by Tina Folsom
“Was Zoltan the demon who kidnapped my son and staged his death?”
Winter shook her head. “I don’t know. It was too dark in the room. And he wore a cloak and a hood. I only saw his green eyes for a moment, but I couldn’t really see his face.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. But I’ll do everything I can to help you find Angus.”
“If he’s still alive,” Cinead said, though he smiled with hope in his eyes.
“If he’s not, I’ll find out what happened to him. So you can have closure.”
Cinead nodded and took her hands. “I misjudged you. Many of us did. I’m sorry for what we did to your grandmother. When we voted on you, we didn’t know you were her granddaughter. Different last name, different cities, you know, there wasn’t much time to look into your background. We were afraid that the demons would get to you.”
“Like they’d gotten to my grandmother,” Winter said. “I don’t blame you or the council. Now that I’ve met Zoltan and know what he and his demons are capable of, I understand that you had to do what you did. My grandmother had a weakness, me.” She glanced at Logan. “I’ll never succumb to Zoltan. Because all I feel around me is strength. I can be strong for you, for all of you. I will be your eyes and ears.”
Cinead squeezed her hands and released them. “You take good care of her, Logan. Winter is part of our family now. And we protect what’s ours.”
Part of our family. The words echoed in Winter’s head and made her heart swell with joy.
She was part of something now.
She wasn’t alone anymore.
37
Logan closed the door to his private quarters behind him. One week had passed since the council had revoked Winter’s execution order. The council had been lenient with him, too, and had only issued a warning with regard to his insubordination.
“Winter?” he called out.
He heard sounds from the ensuite bathroom and walked toward the door just as Winter came out, dressed in a short bathrobe, her hair damp, her cheeks rosy.
God, how he loved this woman. He hadn’t told her yet, not in those words. He didn’t want to pressure her, didn’t want her to think that because he’d saved her life, she owed him anything in return. But it hadn’t stopped him from showering her with affection, or showing her with his body how much he desired her, adored her, loved her.
Looking at her now though, he knew he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He had to confess what he wanted. And hope that she was ready.
“Logan,” she murmured in that seductive way that always led to the same thing, him tearing her clothes off and burying his cock deep inside her. “You’re back earlier than I expected.”
With a smile, he walked toward her. “I hope that doesn’t bother you.”
She reached for his arm and pulled him closer. “I was thinking…”
“Yes?” He untied her robe’s belt and slid his hands inside. Her skin was warm and soft.
“Oh,” she sighed.
“You said you were thinking?” He caressed her hips before moving his hands up to her breasts.
“I can’t remember now.”
He squeezed her breasts gently, loving the feel of her firm flesh filling his palms. “Can’t have been that important then.” He dipped his head to brush a soft kiss to her lips, while he guided her back a step so her back connected with the wall. “You smell good. I bet you taste even better.” He dropped down to his knees in front of her.
“Logan…”
But whatever else she wanted to say didn’t leave her lips, because Logan was already pressing a kiss into her damp pubic hair. “Mmm.” Then he gripped her leg and lifted it over his shoulder, so her thigh came to rest on it.
“You’re crazy,” she murmured on a panted breath.
“Yes, crazy about you.” He brought his mouth to her nether lips and licked over them.
He’d done this a lot in the last week, pleasured her with his mouth before he’d rutted on her like an animal. She’d never once complained about being taken like that. Every single time she’d welcomed him with open arms and demanded he fuck her harder. They’d spent entire nights making love, and even when they’d fallen asleep, he hadn’t severed contact with her. Many times he’d awoken in the middle of the night, more randy than a sailor on shore leave. At those times he’d woken her by driving his cock into her, and she’d moaned in pleasure and surrendered her body to him. But was she ready to surrender her heart to him, too?
Beneath his lips he felt Winter’s flesh quiver. Her irregular breaths and her soft moans confirmed what he already knew. She was close to her climax. And at his mercy, because he’d learned how to draw out her orgasm, and how to bring it on. He’d learned that a long, slow lick of his tongue would tamp down her arousal, and that sucking her clit between his lips and pressing down could bring on an orgasm in an instant. Winter knew it, too.
“Logan, please!”
He heard her urgent plea and followed it. While he slid his middle finger into her succulent pussy, he drew her clit into his mouth.
A shaky breath burst from Winter’s throat.
He pressed his lips together and thrust his finger into her to the hilt.
Winter’s pussy spasmed around his finger and under his lips. He felt her knee buckle and steadied her with his free hand, until her orgasm ebbed.
Then without haste, he withdrew his finger from her, set her leg back on the floor and rose. He wrapped his arms around her inside her robe and held her tight.
“I love it when you come. It makes me so hard.”
“How hard?”
He pressed his groin to her so she could feel him.
“I could do with that,” she said with a suggestive look.
He chuckled. “Hold that thought. There’s something else I want to do first.”
“But you already—”
He silenced her with a kiss, then drew his head back. He took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”
She hesitated. “About?”
“About our situation here.”
“At the compound?”
He nodded. “I spoke to the council today.”
“About my living here?”
“Yes. They’ve given me two choices. Since you’re now allied with us and working for us as a psychic, the council has offered to set you up in your own secure compound, complete with 24/7 protection.”
“But I already have 24/7 protection with you,” she protested, a frown building on her forehead.
“I’m getting to that. I need to lay out all your options, so you know that whatever option you choose, you’ll be safe from the demons. And you’ll have everything you’ll ever need. The council will take care of all your needs, your living expenses, everything.”
She nodded. “You said options, plural. What’s the other option?”
“The other option depends on how you feel about me.”
“You know how I feel about you.”
He sighed. “Actually, I don’t. Not really. I know you’re grateful that I saved your life, and I know you enjoy having sex with me. Just like I enjoy having sex with you.”
“Is this where you tell me you enjoy the sex, but…” She pulled out of his arms. “Well, I guess it was too good to be true. I should have known. I mean, you never said the L-word. I just assumed that because you risked your life by coming to the Underworld to rescue me that it wasn’t out of duty. It’s okay.”
He gripped her chin and made her look at him. Now he saw everything he needed to know. “No, it’s not okay. And the reason I never said the L-word is because I didn’t want you to say it back because you were grateful.”
He pulled her back into his arms. “Winter, I love you. I know now that I should have told you how I felt the moment we were back from the Underworld. But I didn’t want to push my luck. You’d only just forgiven me for what I’d done in the past and—”
She put a finger over his lips. “I love you, Logan. I wanted to tell you, but… I gues
s I didn’t want to push my luck either.”
Logan let out a relieved chuckle. “Look at us. Brave in so many ways, yet scared when it comes to love.”
“Not anymore,” she said and smiled. Then she lowered her hand to his crotch and pressed it against his erection. “Now were you gonna take me to bed and use this gorgeous cock to drive me wild?”
“Yeah, about that…”
She raised her eyebrows. “What now?”
“About that other option the council offered…”
“Yeah?”
“You have the option of living here, at the Baltimore compound, with me. Under one condition.”
“Which is?”
“You would have to bond with me. To become my eternal mate.”
“Is this a proposal?”
“What if it is?”
“Then you should probably get down on your knees,” she suggested with a smirk.
“I believe I was just on my knees a minute ago.”
“Yeah, but that was for something else.”
“You’re a very demanding woman.”
“Is that a problem?”
He released her. “No. I like a challenge.” He went down on one knee and looked up at her, serious now. “Winter, will you be my wife, my eternal mate, my forever?”
Tears brimmed at her eyes and she sniffled. “Yes, yes, of course. Oh Logan!”
He jumped up and kissed her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he laid her on the sheets. She looked up at him, love and affection shining in her eyes. How had he ever been so blind not to see she loved him as much as he loved her? What had taken him so long?
“Can we have a short engagement?” she asked breathlessly.
“The shortest engagement you can think of.” He began to get undressed. “This will be our wedding night.” There was no need to wait, nor to explain to her that the bonding ritual would kill them both if their love wasn’t true. He had no such fear, because their love for each other was real, true, and deep.
~ ~ ~
“Tonight?” Winter stared at him, trying to digest his words. Did he mean to say that they wouldn’t have to waste time waiting for arrangements to be made, for a wedding to be planned, and all that useless stuff that went with it? “But we need a minister or some sort of government official, don’t we?”
Undeterred, Logan continued shedding his clothes. “Stealth Guardians don’t get married in the traditional way. We don’t need a minister or a justice of the peace. There will be no witnesses.”
“And it is legal?”
He rid himself of his last piece of clothing and slid one knee on the mattress beside her. “Oh, my love, it will not only be legal, it will be the strongest bond anybody can form. It will give you immortality and tie us together for eternity.”
Immortality, eternity. Those words hummed in her body like a second heartbeat. “You mean I’ll become like you? A Stealth Guardian?”
He rolled over her, pushing her legs apart to settle at her center, his cock poised at her pussy. “No. You’ll still be a psychic, but you won’t age, you’ll remain young with me by your side. Because what we’ll share tonight will tie our hearts together. Do you want this?”
Winter slid her hand to his nape and felt him shiver at the touch. “Yes, Logan, I want you, I want everything so we can be together forever. I love you.”
She suddenly felt his cock jerk, and shifted to get closer, when Logan thrust forward and drove into her. “I love you, Winter, with all my heart.” Seated deep inside her, he stilled and caressed her cheek. “Making love tonight will be different. It’ll be the Stealth Guardian way. You’ll feel things you’ve never felt until now. And through it, we’ll bond.”
“How?”
“Just follow my lead. I’ll guide you.”
She pulled his head to her and kissed him, showing him that she trusted him. Logan began to move inside her, his cock filling her, stretching her, so familiar, yet so exciting. They’d made love every night since they’d returned to the compound. And every night she’d felt as if it couldn’t possibly get any better—and then it did. Logan was a passionate lover, a man with a healthy appetite and immense stamina.
She loved the way he looked at her when he made love to her, just like he did now. It made her feel like she was the only person in the world. And to know that he loved her, truly loved her without reservations was more than she’d ever hoped for.
She felt her heartbeat accelerate every time their bodies came together with one long thrust, connecting not just on a physical level, but on a spiritual one, too. Everything seemed to disappear, to blur, as if her vision was swimming. She blinked, wondering if she was crying with joy, but when she opened her eyes again, her vision was even blurrier than before. Around them, a mass of fog was swirling, and she felt as if they were floating.
“Wh—?”
“Don’t be afraid, my love. I’m doing this,” Logan said softly, and kissed her.
Then she felt it, felt an energy surge inside her, fill her, strengthen her. Every cell of her body seemed to rejuvenate. Her heart beat excitedly, her pulse drummed in her veins, and farther below, where Logan’s cock drove into her, her muscles pulsed with renewed vigor. Her clit was close to exploding. The approach of an orgasm had never felt so intense.
Logan severed the kiss and pulled his head back. “I’ve given you my virta, my life force. Look at your arms.”
She snapped her head to the side, lifted one arm closer to her face. “Oh my God!” Her skin shimmered golden. “What’s happening to me?”
Logan slowed his thrusts. “I’m sharing myself with you.”
Astonishment and wonder spread in her. “It’s beautiful.” Everything inside her felt free and strong.
“Now you have to send it back to me, to complete the circle.” He looked at her hand. “Lay your hand over my heart.”
Winter placed her hand over Logan’s heart and watched in fascination. Her own heart seemed to suddenly be on fire—not in a destructive kind of way, but like a soothing flame. She felt that heat travel through her now, upward to her shoulder, then down along her arm. She could see the flames now, watched them travel to her hand and into her fingers. From there, tiny little sparks seemed to explode and pierce Logan’s skin.
Logan threw his head back and groaned, but he didn’t pull back, and she continued sending more of his virta back to him. She understood now, because she was connected to him. She saw his heart. Saw it beat for her, saw his love for her and knew it was true and strong. She saw his honor, his goodness, saw everything she loved about him. And she saw something else. She saw a vision of herself in the future. Herself and Logan, and the life they would create together. One day.
“Logan,” she murmured, “oh, my love.” Tears blurred her vision now and she allowed them to come. They were tears of joy and relief.
They would both live and love. They would be together. Happy.
She locked eyes with him. “You’re mine now. My guardian. My hero. My love.”
A soft smile played on his lips. “Nobody will ever take you away from me again. I promise.” He brushed his lips to her. “And now it’s time I pleasure my wife so she won’t have any complaints about her new husband’s performance in bed.”
And Logan did just that. Indeed, she had no complaints, because it turned out that the golden shimmer his virta had left on her skin, was still there. And as long as she shimmered golden, every touch from Logan sent another wave of pleasure through her body, making her climax again and again.
38
Zoltan closed the vortex behind him with an angry flick of his head. Nothing was going his way. Nothing! His idiot subjects had allowed a Stealth Guardian to steal his psychic from right under their noses. Imbeciles! Had those idiots not gotten themselves killed, Zoltan would have done it himself. But now there was nobody appropriate to punish. So he’d made his way to the human world. He needed to feed. Maybe that would tamp down the fury coursing thr
ough his veins.
He charged into the next alley. He knew his way around this area very well. This was drug central. He loved this neighborhood. On every corner there was a human who not only deserved to die, but was practically asking for it. And tonight he was in the mood for killing.
The dealer, who thought he was well-hidden in the entrance to a closed repair shop, was easy to spot. Zoltan marched toward him and cornered him in the entryway.
“What the fuck?” the jerk hissed and pulled a knife. “Get out of my fucking face.”
Undeterred by the weak threat, Zoltan pressed the dealer against the door and snatched him by the throat. “No, I’m gonna get right in your face.” He chuckled to himself. Did these stupid humans really think that a few strong words and a little blade of stainless steel would scare him? “I’m your master now. And I’m gonna suck the life out of you.”
Normally, he would glare at him with his green eyes now, but Zoltan had donned his special colored contact lenses since feeding wasn’t his only purpose for coming to the human world. He couldn’t risk being recognized. Unable to frighten the drug dealer with his green eyes, Zoltan simply squeezed his throat tighter and concentrated on his mind.
“I’m taking your life force. I’m going to enjoy every last ounce of you before you die.”
Finally the dealer seemed to realize that Zoltan meant business, but his struggles were fruitless. Fear rose in him. Zoltan could feel it call to him.
“I love the smell of your fear. Yes, give it to me.” He leaned in closer and saw a white mist ooze from his victim’s nostrils and mouth. “Yes, come to papa.”
Zoltan sucked in the fear that streamed from his victim. With every breath, it nourished him, made him stronger, and displaced his fury and the disappointment he’d experienced yet again as a result of his subjects’ incompetence.
He could feel the dealer’s life force slowly extinguishing. He could stop feeding now if he wanted to, and leave the man alive, but tonight he felt no mercy. Tonight, he wanted to bring death. So he sucked harder and took more, took all of it, until all that was left of the drug dealer was a lifeless shell.