“Stay with me, Rylee,” Liam said, stretching out beside me, his presence calming me even as I shivered hard enough to make my eyes blur.
I couldn’t answer him, could only concentrate on the ice spreading through my limbs, making it hard to breathe as it crushed my chest in its vice-like grip. Outside the lodge the chanting grew, rising and falling, but ever growing to the point where I could no longer hear my teeth chattering, or my heart beating.
The women’s voices blended, harmonizing as they laid their spell on the venom, drawing it out of me, forcing the demon to relinquish its hold. Fuck, it hurt!
Liam’s hands stroked my face, my shoulders, my back as I writhed on the robes, the fire burning hot beside us as he added more fuel, but still, it wasn’t enough to chase back the frozen ice flow in my blood. The scent of fresh cut wood overpowered the sage and I breathed deep, groaning as the air escaped me. Never had I felt pain like this. It exploded through me, bombs set over nerve endings to incapacitate me. Through it all, Liam held me, speaking to me, lips moving, though I couldn’t hear him; the chanting all my ears could handle.
In a sudden arc of sound, the women’s voices were joined by a man’s deep baritone, rumbling through their higher notes. Doran was adding his power to Louisa and the other Shamans. Like taking a knife, his voice stabbed into my chest, dug around and drew out the venom. The combined flow of strength cut through the cold, and the venom fought back, using my body as a battlefield. Sharp icicles jabbed my insides, stabbing at my lungs, heart, stomach and kidneys. I bit down on my lower lip to stop the building screams, focusing on the chanting I could still hear. Rising in crescendo and depth, the Shamans continued to pull on the venom, but it was if they were tugging on a piece of me, pulling my body inside out.
The venom roared within me, cracking through my pores, freezing over my thighs as if they were chunks of wood. Doran’s voice changed in pitch and intensity, anger flowing through him into me; a pure fight between the Shaman and the demon. A new sound split the air, shocking me. My screams overpowered everything and my body arced into a perfect curve, heels and the top of my head the only things touching the robes I lay on, as Doran’s voice rippled through me, seeking the venom, forcing it out. Seconds drew into minutes as his voice pierced through the venom, unhooking it from my body and making it do his bidding. If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have been impressed.
The cool edge of the flask was against my breastbone—Liam doing his job—the ice pouring out of me in a viscous black and blue stream. Throat raw, I whimpered as the last of it slipped out of my body, the mark of the demon still on my skin, though its venom was gone. The perfect black snowflake clung to me, a reminder of what had almost happened.
A soft breath of relief escaped my lips, my body collapsed into the robes, and I passed out.
*-*-*-*
Rylee slumped into the robes, her skin flushing pink almost as soon as he corked the cut glass flask. Putting the last of the wood on the fire, O’Shea lay down beside her, his hands tracing over her shoulders to her lower back, tugging her close.
His neck and shoulders were tense, and the chanting was still coiling around him, like a rope tightening. Ducking his head, he tucked his face into the hollow of Rylee’s throat, breathing in her scent. Notes of jasmine, sage, and wolf musk mingled on her skin, and he let out a low rumble in his chest. Unable to stop himself, he put his lips to her skin, flicking his tongue out along the beading sweat. Groaning, he closed his eyes and tightened his hold on her.
Images flashed through his mind, scenes he’d never seen, moments he’d never lived. Blood, snow, moon and stars, torn flesh and the roar of a beast hovered just under his skin. Swallowing the images down, he struggled to understand what was happening. His fingers traced the nearly invisible scars the Guardian had inflicted on his hip. Was that what had happened? Was he becoming a shifter? His eyes flashed open, staring at the top of the lodge.
No!
He was human, not some freak of nature. This was nothing more than a virus, some weird hallucination from the herbs that were in the sweat lodge. That made sense. Of course it did. His heart ceased its sudden frantic pounding, and again he closed his eyes, though the distant howl of the wild sung to him in his dreams.
*-*-*-*
Sleep eased from me, like a blanket being drawn off my naked body. I was warm all over, my breath easy in my chest and the heavy weight of a man’s arm slung over my waist. I didn’t have a single ache forming from the expulsion of the venom. In fact, even the wounds Jensen gave me had healed. Now that was a sweet deal.
Rolling to my side, I stared down at Liam, his eyes still closed, his breathing even. He’d stayed with me the whole night. My heart jumped and I looked over my shoulder to see the coals were still hot, a flame flickering here and there.
The Shamans had said I needed to stay in until the fire went out. Well then, I’d just have to find some way to spend the time productively.
A wicked sense of naughtiness stole over me, and I scooted my body closer to Liam. Using just the tips of my fingers, I swirled a path down his chest to the tops of his thighs and back up again. He let out a moan that made my muscles clench in anticipation.
Continuing my exploration, I traced the edges of his muscles through his stomach, chest and arms.
“Are you trying to drive me crazy?” His hands covered mine.
I smiled up at him. “Maybe.”
With a soft growl, he flipped me onto my back. The reverberation echoed from his chest into mine, and I shivered, feeling the tension between us grow thick with wanting each other.
He lay over me, his skin a heat that rivalled the flames beside us; I squirmed underneath him, watching his eyes dilate.
Dropping his mouth to mine, he kissed me as if he would devour me whole, and I returned the sentiment. Nipping at my lips, he pulled back, and then proceeded to start his own exploration over my body. Shoulders, neck, belly and inner thighs. It was like he was avoiding all the sweet spots. On purpose.
I gripped his broad shoulders, digging my nails into his skin as I arched under his mouth, tried to align him with what I wanted his lips on. He laughed softly. “Impatient?”
“You are such a tease,” I whispered.
“Just returning the favor.”
With a groan, I gave up trying to make him do anything and just surrendered to the sensations. Skin on skin, it was the first time in a long time I’d felt so connected to someone; so safe. His mouth moved over me, hands trailing paths of burning fire as he teased my body into a trembling mass of muscle and flesh.
I grabbed his hair and pulled him upward, tired of waiting. Taking his lips, I kissed him hard, begging him between breaths.
“Please, Liam, please.”
He didn’t listen, just continued on at a pace that drove me out of my mind with wanting him. Kissing his way down my throat he bit lightly along the edge of my collarbone, finally making his way to the edge of my breast.
My body screamed with desire, and I loved every second of it. Still, I didn’t want him to think he was going to have all the fun. With a quick twist I flipped him onto his back, and straddled his hips. “You are going too slow.”
He smiled up at me, dark eyes full of desires I could hardly wait to taste. “And you are going too fast.”
I ran my hands down his chest, feeling each exquisite inch of muscle tremble under my fingertips. Resting my hands on the waistband of his pants, I shimmied backwards taking his pants with me.
“These are seriously in the way.” I flipped the clothes behind me. He gave a low growl of pleasure, the sound rippled along my spine and sent a delicious shiver through my body. My eyes went to his hip, were the Guardian has slashed him open. The wound was already closed up, healing as if it had been weeks and not a few days. Lucky indeed, the power the Shamans had drawn up must have spilled over into him helping him heal fast.
Liam sat up, wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him, redirec
ting my flow of thoughts. Hovering just above him on my knees, the feel and throb of his erection pressed against the tight warmth between my legs. I tipped my hips toward him, brushing against his erection, shuddering at how close we were. Liam’s eyes closed and he let out a low groan. “You really are a tease.” I moved to take him into me, but he put his hands on my hips to keep me from sliding down onto his shaft. “Not yet, Rylee. There’s no hurry, the fire is a long ways from out.”
I glanced at the fire pit, saw the dying embers. “Actually—”
The look in his eyes struck me. He wasn’t talking about the fire pit. He was talking about us.
“Oh.”
Rolling to the side he took me with him, the length of our bodies fitting together in a simple movement I felt helpless against; but not in a way that freaked me out. There was no denying this, and for once I wouldn’t try.
Feeling bold, I slid my hand down between our bodies, slipping past his erection to cup him, squeezing ever so slightly. A sharp hiss of breath escaped his lips. I smiled thinking I was in charge, the one running this sexy show. Not so much.
He dipped his head and took one nipple gently between his teeth , drawing it into the deep warmth of his mouth, his other hand teasing along the edges of my inner thigh until he pressed his fingers into me, swirling in the heat that was building between my legs.
Gasping I arched into him, all thoughts of being in charge fleeing my brain. Unable to stop myself, I thrust my hips into his hands, noises I barely recognized slipping out of me. Heat, desire, the smell of Liam’s skin; I shivered with the whirlwind that rose within me, bursts of lightning seemingly dancing along my skin as my body bucked under his hands and mouth.
“Liam, please,” I begged, feeling the need to finish this with him.
With a groan, he gave in, sliding into me with a single smooth thrust and I wrapped my legs around his waist almost jerking him into me, our bodies moving together, a dance as old as time.
We rode the momentum, our skin slick with sweat, breath coming in short sharp gasps as we rode the wave, cresting at the top together. Trembling, he held himself slightly above me, staring down into my eyes.
“That was worth the wait.”
I smiled up at him, my body singing his praises. “You bet your sweet ass it was.”
Laughing, we collapsed on the pile of furs, but I kept my legs wrapped around his waist when he made a move to get off me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, sweetly, batting my eyelashes up at him.
Laughing softly, he shook his head, bending to nip at my ear. “Absolutely nowhere.”
16
Doran was waiting for me as I stepped out of the sweat lodge, robe gripped around my waist. The grin spread across his face. “If I’d known what the morning’s activities were going to be, I’d have offered to go in with you.”
Crap, did that mean everyone knew? The four female Shamans were sitting on the back porch, smiling out my way. Apparently so. I wasn’t ashamed, it was just, well, your first time with someone, you don’t exactly want a welcoming committee afterward.
“Was he any good? I didn’t hear any screaming after I was done with you.” Doran smirked, and I did the only thing I could think of.
I punched him in the nose. The cartilage crunched under my fist, and Doran wheeled away, laughing and yelping. Yes, I said laughing.
“Bitch, I’m glad I didn’t bed you. You Trackers. So God-damned touchy!”
“That’s for talking to Jensen, you ass.”
Liam stepped out behind me, his pants and shirt on, even if the shirt was un-buttoned. I clenched my robe against the sharp, winter wind. It was cold, but I didn’t feel like anything was going to kill me. Running barefoot across the frosted ground, I leapt up the stairs and raced to the back bedroom.
Closing the door behind me, I was surprised to see Alex passed out on his back, snoring loudly. Grabbing my clothes, I started to pull them on, calling to the werewolf.
“Alex, come on, we’ve got to get going.”
He startled awake, rolling off the bed with a thump. Peeking up at me over the edge, he lifted his nose and sniffed the air.
“Rylee mates the boss?”
Scrunching my face up, I nodded. If he thought Liam was the boss, all the better. “Yes.”
Snorting once, he scratched at his butt with his claws, pulling them out to give them a sniff before saying anything. “Okey dokey.”
That was it? Damn, I’d been expecting a full-out war again with him growling at Liam and me trying to step between them. This was good, life was looking up.
I paused in dressing to reach for Ricky, Tracking him easily. Still asleep. That was too weird. Though I preferred him not to have to see whatever the dumb ass Troll was up to, I didn’t like that he had been unconscious for so long.
Gathering up my weapons, I strapped everything down and headed back out into the main house. Louisa was there, talking quietly with Liam.
“Keep an eye on her. If for one instant” —she held a pointy finger up to his nose— “you think there is a speck of the venom left, you bring her back to us.”
The agent nodded, his dark hair tousled with sleep, but his eyes were keen and alert. I fought back the—what I knew would be goofy—smile from my lips.
“Thank you Louisa,” I said.
“You’re welcome.”
Silence, then; no ‘thank you’ would be forthcoming from her. Shaking my head, I touched Liam on the arm. “We should go. Ricky is waiting on us.”
Eve was waiting outside, her head dropped so she could speak with Eagle. We approached them, not making any effort to hide ourselves, but still, Eve jumped when we got close.
“Rylee, you are well?”
“I am. Can you take us back to the Landing Pad?”
She bobbed her head once, glanced at Eagle, and then lowered herself so Liam and I could climb on. Again, Alex would ride in her claws.
As we lifted from the ground, Eagle gave a shrill cry and Eve answered it with one of her own. She made swift time though, between Louisa’s and Dox’s place, the wind blowing in our favor.
Dox came rushing out, and I gave him a double thumbs up. Scooping me up into his arms, he gave me his trademark bone-crushing hug. Or at least, he started to. I was yanked out of his arms and shoved behind Liam so hard I actually stumbled.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shoved the agent.
He turned to me, his eyes wild, skin flushed as though with fever. Shit, maybe he had an infection? No, the sweat lodge would have helped with that.
Dox though, didn’t seem bothered, not at all. He took a look at O’Shea, a look at me, and threw his head back with a bellowing laugh. “Shit, I didn’t think you’d actually bed him, Rylee!”
O’Shea didn’t move, but something shifted in him, a tensing of muscles, a moment of pressure in the air. I lifted my hand. “Don’t ruin this, not now, not here.” Of course, the minute I sleep with the guy, he gets all weird and possessive.
This was the last thing I needed, and yet my heart stumbled almost as much as my feet had. I’d thought, for a brief second, O’Shea was different. That he wouldn’t be an ass. What was I thinking?
O’Shea shook himself, a tremor rippling through him, and he finally turned to face Dox. I couldn’t see the look that passed between them, but I could guess. He grunted a “Sorry” at the ogre and then brushed past him, through the motel and right out the other side.
Dox clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on him. When he’s ready, he’ll tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
The ogre just smiled at me, but didn’t pull me back into a hug. Eve cleared her throat. “Rylee, I must ask you something.”
Ruffling her feathers, the Harpy ducked her head. “I would like to stay here for some time. Eagle has agreed to train me. But not forever, I would come back to you, in a few months.”
This would be good for her, to train with someone who could
fly with her. And it would keep Milly from harping—bad pun, I know—at me.
“Are you sure,” I asked, not wanting her to think I was happy she was staying, though a part of me was sighing a large breath of relief.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
I gave her a nod, and headed toward the front of the building. “You did good, Eve. Just come home when you’re ready.”
She gave a screech that made the hair on my body stand at attention, and then a whoosh of wind curled around me as she launched into the air.
“Keep an eye out for her, Dox,” I said, striding through the building.
“Of course, and you take care of yourself, Rylee.”
Deliberately, within sight of O’Shea and the SUV, I turned and hugged Dox, keeping one eye on the agent. His jaw tightened and his hands flexed on the steering wheel, but at least he didn’t get out of the vehicle.
“Always pushing the boundaries,” Dox muttered, patting me on the back. “Get out of here, before you start a brawl.”
I laughed, but my heart was feeling bruised at being such a bad judge of character. I didn’t think jealous was a word I could have applied to O’Shea, and wouldn’t have until he yanked me away from Dox. “You’d squash him like an overripe melon.”
Dox’s face sobered. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Giving me a little shove in the direction of the SUV, he waved at Alex who was already in the back of the vehicle, bouncing like crazy.
Good times, just me, a werewolf, and a cranky, jealous FBI agent on an eighteen-hour run back to North Dakota, most likely through a snowstorm.
Good times indeed.
*-*-*-*
He drove as if he were alone, silent and staring straight ahead. The snowstorms that had chased them south had eased off, and the driving was simple enough. So what was his problem? How about the wild rage that had gripped him when the ogre hugged Rylee? O’Shea was not a possessive man, never in his life had jealousy been something he’d had to deal with. But it was like a light switch had been flicked on and his only thought was to tear off the arms of the one who was holding her.
Immune: A Sexy Urban Fantasy Mystery (Rylee Adamson # 2) Page 14