Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (42 page)

With a slow inhale, her chest rose. She dipped her chin, glancing at his cock and back to his face. She shifted, her legs relaxing to lengthen along the outside of his calves. “Perhaps you should.”

The intensity of her stare reassured him that she knew what she wanted. For a split second he wondered who was playing the seducer and who was being seduced. With a few simple words, she had him rock hard with need.

“Not like this.” He ran his hands up her hips and rolled her over. With a gentle tug he lifted her to her hands and knees. As he draped his body over her back, his erection pressed against her behind. “Like this.”

She didn’t deny him, though he could tell she was unsure what to do from her rigid posture. In an effort to relax her, Luc straightened and ran his hands along her back. She was so beautiful, creamy perfection. He worshiped her body with his eyes and hands, caressing her outer thighs, along her ribs and up over her shoulders.

He positioned himself so his cock rubbed against her sensitive flesh. Gently, he guided her legs wider, opening her to him. Jade looked over her shoulder, her gaze curious and heated. He brushed the head of his penis against her opening. She pushed back. Placing one hand against her lower back, he slid inch by glorious inch inside her.

His jaw clenched as he fought to control the tight ecstasy that closed around him. She pushed against him and wiggled. Sweet Sainted Mother, if she continued like that he’d never last.

Pride poked at him. He wouldn’t let his lust end their encounter early. Again he stroked her, this time separating her lips. With his other hand, he cupped her breast and rolled her nipple between his fingers. She moaned, bending at the elbows to lower down to rest on her forearms and her legs slid further apart.

He pushed into her, working his length in until his hips met her cheeks. He closed his eyes, letting his head loll to the side while he enjoyed the erotic feel of him deep inside her. Unlike the other times he’d been with women, making love to Jade healed him. The touch of her skin, the quirk of her smile filled the part of him that had died so many years ago.

With inhuman patience, he pulled back to the head, holding for a second to enjoy the way her hot velvet fisted around him and massaged the sensitive spot at the tip of his cock. More quickly than he’d intended, he drove into her.

Jade straightened her arms and arched her back. She ground against him, gyrating her hips. Sparks of pleasure raced up his shaft at the sight of her uninhibited display. He pulled out and thrust again.

“Do you like that?”

She turned her head and gazed at him from over her shoulder. Her eyes burned bright with unshielded desire and a touch of mischievousness. “I’m undecided.”

Vixen.

He gripped her hips and drove deep, pulling out and thrusting back in before she had a chance to recover. He reached around her and rubbed her clit. The nub hardened, begging to be stroked. Slick moisture coated his finger as he worked her.

Tingles turned to waves, his climax building too fast for him to control. Jade’s voice rasped through the euphoric haze rolling around him.

“Luc, I can’t—I’m going to—” Her words cut off.

Her hands balled the duvet and she rammed against him, matching him thrust for thrust. His body shook with the effort to control his own orgasm. He wanted them to come together. That revelation suddenly seemed more important than anything else in his life.

He bent over her, bracing one hand on the bed at her hip and slid his finger to where he entered her. Added pressure and swirling his finger back up to circle her clit had Jade moaning and bucking.

“I think you like it.” He caressed, swirled, and flicked again, trying to keep the orgasm that raged for release at bay a few seconds longer. She was so close. “Let it go, Jade. Take your pleasure.”

She panted, rocking and grinding against him. Luc pulled out and drove back into her with rapid-fire movements. At last her body seized and shuddered. A hoarse cry erupted into the duvet as Jade pressed her face to the bed and rode her wave of delight.

The sight of her writhing body sent Luc over the edge. He surged one last time, dropping his control and letting the desire take him. His climax rolled through him like a sand storm rushing across the Alba Plains, blanketing him with wave after wave of heated pleasure.

Shudders racked his body and his legs became weak, unable to support him. He fell across Jade’s back and together they slid to the bed, him still inside her. Neither spoke, their heavy breathing the only words possible and needed.

How long they lay there he didn’t know. Afraid his weight might be crushing her, he rolled to the side, slipping out of her to lie on his back. Dark wooden beams stretched across the ceiling. He watched tiny flickers of golden candlelight dance along the rafters. He blinked to bring the world back into focus.

Jade lay quietly, her head facing away from him. He propped up on one elbow and reached to brush her hair away from her face. Her eyes were open, their green intensity staring at the far wall. Luc scooted closer.

“Jade?” Cold dread rippled along his skin. Had he hurt her? “Are you all right?”

She said nothing for several seconds, amplifying his anxiety. In a low, flat voice she finally said, “I can’t feel my legs—or my arms—” She turned her head to look at him. “I’ve never, ever, ever experienced anything like that.”

Relief washed through him. She rolled to her back, but her arms still lay limply at her side. Luc scooted across the few inches separating them and threw his leg over her.

“That’s what happens when you do it right.” He bent to place a kiss on her rosy nipple. “You’re welcome.”

“And you’re arrogant.” She pushed his leg off of her and slowly sat up. “I’ve had better.”

“Liar.” He draped his arm around her waist and tugged her to him, placing a kiss at the crook of her elbow. “Maybe we should have another go if it wasn’t that good.”

He pushed her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. Jade squealed and tried to wiggle out from under him.

“Are you trying to kill me?” She placed her palms against his chest, but the effort was ineffective.

“What a way to die.” He nuzzled her ear and cupped her breast. The tip hardened under his touch. “Your body tells me you want more.”

She gave an unladylike snort, but wound her arms around his neck. “They do the same thing when it’s cold.”

“So you’re telling me you’re cold?”

She scowled at him. “Freezing.”

He knew she was lying, but her stubborn streak would never allow her to surrender so easily. Luc rolled off her, grabbed the edge of the duvet and dragged it over them. “Better?”

She snuggled against him. “Much.”

The minutes ticked silently by. Her eyes were closed and her chest fell with an even cadence, making him think she had fallen asleep.

“Do you know what would make this perfect?” She opened her eyes and looked at him.

There wasn’t one thing he could think of that would make this moment better. He furrowed his brow.

“Convincing Rell to be healed.” She turned and mimicked his earlier action, draping her leg over his. “Will you come with me?”

“Now?” The last thing he wanted was to leave the warm bed and Jade’s naked body.

“I won’t be able to sleep unless I try one last time.”

He gave her a languid kiss and pulled back to look at her, grinning wickedly. “Like I said, I have the perfect cure for sleeplessness.”

“I will love you forever if you grant me this one favor,” she said in a singsong voice.

His smile faltered. “You love me?”

The mood in the room turned serious. She curled an arm under her head and trailed a finger through the patch of blond hair on his chest, keeping her eyes trained just below his chin. The seconds ticked by as he waited for her answer. He had bared his soul but had not expected to hear the same from her. After all, she’d hated him for so many years, but he was determined to win her forgiveness, even if it took a lifetime.

Her eyes turned upward to his face. With an absent movement, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “I think I’ve loved you for quite a while, but wouldn’t admit it to myself.”

The words he wanted to say seemed to lodge in his throat.

She shifted against him, scooting higher to look directly at him. “Say something.”

He gave a slight nod and swooped down, rolling Jade to her back and pinning her to the bed. His lips captured her mouth in a searing kiss. Now everything was perfect.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
N
INE

Rell’s arms dangled through the bars of the cage. Each movement she made caused her metal prison to swing like a slow pendulum. She glared at Jade, her lip curling in a sneer. “You smell like sex—and Le Daun.”

The euphoric haze that had lingered after her and Luc’s lovemaking dissipated. Jade tilted her chin and straightened her spine, but didn’t reply to Rell’s accusation. Her sister no longer had control over her. She’d make her own decisions and her own mistakes.

“It’s like that now, is it?” The demon leaned forward. “What do you want, then?”

The lump in Jade’s throat swelled, making it difficult to speak. “Let us try and heal you.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of her sister’s mouth. Yellow eyes peered at Jade with a mixture of amusement and desolation. The creaking and grating of iron against iron was Rell’s only reply.

“Why won’t you let me help you?” Jade’s voice cracked, her heart aching from the memory of what Rell lived with every day. “Why won’t you let
us
help you?”

The demon lifted her head and smiled more sweetly than Jade could remember. Despite the wings and horns, the expression made Rell look entirely human again. “My little sister, always ready to champion a lost cause.”

“You are not lost.” Jade took a step forward. “Please let me help you.”

“Don’t you understand?” She leaned her head against the bars again. “There is nothing left for me in this life. I’ve been banished from the Shadow World and the only way to get back in Vile’s good graces is to betray you.” She looked away. “Allow me to pass through the Veil.”

“You have me and our mother.” Jade swiped at the escaped tear. “We’ve only just found her again. And there are healers who can save you. Please Rell, live for us.”

The door to the barn opened and Luc stepped inside. He paused, his gaze darting between her and Rell and then settling back on Jade. “Are you all right?”

Unable to speak, she shook her head. From the time she and Luc had concocted their plan to enter the Shadow World, never had the possibility of Rell giving up on life been one of Jade’s imagined outcomes.

Her sister waved a hand toward Jade. “She cannot accept that I no longer wish to live.”

“Nor can I.” He moved to stand beside Jade and slid an arm around her shoulder. “We have a chance to save you, Esmeralda.”

“Not save me, merely assuage your guilt.” She straightened away from the bars and pointed a black talon at him. “You have each other now. Let’s put the past behind us and not play games. Our mother will never forgive me for lying to you and I no longer have a place in this world.” She leaned her forehead against the bars. “Sister, let me go.”

“Mother loves you and you kept me alive.” The fight returned to Jade. “For that she will always be grateful.”

“Grateful?” Rell gave a humorless laugh. “To build a relationship on gratitude is like building a house on shifting sand. With every swell and dip the foundation erodes and the house crumbles. Soon all traces of what was built are swept away by the waves.”

“You prefer death over the chance to be healed?” Jade glided forward. “You would put your family through more pain when there’s a chance at happiness?” She grabbed the bars and shook the cage, her voice growing louder. “You will sentence me to a life of wondering what if?” She leaned toward the bars and glared at Rell. “When did you become such a coward?”

Yes, trust had been betrayed, sister pitted against sister, lies uncovered, but they were family and those bonds were strong enough to bring them through any storm. Why couldn’t her sister see this? It took every ounce of Jade’s self-control not to shake Rell until she agreed to be healed. After all they’d been through, why would she give up so easily?

“I grow weary of fighting the darkness.” Rell lifted her hand and caressed Jade’s cheek. “It creeps around me, stealing my reason and compassion. I’m not afraid to die but I am afraid to live like this.”

“But we can heal you.”

“You have faith where I have none. If you release me, I
will
betray you.”

Tears continued to flow down Jade’s cheeks, burning an icy trail in the morning chill. She covered Rell’s hand, holding it in place, drinking in its rough feel. This was the hand that had protected and provided for her. The hand that had brushed her fevered brow when she was ill. The hand that had soothed her when nightmares had stolen into her dreams. To accept her sister’s choice and give her the freedom of death would be the ultimate act of love. She peered into the yellow eyes, wishing things could be so very different.

“Most of all, I will miss you.” Rell brushed a strand of hair from Jade’s face. “Please, free me.”

An anguished whimper escaped Jade. She swallowed, blinking back the tears that blurred her vision. She gathered her strength and did the hardest thing she would ever have to do—she nodded.

A deep voice spoke from the open door. “Giving up so easily?”

Jade spun to see Siban standing in the doorway. His eyes were fixed on Rell and her human body lay cradled in his arms. Jade’s impulse was to step into his path to protect her sister, but the look on his face kept her rooted in place. Determination? Anger? Passion? Never had she seen the man so animated.

The iron cage creaked as Rell inched herself upward into a crouched position, her gaze fierce, and leveled on Siban.

Luc stepped aside, giving the Tell room to enter. Tension crackled between the demon and the Tell, making the hair on Jade’s arms stand on end. This was the first time Rell had seen her body and Jade chided herself for not thinking of the ploy before now. She watched her sister, realizing that it wasn’t her old body Rell stared at, but Siban.