Embrace the Night

11

An hour later, Merek was circling the car around a block on the outskirts of Phoenix. The route he’d taken here had been as circuitous as he could make it, and he took his time checking out the address he was looking for.

The place was modest and unassuming. A tidy little house on a tidy little street. Nothing special or different about it except the very abnormal Normal man who lived inside.

Theodore Holmes.

The last living vampire hunter.

Or, the last one Merek had ever heard of, and only then because Selina had told him. Assuming the old bastard was stil among the living, but he thought Selina would have mentioned his dying, if for no other reason than the man had hated Merek’s guts on sight and it amused the hel out of her. That he got on Merek’s last nerve amused her even more.

He parked the car several blocks away and walked back to the house. Stepping onto the porch, he kept his hands loose at his sides and in plain sight. If Holmes stil lived here, he already knew Merek was there, and probably had a weapon or five trained on him.

Something wavered on the edge of his senses, an irritating scrape over his nerves. “I know you’re there, Holmes.”

“What the hel do you want?” The voice emerged from an intercom next to the door. It was gruff with age, but didn’t betray a creak of weakness.

“Your help.” Merek huffed out a laugh, glancing up into a video camera mounted to the porch roof. If anyone had told him a month ago he’d be here, he’d have told them to get their precognition retested.

Holmes’s door swung open, his sharp blue eyes sweeping over Merek and the street behind him. As Merek had suspected, there was a compact pistol leveled on his chest. “Did Grayson send you?”

“What do you think?” Merek didn’t so much as twitch, taking a long moment to look Holmes over as thoroughly as he’d been inspected. It was none of Holmes’s concern that adrenaline hummed in Merek’s veins, his heart leaping at seeing the business end of a weapon, a dozen defensive spel s swirling into his mind, ready to disarm and dismantle the threat.

“I think you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest.” Holmes lowered the weapon slightly. “There’s nothing I can do to bail you out of that much trouble.”

“Let’s make this conversation more private.” Merek nodded his head toward the shadowy interior of the house. He wasn’t saying any more than he already had out in the open.

The old man grunted. “Fine.”

Stepping back, Holmes al owed Merek to pass in front of him and shut the door behind them, reengaging whatever security systems were in place. That little pistol remained trained on Merek while they walked through the house to a smal kitchen. He sat at a scarred wooden table, scanning the room for the exits should he need to make a quick escape.

Everything in the place was functional, if shabby around the edges. A feminine touch showed in some of the decorations, and Merek wondered if Holmes had ever been married. Then he banished the thought. He didn’t want to know about the man’s personal life, and Holmes would probably shoot him just for wondering.

Merek’s clairvoyance leaped at the hint of a question, and his time with Alex and Chloe had loosened his grip on his power, so a vision exploded through his mind. He saw a woman . . . years ago, when the furnishing had been new. A wife. Pretty, with a wry smile. Not a hunter, but she handed a rifle to Holmes and kissed him good-bye, so not ignorant of his profession. Sweat gathered along Merek’s hairline, his hands fisting on the tabletop. His vision dragged him into the near future, two options stabbing themselves into his thoughts. A wiry teenage girl dancing around this kitchen before hugging the old man tight. She had Holmes’s sharp blue eyes and the wife’s wry grin. Something about her face was familiar, as if Merek had seen it before, but he couldn’t put his finger on where. Merek shook his head, and the vision crashed into the second option. Selina’s dead face blew past his eyes, the same scene he’d seen the day he’d met Chloe, but now the view expanded and he saw Holmes’s broken body beside his partner’s, a neat bul et hole between the old man’s eyes.

“What do you want?” The question was just as rude and unwelcoming as the first time it was asked, and it jolted Merek back to the present.

Sucking in a deep breath, he got his usual tight-fisted grip on his precognition, and forced his hands to relax on the tabletop. “The first thing I need is Magickal ammo.”

“What makes you think I’d have any?” Holmes’s shoulder jerked in a shrug as he laid the pistol down, stil pointed squarely at Merek. “Il egal for unauthorized Normals to have that stuff—that’s how you get a sweeper team to go through your house, remove your contraband, and mess with your memories.”

One eyebrow arched at that utter bul shit. As if that kind of threat had ever intimidated a vampire hunter. “I need some Magickal ammo for a Glock and a .38 Special.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you twice the first time.” Holmes’s chair scraped back when he stood. “It’s down in the basement.”

“I’l wait here while you get it.” He’d also wait for the sweat to dry and his muscles to stop trembling in reaction to his intense vision.

The other man thumped across the room to the cel ar door. “Watch him, Boleyn.”

A German shepherd came into view from down a short hal way, its nails clicking against the linoleum floor. With its odd bicolored eyes—one blue and one brown—the dog looked suspiciously like a slimmer, female version of Selina’s familiar. The thing snapped its jaws once before sitting down to stare at Merek as if he looked better than the canine’s next meal. Just as Selina’s familiar liked to do. Merek would bet Mil ie Standish’s fortune this was a familiar from the same litter. He’d never heard of a familiar attaching itself to a Normal. Then again, this Normal wasn’t very normal. He shrugged. Now wasn’t the time to be curious about a retired vampire hunter. He had bigger worries, and he didn’t want to invite any more clairvoyant episodes.

He didn’t hear the Normal return, but he sensed that same irritating presence approach so he turned his head to watch Holmes come up the basement steps carrying a couple of boxes of ammunition. He dropped them on the table. “Now, you wanna tel me why you can’t just get your own at work?”

A casual shrug and a mild tone from Merek would likely annoy the Normal, but he didn’t real y care. “I’ve taken an extended vacation.”

Holmes grunted and resumed his seat. “Most vacations don’t end up with two people dead—one of them roasted alive.”

“He shot a teenage boy.” A blood-soaked memory that would haunt Merek for the rest of his days. He had far too many of them.

The old man’s eyes honed in on him, pinning Merek in place. “Vampire?”

Now it was his turn to grunt. “Werewolf.”

“Mangy animals,” Holmes grumbled, then shrugged. “But they don’t like vampires any more than I do.”

Merek didn’t even want to get into an argument with the man about his hatred for vampires. Hate was an irrational thing, and he wanted to get out of here without a bul et hole in his own hide. A smal smile tilted up the corner of his lips. “I torched one vampire’s wings off, and a lady friend of mine ran another down with an SUV.”

“Good woman.” A rare smile crossed the man’s face, wrinkles deepening around his eyes.

“One of the best.” Merek ran a hand through his hair. “She’s the reason I’m on vacation. And the werewolf boy.”

“Vacation.” The Normal gave a derisive snort.

“I know you keep your ear to the ground in the Magickal community. How bad is it?” Merek leveled a serious gaze on the vampire hunter. He wanted the perspective of someone besides Mil ie and her bodyguard. Holmes’s take would be about as different as possible, and the human wouldn’t spare Merek any ugly details.

“They want you for questioning about the kil ings of those people in Oregon. That old Standish witch is keeping things quiet in the Council, stopping an al -out manhunt, but some strange rumblings are going on in the werewolf packs. Don’t know if it’s related or not, but things look to come to a head soon.” Holmes rol ed his shoulders. “As for you . . . Most say you’ve gone rogue, and the Witch Coven is covering it up since you’re one of theirs.”

“What do you think?” Merek tapped his fingers against the table, chewing over what Holmes had said.

“Selina’d be after you herself if you’d gone rogue.” He made an impatient gesture with an age-spotted hand. “Sounds a little too much like someone’s looking for you and wants as many eyes doing the looking as possible. They had a reward out for information about your whereabouts, and now you’re wanted for questioning. The Magickal you torched wasn’t some innocent bystander. Got a record as long as my dick.”

There was a mental image Merek would have to take bleach to. He reached out and pul ed the boxes of bul ets toward him, opening them to check the rounds and test them for viability. They were good. “There were a couple of other operatives there. One was Gregor—”

“Shit.” Holmes sat back in his chair with a low whistle, the first real sign of surprise crossing his face. “You are in some trouble, boy.”

Merek choked on a short laugh. “I’m aware.”

A long moment of silence passed while both men contemplated the new information they had. Holmes’s gaze met Merek’s. “You better bury yourself deep. Stay away from the Magickal world. Go total y Normal.”

“We’re going to.” It was the same conclusion Merek had reached. One he wouldn’t be letting Mil ie know about when he checked in with her next. No more using her properties, just the cash she’d given them.

Nothing related to Magickals in any way.

“Trailing around that werewolf boy is gonna trip you up once a month.” The old man’s face went blank.

“They know to look for him, know he’s a weakness. That’l be a problem.”

Meaning he should cut his losses and ditch Alex. Merek’s hand tightened around the boxes until the metal casings ground together. He eased his grip and unclenched his jaw. “Maybe, but he’s my problem, and no one’s going to touch him.”

“You said he was shot.”

He managed a growl. “My lady friend is a doctor. Kid pul ed through just fine.”

“Lucky.”

“Very.” He stood abruptly, more than ready to leave, and offered his hand to the other man. “Thanks for your help.”

Holmes hesitated a beat before grasping his hand and shaking it. His grip was strong enough to belie his age. “Wasn’t for you.”

“I know. I’l thank Selina when I’m back from my vacation.” Merek dropped the old man’s hand, scooped up the supplies he’d come for, and moved to slip out the backdoor. “I’d appreciate if you let me surprise her about my visit.”

“I’m not saying a damn thing, boy. Get the hel out of my house.” Holmes used a keypad to disengage his security system and jerked open the door. “For your sake, I hope we don’t meet again.”

“From your lips to the gods’ ears.” Merek stepped out and didn’t look back. “I had a vision of your future, Holmes. You have a choice coming up. Stay with a young girl or go to your death with Selina.”

“I’m retired.” Holmes’s tone was hoarse.

Merek shrugged, stil unwil ing to turn around and see the look people got when he mentioned an unpleasant future. “Maybe an old case you were involved in with her cropped up. A dead end of some kind caught a new break.”

Even as the words came from his mouth, he knew they were true.

Holmes sucked in an audible breath. “Who was the girl?” Then he strangled on a tight laugh. “Never mind.

There’s only one person it could be. My granddaughter, Riley.”

“That sounds right.” Merek glanced back and sighed at the white-lipped expression on the old man’s face. “The girl means more to you than any case, so do yourself a favor. Choose the living. Let the past die.”

Hadn’t he done the same when he’d gone with Chloe and Alex instead of letting his own history keep him in the familiarity of work and the comfort of old bitterness? Then again, he had no idea if this would end wel for any of them, so what was he doing giving advice to anyone?

Chloe sat on the couch with a mug of steaming hot, corrosive, and foul coffee cupped between her palms.

The revolver lay loaded on the coffee table in front of her. Twilight had grown longer and longer, and Merek was stil out. She tried not to worry. Too much. She stil had some time.

Luckily—or perhaps, unluckily—she had plenty to occupy her mind. Merek had admitted he cared. It stil warmed her deep inside, but he’d also confessed how caring scared him. Merek was never going to be a man who admitted to any weakness easily. And his revelations about his wife explained so much about the man she’d come to know. Why he felt the need to control every detail, why he was so overprotective, why he was a diehard cynic.

Unfortunately, her years in med school, internships, and residencies meant she could picture the crime scenes he’d described al too clearly. Her heart ached for the young man who’d had to go through that with someone he loved. Who had to live with the weight of responsibility riding his shoulders. Gods, what a nightmare.

She imagined any man, especial y a cop, would have felt some guilt over what happened, but Merek’s clairvoyance made his guilt that much more oppressive. She didn’t know how he’d lived through it and made it out sane. He was possibly the strongest person she’d ever known. And one of the kindest, most considerate, and most compassionate.

The man confused her. He was a study in contradictions, al of which she found fascinating. He made her feel what she didn’t want to, which scared the crap out of her, and he also made her feel safer than she had in her entire life. Even with terrorists chasing them down, ready to torture her or Alex for the information locked in their heads.

No. Just no.

A sigh slid out, and she grimaced when she sipped her awful excuse for coffee. The instant stuff was just offensive to her sensibilities. No self-respecting Seattleite should ever have to touch this crap. She took another swig, and felt the caffeine start to kick in even as the acidic liquid burned her bel y.

She tensed when she heard the doorknob, but relaxed when the voices in her head gave a reassuring whisper and she felt the easing of the shield spel s around the apartment. Merek. Anyone else would have to breach the spel ; only he and she and Alex could pass through it without incredible magical energy expended or harm coming to them.

Setting her coffee on the table, she resisted the urge to throw herself at him when he came in the door and make sure he was uninjured. He knew how to take care of himself. She had no doubts about that. So instead of wringing her hands like an idiotic weakling, she picked up the gun as he walked in and she carried it with her as she went to the kitchen to make him a cup of the nasty tar. He was as addicted as she and Alex were, so any coffee was better than no coffee. She hoped he’d remembered to get some real stuff at the store.

He dropped the bazil ion grocery sacks he had looped around his arms on the floor and counter, then accepted the coffee cup she handed him and took a deep swig. She motioned to the revolver she’d placed on the counter. “Mission accomplished?”

“Yep, we’re ful y loaded. Ammo’s in there somewhere, but I had to take the long way to get there and back. Sorry it took so long, but I couldn’t risk being fol owed.” He frowned down at the mug in his hand. “This has honey in it.”

“Yeah, so?” She lifted an eyebrow, digging into the bags and separating out things that required refrigeration.

“You haven’t unloaded the bag with the honey in it.” Rifling through the sea of plastic, he came up with a bear-shaped container ful of golden liquid.

She shrugged and went back to her sorting. “We ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken when we flew through Lexington, remember? I snagged you a handful of those little honey packets they give out for their biscuits.”

“Ah. Thanks for looking out for me.” He blinked at her, looked down at the coffee, then sipped it again.

Something unreadable moved across his expression, but he said nothing more.

The bag holding the milk had another plastic bottle in it. She pul ed it out and stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment. Massage oil and lubricant in one.

“For later.” Merek’s low rumble made heat pool in her bel y. He bent forward to nip at the lower curve of her ass, and she jolted in shock. Her nipples tightened, her sex dampening as al the erotic possibilities raced through her mind of what he might have planned for her. Then he snagged the smal bottle from her hand and stuffed it in his pocket just before Alex came out of his room with a technical manual dangling from his fingers.

A hot blush washed up her cheeks, and she gave them a weak smile.

Alex and Merek greeted each other with manly slaps on the back, and Merek sent her a look that promised al manner of wicked things when the wolf turned away to drop his book and start helping.

“Hey, check this out.” Alex rummaged around in a bulging shopping bag.

“What?” She peered around his shoulder to watch him unload one night-light after another until over a dozen were lined up along the counter.

Most of them were plain old night-lights, but a few of them were truly hideous. One was shaped like a deer carved into a fake log, another looked like a plastic moose’s head, and another was made out of what might have once been a pinecone. The last was a deformed seashel . With glitter. She picked that one up with the very tips of her thumb and forefinger and held it out as if it were something smel y. “What is this, exactly?”

Merek arched his brows and shrugged, but a grin broke through. “Hey, I cleaned out the store. The other options were scented, and I figured if we mixed six of those with a werewolf nose in the house, he might vomit on us as payback.”

“Thanks. Real y. I mean that.” Alex’s voice was fervent as he yanked the wrapping off of each light. “Thank you.”

Chloe snorted, but had to turn away to hide the tears wel ing in her eyes. She stuffed the refrigerated items into the fridge and freezer, blinking until the moisture was gone. Alex knew she liked lights on at night, and Merek knew exactly why she was terrified of the dark, and neither of them thought she was a wimp.

And Merek . . . He was control ed, but not control ing. He didn’t try to control them. He accepted them just as they were, and control ed al the details around them to make sure they had everything they needed.

Alex’s werewolf need to Change at ful moon was just another detail. Merek wasn’t annoyed by it, didn’t act pissed off by the inconvenience. He just handled it.

Now that he knew she was afraid of the dark and why, he didn’t try to talk her out of it, try to reason with her or tel her to grow up and get over it; he just went out and bought her an entire store’s worth of night-lights.

That was the moment, right there, that she fel al the way in love with him. She’d been fighting it, avoiding it, and ignoring it for days now, but that did it. She loved him. Completely, utterly loved him.

She just had no idea what she could do about it. After what he’d told her about his wife, she couldn’t imagine that he’d ever want to deal with loving anyone ever again. Not when it meant he also had to deal with the fact that he couldn’t see her future and any bad things coming down the pipeline. That was assuming he even felt some of this wrenching, terrifying, wonderful emotion that was threatening to consume her soul.

The worst part was, she wasn’t even sure she could blame him for not wanting any part of this. No one understood better than she did that some wounds just never healed, some fears could never be overcome.

And if you couldn’t fix it, you just had to live with it any way you could. Merek wasn’t asking her to change, so how could she try to force him to live with his worst nightmare permanently?

She couldn’t.

The rest of the evening passed in a daze. She barely noticed when Alex pushed al the furniture in the living room against one wal , Merek set up a force field so they didn’t break anything or make noise that would disturb the neighbors, and the two practiced close quarters combat. The television show they watched after made both males howl with laughter, but she stared into space petting a purring Ophelia.

Her thoughts ricocheted around in her mind until she wanted to scream. She couldn’t even talk to anyone about it, especial y not Merek. If she were home, she’d have Mil ie and Tess to ask for advice, but as it stood, she was total y alone in a sea of maleness that either wouldn’t want to know or wouldn’t get what she was going through. Gods, this sucked. It hurt. It hurt to love someone and have to keep it locked inside. It hurt to have to protect someone from the most amazing thing she’d ever experienced.

The TV program ended so she kissed Alex good night and wandered into the bathroom to brush her teeth before bed. When she bent forward to spit out the toothpaste, she saw Merek reflected in the mirror behind her, and she damn near choked on her toothbrush.

Waiting for her to finish with her coughing fit, he propped his broad shoulder on the doorjamb, Ophelia draped across one brawny forearm, purring while he stroked her. “Something’s on your mind, sweetheart.”

Too many somethings. A flush sped up her cheeks, and she rinsed her toothbrush off, set it aside, and splashed cool water on her face. Unaccustomed nerves jangled inside her. Crossing such a huge threshold in her heart, and having to do it alone, suddenly froze her with terror. How did she act around him now? How did she keep him from noticing? He was the most observant man she’d ever known. He never missed anything about her, not a hitch in her breathing, a sigh, a change of mood. He watched, he listened, and he cared.

And she loved him for it.

“Is this about yesterday?” His gaze shuttered, his expression going blank.

It took a moment for the question to process, and she yanked her mind from her own issues and focused on him. She turned to face him. “No, this isn’t about yesterday, or anything you said.”

“You sure?” His gaze moved over her, but no emotion showed there. “You know you can talk to me if something is wrong.” A tiny smile hovered at the corners of his mouth. “I can take it.”

A repeat of her own words that had kicked off the discussion of his precognition and his wife. She let a laugh huff out and pushed away from the vanity. Taking Ophelia from his arms, she set the familiar on the ground. “Go play in the living room, sugar.”

The cat darted away, and Chloe stepped into Merek’s embrace. Her heart turned over when his strong arms immediately closed around her, and she buried her nose against his warm chest, inhaling the scent of him and sweat and the lingering smel of laundry soap on his shirt.

“I know you can handle anything.” But then he might feel obligated if she dumped her feelings al over him.

The only thing worse than being in love alone was being the object of pity from the person you loved. Her bel y lurched at the thought. No. No, she wouldn’t do that to him, wouldn’t cling or revert to her old childhood neediness. He deserved better than that, and so did she. She sighed, pressed her hands to his chest, and gazed up at him. “This isn’t something you need to handle. I can figure it out on my own, but I appreciate the offer to listen more than you know.”

He didn’t look happy with that, just as he’d been displeased any other time she’d withheld information from him, but he gave a reluctant nod. “Just remember, you don’t have to go through anything alone right now, Chloe. I’m here to make sure you’re al right. I can’t do that effectively if you don’t tel me when something is wrong.”

How she kept the tears from wel ing up in her eyes, she’d never know, but instead she managed a smile for him. “When something is wrong, I’l let you know. I have some stuff to figure out, but nothing is wrong. I promise.”

Things were far too right, and that’s where she hit her current snag. His hands stroked up and down her back, and his gaze searched her face. A spurt of alarm darted through her. He would know if he looked too deep. Of course he would. He was Merek.

Time for a distraction.

Rising up on tiptoe, she brushed her lips over his chin, his jaw. “Kiss me, Merek. Take my mind off of things.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” He leaned down and feathered a kiss over her mouth. “But I’d rather you tel me what you need your mind taken off of.”

She smiled against his lips, running her tongue along the curve of the bottom one. “My mind is always on you. And bad men. And you. And you when you’re being a bad man.”

His arms tightened around her, pul ing her flush against al of those hard angles. He kissed her hard once, twice. “I’m always good.”

“Prove it.” She arched her back, rubbed herself against the steely length of his erection, and felt the insidious heat begin to leech the strength out of her muscles. Her body molded itself to his, her nipples beaded to chafe against the soft satin of her bra.

Shifting her around until the doorjamb pressed into her back, he pinned her there while he swooped in for a thorough kiss that had her up on her tiptoes again to get closer. His tongue swept into her mouth, and his honeyed flavor made her moan. The man was addicting, and she never wanted to get enough. She wanted him forever. Their tongues mated, twined, dancing until their breathing was ragged. She cupped his jaw in her palms, wanting to show him with actions how much she craved him, needed him, loved him. Everything she couldn’t say out loud, she put into that kiss.

Renewed magic shivered beneath her skin, waiting to be tapped. She let it loose, let the heat and longing she felt pour from her to him. Her need was returned to her in a throbbing echo of his magic, the hot male thrum of it seeping into her very bones. Her sex went slick with juices, her nipples so tight they ached for the feel of his hands on them.

Jerking away, he stared down at her, his pupils so huge that only a thin rim of silver remained. His lips were as red and swol en as hers felt. His chest heaved with each bel owing breath. “Bed. Now.”

“Yes.”

He swept her off her feet, carried her to the king-sized mattress, and dumped her on it. With a flick of his fingers, the bedroom door swished closed and locked. Oh. She’d forgotten al about that when she’d told Ophelia to leave. Oops.

Holding his hand out, fingers splayed, he intoned, “Naked.”

She arched in startled reflex as her clothes fel away and left her bare to his gaze. He was just as nude, and she let herself look at him. Golden muscles rippled in the lamplight, hard cock dripping pre-cum, gray eyes flashing silver with barely leashed power.

His eyes closed for just a moment, and a wave of magic swept out from him, tingled as it passed over her skin. She felt a boost in the strength of the shields around the apartment. A smile tilted her lips. Safety first.

Always in command of the details. She understood his obsession better now, and for al of their sakes, she was grateful for it, if not for the events that made him so conscientious. Stil , she wouldn’t change the man for anything. She loved him just as he was.

When he looked at her again, she held out her arms and let her grin widen. “Come here.”

“Not just yet.” He shook his head, taking a moment to trail his gaze over her body. The air-conditioned breeze in the room made her nipples bead tighter, and she felt the heat of his gaze touch her skin.

She let her legs fal open against the mattress. His nostrils flared as he dragged in the scent of her wetness. He licked his lips, his gaze locked on her pussy. She knew her folds would be swol en and slick with cream. A little smile curled the corners of her lips, and she cupped her breasts, circling the areolas and teasing herself while she teased the man watching her. The rapacious look on his face, the way lust tightened his features, told her exactly what kind of effect her actions had.

When she let one hand drift down her torso until she could dip her fingers into her wet sex and rub her hardened clit, Merek’s resistance snapped. His hand shot out with that startling speed of his, wrapping around her wrist to pul her fingers up to his mouth. Leaning forward, he sucked the juices from her fingertips. Then he set her palm back on her breast. “You do that, I’l handle this.”

And then his mouth was on her, his hot tongue licking at her damp flesh. Her body arched off the bed, and his hands control ed the motion. He held her legs flat to the bed, shoving them open with his broad shoulders. Slipping her fingers into his hair, she tugged him nearer, excitement a twisting thing inside her.

The feel of his lips closing over her clit, suckling her, made her scream as orgasm broke through her in a rush so overpowering, she couldn’t contain the explosion.

Pulses continued to hit her in rippling waves as he teased her with his tongue. She lay limp on the bed, dazed and unsure how he’d made her come so fast without using any kind of seduction spel . Then she gave a breathless chuckle, her heart stil thumping in her chest. Her chemistry with Merek was the most powerful turn-on she’d ever come in contact with. Spontaneous combustion. Contentment spread through her limbs, and she sighed when he rol ed off her.

“Hold on to the headboard.” The rumble of his voice was deep and rich. Commanding. Sexy.

She reached her hands up, grasped the bottom of the headboard, and used the leverage to lift her body toward him. Something hot and burning with magic wrapped around her wrists, locking her in place.

Her breath caught, and she froze. Tugging on the spel bindings, she found she couldn’t escape. The last time she’d been tied down had been . . . A horrible flash of a Fae woman’s face flooded her mind, dark magic seeping into her skin, bronze burning her flesh. She shuddered, jerking spasmodical y at the golden chords that glowed around her wrists.

Heart pounding, her gaze flew to Merek where he sat beside her, but not close enough to touch her. His expression was quiet, knowing. He waited to see what she would do, how she would take this utterly vulnerable position.

She swal owed, feeling more stripped bare than she ever had in her life. “I’m not sure . . .”

“Just say ‘safe,’ and the spel unravels.” His hand closed around her thigh, and she realized her legs weren’t bound.

“I can get loose any time I want?” She licked her lips, and his gaze fol owed the motion, the gray sparking with silver as he watched her.

He nodded. “Any time you want, sweetheart. Trust me.”

“I do.” More than that, she loved him. If this was the only way she could tel him, then so be it. She relaxed against the bindings and offered him a smile. “I want you.”

A grin broke over his angular face, and he shook his head. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met.”

“Come show me how much you appreciate my amazingness.” She let her gaze lock on his thick cock, and licked her lips again with slow relish.

He bent forward to scoop his pants off the floor, slid his hand into the front pocket, and pul ed out the little bottle he’d tucked in there earlier. “I’m going to show you exactly how much I appreciate every single inch of you.”

Her breathing shal owed out to nothing, and she swal owed. Oh, gods. The thought of him fucking her ass made her palms dampen and her heart hammer. A blush suffused her face, burning with scorching heat.

“Yes.”

“I told you. Amazing.” He gave a flashing grin, tossed the bottle onto the mattress beside her, grabbed her ankles, and yanked her down the bed. The spel rope stretched, so her wrists were stil bound, pul ed straight over her head.

The distinct creaking pop of the bottle opening made her shiver in anticipation. He brushed his lips over hers, a brief kiss before he drizzled the cool oil over her hot skin. Her moan was a helpless sound and made his lips curl in a satisfied smile.

Then his big hands stroked her.

He took his time, worked the oil deep into her flesh, using hot little pleasure spel s to make her gasp in shock or sigh in delight. He started at her feet, pressed his thumbs into her arches until her toes curled. Her ankles and calves were massaged, her knees kissed, her thighs opened so he could blow a breath on the puffy, wet folds of her pussy. A spel lit her sex; fire and ice had her shuddering with lust that made her heart rate rocket.

But he didn’t touch her there, just left her aching, needing. Needing him. Always him. “Merek.”

“Shh. Just relax, sweetheart.” His voice was as seductive as any magic ever dreamed up, sliding over her sensitive nerves like warm velvet. A little rough, a little soft, total y rich and decadent.

More oil slicked her thighs, the curve of her bel y, the softness of her breasts. He swirled his blunt nails over her nipples, coaxing them to tight points. His strong fingers worked her shoulders and arms before he rol ed her over and kneed her thighs apart.

“Close your eyes.” He bent forward to kiss the nape of her neck, between her shoulder blades, the smal of her back, each globe of her buttocks.

A purr was the only answer she could give as she obeyed him. For once, she wasn’t afraid of the darkness. Merek was there, and everything in her focused on him.

Time drifted as she let herself float on a cloud of sensuality. There was nothing in the world except the magic of his hands and what they did to her body. Her muscles were pliant, warm and soft, al tension melting away as she turned herself over to him and anything he wanted to do to her. She knew he’d make it good for her.

He kneaded her neck and shoulders and back, and her pulse picked up speed as he cupped her ass in his big palms. Slipping a hand under her bel y, he lifted her hips and slid a pil ow underneath her. She sucked in a deep breath when he knelt in the vee of her thighs, spreading her wider. Cooler oil trickled between her buttocks as he parted the cheeks, the liquid quickly heating when it touched her skin. Her breath seized at the sharp difference between her overheating flesh and the chil y oil. His slick fingers trailed down, teased the rim of her anus.

Desire punched through her, and her body flexed as she arched herself higher for him. “Take me there, Merek.”

“Here?” One finger probed at the tight ring of muscle, pressing just the tip into her ass.

“Yes,” she gasped. She moaned and lifted herself into his hand as he began to stretch her anus for penetration, her arms jerking against the bindings. Her racing heart thudded against her ribcage, heat flowing through her veins.

His finger worked deeper, massaging until he could slip in a second digit. He thrust slowly, the oil making the slide exquisite.

“Merek, please,” she breathed. She twisted in her bonds. Even though she had no desire to escape, she couldn’t stop moving.

“Pleasing you is part of my plan.” He brushed a kiss over her shoulder, nipped at the flesh.

A choked laugh ended in a gasp as he added a third finger to her ass. “I like this plan.”

His low chuckle made her grin into the pil ow. “I had a feeling you would.”

Those diabolical fingers pumped slowly in and out of her ass, widening her passage until she thought she’d die. Her hips undulated, her ultrasensitive nipples chafing on the smooth sheets. She whimpered and closed her eyes, turning herself over to the sensations she couldn’t control, didn’t want to control. She wanted to feel, wanted to experience every moment of Merek’s touch.

She bit her pil ow when his cock replaced his fingers, the head nudging into her anus. It stung, he was so big, but she breathed through the pleasure-pain. He gripped her waist, his heavy thighs forcing her legs even wider for him as he surged deeper into her ass. He froze when she cried out, bucking against the glowing bonds around her wrists.

“Are you al right?” His grasp tightened when she didn’t answer. “Chloe?”

“Give me a second.” She forced her body to loosen up, muscle by muscle, accepting the thick penetration of his cock. He shifted a little, and a ripple of pleasure went through her. Just that smal movement, and more juices flooded her pussy. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Torment roughened his tone. “I don’t want to hurt you. We can stop now, if—”

“No.” She rol ed her hips experimental y, using the spel ropes to gain some leverage. A gasp ripped from her as the slippery oil made the first few inches of his cock slide in and out of her ass, each stroke easier as she relaxed.

Goose bumps broke out across her skin as he began to rock with her, tiny plunges that made ecstasy streak through her. His palms skimmed up her back, down again, gentling her. His voice was a deep growl that urged her onward.

“Faster,” she breathed, writhing in the bespel ed cage of her bonds.

He obeyed her, his thrusts picking up speed and force until his muscled stomach spanked against her backside. Her sex fisted each time he entered her ass, and need sliced through her like a werewolf’s claws.

She moaned, bowing her back until the bonds snapped tight. He kissed the nape of her neck, his breath whispering against her hot, damp skin. “You feel so good, Chloe. Amazing.”

I love you. The words were there, hovering on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. “More. Please, more.”

He rotated his pelvis against her, and she cried out at the pleasure that flooded her. He gave her more, just not as much as she needed. She tightened her muscles around his cock, and he groaned, the helpless sound vibrating against her back. “Yes, Chloe. More. Give me more.”

The ropes glowed brighter as their passion built, blinding her until she had to close her eyes to escape the light, but that only focused her more on the physical: the glide of their oil-slicked and sweat-dampened skin; the rough hair at his groin that stimulated her; the groans between each gasping breath; the flex and release of muscles as they moved together.

It was pure magic, no pleasure spel s required.

He slid his hand between her body and the pil ow he’d placed under her hips, forcing her to arch her ass higher into his thrusts. She sobbed and then screamed when his hand dipped between her thighs and rubbed over her wet folds. Every deep thrust rubbed her clit against his stroking fingers. “Merek! I need . . . I can’t . . . please! ”

She knew she made no sense, but somehow he knew what she was begging for. His hips bucked faster, driving his cock even deeper than he’d ever been before. His fingers pressed down directly on her clit, and she exploded into an orgasm that left her shrieking, sobbing, and heaving under him.

A rough groan from him told her she’d dragged him along with her, and soon he fil ed her ass with hot fluids. Great shudders racked his body, and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.

“Gods,” he gasped. “That was . . . amazing.”

“Amazing.” She echoed the word at the same time, a bubble of sweet laughter slipping from her. “Yeah. It real y was.”

Moments later, her arms went slack as he released her from the spel binding. She col apsed against the bed, cooing in delight when his long fingers worked any remaining tension from her muscles. He tugged up the covers and settled beside her, tucking her into his warm body.

Her hands fisted in the covers when he flipped off the lamp on the bedside table. Then she grinned. One of his truly hideous night-lights shone from a wal socket. The seashel light. From the glow in the room, she’d guess he’d plugged one into every available socket. She sighed and leaned back into him, relaxing.

“Not too dark?” He kissed her temple.

She shook her head. “Nope.”

He’d noticed. Of course he had. This was Merek. Her smile widened.

No wonder she loved him.