Marked By Hades (Entangled Embrace)

by Monroe, Reese

  She let out a gasp and wiggled her behind a little, knowing exactly what she did to him. “Okay, got it.”

  Justin was starting to think she’d asked him to train her just to torture him with that sexy body of hers. All this touching…

  “Are we doing some martial arts training or…” Dasha said as she shook her head. “Maybe I should leave.”

  Justin laughed. “Just needed to show my girl here how to widen her stance for more stability.” He patted Yvonne’s butt and dodged out of her reach. “You may be stronger than the average chick, but you need to stay on your feet if you’re going to kick ass.”

  She licked her ringed lip as she nodded. Holy Hades…the way she toyed with that lip ring was going to be the death of him. Almost all of her body may be covered with some form of fabric to protect her sparring partners, but it was tight enough to remind him how badly he wanted to touch her all over.

  Focus. Justin stood before Dasha and Yvonne and nodded. “Try it again.”

  He watched as they practiced the sweeping blocks across their bodies for a few minutes. “Good. Dasha, face Yvonne and try to punch her. Yvonne, use the blocks to deflect. Remember your stance.” Justin stepped behind her and closed his hands around her fists. “Hit with your forearm. Keep your knees bent for stability.”

  “Okay.”

  Dasha slowly punched out, and Yvonne moved her forearm across her body and deflected Dasha’s fist.

  “Nice. Keep going.” Justin paced behind the two, but he could hardly keep his eyes from Yvonne. It’d been getting harder and harder to keep his hands off her as the days passed.

  Seeing her in tight yoga pants and a snug shirt was making it even harder to deny his urge to join with his Mate. It’d been sooo long since he’d had sex. And Yvonne, she was—

  “Your guy there looks like he’s going to jump you,” Dasha said between jabs.

  “Hey, you joined our little training session at your own risk.” Justin poked Dasha in the ribs. “Don’t you have school or something?”

  “Jerk.” She nodded toward Justin. “Ready to take him, girl? You with me?”

  Yvonne laughed as they both faced him and charged.

  “Hey, wait!” He put his arms up, but deflecting four fists wasn’t as easy as it looked.

  Two got through; one to his stomach and one to his shoulder. Sure, they were light, playful punches, considering Dasha had to be extra careful not to touch Yvonne. But Justin wasn’t a small guy, and he didn’t want to accidentally move too fast and hurt one of them.

  And they knew it.

  Dasha tackled Justin around the waist with an impressive force, and they both went down as Yvonne rolled to the side, watching with a grin on her face.

  Oh yeah, they’d planned this.

  “I feel sorry for any guy who comes sniffing around you, Dash, you’re wicked strong.” Justin gave a gentle shove to her shoulder, dislodging her from his side, and snatched Yvonne’s ankle.

  She yelped as he dragged her toward him.

  “Yeah, well, he’s going to have to be wicked strong to survive inspection from my Shomrei family and my regular family. Jeez.” Dasha rolled to her feet and looked at Yvonne, who’d surrendered to Justin’s tickling and lay on the mat, laughing. “I think I’ll leave you two to your…training.”

  As Dasha walked away, Justin shifted his body around Yvonne’s and swept his leg, knocking Dasha’s feet out from under her, and she landed on her ass.

  “Justin!”

  Yvonne giggled as she pushed up and launched herself at him. He grabbed her shoulders and rolled, flipping her onto her back. “Oh, you want to practice wrestling now?”

  Dasha hustled out of the gym, which was probably a good call on her part, considering it was going to get a little more steamy up in there.

  …

  “Szép, you tired from training?” Justin’s breath danced along Yvonne’s neck, triggering a wave of goose bumps.

  “No. Just watching the movie.” She nestled closer to him as his arm around her waist tightened.

  It was a nice reprieve from the day of training and researching where Theo might be. Not to mention another failed attempt at hypnosis to hack into her thick skull. It was as if her mind had a shield of iron around it.

  And time was running out.

  Bombs exploded in the background, spilling flickering shadows across the room and filling it with the noise of gunfire.

  “I think there’s more to it, szép,” Justin said, nudging her chin so she looked up at him.

  His blue eyes analyzed her as if probing into her thoughts. There was no hiding things from him, was there? He’d become so attentive, loving, but it didn’t escape her notice that he was moving more sluggishly, and the bags beneath those devastating eyes were more pronounced.

  Death was hovering on the outskirts of their bubble of happiness, and the very thought sliced through her stomach like a blade.

  Tapping her nose, he smiled. “I want to tell you something.”

  She turned toward him, waiting, but also basking in the feel of his hard body so close to her. It was addictive, and she couldn’t get enough of him.

  “I think I’m ready to—”

  “Hey, guys!” Dasha stormed in. “What are you watch—” She skidded to a stop. “Oh, sorry.”

  “Remember when I said brothers had the worst timing?” Justin kissed Yvonne’s nose.

  She did remember that. It was when they were in his hotel, before all of this Mate stuff and Theo’s abduction. And now…things were getting so complicated. She wanted to kiss him and further their bond, but it didn’t seem right with everything going on. Even taking a break like this didn’t feel right.

  “Hey!” Dasha said, turning around toward the door. “You’re in the fracking living room. You have your own room, you know.”

  Justin tossed a couch pillow at her as she scooted out. “Shut the door!”

  Yvonne laughed as she heard the door click shut and Dasha holler out, “I’m putting a sock on the handle!”

  Justin shook his head as he hugged Yvonne closer.

  “She’s sweet.”

  “And has really bad timing.” He nudged her cheek with his nose and pressed a kiss to her temple. “What I was going to say was…I think I’m ready to kiss you.”

  Despite being exactly what she’d dreamed of him saying for some time now, hearing the words spoken from his mouth were much better than any of her best fantasies. “You are?” she asked, her heart pounding.

  He nodded. “I am.”

  “Even with all this—with Theo gone?”

  “I don’t really need him witnessing it.” He laughed into her neck as he traced his finger along the collar of her shirt.

  His hand skimmed down her belly and snaked around her hip to her butt. Giving it a light squeeze, he hiked her leg over his hip.

  “Justin, wait.” She pressed her hand to his chest.

  “Waited long enough,” he whispered, leaning forward.

  “I can’t.”

  He stopped, his eyes narrowed as if he were reading her reaction to see if it was a joke.

  She wished to high heaven it was, but it wasn’t. “We should wait.”

  “But—”

  “What if…we can’t find Theo?” She gulped through the nerves forming a noose around her neck. “You— I’ll be gone.” Turning herself over to the demons was looking more and more inevitable. She couldn’t bind him to her any more than she already had, because she knew deep down she’d be a demon again if those creatures got their hands on her.

  Or they’d just outright kill her. But whatever happened, she knew things would never be the same.

  “No. You’re not going anywhere.” He pinched her chin between his forefinger and thumb, holding her gaze. “I want this, Yvonne. You’re mine.”

  She was his, and she knew that with every ounce of her heart. But until Theo returned, she refused to activate the Ahavah bond any further.

  Instead she’d settle fo
r a lot more touching and take those memories with her when she left.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “No. You’re not going, Justin.” Halena ruthlessly pushed him toward Yvonne, who stood at the front door. “Talk some sense into him, demon.”

  Justin stumbled. Nearly six weeks had passed since Theo had been taken. Snow covered the ground like a white blanket, but it felt anything but fresh, considering that he weakened by the day.

  Weak. Poor coordination. What the hell were those demons doing to Theo that he faded so quickly? Everything was just…heavy.

  “Let them go.” Yvonne wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him. “Sadie and Halena are strong. They’ll get this done.”

  “See. For a demon, she’s smart once in a while.”

  Damn Halena for still calling Yvonne a demon. She’d proven herself time and time again as she fought to find Theo.

  Sadie regarded him with red, bloodshot eyes. Dead end after dead end for six weeks had worn her down. Everyone was on edge, even Dasha, who had always been one to banter with Justin to keep things light.

  But not Yvonne. She was solid. Despite the verbal abuse Halena dished out on a daily basis, and despite the fact that he had yet to seal the bond with sex, or even a kiss, she was a rock.

  “Theo fades quickly,” Sadie said. “He’s suffering, Justin.”

  “I know.” He glanced at Yvonne.

  But could he sacrifice Yvonne for Theo? For the leader of the Gatekeepers?

  America had gone unprotected all this time. Halena and the others tried to cover, but that couldn’t last forever. Justin was dying. It wasn’t if, it was when, and it felt soon.

  “Time’s wasting.” Halena pointed to the SUV. “I’m in the mood to kick some ass. Got the Angel Killer?”

  Sadie held it up. “They haven’t come for it.”

  “We’ll find a demon willing to trade.” Halena nodded to Justin. “Get inside. We’ll call when we’re on our way back.”

  Sadie held Yvonne’s gaze an extra breath, then headed for the SUV. No words were spoken, but the two had become friends these past weeks. Justin knew they were preparing for the inevitable: trading Yvonne for Theo.

  An ache roared through his body so violently he barely contained the flinch. He couldn’t lose her. He needed to seal the bond. Tonight. Right now.

  “Come on. Let’s get you in bed,” she said.

  He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “I will not lose you.” He leaned in to claim her mouth, but she diverted, and he caught her cheek instead.

  “Justin, don’t.” Her voice cracked.

  “Szép.”

  She slouched, but cleared her throat. “Come on.”

  They made their way into the house, and by the time they got to the top of the stairs his legs felt like lead. If he was this bad off, Theo was worse. His deterioration lagged Theo’s by days.

  Yvonne guided him to the bed, then drew the covers up. She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. “I’ll get some food.”

  He grabbed her hand and drew it to his mouth. “Don’t do it.”

  Crumpling to the floor beside the bed, she clasped his hand with hers. “It must be done. We’ve tried everything. Psychics, shrinks, hypnosis, spells, everything. We can’t crack my brain open.” She kissed his knuckles. “I won’t let you die.”

  “It’s not fair.” He’d never wanted a Mate, and before he’d even realized she was his, he’d fallen for her. And now it was all slipping away.

  She was going to turn herself over to the demons she loathed to save him.

  “I see you and Sadie planning.” He didn’t deserve her sacrifice. “How will you do it?”

  Tears welled along the bottom of her eyes. “She’ll bring me out in the open with the dagger. Near a gate, and we’ll wait. The few times you let me out of the house to help you when a splice opened, they’d been searching for me.”

  He remembered all too well. That was why he forbade her from leaving the compound. He couldn’t chance losing her, and now, here he was doing just that.

  “If only I could remember something that could help. Anything.”

  Cupping her cheek, he brushed the skin below her eye with his thumb, much as she always did to him. The sacrifice she was considering filled him with pride and guilt simultaneously. He couldn’t let her do this, but he needed his Gatekeeper alive to stay alive himself.

  But to lose Yvonne…

  “I want to make love to you,” he said.

  Tears fell freely, and she pulled away, shaking her head. “Justin. No—”

  He sat up and she stood. “I want to be your Mate in every way. Fully bind our Marks. Be married.” The words he never thought he’d hear himself say confirmed the feelings he’d been fighting for weeks: he loved Yvonne. Every part of her.

  “Why? I’m leaving. Possibly tonight, if Sadie comes home empty-handed.” She swiped the tears from her cheek. “It’s better we don’t further the bond, if I’m going away.”

  It finally made sense to him why she’d been distant these past few days and why she’d refused his attempts to kiss her. She’d given up hope in finding Theo.

  “First, I’m not fully convinced I can let you turn yourself over to them. And second—”

  “It’s not your choice. It’s mine. I’m doing this, and you can’t stop me.” Her back straightened. “If I’ve really been a demon all these two hundred years, then I’m doing this one right and noble thing. You can’t take that from me.”

  “And second… If you leave without making love with me, then I will have never been with the one chosen for me.” He stood and, even though she showed him her back, he could tell she was crying by how her shoulders shook. “There will never be another for me, szép. I can’t let you go without knowing what it feels like to be with my destiny.”

  “Don’t say that. There could be another for you. If I’m gone…demon again, I won’t be yours. We won’t be together.” She faced him and took in a deep breath, regarding him with her big green eyes for several long seconds. “No. It’s better we don’t do this. You’ll go back to America, clean up what’s been done these past weeks, and find a new Mate. Yes. A new Mate will be assigned to you.”

  His heart swelled with pride for her sacrifice, yet anger roared at her suggestion that he’d find someone else. So easily she’d assume there’d be another? Assumed he could even begin to think he’d want anyone other than her?

  “There will never be another,” he whispered, knowing deep down no woman would ever be able to satisfy him. Only Yvonne. For the rest of his existence. “And you didn’t let me finish.”

  She drew in a breath.

  “Third thing. If you do turn yourself over so we can get Theo back…” He cupped her face again. “Once I’m to full strength, I’ll spend every minute of every day searching for you.”

  She whimpered.

  “I vow it, Yvonne. I’ll get you back. Theo, Sadie, and I will not stop until we find you. But I want to be fully bonded. Connected. Mates can sense each other, and that’ll help me find you.”

  “But what if I’m not me? What if… Justin, what are they going to do to me to find out the knowledge I have?”

  “Shhh.” He pressed his finger over her mouth. “We won’t give them time enough for you to find out.”

  He said the words, but a pit heavier than a fifty-pound weight formed in his gut. The demons were ruthless in their torture. She healed fast, but was she immortal? Would she become a demon?

  Great One, help me.

  “Come to bed with me,” he whispered. “Let me love you.”

  She dipped her gaze to his neck and pressed her fingers along his Mark. Their Mark. It pulsed, and she drew in a quick breath.

  Stepping back, he guided her in the direction of his bed. She eyeballed the door, then him. Indecision plagued her beautiful eyes while his body pulsed, needing to join with her. It radiated off her as well.

  Drawing her close with his arm around her waist, he used his o
ther hand and brushed her hair back to take in her stunning face unobstructed. He’d yet to taste her full lips, and they were a beacon demanding attention. Resisting her all this time had been so stupid. Finally, he’d show her he loved her.

  He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. Her eyes slid shut, and she gripped his hips as if holding on for dear life. Or as if she were considering pushing him away.

  “Szép.” With his other hand, he angled her toward him. “I love you.”

  A wave of lavender engulfed him, coiling around him like a swath of energy urging him onward. He pressed his mouth to hers, absorbing her soft, tender lips.

  A tingling zip of heat swirled along his neck where his Mark was, and her grip on him tightened. His neck pulsed, burned. Tilting her head, he swept his tongue along her bottom lip.

  She inhaled deeply and opened.

  His body hummed at the rightness of it. He’d found home. It would be her and only her in this life and the next.

  The burn increased, nearing the point of pain. She whimpered again but pulled him closer. Their tongues met, and he drew her in deep, learning, tasting, owning. Her hands shot up the back of his shirt and gripped his bare skin, her body molding to his.

  A burst of honeysuckle exploded in his mouth, and he caressed every part of her. Memorizing her taste, her essence. It’d keep him warm until they were together again.

  And they would be. She was his. He would not lose her.

  A line of heat seared along his neck to his chest and coiled around his heart. She flinched and her nails dug into his back. It was their Marks morphing into more than a mere tattoo. Binding them.

  She severed the connection, gasping for breath.

  “What’s happening?”

  Her heart stuttered, but then picked up pace, matching his. Connected. They were in tune now, and his body roared with the need to be inside her. To claim her.

  “It’s okay.” He kissed her lips again, then her cheek, and then her eye. “The bond’s strengthening.” Cupping her shoulder, he felt the Mark rising through the thin fabric.

  “Your neck.” She brushed a finger over his skin. “It’s red now.”

  “As is your shoulder, szép.”