Darkness Taunts (32 page)

Micah finally had the decency to make his exit, though he stayed nearby in the hallway. I squeaked when Lucas flipped me over onto my back. He dove between my legs and thrust deep inside me. My fingers dug into his shoulders and I held back from crying out. Lucas was too big to take in all at once like that. I tried to scoot away, but he kept a tight hold on my body. Unlike before, he didn’t give me time to adjust. He pumped into me hard and fast as if somehow that would chase the nightmare away.

I couldn’t take much more. Lucas wasn’t aware of his strength and he was battering my body without knowing it. Even now his eyes remained tightly closed. There had to be a way to get through to him before he did serious damage. I grabbed his head and pulled it down to mine, kissing him gently and willing him to follow my lead. His thrusts slowed. I played with his tongue and teased it. My hands roved down his back and rubbed against him in slow, calming patterns.

Before long my body hummed with pleasure. He was working inside me in languorous strokes that had my hips lifting to take more. The connection between us grew stronger. It was as if everywhere we touched had a current running back and forth. His pace picked up again, though not so rough this time.

I was ready for him and gripped his hips to urge him on. The tension built, taking us higher and higher. Somehow I knew we were on the same level, feeding off each other’s passion until we became one. His hot seed shot into me and I screamed. It seemed to go on and on as he kept thrusting. Maybe even he didn’t want it to end.

I came out of my daze to find Lucas had flipped us over again and held me close to his chest. Somehow he’d managed to stay inside me, though softer than before. My body ached, but not so much I couldn’t handle it. I nuzzled my head into Lucas’ neck and sighed.

“Melena,” Micah whispered loudly from the doorway.

I turned to look at him. From his angle he could probably see everything. The room had turned dark since night had fallen, but not enough to deter nephilim vision. I wished I could reach the covers, but they’d fallen off the end of the bed.

“Micah, go away. Everything is alright.”

He had a resigned look on his face. “It could be hours before my brother comes out of this. Are you sure you’re going to be okay until then?”

I wondered what could keep its grip on Lucas so tightly that he couldn’t wake up from it.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “So long as I don’t move I think he’ll stay calm.”

He rubbed his face. “You have no idea how angry he’s going to be once he realizes I let you near him like this.”

“I’ll take the blame, okay?”

I really needed him to go before Lucas got restless again. His breathing had stayed deep and even so far, but on some level he had to be aware of Micah and I talking. I had a feeling only our connection was keeping him peaceful right now.

“We’ll both be taking the blame for this,” Micah said. “Mark my words.”

“Melena!”

“Hmmm.” I opened my eyes to find furious golden ones staring back at me.

“What are you doing here?” Lucas asked.

Okay, time to play it cool. Maybe if I acted like it was no big deal he wouldn’t make a huge thing of it.

I smiled brightly. He’d said he liked seeing that. “I’m sleeping with you. What does it look like I’m doing?”

His cock twitched inside me. Apparently that hadn’t moved any more than we had while asleep.

“Something tells me we’ve done a lot more than
sleep
and there is only one way I wouldn’t have woken up for that.”

I kissed his chest and gave him my most innocent look. “You were having a bad dream. I just found a way to make it better.”

“Melena, I’ve killed no less than a dozen people while having those dreams. Even some immortals haven’t survived coming near me. What possessed you to enter this room?”

I ran my hands along his pectoral muscles and played with his nipple. The anger on his face made it too hard to look at him. “You don’t shield your emotions when you’re like that. It was hurting me to feel your pain. After the fire…I couldn’t stand by and watch you suffer like that again.”

“Dammit.” He flipped me over and pulled my hands above my head. Somehow he’d still managed to stay inside me and get harder in the process. “Stop trying to turn me on when I’m angry at you.”

I wiggled my hips. “Is it working?”

He pulled out and I groaned. A shocked squeal escaped me when he spread my legs wide apart and examined me closely. I squirmed under his intense gaze. No one had ever just stared at me like that. He ran a finger along my folds and even dipped it inside before pulling it back out. I was both embarrassed and turned on at the same time.

All that changed when his face turned from hot to livid. “You are bruised and swollen, Melena. There are traces of blood, telling me I was too rough with you. This is why you can’t go near me when I’m like that. I must have recognized you since you’re still alive, but you were hurt because I couldn’t control myself.”

“It was worth it, Lucas,” I said, giving him a defiant look. “I calmed you down and it became something amazing, even if you don’t remember it.”

His lips twisted into irony. “Oh, I remember it. You somehow projected yourself into my dream. It was the first time I’d ever felt pleasure in that place, but it doesn’t alter the fact you shouldn’t have done it.”

I sat up and moved my face closer to his.

“Let’s get something straight.” I poked him in the chest. “When I’ve needed you lately, you’ve been there for me. This was the first time I could do something for you. I’m not going to apologize for pulling you out of whatever horrible place you were in. I knew, somehow, that I could do it. And while this bond we have scares the ever-living shit out of me, I’m tired of fighting it. Whatever problems we have, we’re facing them together.”

Lucas worked his jaw. I could see his mind working—processing the things I’d said. It hadn’t been easy to open myself up, but he’d needed to hear those things and know where I stood.

The breath left me when he jerked my body hard against his. I instinctively wrapped my arms around him, reveling in the feel of our naked skin touching. He took hold of my hair and forced my head back. I closed my eyes when he pressed his lips to mine. The kiss didn’t last long before he pulled away.

“If you’d died while in my arms, Melena, I would have died with you. It is for this reason I’m sending you back to Fairbanks. You may not like it there, but you’ll be safe.”

How could someone say something so romantic and then twist it at the end like that?

I dug my fingers into his arms, trying to break his hold and pull away. “What about the demon problem? It’s only getting worse.”

His face looked resolute. “We’ll deal with it…or not. It’s no longer your problem.”

I took a deep breath. “Let me go.”

“You’re still mine. That doesn’t change.”

I looked toward the door. Micah was hovering just out of sight and no doubt listening in. “But you’re sending me away.”

“For now.”

“What if I told you I don’t want to see you again?” I asked, not meeting his eyes.

His finger traced their way down my bare back, making me shiver. “I’d say you were lying. That you need to be near me as much as I need to be near you. Anger and frustration isn’t going to change that.”

I scowled at him. “I hate you, Lucas.”

He kissed my forehead. I could feel him smile. “I hate you too, Melena.”

I wasn’t going to let him soften me up. He couldn’t send me away and think I wasn’t going to be pissed about it. “I need one of your shirts. You’re brother is going to come in here any minute and I think he’s seen me naked more than enough already.”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, looking me up and down.

I frowned. “After how jealous you’ve acted around my friends, I’d think you wouldn’t want anyone seeing me without clothes.”

“It irritates me when people I don’t trust are near you,” he said, “but if you haven’t figured it out yet, the supernatural world does not suffer from modesty. Clothing has its functions, but one of those should not include hiding one’s body.”

He got out of bed and took one of his shirts from a dresser drawer. I followed him over and grabbed it from him, pushing my arms through the sleeves. He reached for the buttons, but I stepped away from him. If he wanted to be an overprotective jerk, he’d have to suffer the consequences.

“Melena, don’t fight me on this.”

I turned away from him and looked for my torn clothing. The pieces lay scattered on the floor on other side of the bed. I scooped them up and tossed them at him. “You owe me a new set of those. That was my favorite tank top you ripped up. I thought it was worth sacrificing, but apparently I was wrong.”

He started to come for me, but I held my hand up. “Don’t. I’m done fighting. I’m going to pack my stuff up and check on Aniya. You can have your vampire minions take us to the airport.”

According to the clock it was just past nine at night.

“Very well,” Lucas said. “If that’s what you wish.”

I nodded. “It is.”

He looked past me to the door. “Micah, meet me outside in five minutes,” he yelled. “You and I are going to have a talk.”

“If it makes any difference, I broke his fingers to get away from him.”

He took out a pair of pants from the dresser and put them on. “It doesn’t. This is between me and my brother.”

“Fine.” I stomped out of the room.

The new door guard at Nik’s house didn’t say a word when I came through shortly after two in the morning. In fact, he stayed well out of my way as I marched through the foyer and headed for the stairs down the hallway. I could sense the master vampire I sought in his office. Good. I wouldn’t have to deal with him while he was occupied with one of his blood whores.

He stood up as soon as I entered, eyes widening as he sensed the healed bite mark on my neck. We could get into that later. I came around his desk and slapped him. It felt better than I could have imagined, as if I’d just let go of all the anger that had been building up inside of me over the last few days.

He rubbed his cheek. “Oh, fuck, Melena. What did you do that for?”

“Do my duty as a sensor, you said.” I put my hands on my hips. “I have it on good authority that my duty as a female sensor is to spread my legs and help propagate my dwindling race.”

He glanced over at Derrick, who I’d known was in the room, but his presence didn’t matter to me for the moment. I still hadn’t bothered to look his way. His mood had turned sour since I entered, but whatever he had to say could wait.

“What are you talking about?” Nik asked.

“Lucas didn’t tell you?”

“No.” He glanced at my hidden bite mark again. “He’s not the most forthcoming man out there.”

“Well, I’ve had an exciting time down in Juneau handling a near impossible demon problem. In the midst of that, a group of sensors are there handling the problem as well. They didn’t take kindly to me being around Lucas or the other sups, so they took it upon themselves to remove me from the bad influence.”

His hands clenched. “They kidnapped you?”

He sure was swift tonight. “Yes. They also drugged me and kept me tied to a bed for three days. I discovered one of them was my real father and he said I’d failed my race by cavorting with the other side, but not to worry because he’d let me make up for it by fucking his men so they could get me knocked up.”

The tension rose in the room. I thought I heard a growl from Derrick.

“Did they rape you?” Nik asked.

I crossed my arms. “No, they did not. Mostly because they wanted to wait and make sure Lucas hadn’t gotten me pregnant first.”

“Could he get you pregnant?” Derrick asked. “I can smell him all over you. You reek of his seed.”

My face heated. Sometimes it was easy to forget how much more powerful werewolf senses were compared to other sups. “Technically, he could get me pregnant, but I’m on birth control so it’s not an issue. Can we move on now?”

Derrick moved toward me and touched my neck. “He claimed you, Mel. It couldn’t have worked unless you allowed it. I thought you hated him.”

I stepped away. There was no way to know when Lucas might be watching and I did not want him killing Derrick. The two men had hated each other since they first met. I was too mad at the nephilim to be begging for the werewolf’s life right now.

“I do hate him, but it’s complicated.”

Nik shook his head. “Love always is.”

“I’m not in love with him.” The emotion was a foreign concept to me.

He moved back to his chair and took a seat. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucas said the same about you, but that bite is the strongest show of affection two people can give each other. Not to mention extremely rare.”

“How is it even possible for one of my kind to get it?” I asked. “I can’t sense it like you guys can.”

“There are some things for which your abilities aren’t necessary. This must be one of them. I just know the bite is metaphysical in nature and occurs most often among the fanged races. Why or exactly how it works is a mystery.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” I settled into one of the other chairs in the room. “He sent me back here because he thinks it’s too dangerous to let me keep helping with the demons.”

It was only a small lie. They didn’t need to hear about Lucas’ nightmare problem or my solution for it.

Nik gave me a sympathetic look. “You might as well prepare yourself. I’m fairly certain he’ll come back for you once it’s over.”

“He can go to hell,” I grumbled.

Nik laughed. “Lucas must be getting to you. I’ve never seen you this moody before.”

“How about you guys tell me what Derrick is doing here?”

“Oh,” he glanced over at the werewolf in question, “he’s taken over the Alpha position—thanks to your prodding, and has become my number two man.”

I sat up straighter. “Wait, I thought Kariann was your number two.”

“They battled it out this morning and he won. She’s in her room recovering, but I wouldn’t go visit her for awhile if I were you.”