Sleeping with Monsters

by Hutchins, Amelia

  “The Gods are fucking fickle bastards,” he growled. “Five minutes; that’s the time between when he entered that party after you arrived and when I did. It was supposed to be me, but no, I had other obligations.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked as I lifted the skirt and stepped closer to him.

  He exhaled and shook his head.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he laughed silently as his chest shook but no sound escaped. “Let’s go crash the party, kitty,” he said as he extended his elbow. “You do know you’re probably going to get half the kids out there murdered tonight, right?”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I laughed softly.

  “You’re beautiful. So fucking beautiful it hurts to look at you tonight,” he mumbled as he rubbed his free hand down his face and stared straight ahead.

  “Thank you, Spyder. You’re pretty fucking hot too,” I laughed as we entered the main hallway, picking up some burly-looking Fae, including the sapphire eyed one who had scared the crap out of me at the Guild. He smirked as he took in the dress.

  “Poor fucker,” Zahruk mused before he pulled knives from their holsters on his legs and slipped them into his sleeves. I swallowed as a nervous flicker started to take hold of me. I could see the weapons he carried, the multitude of them, and yet he was protecting me against Kendra. I didn’t know why she’d done it, or if she knew what would happen when she did, but I knew I could no longer trust her and that broke me more than Lucian ever had.

  As we got closer to the club’s main room, I could hear the noise level becoming unbearable mixing with the noise my head. Vlad’s blood kicked one hell of a punch that hadn’t released me yet, and everything was heightened; my senses, my reflexes, my body’s responses, everything.

  The moment we reached the club’s main room, everything seemed to stop. The noisy chatter died down to a minimum as I entered the room, pausing on the edge of it. The assembly turned, staring at me as I stepped from the hallway, followed by the guards who flanked my sides.

  My gaze searched the endless sea of faces until I found him. Lucian stood in the middle of the sea of people, staring up at me as I gazed back with a need so raw and red hot that it terrified me. I stood there, somehow managing not to fidget as his gaze swept down my scantily clad body. I found strength and courage in the heat that filled his endless depths.

  I wasn’t the girl who wore such dresses, not the type that exposed this much skin. I was modest, never needing to show myself off as something I wasn’t, but I’d wanted to be special tonight. I was on display, but there was only one man who I wanted to catch. I’d chosen everything carefully, dressing for seduction.

  Lucian was dressed in a dashing suit, one that was a mixture of midnight and dark blues to match his alluring eyes. His hair was pulled back, and he still managed to look every inch the predator he was. No amount of expensive suits hid what he was, or ever could. Falcon stepped in front of him, blocking my view.

  I tore my eyes it from where Falcon stood, searching the other faces until I found Alden gazing at my mother from across the crowded room with a longing that tightened my chest. Dexter stood mere inches away from him, vying for Kat’s attention as men offered for her hand in the next dance. No one had the balls to go for what they really wanted. They wasted time pining away instead of going for it.

  Didn’t they know how short life was? How precarious it could be, or that in an instant, it could be lost? They ignored what they wanted most, hiding or burying their feelings to protect their heart from getting rejected or hurt. I bit my lip as tears filled my vision as I considered what I had done. I’d pushed Lucian away and he was the one thing that stood beside me.

  Yes, what he’d done was wrong, but his intentions had been pure. He’d fought to protect me, and even so, I’d lashed out. And while I had a right to be hurt, did I really want to waste any more time without him? The crowd began to chatter again, and men moved towards me with purpose in their gait.

  I stood on the stairs that led into the room and, before the first man could offer his hand to dance, I began moving. The urgency inside of me grew as I started through them, turning sideways to pass as they tried to vie for my attention or talk to me.

  Falcon growled when I passed him by, his words of tradition ringing in my head, and I smirked as I headed straight for the one man who held my soul. Fuck tradition; fuck the coven’s laws tonight. Life was too short. I knew what I wanted and I intended to take it; nothing else mattered right now. I pushed past anyone who tried to bar my way to the one man I wanted, the one who stole my heart like a thief in the night. He waited in place, not moving as I made the choice on my own, deciding my own path.

  I rushed into his arms and kissed him with everything I had. I didn’t care who watched us, or if I was disobeying what the coven had laid down for me to follow. The guards had followed me right to him, circling around us as I threaded my fingers through his hair, claiming him in the only way I could. I knew without having to look around us that every eye in the club was on us. It didn’t matter; the moment our lips touched, everything else faded away into the background.

  There might be no tomorrow for us, just right now. My grandmother’s message she’d given them to hand to me was long forgotten, and even if the coven kicked me out, I knew he’d be there to catch me when or if I fell. I didn’t need another lover, didn’t care to take one. There was this man, and he alone held the key to my heart.

  His arms slipped around my back, lifting me closer as our bodies crushed together. Our mouths moved in a dance as old as time as each of us fought to get closer to the other. His hands slid up my back, capturing my face between their warmth as he pulled away and stared into my gaze.

  “What are you doing, little witch?” he murmured as his lips touched mine again as if he couldn’t get enough of them.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered as his smile broadened and he pulled me close again, claiming my mouth in a toe-curling kiss. He invaded me, the smell of sandalwood and masculinity unraveling my last shred of dignity as I moaned loudly against his lips. I didn’t care who heard it.

  The club had started moving around us, dancing as they pretended not to watch us in our brazen embrace as we threw propriety to the wind and basked in each other’s presence. He was my perfect. Lucian Blackstone was my own fucked up version of perfection that I craved more than I did the need to breathe. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t mortal, or that we were so different, or more to the point, that we were all wrong, because together, he was my right.

  “Magdalena,” he warned as he pulled back and peered down at me. “You were always mine,” he murmured before he started moving me around to the music that played in the background. Ed Sheeran’s Perfect filled the room and Lucian surprised me as he moved us gracefully. We glided around the floor, the men slowly moving around us as we danced to the heady notes of the song. He danced perfectly, as if he’d practiced it a million times. He ignored my clumsy movements and controlled them, which made it appear as though I didn’t have two left feet.

  “You could have acted surprised,” I mouthed off as my brain registered what he’d said.

  “Why would I do that?” he countered as his fingers threaded through mine when we stopped dancing and stood in the middle of the dance floor with couples all around us. “I knew you would come around, you needed time. I gave it to you because I know you’re one of the most stubborn women on the planet.”

  “You’re a conceited ass,” I laughed as I smirked up at him. He shook his head and pulled me with him away from the dance floor. “Hey,” I said, pulling back against his hold on my hand as he tried to leave the dance. “Coven rules state we cannot leave until at least the fifth song.”

  “Fuck coven laws tonight, Lena. I’m seconds away from ripping off that dress and claiming you right in the middle of this dance floor so every asshole in here stop
s eye-fucking you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” I challenged. My eyes grew wide as he turned around and grabbed the strap that sat on my shoulder. “Don’t you dare, Lucian!” I warned with a giggle.

  “I’ve been patient with you, but it has reached its end, little witch,” he warned as he pulled me with him, as we entered the empty hallway.

  The moment we were out of view of the others, he pushed me against the wall, trapping me between his hands as he placed his face inches away from mine. His lips touched my neck and I groaned as desire tore through me. My body clenched in response to his hungry mouth as he sucked against the rapid pulse that hammered wildly for his touch. “You’re so fucking beautiful, but tonight, tonight you shine from within with a confidence that surprises me. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right now,” he admitted between kisses.

  “We need a room,” I uttered, breathless from his kisses. He lifted me until I was forced to wrap my legs around his waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my fingers through his silky hair as I held his mouth against mine.

  He ground his cock against my wetness, uncaring that this position showed my bare thighs or maybe even more to the men who coughed or made remarks as we struggled to get closer to one another.

  “We’re not going to make it,” he growled as he started us down the hallway, not bothering to set me on my feet.

  “Lucian,” I warned and grinned against his mouth as he kicked the door to the bedroom open. “You undo me,” I moaned as he slammed the door in the men’s faces, much to their disappointment.

  Chapter 30

  The moment the door was closed, flames leapt from the candles that filled the room and bathed it in a soft glow. The music started up as I slid down his body slowly, not missing the ardor that filled him as his hands slowly slid down my exposed sides. Theory of a Deadman’s cover of Wicked Games started up as he turned me around, cupping my breasts as his lips kissed the back of my neck until my legs grew weak.

  He slowly walked me towards the bed, never stopping until we reached it. I expected to be tossed onto it. Instead, he pulled his mouth away from my neck and untied the bow at the back of the dress. His hands came up, warm against my arm as he pushed one shoulder off, kissing it softly with his hungry mouth, only to repeat it with the other. He worked it as if he was opening a treasured gift.

  The dress pooled around my feet, and I kicked it to the side as he slowly kissed his way down my spine. The panties I wore were ruffled, which pulled a growl of approval from deep in his chest as he pushed them down.

  Once he’d bared me to his greedy gaze, he slowly trailed his fingers up my thighs and side until he stood at his full height. He grabbed my hair, fisting it as he turned me around and then lowered his forehead against mine. He swallowed hard as he searched my face, and whatever he found there made him growl with approval. His lips touched mine and I moaned, leaning forward, only to feel him pull against my hair. He tugged my head back, using my hair for leverage as his lips met mine and his tongue sought entrance. His other hand touched my sex, parting it with his skilled fingers as it slid through the slick readiness he’d created. He rumbled from deep in his chest as his mouth consumed any coherent thought I had. It wasn’t just a kiss, it was more.

  He backed up, staring down at my naked body as he slowly began to remove his shirt. I was lost in the sight of him stripping so much that I didn’t even realize the song was slowly repeating over and over—and I didn’t necessarily care, either. He’d picked it; for some reason this beautiful creature had chosen this song to make love to me with.

  Once his chest was bared, I lowered my mouth, licking along the lines of each tattoo, unable to stop myself as I lowered myself to the bed, sitting on it as he allowed my moment of weakness. His hands tangled in my hair as he allowed me to continue, his breathy sigh encouraging me as I struggled against his slacks, needing them off as much as I needed him inside my body.

  “What the fuck am I going to do with you?” he murmured as I freed his cock and slowly licked down the long length of him until I felt him tense against my seduction. I kissed the thick tip, slowly enveloping him in my mouth until I felt him pushing against my throat. His hold on my hair tightened as I swallowed until my throat relaxed, allowing even more in. When I started to withdraw, he pushed me down, following me as his mouth found mine, claiming it hungrily until breathing no longer mattered. His fingers parted my sex, slipping through the wet folds as he tested the waters of my desire.

  My knees dropped, giving him further access to my pussy. His mouth left mine devoid of his heat and I cried out. He nipped at my breasts, slowly licking around the areola before his teeth scraped over the heated peaks. His middle finger entered me and I arched against it for more, his mouth devouring my skin as his finger worked magic on my pussy. I exploded without warning and he laughed against my nipple as his gaze lifted and he bit down gently, nipping my flesh.

  Lucian pulled me up until I wrapped my legs around him, poised above his thick cock as he slowly used my hips to push me down onto it. I cried out as he stretched me until my body trembled and adjusted to his fullness.

  His arms wrapped around me, forcing me to work against his cock as I rose and lowered my body, his lips once again finding mine. His hands rose, grasping my face on either side and capturing it, kissing me as if it was the first and last kiss he would have. The orgasm built inside of me until it was a storm, threatening to release. The moment it did, I screamed his name like he was my savior, as if he was my God. My hands lifted to thread through his hair, holding him still as my mouth continued to battle against his. With his growl and my moan, the music was drowned out against the fervor in the room, a fever burning that neither of us could control.

  “Greedy little witch,” he murmured.

  He pushed me down, following me onto the bed as he started to pick up the pace, taking what he needed. My hands continued to hold his mouth against mine. His slim hips moved slowly, as if he was savoring every thrust. He broke the kiss, staring down into my face with a look that both confused and undid me. He ate my soul, and never had I felt more loved than I did right now, more cherished than I did as he gazed down at me.

  I watched as he lifted his body, supporting his weight on his arms as he started to move faster. My legs wrapped around his waist, giving him more depth as he watched me through obsidian eyes that tore apart my defenses and battered my already fractured walls. I didn’t know how to react to this, the slow love that he was showering me with. I could react to hard, brutal sex, but this…this was new to me. This gentleness from him terrified me.

  He continued until I cried out with the impending orgasm that lingered just on the precipice of the cliff—and then everything changed. His body slammed against mine and he rolled me, forcing me to rock my hips as I straddled him. His hands grasped my breasts, pulling against the nipples as I clenched around him, my body tightening hard against him as the orgasm ripped me apart. The moment it began to ebb, he rolled us and pushed my legs further apart as he slammed against my body with brutal intensity. It refused to stop; orgasm after orgasm shuddered through me until my body refused to stop shaking with the force as each one grew stronger. His hand lifted, pushing against my throat. I braced for my air to be stolen, but it never came. His thumb pushed into my mouth and I bit down, sucking greedily against it as he continued to ride my body hard.

  When he withdrew his thumb, he captured my chin in his palm, cradling my face against his mouth as he lowered it. His body shuddered and I felt him emptying inside of me. He moaned, unable to stop it from finding purchase as he swore and trembled against me.

  He lay beside me in the bed, lifting my leg, which he held over his hip as he entered me again. He didn’t stop. Hours passed, and every time we came apart, he held me until his cock pushed back into my body.

  When we couldn’t physically take any more, he
held me. We talked and I laughed, something we’d never done before. It was unusual, but I wasn’t going to question it. This was a side of Lucian not many got to see, and it was the first time I was seeing him beyond the cold exterior he showed to others.

  “I’ve never been slow with anyone,” he disclosed, and I blinked as I turned and looked at him in disbelief.

  “Never?” I questioned.

  “I’ve never cared to,” he admitted. “I fuck hard. I don’t think when I fuck; it’s just something I do.”

  “What changed?” I asked, fishing for the reason. I knew why I’d wanted him. Everything inside of me had cried out of love for him, and he held my heart in his palm whether he wanted it or not. I’d vowed to never love again, and yet with him, I’d fought it and failed.

  “I don’t know,” he murmured. “Something about you tonight made me need this,” he said thoughtfully. I swallowed hard at the tension I heard in his voice, the way he stiffened as if he had just discovered something he didn’t want to, or liked.

  I exhaled and settled against his arms for warmth. We’d talked for hours between bouts of crazy sex and endless passion, but now something was wedging us apart.

  “Maybe you fell in love with me,” I joked and felt him tense even more against me.

  “Go to bed, Lena.”

  “I love you,” I whispered as my eyelids grew heavy, as if he’d used something to force me to sleep, but I fought against it. “I always have.”

  “Bloody hell,” he growled as he pushed his legs into his pants and paced beside the bed. “You shouldn’t have said that! Fuck!” His fist hit the wall, sending plaster crashing to the hardwood floor. I swallowed as a tear slipped from my eye. I’d fallen in love with this brutal man, and he’d rejected it.