by Wood, Vivian
Just as her body was tightening, her release moments away, he pulled back and favored her with a hungry look.
“Tease,” she accused, biting her lip.
“I want to feel you come around me,” he said, pulling up the hem of his shirt to take it off and tossing it aside, revealing miles of incredible, perfectly sculpted muscle.
“Damn, you are so sexy,” she told him, reaching out and running her hands down his tanned chest, hooking her thumbs in the twin dips of muscle at each hip bone.
She looked up and met his gaze as she unbuttoned his jeans, undressing him with artful slowness. She dragged his tight navy boxer briefs off, sucking in a little breath of anticipation when she saw his full, naked glory.
He was huge. Long, thick, and perfect. Her fingers were encircling his girth before she knew it, exploring him in the same languid strokes he’d used to pleasure her with his tongue. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his legs, taking his length in her fist and leaning down to swirl her tongue around the thick crown.
“Sophie, fuck,” he gritted out, brushing the hair back from her face. “You’re killing me, I swear.”
She gave him a mischievous smile before positioning herself to take him deeper, moaning with pleasure when he cried out her name again. Every muscle in his body stood in stark relief; Ephraim seemed to vibrate with his need for release.
All too soon, though, he was pulling her away.
“Damn if I’m going to spend in your throat, no matter how lovely this mouth might be,” he said, his dirty talk making her blush. It was silly, given the intimacy of their positions, but Ephraim made her blood race in new and exciting ways.
Sophie let Ephraim drag her up his body, accepting his kiss as he positioned himself at her entrance. She sat up, letting her breasts thrust out, enjoying the look of male appreciation on his face. He lifted her, ready to bring their bodies together
He froze for a second.
“I… I haven’t considered birth control in at least fifty years,” he admitted, pulling her down so that he could nuzzle her neck, cup her breast absently.
“It’s taken care of,” Sophie said, kissing his lips, hungry for more of him. “Modern miracles of science and all.”
“Thank the gods,” he muttered, leaning up to give the tip of her breast an appreciative nip.
“Fuck me, already,” Sophie said, giving him an answering bite on his lower lip.
He arched a brow but didn’t protest, lifting her and bringing her core flush to the head of his cock. Just as he would have started to push in, he paused again.
“Mmm… wrong position,” he said, an evil smile on his face.
Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but just that quickly Ephraim was flipping her over. Face down, ass up, knees spread wide. When he positioned himself and filled her in one deep, nerve-frying thrust, she cried out and clutched at the covers.
“Ephraim, yes!”
He gripped her hips hard as he thrust into her again and again, slowing to slap her ass cheek hard, and then picking up speed again. Sophie went over the edge of some unknowable sensation, her face pressed into the comforter. She knew nothing, saw nothing, had nothing in her life except the feeling of Ephraim as he worked her body hard.
Her breasts tightened to the point of near pain, her whole body felt heavy and full and needy. She was so, so close but she couldn’t quite let go, not without him.
She wanted so, so badly to feel him lose control, feel him come in her. That thought alone almost pushed her to the breaking point, but she held on.
Her throat ached, but she couldn’t hear her own cries of pleasure. When Ephraim’s clever fingers slid around her hip and down her thigh, finding her clit, she shattered in an instant, clenching and screaming and sobbing.
Ephraim came with a shout, fingers gripping her hips painfully hard, pumping his seed deep inside her body again and again, fulfilling her fantasy in ways she couldn’t have comprehended.
He shocked her then, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her up, pressing his lips to her neck. He buried his teeth in her neck, marking her as his mate, taking her by complete surprise.
She should fight, rail against him. She should be angry that he hadn’t even asked whether she wanted it, wanted him…
Instead she allowed Ephraim to pull her down to the bed, to wrap her in his arms, to whisper sweet things against her neck where her new mating mark lay. Every other minute of every day, she fought.
Right here, right now…
Surrender was her escape, and Ephraim the fulfiller of her dreams.
Just for tonight…
Even as she thought the words, the bite on her neck ached, and she knew they weren’t true. She was Ephraim’s now, and Ephraim was hers. For better or for worse, they were bound… at least until Sophie managed to kill Papa Aguiel, which would probably destroy her completely.
Better not to think of that now. Better to inhale Ephraim’s sultry, comforting scent, lay in his protective embrace, soak in his warmth…
And lie to herself, if that’s what it took to snatch this one tiny bit of happiness.
Chapter Nine
Bedlam didn’t quite begin to describe the state of the French Quarter when Sophie and Ephraim rode down Decatur Street in the Guardians’ armored SUV. Duverjay was driving all the males plus Alice and Echo, who were apparently allowed to go on such a dangerous mission. As they cruised past the French Market, paying absolutely no attention to the usual one-way streets, the place was deserted.
Except the staggering corpses and the possessed, who were legion in number. Groups of them moved in swarms, this direction and that, single-minded as flocks of sheep being herded onward… but to what?
“Shit, there are a bunch of humans running away from the Riverwalk,” Aeric said, pointing toward the paved area where the French Quarter met the Mississippi river. “They don’t look particularly possessed to me.”
“Pull over,” Rhys commanded Duverjay. “And don’t you dare let Echo leave this truck.”
Sophie arched a brow. So that was the deal Echo had worked out, getting out of the Gray Market but being forced to stay in the car? Raw deal, in Sophie’s opinion.
Her own mate was looking at her like he wished nothing more than to force her to do the same, but he just stayed tense and silent. When the SUV screeched to a halt, they all piled out. Half the Guardians spread out toward the approaching humans, but it was a lost cause. After a few moments all the humans stopped dead, staring forward mindlessly.
“Papa Aguiel’s got them under his spell all right,” Ephraim said to Sophie. She nodded. In a terrifying moment, all the humans turned as one and began to stagger back toward the river.
“He’s on the Steamboat Natchez,” Sophie said, pointing at a bright bolt of blue light that rose into the night sky. “He’s probably channeling raw elemental power straight from the river, using it to help bolster his control over the possessed.”
Sticking her hand into her pocket, Sophie reassured herself that the thin velvet pouch holding the black gemstone was still there. Waiting for her, it seemed.
As she and Ephraim and the rest of the Guardians rushed to follow the possessed humans, Papa Aguiel made his presence more clear. Bolt after bolt of magic spewed into the sky, and a dark figure could be seen on the deck of the boat, swathed in the same blue light.
As Sophie racked her brain for desperate, last-minute brain storms on how she might use the gemstone on Papa Aguiel without involving Ephraim, her mate shifted into his bear form and barreled toward a large group of zombies that swept in from the east side.
Watching him fight, measuring the quarter-mile of foes and battles between the Guardians and Papa Aguiel, Sophie knew she had no choice. Yes, she might lose Ephraim forever if she used her powers of command against him. Yes, it would crush her; if using the soul stealer didn’t wreck her aura permanently, driving Ephraim away would.
But if she didn’t… she and Ephraim would both die, along w
ith the rest of the city, perhaps eventually the world. Lily’s spirit would be glommed to Papa Aguiel’s for the duration, never free to move on to the next world.
As far as choices went, they were all hard as hell. But the idea of Lily’s legacy being part of what would be the downfall of all humankind…
“Ephraim!” She shouted, trying to get his attention before she lost her nerve. Already cursing herself, she pulled the keys from her back pocket and held them high. “T-take me to your haven!”
The fury on his face was undeniable. He came over to her, his movements as still and jerky as those of the possessed she’d seen earlier. Tears running down her face, Sophie just stood there and waited for him, knowing she’d crushed the most special thing in her entirely shitty new life.
When Ephraim took her hand in a bruising grip, she didn’t wince. She welcomed the pain. He closed his eyes and transported them from the battlefield in a moment’s thought. Ephraim’s quiet, ethereal maladh was a balm to her senses, but she wanted none of it.
“Don’t go,” Ephraim said through gritted teeth. “Whatever you’re going to do, please don’t. Sophie…”
“He killed my sister,” Sophie told him. “Because she was innocent, he used her to gain a foothold into this world. Her spirit can never rest, because a piece of her rides along with him forever.”
Ephraim turned away from her, but Sophie needed her final goodbye.
“Stay still,” she commanded him.
His anger was almost palpable, but Sophie just walked around to slip her arms around his shoulders, giving him a tight hug. She pushed up onto her tiptoes to kiss his unyielding lips, unable to look him in the eye. His disgust was more than she could take, just now.
“I have to do this, alone. It’s going to kill me, probably. I can’t let you make that sacrifice, not for any reason,” she told him. “I’m going down the hallway, into the spirit realm, and I am probably not coming back.” She glanced up at him for the barest moment, only affirming the pure fire she saw in his gaze. “I wouldn’t have anything or anyone to come back to anyway, not after this. On the upside, the keys will probably die with me. I think… I researched a little, and I think it might free you when my spirit dissipates.”
She tucked the keys in her pocket, and turned to leave.
“Don’t follow me. That’s my last command. And Ephraim—” she glanced at him one last time, wiping away her tears, trying to be brave. “I’m sorry. You deserved so much better than me.”
Sophie left him then, not stopping until she reached the hallway. After a deep, fortifying breath, she yanked open the door to the spirit realm and stepped inside, not stopping for so much as a backward glance.
This was her fate.
Chapter Ten
Ephraim stood frozen for several minutes, Sophie’s command holding him so tightly that he couldn’t even think to resist. He heard a door slam in the distance, knew she’d gone through the portal to the spirit realm. His muscles locked him in place, but his mind began to relax.
For a brief, guilty moment Ephraim considered just letting her go, waiting until the night’s inevitable conclusion. If Sophie died in the spirit realm, there was some chance that she might indeed incidentally free him of his servitude.
But no. She was his, his mate. His to protect and cherish, his to save. He couldn’t let her go on alone, no matter what it meant for him personally.
The second that the spell loosened enough for him to begin to move, he started to force himself to walk. Blinding, searing pain thundered through his veins, screamed agony in his mind, but he kept going. Far past his limit, ignoring what he could do and focusing instead on what he must.
Making it as far as the door took longer than he expected; opening it and stepping through into the spirit realm was unbearable. Shaking, he surged onward, trying to move faster. Mindless of all except his desperate need to get to her.
It felt like a lifetime, but eventually he found her standing at a sort of wall, if you could call it that. The wall was midnight blue, as high and wide as he could see. It was set with thousands, or maybe millions, of the finest points of white imaginable. Tiny, twinkling lights dancing against deep blue, like so many stars blanketing the night sky.
One single star stood out from the rest, hanging an arm’s length above Sophie’s head, burning a fiery blue.
“Sophie,” he said, calling for her attention.
When she turned, startled, she seemed deflated.
“You’re… here? But how?” She asked.
Her face was red and swollen from crying, and she clutched the cloth-covered jewel in both hands.
“I can resist commands. It’s just… very, very painful,” he admitted. “You’re my mate, Sophie. We’re bound together, no matter what. I couldn’t let you come here alone.”
Her shoulders sagged. If he’d expected jubilation on her part, he was to be disappointed.
“I release you,” she said, shaking her head.
Instantly his pain evaporated, though his ears still rung ever-so-faintly.
“What is this?” He asked, stepping up to stand beside her.
“It took me a minute, too.” She pursed her lips. “That blue light… that’s Papa Aguiel. And all the rest of these…”
She waved her fingers to indicate the rest of the lights.
“All souls?” He asked, and she nodded.
“Has to be.”
“Put that in your pocket for a second,” Ephraim said, nodding to the stone she held.
When she did so, albeit slowly, Ephraim reached out and grabbed her by the waist. He shocked her by pulling her up against his body, hard. He took her lips in a demanding, hungry kiss and didn’t release her again until they were both breathless and aching.
“That?” He said, resting his forehead against hers. “That’s our bond, Sophie. You can’t let me kill Papa Aguiel? Well, I can’t let you do it, either. If we are fated mates, and I think there’s no denying that by now. Our lives are supposed to become intertwined. Grow together, for the rest of our existence.”
“Ephraim, I can’t let you do it.”
“What you said before, about how you won’t have anything to go back to? If you do this, I won’t either.”
They stood like that for a minute, staring each other down. Sophie let out a shuddering breath and broke the gaze.
“Then we are at an impasse, Ephraim. What do you suggest I do?” She asked, her voice sad.
Reaching down, Ephraim linked his fingers with hers and raised her hand as he raised his own.
“We do it together. Whatever happens, it happens to both of us. Neither of us will be left behind.”
A fresh tear tracked down Sophie’s face.
“I really don’t deserve you, Ephraim.”
“We deserve each other,” he said, giving his head a gentle shake. “I can see that now.”
“What do you think will happen?” She asked, her words giving him hope.
“I can’t say. Maybe… if we’re very, very lucky, we could each take a little of the bad instead of a full dose… If not, wherever we go, at least we will be together.”
She bit her lip, then pulled the gem from her pocket. Pulling back the black velvet pouch, she glanced up at him again.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
Ephraim nodded solemnly.
She dropped it into both their palms where Ephraim’s fingers were laced with hers. Ephraim let out a grunt at the searing burn of the jewel on his flesh, but didn’t flinch.
“Together,” Sophie whispered.
They reached up, both jumping up to clap the jewel against the burning blue star in that endless midnight sky. To Ephraim’s surprise, the jewel sucked at the star and the star sucked right black, pulling magic from a deep wellspring somewhere deep inside him.
Powering the spell.
Suddenly the jewel heated unbearably, and as Ephraim pulled Sophie backward from it, it shattered. Thousands of shards of darkness descended, covering t
hem, raining down from above, filling Ephraim’s consciousness with inky blackness.
The last thing he recognized was the feel of Sophie’s palm, still pressed against his.
All else vanished.
Chapter Eleven
Sophie came to consciousness standing beside Ephraim in a world of dim, endless white. White mist billowed everywhere, clinging damply to Sophie’s skin. It could have stretched for miles or ended just a few feet from Sophie’s face, it was impossible to tell.
“Where are we?” Ephraim asked. His voice was hushed and distorted, as if he was speaking from a far distance.
Sophie shook her head, reaching out and taking the hand he offered. Lacing her fingers with his soothed her, made her feel grounded despite their surroundings.
“Do you think we died?” She asked after a moment.
Ephraim glanced at her, then shook his head.
“Don’t think so.”
“Do you see that?” Sophie said, pointing to their left. She squinted into the distance, thinking she could just make out… well, she wasn’t sure what.
“Is that a tree?” Ephraim asked. “Let’s go look.”
Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, he gently towed her toward the indistinct shape. Sure enough, as they moved toward it, the mist cleared away. There was a single Japanese maple rising high in the air, its red leaves startling against the whiteness of the world. Next to it there was a small pond with a shoreline of perfectly round gray pebbles. Just beneath the tree was a finely wrought wooden bench, and on the bench sat a lone figure.
Even from this distance, even though the figure’s shoulders were hunched, her nose nearly buried in a big green book, Sophie knew her at once.
“Lily,” she gasped. “Ephraim, that’s my sister.”
Tears welled in her eyes at once. She didn’t let Ephraim’s hand go, instead dragging him along with her. When they got close enough for their footsteps to be noisy, Lily glanced up and gave them a wan smile. Closing her book, she sat it aside and stood, brushing off her simple white dress. Her long blonde hair was neatly braided, her cheeks pink.
