Burning Dawn

CHAPTER TWENTY

ELIN SAT UP with a jolt. Disoriented, she scanned her surroundings. Spacious bedroom, barren walls. A window with bright morning light slanting through. Very little furniture. A bed—empty, except for her.

Thane’s room. One he’d never shared with another female. And apparently hadn’t actually shared with her. Where was he?

Memories of her drunken behavior came back in a rush, and she groaned, burying her head in her hands. She’d asked Thane to be her lover, and he’d agreed. Hadn’t he? But then, he’d left her, saying he refused to take her, anger clearly riding him.

Did he still want her?

Maybe not. Did she still want him?

She pictured his smoldering eyes and his wicked smile. Those glorious wings. Those smoking-hot abs. The jumbotron.

And she didn’t have to rack her brain for his other admirable attributes. Strength. Sweetness that seemed to be reserved for her, and her alone. Intelligence. Resourcefulness. Protective instincts. A vulnerability he tried to hide but couldn’t. A fierce savagery both on and off the battlefield.

So, did she really need to think about it? No.

Elin still wanted Thane. Badly.

Determined to find him, she threw her legs over the mattress and stood. Steadiness wasn’t a problem. Not once, in all of her years, had she ever experienced a hangover. No matter how much she’d drunk. Besides a slight twinge in her temples, she was fine today, too. She padded to the bathroom, where she planned to wash away last night’s funk, and stripped. Thane must have anticipated her needs because he’d left a toothbrush, soaps, and toiletries, as well as clean clothing he must have taken from her room.

Had he personally picked the items or had he sent someone else to do it?

After a quick shower and blow-dry, she tugged on the clothes. A white T-shirt, paired with hip-hugging jeans and a matching bra-and-panty set. In red, with peekaboo lace. Well, she now had the answer to her question. Thane had picked. The bright color of the bra showed through the shirt, something a man wouldn’t have considered. Or maybe he’d chosen accordingly, for that exact reason.

“Why did you dress?”

The smoky voice came from behind her. Blood heating, she whipped around. Her heart almost stopped. Thane stood in the doorway, a tower of beauty and menace— Wait, menace? Yes, she realized. A fire blazed in his eyes, evidence of a ruffled temper.

She wasn’t afraid.

His beautiful white-and-gold wings were tucked into his back, a glimmering robe draping his muscled frame. His blond curls stuck out in spikes, as if he’d plowed his hands through again and again.

“You...” she said, tremors of desire laying siege to her. “The outfit was—”

“For later. After.”

Her heart sped into a too-fast beat. “But you refused me last night.”

“You were drunk, and that’s not the way I want you. Strip,” he ordered softly.

Sweet fancy. He wasn’t worked into a temper. He seethed with sexual need.

But...but...this was happening now? “I,” she began, unsure what she planned to say.

Apparently that was enough. He stalked toward her, every inch the predator. For once, she was happy to be the prey. His mouth crashed against hers, his tongue thrusting inside with a savage intensity that took her from simmer to boil in a single heartbeat.

Her mind tried to play catch-up with her body. Yes, this was happening. No, they weren’t going to stop this time. They were going all the way. It was going to be wild, earthy, and animalistic.

“I told you I wouldn’t hurt you, and I won’t.” He nipped his way to her neck, his breath warm and his tongue hot. “But I can’t give you gentle, Elin. Not this time. I’m too desperate. I’ve waited too long. For weeks I’ve thought about how I’ll take you, how you’ll feel and look and sound. And last night was the worst. Or the best. I need to be inside you.” As he spoke, he walked forward, urging her backward until she hit the bathroom wall.

Brick behind her, a mountain of muscle in front.

“I don’t want gentle.” She wound her arms around him, her fingers tangling in his hair. “I just want you.”

“Then you’ll have me.” He ripped at the waist of her jeans. Down went the denim. “Step out of them.”

Cool air stroked her skin as she obeyed.

A man on a mission, he straightened and yanked the shirt over her head. With a few flicks of his wrist, he had a thick hunk of her hair wrapped around his fist, tilting her head. He claimed her lips.

She suspected his control tugged at a very thin leash. Never had he dominated her quite so intently, but she found that she didn’t mind. Actually enjoyed it. Beyond enjoyed. Tension coiled deep in her belly, ready to spring at any moment.

“Thane,” she gasped, and when he bit softly at her, another bolt of pleasure shot through her.

How can you enjoy this? How can you betray Bay?

Surprise had her wrenching away from Thane’s kiss. Guilt tried to flood her, but she resisted. Where had those thoughts come from? “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just...”

He cupped her jaw. “Look at me, kulta.”

Struggling to catch her breath, she met his gaze. Desire had sharpened his features, hooded his eyes and reddened his kiss-swollen lips. “It’s just you and me. Here and now. This moment.”

That’s right. There wasn’t room for unwanted emotions.

“There you are,” he said, and lowered his head. This time, despite his warning, despite her claim to want otherwise, he was gentle, easing her into the passion. His tongue rolled against hers, tasting her, taming her. She melted against him, bones suddenly soft and liquid.

“Who are you with?” he asked.

“You. Thane.”

“That’s right.”

She traced her fingers over the arch of his wings. He tilted the tips toward her and stroked her calves. Tantalizing her. Making her ache. Need overwhelmed her. Goose bumps broke out over her skin.

He cupped her breasts, kneaded. Her nipples beaded as he swiped them with the pads of his thumbs.

“Thane.” The lazy seduction was almost more than she could bear. “Take off the robe. I have to have skin against skin.”

Her urgency must have been contagious; he responded quickly, jerking at the collar of the robe. The material gaped from his body and whooshed to the floor, leaving him completely bare.

Oh, bless me. He was utterly magnificent. The ripples and cords of muscle were bronzed to perfection. The majestic width of his shoulders made her feel sheltered, protected. And his shaft wasn’t just pierced in one place, she realized with amazement, but twelve places. Silver bars formed a glorious line from head to base.

“You’re not going to fit,” she rasped, and almost grinned. Almost.

“I’ll fit,” he said, determined.

THANE BASKED IN the admiration and awe shining in Elin’s eyes, and in the reverential thoughts he could hear. Magnificent. Perfection. Majestic. Glorious.

Only a few heated whispers separated them as he met her perusal with his own. Her beauty never failed to astound him, but it wasn’t what fed his desire. It was her. All that she was. His need no longer revolved around what, but who. He needed her touch. Her taste. Her breathy moans. Her heat. Her wet. Her...everything.

“My poor kulta,” he cooed, tracing a fingertip down the center of her chest and the massive black-and-blue bruise already in the process of fading; she was healing faster than a human should be able to. He’d never thought to rejoice in her Phoenix heritage, but that was exactly what he did. “Had the boulder done any more damage, I would have beat it into dust.”

Her laugh was husky with desire, a caress that enthralled. “Sweet talker.”

No. Truth talker. He’d liked watching her play. He’d liked her bravery in the face of opponents far stronger than herself. He’d especially liked her unwillingness to back down. But the enjoyment he’d taken from her reactions could not compare to his determination to protect and defend her.

“You have me naked,” he said. “Now what?”

“Now, you give me what you’ve been promising.”

“That’s right.” He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss between her breasts, then at the top of the bruise. The contact drew a husky moan from her. He licked his way to her nipple, nudging her bra to the side with his chin.

Pretty, perfect rosebuds greeted him.

He sucked. She whimpered.

“My new favorite toys,” he murmured.

“Yes. Yours,” she agreed, reaching between their bodies to fist his shaft. “But this—this is all mine.”

He bit down, gently, so gently, though he was already fighting for control. With their bond, he could feel thrums of her emotion. She was as desperate for him as he was for her, and the knowledge affected him as surely as her touch.

Not going to last, he thought.

You must. This was going to last.

And last.

And when it was over, she would know she belonged to him. Belonged with him.

Nothing else was acceptable.

ELIN SLICKED HER THUMB over the tip of Thane’s erection, grazing the moist head, before turning her attention to the barbells underneath. Groaning, Thane thrust into her clasp. He anchored his hard hands on her waist, his grip intractable, and sucked on her nipple with so much force she cried out.

“Softer?” he whispered.

“No. Please, no.”

With a yank, he ripped apart her bra’s center clasp, freeing her beasts completely. His mouth trailed moist kisses to her other nipple, and when he reached it, he flicked out his tongue, back and forth, back and forth, lancing arrows of pleasure through Elin’s entire body. Smooth lips, caressing; white-hot tongue, searing.

Her arousal moved to the edge of a cliff and jumped, and suddenly, everything was amplified. The sensations. The heat. The emotions. And it scared her. The more he gave, the more she wanted to take. Her hips arched toward him of their own accord, seeking contact, pressure, something. Anything.

“Thane.” His name was a gasp of need.

“Is this what you hunger for, kulta?” He removed her hand from his shaft and pinned her arm above her head. Then he ground his erection between her legs, her panties a hated barrier.

“Yes. Get inside me,” she commanded.

“Not yet. You hunger, but you aren’t starved.” He pinned her other arm, keeping both wrists manacled by a single hand, forcing her back to arch and her breasts to lift for him. An incarnation of bondage, and yet, she loved it. Loved how vulnerable the position left her—for him, and only him. Loved that every part of her was made available to his mouth and his hands and his body.

“I’m starved. I promise. I’m starved.” Was that desperate tone really hers?

He traced a burning path down her stomach. “There are a thousand different things I want to do to you,” he said, and kicked her legs apart. “This is only the beginning.”

“But I’m already dying for the ending.”

“Let me help you enjoy the journey.” He thrust a finger deep inside her, and she whimpered. “So wet already,” he praised. “Do you know how happy it makes me to have this honey all to myself?” At her ear, he whispered, “I remember how good it tastes. I’ll never forget.”

Even his words aroused her, making her insides throb and melt. “Couch,” she managed, remembering the way he’d once hoped to take her.

“No. You’re too tight for me to take bent over like that.”

Dizzy with need, she said, “Let me do the other thing, then. Free my hands. I’ll drop to my knees and—”

His moan cut her off. “One day. Soon.” He nipped at her lips. “Today, I’m going to penetrate you slow, and I’m going to penetrate you deep. I can’t do that if you suck me off.”

She could feel the tension banked inside him, the unequaled power, and reveled in it, understanding instinctively what he was trying to tell her. This first time was important. It would set a precedent. If she didn’t love it, he would never forgive himself, and wouldn’t take her again.

“Whatever we do, baby, it’s going to blow my mind and—”

His lips were on her before she could finish her sentence. He kissed her, deep and hard—and at the same time fed her a second finger, scissoring the two. Stretching her, burning. But, oh, the pleasure overrode any pain. She devoured his mouth. A kiss of tongue and teeth, taking, giving, taking some more.

In. Out. Those fingers possessed her. “How long has it been for you?” he rasped through clenched teeth. In. Out.

“Over a year.” She could barely get the words out. The tension constricted, threatening to snap. The burn was no longer about discomfort, but all about pleasure. His hands were hot, so wonderfully hot. Twin flames, only making her hotter. Any second, she would erupt. “The heat...too much.”

“Never felt it before?”

“No.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Purring his approval, he licked the seam of her lips. “Don’t fight it, kulta. Let it happen or you’ll hurt yourself.”

Let what happen? Maybe...maybe the heat wasn’t coming from his hands. Maybe it came from inside her. Sweat trickled on her brow, the back of her neck.

In. Out. Slow. Torturous. The heel of his palm ground against her, where she needed him most, creating the sweetest agony. In. Out.

He licked the cord between her neck and shoulder, and she tilted her head to give him better access. Access he took, biting down. Not enough to hurt but just enough to make her muscles clench in reaction—and the moment she clenched, he thrust in a third finger.

Just like that, she shattered into a million pieces. Pieces that melted. She shouted, then moaned, then shouted again as her body put itself back together and once again became swept up in sensation, every nerve she possessed acting like a live wire, buzzing.

“Gorgeous,” he rasped. “Elin, I need you. Now. Tell me you’re ready.”

She blinked open her eyes, unsure when she’d closed them. Tension mixed with raw, animal need tightened his features. His skin was flushed by a dark fever that had only one cure.

“I’m ready,” she panted.

He ripped away her panties and hefted her off the ground. “Wrap your legs around me.”

She did, opening herself to his invasion. He gripped the base of his erection and placed the tip at her entrance.

“I know you can take it.” He inserted an inch. It was wider than his fingers, and she was instantly stretched, so wet he was able to slide in another few inches. Her heart drummed a wild beat in her chest. “You feel so good, kulta. So sweet.” Another inch. Sweat trickled from his brow. “Soon I’ll be so deep inside you, you won’t be able to breathe without me feeling it.”

“Thane,” she moaned. She tangled her hands in his hair, drawing him forward for another kiss. As their tongues dueled, he conquered another inch, and the discomfort ceased to matter. She needed him. Needed all of him. The ecstasy and the pain. “Do it. Give me everything.”

He didn’t require further prompting. With one forceful shove, he surged the rest of the way in, filling her up. She cried out—and in the sound, she heard contentment and bliss, things she’d never thought to feel again. And she did feel them. With him. Because they were one. He was part of her now. His body a live wire against hers, pulse after pulse of energy flowing from him and into her.

The knowledge teased her mind, pleased her mind. Almost as much as it pleased her body.

He stepped back and spun, taking her with him, staying inside her. The action jostled her, causing his length to rub against her already sensitized inner walls, and she gasped. He sat down, his back against the tub, so that she straddled him. It was a position of control—for her. A position she doubted he’d ever before allowed.

“Ride me. Take me the way you want me.”

A sense of power claimed her. Power and more pleasure. Always more pleasure. He was a fountain of it, and she drank greedily.

“Thank you,” she said, praying he understood. She braced her weight on her knees and lifted...hovered for several seconds, letting the sweet, sweet agony build...then slammed back down.

He hissed, as though the sensations were too much, and yet, he also lifted his hips, sending his length deeper, intensifying what they felt as his piercings stroked her inner walls. What had begun as a whisper of ecstasy soon became a roar, the barbells hitting her just right. Again and again and again.

“Come here,” he rasped. “I’m not done with your mouth.” He didn’t wait for her compliance, but reached up and cupped her nape, drawing her down to him. His tongue found hers, and the two rolled together. “Can’t ever get enough of you.”

He pinched her throbbing nipples, heat following an invisible chain to her core, driving her up...up...then all the way back down. As she rose again, he curled into her, exchanging his fingers for his mouth, flicking his tongue over each bud. It was too much. Too much...but not enough...and she trembled almost uncontrollably as she slid back down.

“Still starved, kulta?”

“Yes, oh, yes.”

“Can’t allow that.” He reached between their bodies and thumbed her center.

The heat ruptured, becoming a thousand starbursts inside her, and she threw back her head with a satisfied cry. As her body shuddered, her thighs clenched his waist, probably bruising him, and only when the blazes at last diminished, allowing her to breathe and still, did she ease up and sag against him.

He remained rock-hard inside her.

“Not done yet.” He pulled out of her long enough to turn her, placing her on her hands and knees before him. She was ready for it. He was clearly desperate for it. He pushed back inside her, filling her up, those barbells hitting her in new places and revving her back up in an instant.

She looked over her shoulder, her gaze drawn to him. Suddenly she was struck by the undeniable beauty he radiated. His head was thrown back. His eyes were closed, and his lips parted. He was lost in her, in the pleasure they were creating together.

Her heart swelled with bliss.

His breathing was heavy as he took what he wanted—and gave her the same. Sating them both with the raw, visceral desire he could no longer control. It was what he’d feared, but exactly what she’d needed most.

“Yes!” she shouted. “More, please, more.”

He thrust harder, and faster, and she exulted in every point of contact. It was...it was... Her thoughts derailed as she shattered all over again, clenching around him.

This time, he followed her, roaring as he thrust a final time.

He collapsed on top of her. As weak as she currently was, she lost her balance and fell into the floor. But just before contact, he pulled from her and rolled, taking the brunt of the impact. He cradled her in his arms, giving them both a moment to breathe.

When her heartbeat finally calmed, he cleaned her, picked her up, and carried her to bed. She wanted to bask in the afterglow with him, and talk—probably to the point of annoyance. She couldn’t summon the energy.

Though she’d never thought to be happy again, she was. And the man she’d once thought was nothing more than bang-and-bail material was responsible.

Miracles really did happen.

ALMOST TEN CENTURIES’ worth of habits completely broken?

It should be impossible, Thane thought. But then, he hadn’t known what he’d been missing. Ecstasy without the horror of guilt.

It was wonderful.

It was terrible.

The entire course of his life had just shifted, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Perhaps Elin sensed the change in his mood. From satisfied to uncertain. She roused from her relaxed state, mumbling, “When did you get the piercings? And why did you get them? Seems so unlike you.”

Hoping to distract him? “About fifty years ago. I did it for the pain, which was very like me at one time.” He paused. “Can you feel them inside you?”

“Yes,” she admitted shyly, pushing damp hair from her brow.

“Did you like them?”

Her gaze briefly met his. “So much it scares me.”

Perhaps he was not alone in this. Perhaps she was just as confused.

He locked his hands behind his head. His palms were still burning. At first, he’d thought the heat came directly from Elin. And most of it had. Even though she was a halfling with latent immortal abilities, her temperature would always rise with her arousal. The more stimulated she was, the hotter she would become.

Terrible of him, but he liked that she’d given him something she hadn’t given the husband.

But the heat had also come from him, he realized now, shocked to see the soft, azure glow her skin possessed. His essentia had finally sprung free.

The chemical seeped from the pores of Sent Ones, allowing them to mark their territory and warn other predators away. Like dogs. Seemed appropriate.

Some Sent Ones produced it from birth. Some developed it after reaching immortality. Others required a life-changing event to trigger its release. He must be among the latter, because Elin had certainly changed his life, and this was the first time he’d ever seen evidence of it.

He’d thought he would have a choice in the matter, when finally the day came, but this had happened unbidden. Yes, he was thrilled to have branded Elin. She was his. But he was also uneasy. The timing was off. They hadn’t settled their future. She hadn’t promised to stay, was still determined to leave him.

“You tensed,” she said, the uncertainty in her tone making his chest ache.

Ache? Him?

Who was he?

She gulped. “Regrets already?” she asked, hesitant.

He couldn’t give her the truth. Because, in a way, he did regret. She was it for him. His one. His only. What they’d done had strengthened the bond between them. And yet, still he could lose her.

“What of you?” he croaked. “Do you have regrets?”

Silence greeted him.

Silence filled with a growing sense of inner torment.

“You just answered my question with another question,” she said. “I may be a few peas short of a casserole, but I’m smart enough to know what that means. You do regret. You just don’t have the balls to say it.”

“Elin—”

“I think...I think I’m going to my room now. No, don’t try to stop me.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Or were you going to tell me to hurry?”

He’d offended her, offended her badly, and hated himself for it. “You don’t understand.”

“Sure I do.” She lumbered to her feet, wobbled as she dressed. She looked down at him, and whatever she saw upset her further, because she sniffled, as though fighting tears. “Let’s just take a breather from each other, okay, and in a few days we’ll decide where we want to go from here.”

He reached for her, frantic to draw her back into the fold of his arms, but she sidestepped him. Footsteps sounded, and then he was alone in the bathroom.

He scrubbed a hand down his face, remembering the day, not so long ago, when he’d left the Harpy in bed. She had wanted comfort from him, and he had paid her instead. Left her. Made her feel this way?

He was utterly unworthy of affection.

Of course Elin regretted what they’d done.

He should return her to her world. She could live the life she planned.

He closed his eyes, shook his head. Elin had done more than shift the course of his life. She’d changed him, and it was no longer pain he was addicted to, but pleasure. Not just the best sex of his life, but her. Her very presence. He wouldn’t be able to survive without her.

For better or worse, he had to keep her.