After Dark (Between the Veils Series, Book One) (13 page)

“So you’re thinking this medallion repelled his energy?”

She shrugged. “You got a better idea?” A thought jumbled in her head and she pushed to her feet, unclipping the medal as she rushed over to one of her bags.

“If you’re looking for condoms now, darling, I think we’ve missed our window of opportunity.”

She tossed him an exasperated look. “No, I’m looking for my magnifying lens. I have a theory.”

“Do tell.”

She threw a few socks on the floor then held up the lens, taking it back over to the table. She placed the medallion on the surface, twisting it around to get a better look at the few, visible features. “Hey, do me a favor and pull up a picture of the medal.”

“Sure thing, but I’ve seen dozens of these amulets before. It’s definitely a Saint Benedict medal.”

“I know, but what if it’s one of the original medals…the ones sculpted before that monk remade the design as we know it today.” She examined the visible letters, comparing them to the image on the screen. “Bloody hell. I’m an idiot.” She handed Avery the lens. “Look at the letters.”

He leaned over the table, glancing from the medal to the screen and back again. “Not all of them are on here. But couldn’t they just have been melted off? Like the front side?”

“But everything else on this side is still intact. Sure, there’s a bunch of staining still on here that I’d need more sophisticated chemicals to remove, but it’s all surface damage. There’s no evidence the actual carvings on the medal have been compromised.”

“So the fact it only has the letters VRS means…”

“It predates the eighteen hundreds. I’ve read that the full prayer was added in the remodeling and that the original medal most likely only bore a cross and reference to that one phrase…
Vade retro Santana
…Begone, Satan. It’s an ancient exorcism formula.” Her gaze met his. “What if this is the actual medal that priest used to bind Gall’s soul to the veil?”

“From five hundred years ago?”

She shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. For all we know, it passed on to the veil with Gall, reappearing in the cemetery when he was summoned. When it materialized, Gall was set free.”

“That would explain why that tomb looked as if it’d been inside a fire, and why he wasn’t able to do anything more than mark you. You had that medallion in your pocket. It’s the key to sending him back.”

“Yeah, but neither of us is a priest and despite Gall’s claim to the contrary, I’m not a witch.”

“I’m not sure we have to be.” He sighed. “Right now, I’m not even sure I want to see it again, let alone try to curse it back to Hell.”

She glanced down at her ankle. The marks weren’t quite as red, but they were still there, glaring at her. “Well, as long as I have these, Gall shouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else, right? He has to release me first. That should give us a bit of time to figure it out.”

“I’d be happy if he just released you. At least then I could send you somewhere safe.”

Temperance shook her head. “I’m going to ignore that last comment and chalk it up to fatigue. After all, I think I held my own pretty well yesterday.”

“This isn’t about whether you’re capable of handling yourself and all about me not losing my mind worrying about whether that demon might actually get you next time.”

“Need I remind you who’s next on his list?”

Avery held her stare. “If he kills you, I’ll go willingly.”

“If he gets you, humanity is at stake.”

“I don’t care about humanity, darling. I’m not in love with it.”

His words silenced her. Had he really just implied he was in love with her? After so short a time? She forced herself to swallow past the lump lodged in her throat, when Avery pressed a finger across her lips.

“Don’t. Don’t say anything. And yes, I just told you I’m in love with you.” He removed his hand but his expression never wavered. “We’ll discuss your side of the equation later. Now I believe I promised you a shower.”

Chapter Nine

Temperance gasped when he scooped her into his arms, holding her close as he headed for the bathroom. She’d never been carried before, and the gesture only tightened the feeling in her chest. There was no denying it. She’d fallen for him…hard.

Avery stepped into the bathroom, setting her down in front of the glass shower. He gave her a sly smile as he reached in and twisted on the water, testing it before turning to her. “I’m thinking I’ll need my shirt back.”

“Of course.”

She held his hungry stare as she grabbed the bottom and eased it up her thighs, stopping when it reached her sex. She wiggled the bottom, giving him fleeting glances of her pussy before inching it higher, pausing again at her breasts. Avery growled and moved toward her, cupping her waist as if silently ordering her to finish the job. She relented, pulling it over her head as she draped it across his arm.

His gaze slid down her body, the intensity like a physical caress. “So damn beautiful.”

He leaned in, brushing his lips over hers, giving her one frantic heartbeat to prepare before he claimed her mouth. She opened willingly for him, battling him for dominance as the sound of cascading water played in the background. Steam curled around them, adding to the already thick air, as he finally pulled back, his eyes dark, his breathing erratic.

“Shower. Now, darling.”

His tone was the same as it’d been last night when he’d instructed her to roll over. And she suspected his control was just as edgy.

He tugged off his pants, and she accepted his hand, stepping into the cubical and turning her back to the spray of water. Avery followed her in, still holding her hand. She waited until he’d closed the door before sinking to her knees, placing her mouth at the perfect height to appreciate his shaft.

Avery groaned and tugged on her hand. “Temperance.”

“Don’t even start with how it’s still your turn. I’ve allowed you that concession twice and either you submit to my desires or…”

He raised his brow. “Or?”

“Or I’ll have to tie you up first.”

He chuckled, running his fingers through her wet hair, holding the strands back from her face. “Hard to argue with that. I just don’t want you to think—”

“What? That you don’t like blowjobs?”

“Fuck, no. Actually, I’ve fantasized about having you wrap that pretty little mouth around me since you first knocked on my door, but…” He sighed. “I didn’t want you to think I was only in this for me.”

“I believe you’ve more than proven otherwise, so stop worrying and enjoy.”

She watched as he settled his shoulders against the tiles, his chest rising harshly as his breathing increased. She looked back at her prize, still amazed by the sheer size of him. If he wasn’t already established as a ghost hunter, lord knows he could double as a porn star.

“Darling. Thoughts like that aren’t going to help me keep my cool.”

“Then get out of my head.”

“Killjoy.”

She ignored the small huff of protest, knowing he’d keep invading her thoughts until she’d learned how to shield herself. But she didn’t mind. There was something oddly seductive about being able to excite him with only an image in her head.

She leaned in, inhaling his earthy aroma. He’d obviously already showered, the hint of floral soap still lingering on his skin. She watched as the water beaded on his thighs, hovering for a moment before falling to the floor.

She moved forward, tasting his skin, licking at the droplets as she rained kisses along his abdomen, skillfully avoiding his straining cock. His hold on her hair tightened, the slight sting only increasing her arousal. She could smell her own scent wafting in the humid air, swirling around them like a sensual cloud.

“Darling. While I appreciate your dedication to detail, I’m about a heartbeat away from lifting you up and impaling you.”

“Patience, baby.”

He growled as she threw his words back at him. Payback was a bitch. She smiled at the thought, knowing he’d heard her, as she finally relented and brushed her tongue across the tip of his cock. His body jerked in response, flaring the thick head as she made another pass, harder than before, her teeth scraping across the sensitive hood. A mumbled moan sounded above the water, the guttural resonance like a caress to her body.

She squeezed her thighs together, banishing the empty feeling, as she nipped him this time. He grunted her name, holding more of her hair back as she wrapped her lips around the head, and took him slowly to the back of her throat.

“Fuck. You’re even hotter than I’d imagined.” His hips pressed forward, sinking him slightly deeper. “God, Temperance.”

She hummed her reply, loving how the small vibrations made his thighs tremble. She retraced her motion, lapping more liquid from the thin slit as she kissed the tip, quickly taking him deep again. His hips pumped this time, matching her movement, fucking her mouth with only a trace of control. She didn’t try to stop him, knowing he was too raw. Though she’d fully intended on teasing him as shamelessly as he’d teased her, she just couldn’t deny the way he gave himself over to her, allowing her to see him at his most vulnerable moment.

Temperance hollowed her cheeks, keeping the pressure constant as she slid along his length, rubbing her tongue along the thick vein lining his shaft. His voice sounded above her and she knew he was getting close.

“Okay, darling, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn.”

She looked up at him, keeping him lodged deep for a moment so he could see every inch of his cock emerge from between her lips as she pulled back, dropping a kiss on the top. “I haven’t finished.”

His jaw clenched. “While I want nothing more than to come inside those wicked lips of yours, I need to make love to you more.” His gaze locked on hers. “Please.”

The single word pooled tears in her eyes and she smiled up at him, kissing his shaft one more time before accepting his hand and rising to her feet. Water pelted her skin, the prickling feeling a complete opposite to the smooth glide of his hands across her back. She moved into his embrace, kissing his mouth, tasting the hint of flavored coffee on his tongue.

Avery slipped his hands beneath her thighs, lifting her up as he pressed her against the wall. She inhaled as the cold tiles shocked her warm skin, but the sensation faded as Avery crushed his body against hers, the hard tip of his shaft probing her entrance.

Avery’s mouth nuzzled her neck, his lips caressing her earlobe. “I know what you’re thinking, but the position doesn’t dictate whether it’s sex or making love, darling.” He eased away just enough she could focus on his eyes. “It’s who’s involved that determines that. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s never been just sex.”

The tears she’d battled to keep at bay fell, joined by the drops of water cascading down her body. Avery smiled and kissed her cheeks, reclaiming his spot against her neck as he inched his way in, slowly merging his body with hers.

Her walls convulsed, fighting to adjust to his width as he hilted himself inside, his cock sending wicked tendrils of heat swirling through her sex. She tried to deny the love blossoming in her chest, a part of her still scared it was nothing more than a convenient fling, when he whispered her name, the gravelly sound breaking through her final barriers.

Temperance pressed her head back, releasing the emotions she’d kept in check, allowing Avery access to a part of her she’d never shared. His breath hissed along her neck, his fingers tightening around her thighs.

“God, Temperance. Darling.”

He bit the soft hollow beneath her shoulder, reasserting his claim, as he slowly pulled out his shaft, waiting one agonizing second before thrusting back in, stealing her breath as he lodged himself deep inside.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him closer, needing to feel every inch of their bodies touching. He complied, rubbing his chest across her nipples, tilting her hips so his pelvis glanced over her clit. Sparks prickled along her skin, blurring her vision as the coil spiraling inside her core spun faster, pulling in on itself in an ever decreasing circle. Her lungs labored to draw enough air as Avery increased the pace, taking her channel in smooth, slick strokes.

“I love that you’re fighting it, but I won’t last much longer. Come for me, Temperance. Let me feel you shatter in my arms.”

She broke, his words the last weapon in his seduction.

“Ah, fuck. Yeah, darling. That’s it.”

He pounded into her, thrusting and retreating in a blinding haze. His hips collided with hers, his mouth hot and hungry against her skin as he pumped through her release, sending her over again once the first orgasm had started to wane. She screamed his name, the word mixing with the steady beat of the water and the billowing cloud of steam. He kept moving, his entire body flexing in her arms until his muscles clenched tight and he stiffened, his cock pulsing inside her.

Hot jets of semen splashed against her walls, inflaming her already sensitive tissues. The feel of his release sparked another quivering response, and she buried her head in the crook of his shoulder as she sobbed in his arms, hoping for nothing more than to breathe.