Scarlet (2 page)
Authors: Jordan Summers
Tags: #Romance, #Fantasy, #Romance Speculative Fiction, #Fiction
Red tried to deepen their connection. Morgan growled, his hands tightening on her hips to hold her in place and prevent her from impaling herself. "I want you," she said. Red reached around and brushed his testicles.
The slight caress sent the air rushing out of Morgan's lungs. His entire body clenched. "Stop!"
She stroked him again. This time giving his balls a gentle squeeze.
"Not fair," he said, shuddering.
"That makes us even," Red said. If he didn't move soon, she'd die from the exquisite torture.
"You're mine. Don't ever forget that," he said, then thrust forward, burying himself to the hilt.
Red's knees nearly gave out as Morgan took her roughly from behind. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, teasing her nipples, stroking her clit, caressing her skin, all while supporting her. His feral grunts only served to ratchet up her need. Moans filled the air as flesh slapped flesh.
Morgan ground his hips into her bottom, lifting her onto her toes. "I love you so much." The words came out as both a curse and a confession. He latched onto the piece of skin where her shoulder met her neck. "Please don't ever leave me again," he murmured almost too low for her to hear, then bit down.
The sensation of him drawing on her flesh and drinking her blood sent Red spinning out of control. She screamed and her body convulsed beneath him. They collapsed onto the ground, Morgan still hard inside of her. His rough tongue lapped the spot he'd bitten as he waited for the flutters of her orgasm to fade. His taste for blood had grown since the vampire Raphael Vega had saved his life after Kane's vicious attack. He hadn't taken on any other vampiric
quirks
that Red could see, but it had only been a couple of months.
"That was incredible," she whispered as she tried to catch her breath. Morgan pulled her close and rolled them onto their sides.
“I'm just getting started," he said, rocking his hips for emphasis.
They made love for the next two hours, sometimes slow and easy, others fast and heated. The wolf was nothing if not insatiable. Red lost track of her orgasms by the time Morgan was spent. They lay on the desert floor, gasping like a couple of naughty teenagers who'd just discovered sex.
It was like this between them every time. Red had thought the intensity would fade or at least cool, but as she lay there listening to her heart pound in her ears, she realized if anything, the feelings were stronger. Was that her wolf responding?
Eventually her strength returned and she stood, helping Morgan to his feet. They gathered their clothes and began to dress. The air had cooled. Red hadn't noticed while Morgan had been wrapped around her. The breeze chilled her flesh and cleared her love-fogged mind.
"You know I haven't managed to do anything in weeks but produce a claw. I know you're trying to help me, but I've heard the talk that's going around town."
His expression soured. "You can't listen to gossip." Morgan admonished as he yanked on his pants.
"Be that as it may, I know most teenagers can slip easily in and out of form. If the rumors are true, it's never taken anyone this long to learn. What if I can't do it? What if I'm some kind of
freak
?"
Red croaked on the last word.
She'd never fit in on the tactical team, even though her grandfather was the commander of IPTT headquarters. When her
gift
was revealed, she'd finally understood why. She thought that she'd found her place among the Others of Nuria, but now she wasn't so sure. What if she couldn't fit in here either?
Not being able to shift made her different. Made her stand out. Acceptance here was an illusion Red had created in her mind and religiously cultivated because of Morgan's love, and because she'd wanted so badly to belong. Maybe she didn't belong anywhere, and never would.
"Failure isn't an option," Morgan said matter-of-factly. "You keep forgetting you've already done it several times. Now you just have to learn to do it when you're awake. Take learning how to talk for example; it takes some people longer than others. Does it mean the late bloomers' language skills pale in comparison to the early adopters'? Absolutely not. It just took them longer. So don't be too hard on yourself. It'll happen. I have faith in you." He smiled encouragingly.
He might have faith in her, but did she? Red swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat and finished dressing. She laced up her black combat boots, then turned to Morgan. "All done," she said.
They strolled back to the hydrogen car and drove slowly back to town.
chapter two
Nuria sat nestled on the desert floor of a wide valley just north of where the old city of Phoenix, Arizona, used to stand. The majestic mountains that once dotted the area were reduced to rubble, forming monstrous boulders that were larger than most homes. A boundary fence that separated the Republic of Arizona from no-man's-land could be seen on the horizon. The green glow from its electromagnetic defenses crackled in the darkness like heat lightning before a storm. A constant reminder that danger was only a few miles away.
Largely unscathed by the last world war in 2010, Nuria's buildings stood as a tribute to 21st-century small-town architectural design. Unfortunately, its economy hadn't fared as well. There were only a few businesses remaining in town; the sheriff's station, an emergency care center that treated people in the surrounding republics, too, an outfitter shop, a few share spaces, a food dispensing station, a hydrogen refill , and a water trader. Everyone else in Nuria existed by farming animals, since food was scarce on the dead world.
Lights were blazing in the sheriff's station when they arrived. Maggie had probably left them on because she knew Morgan had planned to work late.
"You going to come in?" he asked. Red stared at the small concrete structure with its brick facade and hand-painted sheriff's station sign. The solar panels on the roof reflected the stars, giving the place a magical quality. Inside the door, the magic ended. The place went from sparkling to practical. She pictured Morgan sitting behind his utilitarian desk with his dark hair disheveled from their lovemaking and a shadow of beard growth on his jaw.
As much as she longed to stay with him, she knew it was best that she go. He wouldn't get any work done with her looking over his shoulder. "I think I'm going to call it a night," she said.
"Sure?"
Red nodded. "I'm tired and have those interviews to prepare for tomorrow."
"Okay." Morgan leaned down to kiss her, his firm lips lingering long enough to ignite the embers smoldering inside of her. "I'll be over as soon as I can," he said, then reluctantly released her and strolled inside.
Red watched him go, her heart thumping out a quick staccato from the kiss, then headed over to the water trader.
She'd kept the room she had rented from her friend, the late Jesse Lindley, when she first hit Nuria, even though Morgan had offered to let her live with him. She'd been sorely tempted, but thought it best to take things slow given all they'd been through. Someday in the very near future, when she ran out of credits, Red would have to decide on a more permanent living situation. But until that happened, she'd continue with the present arrangement.
That was if the Nurians didn't run her out of town first.
Red opened the door and stepped into the empty bar area. Metal stools bellied up to the counter, waiting for tomorrow's patrons to arrive and place their water orders. There were stairs on the right, leading to the share space. Until last month, Jesse Lindley had run the water trader depot for more than forty years.
She'd died trying to protect Red and the people of Nuria from Roark Montgomery and Morgan's cousin, Kane Hunter. The place seemed obscenely quiet without her burly presence to fill it. Red climbed the stairs and walked down the yellow hall that led to her room. Normally she stopped to look at the pale red roses that had been stenciled along the way, but not tonight.
The animal furs under her feet silenced her footsteps. As she moved closer, she caught sight of the scanner that glowed next to her door. Red placed her hand against the flat panel and waited while it analyzed her palm. The machine hummed as it processed her identity with the Republic of Arizona's registrar system.
Every legal citizen was scanned and chipped at birth so all the republics could identify them. If you had no scan or identifier chip, you were considered an
unknown
—an outlaw. It had been part of Red's previous job to arrest or eliminate all unknowns. But that seemed like a lifetime ago. The scanner beeped and the door opened.
Red entered the large square room with cheery yellow-walls and dropped onto the rest pad. Her muscles ached and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't form a single coherent thought. She ran her hand over her face and came away with a layer of grit. Red forced herself off the pad. She undressed, then stepped into the chemical shower.
Having a private cleansing unit was still a luxury that took some getting used to. She'd shared for as long as she could remember. Modesty went out in the twenty-first century. when water rationing arrived. It was normal for groups of people to bathe in communal cleansing units. Nudity was regarded as commonplace.
Sex, on the other hand, was still as complicated as ever,
Red thought as she rinsed the cleanser out of her hair. At least they didn't have to deal with unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases, since births without medical intervention were almost nonexistent and all STDs had been cured.
She finished washing up, then grabbed an e-book reader that contained the files of the applicants she'd be interviewing tomorrow. With any luck, they'd find several promising candidates for the new Nurian Tactical Team. Even if she didn't manage to find anyone, reading the files would at least keep her awake until Morgan arrived.
Red fell asleep the moment her head hit the rest pad.
* * *
Suddenly, she was frolicking in a valley with Morgan. Under his loving guidance, she'd shifted into a magnificent black wolflike creature. They chased each other for what seemed like hours, playfully nipping at the other's haunches. The day was sunny and warm. Like most days, there were few clouds in the sky.
Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she watched Morgan crest a rise and then disappear. Thinking it was part of their precoital game, Red followed, sprinting up the hill. But when she reached the top, he was gone. Charred earth and sand lay below her in an endless sea of nothingness.
She looked around frantically and tried to call out his name, but words evaded her. Instead, the sound erupted in loud, guttural barks. Red coughed and tried again to no avail. What if she never found him? What if she was stuck in her wolf form forever?
Her heart began to pound as panic set in. She didn't like being here alone. Her tail tucked between her legs and she started to whimper. Morgan had to be here somewhere. She lowered her muzzle to the ground and sniffed.
The scent of sweat and fear reached her nostrils, making her dizzy. Was Morgan in trouble? She took off at a run. loping down the hill with ease. Her new form landed quietly as she pursued her quarry's trail. Only after she'd been running for a while did Red realize that the sun had set. Night was upon the desert, embracing the quiet.
Red sniffed the air once more and heard a small cry coming from her right. She scanned the sand dunes, but didn't immediately spot him. With excited yips, she followed his aroma and found him hiding behind the rubble of an old tank.
I've got you now,
Red thought as she leapt behind the tank, claws extended. Something was wrong. She sensed his fear of her. She tried to pull back, but it was too late. She was out of control. Her sharp claws hit his neck, slashing the tender flesh easily. Red heard a hiss, then his dark head fell back, dipping into the shadows, exposing the bloody smile that cut across his throat.
Revulsion battled with hunger as the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils, tempting her feral senses. Red wanted to stop, but she couldn't. Her body's demands were too strong. She leaned closer, until her lips met his warm flesh. Her tongue darted out. One taste and she was mindlessly lost.
