Pitch Black (Until Dawn, Book 4)

by J. N. Baker

  “More,” he demanded, fangs dancing over my femoral artery.

  “I can’t,” I breathed, shaking my head wildly. But even as I said the words, I was pressing his face into my aching core, begging for more as my orgasm started to build once more, my body obeying Josh’s every command.

  He took my clit into his mouth and flicked his tongue over it just as he curled and uncurled his fingers within me, beckoning my orgasm to come to him. And, boy, did it.

  I saw white as the second orgasm hit me, crying out as I arched into Josh’s mouth, muscles taut and skin coated in sweat as I spiraled into ecstasy.

  He slid his fingers out of me and already I missed the feel of him. Only now I wanted him to fill me with something much larger. His hungry eyes locked onto mine as he stuck his fingers into his mouth and sucked them clean. And fuck, if that wasn’t one of the hottest and dirtiest things I’d ever seen. I found myself aching for him all over again, my core throbbing for more as if he hadn’t just made me come twice in the span of ten minutes. I had a feeling I’d never get enough of this man.

  “You taste like heaven,” Josh said, his deep voice husky with want. He crawled up the length of my body, trailing kisses over the flat plane of my stomach and up my ribs, pausing at the sunburst between my breasts before pulling each erect nipple into his hot mouth.

  I felt the tip of him pressing against my entrance and a shuddering breath left me. His eyes met mine and I could see the question in them, the plea for permission.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered. “Take me.”

  Josh’s eyes never left mine as he rocked slowly into me, his muscular arms trembling on either side of my head as he stretched me to a point I wouldn’t have thought possible. A point that was just this side of painful. The man was hung and I was damn near a virgin. In many ways, that’s exactly what I was. I hadn’t chosen to give up my virginity, it was taken from me. This was the first time in my life I was choosing to take this step. And I was taking it with the man I loved.

  My mate.

  Josh.

  Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, Josh pushed the rest of the way in until he was seated against my hips. My legs wrapped around him, holding him to me as my body adjusted to his size.

  He pressed his forehead to mine, exhaling a shaky breath. “God, you feel amazing. Better than my wildest dreams.”

  Way better.

  I squirmed beneath him, needing him to move.

  He took the hint, slowly easing out of me and then back in, out and in, igniting a fire deep within me for the third time in a row. My head rolled back, overwhelmed by the sensation of Josh inside of me, filling me. Was this how it was for everyone? This intense, this strong—this hot? I was being consumed by the sun, burning under his fiery touch. I was surprised the whole goddamned cabin hadn’t gone up in flames yet.

  Josh fell into a steady rhythm, his muscles flexing as he drove in and out of me. With each long, punishing stroke, the base of his cock bumped against my sensitive bundle of nerves, driving me crazy. I felt myself inching higher and higher toward that same glorious cliff. I angled my hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, trying to pick up the pace as I drew closer to my release.

  “Faster,” I almost begged, voice husky with want.

  The time for soft and sweet was when we were human. Now we were two monsters staking their claim on each other.

  Our sweat-slicked bodies slid against one another as Josh pistoned in and out of me, the bed slamming rhythmically into the wall. I wrapped my arms around his neck, fingers finding traction in his back, digging into his skin until I felt blood pool under my nails. He growled, thrusting into me harder as his mouth captured mine in a carnal kiss, swallowing the moan as it left my lips.

  Josh released my mouth and leaned back, sliding his hand down my stomach to find my clit. His thumb brushed against it and I arched off the bed, fisting the sheets in my white-knuckled hands. So close.

  “That’s it,” he ground out, this thumb making languid circles until I was seeing stars. “I want to watch you come undone under me.”

  His words were all it took to push me over the edge, sending me spiraling into another mind-numbing, full-bodied orgasm as I screamed out his name, letting the whole godforsaken world know who I belonged to.

  I was Josh’s from now until forever, and after that still.

  Josh groaned and I felt him swell within me as he pumped once more, twice more, three times, finding his own release and spilling himself inside me with a moan that sent another wave of pleasure washing over me.

  For a minute, the only sound within the dark cabin was our heavy breathing. Josh leaned down, kissing me softly before gently pulling out and collapsing on the bed beside me. He tugged me into him, my back flush against his chest.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered, kissing the back of my head.

  Always my protector, even from himself. Too bad he couldn’t protect me from his own dagger. I was sure that thought tormented him. But I didn’t want to think about that right now, not when I’d just had Josh between my legs. Not when everything in this fucked up world was so perfectly right for once.

  “Better than okay,” I replied, stretching like a cat against him. Had to savor the blissfully sore muscles before they went and healed themselves. “This was the best night of my whole damn life.”

  “Good,” he whispered into my ear, his cock lengthening against the small of my back. “I hope you didn’t plan on getting much sleep tonight because I’m not done with you yet. We’ve got years of catching up to do.”

  I awoke to darkness—always darkness—only my blackened soul felt surprisingly light. My eyes quickly adjusted, scanning the run-down cabin I was lying in. Memories from the night before came rushing back to me and a familiar heat pooled between my legs.

  Josh wasn’t kidding when he’d said he wasn’t done with me yet. He’d taken me six ways to Sunday, and then some. I wasn’t sure if there was a single surface he hadn’t taken me on. Apparently, Chosen stamina wasn’t reserved for just fighting. The man was insatiable—not that I could talk. I would never get enough of him. Even now my core ached for more.

  Josh shifted behind me, one arm splayed across my chest and a heavy leg hooked over mine, keeping me pinned against him. His cock twitched at my back before hardening, as if it could sense my own arousal.

  Who knew when we’d be alone together again once Baldric got his hands back on me? Of all we’d done the night before, there was still something I’d yet to do. Something I’d wanted to do for some time.

  I twisted in Josh’s arms until I was facing him, placing a soft kiss on his collarbone. He groaned in his sleep, his erection punching at the single sheet draped over his hips. I smirked, sliding down his body, placing wet kisses on his chest and over his defined six-pack as I moved lower and lower. I slipped the sheet from his waist, his very large, very hard manhood springing free.

  Were dicks supposed to be that pretty, because damn.

  When I looked up from my ministrations, Josh’s fiery eyes were glued to me, all sleep gone from his face.

  Keeping my eyes on his, my tongue flicked out, trailing along one of those beautiful lines I loved so damn much. Josh’s hips bucked in response and I smiled against him. My fingers coiled around his impressive erection, giving it a gentle squeeze as I shifted to the other line of Josh’s sexy V, starting at the top and following the muscle down until my tongue was dancing mere inches from his throbbing cock.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said, voice strained.

  But I wanted to.

  The man had gone down on me three different times throughout the course of what would be known as The Best Night in the History of Nights in Zoe’s Fucked Up Life. The least I could do was return the favor.

  Holding the base, I swirled my tongue around the tip before taking him as far into my mouth as I could. Josh moaned, his head rocking back into the mattress as I repeated the motion, over and over, pumping my hand up and
down his shaft as I did. I moaned around him, my other hand slipping between my own legs, fingers running through my slick folds.

  “Zoe, stop,” he said between ragged breaths, his eyes shifting from one of my hands to the other. But I kept going, loving the effect my touch had on him, the way he trembled beneath me. He was mine.

  Josh growled in warning before pulling me off his cock with an audible pop. “I told you last night,” he said, flipping me onto my hands and knees, “you’re not in charge when you’re in my bed. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to let you make me come before you have.”

  With one thrust, he buried himself inside me, filling me completely. I cried out, rocking my hips back to meet his as he impaled me a second time.

  “Oh my God,” I gasped.

  Josh’s fingers dug into my hips as he increased his speed. “Who do you belong to?” he ground out and I could tell he was close. I was too. Painfully close. Just a little more…

  He leaned over me, nipping at the nape of my neck with those fangs of his. “Who?”

  “You,” I cried. “Only you.”

  “That’s right, my angel,” he purred, pressing a kiss to my hot flesh. “You’re mine and I’m yours.”

  Josh’s hand slipped between my legs, finding my nub and circling it. That was all it took and I was shattering around him. Two more pumps and Josh joined me, emptying himself into me with a primal moan as he climaxed.

  He kissed my shoulder before slipping out of me and pulling me into his lap, cradling me to his chest. “God, I love you,” he whispered, stroking my back in long, soothing strokes. “So damn much.”

  I pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth, fingers running along his scruffy jaw. “I love you too.”

  His eyes trailed down my naked body, pupils dilating. “We should get you dressed before I lose control all over again.”

  I smiled, shifting just so on his lap to elicit a groan from him. Josh practically shoved me off him, slapping my ass as I stood from the bed. I whipped around on him, jaw popping open and eyes wide. Had he just spanked me? Had I actually liked it?

  Josh flashed me a devious grin before tossing me my pants. “Get dressed. We need to head back soon before Baldric gets suspicious.”

  Well, if that wasn’t a cold bucket of water over my raging libido…

  And, apparently, I wasn’t the only one the comment had affected. The entire atmosphere in the cabin changed, suddenly feeling so much colder. Josh fell silent as he got dressed alongside me, clearly lost in his thoughts as much as I was.

  “Let’s go,” he said once we were both back in our mostly-dried clothes, sans the underwear that Josh had literally ripped off me the night before.

  He headed out of the cabin with me trailing after him.

  I paused at the threshold, staring out into the darkness beyond. I knew the second I stepped out of that cabin that reality would come rushing back to me. Baldric, William, Alec, the whole goddamned apocalypse…it would all be real again. Was it so bad that I just wanted to stay in this perfect bubble with Josh forever?

  Josh stopped when he realized I was no longer following him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

  “I don’t want this to end,” I told him, my voice small.

  He made his way back to me and I noticed for the first time that it had stopped snowing. “I know,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “I don’t either. But we have to go back. You and the king have a deal and until we find a way out of it, we have to return.”

  I knew he was right, but that didn’t stop me from hating the truth. And the truth was if we went back, I wasn’t sure when I’d be alone with Josh again. If ever. After all, I was now forced to sleep in Baldric’s bed and be his bride.

  I wasn’t ready to lose Josh again, in any form.

  As if reading my mind, Josh pulled back slightly, his hand going to my face. “It will be okay,” he said, thumb stroking my cheek. “We will help Baldric kill William and end this bloody war once and for all. And then you, me, and our friends will leave all of this behind us. We will start our lives together far away from this place.”

  End it once and for all? Was that really possible?

  I’d spent every waking moment of my life for the past seven years immersed in this world—in a war that was never mine to begin with. I’d been trained to fight, to kill—turned into a monster. My whole life revolved around this bloody war. It seemed strange to think of all that finally being over. Being free to live my own life.

  “And if Baldric comes for me?” I asked the difficult question.

  “Then I’ll kill him,” Josh said, ice seeping into his voice. “Now, let’s find somewhere to clean up before we go back. As much as it pleases me, I don’t think the king will be happy with my scent all over you.”

  We found a lake south of the cabin that wasn’t completely frozen over to clean ourselves in…and then promptly got dirty all over again. The second I’d stepped out of the icy water, Josh had pulled me down on the shoreline and made love to me. The man couldn’t keep his hands off me. It was like we’d opened the floodgates and there was no stopping the force of our love now.

  Which was bothersome seeing as we were heading back to Baldric’s kingdom where I was meant to be Baldric’s beloved queen.

  As the torchlight from the outskirts of the kingdom lit up the night sky in front of us, my pace slowed.

  “It’ll be okay,” Josh said, voice low in case there were any listening ears nearby. His fingers twitched like he wanted to take my hand but knew he couldn’t. Not anymore.

  Not here in the place where Baldric was the self-proclaimed king surrounded by thousands of loyal subjects. People who would—and had—killed for him.

  Forcing my feet to move, we followed the torchlit path through the darkness back to Baldric’s room. As we neared the castle gates, I was truly surprised to find Baldric was not waiting for us. In fact, no one was.

  Sure, there were a handful of guards roaming the grounds, but not a single one of them paid us the slightest bit of attention. I wasn’t sure why I’d expected some dramatic welcoming. Knowing Baldric, he probably hadn’t even told his people I’d left. Had to keep up appearances and all, and he clearly wanted his people to accept me.

  Damn him.

  Josh and I exchanged a quick glance and I stepped inside.

  The castle was quiet, which meant it was likely “night” once again. Which meant Baldric would be in his room—our room.

  Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply before making my way through the castle toward the monster who wasn’t quite as monstrous as I’d been told. And yet, I found I still hated him, nonetheless. While he might not have been as evil as William, he still wanted to use me. Worse yet, he wanted to keep me for himself—keep me from the man I loved. He may not have destroyed the world, but he was ruining mine.

  But Josh was right. Knowing what I knew now, I wasn’t sure I could kill Baldric. I wasn’t sold on the idea of letting him live yet either.

  Standing in front of the large wooden door, I contemplated knocking, but I didn’t like how apologetic that felt. I had nothing to apologize for. My life had been one enormous lie. I had every damn right to be upset. Even if Baldric wasn’t the one who’d lied to me.

  I flung open the door to find Baldric standing by the window. The room was engulfed in darkness and ice cold. His not-so-black eyes reflected in the glass as he stared into the abyss. Had he been watching for me? And if so, for how long?

  “You came back,” he said softly, not looking at me.

  “I told you I would.”

  Baldric finally turned away from the window to face me. His face was hard but his eyes were filled with compassion. I hated that. I missed seeing him as a cold, emotionless warlord. Things were simpler back then. Back when Baldric was the bad guy and I thought I was fighting for what was right.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step in my direction.

  I cocked an eyebrow.
“What do you think?”

  He huffed a laugh. “I suppose not. The truth is often hard to swallow.”

  “Especially when the truth is the size of a goddamn elephant,” I mumbled and I saw his lips twitch.

  We stood there in silence, staring at one another for what seemed like minutes.

  “I will help you kill William,” I finally said. “Under one condition,” I added before he could respond.

  “We’re making deals again, are we?”

  “All of this ends,” I told him. “No more fighting. No more bloodshed. And no more ruling what’s left of this fucked up world. This all started because William wanted ultimate power. But you said yourself, the Chosen were always meant to serve and protect—not rule. So, once that lying sack of shit is dead, all of this is over.”

  Baldric’s eyes darkened as they narrowed on me, blacker than the night itself. “It is over when I say it is,” he growled.

  “Baldric—”

  “No!” he roared and I retreated a step.

  “William took everything from me,” he said, taking a menacing step toward me. “He corrupted my brothers and sisters.” Another step. “He killed my king.” Step. “He turned my people against me and convinced them I was the enemy.” Step. “And he took the woman I loved away from me forever.”

  One last step and Baldric was towering over me. “All so he could rule over the mortal world. He must pay for what he has done.”

  “And he will,” I told him. “He will die for what he’s done to you—to us.”

  “William will die when I let him die,” he snarled and I flinched away from him. This was the Baldric I’d seen in battle—the one I’d just been missing. This was the bloodthirsty killer hell-bent on ruling the world. Only, he wasn’t driven by the need for power. He was driven by revenge.

  “I will have his blood,” Baldric continued. “I will have his cries for mercy. I will have him begging me for death. I will break him. And then I will make him watch me take his precious crown and the title he craved—the one he fought and killed for. I will take everything from him as he did me. He will be forced to watch as I rule this world he created. That is his true punishment. And when I feel he has finally paid for his sins, then and only then will I let him die. That is when it will be over.