by Melody Raven
But the idea of leaving him right now seemed unfathomable. She reached out, putting a hand on his bicep, and she squeezed, relishing the feel of his muscle under her touch.
He reached for her hips and pulled her tightly against him, his erection very present even beneath the tight jeans. “You should leave,” he agreed as he ran his hand up and down the curve of her hip.
“If we’re found, we could die.” The thought of Scragg discovering them was absolutely terrifying, but even that couldn’t get her to separate from Aidan. Maybe it would be easier if they weren’t already sharing some sort of unexplainable connection. But she couldn’t get herself to walk away. She couldn’t logic her way out of this. Being with him seemed inevitable, and even though they might very well die for giving in to this spell, she was totally unable to fight it.
And then he fulfilled her last vision completely. One hand gripped her hair and pulled her head back while his mouth covered hers. She writhed her hips against him as she kissed him back. Nothing was gentle about it. Maybe they were both hyped up from trying to fight the magic. Maybe they were just unable to contain themselves as they finally gave in to temptation.
Her fangs bumped into his teeth and her scalp burned with how tightly he was pulling her hair. She retaliated by fisting her fingers in his shirt and pulling him impossibly closer, and he rubbed his cock against her. Somehow they lost balance, and she pushed him back against the bed, landing on top of him and never breaking the kiss. Her legs spread over him and she straddled him fully. He released her hair to run his hands up and down her back, pulling her nightgown up so he could touch her bare thighs.
Even though she was still technically fully dressed, the way he touched her made her feel as if she might as well be naked. And she needed to be naked right now. She wanted to touch every inch of him, skin to skin. She wanted him in her and all around her. She still felt buzzed from his blood, and she rode that high like she was riding him now.
She rocked her hips back and forth. The bulge of his erection pressed against her little bundle of nerves, each stroke sending her higher and higher. She felt like some wild animal. She had no idea what she was doing, but she was following her base instincts and going wherever they led.
And he didn’t seem to mind; he let out a little growl, gripping her hips and showing her a fast and hard rhythm.
She was struck with a thought. If this was how good it felt when they were both fully dressed, how good would it feel when he was finally deep inside her?
He must’ve felt the same because all of a sudden they were tearing at each other’s clothes. He was pushing her nightgown up and over her head even as she tugged at his shirt. The whole combination of limbs caused a mix of confusion and disorder, but it didn’t dampen any of the heat they were feeling.
But then her nightgown was on the floor and Aidan pushed up, clamping his teeth on a nipple and giving her a small nip before soothing the sting with his tongue. She let out a gasp even as she kept moving against him. She held him close to her and let her eyes close as he feasted on her. She figured it was only fair....
“You’re perfect,” he said against her flesh as he felt the weight of her breasts and rested his forehead against her, breathing her in.
She felt his stubble on her, and she bit her bottom lip. How could he feel so good?
“I need you,” she whispered. She wanted this to last forever, and also she was desperate to have more. She didn’t know whether she could ever be satiated. She’d always be hungry for more when it came to Aidan.
“I’m going to take you,” he responded. “In every way I’ve ever imagined. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll never be able to look at another man without thinking of all the ways I made you come around me. I’m going to mark you so permanently that the only way you’ll ever feel free is when you’re with me. I’m going to fuck you so hard you’re going to imagine my cock in you every time you please yourself. When you breathe, you’re going to taste me. When you move, you’re going to feel me. Forever.”
As he talked, he moved, turning her in his arms until she was pressed back against the bed and he was on top of her. She couldn’t think about what he was saying when he was also undoing the clasp on his jeans. She helped him push the material over his hips, and a moment later, his cock was free and pressing against her. It was large and demanding, just like Aidan, and she was more than willing to give him whatever he wanted.
Her legs were parted, and he tore her panties off with one quick tug as though he were the one with super strength. When he pressed against her, she sucked in a breath of anticipation.
And when he finally filled her, it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. There was a bite of pain before the deep satisfaction of finally having Aidan spread through her. It was simultaneously everything she wanted and not enough. Because as happy as she was to have him inside her, she now needed him to move.
Which he eagerly gave her. Her hands ran up and down his back as he withdrew and then thrust back in. Each move and motion caused her to shake and tremble as her nerves were set on fire.
And it was only a matter of time before those flames took over. She gripped him tightly as everything exploded. It wasn’t until the shudders started to rush through her that she realized her fangs had sunk into Aidan’s shoulder. Before she could even think about apologizing, he tensed in her arms and his own orgasm took over.
Apparently he liked her biting. Good. Because she might never get tired of tasting him.
Aidan blinked awake. His head felt as if he were in a fog. Not a headache exactly, but like a medicated haze.
He sat up and let out a groan as the previous night came back to him. Not that he could really be upset about what he and Lina had done. He’d wanted her from the moment he’d first seen her, and finally taking her had been everything he’d dreamed about and more.
But the circumstances were hardly ideal. They’d been used like a sexual battery. The robed men wanted power, and they’d put the whole place in some sort of lust spell to increase their power. He didn’t like being used, and he really didn’t like Lina being used. The fact that they were in the enemy’s house when it happened just made the rest of it worse.
But they hadn’t been discovered yet. That was a good thing. He could probably get Lina dressed and sneak her back to her room before—
His door creaked open, and his worst nightmare came true. Scragg looked in, dispassionately glancing between Aidan and Lina. He didn’t look happy, but there wasn’t the angry outburst he’d expected either.
Thank God Lina wasn’t awake for this because he knew she would be terrified.
“Both of you get yourselves cleaned up and come downstairs. We need to talk.” Scragg pulled the door shut and disappeared as quickly as he’d shown up.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Shit. Should he make a run for it? He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was three p.m. That meant the sun was out and shining, not that he could see anything through the full-length black-out curtains. So he might be able to make a run for it, but Lina would be stuck.
And he couldn’t even imagine leaving her. Scragg hadn’t seemed angry. That could be a good thing.
But it also confused Aidan, and he didn’t like being confused. If he’d been engaged to Lina and found her in bed with some other guy, there would be nothing that could stop him from tearing apart the entire house brick by brick. Did that mean Scragg had some more devious revenge planned for the two of them? Did he just not care?
There was one thing in Aidan’s favor. It wasn’t as if he and Lina had simply given in to temptation. There had been magic at play. Lina’s room was right across the hall from his. He was the most convenient male for her to take out her lust on.
Would Scragg buy that? He’d have to try.
He gently nudged Lina’s shoulder. “Hey, babe,” he said softly.
She moaned as she rolled over. The blanket fell away from her breasts, and he was instantly hard again. Obvio
usly his cock didn’t understand the severity of the situation. “I need you to wake up, darling. We have trouble.”
That got her awake quickly. “Trouble?” she asked as she sadly covered her breasts and sat up.
“Scragg found us.”
She bolted off the bed, still covering herself. “What?” she shouted.
“He wants us to go downstairs.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not going. Are you crazy? No. He’s going to kill me. He’s going to kill you. Do you have a death wish?”
“What choice do we have? Are we going to barricade ourselves in here?”
“Yes! You move the bed and I’ll move the dresser.”
“We both know last night wasn’t our fault. It was the spell that made us stupid.”
She blinked rapidly, and he immediately knew that was the wrong choice of words. “Yeah. Stupid,” she muttered.
“For what it’s worth, he didn’t seem angry.”
“He doesn’t need to be angry to kill us,” she pointed out.
And she wasn’t wrong. “We don’t have a lot of options here. You tell me what you want to do and I’ll do it. Now, should we get dressed or should we start barricading?”
She took a deep breath as she pursed her lips, thinking over what precious few options they had. “He would get past a barricade,” she finally admitted to herself.
He didn’t say anything, letting her get to her own conclusion.
“And I could run outside and cover myself with a blanket, but he has those stupid warlocks everywhere who could catch me.”
He hadn’t even thought of that one. Yep, they were fucked.
She cursed under her breath. “Fine. I’m getting dressed because I refuse to die in a nightgown and no panties.” She quickly walked out of the room without waiting for Aidan.
He bit back all the curses he wanted to say as he pulled on his jeans, shirt, and shoes. If he did need to run, he didn’t want to be caught barefoot.
When he came into the hallway, Lina was just leaving her room. She was in the same outfit she’d arrived in yesterday of leggings, a black tank top, and knee-high black boots. She looked like a sexy cat burglar to him.
He wondered whether he’d ever have the chance to tell her that. Now probably wasn’t the time, though.
Without saying anything to her, he started downstairs. He was absolutely certain that anything he said would be listened to, and he wanted to make sure he went down first. At least if he was murdered immediately, she would have a chance to run.
He thought back to what that weird robed guy in his room had said. Was he really here for love? Was this what love was? Being willing to get shot in order to give someone else a chance to get a head start?
Flashes of Lina passed in front of his eyes. How sexy she looked when he first laid eyes on her. The fear as he’d saved her from the Vopura. The glint of competitiveness as he’d taught her to fight. The heat as he’d pressed her against those shelves in Tony’s library. Damn it. He didn’t have time in his life for this love shit.
But luckily, he wasn’t shot the moment he went downstairs.
Scragg sat on an armchair with two robed men on either side. “Welcome,” he said as he looked over to them when they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Have a seat.”
He hated this. He didn’t want some long villain monologue from Scragg. If the Vopura was going to kill them, he just wanted him to get it over with. He and Lina walked over to the couch across from Scragg. They each took a seat on opposite sides of the white sofa and probably looked like some guilty teens in front of a judgmental parent.
Except this wasn’t a judgmental parent. This was a homicidal invader who had no qualms about killing either of them.
“How was your night?” Scragg looked them both over.
“Don’t play with me.” Lina stared him down. “I don’t know what happened last night, but we both know it wasn’t natural.” She shifted her gaze to the robed men behind Scragg. “I don’t like my body being taken advantage of.”
Good girl. Instead of acting like a victim, she was going on the offense and turning the blame back to where it belonged.
“I knew it was a risk when I came here,” said Aidan, trying to keep his tone a bit more neutral than Lina’s. “Why would I jeopardize any of that by getting in bed with one of your... allies?”
Scragg abruptly smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not upset. I understand that my friends work in mysterious ways. If I knew what was going to happen last night, I would’ve given you some warning.” The smile fell away as he considered Aidan. “I can’t say I’m happy about what happened, but it’s all for the higher purpose, I assure you.”
“What higher purpose would have me sleeping with a stranger?” bit out Lina.
Maybe she was putting on the anger a bit too much, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“The Seattle gate was a game changer for us. It gave us access to a whole new... how do you say... world of possibilities. And the Florida gate let us get around the safeguards.”
From the corner of his eye, Aidan saw Lina stiffen.
“Florida?” she asked quickly.
“Some corner convenience store in Daytona. But it’s not enough. It can be blocked off just as quickly as the Seattle one. The Order of Nygma is going to change everything.”
“Order of Nygma?” asked Aidan. That must be the sect of warlocks helping Scragg. But why? After what happened to the last witch who allied herself with these things, why would any other magical being offer their alliance? What could they have to gain?
One of the men pushed back his hood, revealing long, scraggly black hair and a sharp black goatee over sharp cheekbones and sunken eyes. If he was truly entrenched in dark magic, Aidan suspected the man routinely forgot to eat. “It’s an honor to meet a member of the Masters household. We’d love to have one of your power with us. Once you’re unbound, of course.”
Oh, hell no. “How can I offer you any type of allegiance before I know what you truly want?”
“All in good time. For today, you two can just hang tight. I thought it was only fair that I explain what happened. Tonight, the Order will be performing a spell that will be opening gates all over the seven continents. There will be no human or superhuman force that will be able to stop the Vopura from our chance to rule.”
Lina gripped the small stone in her hand tightly. She’d done it. She’d accomplished exactly what Talia had asked of her. She now had the location of the new Vopura gate.
But it didn’t seem like a victory. What was the use? Even if Talia was able to shut down that gate in the next five minutes, it wouldn’t matter. Because by tomorrow there would be countless more. The only way she could leave here without feeling like a complete and total failure was if she managed to stop the rest of these gates from cropping up.
“That’s wonderful,” she forced out. “I want to help. Tell me what I can do.”
Scragg smiled, and she had to clench her fingers tighter. “The energy we got from you last night was more than enough, though I have to admit I regret the circumstances. I thought if anyone could fuck you for all the energy you were worth, it would be me.”
She stared at him, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to grab the dagger in her waistband and shove it into his neck. Let him talk about how much he wanted to fuck her when he had silver sticking out of his esophagus.
“Okay then.” Aidan stood. “We’ll leave you to it.”
Lina didn’t know whether she ever would’ve moved or whether she was just going to sit there and imagine killing Scragg. But then Aidan grabbed her arm and gave her a tug.
“I don’t think he wants our help any longer.” Aidan pulled her off the couch.
Lina didn’t want to go, but she didn’t want to stay either. Really, she was just a ball of rage, and she wanted to let out all of that anger, hopefully on Scragg’s face. For what had happened last night. For what was about to happen. For the women in c
ages downstairs.
“Don’t worry,” promised Scragg. “We’ll have plenty of ways for both of you to help once we make it past these crucial few hours. The spell starts at dusk, and by midnight all of our prayers will be answered.”
Lina forced her feet to move toward the stairs as she wondered what god Scragg was praying do. “Wonderful,” she managed in a cordial tone. “I’ll make sure to pray extra hard.” For your head on a platter.
“Are you ready?” asked Aidan as he barged into Lina’s room.
Lina turned from where she’d been pacing back and forth to glare at him. He was holding the music box, which she was simultaneously relieved to see and annoyed by at the same time. She was glad they had it but infuriated that they even needed to use it.
She met Aidan halfway and grabbed his arm with more force than she intended. “Of course I’m ready. I’m ready to burst out of here and put a stop to that ridiculous spell they’re doing, but until the sun goes down, I’m stuck here.”
“You leave the warlocks to me. I can handle them.”
“Great. And where is your grandmother?”
“Why would Talia show up?”
“Because I held her magic rock thing.” Aidan cranked the music box once more and she continued, “So she should know what we know about Scragg’s plans. If she wanted to shut down the one gate, I assume she’d want this one shut down as well. So we’re here and it’s almost dusk. Where is she?”
“We’re just going to have to assume we’re on our own here. Like I said, I’ll take care of the warlocks.”
“I’m stronger and faster than them. Let me have my chance.”
“You’re not stronger than a warlock. Trust me. All I have to do is interrupt their spell. I can try to do that without being discovered.”
“And I’m supposed to sit here and hope you don’t die?”
“No. While everyone is distracted with the ritual, you should go to the basement and free the women down there.”
The music box ran out, but Lina didn’t have anything to say at that moment. She hated the idea of Aidan going out alone, but if she could free those women, that would mean everything to her. With all this going on, she hadn’t been able to get the image of their sad and defeated expressions out of her mind.
