Wrong Side of Hell (10 page)

Holding her felt like all kinds of right, and for the first time in hundreds of years Logan knew he was where he was supposed to be. He had no idea where this road was going to take him. Didn’t even care about Bill’s so-called prophecy. He tried not to think about the child that would figure into all of this. Kira’s child. His child.

Instead he nuzzled her neck. Inhaled her scent and took it deep into his lungs. He would do the only thing he could to save her. He would claim her as his own and kill anyone who would dare to take her from him.

“Logan?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.

He drew in a ragged breath. “I’m going to do my damnedest to make your ghosts disappear.”

Chapter Fourteen

 
K
IRA SHIVERED EVEN as the room filled with hot steam from the bath. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Logan. Beneath her fingers his heart beat heavy against his chest. It vibrated, singing a song that held her entranced—a melody that for a time chased all her demons away.

He was strength and security. A lifeline to hope and promise. She should be scared as hell, and yet . . . she wasn’t. In his arms there was some kind of contentment, which was so strange, considering she barely knew him.

I’ve known him for fifteen years.
The words whispered through her mind and she knew them as the truth. Logan Winters had been a silent companion to her for all those years at the Institute. She’d found strength in his memory—in the very idea of him. He’d rescued her when she was ten and she supposed she’d always thought he’d come for her again.

And he had.

For years she’d felt as if she were living in slow motion. As if the days and weeks and months had blurred into one long string of abuse, confusion, and fear. And yet in the space of a few hours her world had tilted off center and settled into a place she’d never expected.

It was a world where the savior and the beast were one in the same. A world where the monsters from her nightmares were real. A world where the things that hadn’t yet come to pass were very much a possibility.

And the child. The small boy with fiery eyes and dark curls. Where did he figure in all of this?

“I’m so tired,” she said softly.

Logan’s hands slid up her arms until they settled upon her shoulders. His breath was warm against her neck and the timbre of his voice vibrated inside her. She shivered once more as he spoke. “The water’s ready.”

Carefully he set her onto her feet and though Kira tried to be strong, she swayed and grabbed at his chest, her fingers fisting into his t-shirt.

“I’ve got you.” He murmured.

Kira’s eyes remained closed as his hands traveled down her back until he grabbed the edge of her shirt and slowly pulled it upward. She held her arms aloft and when cool air drifted across bare flesh, she quickly covered herself. Ashamed. Frightened. Anxious.

She felt his hands at her waist.

Bit her lips at the gentle tug on her waistband and tried like hell to remain still as he pulled her pants down to her ankles. Still, with eyes closed, she stepped out of her clothes and turned from him.

Logan’s hands were on her hips—fire burned in their wake, and she jerked, her knees buckling beneath her. He was there and scooped her back into his arms and then he set her into the tub full of hot water. It slid over her tired, aching limbs and for a second she tensed, but as the heat absorbed into her flesh, Kira eventually relaxed.

Hands soon joined the water that lapped at her body. Fingers smoothed her skin with soap, slid over her stomach and up her rib cage and to her breasts, where they lingered—but only for a moment. Her nipples were already hard pebbles and they ached as he glided over them, spreading electric heat along the way.

He worked his magic up to her shoulders and to the back of her neck. Heat from his mouth blew over her flesh there, spreading goose bumps across her skin and awakening such longing that it was painful.

And still she kept her eyes closed.

“Sit up a bit.” His words sounded forced, and Kira moved at his urging, her hands bracing either side of the tub as he wove his magic down her back—kneading her sore muscles until all the knots disappeared.

Logan pushed her back and then tugged a leg forward, up and out of the water. His hands worked their way down her thigh, then to her knee until he gently scrubbed her foot. Then he did the same for the other, taking his time as he lathered up her ankle and massaged the arch. When he was done, she was a mass of electrified nerve endings that screamed for his touch and cried out at the loss.

Don’t stop.
The words echoed inside her head.

Kira’s chest rose and fell in rapid, exaggerated breaths. She’d never felt as alive as she did at this moment, nor as scared.

Her hands covered her breasts once more, and she sat up, knees locked together, suddenly unsure. What the hell was she doing? Cool air caressed her face and for a second she thought he’d left, but then Logan spoke, his voice rough and bordering on loss of control.

“Open your eyes.” He was there, right beside her.

She exhaled slowly and licked her lips, more than a little confused.

Kira did as he asked and as her gaze settled upon Logan, everything inside her stilled. Her heart lurched and for a moment it was painful for her to breathe. Or maybe she wasn’t breathing at all.

“What are we doing?” Was that her voice? Full of smoke and whisper?

His eyes morphed into deep crimson and as his nostrils flared, she sensed the beast that lived inside him, lurking beneath the surface. Instead of scaring her, the thought of such a wild creature only served to excite. To inflame.

The throb that had begun minutes earlier, there between her legs, erupted with a fury, and the accompanying ache drew a groan from her lips as she shifted in an effort to alleviate the tension.

“I think you know, Kira.”

God, the way he said her name, with that slight accent on the “r,” made her weak.

“But . . .” How could she articulate the questions—the notion that someone like him would want someone like her? Someone broken and damaged? She glanced at the scars upon her wrists. “But, why?”

His ice blue eyes glittered and the rumble she heard in his chest was powerful. She stared into his eyes until she couldn’t take it anymore, and when she would have closed her own, Logan growled. “Because you are mine.”

Her eyes widened at that, and he licked his lips as if she were a delectable piece of food he was going to taste. And taste. And taste again.

“What are we doing?” she asked again. Her mind was muddled, and she was both afraid and filled with anticipation for his answer.

A wicked grin spread across Logan’s face as he shed the last remnant of humanity. His jeans were thrown to the side and as he stood there—naked, powerful, and incredibly sexy—Kira knew she’d just taken a turn down a road from which there would be no return.

“Why, we’re taking a bath, little Dove.”

Her mouth went dry and she jerked backward. “But there’s no—” She squealed as he slid into the tub, his large frame displacing a considerable amount of water.

“Room.” She finished on a whisper.

“Yeah,” he growled. “That’s the point.”

L
OGAN’S HEART RAMMED against his chest and the beast that lurked beneath his skin stirred painfully. His cock was hard and he shifted in an effort to alleviate the discomfort.

The urge to mate—to mark her as his—was strong, and he hissed, his teeth clamped together tightly, his jaw aching from tension. If it was anyone other than Kira with him now, he’d lose the fucking conscience, grab hold of the selfish bastard inside, and take her now.

She stared at him with those large exotic eyes full of fear, confusion, and yes, desire. He wanted to grab hold of her—press her naked breasts against him while he tasted the inside of her mouth. He wanted to part her legs and eat from the very center of her body. He wanted to lick and plunder and ease the ache in his cock.

He wanted Kira for himself with a need and an urgency that was unlike any other he’d ever felt. Suddenly things were clear in a way he’d never imagined. He’d wanted her all along. Even without Bill’s whispered words. Without the League. In that moment he knew he’d never have left Kira.

He wanted her in every way imaginable and he would never let her go.

He would kill any who dared to take her from him. He would die for her.

Gone was the smile from his face. There was no way in hell he could keep up that façade. In its place was the hungry beast that existed inside his soul. The one that wanted to devour, to taste, and to touch. To control.

A low growl escaped him. The one that wanted to
claim.

Her tongue darted out, a tasty pink treat that slid along her lips, leaving them soft and wet in its wake. His teeth glistened in the gloom as he slid forward and reached for her.

Kira didn’t resist. She opened her mouth—to speak? He didn’t know and he didn’t care. Logan’s right hand sank into the back of her head as he urged her forward and he took her mouth with a ferocious intensity that shocked him.

As his mouth opened and his tongue thrust inside her warmth, the primal nature that was the very heart of him cried out
. Mine.
He felt it in every fiber of his being.

Kira groaned beneath his onslaught and he moved her, bringing her between his legs, settling Kira’s around his waist as the warm water lapped at their sides and slid over skin that was heated.

“Mine,” he said fiercely against her mouth. The taste of her was exquisite. Honey and sunshine. Softness and passion—it filled every pore in her body. When he pulled away and gazed at her pale body against his dark skin, he saw through the veil, through that thin grasp of this human reality, and he reveled in the golden warmth of her spirit and soul as it glided over his flesh.

Her eyes widened as she followed his gaze. “Oh,” she breathed.

His eyes flattened to a lead gray color. “Can you see that?” His voice rough and harsh, barely got the words out.

Kira nodded and ran her fingers along his forearm, and then crept up his chest. His hands slid down her back to settle on her butt and he pulled her against his straining cock as his mouth claimed the turgid nipple that dangled in front of him like a plump cherry.

She arched her back and whimpered as he kneaded and sucked and used his tongue to taste. With one nipple already claimed, he held her in place, his free hand sliding downward. He paused—feeling her tense as he slowly sank his fingers between them—and the moan that escaped when he brushed against her clitoris nearly drove him insane.

“Mine,” he whispered again as he broke free of her breast and pulled her mouth into his once more. She matched his passion with an intensity that should have surprised him, but didn’t. Kira Dove may have been human but there was nothing ordinary about her.

“Logan, I’ve never—”

His fingers sank deep within her and she swore, “Oh, God,” squirming against him, her hands and mouth searching, desperately trying to alleviate the need he sensed.

When a searching hand found his cock and gripped it along the head, he stopped. Fuck, he needed to get a grip or he was gonna blow early.

“Hold it. We gotta slow down.” He whispered against her mouth.

“I can’t.” Kira stared down at him, her mouth bruised from his, her pale cheeks now flush with passion that he owned. Passion that he felt and shared. “I feel like I’m coming apart.” She ground herself against him, her hand massaging the long length of his cock with a reckless abandon that made him harder than he already was.

He shifted and brought her head close. He inhaled her arousal. She was all around him. Inside him. He saw his feral need reflected in the glittering pools of her eyes.

“I’ve never wanted anyone before.” She whispered hoarsely. He saw the pain and growled in anger, but her fingers across his lips silenced him. She shuddered and moaned. “Mergerone took my innocence and for a while my grip on reality.” She was panting now, small animalistic sounds falling between her words as she continued. “But he never got close to the part of me that’s alive right now.” His fingers moved inside her, slowly and methodically, as she widened her legs and began to writhe. “The part of me that you awakened.” She exhaled. “The part of me that belongs to you.”

Logan snarled at her words, inflamed with passion and the need to claim. He gripped her head hard as the beast shifted beneath his skin. In her hands his cock swelled even more and he barely got the words out, so hard did he have to concentrate on keeping control.

“From this moment on you are mine.” His eyes glowed crimson and the savagery of his animal flickered within their depths. “I will not touch another from this day forward. Do you understand what that means?”

She opened her mouth but no words were spoken. He knew she didn’t fully understand what was about to happen. He grabbed her mouth once more and this time his tongue slid into her with a gentleness that made her moan and melt against his chest.
She will.

He kissed her with a yearning matched by the need he sensed in Kira. Carefully he pulled her upward, into his arms, and he stepped out of the tub. He placed her against the countertop so that her back was to him and he held her in place, careful of her trembling legs.

Kira Dove might have been innocent in a lot of ways, but you’d never fucking know it by the way she tilted her butt and spread her legs. Logan growled harshly, and moved behind her, his crimson eyes claiming hers in the mirror that was on the wall.

Her breasts hung, swaying softly and swollen with need. Her mouth was open and her eyes were alive with passion. A small sound emerged from her throat—a cross between a whimper and a moan—and that’s all it took.

“Don’t take your eyes off mine,” he ordered as his hands traveled down her back to rest at the base of her spine. He pushed her forward slightly and howled as he slid his long length deep inside her body.

One smooth, sure stroke.

Warmth and tightness surrounded him, and Logan paused for a moment, sweat breaking out along his body as he fought for control. Her mouth was open as she gasped, and his fingers dug into her shoulders. “Open your fucking eyes.”

Her chocolate eyes flew open and he began to move slowly. In and out. Long, drawn-out thrusts that took him to the edge of control and made Kira whimper over and over, “oh my God, oh my God.”

It gave Logan immense pleasure to hear her cry out as he increased the tempo, and when his fingers crept around and claimed her clitoris she screamed, her arms bracing themselves against the countertop.

Their eyes locked together as he slammed into her, and though Logan would have preferred to take things slower, to worship her in the manner that she deserved, he knew he couldn’t do it. He was too close to the edge.