Our mouths met, tongues sweeping out to slash at each other desperately. Malik lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, our bodies instinctively knowing how to meld. He was growling into our kiss, moving his lips over mine savagely as I fumbled with the zipper of his jeans. His heavy cock sprung forth, and he groaned as I stroked its hot, velvety length. Even in this form, Mal's shaft was on the larger end of what I could handle. I needed to be properly prepared before I could take him comfortably, but I was already going liquid for him.
Malik found that dampness between my thighs and growled louder, the vibration rolling into my mouth. He sprung a claw from one finger and used it to slice the sides of my panty before pulling the cloth away. Then I was guiding him into me, and he was groaning in pleasure. I sank onto him with a groan of my own, my head thrown back and eyes closed. The sensations became sharper without vision impeding me, the rasp of clothes making the intimate merging of our bodies even more erotic. The crisp edges of his jeans pushed into the tender flesh of my thighs as if outlining our pleasure.
“I love you, Mvarra,” Malik vowed as he pounded up into me. “Never doubt that again. Never doubt that I would sacrifice everything to have you or save you. My crown, my people, my fucking planet. I would watch them all burn before I gave you up.”
“Mal,” I whispered as I stroked his raven-black hair. “I love you more than all my magic. More than all I am.”
His savagely handsome face was set in a tender expression, and his eyes were back to deep amethyst. So beautiful. So vicious. So proud. And yet, I knew he'd kneel for me as Braxis had. Everything Braxis had vowed was a mere echo of what my mvarro had vowed to me. It was romantic and miraculous, just as Alex said, but I had it here, in my arms already. And in three other men. Had I done what I accused Malik of? Had I agreed to give Braxis a chance only because I expected him to fail? Yes, I did, but I had said as much to Braxis when we made our agreement. He knew he was facing a nearly insurmountable obstacle and still, he had come. He wanted a chance, and that's what I had offered. Only a chance, nothing more.
I shouldn't have argued with Malik. He was right; I had made an arrangement with Braxis and then asked my kishanos to honor it. They had, but that didn't mean they had to make this fair. It wasn't fair. It was a slight chance and Braxis had taken it with his eyes wide open. But something was driving me to stand up for him even as I knew I should push him away. Maybe it was fate making us all crazy. Maybe it was merely love. Love can make lunatics of the sanest people. Were we losing our minds because of the chance of me losing my heart to Braxis? Or was there a greater force at work? Could that force be enough to sway my heart?
It didn't feel possible with Malik inside me. I clung to my Demon Prince desperately as his every thrust jostled me. No matter how wild Malik got, I'd hold on. I'd ride out the pleasure and even the pain with him. I would sacrifice anything for him, just as he would for me. He was the first man I truly loved. The first man to make me treasure my immortality because it meant an eternity with him.
I bent my head to whisper, “I'm sorry, sweetheart.”
Malik went still. “For what, Mvarra?”
“For doubting you.” I kissed his lips briefly. “For reprimanding you when I was guilty of the same thing. You're right, I don't believe Braxis has a chance. How can he when I have you?”
Malik's expression shifted into profound love as he carried me to the bed and laid me down. He started to move slowly inside me again as he held my gaze.
“As long as we're together, anything is possible, Mvarra,” Malik said tenderly. “Anything. I would even accept another man into our fusion if that's what you needed. But Braxis doesn't feel right. I don't think he belongs with us.”
“Let's stop talking about other men now,” I purred and pulled him down to me.
As our lips met, Malik sped up, driving us up that sheer cliff of pleasure with the pounding of his cock and the twisting of his tongue. I clutched him closer, spread my thighs wider, and forgot all about the possibility of Braxis. The man I needed was right there, in my arms, making me scream his name.
“Malik!”
Chapter Eighteen
Malik decided that we should honor our vow. So, apologies were made the next morning, both to and from Braxis, and the men settled into a wary truce. Braxis would come down for breakfast every morning, and I'd spend some time with him afterward, trying to fulfill my end of our agreement by getting to know him better. Then we'd spend the evening with my kishanos watching TV, talking, or playing games—usually cards but occasionally a board game. The mundane activities lulled the men into a tentative friendship. But then it came time for our mission.
Our support team hadn't found any information on the magic sellers, nor had there been any strange supe activity in China. Even Magnus Bishop came up as a dead end. The name was real, or at least it was legal. Bishop owned a software company that did indeed have an office in China, but his business dealings were legitimate and there was no hint of a connection with supes or even research involving them.
Cyprian and Braxis weren't members of F.E.A.R. but Alex always welcomed extra help, so they were joining us for this mission. I had twisted everyone to Beijing earlier, into a secluded section of Beijing World Park that I had once visited. The local D.H.S. agents—and yes, the Department of Homeland Security has agents stationed in China—were meeting them in the park and would serve as our support team for the mission. I had to fly with Leshing in his private jet, so the twisting option was out for me. After I twisted my team, I packed a bag, drove into the city, cast an illusion over my car and myself, then headed to Leshing's home.
Because I was traveling separately, I had to be prepped earlier. I had a communication device for my ear and a camera hidden in a ring. Both had been chosen carefully for the mission. I could hide them under an illusion, but Leshing said that he'd been scanned before he was allowed into the auction house and my illusions weren't good enough to fool a metal detector. If they used the same sort of hand-held detector as they had on Leshing the last time, I should be able to get both comm devices past security. The earpiece had been fitted with a hook so I could attach it to the ring just before I was scanned. People rarely scan hands with those types of devices, especially if the hands were bare. But, if they upped their game and had a walk-through detector, I'd have to ditch the earpiece and reveal the ring. Hopefully, if that happened, they wouldn't find the camera hidden in it.
I had to keep my Amanda-illusion on during the entire flight; I didn't want to startle the flight crew when I walked off the plane as Amanda Redding. And I had to walk off the plane as Amanda since we would be met on the apron—apron is the correct term for where a plane parks, by the way, while tarmac is the name of the paving material—by the sellers, or at least their employees. But with my magic magnified by the Fusion, illusions barely strained me anymore. Once set, I could forget about them. I was even able to sleep a bit on the plane. The greatest part was that I didn't have to worry about touching up my makeup or smoothing my hair—no one would see the real me.
We landed in Beijing and as we taxied to the apron, I slid in my earpiece and checked in with Alex. “We're here.”
I had left my phone at home. Instead, I carried one that belonged to Amanda Redding in a small handbag with Amanda's wallet and ID. I couldn't use Amanda's cellphone, though. If the sellers checked it, we wanted them to find the fake texts and calls between Leshing and me, not a phone call to a D.H.S. agent.
“We see you,” Alex said. “The support team has multiple cars in place for this chase. We won't lose you.”
“Good.”
“In fact, I think I see your ride approaching now.”
I peered out the plane window and watched a black sedan pull up just as our plane came to a stop. Two men got out of the vehicle and waited beside it, their hands clasped behind their backs. They wore matching suits.
“How boring,” I drawled. “I was hoping for some big goons with scary guns.”
“They think they're dealing with a repeat client,” Alex reminded me. “Hopefully, their guard will be down.”
“I'm going silent now,” I warned him as I saw a flight attendant start toward us.
