by Setta Jay
What’s happening? he asked through the link. Fuck! He’d abandoned his brothers in that hallway.
We’re good, man. Take care of Rain. We all got out before the place blew. Jax scented the explosives at the last second. Her people were not so lucky. We only got one out, and Uri is interrogating him now.
Conn’s words relaxed his muscles. He couldn’t have left her even if they’d needed him. He didn’t want to take his hands off of her. He closed his eyes. He’d never forget the surprised agony on her face as she’d been shot. Son of a bitch.
Her hand went to his neck, and she spoke softly. “Why didn’t you let her look at this?”
He couldn’t move or open his eyes. “It’ll heal in a few minutes. Just give me a second and we’ll shower.” He took in a deep breath. “What happened?”
He heard her swallow. “I felt when you were hurt, and I panicked. I don’t know how it happened. I wanted so badly to see that you were okay. The next second I was moving and there. I didn’t know I could even do something like that. We’re on Earth?”
“Yes.” He breathed out. He stayed touching her. This was his fault. He never imagined her teleporting to him through the Realms. Alex had done it when Uri was hurt, but Rain was mortal. He clenched his jaw. Not for long.
“We’re completing the mating tomorrow. Only because I don’t think I can make it fucking happen sooner. Not with my brothers still having to clear out Cynthia’s. I can’t see something like that ever again. Right now I need to clean all the blood off of you, because the scent of it is still scaring the shit out of me.” The words came out with so much raw emotion he almost choked on it.
Her hands were in his hair, and he needed her so damn bad. Fuck, he was still shaking. She was too damn fragile until he made her Immortal.
“I hate what you’ll see.”
“I know,” she replied softly as she massaged his scalp.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the shower area. He peeled off her pink top and little shorts. Everything was covered in blood, and he clenched his jaw tight. He would burn them.
Once they were both stripped, he lifted her and set her down under the water. He quickly washed the blood from his own body and proceeded to clean every inch of her as gently as he could. Squatting down, he lifted each foot and soaped them. His eyes wouldn’t leave the spot where she’d been injured. It was pink, but closed. He kissed it over and over before resting his head on her stomach. She hadn’t said a word, just let him care for her. He was too raw. A few inches could have meant her life.
“I’m okay,” she whispered as she stroked his wet head. He felt the water caressing his skin and knew she was manipulating it to soothe him. He wanted to make love to her, but the bed was ruined, covered in blood, and he’d rather the whole thing be burned with her clothes. He took a deep breath.
“Tomorrow won’t come soon enough. I need to take you back to Tetartos and keep you safe for one more fucking night.” He blew out a breath. He needed to go for a swim to calm the fuck down.
“Dorian, please. Don’t. I’d rather stay on Earth for the night,” she whispered, and he heard the longing there. “This is the one place I’ve always wanted to see.”
“I can bring you back with Havoc once you’re Immortal. I’d already planned for that.” He saw her understanding, but disappointment shone in her eyes, and it nearly broke him. Fuck, he’d give her anything. “I need to keep you safe. I almost lost you.”
“You got me out of there, Dorian. Just let me see a little of Earth. I know you’ll keep me safe.” It went against his instincts, but the look on her face slayed him.
“We’ll have the night here, but you have to listen to everything I say.” He couldn’t believe he was doing this.
Her eyes brightened a little. They were finally losing some of the glassiness from the shock and pain. “Really?”
Shit, he would wrap her in Kevlar if he had to. They would stay in his other home. The island was small, and he knew instinctually she’d want more than the sight of a secluded island.
“Yes.” He stood up and lifted her into his arms. “I’m taking you swimming first. It will do us both good right now. The sun’s just going down.”
Chapter 27
Dorian’s Island, Earth Realm
Rain was still reeling from the raw emotion she’d seen on Dorian’s face. He’d looked more than panicked, he’d been horrified. The sight of it nearly split her heart. She knew just how much he cared for her in those harsh moments when his emotions were completely exposed and then after, when he’d cared for her.
Her brush with death pushed him into completing the ceremony, and she was glad. She was still quaking inside, and she never wanted to feel that weak or scared again, ever. Her stomach still felt shaky. When she couldn’t breathe, she’d thought for a second that it might all be over. No more. A swim was exactly what she needed. Then she’d be ready to explore.
She’d been surprised and happy to hear he planned to bring her back. She hoped that would be soon, there was so much she wanted to experience there, but she needed to shake off the nerves. If they’d gone directly to the beach house, she wouldn’t have rested, and she would have hated that she’d had to come back so soon. She wanted to see everything she’d seen in movies or read about in books and magazines. She’d sold all of that in her shop, and she loved anything Earth related. She was infatuated with it.
He lifted and carried her out to the beach. The sun was getting ready to set, and the sky was a magical mix of orange and pink swirling through the blue. It was beautiful. She took a deep breath of the salt air and hoped that would settle her nerves. She had a feeling that it would take a while before anything truly relaxed her.
When her body started porting to him, she’d been caught completely by surprise. It felt like she moved through rubber before reforming next to him. She’d been disoriented as she saw his horrified expression. He’d been covered in blood as he grabbed for her, and then she’d felt the blinding pain of the bullet; everything had been so loud. It left her unable to breathe and scared. His shaking and putting pressure on the wound had hurt, but when Sirena finally got there and healed the damage, she was able to breathe again. She still felt a ghost of the pain and knew her mind was making it up. The wound was no more than a pink circle. Her hand went to the marred flesh. Now, even still shaky, she was so damn happy to be alive.
“The sea life is different here. Much more mild and tame than in Tetartos, and the waters are a hair cooler.”
His thumb massaged her side as he held her. He kept moving until they were in the warm surf. She felt his body change while she was in his arms, and then they were off. It was much the same as before. The creatures were much smaller, sleeker, beautiful. He kissed her over and over, giving her his breath.
Between Dorian’s touch and the water, her raw nerves finally settled into something manageable.
The next time he flipped her around to give her air, she quickly wrapped her legs around him and rubbed up against the bulge there. She was ready for so much more. Confirmation that she was still alive. That they both were. Seeing the blood on his neck freaked her out. He could have been taken from her with those weapons.
He teleported them to the shore. “I promise to take my time later, but now I need to be inside you. Are you wet for me, Rain?”
She moaned. “Yes.” She was always ready to take him. Always wanted him. Always would, he was intoxicating.
“Good.” Still standing, he held her ass with one hand and guided his cock inside with the other. “Fuck.”
She held onto his shoulders as he controlled her all the way down his shaft. She circled her hips, loving when he was deep.
“I need to feel your come all over my dick.”
“Yes.” She swallowed as he thrust inside her. He stood in the sand with the sea behind him, the sun an orange dot against the horizon, and it was beautiful.
“Look at me.”
She gazed up, finding hi
s eyes nearly glowing with feeling. He controlled everything, sliding her up and down while her piercing rubbed over him, making her burn. She gasped while his hands massaged the mounds of her ass. He let her body weight take her down, but she needed more.
“Harder.” Soon she was sputtering incoherently.
He gave her more, slamming her down to the root. She was consumed by him, but she hated that she knew he was tempering his strength. It was obvious in the taut lines of his neck. This would be the last night he would need to be gentle with her body. She could only imagine the rough sex they’d have when she was finally able to experience all of him. Could take every bit of wildness that she knew he kept leashed from her.
Her release boiled over, making her cry out as he followed her. All the while staring into her eyes. Watching every play of emotion on her face. He lifted her up and claimed her lips, and she honestly thought she could kiss him forever. Something about his full bottom lip always got to her. Coupled with the wicked things his tongue was capable of, she was moaning into his mouth. Her hands were at his jaw, tracing the hard line with her fingers.
When they finally broke the kiss, she was dizzy and ready to do it all over again.
“I love the dazed look you get every time we kiss.”
She sighed as she looked into his curious eyes. He wasn’t teasing her. “I’ve never felt kisses like yours.”
He smiled down at her. His eyes were soft, loving. “I feel the same, little nymph. Now let me get you to bed, and I’ll kiss you until you fall asleep.”
She liked the sound of that. “Isn’t your bed ruined?”
“Yes, but not the one at the other house.”
She heard him ask Conn to bring some of her stuff to his other house. After he dressed and covered her in one of his bright shirts, he teleported them away.
“Where is this?”
“It’s our Florida home,” he said offhandedly as he moved to open the glass doors. They seemed to be at the back of the house, and she stood there for a second, processing the odd ping in her heart at his calling the home theirs.
She cleared her throat. “How many homes do you have?”
“This and the two island homes, plus there are suites in both Guardian compounds. The one on Earth and the manor on Tetartos.”
She looked around some more. It wasn’t as big as the beach house on Tetartos, but it was beautiful, and she saw a pool and hot tub on the next level down. The property was surrounded by trees and shrubs. Excitement ran through her at the thought of being on Earth. It was different when they were on the island and obviously so far from humanity. She stifled the urge to peek out the front door. Behind the house was water, with a long dock lit with tall lampposts all the way to the end, where a boat bigger than Tynan’s sat. She grinned. Out in the night she saw the lights of other vessels in the water, and even though it was dark out, it seemed the sky was so much lighter than it should be.
He picked up the bag that was leaning against the glass. She was thankful he’d asked Conn to drop off some of her clothes. She eyed the bag, concerned that a male had packed it. Odds were good that nothing matched, and there would be no underwear. She shook it off, at least she wouldn’t be wearing his tee shirt when they explored the next day.
They walked through a big open kitchen and living room, down a hall into a spacious bedroom with a giant bed and a small seating area arranged on tile and decorative rugs. It was cozy. He dropped her bag and lifted her into the big comfortable bed. “Rest now. I promise to take you sightseeing in the morning before we have to head back to Tetartos to get ready for the mating.”
She lay there and started getting nervous as he took off his clothes and got in next to her. His skin was warm, and she sank into it like she always seemed compelled to do.
“Is there a certain Aletheia that does matings? Sirena never explained that part,” she asked against his chest.
The lights turned off, and he tucked the blanket at her back. She loved listening to his heartbeat; it relaxed her. It made her feel safe and comfortable. She’d spent every night curled into him just like they were doing. In the beginning she’d been too exhausted to move, but later it had become a habit. One he perpetuated by pulling her against him after sex and using the soothing cream on her pussy. She smiled.
She was nervous about the mating now that it was really going to happen.
“There are Aletheia that do the ceremonies.”
She could almost feel him thinking next to her.
“Have you slept with Tynan?”
She looked up at him, thankful there was some light coming through the curtains. His brows were furrowed like he wasn’t looking forward to her answer. “No.”
His muscles seemed to relax.
Before, she loved his jealous tendencies, now she worried that it was taking a toll on him and would be a nightmare during the ceremony to come. At least he wasn’t as bad as Gregoire. Thank the Creators for that, but it was more than she’d imagined when she learned he was her mate. Nereids were known for sexual excess, not jealousy or monogamy. That’s probably why she was thrilled every time he displayed it. She felt special.
“Would you be comfortable with him?”
She looked up and into his eyes, what she could see of them in the shadows. He looked pensive. She considered his question. If she had to have sex with another, Tynan was attractive, but pretty much all Immortals were. She wasn’t sure about doing the ceremony with a male they both knew. Would it be easier or more difficult because they’d likely see him again? “Yes. I would be more comfortable knowing he’s trustworthy. The question is will you be okay if it’s with him? I don’t want things to be uncomfortable if I go to the island with Alyssa.”
He lay there for a moment, one hand behind his head, his thumb running circles around her back as she rested mostly atop him. “Do you have any special feelings for him?”
“I like him as a person and find him attractive. That doesn’t mean I care for him.” She watched him, concerned he needed other assurances. She whispered, “I have feelings for you, and I barely know him.”
I’m happy to hear that, nymph. It won’t be easy, but I promise to make it good.
She moved her leg so that she was straddling him. “I want you.”
His hands moved to her hips as he ground his hard cock against her. “Do you?” he said, grinning at her.
Chapter 28
Kane’s Compound, Tetartos Realm
“Not my problem.” Cynthia was panicking over the Guardians finding her again, and she actually wanted his help in hiding from them. They needed to find another Mageia contact on Earth if he was going to find females there. Kane ran a hand through his short dark hair. He couldn’t believe she was so careless that the Guardians found her again. She was a liability.
“We’re done here,” he said, only half listening to the sputtering pleas from Cynthia through the connection. He looked at Elizabeth. “Cut the connection. I want you to work at finding another contact. If you don’t have something in the next week, you die.” He was sick of waiting for other test subjects. Ian thought he was close to trialing a formula, and he wanted to make sure the Mageia scientist had all he needed. He felt the moment that Elizabeth severed the connection with Cynthia.
He looked at Angus, his second. “Take her back to her cell. I have things to do.” He didn’t miss the narrowing of Angus’s eyes. No one wanted to be in control of the bitch, but he didn’t trust anyone else to do it. Angus and he had been partners for the entire time they’d been with Cyril. He raised an eyebrow at the blond male.
Angus blew out a frustrated breath and prodded Elizabeth to move out the door. She gave Kane a deadly glare as she walked out into the tunnel going the opposite direction of where he was headed.
He was agitated and needed to get out of there. He wished, not for the first time, that he could teleport, but he was full Aletheia, not the son of a God like Cyril. He rubbed the back of his hair. He hated everything about the situ
ation. For more than a century he’d waited for Cyril’s experiments to produce results. Ian seemed to think they were close to some kind of breakthrough. He needed to be patient, but he worried that answers wouldn’t come soon enough for Isaura.
Chapter 29
Drake’s Mountain Home, Tetartos Realm
Brianne hadn’t wanted to distract her brothers during the fight, so she’d dressed and listened. Now that it was over and Sirena had healed Sander and Rain, she needed to know what was going on. Drake had come to the infirmary while she’d been helping Sirena with Sander. Poor thing had been big-time messed up by that damn bomb, but he was finally patched up and back to his crabby self. Drake had waited until Sander left before telling her and Sirena to meet at his mountain home.
She quickly cleaned up and teleported. Walking in to the huge living room, she saw him standing by the fireplace; he never sat. The fireplace took up almost an entire wall in the nearly two-story room. Ancient tapestries hung on the walls alongside swords. It felt kind of homey and very old world. Drake’s longish blond hair was mussed. Not like Vane’s perfect hair.
She wondered if he built the space so large so that he could take his dragon form and lie in front of the fireplace, twitching his tail. She grinned to herself. She sure as hell wasn’t going to ask him that.
She was agitated, knowing she’d have to come clean. That and she was all too aware that Sirena wasn’t telling her something important. She knew that Vane should be waking up in another week, but having to meet at Drake’s didn’t bode well.
“How are you feeling?” Drake asked. He wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but he cared for all of them in his own way. She knew that without any doubt. He had kept them all marginally sane during the early centuries after they’d become Guardians.