“You came to arrest me for a crime I did not commit,” Mencheres said calmly below them. “Tell Radjedef I will present myself to the Guardian Council . . . once I have proof of who truly committed these acts.”
Then the Enforcers were flung upward before slamming down into the ground again, and again, and again. Kira was too shocked by their macabre bouncing routine, which loosed more concrete each time to notice that Mencheres now stood at her elbow.
“We must leave.”
Almost numbly, she nodded, putting her arms around his neck as he held her to him. Then Mencheres rocketed them away, the Enforcers still thumping solidly on the ground below them.
M encheres kept one arm around Kira as he blasted them straight up into the sky. He kept half his concentration on the Enforcers below, trying to stun them as much as possible with the repeated impacts, but soon his power over them broke as the distance between them grew.
Once he felt that mental snap, Mencheres turned all of his focus on propelling them higher into the sky, farther up than he would have dared when Kira was human. After several seconds, the air chilled, and the lights below them became dimmer. Still, he did not ease up. He knew the mettle of the Enforcers. They would recover swiftly, then they would be after them.
Soon enough he felt another swell of power in the currents below them. He focused on it, sending a concentrated burst of force downward toward the source. He was rewarded by a muffled scream and the abrupt dissipation of that trailing energy. The Enforcer would probably recover before he hit the ground. If he didn’t, mountains were now underneath them instead of the thousands of humans innocently gathered at an amusement park, and a hard landing wouldn’t kill a vampire.
Two more sets of power rode on the air currents after them. Mencheres gave a grim shake of his head as he used more of his strength to deliver a pair of high-force impacts that sent them tumbling toward the earth. Killing them at the park would have been much easier, but Radje wanted Mencheres to kill them. Slaying even one of the Enforcers would ensure that all of the Guardians united against him. He couldn’t do that, but that didn’t mean he would allow them to capture him or Kira. The only surprise was that Radje hadn’t come with the Enforcers to assist in their attempt to bring him in.
“Cold . . . too cold,” Kira muttered.
Frost started to cover both of them, but he couldn’t risk going lower. It took a great deal of his considerable power to keep them this fast and this high. Most of the Enforcers would not be able to match this height and velocity. It was their best chance of getting away without him resorting to slaying the ones who chased them.
A vast expanse of dark blue ran alongside the intermittent lights below them. Mencheres gave it a speculative glance. Perhaps there was another way to slip the Enforcers without depleting his strength on this altitude or those blasts of power needed to deflect his pursuers.
Mencheres swung them toward that continual stretch of blue, dropping their height until ice no longer began to crystallize on Kira’s skin. At the same time, he felt the charge of three more Enforcers coming from below them. He let them get closer. Closer, closer . . .
He sent a triple blast of power that spun them back toward the mountains. A stretch around with his senses revealed that the other Enforcers were not nearby. Satisfied, Mencheres wrapped both arms around Kira and bulleted their bodies in a straight downward line toward that inviting indigo platform.
“Mencheres, no!” she screamed.
Their bodies torpedoed into the ocean a moment later.
T he blast of impact shook Kira, sending sizzling pain through her body. For a few seconds, she was stunned. Then the pain dissipated, replaced instead by an inexplicable rush of panic. She had to remind herself there was nothing to be afraid of. She didn’t need to breathe anymore, but a part of her still wanted to scream as Mencheres hurtled them deeper into the ocean. He was slower underwater than he’d been in the skies, but still so fast that she felt like they were being yanked downward by a great invisible chain. The water surrounded her with an ever-tighter embrace, the pressure increasing until she felt claustrophobic. Nothing but liquid was all around her, yet it compressed against her with the force of a fist slowly closing over her body.
Then their downward momentum stopped, and she was flying sideways through the depths. Water cleaved around them with the powerful bursts Mencheres used to propel them, slicing horizontally into the deep as though their bodies had morphed into a single torpedo.
Finally, that rushing sensation stopped. Kira held tightly to Mencheres, expecting another explosion of movement any second, but he remained still. She wasn’t even aware that she had her eyes squeezed shut until salt stung her gaze when she opened them. Mencheres had them suspended in the deepest shadows she’d ever seen as a vampire, only the bright emerald flash from his eyes providing a welcome form of illumination.
Kira rubbed her eyes, but it didn’t help the stinging. His grip on her loosened until only one arm held her to him. He looked upward, then back at her, and shook his head.
She supposed that meant they couldn’t go to the surface anytime in the next few minutes, which, though she knew the odds were slim, still had been what she hoped would happen. The tight pressure around her added to the feeling that she was being smothered—even though she’d gone hours without a single breath every day for the past week. The murkiness also increased her unease, which made no sense. Just recently, she’d lamented that she’d never see darkness again, yet here was a decent substitute all around her, and she hated it. How quickly she’d gotten used to the ability to see everything around her with crystal-like clarity.
Kira wasn’t wearing a watch, but she tapped the top of her wrist with what she hoped was a questioning look. Mencheres held up two fingers in response, almost leading her to attempt cursing while underwater. Two hours down here? If she saw a shark, she’d scream for sure, even though she had some sharp teeth now, too.
Something stroked across her back. Kira whirled with a silent shriek, but there was nothing but dark blue as far as she could see. That stroke came again, from her shoulders down to her lower back in a soothing, firm caress. She relaxed. Mencheres.
She turned back to face him, his face lit in the glow from her own gaze. His hair floated around him in a black cloud, his T-shirt edging up to reveal that taut, smoothly muscled stomach. The striking planes of his face looked almost eerily beautiful against the backdrop of that endless indigo canvas, the underwater currents gently rustling his hair. He was so stunning . . . and the amount of power he was capable of wielding was terrifying.
He’d knocked Bones and Cat out of the park as easily as brushing lint off his shirt. Then he’d disarmed those Enforcers. Moved people out of harm’s way. Repeatedly slammed the Enforcers onto the ground as easily as a child bounced a ball—all without touching any of them. Then he’d taken her up to the limits of the sky before plunging them into the depths of the ocean while making it look effortless. Kira couldn’t even grasp the magnitude of his abilities. She was already disconcerted about how she could control any human’s mind with a flash of her newly bright gaze, and that was nothing compared to what Mencheres could do.
He watched her, his face wearing its usual hooded expression, but slivers of troubled yearning ghosted across her subconscious. Not her emotions. His.
Did Mencheres believe his jaw-dropping display would scare her away? On an abilities level, they were grossly disproportionate. He was easily a thousand years older than her, too, which was hard to even contemplate. Plus, he had that unfortunate tendency to do other people’s thinking for them, as he’d admitted before and proved again when he wouldn’t let her turn herself in to the Enforcers.
Yet for all of his staggering power, Mencheres still had a strong conscience. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, he’d quipped to her once, yet he’d repeatedly proven otherwise with his actions. For all of their power inequality, Mencheres kept himself on equal emotional ground with her, always giving
her the freedom to accept him or reject him.
Her practicality warned her that their differences were vast enough to shatter them, even if they weren’t in serious danger from Radje, the Enforcers, and the other Law Guardians. Yet her instinct said Mencheres was meant to be hers.
Kira found herself smiling at the thought. Mencheres, hers. She reached through the water separating them, stroking his face, feeling the spark of his power against her skin. Mine. It felt right. It felt more right than anything had before it, in fact.
He pulled her into his arms, emotions too strong for her to name brushing against her subconscious. Suddenly, the thought of two hours in the ocean like this wasn’t unpleasant. Not if she could hold him and feel everything he hadn’t allowed himself to tell her yet.
Chapter 24
Mencheres scanned the rows of houses in the valley below them. A slight breeze ruffled his hair as he narrowed his focus on each residence, seeking one that didn’t contain a beating heart. Beside him, Kira was silent, but a slight shiver went through her. They were both still wet, and it was cooler here, much farther up the California coast than where they’d first entered the ocean hours before.
“There,” he said, standing.
Kira rose, letting out a noise of relief. “I know it’s wrong to enter someone’s home while they’re gone, but I can’t wait to get all this dried salt off me. It itches.”
He gave her an amused look as they started toward the empty residence. “The home has a FOR SALE sign on it. I doubt anyone occupies it. Would it ease your conscience if I later arranged to have funds sent to the homeowners to cover our brief stay?”
“It would, actually,” she replied. “It still doesn’t make breaking and entering okay, but then I wouldn’t feel quite as much like a burglar.”
“Consider it done.” It was a small enough gesture to appease her sensibilities, even though he didn’t intend for the residents or the Realtors to be aware that anyone had been in the home. Still, they had four hours before he was to meet his ally, and he didn’t intend to spend that time with Kira wet, cold, and miserable.
They came upon the lawn of the house five minutes later. Mencheres burned out the motion-sensor lights with a flick of his mind once they neared the premises, then he disabled the lines to the alarm before unlocking a side door. He could have picked a more modest neighborhood to seek out empty homes in. Ones that might not have security systems, but this was closer to his meeting point. And Kira deserved a little more luxurious surroundings to make up for the squalid equipment room she’d woken up in yesterday.
The empty quietness of the home beckoned invitingly. Kira wasn’t the only one who looked forward to resting for a few hours. He’d depleted a great deal of his energy between the Enforcers, the heights he’d flown to, navigating them through the ocean, then flying them here. He needed to feed as well, but that could wait until later, when they were safely with his ally.
“You could be the world’s best bank robber if you wanted to,” Kira remarked as she went inside the door he opened. No alarm sounded. Good. Some systems were more sophisticated than others. The home was furnished as well, but it had an empty feeling that spoke of weeks since it had been occupied.
“It gives me no pleasure to steal,” he replied with a shrug. “Sometimes it is necessary, as with waiting here, or when I drink from humans who do not knowingly offer me their veins. Or when I compelled those drivers to bear us to our destination. But to take when the same thing can be purchased or freely given . . . no, that is not my way.”
Kira gave him a long look before turning away. “I’m going to find a shower and hope the water’s on so I can get this salt off me.”
So saying, she climbed the shiny marble staircase and disappeared onto the second floor. Mencheres stared after her, measuring if there was additional meaning behind her words.
Much might have changed between them after the Enforcers charged the park. She’d obviously been shocked at the things he’d done, but then she’d held him in the dark depths of the ocean with tenderness while they waited to make sure no Enforcers would find them. Kira’s voice also deepened ever so slightly when she said she was seeking a shower. He couldn’t tell if her scent changed as well; she still smelled too strongly of the ocean for him to catch any faint nuances of desire. But her eyes might have glinted with emerald just a bit before she turned away.
He intended to discover if he was right.
Water turned on when Mencheres took the first step up the stairs. He climbed them slowly, listening to the rustle of wet clothing being removed, then the soft sound of enjoyment Kira made when she stood under the spray. He followed those sounds as he continued onto the second floor, stepping in the same damp footprints she’d made on the marble, drawn toward the bathroom where she was.
The bathroom with the open door.
Mencheres pulled off his wet shirt, leaving it on the floor. His shoes and sodden pants followed suit, the useless cell phone inside them making a soft thud as it hit the marble. Then he walked naked into the bathroom.
Steam enveloped him when he stepped into the enclosed shower. Kira stood under the spray, her back to him, her body softly glistening. The weight of the water turned her hair a darker shade of topaz as it dragged it down to coat her shoulders.
She leaned back into his embrace without hesitation, unleashing a feeling of profound relief in him. Not until that very moment did he realize how much a rebuff from her would raze him. His hands almost trembled as he slid them down the sleek, supple planes of her body. My Kira. My strong, beautiful dark lady.
He kissed the back of her neck, the water running over his face from the spray. A soft moan came from her. She attempted to turn around, but he held her where she was. In his impatience before, he’d neglected to explore her the way he’d wanted to. Slowly. Thoroughly. Until she writhed for him.
Mencheres spread Kira’s arms out, bracing her against the shower wall with her body bent slightly forward. His hands caressed her front even as he dipped his mouth along her back, enjoying the small, sharp gasps that came from her. His power enclosed her as well, seeking all the curves of her body that his hands hadn’t reached yet. When his mouth dipped to the slope in her lower back, he let his shields drop so Kira could feel his hunger. His anticipation and lust as he spread the globes of her cheeks to delve his tongue along their valley.
She shuddered, a harsh sound escaping her. He spread her legs wider, sinking to his knees, seeking her sweet center. His next lick found it, and he pressed her closer. She bent forward more even as her spine arched. A long ripple went through her.
“Please,” Kira gasped. “I need to touch you.”
Her knees trembled as his tongue swirled deeper inside her. He inhaled, reveling in her scent, her taste, and the tremors he felt vibrating against his mouth. His power held her upright while his hands continued to stroke her, the wetness on his tongue increasing even as Kira’s moans grew into sobs. She leaned back, rocking in her ecstasy, inciting him to thrust his tongue faster and deeper within her. A primal triumph filled him as her juices began to cover his mouth even though the water still cascaded around them.
“Now, now, now,” she all but screamed, letting go of the wall to clutch his hands.
Mencheres rose in a lithe motion, filling her in one powerful stroke. A cry tore out of her, but it wasn’t edged in pain, and her walls clenched around his shaft in rapture instead of tension. A guttural moan came out of him as he grasped her hips and began to move with slow, deep strokes. She was so tight, but so wet, each twisting squeeze flooding his body with almost unbearable pleasure. His mouth latched onto her neck as he brought her flush against him, her back rubbing his chest and those deliciously full globes teasing his loins. Her head fell back while her arms rose to encircle him from behind, her hips matching the increasing pace of his.
Pleasure raced across every nerve in his body. It grew even as her cries became louder, the squeeze of her flesh around him tighter. The inte
nsity increased until it felt like he burned from the inside out, his skin so tight and heated, even the continual spray of water from the shower was painfully erotic. He couldn’t stop himself from moving faster, driving into Kira with an unrestrained hunger that demanded her response. Exultation filled him when she cried out, and spasms squeezed his shaft. Her ecstatic inner clenching only sharpened his pleasure, making his whole body throb with an answering cadence. He wanted to bury his seed deep inside her, but even more than that, he wanted to feel the sweet clamp of her orgasm around him again. Right now.
She hadn’t ceased trembling from her release when Mencheres pulled out of her, spinning her to face him, his mouth covering hers to capture her moan. Kira’s tongue stroked his almost feverishly as he thrust inside her again, the remaining shivers from her climax vibrating along his flesh with endless sensuality. He lifted her, using his power to glide them from the shower into the bedroom before lowering her onto the bed. Another long, deep thrust had her legs curling around his waist while her nails dug into his back. Even through his haze of desire, he felt a flash of clarity. This was where Kira belonged—in his arms, sharing every emotion that rippled through him with devastating intensity.
Then he lost himself in the taste of her mouth, the rub of her skin, the strong grip of her arms, and the wet, tight embrace that flooded his body with indescribable pleasure. Her name left his lips in a groan as his mouth slid down her body, reveling in the scent and flavor of her silky skin.
“Don’t stop,” Kira urged, trying to pull him back up.
“I want to feel you come again,” he all but growled.
She let out a breathy laugh. “Then come back here and give me a few more minutes— oh! ”
The cry wrenched out of her as he sank his fangs between her legs, right into the heart of her sensitivity. A deep satisfaction filled him as Kira’s soft flesh seized beneath his mouth almost instantly. Then he rose up and thrust inside her, a groan escaping him at the feel of her flesh convulsing around him.
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