“Turn around.”
Amber’s body was hot for more as she faced her lover. His cock hung heavily, pointing up toward the sky.
Amber wanted more. “Taste me.”
He grinned, flashing his fangs. Heat fluttered through her pussy, causing her to wet again. Kane groaned deep within the back of his throat as he pressed her against the cold tile and kissed her passionately. He lifted her legs up around his waist. The tip of his cockhead centered on her wet pussy. Amber broke her lips away, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he lowered her onto his thick cock. She moaned as his dick entered her in a slow, erotic dance. Their lips found each other again, and their tongues flicked.
Amber found her heart opening to Kane. She loved him. It was then she knew how much she loved him. Kane’s hand slid up her side, finding her breast. His fingers pinched her nipple, causing an orgasm to shatter through her pussy. She milked his cock deeper into her. Kane groaned.
“Amber.”
“Come for me, Kane. Come.”
Kane spread his legs wide and pounded her by flexing his hips, drilling his cock in and out of her pussy. Another orgasm had her crying out. Kane shouted out as his orgasm made his muscles lock and his cock punch out. Searing heat spread through her belly as he came inside of her. He held her tightly as he came down from the ride.
Kane touched his forehead to hers, kissing her sweetly. “I have to go.”
Disappointment fluttered through her body. She wanted him to spend the night. She wanted more time with him. She didn’t want to be just his mistress. “When will I see you again?”
He smiled. “Soon. I promise you.”
They showered slowly. Amber knew it could go further but could sense him holding back. He dressed and tucked her into bed before he dematerialized from her bedroom. A tear slipped from her eye. How could she allow herself to fall in love with a vampire? He was immortal. She wasn’t. She’d live another hundred years if she was lucky and would age dramatically as he stayed young and beautiful. He’d grow tired of her and find someone else. Tears burst from her eyes. How could she be so foolish?
Amber’s cell phone echoed on the nightstand. She didn’t have to reach for it to know that it was her partner at the Charleston PD, Chris, calling her in to work. She had purposely set his number to a different ring tone. Amber picked up her cell phone, clearing the tears from her throat as she did.
“Hi, Chris. What’s going on?”
“I’m on my way to a shooting downtown. I’ll pick you up.”
Chapter Ten
He was running from Amber. Kane knew he was. He just didn’t know how to balance his love life and his work. Kane moved through the Armory. He flexed his muscles on his back. His scars still ached and burned when he moved the wrong way, like a stitch in a pulled muscle. The pain never faded, unlike most. He thought of how he had shown them to Amber. It’d been an impulsive move, one that felt right. It wasn’t often that Kane led by his heart. He preferred instinct.
Elementals didn’t trust easily. He needed Amber to trust him if he was going to get her to love him. Doubts whispered through his mind. He felt guilty for leaving her after they made love. Why was it so easy for him to doubt what he felt in his heart?
The Fallen were not evil. They were misguided by their freewill but not evil.
Loving a woman wasn’t something Kane had ever intended to do, but Fate had other plans for him when he was paid a visit by the entity a month ago. Fate’s words were the serrated edge of a dagger, sharp and punishing.
It is time for you to learn how to love.
Fate was a jackass. The entity needed a muzzle and a good heavy leash on a good day. The problem was Fate’s hands were in every pot. He guided evil and good. That made too many conflicts of interest in Kane’s opinion. Kane’s cell phone rang. He answered. It was Vice, and she was out with the newly Fallen for a tour of The Holy City.
“Hey, how’s it going?’ he asked.
“Well, they hit a car with your beamer. It’s just a scratch.”
“Oh, good. Just as long as no one was hurt,” Kane said.
“Funny. We’re on 7th and Elm. They wanted to go shopping. I gave them one of your credit cards.”
Kane sighed. “That’s fine. They need clothing.”
“I should’ve taken them to the Goodwill.”
“How much longer are you going to be out?” Kane asked.
“Not much longer. I don’t have a problem babysitting. Hold up. Something’s going down. What the hell? Those miscreants are going to get arrested. I do not want to have to bail their asses out of jail tonight!” She hung up.
Kane cursed and snapped shut his phone. Dryden was on the landing behind him.
“Vice?” Dryden asked.
“Yeah. We have to move. Trouble’s brewing on 7th and Elm with our Fallen.”
They dematerialized in a swirl of condensed, dark energy. Kane materialized first in the alley below the skywalk on 7th. Habit had Kane running a hand down the front of his zipper to adjust his package. Everything was in the right place. He wasn’t sure what he would do if it ever wasn’t.
Dryden was two seconds behind. They looked up. Clear glass and metal framing arched a hundred feet across the road. The two newly Fallen, Vice, and two mall cops were flying down the mid section of the over walk. A human went down and nearly tripped Vice up, but she leapt over them, spread her arms and took down both of the new guys down. All three were spread across the walkway.
The bridge connected two high-end stores. They were gathering onlookers. Vice was up and on top of the warriors before they could roll over.
“Too many witnesses,” said Dryden.
“I’ve got the mall cops. Keep the humans out of it.” Kane ran up the stairway and pushed through the crowd.
The mall cops were shouting about shoplifting. Kane came up behind silently and froze the mall cops mid-stride. Kane planted the urge to rush back inside to go to the food court. The mall cops looked at each other, and shrugged. Oh, shit. A third cop in an unmarked car came to a quick stop below, and he wasn’t alone. Amber was with him. Kane growled. Her hair was still wet from their shower. His scent lingered on her body.
They were up the stairs and on top of Vice in an inhuman way. Amber’s gaze went to Kane. The cop at her side had the true story jamming on the inside of his skull. Kane willed the other two cops down the south exit and headed for the one next to Amber.
This cop had his weapon drawn to the side of his leg, not because he needed it but because it served a purpose for the humans he was guarding. His gaze went from Vice, holding down the two Fallen, to Kane.
Dryden was making good time with the crowd. They were starting to move on by going down the stairwells. It was time for the Amber and her cop friend to go, too.
“Kane?” Amber asked.
“I got this. You need to go.”
The cop looked back and forth between Amber and Kane. “You know this guy?”
“Yes. He’s a friend.”
A flash of annoyance consumed Kane’s body. He was way more than a friend. If he didn’t get this human away from him, he was going to tear him apart.
Kane penetrated the cop’s frontal lobe with his mind. Overdue warrants suddenly had to be filed tonight. The cop frowned and looked at Vice again. He wasn’t moving. Kane pushed harder. Finally, the cop replaced his gun and turned.
“Hey, where are you going?” Amber asked.
“There’s nothing here, Steele. I got stuff I need to do. Coming?” he asked.
“Why did you do that?” Amber asked.
Kane came in close to his woman. “Either he goes, or I do something stupid. Who is he to you?”
“He’s my partner. So get used to him. He’s not going anywhere.”
Kane would have to come to terms with her working with the human. A part of him liked the fact that she was paired up with someone so strong. “I like him.”
“Sure you do.”
A horn honked from do
wn below. “You should go. Your partner is getting restless.”
“Jealous?” she asked.
“Yes, I am.”
Amber grinned wickedly. She looked over at Vice. Kane knew she could see that his warriors had things under control. “I’ll see you later, Kane.”
Kane watched her turn and chase after her partner. His molars locked down hard as he saw her get into the cop’s car. After a few seconds, the car started, and they drove away.
“Who the hell was that with Amber?” Vice asked.
“That’s Amber’s partner with the Charleston PD.”
Vice’s hair was messed with sweat. Kane leaned down on his haunches to talk to the two new guys. They sat with their backs were up against the railing.
“What the fuck?” Kane asked.
They looked at each other. The Fallen on the right spoke first. “We didn’t know it was stealing. We just left the card on the counter and walked out.”
Vice sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get the credit card.”
“It looks like you’re going to need more time to adjust before we take you out again,” Kane said. “Let’s get back to the Armory.”
They headed toward the beamer with Vice getting behind the wheel.
Kane made sure everyone got into the car safely. “I’ll meet you guys there. Dryden?”
“I’ll go with Vice,” Dryden said.
Kane materialized in the back garden of the Armory. He was aggravated. He didn’t like the thought of Amber working as a cop. He didn’t like the idea of her getting hurt. He went to his office to cool the fuck off. Twenty minutes later, the security alarm indicated the gates opening. On the security monitor on his laptop, Kane saw his scratched beamer pull around the winding drive to the garage. Vice and Dryden could handle things from here. Kane thought about the work that needed to be done at the Armory, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. Other things were on his mind. Amber was on his mind.
He was going out again, this time to find his Elemental and make sure her partner dropped her back at home.
Chapter Eleven
Fate finished off his Coke, slurping the last few dregs from the bottom. There was nothing like a fountain Coke in crisp ice. He spun the cup into the garbage, discouraged and disillusioned with the way things were going. The movie sucked. There was no way he was getting the last two hours of his so-called existence back. It’d been just a way to pass the time. He had loads of it to get rid of, and no one wanted it. And here he had thought seeing the former Mrs. Brad Pitt fill the screen would make him feel better. Nope.
Fate took a step out in the nighttime humidity, breathing deeply into his lungs. Yep, he was bored.
Charleston was all hyped up. Word had it Kane was getting on with his Elemental. Fate knew it was true and was trying to stay as far out of it as he could. Kane had to learn how to love of his own free will.
There was something darker going on in the city. It was more than just the Fallen. There was an underlying beat that brought the hairs on the back of his neck to attention. Fate looked over his shoulder. He was being watched. No, he couldn’t see the men watching him, but he knew they were there.
Interesting. This wasn’t something Fate expected. He decided a shortcut would be a perfect way to kill a little more time. He headed toward the sensations. The lights were out around the alley. The hairs on his arms, legs, and neck were screaming for him to turn around. A world of pain waited for him. Oh, he was so ready for it. Maybe tonight would be the night he’d finally get his freedom, but deep down he knew he wouldn’t. These men were at a crossroads in their lives. Fate only appeared to people whose lives were at a pivotal moment.
Fate was grabbed. Yanked into the alley by an unseen man. Fate had to give him kudos for the surprise factor. Not that he was all that surprised. The gun was pushed up under his chin. The trigger cocked.
“Give me your wallet.”
Fate didn’t carry one. There was no “Mr. Fate” calling card in his jeans. “Don’t have one, my man.”
“Come on! Give us your money!”
“I don’t have any! You don’t want to do this.”
“Fuck this!”
The gun was swung against his chin. Pain ricocheted down his jaw. Fate fell to the ground. He could feel the blood pooling in his mouth. His pockets were patted, but the guys came up empty-handed.
“I told you. No money, my man.”
Shots were fired at his head. Fate played dead. He was done with these fools. They ran. A screeching of tires and the thud that followed told him what happened to the shooter. Fate sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Every one of those 9mm bullets had missed his head, bouncing off like pebbles thrown at him.
“Damn the luck. All bad.” He couldn’t even get himself killed right if he tried.
Fate got to his feet. When he didn’t have anything to do he popped over to the police station. He hadn’t checked in with his cop in a while. He liked humans, especially the wild ones. The only thing Fate knew he should be worried about was the leader of the Fallen, Kane. If Kane didn’t learn to love, war was going to break out again. This time it wouldn’t be the Elementals who would suffer. This time suffering would be handed down to humans. Fate saw the future unfold without love within his mind, and it saddened him. The next generation of Fallen needed a strong leader who knew how to love, and that leader was Kane. Fate looked up at the moon. There were only a few more days until the next full moon. He hoped it was enough time for Kane.
Chapter Twelve
Amber was driving across town to meet Chris to discuss cold cases. Thoughts of Kane kept pace with her thoughts of what happened downtown last night. After Chris had dropped her off, she sensed that she was being watched, but the feeling didn’t last long. Whoever it was had left shortly after.
Heat continued to pound, despite the late afternoon sun being drawn down and twilight on the horizon. Amber parked across from the restaurant. She was meeting Chris at their favorite diner to discuss their ever growing cold case files.
Amber sashayed past the doorman and went straight for their booth. Their latest case file was sitting on the table in front of him.
Chris sat with his fingers lightly touching the edge of the papers as he read. His flat brown hair was spiked wet with gel. Amber slid into the seat across from him.
“What did you bring for me?” she asked.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Drug deal gone bad. It’s two weeks cold.”
“Oh, lovely.” He scooted the file over, and she lifted the papers. “No witnesses came forward. That’s just beautiful.”
“It wasn’t from lack of trying. No one wants to talk.”
A waitress brought a huge basket of nachos and slid it in front of Chris. He offered some to Amber, but she declined. She watched as he inhaled the chips.
“How do you like working cold cases?” Chris asked.
Amber sighed. “It’s more discouraging than I thought it would be. I want to solve the cases faster.”
He looked pensive as he chewed and thought about it. “Cases work out when they’re meant to. Sometimes it takes years.”
Amber studied the case file. There was nothing odd about the file. It was obviously a drug deal gone wrong. Those cases were the hardest to close. She still took it personally.
“You’re right about that.”
He burped. “Yup, you can say it again.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
“What’s wrong?” Chris asked.
“It’s nothing. Just work I suppose.”
“You can’t fool a detective.” Chris sighed when she merely stared out the window. “Don’t be like this, Amber. We’re partners. You can tell me anything. I won’t judge you.”
She stopped listening. Through the window, Amber caught sight of Kane materializing across the street. His hand swept down over his zipper, adjusting his package. What was he doing here?
“Amber?”
“I’m sorry, Chris. I have
to go.”
His hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem different lately.”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine. Promise.”
“Liar.” Chris let go of her wrist. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
Annoyance furrowed under Amber’s skin. This was totally stalking. She opened the side door and stepped out onto the terrace. Kane’s gaze moved over her from head to toe, but his eyes were cold, aloof as he stared at Chris through the windows. Kane was eating a peach, but he paused as though he were considering chucking the half-eaten peach through the window at Chris.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I wanted to see you.”
Amber crossed her arms. She couldn’t help but be fascinated by the way his fangs glistened with juice from the peach. The way they struck first through that soft skin. The way her tongue went to touch the top of her lip as though she could taste that sweet nectar. Amber needed to restore some sense of balance. What was it with her losing it every time she got near Kane?
“We should go someplace where we can talk.”
Amber turned, but he grabbed her by the arm. “Are you ashamed to be seen with a Fallen in front of a human? In front of your lover?”
“Would you be jealous if I had a lover? Or many lovers for that matter?” She heard his teeth grit down hard on the last few pieces of peach in his mouth.
“Yes. You are mine. I don’t want you with anyone else.”
“Tell me what is really bothering you, Kane.”
He bit down into that damn peach and chewed it ever so slowly, as though they both had all the time in the world and nothing to worry about except each other. Amber didn’t live life that way.
“Well? Is he your lover?” Kane asked.
“No, he’s not my lover. He’s my coworker.”
Kane pulled her deeper into the shadows of the building. “Are you ashamed of what I am?”
She shivered as he smoothed his hand up and down her bare arm, patiently waiting for her to answer. Sexual energy undulated between them. With each thunderous crash over her body, Amber could feel the slow burn of need churning through her pussy. She wanted to be with him again.
Dark Caress (The Fallen) Page 8