Bracing my weight on one hand, I run my palm up her side beneath her shirt, thumb stroking along her ribcage. “What did I do to deserve you?” I murmur, tearing my mouth free from hers only to work a path down her throat to her collar.
“Obviously something terrible,” she teases before it turns into a gasp as I gently bite her breast. “One of those gifts without a receipt, so you just learn to live with it.”
Shoving her shirt up, I yank her bra down to bare her breasts, laving at one while rolling my thumb over her other nipple. My warning growl vibrates over her and she arches into my mouth, gripping the sheet beneath her.
“You’re amazing and you know it.” With one last flick of my tongue, I start kissing a path down her stomach to the edge of her pants, slipping a finger in the waistband.
Lifting her hips, she helps me shove them down her legs, kicking them off. “Of course I do, but it’s better when you say it.” Her fingers thread through my hair with her words, urging me lower and I chuckle.
The secondary claiming bite on her inner thigh is just as wickedly bruised, and I’m careful as I shove her knees apart. Breath fanning over her, I slide one hand under her ass, pulling her closer. Her soft curses fill the room as I taste her, savoring every lick and twitch of muscle as she clenches around me, her sprinting heartbeat all the more encouragement of where to focus my attention.
Tensing, her hand tightens in my hair as she looses a steady stream of curses. I wrap my lips around her clit and suck harder until a sudden pang in my chest has me stopping abruptly. Glancing down at her with worry for the sudden spike of fear, I only see the same confusion as is on my face reflected back at me. It clicks for us both a heartbeat later that it wasn’t either of us, which could only mean…
Releasing an annoyed sigh, I fold my arms over her stomach before resting my cheek on them, unamused. “We have to go save them, don’t we?”
Gently raking her fingers through my hair to undo the tangles she created, she gives me a sad smile. “Afraid so.”
My ensuing groan only serves to have her chuckling, tapping my arm to get me off so we can get moving. She’s trying hard not to let her worry take over, masking it with humor, but I can feel her fear like a living entity.
“You have to admit; they’re growing on you.” She tugs her clothes back into place before pausing, not sure how to prepare for this since we have no real plan.
Looking down at her, I’m unable to conceal the stab of fear that’s all mine. I know better than to hope I could convince her to stay here while I go keep the others from getting themselves killed, but how can I bring her to the doorstep of her enemies?
Holding her gaze, I warn, “If anything happens to you, my wrath will know no bounds. Those mages can only pray that the vampires put them out of their misery if they touch you, because I vow, here and now-” palming the side of her neck, I run my thumb over her throat “-I will make the torture they met out on their captives look like child’s play.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Well now I’m just going to start high-fiving people so you have an excuse to slaughter them all.”
A small smile overrides my fear as I kiss her again. “Is that something you want to see? The feral monster the humans accuse me of being?”
Lips moving against mine, she murmurs, “No, I want to see the look in their eyes when they realize that all of the power they’ve stolen still isn’t enough to save them.”
Thirty
Esmerelda
“What in the ever-loving-fuck are you doing here?!”Hawk growls in my head, though his voice sounds sluggish.
The car hits a speed bump and I narrowly avoid slamming my forehead against the inside of the trunk. Wrists bound and duct tape over my lips, I’m betting everything on Rheyas and Ethan, praying things go according to our hastily concocted plan.
How else do you think we’re going to get anyone on the inside now that they’re on red alert? What the hell happened?
I get another stab of fear.“Vamps were tranquilized; weren’t any help, and it went sideways fast. Babe, you’ve got to get out of here. The things they’re doing,”he trails off before switching tactics.“Rhey, don’t bring her here. We’ll figure something out.”
There’s a heavy pause while he considers before reluctantly responding,“Not much of a pack if half of it’s missing. You saw firsthand that she can fight; damn good at it too. Try not to get yourselves killed before we can find you.”
The car crawls down a ramp before pulling to a stop, and since I don’t have any bonus senses, I’m stuck just imagining things playing out the way we practiced. Ethan drives us into the underground parking garage attached to the building, Rhey approaches the guard stationed at the building entrance, and claims to want to collect on the bounty on my head.
The trunk opens and I struggle, putting on a show as the stranger sneers down at me with satisfaction. “You owe me a new phone with that little stunt you pulled, witch.” A splash of icy cold dread floods my system at the sound of his voice, my breath hitching in my chest as I remember the pain of him shooting me.
A moment later he grunts, a fist driving into the bastard’s temple before he collapses on the ground. Rheyas frowns down at me before reaching in to scoop me up, tossing me over his shoulder. “I still don’t like this plan.”
Ethan pats the guard down before withdrawing a keycard with a triumphant grin, just an older looking, wearier version of his son. While the others wanted to take time to concoct a new plan of attack, playing with their probability factors and risk assessments, Ethan finally was able to see what I do when looking at his council. His only remaining family, hissonwas captured, likely being tortured and drained, and the others simply weren’t sure if putting more people at risk to get two back was worth it. His responding tirade put mine to shame.
“Path of least resistance,” he tosses out there, walking away. “Until we know what we’re walking into, it gives them a reason to pause rather than attack us on sight.”
Besides, tell me you don’t like having me tied up and at your mercy?
Rheyas’ fingers tighten on my thigh as he heads towards the door. “Hawk’s dad was right; you’re distracting.”
