Shattered (Alchemy Series Book #3) (21 page)

As if he knew I was starting to panic, his hand reached in between us, one finger entering me as another rubbed between my folds.
I heard myself moan as if I were a different person and I couldn't catch my breath. I felt him remove his fingers as something much larger pushed for entry, as his other hand never stopped rubbing my flesh. My legs wrapped around him, wanting more as my back arched.

He plunged all the way into me with one thrust
, and then he paused. His face close to mine, he watched me.

When I nodded that I was okay, h
e withdrew slowly and thrust back in. His hands cupped my breasts before they moved into my hair, cupping my head and angling it as his lips moved over mine. His tongue delved into my mouth at the same time as his hips pressed into mine.

I threw my head back as the pace quickly became frantic and overwhelming. My
legs pulled him deeper as the intensity of the sensations grew. His hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me firmly to him, as I exploded. A last final thrust had him roaring over me.

I would've
laid there indefinitely in my languor, without the smallest inclination to move, but Cormac had other ideas. Without withdrawing himself, he wrapped his arm around my hips and lifted me off the bar with him. He walked us both into his room. I fell backward onto his bed with him following me down.

"What are we doing?"

"You didn't think that was it, did you?" he asked. "I'm going to fuck you so well, that the next time you leave this room, there won't be any doubt left in your brain that you’re mine."

I learned last night that Cormac
didn't believe in a learning curve. It didn't matter. I hadn't wanted one. After waiting all this time, I wasn't looking for the b version. Cormac got under my skin in a way I couldn't explain.

He'd been gone when I
woke in his large bed this morning. I was convinced he wasn't sleeping anymore. Something was going on with him, but I didn't know what; all I did know was that a normal man couldn't have done what he did last night.

When the devil himself walked into the
living room, part of me wanted to freeze in a panic, now that the flesh of my memories stood before me. The "lusty me" of last night knew exactly how to act. That Jo wanted to jump all over him and go another few rounds. The "slightly awkward morning me" opted for casual nonchalance.

"What's different about you?" It wasn't the first words I thought I would be saying to him but it certainly broke the ice.

"I thought that was supposed to be my line."

"You aren't sleeping anymore and I thought men couldn't do it that many times in a row," I continued,
blowing my laid back "I'm above it all" persona. I didn't sweat it too much. I would've blown that soon enough anyway. I was more of an in the trenches, getting dirty type.

"Everybody
is going to be here soon," he said, changing the subject.

"I know. Got the memo." It had been lying next to my pillow. Some people woke to roses after a night of sex, I woke to war meeting details.

"I brought up a few of your things. They're on the top shelf of the closet," he said as he headed out of the room.

I grabbed the cover
off the bed and walked into the closet and saw the stack of my stuff. I guess no one ever explained to Cormac a few meant three.
Don't freak, it's just some stuff.

I should
have expected this. My actions last night, especially the ones that had coincided with lots of groaning, pretty much declared I was all in. I wanted Cormac, and I didn't want him with anyone else. Even the idea made me want to kill someone.

I tugged on jeans I didn't remember owning and
a snug v-neck tee as I took another calming breath. This was the end of the world. Why sweat a long-term relationship if I might not live another week? I decided to look on the bright side: if I died tomorrow, one day did not a relationship make. And, in the meantime, I needed to get as much sex as I could before I died. Lots of hot sex was currently number one on my bucket list.

I cleaned myself up and headed into the living
room, just as Dark walked in carrying a couple of boxes stacked on top of each other.

"Where do you want them?" he asked Cormac.

"My room, thanks."

"Gotchya. Dodd is a couple second
s behind me with the rest," Dark said.

"What's in them
?" I asked Dark as he was walking past me.

"Your stuff," he said with a smile, apparently happy about our change in situation.

I took another deep breath. It's okay. I could be dead tomorrow.

I took a few steps closer to
Cormac and said in a hushed voice, "I'm not saying I have a problem with it, but don't you think you should've told me before you had my stuff moved?"

"Why?
" He reached down and popped a grape into his mouth from the bowl on the table.

"Where did we get grapes?" I asked, fresh fruit making all other subjects pale in comparison.
I greedily grabbed one. My mouth watered like crazy, as I bit down on the juicy sweetness. I missed fresh fruit more than most things. All the produce in the casino and the immediate area had gone rotten.

"Now that we know which people won't get eaten they were able to scout out a bigger distance. They
brought them back this morning," Cormac explained. "And while we're on the subject of food, stop giving yours away."

He eyed me up as if he already knew all the details but I played stupid anyway.
"Huh?" I said as I popped a couple of grapes quickly in my mouth so I didn't have to talk.

"
I know you've been sneaking some of yours to the kids," he stood there and waited for me to finish chewing.

"Do you have my every move watched?"

"This is my casino...castle, or whatever it is now. I know everything that happens here. And I mean
everything
." He stopped to pop another grape in his mouth and I digested what that meant.

I looked at him, trying to gauge if he really did, but didn't comment.

"And everyone is getting plenty to eat. Stop giving yours away. We aren't indestructible. You still need food and you're getting too thin." He ran a hand over the side of my waist. He pounded on my back when I nearly choked on my grape.

I'd
seen people act like this. This was normal couple behavior. I am officially part of a couple now.

I caught the look on Cormac's face.
"Why are you smirking?"

"Because I know what you're thinking."

"No you don't." I pushed the hair from my face.

"Oh, yes I do."

He lifted a stem with a single grape hanging from it and brought it to my mouth. Instead of taking it with my mouth, I plucked the grape with my fingers. "Fine. Maybe you do."

I
chewed on it while he laughed.

"And you're no
t as funny as you think you are," I said once I finished.

"Don't be upset
, snookums."

I didn't respond as
I heard the door open and Rogo walked in the room. He greeted us both but only looked my way for a fraction of a second. It was enough to see the hatred.

He was still pissed o
ff about me showing him up at his place. I waited for Cormac's reaction. If he knew what had gone down, he wasn't saying, but that didn't mean anything.

Dodd and Buzz came in shortly after carrying what appeared to be some more of my stuff that they deposited in the corner.
Vitor came in next. Kirk, the Fae that was filling the vacuum created by Burrom's disappearance, showed up too.

I was surprised when Ad
am, spokesperson for the humans, showed up with Colleen in tow. From the glances they got, I wasn't the only one. How had Adam even known about the meeting? I didn't think anyone ever put him on the need to know list.

Dark came back in as
everyone was getting settled.

The reaction to Crash's arrival was the strongest. He came alone
, which showed balls. I was the only person in the room who wasn't shooting him daggers with their eyes.

"I'd like the floor for a minute," Adam said
, drawing the attention back to him, the second least appreciated man in the room. No one spoke. That was about as much encouragement as you were going to get with this crowd.

"We know about the meetings."

"Really? You do? I thought it was just a stroke of luck you were here right now," Rogo said, laying on the sarcasm.

My inner wiseass wanted to laugh
, but I wouldn't let it. I refused to laugh at anything Rogo said. I'd laugh at him, but not with him. I also felt bad for Colleen who, no matter how she tried to fake it, was visibly nervous.

"Let him talk," I said, looking for an excu
se to antagonize Rogo.

Rogo looked at me, then
around the room, snorted and nodded his head. He didn't need to say a word, it was clear as day to everyone in the room what he was implying. I needed the guys to back me or I'd be easy pickings. It was a complete lie and he knew it.

A smarter person would have let him save face.
I'd emotionally castrated his ego the other day. Just for relations, I should let his pride have this salve. Then I saw Cormac's face and decided it would be better if I put him in his place than have Cormac kill him. Rogo did have his uses.

I walked closer to him. "Get up."

"Why? So your goons can jump me?"

"No, t
his stays between us. I don't need them to take you on and we both know it." 

He
didn't stand. "I don't fight girls," he said and swallowed hard.

"Coward
." I walked away, not wanting the close proximity.

"Adam?" I said, handing him the floor.

"We want an equal say, a
real
say, in what goes down from now on," he said with a slight tremble in his voice.

Silence reigned for a few seconds while everyone digested this new slice of information, then the cacophony roared.

Rogo screamed something about them going back to huddling in the corners. Burrom's replacement, Kirk, yelled that they ate up the resources everyone else brought in. Cormac started explaining in his slightly condescending tone that he was generous enough to allow them to stay…but. Even Vitor got into the action, looking more alive than I'd seen him in weeks, declaring how they took up too much room in the casino.

It boiled down to the same question, "Why did they deserve input?" The
consensus was that the humans had become the leeches of civilization.

A crack filled the air with a flash of light and brought silence again.
Colleen, with her vivid purple eyes stood there, hand raised and her fingers smoking. The humans had discovered they had a trump card, the
changed
, and it looked like they were ready to play it.

"What was that?" I asked, figuring they'd have the least hostility toward me
, at least in this moment. I was the only one who hadn't been shouting down their rights the minute they walked in the door.

"It's my lightning." Her voice was lo
ud but I knew a false bravado when I heard it. She was nervous to be here but she came anyway and Colleen leaped in my esteem. "I've been practicing," she continued.

"I say that buys them a vote." I raised my hand and looked around the room. "Come on, she just shot lightning into the air. Controlled lightning
, I might add, since the place isn't burning up right now."

I looked at Cormac for back up
. He was leaning a hip against the bar and shrugged in an "I don't care either way” manner.

Nice back up, buddy.
I should've written a contract up before we slept together so he understood exactly what it entailed outside the bedroom. It meant you have to agree with everything I say, especially when people I don't like are present. He was going to need some work at this relationship stuff too.

"What about the rest of the
changed
? Can they do shit like this?" Rogo asked, a bit less abrasive.

No, it wasn't just not
abrasive, there was a tone to it that I couldn't place. Then I saw how Colleen looked at him
. Oh, hell no!
Rogo wasn't a bad looking guy but it was hard for me to admit it because he made my skin crawl. Colleen was noticing though.

"Yes,
they can, on differing levels," I said and moved into a closer position to Colleen, while simultaneously throwing Rogo a dirty look.

"I vote yes," Rogo said, ignoring my dirty looks.

"Yes," Dark said from the corner, where he was being suspiciously quiet.

Cormac shrugged again and everyone else looked like they were prepared to accept the new situation.