by I. T. Lucas
With his hands clamped on her thighs, he held them spread and motionless as he speared his tongue and plunged it forcefully into her quivering sheath.
Nathalie couldn’t remember Andrew ever being so aggressive with her, so dominant, and she loved every freaking moment of it. His fingers were going to leave bruises where they were digging into her flesh, and she couldn’t care less. This was beyond hot. She was going to explode like a Fourth of July firecracker the moment his talented tongue made contact with her clit.
Problem was, Andrew knew how to push all of her buttons and drive her crazy.
Lifting his head, a wicked gleam sparkled in his eyes as he got ready to do exactly that. Her clit throbbing in anticipation, she watched Andrew lower his chin in infuriatingly tiny increments.
The moment he took it in between his lips, the fuse under the firecracker got lit.
Not yet, not yet, not yet… If it ignited right away, the rocket wouldn’t reach as high. With a keening moan hissing out from between her gritted teeth, Nathalie tried to hold on for just a little longer.
But Andrew wasn’t in a patient mood this time, and when he sucked on that most sensitive bundle of nerves, the rocket shot up into the stratosphere not like a firecracker, but like a lunar shuttle.
Long moments later, when she opened her eyes, Andrew’s handsome face was poised above hers, his legs between her thighs, his weight pressing her into the bed.
“Hi,” he said before dipping his head to take her lips. As his tongue invaded her welcoming mouth, she tasted herself on him, and there was something incredibly erotic about it. Her core contracted, feeling empty and needy.
“I want you inside me,” she breathed and wrapped her arms around his muscular torso. Sliding her hands down to cup his tight ass, she jacked her hips up, seeking the tip of his shaft and pushing against it.
Andrew lifted his hips, and with one powerful thrust he joined them, his shaft so deep within her it was hitting her cervix.
Nathalie gasped, her sheath spasming around the hard length inside her. As he began pumping into her, Andrew’s expression was almost scary. The gentle lover she was accustomed to was gone. His thrusting growing in urgency, Andrew groaned and grunted like a male animal in heat; aggressive, dominant, magnificent.
This wasn’t making love, this was fucking, and she needed it just like that. Mindless, desperate, intense. Under the onslaught, there were no worries, no thoughts, just the brutal carnality that was hurtling her toward another orgasm.
Sweet, wonderful oblivion.
Chapter 15: Andrew
The gym, where Kian had assembled everyone for the mission briefing, was teeming with people when Andrew rushed in. He was late. No one had bothered to inform the human where the meeting was going to be held, and he’d run around the basement until it had occurred to him to check the gym.
At least that was the story that he was going to stick to if anyone asked.
The truth was that he had left Nathalie’s place later than he intended to. She’d looked so anxious and worried that he’d decided to stay and take her mind off it in the only way he knew how—make love to her until she saw stars. Besides, after the rough fucking of last night, and there was nothing else it qualified as, Nathalie deserved some tender loving from him.
Besides, it didn’t look as if anyone was in a hurry to start.
In preparation for the meeting, the gym had been outfitted with line after line of foldable chairs to accommodate the unprecedented number of people. The warriors took up most of the space, in numbers as well as their formidable presence. Sylvia and four other girls were huddled in a corner, talking excitedly, probably discussing their role in the mission. It wasn’t as if an opportunity to be included in something like that presented itself often, or ever. For the civilians, it must have been both scary and thrilling.
The three girls who were supposed to be the decoy were indeed wearing khaki short shorts that barely covered their pert asses, and hiking boots that emphasized their long legs. Andrew wondered who’d been in charge of selecting the ‘hikers’. His bet was on Anandur.
As the one who’d come up with the idea, Anandur wouldn’t have left the selection to anybody else.
Bridget sat at the front, flanked by two other immortal females Andrew hadn’t met before.
“Good morning,” he said, offering his hand.
She shook it. “Let’s hope it’s going to be a good afternoon as well. Andrew, these are Gertrude and Hildegard, they are going to assist in taking care of the injured.” She pointed to her companions.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He shook hands with both, then scanned the room in search for other familiar faces. His eyes were drawn to the one bright island of color in the crowd of fatigues or khakis. William’s Hawaiian shirt was hard to miss. Not just because it was so bright and so colorful, but because it was as big as a tent.
Heading toward the guy, Andrew weaved in between the chatting groups of people, stopping to nod quick hellos and shaking a few hands. Damn, he couldn’t remember who he’d been already introduced to, and who he had not. Not that it made a difference when he couldn’t for the life of him remember any of their names.
Old age sucked balls. Couldn’t one of his special talents be eidetic memory?
“William, buddy, good to see you.” He clapped hands with the guy. “Are you joining us on the mission? Or are you here to supply everyone with gadgets?”
William grinned. “Both. I had to pull some strings and jump through a few hoops, but I got everyone earpieces that respond to voice commands. No need to tap on and off or to leave the thing on continuously.” He pulled one from the pocket of his shorts. “Here, put it in.”
Andrew took the tiny bug and inserted it into his ear. The thing was rubbery and flexible, immediately molding itself to rest comfortably in place. “Good fit.”
“Yeah, that is another advantage of these new ones. They adjust to fit everyone. You have to program it to recognize your voice and the word for on and off. You can choose your own. But I suggest you do it in a quiet place. It’s too noisy in here and it can mess it up. You tap once to start recording, and it will guide you through the rest.”
Ingenious little thing. “Good deal. If I have any problems, I’ll come to you.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I’m also going to be out there with you guys in my tech-mobile, handling the communication and troubleshooting on the spot.”
Andrew lifted a brow. “Who is going to be your driver?” As far as he knew, only Kri and he were assigned driving duties. Two yellow school buses would be the transportation mode for the warriors and Bridget and her crew. The idea being that even if the vehicles were spotted parking on the side of the road, they would not raise suspicion. Just kids on a school trip, nothing to worry about. After everything was over and it was time to collect the bodies, another truck was scheduled to drive up straight to the monastery, but it wasn’t part of the initial contingent.
William puffed out his chest. “No one, I’m going to drive my baby myself. She’s loaded with a king’s ransom worth of equipment, some of it are one of a kind instruments I’ve designed myself.”
“I guess you’ll be hanging back with Kri and me and the doctor.”
William high-fived him. “I’ll be in good company.”
Andrew glanced at the group of pretty girls surrounding Sylvia. “You know any of the ‘hikers’? I only met Sylvia.”
William followed Andrew’s eyes. “The one wearing the long pants is Ruth, Sylvia’s mother. The other three are Sylvia’s friends. The short curvy one is Monica, the leggy brunette is Ashley, and the mousy looking one is Amber.”
Andrew wouldn’t call Amber mousy. She was skinny, true, but her ass filled her shorts very nicely. Ruth, Sylvia’s mother, however, was a bit of a shocker. She looked the same age as her daughter. He shouldn’t have been surprised, these were immortals after all, and he’d met Annani who looked younger than her children, but damn. Standing
next to each other, mother and daughter looked like twins.
On some level it was disturbing.
Hell, he should get used to this. Pretty soon it was going to be him, standing next to a son that would look exactly like him, with Nathalie’s big brown eyes and high cheekbones, but Andrew’s height and build. And they would look about the same age…
Disturbing? You betcha. Nevertheless, bring it on. It was going to be one hell of a ride, and Andrew couldn’t wait to take his foot off the brake and stomp on the accelerator.
He was ready.
Glancing at the rows of white chairs and the huge guys overflowing the narrow seats, Andrew was pleasantly surprised to find Dalhu among the warriors. Or rather at their fringes. He sat alone at the end of the last row, with two mostly empty lines of chairs separating him from the other guys.
Eventually, these rows would be filled as well, but while people were still mingling, Dalhu looked like the ostracized kid who no one wanted to play with.
Where was Anandur?
If there was one Guardian who’d accepted Dalhu without reservation it was him. Andrew spotted the guy schmoozing with two of his old pals.
It seemed that it was up to Andrew to keep Dalhu company. Actually, this wasn’t a bad idea. Andrew was tired of coming up with ways to avoid using names he didn’t remember.
Embarrassing.
Those who’d met him greeted him by name, while he responded with 'dude', or 'my man', feeling like a delinquent.
Dalhu pushed to his feet as he saw Andrew coming his way. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said as they clapped hands.
“I can imagine. Where are the other Guardians? The only one I spotted was Anandur.” Andrew pointed to where he saw the guy standing a moment ago, but he was gone.
“Kian pulled them out. He is probably debriefing them first so they can help with the rest of us.”
Andrew narrowed his eyes. “Are you here in an advisory capacity? Or is he letting you fight?”
Dalhu’s smile was answer enough. The guy hadn’t looked that happy since… Hell, Andrew couldn’t remember him ever looking so joyful.
“I’m fighting. Kian had given me the best gift ever. Weapons. My own knives that he had retrieved from the cabin Amanda and I stayed at, and one of his own swords. She is such an incredible beauty I can’t believe he is willing to part with her.”
Andrew chuckled. The guy was talking about the sword with more reverence than he’d ever talked about Amanda. Not that anyone would ever doubt Dalhu’s love and devotion for his mate, not after what he’d been put through for her. He must’ve missed his fighting days more than anyone had realized.
“Maybe she’s just a loaner? And after the mission he expects you to give her back?”
“You think? It sounded as if he was gifting her to me.”
Andrew found it hard to believe that Kian would let Dalhu keep deadly weapons at his disposal. Up until recently, Kian had detested everything about the guy and hadn’t trusted a word he’d said. His attitude had changed for the better after Dalhu’s redemption, but he’d remained reserved and careful around the guy. As far as Andrew knew, Dalhu still wasn’t allowed to leave the keep. The new one, that is. The old one was waiting for its inhabitants to come back following the successful completion of this mission.
Kian had been clear about his objectives. No Doomer would be left alive. He hadn’t demanded a final death, but chances were that in the heat of battle few would take the time to carefully calculate the amount of venom they were injecting into their enemies. Andrew didn’t expect to bring many of the Doomers back to be entombed in the crypt.
It was going to be a vicious blood bath.
Kian had issued a gag order. No one was allowed to tell Annani a thing about the upcoming battle. She would’ve insisted on keeping as many Doomers as possible alive, or whatever the suspended state they kept them in was called.
The living dead?
Trouble was, that would’ve meant more casualties for the clan, which was unacceptable.
Andrew didn’t envy Kian the hell his mother was going to give him once he confessed—after the fact.
In theory, she could remove him from his station. It was her prerogative, but it was highly unlikely she’d go that far. Kian would spend some time in the proverbial doghouse, but the truth was that she had no one to replace him.
Besides, Kian was an excellent leader and the good of his people was his first priority.
As it should be.
Annani, on the other hand, believed for some reason that the Doomers were her people as well. Delusional wishful thinking, at least in Andrew’s opinion. At one time it might have been true, but these two factions had been at war for thousands of years, and other than some shared ancestral genes they had absolutely nothing in common.
Chapter 16: Carol
Carol woke up to the sound of a car door opening then slamming shut. Moments later another door opened and closed. Thank the merciful fates it was further down the line of parked vehicles.
Still groggy from all the pills she’d consumed yesterday, Carol experienced the explosion of terror in her gut with a split second’s delay. Quickly, she pulled the comforter over her head, huddling under it, afraid of the sound of her own panicked breaths.
What if someone saw her? Or heard her? Immortal males were the most dangerous predators on earth, with superior hearing and a sense of smell to rival that of dogs.
Was the stench of her fear strong enough to percolate through the slight crack in the window Robert had left open?
He’d insisted she needed some fresh air. Now she wished he hadn’t done it.
If she got caught in his van, Robert’s head would roll off his neck before he got a chance to come up with an excuse. She would live, but wish to join his fate. Not because she was in love with the guy and couldn’t go on without him, but because Sebastian would make her life even more hellish than it had been up until now.
When the other car’s engine was turned on, Carol clutched the comforter with trembling hands, waiting breathlessly until its wheels rolled over the parking lot’s gravel. She relaxed only after the vehicle reached the black top. The small change in elevation had been enough to produce a squeak when the rear shock absorbers reacted to the bump.
Was it Sebastian who’d left in that car? She prayed it was.
Not that it meant she was safe. The escape plan would fail and the results would be the same if any of the other warriors found her hiding in Robert’s car.
Carol shifted to her side and hugged Robert’s pillow, bringing her knees up to her chin. It was freezing cold inside the van, even under the blanket. The early morning sun was still too weak to burn through the dark overcast and warm things up.
The goosebumps covering her chilled skin weren’t her only problem. Carol needed to pee in the worst possible way. Eying the container Robert had provided for just that purpose, she was sorely tempted to use it. Problem was, she was well aware of what happened when someone tried to maneuver inside a parked car. She’d had her fair share of backseat action during the '60s. No matter how careful she would be, the van would wobble on its wheels.
Carol groaned. Holding it in would be one hell of a challenge. But she wasn’t going to risk her one and only chance of escape because she couldn’t handle a full bladder.
Her distress growing more acute by the minute, time slowed down to a standstill as she waited for Robert to show up. When he finally did, he didn’t open the trunk or say a word to her. Instead, he pretended as if it was business as usual and there was no female hiding in the trunk of his van. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he turned the engine on.
A smart move. They weren’t safe until they put some distance between them and the compound.
Following his cue, she stayed huddled under the blanket and kept her mouth shut, with only her nose peeking from under the small tented opening she’d made with her hands.
Robert shifted into reverse and backed out from his p
arking spot straight onto the asphalt driveway. The small bump was surprisingly rough, and Carol barely stifled a groan as her back slammed against the hard grooves lining the van’s floor. Unfortunately, the road Robert turned into was in obvious disrepair, and Carol felt every pothole as her body got bumped around.
A few minutes later, he finally abandoned the country road and turned into a highway that provided for a much smoother ride.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking up at his rear-view mirror to catch a glance of her.
“I need to pee, like right now. Can you stop somewhere?”
“Why didn’t you use the container I left for you?”
“I was afraid to shake the van.” She snorted. “Heck, I was afraid to breathe.”
He nodded. “You can use it now.”
“You must be kidding. I’m not going to pee with you in the car.”
“I want to put some distance between us and the compound before I stop. I promise not to look.”
“But it’s going to smell…”
“I’ll open the windows. You have only two options. You either pee in the container or wait until we reach the town.”
Fuck. Not only was she going to have to relieve herself inside a moving vehicle, hoping none of it splattered around, but she would need to do it half naked because she didn’t have a shirt. Her old one was covered in crusted blood, stiff enough to stand on its own, and it was too much to hope that Robert had thought of bringing a change of clothes for her.
Humiliating. But whatever. It was worth it. To be free of that hell, she would’ve done it fully naked. In the middle of the mall. During the Christmas shopping craze.
True to his word, Robert kept his eyes on the road and didn’t peek. She checked before letting go. The relief was incredible, and by the time she was done the container was full. Thank the merciful fates, nothing had spilled, not on the hand holding the thing and not on the van’s carpeted floor, but boy, did it stink. Carol hurried to fasten the lid, and put the container as far away from her as possible in the small space.