by Kate Pearce
“Ella!”
She clapped her hands over her ears as a possessive roar crashed over her senses.
“Keep it down, Morosov!”
“ELLA!”
Something huge and dark appeared on the other side of the space, and she forgot how to breathe. The creature was massive, with black wings, clawed fingers and sharp, wicked-looking teeth.
“Um, Morosov?”
The thing glared at her and then spoke, its bellowing voice beating against the walls like a drum.
“Who are you?”
“It’s me, you big feathered dummy!”
She didn’t have time to say more as the creature leaped forward, picked her up and shot upward, shattering the glass ceiling as they soared above the complex. Wind rushed through her hair, and she clung onto his massive shoulders as they climbed higher and higher. Had she ever mentioned to him how much she hated heights? She buried her face in his feathered chest as they plummeted back to earth, and kept it there until her feet touched something solid.
“Morosov, what the hell—?”
His mouth was on hers, his fangs grazing her lip until she opened to him. He backed her up until she was braced against a wall, or a tree, or something. She didn’t care as long as it held her up and he continued to kiss her. His mouth devoured hers, and her hand tightened in the feathery softness of his long black hair. It was Vadim, but it wasn’t. She probably should’ve been afraid.
He picked her up until her knees rode his hips and pressed himself against her hidden core. He didn’t need to say anything; the thick ridge of his erection was driving her wild. It was only a couple of days since she’d last seen him, but it felt like forever. She magicked off her own jeans and panties and felt him there, hard and throbbing, needing her as much as she needed him.
Bigger everywhere, bigger there too, but she took him inside inch by inch and started to climax before he was all the way in, which made the last few thrusts even easier. She kept coming and he took everything, his clawed hands moving carefully over her, his mouth kissing hers, sliding down her throat to sink his teeth into her soft skin as he finally came hard and deep within her.
“Don’t cry.”
His voice resonated inside her, raw with emotion and saturated with power.
Was she crying?
What the hell was going on?
* * *
He held her close; his face buried in the crook of her neck, his cock still inside her. In that first confused moment when he saw her altered face, he’d almost killed her... The shock of it still reverberated through him. He hadn’t expected her to be that close.
She bit down hard on the side of his neck and he flinched.
“Get off me.”
Reluctantly he released her, found her pants and handed them back. He didn’t want her to put them on just yet. He wanted her again.
She struggled into her purple panties and then her pink jeans. Even though it was difficult, he couldn’t stop staring at her face.
“It is uncanny. You look like my sister.”
“And you look like a bad Big Bird.” She glared at him and then touched her face. “I know, it’s creepy, isn’t it? I wonder if Adam did it deliberately.”
“I’m sure he did.”
Vadim walked away from her and sat on a nearby log. They were in a clearing high up in the uninhabited mountains to the north of the sect’s stronghold, a place only his immediate family knew about. The feathers on his wings caught the slight breeze, and he barely resisted the urge to unfurl them and shake out his tension. He’d hoped Ella would never have to see him like this, but it was too late to change back into what she was used to.
“What are you doing in Otherworld, Ms. Walsh?”
She folded her arms across her chest. Never a good sign. “Don’t worry, fathead, I wasn’t looking for you.”
He tried a neutral smile. “You seem to have found me anyway.”
“I was at Adam’s because I wanted my face back. That’s the only reason why.”
She was definitely mad at him. Was that a good sign or a bad one?
“What happened to you, anyway?” She waved a hand at him.
He looked down at his body. “This is my true form. Does it offend you?”
“It’s nothing to do with me, is it?”
He sighed. Perhaps it was better to give her an open target for her pent-up rage. “It’s going to be like this, then? You having a major hissy fit over nothing?”
“Nothing?” She stalked over to him and stuck her finger in his face. “Don’t you dare fuck with me, Morosov! You waltzed off to Otherworld, telling me to stay put like a good little girl and insisting you didn’t need me anymore. Why should I care what becomes of you?”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“As I said, and as I’ve already told your family more than once, I came to get my face back, not to babysit you.”
Diverted from his true purpose, just as she had probably intended, he couldn’t help asking, “You’ve met my family?”
She counted on her fingers. “Your grandmother stuck me in a dungeon to keep me out of the way, your father wanted to blackmail me into taking you back to San Francisco and your mother practically cried all over me to save you.”
He focused on the most dangerous part. “You saw my father? What else did he say to you?”
She finally looked at him. “You don’t want to know.”
“He said I’m a monster, didn’t he?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Then I understand why you aren’t pleased to see me.” He had to look away. “I can’t defend my past.”
She didn’t even attempt to contradict him. An iron band closed around his heart. “What do you want from me, Ella?”
“To help me get my face back and bring Adam down.”
“That’s all?”
“I haven’t decided about the rest, yet.”
“But we’re mated.”
Her unfamiliar blue eyes shot sparks. “And you walked out on me!”
He grabbed her hand and held fast. “You know why I left.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I had to try and protect you. You’re not dumb, I’m sure you worked that out for yourself.”
“That you’re such a hero?”
“No, that despite everything, you mean more to me than anything else in my life.” Something hot fell on his skin and he realized she was crying. “Ella—”
“I don’t need this right now, Morosov, all right? I just want to get my face back. If you can’t help me with that, go away.”
He released her hand and stared down at the trampled grass. Perhaps he had misjudged her. Her fear of rejection and abandonment ran so deep... Perhaps his father’s words had made her hate him beyond reason, and even beyond their mated state. He wasn’t surprised. Who would want to be mated to an executioner? There was still one thing he could do for her...
“There is a way for you to regain your face.”
She looked back at him, her eyes still full of tears. “There is?”
He slowly stood up and bowed. “I would be more than willing to help you achieve your aim.”
Hope blossomed in her eyes. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Perhaps after you’ve rested for a while, we can discuss how we mean to go on.”
* * *
She woke up feeling warm, for once, and slowly opened her eyes to discover she was in a sleeping bag with a proper pillow under her head. Trust Vadim to have all the right camping gear. Despite the fact that she was out in the middle of nowhere with a no-good shape-shifting Fae prince, she felt remarkably safe. The clearing was in darkness, only the light from a small fire breaking the gloom. She sat up and scanned the area. The high peaks of mountains and pine trees surrounded them, and the air had an icy freshness to it that literally caught at her breath.
Behind her, in the forest, she could pick up the presence of smaller woodland Fae and other species. Nothing ap
proached the fire or the solitary male who sat facing it. She’d never thought of herself as a coward, but part of her wanted to turn over, go back to sleep and pretend none of this had really happened. Something about the rigid set of his shoulders made her get up and walk toward him.
He spoke before she reached him.
“There’s coffee keeping warm by the fire.”
“Cool.” She went forward and poured herself a cup of the fragrant brew. “Thanks.” She stood and looked out over the clearing. “You should’ve woken me earlier.”
“There was no need. It is too late to start back for the palace. Adam will not find us here.”
“Did you ward the clearing?”
“It is always like this. Only those of the Royal blood can get through the shields. It’s a place of refuge.”
She got the sense that he’d been there a lot. She looked down at her boot and kicked a stone. “Thanks for the sleeping bag. That’s the first decent nap I’ve had since I got here.”
“You are welcome.”
She kicked another stone, which thunked against the log he was sitting on. God, this was awkward. Why the hell was she feeling sorry for him?
“Did you think I’d come to save you?”
She caught a hint of a smile. “No one needs to save me, Ms. Walsh. I’m Death Bringer.”
“So your father said.”
His expression went blank. “Do you want something to eat?”
So he didn’t want to talk about that. What a surprise. “Of course I do.” She held up her hand. “But I know how to do that stuff myself now.” She concentrated on the image of a triple cheeseburger and fries, but nothing happened. “Damn, I had it the other day.”
“It’s not your fault. The wards around this space are extremely powerful.”
“Can’t you get through them, either?”
“Not unless I want to bring my entire family down on us, but I have something better.” He held up her backpack.
“Where did you get that?”
“Adam gave it to me.”
“Why?” She took it from his outstretched hand.
“To mess with my head?”
She sat down beside him and rummaged in the backpack. “I have a couple of juice boxes if you want one, and some protein bars.”
“That would be wonderful.”
He was being terribly polite, which meant that underneath he was as pissed off as she was. When she handed over his share, she risked a joke. “How the mighty have fallen.”
“Needs must, Ms. Walsh.”
“Why are you calling me that?”
He ripped open his protein bar using his teeth. “I thought you’d prefer it.”
“Would you like me to start calling you Death?”
“Not really.”
“Then Ella will do nicely.” She struggled to open the foil packaging of her bar. Vadim reached across and slashed through the foil with one long claw. “Thanks. Since when did swans have talons?”
“In Otherworld I can become anything I choose.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“Most of them unpleasant, as you’ve no doubt discovered.” He finished his bar and started on his juice. “I noticed you were limping earlier. Is there something wrong with your ankle?”
“I was bitten by a dragon.”
His head snapped round. “What kind?”
“Does it really matter? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?” He continued to stare at her, and she sighed. “Fine. It was small and black, with red eyes and sharp teeth. Does that help?”
“You got as far as the trophy room?”
“I got as far as reaching for my face, and then that damned dragon closed his jaws around my ankle, and I lost it.”
“May I see your ankle?”
She stuck out her booted foot. “Someone bandaged it up for me while I was out of it. I was going to try that cleanup spell you gave me on it, but I didn’t get a chance.”
“Let me see.”
He gently maneuvered her foot onto his thigh and removed her boot and striped orange sock. She winced as he folded back her jeans to reveal her bandaged ankle.
“Is a dragon’s bite poisonous?”
“It can be, but if someone went to the bother of treating the wound for you, I suspect they wanted to keep you alive.”
“To use as bait.”
He looked up into her eyes, his own faintly amused. “I was already caught.”
“You were?”
“I have to thank you, actually.” He started to unwrap the bandage. “My rage at your capture allowed me to slough off the effect of my shackles with greater speed than my enemies expected.”
“Well that’s cool, because your rage woke me up and helped me make the decision to escape. How’s that for anger management?” She flinched as he finished uncovering the wound and touched her skin.
“I can see the tooth marks, but there isn’t any infection. Is it still sore?”
“A little.”
“I can fix that.” Warmth flowed from his fingers into her skin, and slowly the ache disappeared. “Is that better?”
“Much.” She had to get his hands off her before she launched herself into his lap and covered him in kisses. Being close to him was so confusing. She was never sure if she wanted to slap him or fuck him. God forbid she ever got up the nerve to do both. In his current form he’d probably love it. “Thanks.”
He hesitated, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the fire. “There is something else hurting you.”
There was no point in prevaricating. She touched her upper arm. “My shoulder. When I was trying to find my way in the main entrance earlier, I got caught by some sort of magic pulse rebound.”
“You broke into the palace?”
“Yeah, did you think Adam dragged me in by the hair?”
“I assumed—”
“Well, we all know what that makes you, don’t we? I broke in by myself.” She glared at him. Yeah. It was so much easier to feel mad than sorry for him. She did mad so well. “I am perfectly capable of evading capture and executing my own plan.” There was no need to tell him that five seconds after getting through the door, she’d been captured again. She certainly wasn’t telling him that she owed most of her success to his powers and Rossa’s help. “I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I never thought that.”
“You said I would be a liability in Otherworld.”
“I said what I needed to say to keep you safe.”
“And then waltzed over here by yourself and were immediately captured.”
“I—”
“Just because you were dumb enough to get caught, doesn’t mean I had to be too.”
He breathed out carefully through his fangs. “I didn’t get caught. I allowed Adam to bring me to Otherworld.”
“Oh, that’s right. Your noble gesture to save my pretty face.”
“Who told you that?” His question was sharp.
“Several people. Apparently there was supposed to be a pact to prevent Adam from taking my face. A pact brokered by you.” He shifted in his seat but remained silent. “Aren’t you going to defend yourself?”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to discuss our relationship.”
“This isn’t about us, this is about you threatening your entire family if they didn’t do what you wanted. Who the hell does that?”
“Death Bringer does.” He scowled at her. “And this isn’t about my family. You’re pissed because I left you. Can’t you even admit that?”
She drew herself up to her full height. “I thought that was too obvious to mention. Why would I care that you deliberately tried to alienate me and kept me in the dark about your true purpose? Who the fuck would mind that they were deemed useless? Why the hell would I even give it a second thought?” She realized she was shouting and that he was regarding her with a faint smile. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
“I’m not laughing. You’
ve expressed your lack of concern for my welfare many times before.”
She hated the way the light had gone from his face and that she was responsible for it. “Do you want them all to loathe you?”
“If it brings results, why not?” He shrugged. “They made me what I am. Perhaps it is time that they learn to fear what they can no longer control.”
There was a hardness to him that she hadn’t expected, a grandeur and arrogance that fitted the immense power of his true form. He’d always seemed strong, but now he was truly frightening. He stood up and walked away, presenting her with a fine view of his wings and the tight, high curve of his ass.
“You’re saying you’d kill everyone who loves you, just for me?”
He swung around to face her. “They don’t love me. They are afraid of me and wish to control my power.”
“Which is why you left Otherworld in the first place.”
“Yes.”
“If we can retrieve my face, would you stay in Otherworld or go back to San Francisco?”
“That’s up to you, isn’t it?”
This time she was the one to look away. Damn the man for demanding certainties she wasn’t yet prepared to give him. She was no therapist, but didn’t he understand that his desertion had activated all her fears of abandonment and betrayal? She hadn’t expected that, hadn’t ever wanted to feel like a bawling five-year-old kid left at an institution again. She’d spent years learning to protect herself from the hurt, putting up barriers to keep herself safe. Why should she let him know that seeing him made everything right in her world? Why give him the ammunition to destroy her again?
“It’s getting late. Do you want to take a look at my shoulder, or not?”
He regarded her steadily for a long moment. “Still hiding, Ella?”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Liar.”
He flowed toward her; the beauty of his movements made her think of sex and entangled limbs and kisses. “For a female who prides herself on speaking her mind, how is it that for me, your mate, the male who shares your thoughts, you have nothing but deception? Is what you feel for me too ‘honest’ to be shared?