by Brenda Trim
He didn’t recall feeling this with Evanna and was grateful. Shae was an altogether different female and engendered volatile emotions. He needed Shae like he had never needed Evanna, with a fierce, raw passion that wasn’t sweet and gentle. He’d always thought he wanted a female like Evanna, but after a taste of Shae, he realized he wouldn’t have been happy living a life without the fiery female in his arms.
He paused over the clasp of her bra and traced over it lightly. Her full-body shiver betrayed the heat licking beneath her skin. “What kind of spell have you cast over me?”
“I’m not the one casting spells, Red. You have me in your thrall,” he admitted, kissing her neck as he twisted the closure with one hand. She lowered her arms and wiggled slightly. He heard the soft thud as her bra fell to the floor.
Wanting to take in the sight of her, he set her away from him. She wrapped her arms around her chest, hiding her pert breasts from his view. He tugged her hands and forced her to lower them, keeping his gaze on her face. “I wasn’t done looking at you.”
She huffed her annoyance, but allowed him a few more seconds. “Take your shirt off. I want to see the rest of what the Goddess gave me,” she ordered. One corner of his mouth lifted at her imperious tone as he shrugged out of the torn fabric. Her eyes dilated and goose pimples rose along her skin.
Clearly liking what she saw, she toed off her shoes and kicked them aside. He stopped her when her hands went to the waistband of her jeans. “Why in such a rush, Red? We have all night.”
“I’ve never been very patient, especially when it comes to something I want. You have the body of a God. No female would be patient with you standing there half-naked. Mmmm, just sayin’.” Her claws slashed out and his leathers gaped open. He didn’t have time to react before she was shoving the fabric down.
He chuckled and his shoes were gone followed by his pants. He stood there in his black, boxer briefs, trying to regain control of the moment. He wasn’t sure how she had managed to take over, but damn, if it wasn’t a huge turn-on.
She was next to him an instant later and kissing him, keeping him off-balance. All he could think of was getting her naked and in the bedroom. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
He pulled her head down and claimed her lips, kissing her deeply as he walked them to the bedroom. She fisted his hair and her claws scraped his scalp. Setting her down, she arched into him. Her softness melded with his rigidity and he lifted one hand and palmed a breast while his other hand freed the button to her low-ride jeans.
His fingers brushed the thatch of hair between her legs as he unzipped her pants. The minx wasn’t wearing any panties and she moaned at the contact, writhing to get closer to him. He put his thumbs on the sides of her undone jeans and pushed them down, his body following along until he knelt before her.
She lifted her legs and stepped out of the fabric, but his attention remained on the glistening flesh inches from his hungry mouth. His hands ran up the backs of her legs, luxuriating in the feel of her.
He paused at her inner thighs and Shae arched her back ever so slightly, begging for deeper contact. Wordlessly, she twisted and moved her lithe body, guiding his questing fingers to the place that he so eagerly wanted to be. His finger parted her flossy curls and her sweet, moist scent registered in the primal part of him that knew only lust and want and need.
The call was fierce, intoxicating. He remained on his knees before her and his palm spanned across her stomach. He pushed until she was sitting on the bed. “Put your legs over my shoulders,” he ordered. She complied and he turned his head to kiss her thigh, tracing his tongue along her flesh.
He paused, inhaling her jasmine sweetness into his lungs. Using his thumbs, he parted her lips and ran his tongue along the seam of her body. “Goddess,” she husked and dropped her upper body onto the bed. He found the bud of her desire, licked and sucked it, already addicted to her taste.
He lifted his eyes and they landed on the erotic sight of her clutching and squeezing her breasts. She pinched one ruby nipple between her fingers and he nearly came right then and there.
He traced the wetness seeping from her core and inserted one finger into her tight sheath. Her muscles clamped on the digit in response. His cock pulsed with every frantic heartbeat and his mate mark burned like the fires of hell, but he wouldn’t change one thing about this moment. He had been given a gift he thought he’d never have again. It didn’t matter that he no longer had a heart to give her. She was his.
Her body was drawn taut as he continued his intimate kiss. He pressed his slick tongue flat against her clit and sent waves of sorcery along his tongue, causing a high frequency vibration. Within seconds, she was crying his name in climax. He gave her one last lick and surged to his feet.
*****
Panting from an intense orgasm, she watched Gerrick stand before her, a towering golden warrior…and that fast she was desperate for more. He was strength and seductive splendor rolled into one glorious package that she wanted to unwrap. She caught the elastic of his waistband in her fingers and toyed with him. She teased his abdomen and watched his arousal leap beneath the cotton.
“Shae,” he growled and she heard the desperation. She shoved them to his knees and her mouth went dry when his erection sprang free. Her wanton gaze couldn’t waver from that part of him that was all steel and silk. He toed off his boxers as she palmed his shaft. He was large, much larger than anyone she’d ever been with. She had a moment of fear until she realized they’d done this dance very successfully before. It had been so frantic the first couple times that she hadn’t gotten a good look at him.
Her fingers didn’t fit all the way around him. She pumped her hand up and down his length as she leaned forward and placed an open-mouthed kiss on the flat disc of his nipple and bit down. Suddenly, he gripped her hips and tossed her to the bed.
A million butterflies took flight in her stomach as she anticipated the raw pleasure his look promised. She watched his chest heave up and down as he prowled up her body. He was a vision of male perfection with his close-cropped blonde hair and glowing ice-blue eyes. His broad shoulders obliterated the overhead light, reminding her of just how strong he was. She trailed her eyes over his bronzed chest to that perfect V that only males like him possessed. Goddess, he made her weak at the knees.
A drop of moisture beaded on the blunt crown of his thick, large sex. She licked her lips, wanting a taste. He was watching her with an intensity that made her clench with need. His jaw was clenched tightly as he gripped his shaft and ran the tip through her slick center. She arched, wanting skin on skin contact.
His nostrils flared and the scar that lined the left side of his face stood out in contrast as proof of his feral nature. It wasn’t the scar that frightened her, but the look in his eyes that was heated and raw, promising a night that would change her forever. Half-afraid this was all a dream…she ran her hands up his chest and wrapped them over his shoulders.
He continued to run his shaft through her folds of flesh and he leaned down on his other arm, bringing his body flush with hers. The feel of him chased away the darkness of the demons, leaving no room for anything but him. He twined their fingers above her head on the mattress and pressed his hard length to her entrance. He claimed her mouth in another searing kiss as he entered her in a rush.
Once he was seated fully within her body, he broke the kiss and exhaled in a sigh that carried the depth of his desire for her. His free hand traveled up her side to cup her swollen breast. He played with her nipple as he pulled out then thrust back in. Apparently, he was going to make love to her slowly, killing her in the process.
She dug her heels into his backside, urging him to go faster. He bit her bottom lip in reprisal then licked the wound. “Gerrick, I need...” she trailed away, not able to vocalize her demands.
“So wet,” he husked against her lips, placing kisses along her jaw and to the scarred curve where her neck met her shoulder. “So tight.�
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Gerrick released her breast and grabbed her knee, bending it to take her deeper. He began a rhythm of thrusting and withdrawing that left her incapable of anything but the rapt indulgence of this spell he wove over her. She felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against the mouth of her womb, a sensation she craved like nothing else ever before.
Everything in her focused on the primal, wild force of him pounding in and out of her body. His muscles bunched and flexed over her, drawing her eye. He draped her leg over his elbow and reached between their bodies. His thumb gathered her wetness before he pressed it against the throbbing bundle of nerves. He bent his head and sucked one nipple into his mouth. With that she began bucking wildly, seeking her release.
His steely strength surrounded her and stars burst behind her eyes as she detonated in million pieces. She felt the sheen of sweat cover his body as he chased his own climax, never letting up the pressure on her clit. He gave a coarse shout as his body constricted. The muscles in his chest and the tendons in his neck stood out in stark relief. Gerrick snarled like a wild animal and threw his head back, roaring his pleasure. She felt each pulse of his hot semen as it shot into her body.
Her arms fell to her sides. She was on a euphoric high and he was nothing short of exquisite. At that moment, he glanced down at her and smiled a smile that spoke of pure, male satisfaction. “I can’t get enough of you, Red. You have ruined me. You’ll be lucky if we ever leave this room again.”
She didn’t hear what he said next as she was catapulted into another memory. She was lying in tall grass and Gerrick was leaning over her with that same smile on his unscarred face.
He lovingly cupped her cheek and leaned down, kissing her gently. She had no idea where they were, but they were naked on a blanket and she couldn’t hear anything for miles around. She’d never seen him without the scar except in these odd visions and he had never kissed her with such tender care.
“That was even better than the last time, my Evanna. You will spoil me yet,” he confessed in that odd accent she’d only heard one other time.
He withdrew from her body and lay on his side next to her and traced a pattern across her ribs. “When will we tell our parents, love?” She heard the words, but wasn’t sure who had spoken. Shae would have sworn she heard the words in her head as if she’d spoke, but it wasn’t her voice. She concentrated, trying to move her head to look around, but she wasn’t able to move.
He tucked his longer hair behind his ear and his look turned solemn. “Let me have you for a short time more. Once we announce our news, we won’t be left alone. The mating curse has been a blight on the realm for centuries. We are the first miracle.”
“You’re right,” that voice again. A feminine laugh echoed and suddenly Shae was running through the grass, glancing back over her shoulder at Gerrick who was running after her. Even in the confusion of the memory, she couldn’t help but admire Gerrick’s flawless masculine body.
He caught her and tackled her to the ground, claiming her lips. Shae closed her eyes and gave herself over to the passion between them. She opened her eyes when he broke the kiss and they were back in the bedroom and he was hovering over her. Rather than lust, his gaze was full of fear and concern.
“What the hell just happened? One minute you were with me and the next you wouldn’t respond.” He was in her face and looked terrified.
She pushed against his chest, trying to get space between them. He refused to move an inch. “I should never have trusted you,” she yelled and pushed.
Shocked, he fell back on his heels. She scooted to the headboard and sat with her back against it. She pulled a pillow into her lap to cover herself and twisted it in her hands.
“What does that mean? Was I too rough? I would never hurt you,” he sounded contrite and concerned about her wellbeing.
With the confusion from the vision and her rage at the fact that he would never talk to her the way he had Evanna, she had lashed out. She had no idea whether the memory was a manifestation of her greatest fears, or what it was, but it disturbed her deeply.
“Nothing. Forget I said anything. I need to get out of here,” she replied, surging to her feet.
“Oh, no you don’t. You aren’t running from me this time.”
“Let me go. I need to go meet Santiago.”
He had her pinned against the wall by her shoulders and his eyes had gone black with his fury. “You are mine, Shae. You will not meet another male, ever! Is that what he told you? To meet him? I’ll kill that motherfucker.”
She latched onto his arm in desperation to stop him as he headed for the door. “No, he didn’t say that. He told me that he has a way for me to get some of my anger out,” she said in a rush to keep him from seeking Santiago.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder, a crease marring his brow between his eyes. “Explain.”
She slumped to the floor and clutched her head as pain nearly split it in two. Gentle hands stroked over her hair and shoulders. “Shae, I’m sorry. I can’t help how the mating compulsion makes me possessive.”
“I can hear them again. The archdemons are louder. I’ll explain more on the way, but I need to see Santiago, now. He said he could help me. Will you go with me?” she asked, meeting his gaze. She’d never changed emotions so rapidly in her life and was beyond disoriented. To go from the happiest moment of her life after making love to Gerrick to being angry when she had a vision of Gerrick’s past to being full of rage and in pain as the archdemons forced their commands into her mind. She questioned if it really was too late for her, if she had completely lost her mind.
He softened his expression and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. He ran his hand up and down her back in calming circles. “I wouldn’t let you go without me. I don’t know what the hell Santiago is up to, but we’re about to find out.”
She prayed Santiago had some answer because she couldn’t take much more of this.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Gerrick gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. The female sitting next to him drove him up a fucking wall. One minute they were having the best sex of his life and the next her eyes went blank and she started screaming about the Goddess-damned archdemon in her head. Now, a few hours later they were driving down a deserted road on the eastside searching for Santiago.
He was going to pummel the male for giving his mate hope of some relief. He felt the pain and anguish Shae experienced at the hands of Kadir and Azazel and knew how badly she wanted it to stop. All he wanted was to find the bastards and make them pay for what they’d done, not chase after Santiago.
He glanced over at Shae, unable to miss the lines of strain around her mouth. He imagined the demon whispering commands in her mind and it had him itching to spill demon blood. She had been through enough and deserved a break, and, that was the only reason he had agreed to this wild goose chase. If there was even a fraction of a chance that whatever Santiago had in mind could work, Gerrick was taking it.
He couldn’t do anything less. From the moment he’d seen Shae in that house of horrors in Kadir’s lair, his life had been turned upside down. That was how it was when you found your Fated Mate, he thought. He’d watched it happen to three of his closest friends now and knew it was part of the process. Evanna’s soul wrapped around his heart in a familiar embrace, adding a layer of complication he didn’t want or need.
His blood ran cold as it occurred to him that it might not be Evanna’s soul he felt. If Shae was his Fated Mate then it must be her soul he carried now. It seemed extra cruel to take that last piece from him, but he had no way of knowing for sure. His thoughts automatically traveled down the road that the demons had used Dark magic to replicate a mating, but he immediately shut down that line of thinking.
There was no denying the connection he shared with Shae. Nor could he deny that it was touched by the Goddess. Shae was his and he was hers. He might not be able to give her what he’d already given to Evanna, but he was a ba
stard who wanted it all from Shae.
Shae reached over and laid her hand on his thigh, squeezing. The mating compulsion turned his blood to lava the instant they touched. Material was no barrier to the desire that flowed between them. It hadn’t been like this with Evanna. Sure, he had been drawn to Evanna and had wanted her, but with Shae it was a painful ache that threatened to consume him whole.
“Thank you for doing this with me. I know you don’t want to be here and it means the world to me that you are.” She returned her hand to her lap, and without stopping to contemplate his actions, he pulled it back to his lap.
She looked over at him and he knew there was something more going on in that brilliant mind of hers. She was sad about something, and for whatever reason, didn’t want to share it with him. He wanted to pummel something at the idea of his mate keeping secrets from him. Then shake her and make her tell him. He wasn’t known for his patience. “What’s wrong? And, don’t give me any bullshit about it being the demons.”
She yanked her hand back and narrowed her eyes. “You’re one to talk. You’ve got more secrets than I’ve got fingers and toes.” She turned her body and glanced out the window.
Her words cut like razors. “My life is an open book,” he replied. He was a Dark Warrior and made it his life’s mission to protect humans and supernaturals alike. End of story. There was nothing more to him. In his anger, he almost missed the hidden dirt road and turned at the last second in a squeal of tires. “Do you want to tell me what’s really going on?”
She fisted her hands on her thighs and her only response was, “Humph.”
After several tense seconds, she leaned forward and a patch of moonlight fell on her face. It illuminated her vibrant skin and full lips, making him want to kiss her senseless. “Are those lights up ahead?” she asked, grabbing his attention.
It was difficult to see with all the trees, but he caught sight of lights in the open door of a large barn. As they continued down the dirt road, more details became clear. There were countless vehicles parked around the barn, which was situated in a clearing. Shadows passed in front of the doorway, but it was impossible to see what was going on.