She should have felt remorse.
She didn’t.
Bane turned her more, blocking her view of the man. He cupped her face. “Baby, can you hear me? You need to cage whatever’s happening to you. Your skin is starting to turn blue and I can sense your heart beat weakening. Galiena, whatever you’re doing to him is taking too much of your power. It’s going to kill you.”
Her bottom lip trembled as she vividly recalled reading Helmuth’s intentions before she’d attacked him. “He was going to rip your heart out.”
“So you’re what? Sacrificing yourself for me?” Bane demanded, shaking his head, his eyes moist. “No. Abso-fucking-lutely not, woman!”
Her darkness beat at her, demanding more than she’d given it. It wanted Helmuth’s death.
Suddenly, she became acutely aware of every sound in a several-block radius as her supernatural side went into maximum overdrive. Taking a small step back, she put her hands over her ears, trying to stop the rush of sounds flooding her.
Bane grabbed her, appearing frantic. Then, in the blink of an eye, his mouth was on hers, his tongue parting her lips.
She pushed at his chest, worried whatever was happening to her would turn on him, but she’d have had more luck trying to move a mountain than the man before her. He kissed her deeper and she gave in, easing her tongue around his. The more they kissed, the more she felt her darkness ebbing—the more her succubus side was lulled into a peaceful state.
“She safe to touch again?” asked Bill, so close that it made her jolt. “She ain’t blue anymore, though that was kind of sexy.”
Bane broke the kiss but kept hold of her. “Yeah. She’s okay now.”
She looked around, somewhat out of it from everything that had happened. “Where is Thor?”
Bill grunted. “Took off after that gargoyle dude.”
Bane growled. “Helmuth is gone? Thirty seconds ago, he was a shriveled up, half-mummy thing. How the fuck did he walk away like that?”
“Gus says he can heal fast, and not to follow.” Bill nodded. “Says Thor won’t find him, but says the guy’s due is coming soon.”
Bane roared and spun around. He began to move in the other direction and Galiena took a step, her side hurting suddenly. She winced and then bent, her breath catching.
Bane stopped and twisted. “Baby?”
“Don’t go. Ouch.”
Bill bent near her and touched her tenderly. “Gus says while you’re bulletproof, the bullets still leave bruises and pack a wallop. He says you need rest and some fluids. We’re all gonna take you somewhere safe, okay?”
Bane lifted her gently. “Yes. She’s coming with us, like it or not.”
“She good with that?” asked Bill with a smirk. “I saw her leap like twenty feet into the air and land like a ninja on top of the car. Then I saw her deflect demon dude. I’m not making her do anything she doesn’t want to do.”
Smiling, Galiena leaned against Bane. “I want to go with you all.”
“Good answer,” said Bane sternly.
Chapter Fourteen
Holding a towel around her wet body, Galiena stood in the center of the bedroom of a house Bane had assured her was safe. He also told her that it wasn’t his main home—just one of many he had at the ready. She wasn’t sure what the man did for a living, but whatever it was, he apparently had homes all over the world that were like this—set up for emergency use, with all the amenities one could need while on the run.
My man is probably a criminal.
My man.
She liked the sound of that.
He was hers and she enjoyed knowing as much.
As she stared around the room, she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. It was very different from the room Helmuth had held her captive in. Helmuth had everything drenched in reds, as if what she was and what she did for a living meant she’d be drawn to the color.
She wasn’t.
Red was her least favorite color.
Galiena had always loved yellow. And the room she was in was done in varying shades, mixed with white accents. The entire thing felt feminine, beautiful, airy and free. It didn’t feel like a sex dungeon. It felt like home.
“What is it you do for a living?” she asked, thinking of how adamant he’d been that this wasn’t his main home. He acted as though this was too small to be where he hung his hat daily. The place was huge. If he thought this was too small, the man would never survive an hour in the apartment she shared with Paisley.
As she thought of her friend, she smiled more. She’d catch up with Paisley soon enough.
For now, she simply walked around the room, touching various furnishings, loving the simplicity of them. It felt right to be there. Right to be with Bane.
Bane had driven them all straight to the safe house after the incident with Helmuth and had tried, unsuccessfully, to get her to rest. She’d wanted a hot bath and to change her clothes. After much back and forth, he’d conceded, mumbling about her stubborn streak, all while looking proud.
She didn’t need him to tell her that he liked her independent streak; her succubus side had picked up on just how horny her putting her foot down had made him. Then again, everything she did seemed to make the man ooze lustful energy. Galiena ached to be touched fully by him. To know what it was like to complete the act of joining with him.
Soon, she thought. Very soon.
The material of the towel, while soft, felt abrasive against her sensitive skin. She longed for Bane’s fingers to roam over her, and for hers to learn all of him. She had half a mind to drop the towel and handle her own needs. She was no stranger to masturbation.
No self-respecting succubus was.
In the center of the bed—which had a handmade quilt on it, something she didn’t really associate with Bane—was a very pretty white nightgown. It made her think of something a virgin might wear on her wedding night. It was a far cry from the corsets and stockings she’d gotten used to wearing while working at the club. Yet, she found she liked the nightgown.
She also knew the gown had been Bill and Gus’s doing.
It was Bill who had offered to go to the store and get her something to wear, despite the late hour. Bane had hesitated, but when Bill pointed out it was a case of allow him to go, or go himself and leave Galiena unprotected, Bane had thrown his keys at the small man. And his wallet, which he’d only just gotten back on the ride to the safe house. The entire event had made her smile.
While it was clear Bill and Gus could get on Bane’s nerves with nearly no effort, it was also evident he cared and worried for them. He’d run down a laundry list of safety items with them before permitting the men to leave the safe house. He’d also paced near the window for an hour.
Galiena had left him downstairs, worrying, checking the blinds, and trying to contact Bill on burner phones he seemed to have in abundance. From the sight of the nightgown, all had ended well.
She grinned, feeling happier than she’d ever felt.
She slipped the gown over her damp hair, letting the towel around her fall to the floor.
A deep gasp sounded from the doorway, making her jerk around, her body responding to whoever was near. She found Bane there, naked but for a towel around his lower half, his body slick with beaded water, his long hair wet and down. He had one hand on the doorframe and the other was holding the towel around his waist. The terrycloth was slung so low that she could clearly see the “V” of his hips, and her mouth watered at the sight.
Dear gods above. The man had a body to die for.
It was the first time she’d gotten a good look at it, and as she did, her heart twisted in her chest at the sight of the scars covering his arms, torso and legs. She already knew they extended to his back.
“Who hurt you?” she demanded, her eyes burning with the change as her darkness rode the air between them. She wanted to find the person responsible for trying to cut her man in two and gouge their eyes from their head.
Bane didn’t respond, h
e simply stood there, his mouth agape, his towel slinking lower and lower. Didn’t he see her anger? Didn’t he feel the wrath she wanted to free?
Her succubus side took note of the energy coming from him. It wasn’t worry or concern. It was pure lust. He wanted to fuck a hole clean through her, and dammit if she didn’t want that as well.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he said, his voice deeper than normal. Then he surprised her by allowing the towel to fall away, his hand going to his long, thick erection. He palmed it, lazily stroking it, his gaze never leaving her.
With a twitch of his jaw, he stepped back slightly, his hand still on his dick. “Fuck, baby. Go. Run! I feel my beast rising.”
She padded across the room, going right for him.
Bane slammed his body against the hallway wall, a hand still wrapped around his cock, his other hand out, as if to keep her at bay. The thought made her laugh. There was no way she was letting him back out on being with her. She wanted him too bad. Needed him too much.
With a soft brush of her arm, she moved his arm away, her body going to his. “Oh, we’re doing this, bucko.”
His eyes widened. “You’re so small. I could break you in two.”
Her tongue darted out and over her lower lip. “I hope so.”
Bane looked horrified at the idea.
She put her hands on his cock, taking over pumping him. His steely shaft twitched under the weight of her touch. She knew she had him. That he was hers to do with as she pleased, and that excited her succubus side and her newfound darkness.
“Fuck me, Bane.”
“What if I hurt you?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“I’ll use a safe word,” she returned, trying to keep from shaking him. Couldn’t he feel how much she needed this? How much she needed him?
“S-safe word?” he asked, as if he’d never heard of such a thing. She found that hard to believe.
With a wicked smile, she said, “Kong. That is my safe word. If I say Kong, you have to stop.”
His brows met, but his hands moved over hers, assisting in jacking him off. He was giving in, even if he didn’t realize it quite yet. “You’re so small.”
“I’m sturdier than you think.”
“But with everything you’ve been through,” he said, increasing the speed with which she was caressing him.
“I heal with sexual energy. Give me full sex and I’ll heal so much faster than without it.”
For a moment, he didn’t look as if he believed her. Then he grabbed the back of her neck, spun her around against the wall, and captured her mouth with his. The entire act screamed primal and out of control, yet no harm came to her. Only pleasure. Only the promise of what he was going to do to her.
He was finally going to fuck her.
She wasn’t sure anything about the encounter could be referred to later as making love, and honestly, she didn’t care. Her body was starved for him. His tongue invaded her mouth sweetly, drawing moans of longing from her. She practically scaled his powerful body, disliking the fact he was so much taller than her. She wanted to go hard at his mouth too.
Chuckling into her mouth, he lifted her, his hard body pressing her to the wall. “The beast finds your need reassuring.”
With a roll of her eyes, she watched his face. “Let me get this straight, you’re no longer afraid of losing control because I want to be fucked hard?”
He looked hungry as he nodded. “But, don’t hesitate to use the safe word if I go too far. And, Galiena, use your power against me if you have to. Kill me to protect yourself if the beast gets free.”
“Or,” she said, her arms going around his neck. “You could just do me hard and get it out of your system.”
A shaky laugh came from him. “I’ll never get you out of my system, succubus.”
That statement filled her with so much delight that she ground against him, her legs wrapping around his waist. There was nothing between them now as her nightgown rode high. She wasn’t wearing panties and he was naked.
As it always should be between us, she thought.
Bane lined his cock head up with her wet core, his dark gaze locking on her as he did. She knew he was searching for any sign that he should stop. For a man who feared losing control, he took great pains to be sure she was safe and cared for during what she wanted to be a frenzy.
A bad boy smile rent his face as he pressed into her, spearing her pussy with what felt like a battering ram. His smile faded away fast, giving way to astonishment. “Christ, woman, you’re virgin-tight around my cock.”
Galiena laughed wickedly in his ear, grinding on him more and more. “Side effect of what I am. It will always be this way.”
“Always?” he asked, disbelief in his voice.
“Always,” she repeated, as he drove home, filling her past the point of complete. Crying out, she dug her nails into his shoulders, riding his cock, loving each thrust he presented.
He didn’t just drill into her in mindless passion. He moved his hips perfectly, causing his cock to hit her G-spot. Within seconds, she was melting in his arms, her body welcoming all he had to offer. She fed off the sexual energy between them, feeling rejuvenated.
He went deep, sheathing himself fully in her and then holding steady. He brought his forehead down to hers and she felt trembles moving through his body. “I want to mark you as mine. Claim you. Bite you.”
Puzzled, she had to fight through her own haze of pleasure to make sense of what he was saying, and why he seemed so worried about it. He wanted to claim her as a mate. She understood what that would mean. They’d be married in the eyes of the supernatural community. There was no divorce, no separation, no getting out of it once it was done.
And she didn’t want free.
The more she thought about what he wanted to do to her, the more she wanted it to happen. Nodding, she cupped his face. “Bite me. Do it. Claim me.”
“Fuck!” he bellowed, ramming deep in her over and over again. The aggressive way he drilled into her was what her succubus side craved. It wanted him to dominate her fully, to be in total control, and he was. There was no denying as much.
He lifted her hands above her head, pressing her body to the wall with his, his cock spearing her sweetly as he did. With one large hand, he managed to fix both her wrists above her head, securing them in place. He moved his other hand to her bottom and cupped her ass cheek. He kissed her as he fucked her like a famished man. It was nirvana to her.
She bucked against him, forcing herself onto his cock more, drawing additional pleasure as her clit rubbed against his hard abdomen. His jaw clenched and he tightened his hold on her ass cheek to just this side of painful. The bite of slight pain spurred her onward, exciting her. She’d be damned if she played the safe word card, not when it felt so good.
He tore his mouth from hers, his entire body covered in a light sheen of sweat. She knew it was from extreme restraint. He was scared of hurting her if he fucked her like an animal. Like his shifter side demanded.
Letting her power up more, she thrust it out and over him, knowing it would loosen his inhibitions, make him even wilder.
Chapter Fifteen
Bane felt Galiena’s energy pushing over him, calling to his beast side. He was powerless to stop it from answering as it surged to the surface, making his upper body begin to shift. Black fur coated his arms and he waited with bated breath for his woman to exercise her out—for her to utter the safe word.
She didn’t.
She raked her gaze over his upper body and damn if the little vixen didn’t smile at the evidence of his loss of control. He released his buttocks long enough to slap her bottom lightly, rubbing the area at once.
Excitement flashed in her gaze and she bit her lower lip, drawing blood, making him even crazier at the sight of the coopery fluid oozing from the cut. He spanked her again, and then rammed deeper into her, pinning her place as he licked the blood from her lower lip.
Ga
liena tried to catch his mouth with hers and kiss him but he denied her the pleasure, wanting her to know that two could play the game she was playing. Whimpering, she thrust more power through him and for a split second, he realized how very out of his league he was.
She’s going to break me, he thought.
No, her voice sounded in his head, surprising him. I’m going to love you.
She’d communicated with him mentally, as a mate should.
Her pussy convulsed around his cock as her orgasm hit, and all the excitement he’d had at their mental connection was pushed aside as he struggled to keep from exploding in her. The gorilla in him lunged upward, pushing out more, causing his teeth to change shape. His gaze locked on his woman’s pale neck.
“Mine,” he achieved only barely through his shifted mouth. He knew he sounded more animal than human, and he didn’t care. Partially shifted, his voice was a heavy mix of both his forms, as was his body. His mate wasn’t screaming or slapping at him to get free. No. She was bucking against him, hungry for more, hungry for him—the man and the beast.
Every reservation he’d had about hurting her during sex left him. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he’d never harm his mate. He’d die to protect her. Die to keep her from pain.
And he’d kill anyone who tried to cause her hurt. Once he was sure she was safely tucked away, he’d go in search of Helmuth and end the man once and for all. He’d never risk allowing the man to live. Not with how much he wanted Galiena.
His beast thumped at him more.
Claim her! it yelled from within. Now!
With inhuman strength and speed, Bane pounded harder into his mate, losing track of where he ended and she began. All he knew was being in her was heaven, and he never wanted to leave her body. He released her hands and she clawed at his shoulders. Gratification like he’d never known before careened into him like a truck. In a daze, Bane struck, biting into the tender flesh of his woman’s neck, marking her flesh, branding her and leaving no room for interpretation.
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