City of the Fallen (7 page)

She had been ready for it before she came to the compound. She knew what being a pet entailed and she had told herself she would do it. Quietly and without raising any questions.

That was before she met the king. Now her stomach was tied up in knots and all she could think about was whether she would panic when things started happening. And if she did panic, how would she handle it, since he wouldn’t be able to calm her down?

That was another question running circles around her mind. She’d realized the day before that he couldn’t charm her. She wasn’t sure how common that was or what it really meant for her. It had surprised the king, at least—and Miles’ eyes seemed particularly intense on her today, as if he was trying to
will
her to do something. She didn’t quite understand how charming worked, whether she would “hear” the command in her mind or simply become compliant and respond to anything they’d ask. Whatever it was, she wasn’t feeling it.

“Are you ready?” Miles asked, holding the door open.

She was nowhere ready, but she nodded yes anyway.

Part of her was terrified of what was coming. The other part couldn’t wait for the king’s hands to touch her again. It was a strange mix of emotions—and a very unexpected one.

But it was something she’d been preparing for
for
months and turning back was no longer an option.

~*~

Before he even stepped out of the shadows, her heart was already racing.

As soon as she walked into his room, he picked up the beating of her heart. Alive and full of fire. Her eyes darted around the room, settling on the bed for a few extra seconds before returning to him. It was a bed made for pleasure: ample, soft, inviting—and she seemed to appreciate it. The look in her eyes caused his body to react, the urge of his hunger rearing up his call again.

She looked stunning and she smelled even better. The aroma of her blood and her skin mixed into the air, making his fangs ache. His whole body wanted to jump on her right then and there and push her down onto the ground. It was an animal urge that was hard to ignore—and one he wasn’t used to feeling. Not because he was immune to that kind of feeling, but because when you lived for centuries, you learned to control your urges.

Isabelle was one urge that was proving difficult to control. Good thing he wasn’t planning on controlling it for long.

He pointed at the large couch across from the bed. “Sit down, Isabelle.”

Pushing his hunger down, he tried to concentrate on her eyes. They were the color of a stormy sea: blue and gray all rolled into one. And at the moment, a storm was raging in them. It was obvious she was on edge—and he would’ve loved to be able to read her mind to see what exactly was causing it. Was it fear or excitement? He could guess it was a bit of both—but he desperately wanted to know which emotion was winning.

“Where did you come from, Isabelle?”

The words came out softly, almost casual, but the heat built up inside him. He was more edgy around her than he should have been.

“East,” she said, and he could immediately tell she was lying.

He sat down on the other end of the couch and her heart sped up. Not only could he hear it, he could smell the rush of adrenaline in her blood. His eyes moved down towards her chest, almost as an acknowledgment. Her face reddened, the heat radiating out of her body and hitting him like a wave. His whole body groaned in response.

Control yourself
,
damn it
. “Did you spend the night on the road?”

A slight shiver ran through her body. “Yes, inside an abandoned factory.”

His brow furrowed, his eyes firm and locked into hers. “Did you run into any of us?”

She hesitated for a second before she nodded yes.
What are you hiding, Isabelle?

He wondered if she could see the mix of emotions in his eyes. “How did they look?”

“I only saw one up close,” she said, stirring on the couch. “He looked powerful, scary.”

He didn’t want to get the questions out, have to explain what the void was. But he needed to know. “Did he look famished?”

Isabelle swallowed hard. “I’m not sure I understand…”

He inched closer, his heat spreading like a raging fire towards her.
 

“The one you got a chance to see up close, did he look rabid, like an animal?”

Her body froze. When she opened her mouth, her voice came out shaky. “No, he… he was smooth and calm.”

It was taking all of his strength not to grab her right at that moment. No, not grab her. Pounce on her. Just like a big cat bringing the prey down. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wasn’t sure that he could control himself much longer. Her heart was hammering in her chest and every beat felt like an invitation.

~*~

Her whole body was pulsating and so was her mind. As he moved closer, she felt herself slipping from reality, everything around her melting away. Until all that was left were those silver eyes and the heat of his body drifting into hers.

Those eyes. They were silvery black in the darkness of the room. They had been a deep grey the night before, but they seemed to have a light of their own that night. They didn’t look like the eyes of a predator. They looked inviting and… safe. She knew it didn’t make sense but his proximity was the closest thing to safety she had felt in a long time. No looking over her shoulder, not cringing away at the sounds of the night. She clenched her hands, trying to push the feeling away.

“Were you afraid of him?”

Her heart thumped loudly in her eardrums. “I was terrified.”

And then he was so close she could actually feel his breath on her lips. It was causing the electricity of the room to intensify—but it also felt like velvet spilling over her skin. He smelled like the Earth: salt and musk and wood.

His eyes were locked on hers. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

There it was, the real answer. She had been asking herself that exact question since the moment she saw him. Was she afraid of him? Would she be once he got close, once she knew there was nowhere to run? And the truth was that she wasn’t. The king inspired a very different, more powerful emotion in her. Something that completely erased any hint of fear that could have been lurking around. Something that made her forget who he was and who she was and why every hint of desire clutching at her should have felt so wrong.

Even though it felt deliciously right.

The silver in his eyes seemed to spark brighter as one of his hands extended towards her, slightly brushing her cheek before settling on the back of her neck.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she repeated, more to savor the revelation than to reassure him.

And then his mouth reached for hers and her mind went blank.
 

A soft moan escaped her throat as soon as his lips touched hers. It was a sound of wanting but also of surrender. She wanted this. Her body craved it, but so did something deeper inside of her, something that was waking up with every passing second.

She was expecting a hard invasion, but he didn’t push. Instead, his lips were soft, testing and tasting. The silky caress was so erotic, her whole body turned to liquid, melting into his. More, she needed more. She moaned against his mouth and her lips opened.

And then all of a sudden the gentleness was gone. His tongue darted into her mouth, twining with hers, demanding a response, while his hands
ran down her ribs
 and towards her lower back.

One of his hands reached for her waist, sliding her under him. As he leaned over her, every inch of skin he touched went up in flames, warmth extending inwards and spreading like wildfire. Part of her mind was desperately trying to hold on to reason, reminding her over and over that he wasn’t human.

Except the things he was making her body feel were all very human.

His hand moved under her shirt and her whole body trembled as if hit by an electrical current. His touch was hypnotic. So wrong and yet so right. She
arched
against him, begging for more.

He growled in response and moved his hand higher, reaching for her breast.
 

Before his fingers touched her nipple, it had already hardened. When he finally touched her, he let a groan out and pushed harder into her mouth. He sucked on her tongue and she found herself falling deeper into the darkness, into him. Nothing mattered at the moment. Not her mission, not her hate for the monsters. All that mattered was his hands and his tongue dancing with hers. Because nothing she had ever felt, nobody she had ever touched, had felt like this.

Then all of a sudden, he broke the kiss. A moan of complaint left her throat and she reached for his mouth, but he pulled back. She opened her eyes, searching for an explanation—and found his eyes locked on hers, bright silver and deep.

“Marcus,” he groaned, his chest rising up and down rapidly.

She tried to make sense through the fog of desire clogging up her mind. Her head was spinning and it was hard to concentrate on anything but his scent and his heat, dancing over her body.

“What?”

“My name is Marcus. Say it.”

She pushed against him.

“Marcus,” she whispered and the hum of his name on her lips felt like honey.

He growled, the sound rolling over her like thunder.
His hands felt feverish
 
against her skin and she could see the transformation happening in him. As the touch became more urgent, he slowly let go of his hold on humanity. His eyes darkened, his fangs came out and the rhythm of his movements became more animal, more dominant. He pressed harder, moved harder, pinching and stroking and kneading until pain started to inch closer.

Hot, delicious pain encircling her body

She gasped as he pinched her nipple, ripples of pain and pleasure shooting through her. She knew she should feel afraid, but the changes only served to intensify what she was feeling. She wanted more.

Marcus’ eyes met hers. “Still not scared, Belle?”

“No,” she growled, out of breath.

That seemed to be the signal he’d been waiting for, because as soon as she spoke, he reached for the buttons of her shirt. He moved painfully slow, savoring each inch of skin revealed and each of her moans along with it. When her shirt was off, he pulled the bra off in a single move, without even touching the clasp. Then a hint of a smile showed on his face, a small trace of the beast reaching through his eyes and waiting to devour her. Her entire body melted.

She opened her lips to say something, although she wasn’t sure what. Before any words formed, his mouth was back on hers, teasing and nibbling while his hands continued undressing her. The mix of sensations rushing through her veins felt like liquid fire. It was need and hunger and desire all mixed into one.