On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4)

by Kay, Sharon

  She whimpered as he dipped between her legs and delved into her slick center. Hell, if her quivering body hadn’t already told him she was ready, her slickness did. He released her nipple and moved to suck on the other one. Her hips arched toward his hand, an invitation he couldn’t refuse, and he slid one finger inside her.

  Fuck. She was more than ready. His cock ached and he knew there was no going slow. “Need you,” he growled.

  “Yes.” The word sighed past her lips, strained and urgent.

  He cupped her ass and lifted her, aligning her on his swollen cock. She clutched his shoulders and wiggled, making a tiny sound of feminine frustration. Her core brushed across his plump head and they both cursed.

  “Now Caine,” she begged.

  With a low, animalistic rumble, he slammed her tight body down, burying himself to the hilt. She gasped, eyes widening.

  “Hurt?” Through sheer force of will he kept his body still. Had to make sure she was okay.

  She shook her head. “No. You’re just so big. Need a second to get used to you.”

  He wanted to grin and make a smart comeback to her compliment, but all he felt was lust and the need to ensure her pleasure. So he kissed her, claiming her mouth with slow deliberate strokes of his tongue. Above them, the shower poured down like summer rain, making their bodies slip and shift together. And when he felt her heels dig into his ass, felt her little teeth nip his lip, he knew she was ready to take all he could give.

  He turned them so her back was against the wall and braced her there, then pulled out almost all the way only to slam in hard. She moaned, gazing at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “God, that feels good. Harder.”

  Harder. A new wave of arousal jacked through Caine at her demanding words. He pumped again into her tight heat. Her body stretched to accommodate him, as if she were made for him. Every inch of her sheath held him in a grip of perfect friction, offering relief to his aching shaft and at the same time ratcheting his need up farther. Her fingers dug into his biceps and her face radiated pleasure, alternating between a lazy smile and a sexy moan delivered through teeth-bitten lips.

  She dropped one hand to his chest, tracing a finger down his pec and across his nipple just as he had done to her. It was like a shot of fire to his groin. He growled and thrust harder, making her back shift against the shower wall. Her breasts bounced in time with his vigorous pounding and he wondered fleetingly if he was too rough, but the wanton expression on her face told him all he needed to know.

  Her naughty hand dipped to their connection, just like she’d done earlier in the day. Gods, this woman is incredible. “More?” The word tore from his lips on a sex-crazed snarl that he wasn’t sure she understood.

  But she did, nodding. “More. I love how you feel inside me.” Her fingers, slick with fluid, caressed her flesh and then his in a wicked dance. “Caine, I’m so close…”

  He grabbed her hips and slammed her down in time with the furious pace of his thrusts. She wanted more? She’d get more. The need to satisfy her short circuited his mind. All he knew was his woman wanted, no needed, to be fucked senseless.

  Everything faded to the background as he controlled their movements. He was no longer aware of the running water, or the steam billowing around them. All he saw was her naked writhing body. All he felt was the overriding desire to sate them both.

  “Caine!” she screamed and her eyes closed as she convulsed around him, every muscle seemingly attuned to his cock.

  He kept up his pace, unrelenting, as his own climax built. Tiny moans and breathy whimpers fell from her lush lips. She opened her eyes and the look she gave him was pure sexual sorcery. Satisfaction and wickedness rolled together, pulling him toward the edge of sanity. “Your turn, baby. Come for me.” She slipped her hand down to cup his balls.

  She may as well have lit a rocket in his heart. With a roar, his body detonated, pounding into her as he came. He thrust over and over, lost in the allure of her eyes and the heat of her body.

  Finally, his body stilled. Breath sawed in and out of his lungs and he dropped his head against the wall next to her head.

  She trailed her fingers across his back, her own breath coming in short gasps. “That was incredible,” she sighed.

  He slanted his head to meet her eyes. “You’re incredible. I could stay here all night.”

  “Mmm, we just might use up all the hot water.”

  “Nope. We have enough ley lines warming the pipes, that’s not gonna happen.”

  She sighed. “Wow. It really is nice here. You guys have everything.”

  All this stuff doesn’t mean much without someone to share it with. But he wasn’t about to say that out loud. Not yet, anyway. “Perks of the job.” Slowly, reluctantly he withdrew from her body and set her down under the spray. He reached for a washcloth and soap and began to wash her delicate skin. Maybe one day, and maybe soon, he’d voice that opinion.

  Alina sighed as Caine’s strong hands massaged soapy circles on her back and legs. She was a little wobbly after that mind-blowing orgasm. She’d never had sex with a Watcher before. She wondered if it was more intense because this was their fertile time—

  She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

  “What’s wrong?” He turned her around, eyes worried and searching her face.

  “We…we forgot a condom,” she whispered. The staggering possibility of what might happen sent her heart rate soaring. She’d never even thought about children in her future.

  His eyes widened a fraction. “Shit.”

  Oh no. Was he pissed? “You’re fertile right now.”

  “Yeah.” He shoved a lock of wet hair off his face. “Are you?”

  “I have no idea.” She racked her brain, trying to remember if the Solsti in the legends ever had children. The times she’d had sex, she’d always insisted on a condom. If for no other reason than a baby wasn’t a good idea for a criminal who moved all the time.

  But she was done moving. And she was done stealing.

  She raised wary eyes to Caine. “Are you mad?”

  “No!” He pulled her close. “Gods, no. I should have remembered. Are you mad at me?”

  Her face was pressed to his delicious pec. “No. Never. I-I just…I can’t believe we both forgot.”

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever happens, I want you to know, I’ll take care of you.”

  “Okay.” She let out a sigh. The timing couldn’t be worse for getting pregnant. Alina needed to get ready to fight. Elegia loomed somewhere on the horizon.

  She blinked against Caine’s skin as a sudden thread of protectiveness flared in her heart. If she had managed to get pregnant, there was no way her child would see the imminent evil that lurked. Alina would do anything necessary to rid the realm of that crazy bitch.

  She kissed his skin and licked at the drops of water coursing down his chest. What was done was done. Since she didn’t even know if she could get pregnant, there was no sense worrying, at least until she knew for sure. Then they could make plans accordingly. “You better get cleaned up. Want some help?” She reached for the soap.

  He stopped her with a gentle grip on her wrist. “Not this time. If your naughty hands start exploring, we’ll never get out of here. And I meant what I said. If you’re pregnant, I’ll take care of you and the baby. I swear it.”

  “I know you will.” She gazed up into brown eyes so full of devotion, they nearly slayed her. Her sincere, noble demon. Her breath hitched and she knew she needed to redirect her thoughts, pronto. “Wash. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” A twinkle returned to his eyes, replacing the overwhelming intensity with lightness.

  She pretended to pout impatiently but, really, it was just as much fun to watch him run his hands over his own body. Rivers of water coursed from the top of his head down the slabs of muscle at his chest, down his eight pack abs to the sharply indented V at his hips. Soap bubbles raced each other as if they couldn’t wait to dip down
between his legs. She watched in fascination as he cupped his sex to wash the length. It was still long and impressive, even in its current semi-hard state.

  “You keep looking at it like that, I’m serious, Boots, you’ll get another round.” He winked, but a growl laced his deep voice.

  “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.” She winked back and blew him a kiss before turning to step out. “See you in bed.”

  She ducked out and grabbed a white fluffy towel from several that were stacked on a shelf. Her hair took no time to dry, being so short and stick-straight. Wrapping the thick cotton around herself, she walked back into the bedroom and to his dresser in search of a T-shirt.

  She opened the top drawer to reveal piles of folded T-shirts. Grabbing one, she was about to close the drawer when she spied a red silky rope of some sort at the very bottom. Curious, she reached back in and gingerly raised the clothing.

  A red velvet bag, maybe four inches square, sat there.

  What was inside? Caine didn’t have a lot of extraneous stuff in here. She stood frozen, torn, and curious.

  The shower water shut off, and from the bathroom she heard the cottony swish of a towel being snapped open.

  Alina jumped and dropped the shirts. Clutching only the top one she had intended to wear, she shut the drawer. No sense in being rude. She had already broken in here once. She yanked the shirt over her head.

  Caine appeared in the doorway, rubbing droplets from his glistening skin. “You look damn sexy in that, woman.” A grin tugged at his rugged face.

  “It’s kind of like a dress on me.” She crawled onto the huge bed and lay with her feet at the pillows and her head at the bottom, watching him.

  “Nothing wrong with a dress, especially one with nothing underneath.” He finished drying off and tossed the towel behind him. He pulled on a pair of workout pants and prowled up next to her. Laying down the same way she was, he tucked her close and she laid her head on his chest.

  “That painting,” she pointed to the canvas above the bed, “is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen.”

  “Thank you.” One strong hand rested on her hip. “It’s where I grew up.”

  “Oh.” A wave of sadness tore through her as his words from the other night rushed back. My family’s dead. Our village was attacked. “Your home…I’m so sorry.”

  He blew out a breath and lay quiet for so long, she regretted bringing it up. But though she wracked her brain, she couldn’t think of a way to change the subject without sounding cold and unfeeling. She decided to attempt to talk about it, and gage his reactions. “Where is it?”

  “Coriander Lake.”

  “I’ve heard about it.” The gorgeous region and its namesake lake were in the southern part of Torth, almost a tropical climate. It had a healthy tourist trade as well as an excellent harvest of its namesake herb. “I’m sure this painting doesn’t do it justice.”

  “Nothing can.” He swallowed, and propped his free hand under his head. “But this artist came close.”

  “It feels like I’m there.” She shifted cautious eyes to his face. “The other night, when I was in here, I just laid here and looked at it.”

  He smacked her bottom. “I knew you laid right here. Your scent was so concentrated, it hit me like a wall of bricks when I opened my door.”

  She giggled. “Well, I couldn’t look away. Plus, I needed to decompress after all the craziness of the day. And looking at the water, the boats…it was so serene I felt like I was there.”

  “Yeah, I get that feeling too.” His attention remained on the picture, but a shadow flickered over his face. “And then, I see what it looks like now.”

  His body tensed. She waited, holding her breath, willing him to talk to her.

  “All I saw when I returned from an assignment was black smoke filling the sky. Every home crushed. Fires everywhere in town, boats and fields ablaze. Bodies…” His voice was hollow, like whatever emotion that should be there had been booted out of his head long ago, yet threatened to return.

  “Assignment?” She had to ask, though a tiny fear flickered that she might be pushing too far.

  “All the Watchers were needed to fight a band of dark elves.” He shook his head. “The Hunter—Mathias—was undercover for a fucking year, trying to get enough info to bust them. When he finally did, Arawn sent all of us. They were vicious and it took a while to eliminate them.

  “I had been scheduled to have a few days off, but we got word that we had an opportunity to take the elves out. So I didn’t go home until later. When I did…”

  He didn’t need to say the rest. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, pulling herself up to lay an arm across his chest and look into his face. The words felt horribly inadequate. But what could she say? I wish I could do something? No, she couldn’t say that. Not when there were things she knew she couldn’t do for him or for any male.

  “One witness from a neighboring village reported the attack was led by Vipers. I know which general it was.”

  The grim set to his jaw told her the direction of his thoughts. “You search for him,” she murmured.

  “I do. It’s a matter of when I find him, not if.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “But I’m not giving that asshole another second of my thoughts when you’re in my bed.” He tugged her so she lay on top of him, one hand resting on her rear. “There’s something else you should know. I have a photographic memory.”

  She blinked rapidly. “What? You remember everything you read?”

  “Not just words on a page, baby.” He shook his head. “Images, down to the last details. Everything in my life, everything I’ve ever seen…I can’t unsee it.”

  She paused and the weight of his revelation made her heart hurt. “So…your village…you see everything you saw the day you returned?”

  He nodded. “Always.”

  She smoothed his dark hair. “Caine, I’m—”

  He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Don’t be sorry. It’s how I am. This is my life, what happened is what happened. And I plan to do something about it.” He pressed a kiss to her palm. “Besides, my ability is why Arawn sent me to Mulvari’s party.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You said you were there to observe.” Her jaw dropped. “Wait, you meant, to observe all of his stuff?”

  “Yep. All of it, cataloged right here.” He pointed to his head. “But there was the added benefit of seeing you.”

  “Did I get cataloged too?” She giggled.

  His onyx gaze turned suddenly serious. “Since the first second I laid eyes on you.”

  Oh. Something in his tone bordered on the tantalizing possibility that he could want more than a casual relationship. No, no, no. Not meant to be. She stifled her rising unease and nuzzled his chest instead. “Well, I’m glad. Count me happy to be catalogued.”

  He rolled them so he was on top of her. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” A wicked twinkle danced in his eyes.

  Relief coursed through her at the change in topic, though that was silly since she had brought it up. “I think there was another word you liked hearing me say. What was it?” She tilted her head. “Oh, yes…fuuucked.” She dragged the word out, letting it glide past her lips on a sigh.

  He stared at her for one second, eyes taking on a silvery-black glow. That was all the warning she got before his mouth came down on hers. Losing herself to his kiss, she pushed aside her regret at the ember of possibility that had died before it could fully form. Instead, she vowed to use her power to safeguard him, to help him fight whoever he needed to fight, to chase down his demons. She vowed to make sure he was whole and strong and ready to find his mate, whoever she may be.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  THE NEXT MORNING ALINA AND Caine followed her sisters, their mates, and several inner-circle Watchers into a huge conference room. The walls were rough stone ranging in shades of rust to deep tan. Fire bulbs lined the edges near the ceiling, which was also hewn from jagged stone. An enormous wood
en table sat in the center of the room, and this is where Alina and the others took their seats. Sebastian sat on her left, while Caine sat on her right. Ashina and Raniero also joined the group.

  Arawn paced at the head of the table, ignoring a heavily carved chair that looked like it could only belong to him. He watched everyone file in, his expression unreadable. If Alina had to guess, she’d say he was angry—but then he always looked angry. Since she’d been here, she hadn’t seen him crack a smile.

  His dark countenance dropped to her, then moved around the group. “We have all four Solsti together in one room. About damn time.”

  Nicole, seated across from Alina, scowled and opened her mouth, looking more than ready to fling a comeback, but Gunnar squeezed her fingers in his. She frowned and let out a tiny sigh, but kept quiet.

  “Here are the facts. You four are needed to defeat something worse than what we’ve seen in centuries.” Arawn shoved a hand through his dark shoulder length hair. “The other night, the owner of the Halice inn that you two stayed in,” he gestured to Alina and Sebastian, “was found dead. The scent of vampire and Serus demon was on him, yet those species weren’t listed among the inn’s guests.

  “Two nights ago, our Chicago location was targeted by Deserati demons who were cloaking themselves. Thanks to the Hunter and the Solsti Nicole, their plan didn’t work out. Mathias and Brenin tracked them. Found them not far from the house, but unwilling to give up any useful information despite the Hunter’s gift of persuasion.” Arawn paced the front of the room. “So they were eliminated.

  “In the last several months, there have been kidnappings all over the realm. Earth’s water supply was nearly tainted with a biological contaminant. And that contaminant comes from the extract of the black lily of Evena, which is supposed to be extinct.