The Matriarch: An Erotic Superhero Romance (The Matriarch Trilogy Book 1)

by Howell, Sloane

  "Oh my god." I cooed as his stubble scratched past my knee and his tongue slid up my glistening thighs, tasting everything along the way.

  "Do you want me to stop?"

  I took a handful of his hair and pulled him closer to where I needed him, answering his question.

  He pushed my panties aside and circled the tip of his stiff tongue around me, spreading my lips with his fingers and making contact with my clit.

  I jolted on the table at his touch, tides of energy building inside me that I tried to hold back. He pressed his lips around my clit and began to suck it, working his tongue in lazy circles. My thighs instinctively squeezed, tremoring around his face as I quaked on his lips.

  "Oh god." I put my hand to my mouth and moaned into it.

  My fingers dug into his scalp, grasping the back of head as he fought back. I panted and moaned, harder and faster as he intensified the pattern, circling his tongue around me as I dripped down his chin. I lifted my head far enough to see my wetness on his jawline. He looked up at me.

  "Fuck!"

  Right when I was about to erupt, he slowed his pace, bringing me back down.

  "Are you close?" He murmured against my hot skin.

  I glared at him and yanked his hair, pulling him back into me as hard as I could.

  He gave in, stroking his tongue rapidly over me as the table began to shake. I knew he could feel my orgasm on the tip of his tongue. He slipped two fingers in to the hilt, angling them up and circling them rapidly over the ridge they found deep inside of me. He buried his face into my pussy and sucked my clit, his tongue frantically working it over.

  I tried to scream but all I could do was gasp. My stiff legs locked around his face. "Fuck, Cody." I shook violently and my hips arched off the table as I came on his fingers, bucking my hips wildly with the electrical jolts that shocked my core. His mouth followed me, his tongue locked onto my clit.

  Time stood still and my vision was a blur. A moment passed and everything came back into focus. Cody slowly slid his fingers out of me and breathed lightly on my swollen lips, watching me shudder as a chill ripped through my body.

  "Just making sure you're alive." His eyes studied me.

  My chest rose and fell in heaving breaths. I was totally spent.

  Working up to my stomach, he kissed around my belly button, staring up into my eyes as the world returned to me. Breathing heavily, I lay there and tried to piece myself back together. I grinned.

  I pulled him up to me and claimed his mouth. My breasts pressed into his chest and his hands ran through my hair. If there was a more perfect place to be, I didn't know where it was.

  My fingers started working to his pants and he blocked them with his hand as he leaned away. He pushed a few sweaty strands of hair from my face and looked deep into my eyes.

  "It's about you tonight." He pulled me up to his chest and picked my naked body up off of the table as I wrapped myself up in him. Our lips met again.

  "I want you so fucking bad right now." I was in his ear, hot and heavy. It sent his erection into the stratosphere when my naked body squeezed around him.

  "I want you more. But I don't want to rush things. I want everything about it to be perfect."

  My heart thumped and I nuzzled my cheek on his shoulder. Nobody had ever made a night completely about me.

  He sat me down and watched me put my clothes back on. I saw his brain churning, the angst building inside of him.

  "Wanna get some air?" I smiled.

  "Yes!" The words couldn't escape his lips fast enough.

  Fully clothed, we walked from the steamy building. The panes around the table were fogged up. The cool night air struck our sweaty bodies, providing momentary relief.

  "I think I might walk back to my place. Cool off a bit." My shields were down as his eyes cut into me.

  I didn't want to leave his side, but I knew it was probably a good idea. I leaned my cheek into his arm. He turned into me and we kissed. This time soft and light.

  "Call me tomorrow?" I asked.

  "Of course."

  We occasionally glanced at the other as we walked separate ways down the empty street. My legs were jelly. My mind spinning. Every cell in my body was stimulated, satisfied. An endless loop of every moment cycled through my brain, analyzing what I should have said or done.

  Two blocks down, my head turned and I caught his eyes. We both froze, staring at one another for a brief moment.

  Then it happened.

  The squeal of tires screeching pierced my ears. A solid black van fishtailed around the corner behind Cody. He spun around to face the van as it slid to a halt. Two giant men in masks darted from the doors. He tried to bolt but it was too late.

  "Run!" Cody stared at me helpless as they wrestled him through the van door.

  I took off toward where I’d parked my car earlier. I clicked a button and the door flew open on the Tesla.

  I jumped in and hammered the pedal, tearing down the road, leaving two smoldering black stripes on the pavement.

  Taking a sharp corner, I felt the raw power of the car rush through my body. The back wheels flew out from under me but quickly corrected back to parallel. Adrenaline pounded in my veins, crazy thoughts coursed through my mind. A pair of red tail lights a half-mile ahead glowed bright in the darkness. It had to be them.

  The car flew through gears, the tachometer angrily bouncing back and forth in rhythm with the screaming engines. The whites of my knuckles showed as I gripped tight on the steering wheel. I hammered through a red light, almost taking out an elderly man with a cane. He waved it crazily in the air, giving me the finger with the other hand.

  "Sorry!"

  I gained on them quickly, plotting my next move, when the van disappeared down the other side of a small hill.

  "Fuck!"

  A gust of wind mauled pedestrians as the Tesla blew past them, kicking up swirls of dust in its wake. When I cleared the hill I noticed the van on a service road. The Tesla started to accelerate when a blast sent me ducking below the steering wheel. A bullet pinged off the hood.

  "Oh fuck you!" I slammed on the brakes. The barrage of fire rang out as I tried to look out the window, making sure I was between the lines on the road. Bullets screamed past me, one spider webbing the windshield before the men stopped to reload. I activated the 'ludicrous speed' option and jetted forward in the car, heart pounding against my ribs, fingers tight on the wheel.

  I spotted an exit to the service road and whipped the car behind the van, obscuring their line of fire. The van weaved in and out of cars quickly, trying to shake me. At the last second they cut down a side road. I barely missed plowing through the exit sign as I followed in pursuit.

  My gut wrenched as they began to slow. What the fuck?

  "Oh shit!"

  The side door to the van flew open and a man leaned out.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I threw on the brakes.

  The man strapped a military grade bazooka to his shoulder as I redlined in reverse. Smoke billowed up into the night sky from my tires. He loaded a large exploding mortar, and my throat started to close. Finally, the tires gripped and the Tesla flew backwards, throwing my chest against the steering wheel.

  The man pressed a button, smiling at me, another holding tight to him around the waist. In an instant, I bailed out the door like a tumble weed, rolling into a ditch. A bright orange flame sprayed from the back of the launcher. The mortar howled through the air, connecting with its target as the Tesla shot straight up. White hot shrapnel fell around me. The frame of the car slammed back into the pavement. Flames and smoke mushroomed up into the night sky. Stumbling around in a daze, unable to hear through the ringing, I watched the red tail lights disappear around a corner.

  When we arrived at a lab the men were less than cordial, pulling me like a dog on a leash. I was dragged into a building as I fought against their holds.

  "Don't fight. It'll only get worse." One of the masked men dug his fingers into my shoulder and wal
ked me through a door.

  They kicked me to the hallway floor if I didn't walk at just the right pace. What the hell? Why was I here? Thirty minutes ago was one of the greatest nights of my life. In a flash it was my worst nightmare.

  Equipment and monitors lined the walls of the room I was pulled into. The men cinched me to a chair with zip ties.

  "Where am I? What do you want?"

  A guard's hand smashed the side of my face. I tasted blood.

  After a few minutes a door opened. More guards entered. All of them were dressed in military style tactical gear. Kiril strode in behind them. He sauntered over and eyed me up and down. I sat there, staring at the mummy. Kiril's head canted slightly as he sized me up.

  "Shall we begin?"

  His voice made me nauseous. Made my bones rattle. I'd seen him in the news and his picture in newspapers, but hearing his voice in person, under these circumstances — I wanted to vomit.

  "Begin what?"

  "Negotiations."

  Sweat trickled down my cheek. My head was on a swivel. I felt the ties dig into my arms as I fought against them, trying to see if there was any give. "Negotiations?"

  "Perhaps coercion is the appropriate word. You have something that I want."

  "What's that?" I knew what it was.

  "Your company."

  I laughed for a moment as if he couldn't possibly be serious. My eyes darted around the room to see if I had any hopes of escape. I glanced back to Kiril's cold eyes and large black pupils.

  "What do you want with my company?"

  "It doesn't matter." He rose to his feet, pacing slowly with his hands behind his back. "You're going to sell it to me, regardless."

  "Umm, no."

  "That's unfortunate."

  "Well, I'm sorry you feel—"

  "For you." He cut me off mid-sentence and looked away, nodding. The two large guards approached, smiling and cracking their knuckles.

  Their muscles bulged from their guard uniforms and they seemed to delight in the pain they were about to dish out. I strained against the ties holding my arms. My skin was raw and started to bleed through the burns. Kiril backed out of their way.

  A guard's fist smashed my jaw like a sack of bricks. My head snapped sideways and spewed blood to the tile floor. The first stepped back and the other forward. When my head rotated back I was pummeled with another blow, this one harder than the first. Pain radiated through my jaw and shoulder, then back up to my temple. My groans echoed off the walls.

  Kiril appeared in front of me. His lips curled to a smile, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

  "You change your mind?"

  I sat there, vision hazy, the taste of copper in my mouth. Blood dripped off my nose and soaked into my shirt. My jaw had to be broken. I panted, looking up to Kiril. Sweat mixed with blood as I tasted salty metal on my tongue.

  "It's not for sale."

  When Kiril nodded the men unleashed hell on me, hammering my head, jaw, and ribs. I grunted louder as each blow shocked me with more pain than the previous. My sweaty arms tensed as the restraints held me down for my beating. Kiril snapped his fingers and one of the large men stopped his punch mid-swing. The men stepped away.

  Kiril walked to another man standing in the corner and retrieved some papers.

  "I have the contract right here. Just sign it. Make it easy on yourself."

  Head hanging limp, face bloody and bruised, I winced each time I tried to turn my torso. Blood oozed from my nose and I felt like I was moments from passing out.

  Kiril waved the legal documents in front of me and offered a pen.

  My head tilted up.

  "No." It was all I could muster before my head dropped back toward the floor. I had to look up to see what was going on in the room.

  The men started to come forward but Kiril held his hand up to stop them. He grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes.

  "You would die for your company?"

  I stared back at him and felt blood pooling in the corner of my mouth. Without thinking, I spat the blood at Kiril's face, speckling it with red blots that soaked into his bandages. He didn't flinch. The tension in the room grew palpable.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long steel blade, flipping it through the air effortlessly. He aimed the blade at my face, pressing it inside of my mouth, cold steel on my tongue as it shifted to my cheek.

  His stare, painted with my blood, horrified me. I was as good as dead.

  "You will sign these."

  I burst through the front door and ran past Grandpa. He was reading a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. "What in the..."

  "No time!" I flew up the stairs.

  My feet barely registered a sound as I zipped across the marble floor. I stripped as I went, tossing my shirt and yanking my pants off. I made my way through the closet, my palm slapping against the security display before gliding down the spiral staircase. At the last second I leapt, landing hard on the balls of my feet. My head lifted and I stared at the Matriarch outfit, glowing from the ambient light overhead.

  I threw on a wig and straightened it on my head. I pulled on the thin, elastic body armor and strapped my blades across my waist. Grandpa eased down the steps.

  "Is this a good idea?"

  "Not now. Kiril has him."

  I nudged Grandpa out of the way, readying my go bag.

  "You need to step back and take a breath. Reason this out."

  "I don't have time!" I ran toward the garage and straddled a jet black motorcycle. I turned the key, firing it up. The engine howled with each turn of my wrist.

  Grandpa stood in front me shouting. I couldn't make out his words.

  "What?"

  "It's voice activated, the suit!"

  He walked around to me and I nodded.

  "Be careful!"

  His arms wrapped around me and I squeezed his trembling shoulders. I mouthed the words 'I promise' as the door raised.

  The tires lurched under me and I rocketed down the driveway, disappearing into the turns of the hills.

  I flew around the curves, leaning into each one as the chill night air hammered my torso and the side of my legs. "Room temperature."

  A warmth crept along the curves of my body, ankles to neck. "Kick ass." I could get used to this shit. Thanks Grandpa.

  I sped past cars, weaving in and out of traffic. The skyline was lit up and grew in front of me. My heart drummed as anger coursed through my blood. I hated being unprepared, but the thought of losing Cody outweighed my concerns. Sweat began to cool on my cheeks as the breeze rushed over them. An hour ago was the most intimate moment of my life and now he was gone. For what? His family's company? Not happening.

  Nearing Kiril's lab, I slowed to the speed limit, and then to a silent roll. This is where he had to be, judging by the direction they were headed.

  Large, snaking spotlights swept across the grounds and in front of the security detail. I parked up the road and hid the bike behind some bushes. Merging with the shadows, I searched my brain for any plan that would let me get Cody out without making a scene.

  The place looked business as usual as I crept fluidly from tree to tree, momentarily transported back to the field with Zak. My mind flashed through all of the lessons, but at the forefront remained Kiril's blade running into my mentor while I sat helpless under the floorboards. Relaxing my jaw, I suppressed my rage, meditating on the task at hand.

  Keeping watch over the sleek silver building, I eyed the two guards at the side entrance. I'd been near the place before but never at night. Security was heavy and cameras at every corner.

  I tight roped along a wall, picking up a rock and tossing it over the guards' heads. It clanked on the ground and rattled to a stop. Spinning around, weapons hoisted, the men stared into the empty street.

  I gripped my blades and sprung from the shadows, thrusting sharp steel into one man's back and ripping the blade up as crimson spewed from his mouth. My other knife sliced the second man's neck. Arteri
al spray painted the wall.

  I dragged their bodies into the shadows, swiping one of their badges and sneaking through the gate.

  Careful not to attract attention, I navigated the side of the building, clinging to the wall. When I reached the door I held up the guard's badge and waited for a buzz. The lock unlatched and I turned the knob, easing inside.

  I was sure there'd be surveillance as I eyed the long hallway with doors adjacent on each side. A camera in the corner pointed down the hall confirmed my suspicions. I leapt in the air and sliced the connected wires.

  My head was whipping back and forth as I lurked down the hall, ears at attention, listening for any clues. I looked both directions when I reached the end of the hall. There was muffled speech and then I heard a man groaning. It grew louder as I neared a door on the right. This was it. I heard Cody mumbling, but couldn't make out his words.

  With a deep breath, I pushed the door open.

  It was horror. His blade in Cody's mouth, Kiril grinned at me. I saw my father, then Zak, and then stared at Cody. Heat radiated from my skin as the suit tried to cool me down.

  There were guards everywhere in the room. One of them started to call for help on a radio. I gripped a throwing knife and hurled it into his skull as his walkie talkie dropped from his mouth. His body slammed to the ground on top of it. "Tell your friends only pussies call for help."

  "You came." Kiril pulled his knife from Cody's beaten face. "I like your outfit. It's cute." Cody's eyes were swollen and his face was battered. His lips were turning purple and crusted blood clung to the neck of his shirt. My fists clenched, but my face remained calm.

  "I always wear black to a funeral." I smirked.

  Kiril raised his hand to the other guards and five of them rushed me. I turned back to the wall, planted a foot, and vaulted into the air vertical over them. I hung suspended as three knives soared from my hands. Three bodies fell lifeless. I drew my two large blades from my belt, landing with both feet firm on the ground. I flipped around, slicing through the fourth at the neck as he gurgled blood and collapsed. I spun with a roundhouse for the remaining piece of shit. The blade from my boot gashed open his back. I flipped around with my trusted steel in hand and severed his arm in half.