M&L03 - SS (25 page)

He came up onto his knees in
front of me and wrapped his arms around me. “Shhh... It was a close call, but
it’s over now.”

I was shaking again and I
felt tears rolling down my cheeks. “We have to say something Solomon or he
might try that with someone else.”

“Don’t worry about that now.
It’s early morning. We still have plenty of time before the semifinals begin.”
He tipped my head back and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Why don’t we work on
getting you cleaned up?”

Before I could answer, music
started playing somewhere on the floor.

...Hail to the king. Hail
to the one. Kneel to the crown. Stand in the sun. Hail to the king...

I recognized the song as
Avenged Sevenfold’s
Hail to the King
. Solomon was constantly changing
his ringtones but it was a safe bet that one only played when Dragon called.

Solomon grabbed his jeans off
the floor and rummaged through the pockets until he found his phone. It was a
short conversation and Dragon did most the talking. When Solomon hung up, he
pulled his jeans on and told me, “Dragon needs to speak to me about something.
I’m going to open a portal downstairs for him to come here. I’ll be back up
just as soon as I can.”

He smoothed my hair away from
my face and then kissed my forehead before leaving.

Once he was gone, I stretched
with my hands over my head and took stock of my body. Everything seemed to be
in working order with only a slight twinge of pain on my left side, but Solomon
was right. I was filthy and most of my upper body was covered in dried blood.
Noticing that the bed was also in pretty bad shape, I threw my legs over the
edge and got to work.

While I remade the bed, I
caught bits and pieces of the conversation downstairs but not enough to really
understand what they were talking about. Which was probably for the best anyway
because I had no interest in learning state secrets, and that was exactly what
Dragon usually wanted to discuss when he came looking for Solomon. As a loyal
follower and one of the most powerful sorcerers alive, Solomon was considered
an integral part of the security team for the entire United Clans. Without his
magic, safe havens like Supernova and Myths and Legends wouldn’t be very safe
at all.

When I was finished tidying
up the room, I lit a few candles to mask the lingering scent of blood, then I
headed for the shower. In the bathroom, I reached into the glass shower stall
and turned the knobs to warm up the water. Solomon had already removed most of
my clothing, so only my bra and panties had to be peeled off. I dropped them
into the basket and took a good look at myself in the full-length mirror. The
damage caused by Sergio’s blade was completely healed - vanished, as if it
never even happened. If only it was that easy to forget the excruciating pain,
and the mind numbing fear. I ran my hands over my smooth stomach, marveling yet
again at the miraculous healing abilities of the vampire virus. It was too bad
human greed would turn such a precious gift into something ugly if we ever
released it to the masses.

Stepping into the hot spray,
I let the water run over my face and hair, rinsing away the sand and sweat from
the previous night. Once I was finished with the lather, rinse and condition, I
grabbed my loofah and scrubbed my body clean of the blood and grime from the
chambers. The black raspberries and vanilla scent of my favorite body wash
surrounded me, helping me relax and put the memories of the horrific experience
behind me. 

When the water ran cold, I
patted myself dry, wrapped a towel around my hair and then threw on my lacy
black robe. It was short and barely covered my ass, but at least I wouldn’t be
walking into the bedroom completely nude. I wasn’t sure if Solomon was still
downstairs or not but I thought it best not to take any chances. The constant
state of arousal caused by the mating frenzy was manageable until something
turned the heat up, and seeing me naked would undoubtedly crank up Solomon’s
burners. The idea was honestly very appealing, but if he had to leave, it would
only leave us both frustrated and needy.

The candles I’d lit before my
shower had done their job, filling the bedroom with the scent of black
raspberries and vanilla. The soothing aroma enveloped me once again and I
breathed deeply, letting the delicious fragrance seep into my soul.

“You’ve always loved that
scent, for as long as I’ve known you,” Solomon observed from across the room
near the bed.

His sandy blonde hair was
still tussled from sleep and there was a sexy grin curving his full lips.
Everything that made me a woman came to attention as I imagined all the sinful
things he could do with those lips.

I shook my head, dispelling
the naughty images before they could undermine my control. “It was my mother’s
favorite too. I guess that’s why it always reminds me of her and the happy
times we had together before she died.”

“That explains all the warmth
and happiness I feel coming through the bond,” he told me softly, sliding his
hands into his pockets.

His chest was bare and his
jeans were hanging low on his hips. The sleek contours of his lean muscles were
even more enticing than usual in the soft glow of the candlelight, but I
couldn’t let myself get carried away by the luscious sight until I knew if he’d
be rushing off on some top-secret errand for Dragon.

“So, does Dragon need you to
go anywhere?”

“No,” he answered, his eyes
lingering on my bare legs before finally meeting mine. “He was actually here to
tell me I’ve been disqualified from the tournament for interfering in your match
with Sergio.”

Desire momentarily took a
back seat to outrage. “How the hell could he agree to that?”

Solomon put his hands up,
urging me to listen. I clamped my mouth shut, but if I didn’t like what he had
to say, Dragon was going to get an earful the second I could track him down.

“We think this was Sergio’s
goal all along. I mean, why would he tell you to give me a message and then
turn around and try to cut off your head?”

“Say it was his goal; why let
him get away with it?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

“Apparently, Dragon and
Danarius have been talking a lot more than any of us knew, and they have some
pretty radical plans in mind for changing the supernatural world. Dragon didn’t
go into detail, but said we’d have a meeting soon to discuss my part in their
plans. For now, they’re mostly interested in finding out if Sergio is working
against Danarius behind the scenes. According to Dragon, Danarius is sure the
sorcerer is loyal to him, but Dragon isn’t convinced. He plans to use this
opportunity to show Danarius Sergio’s true colors.

With me out of the running,
Sergio will most likely win the maze competition. As the winner, the maze for
the finale will be his. Dragon believes Sergio will try to take Danarius out
for good during the final match, and if Danarius dies in the maze, Sergio won’t
be held accountable for his assassination.”

“And since Danarius is the
only reason we’re not still at war with the vampires, we don’t want to let that
happen,” I finished for him, finally beginning to see the big picture.

“Exactly,” Solomon agreed.
“Dragon wants me there to counteract any spells used against him or Danarius
that go beyond the usual obstacles.”

“What about the sword fights?
What if he uses magic against Katerina like he did with me?”

Solomon snorted. “Believe me;
Dragon would never let that happen. He was furious when I told him what
happened to you, but when he thought about the same thing happening to Kat; it
nearly sent him over the edge. I gave Dragon a charm that should keep her safe
from Sergio’s spells.”

It sounded like everything
was under control so I decided it was time to get back to my original train of
thought. “It’s too bad you’ve been disqualified, but think of all the things we
could do with a whole day to ourselves.”

He still had a tight grip on
his emotions, but a surge of heat through the bond let me know we were most
definitely on the same page. I felt a slow smile curve my lips as his gaze slid
over me like an intimate caress. Then his hands slipped back into his pockets
and he remained rooted to his spot beside the bed. “I’m still going to
transform the club later. I can’t win, but I don’t want everyone to be
disappointed.”

“Even so,” I shrugged,
crossing the room to my dressing table. “We have several hours to kill before
then.”

I thought I knew what the
problem was, and I had the perfect remedy in mind. It hadn’t been twenty-four
hours since I stole third base, and he was nothing if not a man of his word. It
was sweet that he wanted to keep his promise, but
so
not what I needed
right now. My brush with death had been a total game changer for me. From now
on I was going to have what I wanted, when I wanted it, and right now, I wanted
Solomon.

When I reached the dressing
table, I tugged on the belt holding my robe closed and the two ends fell to my
sides. Then I used the pump to squirt a bit of moisturizer onto my hand. I discovered
this particular moisturizer about twenty years ago and fell in love with it
immediately. It came from one of the demon realms and unlike human moisturizers
it had no scent or taste of its own, but rather enhanced those of the person
using it. That wasn’t always the biggest selling point for me, but it was a
fact Solomon would surely appreciate when his control finally snapped.

I placed my foot on the edge
of the chair and smoothed the oily substance over my leg. It took more rubbing
than normal lotion for it to be fully absorbed, but that suited me just fine
right now. With the belt hanging loose, my robe fell open, allowing Solomon a
glimpse of my breasts while I caressed my calf and thigh. When it was time to
move higher, I brushed the robe aside giving him an unobstructed view of my
lower body while I massaged my hip and then finally my ass. With that side
finished, I reached for the pump once again and then moved on to the next leg.

Solomon’s body was visibly
tense now and I could feel his desire through the bond. It was hot and wild;
the kind of heat that would devour everything in its path once it was set free.

I couldn’t wait to be
devoured.

Next, I removed the towel
from my head and ran my fingers through my damp hair. I could have used the
ring he gave me to make it look better, but there wasn’t much point. He usually
looked right through the magic to the real me anyway. 

For the finale of my little
show, I reached for the pump one last time and then turned to face Solomon.
Starting with my neck and shoulders, I continued rubbing the moisturizer into
my skin. My head rolled from side to side as my hands slid under the robe. When
they glided lower to my breasts, Solomon took a step towards me and I lingered
there a bit longer.

I loved the feel of my hands
sliding over the sensitive swells, but knowing I was making him crazy while
doing it was an addictive rush. How long would he be able to hold out before he
pounced? I figured there was only one way to find out.

Taking the game to the next level,
I slid my hands over my belly a few times and then lower to the bare mound
between my thighs. That was all it took to make Solomon snap. Heat rolled off
him in waves as he prowled towards me like a hunter stalking his prey. When he
was nearly upon me, I grabbed the bottle of moisturizer off the dressing table
and held it out between us.

“Would you mind doing my back
for me?”

His eyes were pure gold when
he held his hand out to me. I pumped a small amount of moisturizer onto his
palm and then turned my back to him. Then I let the robe slide off my shoulders
and fall to the floor. He growled low in his throat but his hands were gentle
while he massaged my back, rubbing the last of the moisturizer into my skin.

When he was finished he
leaned in to whisper, “I know what you’re doing Renee, but you don’t need to
worry. I gave up on keeping my promise before your first foot hit the chair.”

My heart did a little flip
and I spun around to face him.

His golden eyes searched mine
for a moment before he said, “If you want me, you can have me, but you need to
be sure because there will be no going back after this.”

I opened myself to him
completely, letting him feel the love in my heart and the certainty that this
was exactly where I needed to be. “I’m sure Solomon. Show me what it means to
be yours.”

Slowly, his hands came up and
slid over my bare flesh. The first touch sent an exquisite blend of heat and
moisture rushing to my core. My breath caught and my eyes fluttered shut. I
became hyperaware of my body, savoring every sensation no matter how fleeting.

He followed the curve of my
waist, smoothing his hands down my sides, then over the slight flare of my hips
to the round swells of my backside. His soft lips brushed my neck. Just a
simple caress, but shivers raced up my spine. He stepped closer, pressing his
hard chest against my achingly sensitive nipples. A moan of pure pleasure fell
from my lips.

Solomon gave a soft chuckle
that tightened things low in my belly. “I love how responsive you are Renee.”
He ran the tip of his nose lightly up my neck, inhaling my scent as he did.
When he reached my ear he whispered, “I’m going to spend all day making you
moan just like that.”