by Billi Jean
Before she could protest, he cupped her face and tipped her head up to kiss her gently, savouring her taste, going deeper when she eased into him, devouring her, stroking, sucking her mouth tenderly. Little by little, he released her, leaving warm kisses along her smooth cheeks and silky jaw until he pulled back completely to meet her eyes again.
Her eyes were not as stormy, but she frowned slightly. With a sigh, she reached up and brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. He only flinched a little.
“I…this…” He gestured to his dick, which swelled as if knowing they spoke of it. “This is a curse.”
She glanced up at him startled, then slowly smiled. “Your size… It’s not natural.”
Now how did she know that? Because he could hit a home run with the bloody thing obviously.
“It was a curse. I wouldn’t sleep with a witch who took it personally and she cursed me.”
“Oh!” She covered her mouth in surprise, then smiled, her hands not hiding it. He gave her a frown meant to let her know it wasn’t funny and she giggled louder. Immediately he felt like hugging her closer. He was a goner, wasn’t he?
“Mmm, don’t some men think it’s size that matters?”
He tried not to smile but ended up grinning. Gripping his half-hard flesh, he turned her to the side and smacked her lush ass with it. She laughed harder and rolled back over to hug him tighter.
“Stop that! You’ll hurt it and then what will we do for your magic?”
We.
She had said we. She would stay. He hoped.
“You can kiss it better,” he purred. If ever he got this curse lifted, he was going to be flat on his back with her sucking him for weeks.
“Mmmm, you’d like that, no?” she purred right back, teasing the hell out of him. The next instant she sobered again. Still frowning, she said, “So you thought because this witch spelled you, I was doing the same?”
He sighed and nodded. He couldn’t deny that the thought had driven him insane with anger. “We are fated, Beauty. You and I. I think you are my bond, the one female in the world I can have a life with. But I didn’t know that. All I knew was you filled my thoughts until I felt like I was going nuts.”
A brief smile slipped over her face before she sobered again quickly. She had power. He could feel it, like a soft caress over his skin. Not dangerous to him, but there all the same. Earlier, when he’d told her of the other women, then, he’d been close to being fried. He’d felt it. The surge of a threat, directed right at him.
“And you know that I am this one now because…”
“Because you’re mine. I want you to be happy, I want your tenderness. You. Only you. I want you, Beauty.”
She frowned and considered his words. Long enough to make him wonder what she was thinking. Finally, she sighed. Her full breasts rose and fell, but he kept his eyes on her face.
“Torque, I need to explain something to you.”
He nodded, suddenly worried all over again. She looked serious, her brow furrowed as she kept her gaze down on her lap where she twisted the silk sheets. Exhaling explosively, she looked up at him. “I meant what I said. I’m not weak—” She held up a hand when he would have responded and stopped him. “Please, just listen. I am not weak. I don’t sit on the sidelines. I don’t know much about myself, I realise that my memory may never come back, too, but Torque, I know deep down”—she cupped her hand over her heart and her eyes darkened—“I’m a fighter. I will not sit by and not fight. I don’t think I was part of what you’re involved in, but I was involved in the battle with the Death Stalkers.” She stopped and shook her head. “It’s so odd, I can remember things, like movies, books, information on who heads the covens, but it’s distant, like I read it in a book. It’s odd, but I know I like coffee, I know I love espresso in the afternoon and I can easily read in any language ever spoken, but I can’t remember one single thing, one detail of my life until I do something. Like my run. Tonight? I went on a run and I felt powerful. Strong.”
She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “I’m not sure you can handle or want a woman like that in your life.”
“What?” He reared back, amazed she so quickly saw the panic hitting him as her words flowed from her. His worst nightmare was experiencing her getting hurt again, but here she was, just like before, telling him exactly that—she would fight. And he’d better not stop her. Her empath no doubt filled in all the areas he couldn’t express. He shut his emotions off and tried to listen to her.
“I’m not reading you, Torque. But you radiate strongly, too strongly for me to block when you’re upset.”
He grimaced at her soft whisper. Reaching up slowly, he watched her face, wanting nothing more in this world than to do exactly what she was telling him not to—coddle her. Lock her away and keep her safe.
“I’m not upset,” he began but leaned in to kiss her smiling lips. “Okay, you scare the fuck out of me. Do you know what it was like to see you fall that day?”
“What day?”
“That day I found you, you were powerful. So strong you gave me a tongue-lashing for even suggesting you leave.”
She moved back and gave him a surprised look. “I did?” A smile blossomed on her face, making her glow. He felt worse. He’d kept this from her and obviously she needed to hear this. Of course she needed to hear this, you dumb ass. She didn’t have any other memories.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Beauty. I kept this from you, but I swear to you it wasn’t on purpose, not really. I just wanted—”
“Me safe.”
He nodded. Yeah, she got that, didn’t she?
“Torque?”
He looked up from where he’d been stroking her arm and saw she waited on his answer. Did he want her in his life? Strong, independent, fighting.
“Yes. I want you. I want you as my bonded. I want you any way I can have you. If you leave, Beauty, I’m warning you, I’ll find you and harass you until I convince you of how much I want you.”
“Torque!” She laughed and shook her head. “You say that, but…I’ll want to come with you, you realise that, don’t you? On your meetings and missions and oh, don’t give me that look.”
He snorted and tried not to do whatever look she didn’t like, but hell, he would take her everywhere as long as she swore to be his, and listen to him. “I’ll take you with me, but Beauty, you have to realise, sometimes it’s just a meeting—boring stuff full of council members who’d rather be doing anything but meeting. I can’t take you there, at least not yet. I have to talk to them first. Identities are sacred, sweet. All that bullshit.”
“So you’ll agree, that easy, huh? To simply take me with you into dangerous situations.”
He kept his face blank and his emotions lidded. He’d take her with him when he knew the mission wasn’t so dangerous. At first, at least. “I will. Give me some time though. We should try to figure out who you are still and—”
“Torque, are you being honest with me?” She quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms over her breasts, clearly not buying his line.
Something deep inside grew, filling up his chest. She was going to be in his life. They would be bonded, he knew it.
“Bond with me, then you can hear my thoughts, sneak around like in my head.”
She laughed and smacked his chest lightly. “I’m not so sure I want to sneak around in your head.”
He bent closer and kissed her, trying to get as close as possible to her. She broke off the kiss breathless and wild-eyed to stare at him.
“But…but you have me…is this all there is to it? This?”
“No, Beauty. You have to want me.” His voice deepened on the last word. Would she want him? He couldn’t see how, not after this night of anger and threats.
She watched him thoughtfully, as if she were weighing the truth in his words. Or worse, weighing his worth.
“Do you? Want me?” Had those words ever left his lips? Never. Now they seemed the hardest thing in the world to utter
. He felt tied down and vulnerable for the first time in his life. “After what I thought of you, accused you of tonight, do you still want this, what we’ve found?”
She sighed and reached up to cup his jaw with one hand. “I know you like control, Torque, but you surprised me tonight. Surprised me. Not hurt me.” She traced a finger along his face. “As long as you’re willing to accept that I’m strong, and not go to these others—”
“Beauty, I’ll never go to another woman again, you know that shit, now say you’ll bond with me, here, now.”
“Torque!” Her exasperation had the opposite effect she probably wanted. He grinned, but hid the smile against her throat. Damn she was hot.
“Sweetheart, I am. I’m all yours. I can swear it. Hell, I’ll promise—”
She reached up, covered his lips with her fingers, and laughed. “Shhhh, wild man, you need to earn back some trust. That’s all. I’ve thought of my first rule. No other women.”
First rule? He sputtered on a laugh.
She narrowed her green eyes warningly. “Yes, you heard me. Now, just hold me, Torque.” She watched him closely, her soft creamy face flushed a delicate pink but fearful for the first time since she’d woken in his bed.
He made a quick decision to gain some points, then press for more. “Promise me you will think on this. But Beauty?” He waited until she met his eyes, caressing her soft silky body with his hands. “I will be using everything in my arsenal to get my answer. The one I want.”
Tomorrow he would work the spell to let her experience a touch of the need for sex he felt. Maybe even add on a little climax with her breasts for fun. She’d love that. And only he would be here to relieve her. One way or another he’d be tying her to him as tight as he could without the ritual words.
“As long as you remember rule number one.”
Hell, yeah, he had that one down. Maybe rule number two should be cuddling? He grinned, pulling her into his arms and promised he’d never forget. It was actually a waste of a rule. He’d win her. She’d see.
Until then, he’d hold her as tight as possible.
Chapter Ten
“Beauty? I have to go, sweet.” Torque kissed her rounded cheek and smiled at her when she murmured for him to come back to bed.
“I’d like nothing more, but right now I have to go. I’ll be back soon.”
She sat up instead of going back to sleep like he’d hoped. “Torque? Where are you going?” She frowned over his shoulder at the clock and he knew he couldn’t lie to her and say to a meeting. Well, it was a meeting, but that wasn’t all.
“I have to go meet someone. There’s rumours I have to check out.”
Her frown grew and she pulled the sheet over her breasts. “I want to come. We agreed to this. I can’t just sit here while you—”
Ice shot through his veins at the idea of her going to the club Jaxon wanted him to check out. “Not a chance.”
He might have said that a bit too sharply because Beauty gave him a frosty glare and got up off the bed.
“Look, sweetheart, I can’t take you. This isn’t my meeting I don’t know what’s going to happen, or even what we’ll find.”
He softened his tone and pulled her into his arms. She was stiff and he knew he’d screwed things up again. “I’m sorry,” he murmured in her hair. “Just give me some time, okay? I’ll only be gone a little while.”
She sighed heavily and inside his chest, he felt a solid lump of anxiety grow. She was strong, a witch with powers she was beginning to come to terms with. She wasn’t staying on the sidelines and that scared the hell out of him. He’d promised to let her be strong, but this wasn’t his call. Jaxon had called and asked for him to meet him.
“Torque.” There was disappointment in her tone, disappointment and something else, hurt he thought.
He tipped her head up by her chin and pressed a kiss to her lush mouth. “Just trust me for a bit longer. This isn’t my meet, if it was, I’d take you. Believe me.”
Finally, she nodded slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. “I believe you, but think how I feel with you going into danger, Torque. The same way you feel, I bet.”
He nodded. Shit, maybe he was as old-fashioned as Jaxon kept telling him. “I’ll be safe. I promise. And I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
She nodded, closing her eyes but not before he glimpsed the unrest there.
Turning away was hard, but he did it and quickly took the hallway downstairs to the travel hub set up in the living room. Two seconds later, he was on the wet, cold streets of London.
“A male really shouldn’t leave a female’s soft warm body for shit like this,” Torque grumbled to himself as he headed to his meeting with Jaxon. If he didn’t need more information, if so much wasn’t on the line, he’d not have had to leave Beauty like that. Sad. She’d been sad and worse, he sensed he’d once again done something wrong. No shit, dumbass, you treated her like she was some youngling unable to defend herself.
He wanted a break from the constant struggle. A vacation. Something. Time he could spend with Beauty and learn everything there was to her. He needed it. He woke himself up at night with fears for her safety.
The wet London air wrapped around him, soaking into his pores, and filling him with even more regret. Hell, he’d regretted leaving her the second he’d left their warm bed. He hadn’t needed her waking up and asking to come with him to make him see how stupid he was.
Exhaling, he frowned as the air around him steamed. London. So damn wet and cold, but here, more than anywhere else, they’d found Death Stalkers cells. Why here, he hadn’t figured out. Yet. But he would. The vibration of his phone had him grimacing. “I thought you said two a.m.”
Jaxon. Damn him. “I did. I’m only a second behind.” Ten minutes, but the vampire shouldn’t be so punctual. He barely managed to step over a sludge-filled puddle, nearly breaking his ankle, before making the corner where Jaxon would be waiting.
Right on time, too. The bastard. The vampire stood tall and silent under the dim light of a street lamp. He looked irritated, but ready for a battle in his leather trench coat and shit-kickers. That was one reason Torque had him along for the ride. Death Stalkers, in particular, were Jaxon’s favourite entertainment. He’d seen the male kill so silently, he even made him wary. And they were on the same side.
“Took you long enough. Hard to leave your warm…” Pausing, he tilted his head and slowly grinned. “Bed?”
“Shut up.”
That made the bastard laugh. Still, Torque knew Jaxon was a good man to have at his back. Unless he opened his smart-assed mouth, which he did, constantly. His suspicions on Beauty proved that.
“Ah…so, Death Stalkers. Three of them entered the bar not two doors down. New club, Rafters, hot place, a little dark, little dreary, but hip with the motley crews.”
What the hell? For a vampire, an ancient vampire, the man talked some kind of street lingo. “Three went in? And more are inside?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Lighting a hand-rolled cigarette, a clove, he inhaled, squinted, and nodded towards the corner, blowing out spicy smoke with a hissed warning. “The place draws the suckers.”
“I’ll be damned.”
“I hope not. That would suck for you, Torque.”
“Your smart-ass mouth is going to be your undoing, vampire.”
“Yeah?” Sounding bored, he took a drag before saying, “Heard that a few times, man. Not impressed.”
Fucking asshole, but a good friend all the same. “So, what’s the story? Is this a meeting house?”
Shrugging he exhaled smoke, not directly in Torque’s face, otherwise he’d be without the little clove, but close. “Didn’t get that far. Let’s hit it.”
“Hold on. We have no idea who or even what is going on in there.”
“Right, makes life a bit grand, doesn’t it? It can go fuck all on us and who the hell knows, right?” Jax bit down on the cigarette and started walking.
; “Holy hell.” This was going to hurt. Damn Jaxon and his death wish. Didn’t the bastard know he could just get staked and end it all? Why drag him along? Watching the vampire’s back, he grinned. Because, if it wasn’t fun to try and keep up. “Just remember we’re after just one. Maybe two, but I need one alive and breathing.”
“Sure thing, Dr Hyde.”
“It’s the other way around, you idiot.”
Chuckles were not what he wanted out of the big bastard, but that was all he got before Jaxon opened the door and they headed in.
Music, deep bass, and so loud it shook the place, surrounded them. The club was hopping—busy, packed nearly to the rafters. And it was two in the morning. People stood, sat, or danced everywhere. Nearly fifty feet above their heads, women in bright gold body paint danced seductively in gilded cages.
“What the fuck? Why so damn busy?”
Jaxon grimaced and spat out a bit of tobacco. “Not sure, been wondering that myself.”
Two blonde-haired women, long-legged with barely covered bodies, including their fake breasts, sauntered over. One nearly draped herself over Jaxon. The other reached for him. Until she saw his face, then she backed up and made a soft sound of distress. Jaxon pulled her in, one big arm around each girl, grinning with the clove hanging half out of his mouth.
“Cover.”
He said something low to the women and they both giggled, curling around him like a second skin. One played with the buttons of his shirt, heading down, the other slipped a hand over his leather belt looking like she was ready to unbuckle and begin. Damn vampire.