.”
When she looked back, he was zipping his jeans.
“Interesting like, weird, ew, yuck? Or interesting like mmm, watching someone else get off makes me want to get off, too?” He already knew the answer, but he wanted her to say it.
“Yeah, more like the latter. Not that I want…that I need…”
He approached her. “I think you do want. And need. I can help you.”
She furrowed her eyebrows, but he saw a spark of desire in her eyes. “How?”
He wiggled his fingers. “The old-fashioned way.”
She licked her lips. Flicked her gaze to the kitchen. A lovely pink glow flushed along her cheeks. Finally she met his eyes. “Okay, but this is about release, not sex. No kissing or making love in any way that will get out of control, right?”
Even though he’d gotten off, he still craved more of her. But he would stick to their agreement. “Just that.”
“All right. Then we can get this blasted desire out of our systems.”
“Yeah, sure we can.” Let her think that. Because he wasn’t going to let her leave this table without experiencing the pleasure of letting go. “Unbutton your shirt.”
She arched an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. “Just a suggestion
.”
“And no watching.”
“You liked watching me come.”
“It’s too embarrassing. Too personal. Promise me.”
Damn. She was invoking the promise. “I promise to keep my eyes closed. Under duress. Now, relax.”
She was wound up tighter than a coil, her fingers linked in her lap. If he had his magick, he would wave his hands over her. So, he’d have to do it the Mundane way. He came up behind her and started slowly rubbing her shoulders. Her body obeyed, sagging back against the chair. Her eyes drifted closed. She trusted him. Silly girl. But something deep in him wanted to earn that trust.
His hands moved down her arms, his thumbs grazing the edge of her breasts. Her bra was thin so that he felt her curves and saw her nipples tighten. Damn, he wanted to touch those beautiful mounds. Leaning forward put his cheek next to hers, and it was all he could do not to kiss the creamy length of her neck.
He restrained himself and moved his hand down to her wrists. Damn, it was hard to make this just about release. Sure, she wanted it to sound clinical, like something she would tell her clients to do. He wasn’t going to let her get away with that.
Kasabian came around and knelt in front of her. He ran his hands from her ankles up to her thighs beneath the skirt, this time letting his thumbs trail along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Every time he stroked up and down, he got a little closer to her apex. She tilted her hips up and let out a soft breath. Oh, yeah, she was aroused.
“Spread your legs, love,” he whispered.
As she did, he pushed her skirt up to her hips. He moved his hand over her sex, cupping it gently. She pressed against his palm, and her mouth was turned up in a soft smile. He lightly ran his nails across the silky fabric over her nub, and her breath hitched.
Her fingers tightened on the edge of the chair as he continued to stroke her. He could feel the dampness of her arousal through the fabric. Her head rocked back, and she inhaled deeply. He kissed her knee, moving up her thigh as he tugged at her panties. “These are in the way.”
She made some faint protest right before he slid his finger beneath the fabric and touched that slick flesh. Even better, she started unbuttoning her skirt and pushed it past her hips. He grabbed it and her panties and pulled them down in one move, setting them aside. She was beautiful, half naked, her hair trimmed into a small triangle. Then he touched her again. Her breath came erratically as he dipped one finger inside her incredibly tight entrance, while his thumb stroked her nub. So wet.
The more he touched her, the more her body took over. She shifted, lifting her hips, spreading her legs even more to give him access. He inhaled her beautiful scent, sweet and musky, feeling it coil inside him. He kept kissing the soft skin of her inner thighs, moving closer to the sacred V. His cock was not sated apparently, because it throbbed to drive into the slick opening his finger stroked. He found the place inside her that made her gasp.
Maybe the G in G-spot meant gasp. He smiled at the thought, and the way she was moving into his strokes. Sensing that she was on the precipice, he pulled his thumb away and touched his lips to her nub. Her body jerked slightly when she realized it was his mouth on her now, and then her hips pushed even closer. Adhering to his promise, he closed his eyes. There was plenty to lose himself in outside his visual senses.
He parted her folds and gave the swollen nub a gentle laving that had her breath coming faster. His finger kept sliding in and out, simulating the thrust of his cock. She moved with him, faster, and then she convulsed with her orgasm.
He rode her through it, savoring every contraction and shudder and pulse around his finger. Gods, he wished he was inside her, thrusting hard into her tight heat, finding his own release alongside hers.
“Holy shit,” she muttered as her body contorted with pleasure. Her body gradually relaxed, and her breathing calmed. It was amazing how giving her pleasure had felt as good as receiving it had earlier.
“Holy shit,” she said again, this time with more force. She wriggled away, stumbling out of the chair and grabbing up her skirt and panties and pulling them on. She pushed her hand through her hair, genuinely stunned. “How did we go from eating to…this?”
“I gave in to the Shadow. Just a little. And so did you.”
She still looked shaken up. “You’re a bad man, Kasabian.”
“Yes, love. But you knew that from the beginning.”
Chapter 10
Hayden Leaped in just before Kye was about to turn in for the night. He took in their positions on opposite sides of the room with a curious glance. Or likely he picked up on the tension between them. “Everything okay?”
“Peachy,” Kye said, setting her book aside. Her body felt great, revitalized, and it wanted more. She kept imagining Kasabian’s hand around his big shaft, the way his muscles tightened when he came.
“Fantastic,” Kasabian said in that same terse tone, sitting up from his sprawled position on her couch.
“Okay, then. I finally broke away, claiming exhaustion. Truth is, Cecily called with some registration information about the Hummer that took the missing boy away. She’s an information analyst at work, the one who looked up the stats on the missing kids. She has a bit of a crush on me, and yeah, I’m being an asshole and using that to get her to help me.” He smiled. “For a good cause. She peeled back two layers of false corporations connected to the vehicle that took him away. I have every confidence that she’ll find what we need.”
“Is Cecily Caido?” Kasabian set Jonathan’s picture on the coffee table, having been staring at it for the last twenty minutes.
“She’s Dragon. Cute thing. Reminds me of a kid sister. Anyway, she’s been helping me dig up information on the sly. But someone is obviously monitoring her activities. Her superior asked her why she was doing queries on missing children. She circumvented the question, but if she does more digging on the Guard’s computers, they’re going to know she’s involved. She did a manual search and found out that Treylon’s dead.”
“Officially,” Kasabian said. “What about Silva?”
“Doesn’t exist. I’ve been trying to talk to Kade Kavanaugh about his father and the supposedly crazy woman, but he’s been out of pocket.”
Kasabian stood. “I’ll feel a lot better when this barrier’s in place.”
Hayden started to raise his hand to create the barrier but stopped as his gaze drew to the picture on the coffee table. He snatched it up. “Where’d you get this?”
“That’s Lyle’s little brother, Jonathan. The one who’s missing. Why?”
“This is the boy who was found and is now with the Concilium. How did Jonathan go missing? When?”
“He went to some government-assisted camp a year ago. Soon after, Lyle and his mother were relocated to the Bend.”
“The Bend?” Kye asked.
Hayden kept staring at the picture. “Crescent housing for single mothers to raise their kids and get clean if they need to. It’s run by a private nonprofit group and is very secure. I can tell you, I never hear about any incidents there.”
“Supposedly this boy was adopted,” Kasabian said. “Lyle thinks he was sold because right after Jonathan went to this supposed camp, his mother moved to the Bend and suddenly had a nice home and money to spend.”
Now that Kye had seen Jonathan’s big brown eyes and cupid’s-bow mouth, this felt much more personal. She wanted to reach right into that photograph and pull him out. Hold him close. “Maybe the mother agreed to a deal with Treylon, and he made arrangements to get her into the Bend.”
“I think we start there.” Kasabian looked at Hayden. “Put up the shield, and then you and Cecily keep looking for Jonathan on your end.”
Hayden held out his hand, palm up. “One barrier coming up.”
The Light looked a bit like a Deuce orb at first, a small burst of brilliance. It morphed into what appeared to be a wall of water that the wind had ruffled at its surface. He slowly waved his hand in a circle, encompassing the
entire apartment. She watched it in awe as it moved to the walls and disappeared.
Kasabian watched it, too, but his expression was bereft. She felt the depth of his failure to protect her.
Hayden lowered his hand. “Done.”
She could barely see any disturbance in the air. “How does it work exactly?”
“No one can come in unless you invite them. However, once you invite someone in, they are permanently exempt.” He gave Kasabian a grave look. “You know the other way in.”
Kasabian nodded, his expression just as solemn. “Thank you, my friend. Go find the boy.”
Hayden disappeared.
“What’s the other way in?” Kye asked.
“If one of us is killed, someone can use our body to get through the barrier.”
Cold dread clamped around her heart. “Oh, that’s lovely.” Another thought clamped even tighter. “So this barrier means it’s safe for me to be here alone?”
“Yes. And you’ll be safer yet if I’m gone.” He wasn’t moving to leave. He seemed to be gripping the back of the sofa, and then she realized it was because he was swaying on his feet.
“Are you all right?”
He blinked, nodded, and headed to the door like a zombie. No wonder. He’d been beaten, Stripped.
“You shouldn’t be driving. Sleep here.” How dangerous could he be in his state of exhaustion?
“No.” But his body stopped.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and steered him to a sitting position on the couch. “You’ll sleep here.” When he looked as though he were going to protest again, she said, “I don’t want you to leave. I think…I’ll feel safer if you’re here.”
Kye tossed and turned in her bed despite her exhaustion. She threw on a robe and wandered down the hallway to get a glass of water. Kasabian was lying amid a tangle of sheets on the floor looking very much asleep. He was on his stomach, arms outstretched. His drawstring pants sat low on his hips, making his torso look long and lean.