Witch Blood (16 page)

Sand washed mouth, or so it felt like. Pressing her tongue to the floor where Angela poured water under the door's crack. Never enough, never enough. Stomach gnawing on itself from the inside. Searching jacket pockets for crumbs. Curling up in a corner with only two tattered coats and the smell of mothballs for company.

She remembered imagining she was one of those cave-dwelling insects she'd read about at school. They'd evolved without eyes since their world was constantly dark. Would she eventually lose her eyes, too?

But most of all, Isabelle remembered her sister's tiny, child's voice on the other side of the door.
I can't find the key, Isa, I can't find it
.

Her heart beat faster. Her breath came in short, hard little pants that stabbed her chest. Isabelle tried the door again and it opened a crack.

Thomas placed his hand near her head, palm flat against the door. He pushed it closed. “Is staying here tonight with me so frightening, Isabelle?” His voice was a low, silken murmur.

She closed her eyes and felt the prick of tears. Again she reminded herself that she wasn't in that closet anymore. Now she was an adult, empowered, able to take care of herself. She was with a man who had never hurt her, would never hurt her. Indeed, he only wanted to protect her, would probably give his life to do so.

Thomas cared about her. He was one of the few in this world who did.

Her panic receded and she wrestled her breathing and heart rate under control once more. Her breath shuddered out of her in relief as she gave up the last of her terror. A tear plopped onto the carpet at her feet.

Thomas turned her to face him. Concern for her marked his handsome face and for a moment she loved him for it.

Maybe for even more than a moment.

He brushed the pad of his thumb down her cheek, catching a second stray teardrop. “Please talk to me for once, Isabelle. It's clear this is about more than me locking you in this room for your protection.”

She stared at him, her lips parting a little. Finally she nodded. “It is. I have claustrophobia, and I tend to panic when I'm locked in rooms.”

“Shit, Isabelle. I'm sorry. I—”

She put her fingers to his lips and gave him a shaky smile. “It's all right. I'm okay and you didn't know.” She dragged her fingers from his mouth, up his jawline to cup his cheek. “I think I'm all right now.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but she went up on her toes and kissed him before it came out.

Thomas reacted instantly, threading his arms around her waist and lifting her away from the door. His hands were on her everywhere at once, working the button and zipper of her jeans, and then pulling her shirt over her head.

She went to her knees and dragged the hem of his sweater upward, licking her tongue over his hard abs as they were revealed. Having risen to meet his mouth, she pulled the sweater over his head and quickly divested him of the rest of his clothing between kisses. Soon she slid against him skin-on-skin.

Mouth and tongue working, Thomas muscled her up against a nearby wall and turned her to face it. He'd left her shoes on and now she saw why. They had a thick heel and elevated her, lessening the difference in their height so they could make love in a standing position.

Panting with anticipation, she spread her palms flat against the wall in front of her as he ran his hands down her body lovingly, over her breasts, across her stomach. He delved between her buttocks, planing the curves, and then dipped between her thighs to drag his fingers over her intimate flesh.

Her breath hissed out of her and she felt herself cream. Thomas slid two fingers deep inside her and at the same time pressed his body against hers. His teeth nipped at the nape of her neck, raising gooseflesh along her body.

Maybe being locked in Thomas's room for the night wouldn't be so bad.

“Isabelle,” he murmured, his lips giving butterfly kisses to her skin as he spoke. “Forgive me. I don't want to lose you, and I never want to hurt you. You're becoming very important to me.”

As he was to her.

Every moment brought that truth more firmly to bear within her heart and mind. Thomas was a man to
stay
for. At this point all of that was lovely, but moot, wasn't it? How could she admit her feelings for Thomas now, when the demon had designs on her body and soul?

The time for that was long past, gone with a visit from a demon in the silent dead of night.

“Stop thinking,” Thomas growled and then sank his teeth into her shoulder just hard enough to get her attention.

She gasped in surprise and intense pleasure at the possessive bite. Her fingers fisted against the wall in front of her and her body reacted, her sex becoming slick and warm.

Still biting her shoulder, he slid his knee between her thighs and forced her to spread them. Then he shoved his cock against her opening and thrust the head slowly within. His hands found her breasts and cupped them as he eased himself deep inside her inch by delicious inch.

Isabelle's breath came in short, hard pants as her body stretched to accommodate him. The pleasure of having him inside suffused her. Then he began to thrust and the pleasure became sharper. He teased her nipples, pinching and rolling them between the pads of his fingers as his cock tunneled in and out of her sex.

Just the thought of how they must look excited her to the point of orgasm—her pressed face-first against the wall, Thomas's hard, fine body working behind her, his buttocks flexing as he thrust deep within her and his big hands possessively controlling her breasts.

The first skitterings of climax rose along her spine and nerve endings. Thomas sensed it rising, slipped his hand down her abdomen and between her thighs to stroke her clit. Her orgasm exploded, heady and overwhelming. Her back arched as it washed through her, making her sex pulse around his thrusting cock.

While the last remnants of ecstasy still clung to her, Thomas turned her to face him. Her expression was lusty and satisfied, she knew—parted lips, eyelids at half mast. She wanted more of him. Thomas's expression was serious, almost severe.

He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. “Isabelle.” It was just one word, but there seemed to be a world of emotion in it.

She covered his hand with her own and fought to divest herself of her initial desire to reject that emotion, to run away.
You care about him, too. Let it be
.

At least for now, she could let it be.

Thomas slid his palm from her waist, down her thigh and hooked her leg over his hip. Then he pushed within her again. Isabelle's eyes widened as he thrust slow enough that every inch of his cock registered a ten on the pleasure scale. Then he slowed the pace of his thrusts even more. The entire time his gaze held hers intimately, until he finally came deep inside her.

After it was over, they stood motionless, breathing heavily, still coupled at the pelvis, their gazes locked on each other. To Isabelle the connection felt much deeper. That soul-deep union terrified her to the bone. This time her fear was not because of the connection itself…but because she might lose it.

She had a demon gunning for her.

Thomas gathered her against him after a moment and they went to bed. He held her close, stroking her arms and back for a long time until, even as disturbed as she was, sleep caught her.

 

W
HEN
I
SABELLE AWOKE, IT TOOK HER A MOMENT TO
remember where she was. She opened her eyes to the morning sunshine filtering in through the sheer curtains covering the window in Thomas's bedroom. Her body felt tired and achy in a way that signaled she'd been well-loved the night before. It was a lovely sensation. She stretched like a cat, feeling Thomas move on her other side.

His arm came around her waist and he pulled her against him, burying his face in her hair and inhaling. “Mmmm, it's better waking up with you in my bed. I've wanted this.”

She snuggled back against him and smiled. For a moment she pretended that nothing lay between them. No demon. No responsibilities to anyone else. No slavery to her own fears. For a moment she pretended she could remain with him, that he loved her and she loved him…and she could
stay
.

Isabelle turned over and pressed her nude body flush against his, wrapping her arms around his waist. He did the same, locking her against him. She liked to be locked against Thomas Monahan.

After a while, unable to resist, she ran her palms over his body, enjoying the powerful flex of his muscles, the hum of his magick and the feel of his long silken hair. With a groan, he rolled her beneath him, parted her thighs, and slipped the head of his cock inside her.

Her breath caught at the natural, easy way he'd done it. Like they were meant to fit together. He dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. At some point they'd gone from fucking to having sex to making love. The change had been seamless. Isabelle's breath left her in a long, slow sigh when they finally broke the kiss.

He held her gaze and rolled his hips forward, sliding within her another delicious inch. The head of his cock hit her somewhere sweet inside, somewhere that made passion rush through her veins and that curious lust-haze begin to settle over her mind.

“Are you sure you never use magick on your women, Thomas?” Her words came out laced with sexual need, heavy and halting.

“I haven't with you. Not once. I wouldn't unless it was agreed upon beforehand.”

She'd heard that some of the more powerful earth witches could use magick during sex, though the skill was rare. The earth witches who possessed this ability were sought after as lovers. There were some people who became addicted to the power of it. “So you can, then?”

His hips rocked back and forth, in tantalizing, pleasurable little jabs into her sex. “Of course. Want me to show you?”

“I'm curious.”

“Put your hand on my tattoo.”

Feeling like her bones were made of warm honey, she slid a hand to his tattoo and splayed her palm against it. It pulsed with his magick and her skin tingled in response. The magick intensified, rippling up her arm and through her body. A drugged-like haze settled over her mind and her hand fell away.

Thomas rolled his hips so his cock penetrated her as deeply as possible. A long, slow easy climax flirted with her body instantly. It tickled her and teased her as Thomas rode her. Then it burst over her and lingered, racking her body with spasm after spasm of pleasure. It was enough to make her near insane, enough to make her cry with the intensity of it. On and on it went.

He spilled inside her with a low groan followed by her name on his lips.

“Holy…” Isabelle breathed into the curve of his neck. “You completely overpowered me with your magick.”

He raised his head to look at her. “Did you like it?”

“One continuous unbroken orgasm?” She snorted. “I hated it.” Her body still hummed from it, her nerve endings tingling. She felt almost drunk, sex drunk. “I could see how someone could become addicted to that and yet…”

“What?”

“It was too much, too intense. It was delicious, but I want to focus on you, not only on my own pleasure. I want to feel your cock moving inside me, the scent of you, the slip of your skin against mine. When you're giving me one long, unbroken orgasm, as nice as that is, I can't enjoy the rest of it, all the parts I like most.”

He laughed, a low, silken sound she loved, and rolled to the side, bringing her with him and tucking her against his body. “You're incredible, Isabelle.”

She sighed and murmured with mock arrogance, “So everyone tells me.”

“I'm glad you stayed the night with me. I've wanted to wake up next to you for a long time.”

She nuzzled his throat and gave a kiss to the sleep-warmed skin. “It's not like I had a lot of choice.”

“True.”

“But I'm glad I'm here, too.” She sighed and tried not to think about the demon and failed. “So what's the plan for today?”

“The usual. Later, once the sun goes down, we'll hunt him. Take all our collective leads and search the locations where he's known to hang out. At this point it's the only thing we can do.”

“I hate just waiting around.”

“We're doing all we can. I've got the few air witches in the Coven scanning for any whisper of his presence, all the water witches and earth witches using their skills to locate him. Until we get a break, that's our best plan of action since we have no way to predict which witch he might target next.”

“Did Micah find anything else in the texts?”

Thomas sat up abruptly.

Isabelle pushed up onto her elbows. “What is it?”

He pushed a hand through his hair, his bicep flexing. Dark strands caught between his fingers. Thomas turned toward her. “I forgot to tell you last night. Once we got to my room—”

“We were occupied. What did he find?”