Sleeping with Monsters

by Amelia Hutchins

I rushed into his arms and kissed him with everything I had. I didn’t care who watched us, or if I was disobeying what the coven had laid down for me to follow. The guards had followed me right to him, circling around us as I threaded my fingers through his hair, claiming him in the only way I could. I knew without having to look around us that every eye in the club was on us. It didn’t matter; the moment our lips touched, everything else faded away into the background.

  There might be no tomorrow for us, just right now. My grandmother’s message she’d given them to hand to me was long forgotten, and even if the coven kicked me out, I knew he’d be there to catch me when or if I fell. I didn’t need another lover, didn’t care to take one. There was this man, and he alone held the key to my heart.

  His arms slipped around my back, lifting me closer as our bodies crushed together. Our mouths moved in a dance as old as time as each of us fought to get closer to the other. His hands slid up my back, capturing my face between their warmth as he pulled away and stared into my gaze.

  “What are you doing, little witch?” he murmured as his lips touched mine again as if he couldn’t get enough of them.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered as his smile broadened and he pulled me close again, claiming my mouth in a toe-curling kiss. He invaded me, the smell of sandalwood and masculinity unraveling my last shred of dignity as I moaned loudly against his lips. I didn’t care who heard it.

  The club had started moving around us, dancing as they pretended not to watch us in our brazen embrace as we threw propriety to the wind and basked in each other’s presence. He was my perfect. Lucian Blackstone was my own fucked up version of perfection that I craved more than I did the need to breathe. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t mortal, or that we were so different, or more to the point, that we were all wrong, because together, he was my right.

  “Magdalena,” he warned as he pulled back and peered down at me. “You were always mine,” he murmured before he started moving me around to the music that played in the background. Ed Sheeran’s Perfect filled the room and Lucian surprised me as he moved us gracefully. We glided around the floor, the men slowly moving around us as we danced to the heady notes of the song. He danced perfectly, as if he’d practiced it a million times. He ignored my clumsy movements and controlled them, which made it appear as though I didn’t have two left feet.

  “You could have acted surprised,” I mouthed off as my brain registered what he’d said.

  “Why would I do that?” he countered as his fingers threaded through mine when we stopped dancing and stood in the middle of the dance floor with couples all around us. “I knew you would come around, you needed time. I gave it to you because I know you’re one of the most stubborn women on the planet.”

  “You’re a conceited ass,” I laughed as I smirked up at him. He shook his head and pulled me with him away from the dance floor. “Hey,” I said, pulling back against his hold on my hand as he tried to leave the dance. “Coven rules state we cannot leave until at least the fifth song.”

  “Fuck coven laws tonight, Lena. I’m seconds away from ripping off that dress and claiming you right in the middle of this dance floor so every asshole in here stops eye-fucking you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” I challenged. My eyes grew wide as he turned around and grabbed the strap that sat on my shoulder. “Don’t you dare, Lucian!” I warned with a giggle.

  “I’ve been patient with you, but it has reached its end, little witch,” he warned as he pulled me with him, as we entered the empty hallway.

  The moment we were out of view of the others, he pushed me against the wall, trapping me between his hands as he placed his face inches away from mine. His lips touched my neck and I groaned as desire tore through me. My body clenched in response to his hungry mouth as he sucked against the rapid pulse that hammered wildly for his touch. “You’re so fucking beautiful, but tonight, tonight you shine from within with a confidence that surprises me. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right now,” he admitted between kisses.

  “We need a room,” I uttered, breathless from his kisses. He lifted me until I was forced to wrap my legs around his waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my fingers through his silky hair as I held his mouth against mine.

  He ground his cock against my wetness, uncaring that this position showed my bare thighs or maybe even more to the men who coughed or made remarks as we struggled to get closer to one another.

  “We’re not going to make it,” he growled as he started us down the hallway, not bothering to set me on my feet.

  “Lucian,” I warned and grinned against his mouth as he kicked the door to the bedroom open. “You undo me,” I moaned as he slammed the door in the men’s faces, much to their disappointment.

  Chapter 30

  The moment the door was closed, flames leapt from the candles that filled the room and bathed it in a soft glow. The music started up as I slid down his body slowly, not missing the ardor that filled him as his hands slowly slid down my exposed sides. Theory of a Deadman’s cover of Wicked Games started up as he turned me around, cupping my breasts as his lips kissed the back of my neck until my legs grew weak.

  He slowly walked me towards the bed, never stopping until we reached it. I expected to be tossed onto it. Instead, he pulled his mouth away from my neck and untied the bow at the back of the dress. His hands came up, warm against my arm as he pushed one shoulder off, kissing it softly with his hungry mouth, only to repeat it with the other. He worked it as if he was opening a treasured gift.

  The dress pooled around my feet, and I kicked it to the side as he slowly kissed his way down my spine. The panties I wore were ruffled, which pulled a growl of approval from deep in his chest as he pushed them down.

  Once he’d bared me to his greedy gaze, he slowly trailed his fingers up my thighs and side until he stood at his full height. He grabbed my hair, fisting it as he turned me around and then lowered his forehead against mine. He swallowed hard as he searched my face, and whatever he found there made him growl with approval. His lips touched mine and I moaned, leaning forward, only to feel him pull against my hair. He tugged my head back, using my hair for leverage as his lips met mine and his tongue sought entrance. His other hand touched my sex, parting it with his skilled fingers as it slid through the slick readiness he’d created. He rumbled from deep in his chest as his mouth consumed any coherent thought I had. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was more.

  He backed up, staring down at my naked body as he slowly began to remove his shirt. I was lost in the sight of him stripping so much that I didn’t even realize the song was slowly repeating over and over—and I didn’t necessarily care, either. He’d picked it; for some reason this beautiful creature had chosen this song to make love to me with.

  Once his chest was bared, I lowered my mouth, licking along the lines of each tattoo, unable to stop myself as I lowered myself to the bed, sitting on it as he allowed my moment of weakness. His hands tangled in my hair as he allowed me to continue, his breathy sigh encouraging me as I struggled against his slacks, needing them off as much as I needed him inside my body.

  “What the fuck am I going to do with you?” he murmured as I freed his cock and slowly licked down the long length of him until I felt him tense against my seduction. I kissed the thick tip, slowly enveloping him in my mouth until I felt him pushing against my throat. His hold on my hair tightened as I swallowed until my throat relaxed, allowing even more in. When I started to withdraw, he pushed me down, following me as his mouth found mine, claiming it hungrily until breathing no longer mattered. His fingers parted my sex, slipping through the wet folds as he tested the waters of my desire.

  My knees dropped, giving him further access to my pussy. His mouth left mine devoid of his heat and I cried out. He nipped at my breasts, slowly licking around the areola before his teeth scraped over the heated peaks. His middle finger entered me
and I arched against it for more, his mouth devouring my skin as his finger worked magic on my pussy. I exploded without warning and he laughed against my nipple as his gaze lifted and he bit down gently, nipping my flesh.

  Lucian pulled me up until I wrapped my legs around him, poised above his thick cock as he slowly used my hips to push me down onto it. I cried out as he stretched me until my body trembled and adjusted to his fullness.

  His arms wrapped around me, forcing me to work against his cock as I rose and lowered my body, his lips once again finding mine. His hands rose, grasping my face on either side and capturing it, kissing me as if it was the first and last kiss he would have. The orgasm built inside of me until it was a storm, threatening to release. The moment it did, I screamed his name like he was my savior, as if he was my God. My hands lifted to thread through his hair, holding him still as my mouth continued to battle against his. With his growl and my moan, the music was drowned out against the fervor in the room, a fever burning that neither of us could control.

  “Greedy little witch,” he murmured.

  He pushed me down, following me onto the bed as he started to pick up the pace, taking what he needed. My hands continued to hold his mouth against mine. His slim hips moved slowly, as if he was savoring every thrust. He broke the kiss, staring down into my face with a look that both confused and undid me. He ate my soul, and never had I felt more loved than I did right now, more cherished than I did as he gazed down at me.

  I watched as he lifted his body, supporting his weight on his arms as he started to move faster. My legs wrapped around his waist, giving him more depth as he watched me through obsidian eyes that tore apart my defenses and battered my already fractured walls. I didn’t know how to react to this, the slow love that he was showering me with. I could react to hard, brutal sex, but this…this was new to me. This gentleness from him terrified me.

  He continued until I cried out with the impending orgasm that lingered just on the precipice of the cliff—and then everything changed. His body slammed against mine and he rolled me, forcing me to rock my hips as I straddled him. His hands grasped my breasts, pulling against the nipples as I clenched around him, my body tightening hard against him as the orgasm ripped me apart. The moment it began to ebb, he rolled us and pushed my legs further apart as he slammed against my body with brutal intensity. It refused to stop; orgasm after orgasm shuddered through me until my body refused to stop shaking with the force as each one grew stronger. His hand lifted, pushing against my throat. I braced for my air to be stolen, but it never came. His thumb pushed into my mouth and I bit down, sucking greedily against it as he continued to ride my body hard.

  When he withdrew his thumb, he captured my chin in his palm, cradling my face against his mouth as he lowered it. His body shuddered and I felt him emptying inside of me. He moaned, unable to stop it from finding purchase as he swore and trembled against me.

  He lay beside me in the bed, lifting my leg, which he held over his hip as he entered me again. He didn’t stop. Hours passed, and every time we came apart, he held me until his cock pushed back into my body.

  When we couldn’t physically take any more, he held me. We talked and I laughed, something we’d never done before. It was unusual, but I wasn’t going to question it. This was a side of Lucian not many got to see, and it was the first time I was seeing him beyond the cold exterior he showed to others.

  “I’ve never been slow with anyone,” he disclosed, and I blinked as I turned and looked at him in disbelief.

  “Never?” I questioned.

  “I’ve never cared to,” he admitted. “I fuck hard. I don’t think when I fuck; it’s just something I do.”

  “What changed?” I asked, fishing for the reason. I knew why I’d wanted him. Everything inside of me had cried out of love for him, and he held my heart in his palm whether he wanted it or not. I’d vowed to never love again, and yet with him, I’d fought it and failed.

  “I don’t know,” he murmured. “Something about you tonight made me need this,” he said thoughtfully. I swallowed hard at the tension I heard in his voice, the way he stiffened as if he had just discovered something he didn’t want to, or liked.

  I exhaled and settled against his arms for warmth. We’d talked for hours between bouts of crazy sex and endless passion, but now something was wedging us apart.

  “Maybe you fell in love with me,” I joked and felt him tense even more against me.

  “Go to bed, Lena.”

  “I love you,” I whispered as my eyelids grew heavy, as if he’d used something to force me to sleep, but I fought against it. “I always have.”

  “Bloody hell,” he growled as he pushed his legs into his pants and paced beside the bed. “You shouldn’t have said that! Fuck!” His fist hit the wall, sending plaster crashing to the hardwood floor. I swallowed as a tear slipped from my eye. I’d fallen in love with this brutal man, and he’d rejected it.

  Chapter 31

  We stood outside the club with the wind howling as the storm clouds moved in. It was as if the world sensed the coming darkness we were about to release upon it. Lucian and his men, along with the Fae, patrolled the club’s impressive parking lot where we had set up the altar, along with the blood of the animals they’d sacrificed. They’d done everything as the books had instructed, and yet I felt something was off, wrong.

  Something inside of me was screaming to get out as each new preparation was secured and made. I watched with detachment as the morning replayed through my mind. Lucian had been gone long before I’d awoken, if he’d even slept in the bed at all. His things had been moved, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

  He’d gone from red hot to ice-cold before I even knew what to think or could figure out what I’d done to deserve it. I watched him from beneath my lashes, noting he acted as if I didn’t even exist anymore. Was it because I’d told him that I loved him and he’d never wanted it? Or was it because I was no longer a challenge? I swallowed as Kat and Dexter approached.

  “Whoa,” Kat announced as she took in the angry look. “You’d think you would be smiling this morning, after that little display last night.”

  “Yeah, everyone is talking about how you went and threw caution to the wind and fucked him, again,” Dexter muttered as he stared at Kat. “Couldn’t even care less or see what was right there in front of you,” he grouched.

  “Just tell her, Dexter,” I growled back. “She isn’t a fucking empath; what the fuck is with men? You don’t tell us and expect us to just know what is wrong. Well guess what, she doesn’t even have a fucking clue you like her, and the worst part is she loves you! She always has and yet you say nothing,” I snapped, and then blanched as they stared at me as if I was losing it.

  I hated that I had ousted him, but then he wouldn’t have ever told her he’s liked her since first grade. He was shy with her, while he was a total flirt with everyone else. I swung my gaze back to Lucian, only to catch him speaking to a girl who was touching him entirely too much.

  “What the fuck, Lena?” Dexter demanded, and I frowned as I took in his pinched features.

  “She didn’t know,” I explained. “You expect her to guess, and she’s Kat, Dex. She doesn’t take the hints, and you know it. So why beat around the bush? We could all die tomorrow and you’d die without telling her how you feel, so stop wasting time, and for God’s sake, just do it!”

  “Lena,” Kat said as she put her hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged her off. “What happened—and you like me?” she said to Dexter who nodded as his gaze lowered to the ground shyly.

  “I told Lucian I loved him,” I replied, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

  “That’s great, so why aren’t we happy?”

  “Because he left the bed cussing and then moved his things out of the room,” I confessed truthfully.

  “That rat bastard,” she seethed, g
laring at his back across the parking lot. “I say we fuck him up, or cast a spell on him.”

  “It’s fine,” I said as I chewed my lip as my grandmother cleared her throat pointedly. “We can’t cast on him, he’s not mortal, but thanks for that,” I laughed soundlessly.

  “Once the stone changes colors, if it does, you will then move into the circle of protection,” she explained as I stared down at the overly large pentagram that held several in the middle of it. “There you will embrace the darkness, Hecate have mercy on your soul. If you cannot fight it off, you will be handled. We cannot allow those who turn evil to leave the boundaries of the protection barrier. Does everyone understand?” she asked, and we nodded, even though I hadn’t been listening to most of what she had said.

  “Lena, what if we end up being chosen?” Kat asked as her gaze strayed to Dexter, who hadn’t said much since I’d blurted his feelings for her.

  “If you’re chosen, stay in the group that is good. You will fight the darkness as it grows inside of you. Think of those you love, everything you could lose if you let it take hold and gain control of you.”

  “What happens if the majority turns evil?” Dexter countered, finally speaking up. “What the fuck do we do then?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered as we started to migrate to the line to pull a rock from the pile. Only those under twenty-five were choosing stones. Plus, any who were pregnant wouldn’t be allowed to, which meant Kendra was out of the process altogether. I looked down at my white sweat suit that said Some Like it Witchy across the bust line and ass of the outfit in bright pink writing.

  Once we’d selected our stones, we moved to the rather large group, which awaited the spell to be cast. Torches and piles of wood were ignited around the protection lines, and jasmine and sandalwood were placed with basil and other dried herbs for protection. Crystals were placed sporadically through the area to ensure the safety of those who remained white, and yet something kept itching against my brain, as if it was trying to warn me.