by Lily Harlem
“Thank you.”
“And we’ll make sure you stay beautiful and alive.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Abraham set his attention on Seth. “Don’t leave her side.”
“I won’t.” He sounded a little affronted at the suggestion.
Abraham nodded and turned to leave.
Seth followed him.
Megan looked at his broad back—his shoulders were so wide, his muscles thick and powerful. He held himself like a man who would take some taking down, even by a vampire. He looked like a man who had special, secret powers. A weapon he hadn’t admitted to her yet.
After the door had been locked and bolted, Seth returned. He stood before her.
“I thought Abraham was one of the wolves,” she said. It was time to get this out in the open.
“Did you?” His arms hung at his sides and he frowned slightly.
“Yes. I saw him earlier, running alongside the wall.”
“You did.”
“You know I did.” She folded her arms. “Seth?”
“What?” He mimicked her action.
“I…you know…I’m not stupid.”
“No one said you were.”
“But you’re not telling me something, are you?”
“And what would that be?” He tilted his chin.
She pulled in a breath. She was just going to have to say it. Blurt out what she was thinking. It was crazy, sure, but so was the existence of a vampire that wanted to drain her dry.
She stared at him, then, “Abraham is a shifter, isn’t he?”
Seth was silent.
“The wolves here looking after me are all shifters. They can switch between being human and animal. Don’t try and tell me they’re not.”
“What do you know about shifters?” He pressed his knuckles against his biceps, the muscles bulging.
“Only what I’ve read in books. That they’re humans who can turn into animals, that they have special powers.”
“Special powers?”
She swallowed. This was getting more surreal by the hour. “Will you just tell me the truth?”
He said nothing.
“Seth.”
He clamped his lips together.
“Goddammit.” She stepped up to him. “Don’t you think I deserve the truth? I’m a sitting duck. There is nothing but a few doors and bolts between me and a supernatural murderer who is out to get me. I’m being pretty calm all things considered, but this…” She banged her fist on his shoulder. “Tell me the truth.”
He didn’t budge but shook his head slightly.
“Don’t do that. Don’t say no. Tell me.” She whacked him again, harder this time. Fear, anger, and frustration warred within her. Her sanity was slipping as was her ability to maintain a brave face. If Seth couldn’t be honest with her—the man who’d fucked her not long ago, who’d said he’d die for her, who she’d entrusted with her life—then what did she have left?
Tears sprang into her eyes, making them prickle. Her throat tightened and a sob bubbled up from her chest.
She banged him again, with both fists this time.
“Hey.” He grabbed her wrists.
She tried to pull free but it was to no avail.
“Megan, calm down.”
His words had no effect. She had to get out of there. What the hell was going on? She was a prisoner.
“Megan, please, stop.” He trapped her wrists in just one of his hands and pulled her close so her head was beneath his chin. “Calm the hell down. This isn’t helping anything.” He tightened his free arm around her body.
“No, but…I need to know, I need you…to be honest…with me.” She screwed up her eyes. In spite of her frustration she sagged against him. “I might die. This is my life. I need to know what’s going on.”
“I know.” He leaned back a fraction.
She looked up at him as a tear escaped from her right eye, and trickled down her cheek.
“Can you handle the truth?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you keep a secret? An ancient secret that very few humans have ever been told?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
He pulled in a breath. “In that case, yes, Abraham is a shifter. The wolf you saw, that was him, in his other body.”
She nodded. A sense of relief washed through her. Far from being worried or scared, the knowledge was a comfort. It confirmed that she wasn’t going mad. Her imagination wasn’t running away with itself. She wasn’t adding up two and two and making five.
He stroked his hand over her hair. “How do you feel now I’ve told you?”
She nodded. “Better. Thank you for trusting me.”
“Well, that goes both ways. You’re trusting us, a lot.”
“I know, but I believe in you.” She paused. “And Nia, she’s a shifter too?”
“Yes.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. It was clear he wasn’t used to talking about the shifters.
Megan looked into his dark eyes; his long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks and his messy black fringe hung forward.
“Are you a shifter?” she asked quietly.
His eyes narrowed a little. “What would you say if I was?”
“I’d say thank you for saving me, in the alley.”
He pulled in a breath, his nostrils flaring. “That was a close call.”
“It was.” She tugged her wrists to free them from his grasp.
He released her.
“And if you hadn’t been there…” She pressed her hands to his cheeks, his thick stubble tickling her palms. “I wouldn’t be standing here now. I’d be a murder victim.”
He kissed her, hard and quick. “Shh, don’t talk about that.”
“It’s hard not to think about it.”
“I don’t want you to. I want you to feel safe, to feel cared for when you’re with me.”
“I do.” She paused. “So, you are a shifter.”
“You know what?” His eyes narrowed.
“What?”
He paused, then, “I’m hungry, like really fucking hungry.”
“Wolf’s appetite, huh?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, something like that.” He grinned suddenly. “Come on, let’s make food. I’ve used up a lot of energy this evening.”
“Bedroom energy.” She stepped back and released him.
“Yeah, and I’d like some more bedroom action later if that’s okay with you.”
“I’m sure it can be arranged.”
He smiled and went into the kitchen.
She stared after him. Her new lover was a shifter. She couldn’t have dreamed that up in her wildest fantasies. But damn, he was something else. Manly and tough, passionate and loving.
If a vampire wasn’t on the hunt for her blood, she’d have notched it up as an amazing day.
“What do you think of this?” Seth called from the kitchen.
“What?” She followed him into the room that was lit by a wooden chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.
“Chili with baked potatoes?”
“Perfect.” She went to the window and gripped the heavy brocade curtains. Pausing for a moment, she stared outside. A shudder went through her. It was misty, and a thick fog hung over the lawn.
As she shut the curtains and blocked out the night, a long, low yowl filtered in from the outside.
“That’s only Abraham,” Seth said, placing ingredients onto the counter. “Telling the twins it’s all clear.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s good then.”
“Yes, it is.” He jabbed his finger at a chopping board. “Gonna make yourself useful?”
“Yes, definitely.” She needed something to do. Thinking of the mist outside and the howling wolves before she went to bed wasn’t good. Distraction was definitely necessary. She glanced at Seth. His big body seemed to almost fill the kitchen. He was a pretty good distraction and she’d be happy to while away a few hours in bed with him.
Fo
r the next ten minutes or so, they were quiet. Seth chopped mushrooms and onions and fried them. Megan sorted out the baked potatoes and put them in the oven. She also carefully chopped a chili to add to the beef mince and made a guacamole out of ingredients she’d found in the fruit bowl and fridge.
“Looks good,” Seth said, stepping in close behind her.
“Yes, it will be twenty minutes or so before it’s ready, though.” She set down the towel she’d just finished drying her hands with.
“I’m not complaining.” He slipped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head.
“I thought you were hungry.” She smiled, enjoying his touch.
“I am but, at this precise moment, not for food.” He kissed her ear and the angle of her jaw.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head, giving him access to her neck.
Very gently, he kissed over the spot Bennington had been aiming for with his fangs.
She trembled slightly.
“Shh…”
She relaxed onto him, pushing thoughts of Bennington and the alley from her mind. “So what are you hungry for?”
“You.” He pressed forward, his hard cock jutting against her lower back.
Megan couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, are you now?”
Suddenly, she was facing him. He’d spun her in his arms.
“Yes.” Desire flashed over his eyes. “I want to make you forget about it all.”
“You certainly did that last time.”
“Good.” He kissed her, a long, hot kiss that meant more than words.
Heat infused her body, he was so hot and strong. When he held her, it was all she could think of.
He drifted his hands down her body, to her waist, then hoisted her into the air until her ass was on the counter.
Their kiss broke. She stared up at him.
“I hope you haven’t got anything on beneath this robe.”
“No, bare as the day I was born.”
“Good.” He reached for the belt and tugged. It slipped free.
“Wait.” She held his wrist. “I have another idea.”
Chapter Seven
“What?” He pulled back, clearly surprised. “Not chess.”
She laughed. “No, not chess.” She pushed at his shoulder and hopped down. “I need a shower, it’s been a long day.”
“A shower?” He lifted one eyebrow.
“Yeah, come on. It’s plenty big enough for two.”
“Ahh, I like the way you think.”
She grinned, then turned away. As she walked from the kitchen, she allowed the robe to slip down her arms and fall to the floor.
He gave a low whistle.
She smiled to herself and headed into the darkened bedroom.
The bathroom light was still on and, as she stepped in, she was aware of Seth right behind her.
A light tremble went over her body. The thought of showering with Seth, seeing him covered in suds, running her hands over his broad, wet chest had lust racing through her veins.
She turned on the water and held her hand under it. It only took a moment to heat.
Movement in the mirror caught her attention, and she watched as Seth stripped away his jeans.
Damn, he was ready to go, his cock standing thick and proud.
She stepped into the flow of water and inhaled the quickly collecting steam.
“Need soaping up?” he asked, joining her and holding a small bottle of shampoo aloft.
“I think I just might.” She allowed the water to soak through her hair and turned her back to him.
He was close behind her, the tip of his cock grazing her skin. He slid his hands into her hair. Soon, the aroma of coconut and vanilla filled her nostrils as he tenderly and carefully worked the shampoo into a lather.
She sighed. It was heavenly. Her body relaxed and she leaned back against him.
Stroking her hair and rubbing her scalp, he began to let the water soak away the suds.
“That feels good,” she murmured.
“You feel good, next to me.” He slipped one hand around her body and held her tighter.
“Here.” She reached for a shower gel that sat on a small shelf. “I’m feeling dirty.”
He chuckled and held his hand out, palm up. “Perhaps I want to keep you dirty.”
She squirted a blob of the creamy liquid into his palm. “Maybe you should just finish what you started.”
He kissed her wet head. “Happy to oblige.”
Again she relaxed onto him as he used both hands to spread the gel over her body. He massaged her breasts, tweaked her nipples and smoothed it over her waist.
The water was bliss, his touch even more so. And his cock, so hard and thick, strained against the small of her back.
She had a sudden urge.
She turned within his arms, her soapy body sliding easily against his.
He looked mildly surprised. “What’s up, baby?”
“Nothing…well actually something is.” She took hold of his shaft. “Very up.”
“Ahh…yeah, that’s true.”
She grinned and gave his cock a few firm strokes.
“Nice,” he said, his eyelids drooping.
“If you like that, you’ll like this a whole lot more.” She sank to her knees, folding them beneath herself.
“Baby.” His mouth hung slightly open, and he slotted his fingers into her hair.
“Enjoy,” she said, using her free hand to cup his warm, wet balls.
“Oh God.” He gritted his teeth and appeared to brace.
A flush of female power went through her. This big strong man was at her mercy.
She tipped forward and took his glans into her mouth. He tasted soapy and clean but also, beneath that, there was something else. Man, heat and musk.
He groaned.
She went deeper, taking more of him into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged and she shut her eyes.
“Fuck, yeah…” he gasped.
She began to roll his balls, playing with them and teasing them.
A full body tremble attacked him, and he tightened his grip on her hair.
She took that as a good sign and set up a steady rhythm, sliding him in and out of her mouth.
Before long she was lost in the moment. Giving Seth pleasure was all that mattered.
A drip of pre-cum leaked from his slit, coating her tongue in rich saltiness.
“Megan…oh God.”
She clasped her lips tighter around him. His big cock was getting ready to erupt, she could tell.
“No!” He quickly pulled her to standing, his hands beneath her arms.
She pouted. The loss of him in her mouth, so near to him coming, felt like cheating. “What?”
“Like this. I want you to come too.” He spun her to face the tiles.
She spread her fingers on the cool surface and gasped as he hooked her left leg beneath his forearm, hoisting her into the air. “Seth.”
“God, you make me crazy for you,” he whispered into her ear. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you, my mate.”
Mate?
His cock was at her entrance, hot and hard, almost unbelievably wide.
He pushed in.
“Oh…ahh…” She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. The way he stretched her, filled her, it was so much, almost too much, but so damn good.
“Yeah, take me,” he said by her ear. “All of me.” He buried himself deep, so that she was effectively sitting on his cock, her ass on his pubic hair.
He sought out her clit with his free hand and began to rub fast circles over it.
Megan trembled and shook. She clenched her internal muscles around him. She was consumed. The need to come was quickly becoming overpowering.
He pulled halfway out, blasted back in.
She grunted as the air was knocked from her.
“Come, come with me,” he said gruffly. “Please.”
“A bit more… more…” She wasn’t quite there but it wouldn�
��t take long.
He groaned. It was a strained, almost painful sound.
“Keep…going…”
He pounded into her. Worked her clit harder, faster.
The pressure was building, getting ready to erupt. “Oh, oh, Seth, yes, now…fuck.” She’d passed the point of no return. Her orgasm was there, about to rip through her.
He released his pleasure, succumbed to his climax, his chest knocking into her back and his loud, primitive cries of pleasure echoing around the bathroom.
She toppled into ecstasy, his orgasm seemingly mixing with hers. It was so good. “Ah, ah…yes, more, more…” She shut her eyes. The searing hot darts of satisfaction racing around her body were like fireworks exploding on her nerve endings.
Her pussy was clenching and flexing around his cock, her clit thumping against his fingers.
Eventually, he stilled and took his fingers from her sensitive bud. “Damn that was incredible,” he whispered against her ear as he smoothed her hair from her cheek.
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“Glad to hear it.” He carefully lifted her and set her feet on the floor.
A shard of panic went through her and she turned to him.
“What?” he asked, studying her face.
“Condom. We forgot… Shit, and before.”
“It’s okay.”
“But…?”
“I won’t get you pregnant, it’s not possible with my DNA.”
“I’m on the pill, but still, we should have…”
“It’s all cool. I told you, I won’t hurt you or risk you in any way, not just when it comes to vampires.” He paused. “And, damn, flesh-on-flesh feels so good.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“What’s that noise?” Megan asked.
He lifted his head. “The timer, dinner is ready.”
“Food.” She ran her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. “I suppose we do have to eat.”
“Yeah.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “We have to eat more than just each other.”
Megan giggled and stepped from the shower. She grabbed a towel, dried her skin briskly, then wrapped it around her head, turban style. She then went in search of the robe she’d abandoned earlier.
Seth followed her, a towel around his waist. “Smells good.”
“Yeah, it does.” She glanced at him and hoped he was done with clothes for the day. Nice as he looked in his worn jeans and tattered T-shirt, she preferred him practically naked.