Demon Crossings (22 page)

Closer. Closer now, she ran for it, locked on to the source of that disturbance and threw everything she had into the sprint. She never heard it coming. Not over the wheezing sound of her breath and the hammering of her heart. The fire demon pounced on her back, driving her to the ground so hard her head snapped forward and her forehead cracked against the ice. She thought she might have lost consciousness for a moment.

She couldn’t catch her breath. Braced as she was for that final bite, this was a thousand times worse. Waiting for death, with enough time for realization to hit, how stupid she’d been in her desperation, how much she’d lost. In that last minute, it was Aiden’s face she saw in her mind. And she knew this would hurt him too.

The weight rolled off her and she drew in a shuddering breath, trying to make her legs work and swiping the blood out of her eyes. She managed to get to her feet though the world was blurred and she was swaying badly. The demon crumpled to the ground. And Vanir stood behind it, black sword dripping black blood.

At least she thought it was Vanir. It was the same dark figure she’d seen watching from the cliff when she’d come in with the hunt, dressed in black and steel, his face swathed and his pale eyes blazing.

She wasn’t sure if he meant to save her or kill her. He nodded toward the portal. “You don’t belong here.”

“Come with me.” She didn’t know why she said it. She couldn’t imagine him in her world but it seemed wrong to leave him here and he had saved her life.

“I can’t.” He turned, blade raised, to meet another demon approaching from his other side. “Go.”

She couldn’t run. She’d done something to her leg and it wouldn’t support her full weight. She was bleeding from her head and, she thought, from somewhere on her back. She felt warmth there and she knew it had to be coming from her so she settled into a shuffling kind of run, her vision narrowing down to the ground in front of her. If a fire demon came at her now, she was toast.

But before that happened, she hit the portal. Icy cold, colder even than Asgard. For a brief moment, she thought she might be trapped there between worlds, as her legs gave out, as darkness overtook her. But she didn’t have more than a split second to worry about it, because as soon as she thought it, a blanket of unconsciousness wrapped around her and made her forget it all.

She thought she heard Aiden’s voice, felt Aiden’s strong arms gather her up and whether this was home or death, her last thought was that she was safe.

She was warm. Sighing, she snuggled deeper into the mattress, tucking the blanket up to her nose and inhaling a familiar scent that teased her eyes open. Sunlight patterned the ceiling and shifted when a breeze blew the curtains, scattering the image like a kaleidoscope. She stared at it for a moment, letting her memory catch up with her. Asgard. Vanir. Those damn fire demons and then…Aiden. She turned her head and smiled at the sight of his bare shoulder, followed the line of his arm to that rocky hand, open in sleep, fingers curving delicately toward the ceiling.

The hard lines of his face were softer now, the deep line between his eyebrows barely a crease. He looked young, vulnerable, human. His dirty blond hair was matted on one side in a tragic case of bed head which really shouldn’t have been so appealing. Not a god at all, only a man.

Ignoring the ache in her body, she lifted her hand to touch the corner of his mouth, brushing her fingertips over the smooth contours of his lips and the catch of golden stubble. He had red in his beard. She’d never noticed. A slight change in his breathing made her glance up. His eyes were open and for a moment they just stared at each other.

And then he closed his eyes at the same time his arm curled around her shoulders, drawing her close to his body. Her breath caught at the shock of skin, sleep hot and soft over hard muscle. He was naked and that was fair, she guessed, because so was she.

He pressed his lips to her hair. “You scared me. God, Grace, don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Did you think it was part of my plan? Explore strange new worlds, seek out new civilizations…”

His body shook with silent laughter. “Next time let’s make sure we don’t get separated.”

“Next time?”

His arms tightened around her shoulders and his lips brushed against her temple. After a moment, he said quietly, “You almost made it across yourself.”

She pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “You found me trapped in the portal. I thought…you came for me.”

He looked mortally offended. “Of course I did. We were waiting to cross back over. It was the first flare strong enough for us to use. Full moon.” His expression softened and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And there you were already halfway home.”

Home. Something shifted inside of her, bittersweet. She hadn’t thought past escape, past finding Hallie. She hadn’t let herself. She didn’t want to think about it now. She pressed a hand to his jaw, rough and strong and set, and stretched her body up to kiss him.

His thick fingers slid into her hair to hold her steady. She wanted passion but he gave her love, pressing soft kisses to the edges of her mouth, gently sucking at her lower lip before easing inside. He melted to her, coaxing her tongue into his dance, slow and soft and sweet. When she tried to push him for more, he drew away.

She groaned in frustration and he slid his hand down her body to settle at her waist. “Not this time, Grace. I don’t want goodbyes.”

And that wasn’t what he was offering either. He was giving her welcome. He was giving her himself. When he kissed his way to her breasts and nuzzled his cheek against the curve before settling his mouth over her nipple. When he settled his hand possessively between her thighs then curved one blunt finger to delve inside, drawing out moisture and parting her folds, opening her for him and drawing shallow, unsteady gasps from her lips. She closed her eyes and clenched her fingers in his hair as he suckled her, lightly at first and then harder until she was arching off the bed and into his mouth. She felt the tug of his teeth, a brief stinging bite then release, and her whole body jerked. Then his mouth was sliding down, touching the under curve of her breast, tracing her last rib with his tongue, smoothing his rough cheek over her belly. Working his broad shoulders between her legs, he forced them wider.

He paused there. She could feel his breath against her damp skin. She lifted her butt from the mattress and felt the vibration of soft laughter but he pressed an infuriatingly quick kiss against her clit and forced her hips back down.

She opened her eyes and he was waiting for her. Those pale gray eyes hooded with hunger. He let her see that—his desire. There was more there too. But she was so crazy with need by then that she had no idea what he was trying to show her.

“Please,” she whispered, fighting against his hands holding her down. That hard, fierce expression softened and he stretched his arm up, bracing his forearm across her abdomen. His hand spread low on her belly, holding her still. He lowered his head and hers dropped back to the pillow at the touch of his mouth. His questing tongue explored every fold, teased over her skin until she was a knot of raw pulsating need. Then slowly he pressed inside her and she relaxed into his care. He stroked upward, ripping a groan from her when he circled her clit. Slow maddening circles that had her hips bouncing against the mattress. But he held her there, prolonging the moment, making little sounds of appreciation and approval from deep in his throat as he worked at her with his tongue and lips and then fingers too. His thumb circled her entrance as his tongue stroked her clit. Pressing gently inside and then withdrawing, every touch meant to arouse but not satisfy.

“Please,” she whispered again, hating that he was making her beg.

“What do you want, Grace?” His lips moved against her, his breath scattering goose bumps over her skin. She whimpered but he was relentless, drawing back so he could look at her. “Tell me.”

“I want you.”

“You want this,” he corrected, pressing two fingers inside of her, filling her up with a suddenness that shocked her. She arched against his hand and he let her ride him for a moment before withdrawing completely.

“Aiden.”

He covered her, caught her lips in a quick kiss. “Shh. It’s okay. Whatever you want, Grace. I’ll take whatever you’ll let me have.”

She didn’t take the time to stop and consider that because his cock was hard and thick and hot and pressing against her and then—
thank God, finally
—in her. He thrust inside, all the way to the hilt and she drew up her legs to accommodate him. He was propped up on one elbow, hips pressing her into the mattress, head bowed and eyes closed.

She tipped up her face and kissed his chin. “I love you.”

A shudder ran through his body but he didn’t open his eyes. She’d have time to regret saying that later but right now she was beyond any threat of shame. Aiden was inside her. She was safe and warm and in his arms and nothing else mattered.

He started to move, dragging his hard flesh out in a slow withdrawal and she couldn’t help but move with him. He waited until he was almost fully out before moving forward in a slow, sweet glide. His eyes were open again, fixed on her. He caught her knee with his free hand and hitched it over his hip, fingertips digging into her flesh as he drove deep again and again.

There was still a trace of gentleness there, in the way he held back, in the stubborn set of his jaw but his need was slipping whatever leash he’d bound it with and his thrusts were getting harder. The tension in his strong body coiling tighter. She cradled his face, scratched her nails on his stubble and drew him down for a long kiss, nipping at his lips and sucking at his tongue, trying to take all of him inside of her all at once. He rocked into her in a steady relentless pace, his hand on her knee holding her open, the tilt of his hips hitting her clit with every deep thrust. Sweat slicked everywhere their bodies touched. She arched so with the next thrust her nipples skated against his chest. He pushed his tongue into her mouth when she groaned and that sent her spinning over the edge. Her hands clutched at his back and her body hung there suspended for an unending moment before wave after wave of pleasure roiled through her.

Her body was still rhythmically gripping his cock when she felt his whole body shudder. One hand pushed down on her hip and his other arm wrapped around her waist to lock her in place while he emptied himself inside of her.

Then he rolled, taking her with him, tucking her head into the hollow of his shoulder and pulling her thigh over his. His lips brushed the top of her head.

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Her eyes popped open. She stared at his chest, her arm flung over it and his strong fingers wrapped around her biceps. That warm lazy feeling started slipping away, replaced by panic. “I don’t belong here.”

“Says who?”

“I imagine most of the town is saying that in one way or another.”

He didn’t deny it. “They’ll accept you. You could belong here.” He drew her up so she had to look at him. “With me. You said you loved me.”

She frowned. “I got caught up in the moment.”

That hurt him. She hadn’t really expected it to but she couldn’t miss the flinch at the corner of his eyes or the way his expression subtly cooled. But Aiden was not the kind of man who walked away from a challenge. “You at least like the sex. I’ll take that for now if it’s all you’re willing to give.”

Her stomach churned and she tried to pull away but he wasn’t letting her go. She thought he meant it but it didn’t make any sense at all. “Hallie is back. You don’t need me anymore.”

Something about that brought a sheen of tears to his eyes. She searched his face, confused, but he drew her back down, into his arms, holding her tight. “Damn it, Grace. I want you. Not what you can do for me. You.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know enough. I know you belong here. With us. With me. Here in my bed. In my arms. In my life. I know you’ve got a big heart and I know that you don’t give up.” His arms tightened. “Don’t give up.”

She laughed, trying to get past this moment without letting it tear her up inside. Aiden deserved someone like his old wife—perky and perfect and whole. “Clearly, you don’t know me very well at all.”

“Don’t decide now then, either way. Just stay a few more days and think it over now that everyone’s back and safe.”

She wiped at her cheek and rolled away from him, muscles still sore but now in a good way. “I’m going to take a shower.”

She crossed the room without looking back though she could feel his eyes on her the whole way. She felt like a coward. She’d run through a pack of fire demons ninety percent sure she would die but taking this risk scared her more. She paused with her hand on the door and then, taking a deep breath, turned around. He was naked, propped up on the pillows with one arm bent behind his head. Sunlight fell across one hip and the top of his thigh, shadowed the taut ridges of his abdomen. He stared at her, his expression tight and unreadable.

“You’re telling me the truth.”

“I’ve never lied to you, Grace,” he said. “Not even when it would have made things easier. I want you to stay. I think we would be…I think that we
are
good together.”

She wanted to make sure she understood. “The sex.”

He smiled faintly. “That too.”

She stared down at a spot on the floor, trying to process that one and not getting very far. It was like her brain and her heart couldn’t figure this one out together. Aiden. A place where she belonged. A family.

Aiden interrupted her little meltdown. “Grace?”

Shyly, she drew her gaze up to meet his. He rolled out of bed and walked over to her and though she thought about bolting, she held her ground. When he was close enough to touch, still holding her gaze, he said, “I love you too.”

God, she was fucked up because even staring at him and seeing the truth all over his face, feeling it when he reached out a hand to cup her cheek, she was still having trouble believing it. Everything she’d ever wanted. His eyes were shadowed but soft and maybe Aiden was a little bit psychic too because he said, “All the time you need.”