Dark Horizon (Pandorum Series Book 2)

by N. M. Black

  I know she’s gonna be pissed at me when she finds out that I did this in front of everyone, but if it’s gonna save her life, then too fucking bad. She can be mad at me her whole fucking life, as long as she’s alive, I don’t give a shit.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Chris?” Tripp asks, his eyes locked on my hand as I step closer to Lucie’s bed, settling beside her and pulling her to my chest.

  “She’s different.” And that’s all I say as I bring my hand up and hover it over Lucie’s mouth.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Chris?!” multiple shouts and gasps sound from every corner of the room as a small scuffle breaks out. I see Grey fighting to restrain Lochlan, but it's all background because all my attention is on Lucie.

  Come on, baby, wake up.

  Drip.

  “Chris…”

  Drip.

  Come. On.

  “Chris…” someone tries again, but I ignore everyone except the woman in my arms as I keep my hand over her mouth, letting the blood slide down her throat.

  “Come on, little one. I need you to drink it, baby. Come on,” I coo in her ear as I gently rock her body back and forth, praying to anyone that will listen to send her back to me.

  “Come on, Lucie. I need you to drink,” I try again, but still nothing, her body completely unresponsive and her breathing so shallow it’s hard to tell if she’s even doing it anymore.

  “Chris I think—” but someone stops Adira mid-sentence, as the room watches on in silence as I shatter, begging for Lucie to come back to me. Pleading for her to open her eyes.

  “Please, Lucie, I need you,” I whisper as a tear rolls down my cheek and onto hers.

  Lucie’s eyes suddenly snap open as she reaches up and latches onto my hand, and I almost sob in relief as I feel the first pull from her lips. She sinks her teeth in but I don’t flinch this time at the feeling of arousal that ignites inside me. This time I embrace it. But all too soon her lips pull away and her head lulls back, completely unconscious again.

  Gasps and various “What the fuck?” are heard and echo around the room at what has transpired, but I don’t care. Nothing will ruin the fact that Lucie is alive, in my arms and mine. Nothing.

  Fuck, not this shit again. I think to myself. That same damn incessant beeping is back, but at least it's a steady rhythm and not that obnoxious tone from last time.

  However, unlike last time, when I try to open my eyes they actually cooperate and I’m forced to squint against the overhead lights that seem to rival the sun. I go to lift my hand to cover my face when I’m met with resistance.

  Now what?

  I lift my head, with effort and am met with more bodies than I was expecting. Rowan sits on a loveseat with a sleeping Tripp handcuffed to her wrist while she reads whatever book she was able to scrounge up.

  Chris sleeps on the hospital bed with me, his head on my thigh using me as a pillow, with one hand in mine and the other wrapped under my legs. I smile and reach my other hand down and run it through his hair, basking in his affection, no matter how short lived.

  A throat clears and I turn my head to find Bea sitting beside my bed in a wheelchair, all wrapped up in blankets looking paler than when I left.

  “Hey, girl,” she croaks, her voice thick with emotion as she takes in the sight of me.

  “Hey,” is all I manage before she hauls her ass out of that chair faster than I could fathom considering her condition, and she wraps her arms around my neck. I pull her into the bed with me and Chris, not caring if I jarr him awake or not and wrap my arms around her, as every emotion for the past three months drowns me.

  “Shhh, it’s ok, girl, I got you,” she soothes, rocking me as a mother would a child, and I cling to her even tighter, refusing to let go ever again.

  “Hey, punk?” she says into my hair.

  “Ya?”

  “Mind lettin’ up a bit? My fragile bones can’t take all the superhero strength.” I let up and pull back as I hear chuckles covered by coughs come from where Rowan sits.

  “Damn, girl, you missed one hell of a show,” Rowan says from her seat and lifts her new bracelet to emphasize, and shaking Tripp awake in the process. He grunts when he realizes it’s just her moving around but sits upright immediately when he sees I’m awake.

  “Hey, Luce, how you feelin?” Tripp asks.

  “Surprisingly, I feel pretty good,” I say truthfully. I’m not in pain like I was the last time I ended up in this predicament.

  “You gave us quite the scare,” he says as his eyes pass by mine and land on Chris, who is no longer sleeping, just watching the exchange between myself and everyone else.

  “Who wants coffee?” Bea asks from her chair, and I shoot a death glare at her conveying with my eyes that it had better not be part of my stash she’s offering to everyone.

  “You have fucking coffee?!” Rowan’s voice similar to that of a child on Christmas morning, full of wonder and magic.

  “Oh, sweetie, you would be shocked what w—” Bea’s words are cut off and all conversation halts at the arrival of Dr. Tanner.

  “Hey, Lucie, I’m glad you’re awake. How are you feeling?” she asks walking into the room and taking in the group around me.

  “I feel pretty good, thanks.”

  “No need to thank me, I did nothing. It’s you I should be thanking, and Rowan, of course,” Dr. Tanner replies, elation evident in her voice while gesturing to Rowan and myself.

  “You hear that mountain man, thanks to me.” Rowan points out sarcastically while emphasizing herself.

  “Yes, I could not thank either of you enough. This could potentially be a new beginning for everyone. That being said, Bea, we are all set up and ready for you now,” Dr. T says, stepping towards where Bea, now back in her chair, is sitting.

  “Awe, we were just going to go get coffee,” Rowan says as Dr. T begins to wheel Bea out.

  “You get nothing but a one way trip back to the police station, now that we know Lucie is awake and can talk for herself.” Tripp cuts off Bea while trying to manhandle Rowan out of the chair. Rowan just smiles at me and winks as Tripp pushes her through the door.

  “I like it rough, soldier, so your little tactic to push me around does nothing but turn me on.”

  I can’t hear Tripp’s reply from the hallway as he continues to push her out the door, but I snicker at her comments, knowing damn well that he is gonna have his hands full with that one. I kinda hope she sticks around after all this.

  The second everyone is out of the room, Chris crawls up the bed, kneeling beside me, and pressing his forehead to mine. His hands come up and frame my face as he breathes me in and I watch as a single tear falls from his eye, landing on the sheets beside me.

  “I almost lost you,” he whispers against my lips, his voice so broken it slices my insides at how vulnerable he is right now and I don’t have the heart to push him away.

  His mouth fuses to mine, but he doesn’t take it further or push for more, he just holds me there as though he needs this reassurance.

  A moment of clarity seeps through my muddled brain and I press my hands to his chest, pushing back ever so slightly, remembering the events leading up to this moment and the feelings of betrayal return.

  “Wait! Don’t pull away.” Chris’s words barely a whisper, cause me to pause.

  I don’t know why I stop, maybe I’m a glutton for punishment or maybe it’s the fact that after the shit that went down out there today the thought of his betrayal isn’t as harsh, but either way I stop.

  “I’m sorry, Lucie. For everything. For yelling, for what I said, for how I treated you. Been treating you. I’m so fucking sorry. I just… Please don’t pull away from me.”

  The sound of his apology breaks through the last of my willpower to be mad at him and I crash my lips to his, taking everything he has to give. I grip his hair and tug, absorbing the growl he emits at my actions.

  He pulls back to look in my eyes while slowly climbing off the bed. He m
oves to shut and lock the door, closing the blinds on his return trip and tossing aside his shirt at the same time.

  Chris stands at the end of the bed removing his pants and boots in a quick striptease before climbing back on to do the same to me. Luckily the gown makes it super easy for him and he makes quick work of it.

  The second it’s off he crawls across my body and holds himself above while staring into my face. “Don’t ever leave without me again. I can’t do it anymore.” His tone leaving no room for argument.

  I hold his stare and for the first time I don’t fight him on this topic. If he wants to come on the runs with me then so be it, but I won’t stop doing them.

  “Ditto.”

  With that our mouths collide, both tongues demanding entry as we battle for dominance. I get the upper hand and flip him onto his back, straddling his waist, surprised at my own strength all things considered. I hold his gaze as I lean forward and rest my opening against his tip, but he wants no part of it and slams me down onto his hips in one fluid motion.

  I cry out at the invasion, but the slight pain mixed with the pleasure of having him inside me causes me to grind down harder, seeking friction against my clit. Chris’s hands slide up my thighs and he digs his fingers in, sure to leave bruises, still trying to gain control from the bottom by keeping me still and thrusting upwards.

  Not this time.

  I place my hands on his chest and lean forward slightly, taking the weight off my legs and redistributing it onto my palms as I hold Chris down, taking what I want. With each lift of my hips he slides almost all the way out until I slam back down onto him and forcing a growl from his throat.

  “Fuck, little one, you’re not even gonna give me a fighting chance,” he grits his teeth as I continue my movements and gathering speed, getting closer to the edge with each pass on his shaft.

  I don’t think Chris realizes that when I say my senses are heightened, I mean all of them, because if he thinks he’s going to come before me, he’s wrong.

  “Come on, little one...”

  Goosebumps break out over my skin at his words and the moment Chris pushes his hand between us, making contact with my clit, I fall. Hard.

  My breathing becomes ragged, my moans become a crescendo of pleasure as my orgasm slams into me, my eyes now a vibrant yellow. I feel the hunger begin its trek through my system, but it doesn’t feel as overwhelming like it usually does, instead it’s more of a dull manageable ache.

  “Do it.” His taunt loud in my ear, his hand coming up between us. Except this time I don’t think twice before I take what I crave from him. It’s no longer just a need, but a deep rooted craving that I don’t want to get from anyone else.

  He reveals a small cut on the side of his wrist, and the moment my lips touch his skin, his movements become erratic and after three more pumps, he comes. His entire essence swims within me, blending with my own and creating a strength I’ve never known.

  The feeling of him beneath me shatters every fantasy I’ve ever conjured, because this by far is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Chris throws his head back into the pillow, lips parted in a silent moan, veins stretching up the column of his throat as the look of euphoria replaces the concentration that was there only moments ago. His hands come up and grip both sides of my hips, coaxing me forward and back over his length at the pace he needs to finish, and I go willingly.

  I crash down to the bed beside him as we both try to catch our breaths, and he tucks me into his side, nuzzling where my neck meets my shoulder. His fingers run circles over my skin, making it tingle in every spot he touches.

  “I know I have a lot to apologize for, Luce, and I am sorry. And I will spend every single day apologizing to you, for the rest of our existence, if you’ll let me?”

  I’m not exactly sure what his promise entails, but I intend to find out.

  I sit across from her cell and catalogue her every curve and feature from her head to her toes. Long black hair, shaved on both sides. Not in a harsh way, but still feminine. Dark brown eyes, framed with long dark lashes and flawless sun-kissed skin. She’s fit, muscled, an alpha female to the core. And what I wouldn’t give to fight her for that dominance.

  My cock rises to attention at just the thought of having to pin her down and make her submit to me.

  Fight me, kitty kat.

  “Let’s try this again shall we? How did you two meet?” I ask for what has to be the millionth fucking time. Why she won’t make things easier on herself, I have no fucking clue, but she is stubborn to the core this one.

  “Ask, Lucie,” she replies dryly.

  “So, the two of you got all that equipment by yourselves?” Her jaw ticks at my words and I can see real emotion peek through that rough exterior she fools most with. But not me. I can see she is a vulnerable girl wanting to be taken care of for once not the other way around. To have someone take that control from her and let her breathe, if even for a moment.

  “Ask, Lucie,” she repeats.

  She doesn’t look away or cower under my stare, her fierceness never failing. The only thing giving away her agitation is the tick in her jaw at each question I throw at her.

  “I can do this all day, so why not make it easier on yourself and just answer the damn questions.” I try to reason with her, but can see by the look on her face that I won’t get a fucking straight answer no matter what I ask.

  “Better make yourself comfortable,” I grind out as I stand to leave, hearing her growl at my back.

  That’s fine, kitty kat, roar all you want, but I’m gonna be the one to make you purr.

  First and foremost, I have to thank you for reading this book. This is now my second book ever and the elation I feel is indescribable. I can’t wait for you to read Rowan and Tripp’s story, because let’s be honest, it’s going to be hot as fuck! Thank you for following me on this incredible journey and supporting me and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

  I need to thank Reyne Morris Clark for always pushing me like the slave driver she is, but I’m ok with that because without her, this wouldn’t be possible. Thanks girl for being with me this whole ride so far.

  An enormous thank you to Dee Garcia who makes all my words look beautiful with her graphics and covers and formatting. She puts up with my never ending questions, my stalker tendencies, unorganized ass and is pretty much at God status in my world. I know that sounds creepy, and I don’t care. You have done so much for me and I will literally thank you in every single book for the rest of my life, for just existing and being you. Thank you lady, I love you! xo

  I need to thank my husband for putting up with my moody ass and bringing me food and liquids throughout the whole process and fueling my passion. I love you Mike.

  To my family, if you’re reading this, don’t you dare judge me. I fucking warned you!

  The Pandorum Series

  Pandorum (Book One)

  Dark Horizon (Book Two)

  Rowan’s story *coming soon* (Book Three)

  The Swiss Series

  Her *coming soon*

  N.M. Black is a writer and a lover of all things dark, living in Ontario, Canada where she also works as a medical secretary. Living on caffeine, sarcasm and movie quotes, N.M. spends most of her downtime either reading, writing, or binge watching Harry Potter, Friends and anything Marvel. Looking to take the Indie scene by storm, her author journey has only just begun.