I arched into him, encouraging him to give me more. And he did, his fingers brushing over my hardened nipple, pinching through the fabric of my shirt and bra.
He released my hair and unbuttoned my jeans with one hand. Nimble fingers. I smiled inwardly, and outwardly as his lips broke from mine.
I tore open his pants, scooted back, and took his cock in my hand. It was big, so big, the skin so soft. It felt right in my hand as I stroked up and down his length.
I needed to feel him inside of me, and I didn’t want to wait. Butterflies flipped in my stomach as need coiled straight to my pussy. I needed Lincoln.
I rose to my feet and stripped for him, as he’d done for me. He watched, hunger in his eyes, as he, too shucked his clothes. His attention never broke from me. He never blinked.
I felt beautiful under that deep brown gaze—appreciated, wanted.
“I don’t have a condom,” I said. If he didn’t, I didn’t know that I’d have the willpower to say no. Not with Lincoln.
“I do.”
He pulled a foil from his discarded pants and slid the rubber over his cock.
“Come here.” He pulled my hips to his face, his tongue flicking softly over my clit. It was so pleasantly unexpected that I gasped.
“Fuck.” His tongue was hot and wet, and felt so fucking good.
Tension built as his tongue circled, a knot of pleasure in my center.
He teased a finger at the edge of my opening and I let go, taken by a wave of ecstasy. My thighs shook, and it felt so fucking good.
I’d never climaxed at the hands of a man. Only on my own.
This was better. Much fucking better.
Lincoln pulled me down slowly into his lap and held me as my body settled.
He kissed my cheek, my ear, my throat, the stubble on his jaw scratching along the way.
“That was...I’m...wow.”
He nibbled the lobe of my ear between his teeth, and lowered my hips to meet his head.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said. “Are you ready for more?”
I was wet, god was I wet, but I still didn’t know if it would fit. He was twice the size of the only other guy I’d ever been with. John’s dick was a fun-size chocolate bar. Lincoln...Lincoln was the king.
I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure, but I was sure what I wanted to say. “Yes.”
Lincoln dipped my hips, swirling his as he pushed inside. It was too big.
I threw my head back and squeezed his shoulders.
He trailed kisses down my chest, licked circles around my nipple. “You’re so tight.”
I gasped as he sucked the bud into his mouth and pulled my hips a little further down. I helped, in rhythm with our hearts, taking a little more after every time I pulled up. In the motion, the whole world disappeared, everything but the two of us. We were the moment, we were the feeling, and that feeling was bliss. Another lick, another inch.
“You’re so big,” I said, taking it all.
Each gentle stroke built on the last. He guided my hips in rhythm with our hearts, and before long I felt like I was on a precipice, waiting to fall over the edge.
“More,” I gasped.
He growled and pulled me down hard, fast, relentlessly and I cried out as I came. Again.
My pussy pulsed around him, and I held tight as he thrust deep. His body tensed with mine.
I panted to catch my breath.
“Juliana.” He took my mouth with his and lowered the two of us down. I settled down on his chest, content, with him still inside of me.
If only we could stay like this forever.
“That was...wow,” I said. I knew it was the same thing I’d said before, when he’d made me come the first time, but there was no better way to describe my feelings.
“Yeah, it was.”
His chest rose and fell as he breathed slowly, and his heart thudded from within. I savored every beat, every movement.
“I can’t believe I came. Twice.”
Lincoln lifted his head and brushed the hair from my face.
“That’s a surprise for you?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve only ever been able to finish on my own before.”
“That wasn’t your first time, was it?” he asked.
“No.”
“Oh, good.”
Would it have really been so bad if it was? “Oh good?”
“I wouldn’t have wanted your first time to be on the floor in the basement, and rushed,” he said.
“Well, that was ten times longer than my first time.”
He smiled wide, pride clear on his face.
“I’ll make the next time ten times longer than that.”
“So you think there will be a next time?” I asked.
In one quick motion, he was on top of me, pinning me to the floor. His cock was still hard inside of me, pressing in deep.
“How about right now?” He took my nipple between his teeth, with just the right amount of pressure. I gasped and arched into him. “How many times do you want to come? Four? Ten?”
His hips rocked forward again and the moan that escaped me caught me by surprise. I wasn’t ready for more, I was ready for rest, but my body disagreed.
“Isn’t that thing supposed to be limp?”
“He’s a rockstar,” Lincoln said. “Always ready for more.”
With that, he thrust in again.
I wrapped my legs around his hips, holding him there, deep. It was too slow. I needed fast.
Lincoln brought his face down to my shoulder, teeth grazing my shoulder.
“You’re too tempting,” he said. “I could lose myself in you if you let me.”
“Why do you make that sound like it’s a bad thing?” I squeezed my thighs and took in every inch.
“Because we could never go back.”
“Take me with you,” I whispered. “I don’t want to go back.”
Lincoln set me down slowly, pulling out, pulling away.
Had I done something wrong? Said something wrong?
I ached at the loss of him, though he was still so close.
He stared at the floor beside me. “Look.”
I turned and found an open book on the floor beside me. “What?”
“That’s it,” he said.
I looked again. There was an illustration, one of a hooded figure. With no face.
Chapter Seventeen
Lincoln
One, two, three, four. Four tiny freckles on that marvelous ass.
Juliana slipped her shirt over her head. I watched her back side as she dressed, admiring every inch of utter perfection. She was my ideal match, soft where I was hard, stunning while I was suave, and an absolute fucking goddess for the most badass of badasses.
Holding back was harder than I’d thought it would be. Not leaving my mark on Juliana’s neck was the most difficult challenge I’d ever faced. She was my mate. There was no question in the matter for me. Every time I felt her touch, listened to her speak, tasted her on my lips, every moment we spent together was a reaffirmation of the truth I already knew. Juliana was my future.
I tied the laces of my Oxfords and watched as she pulled her hair up. She turned and looked at me, with love and affection—and a hint of desire. Her cheeks were pink, her full lips slightly parted, and I was tempted to forget everything else and tackle her to the floor again.
“What?” Her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head to the side.
“Just enjoying the view,” I said.
“You look...contemplative. Are you worried about finding this thing?”
“No.” I wasn’t thinking about the monster at all, my thoughts were consumed by Juliana. By what could happen between us, by possibilities. What if she couldn’t commit to forever? What if she was up for some fun, and some travel, but then she’d want to settle for a normal life? It wasn’t fair to assume anything.
Juliana sat down on the floor and crossed her legs, pulling the book into her lap.
&
nbsp; “It says this thing is an Alu. Have you heard of it?”
“Never.”
“A vengeful demon with no mouth, no eyes, and no ears.”
“Weird that the nose isn’t mentioned,” I said. “It sounds like it’s faceless otherwise.”
“Maybe it relies on sense of smell, like a mole.” Juliana shrugged, then kept reading. “Possession by Alu may result in unconsciousness, sleep paralysis, or even coma.”
“Sounds like we’ve got our guy.” I sat down beside her and looked at the open pages in her lap. “Does it say anything about how to wake its victims?”
“No. There’s nothing about defeating this thing, or about the victims.” She rubbed her palms over her eyes.
“In my experience, killing the monster usually breaks its spell.” There were exceptions, where the damage was permanent, but the fact that Juliana’s sister and the others were still alive was a good sign.
“Let’s see if we can find anything else.” Juliana looked through the bookcases like she had a particular volume in mind.
The best way I could help probably wasn’t by looking through random books. I’d be more use reaching out to my personal paranormal Wikipedia—Leonard.
“I’ll make a call.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed.
It rang, and rang, but Leonard didn’t answer.
“Look.” Juliana held out a large open book. “It says this thing likes to hang out where it’s damp and dark—underground. No luck on your call?”
“Leonard didn’t answer.”
Juliana didn’t look disappointed. In fact, the sparkle in her eyes and the subtle bouncing in place suggested she was excited.
“But you have an idea,” I said.
“Yep. You know what all four places where the victims fell into comas have in common?”
“No, but I can tell that you do.”
“You’re right, I totally do. They’re all next to graveyards.”
“There’s that many graveyards in Barbetta?” I asked.
“Yep.”
“You know that’s creepy as hell, right?”
Juliana shrugged.
“Why does a town this small need three graveyards anyway?”
“Two small churches and a nondenominational—that’s not the point. The point is, there’s underground catacombs. They don’t all connect, or at least they didn’t. Maybe the Alu’s a digger, like a mole. Anyway, it’s dark and moist down there.”
She said moist. A smile crept across my lips.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re laughing at me?” She scowled playfully, then smiled just a little.
“No,” I said. “It’s nothing, really. Let’s gather supplies and go demon hunting.”
“Sure,” she said, “but we aren’t leaving until you tell me why you’re laughing at me.”
“I’m not,” I said. “It’s just, you said moist. It’s a funny word.”
“Seriously? How old are you?”
“Old enough.” I gave her a wink and leaned against the bookshelf in the most casual stance. She looked me over, appreciating the shape of a real man.
Then she put down the book and opened the door behind the desk. I’d assumed it was a bathroom back there in the corner.
“Come here.”
I did as she said.
“Happy to come anywhere, as long as you come with—”
The words left my brain as I took in the contents of the closet. No, not the closet—the arsenal.
There were stakes and glowing bullets, axes and swords of varying materials, bottles of what I assumed was holy water, and guns. It seemed like Juliana’s dad had been prepared to fight any sort of monster, and then some.
I whistled. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”
“Pretty sure this is not what you were talking about, but yeah, Dad’s collection is...extensive.”
Extensive was an understatement. There were as many weapons here as there were books in the library. There was even a blood-red dagger that seemed to be enchanted with some sort of magic. When I touched the hilt, it seared my finger.
“What do you think we’ll need?” Juliana asked.
I had no idea what was needed to kill an Alu. Maybe we’d take a weapon of each type of metal and see what worked. But if this thing was a demon, there was one thing we would definitely need.
“Salt.”
“Salt?” Juliana’s eyes narrowed, as did her lips. “Salt salt?”
“It’s just what it sounds like,” I said. “You’re going to be in charge of the salt. Straight up canister of table salt.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously.” I held her shoulders so she’d look at me, seeing exactly how sincere I was. “Salt will save your life. Demons hate the stuff. Or they’re allergic to it, or something. It’s not important. What is important is that you have salt. When we find this thing, you pour that stuff around you in a circle. And you stay in that circle.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“That sounds like macho crap,” she said. “Aren’t you going to have a salt circle, too?”
“The tiger cannot be contained.”
“Yep, macho crap.”
I smiled. “Sounds like you’re worried about me. I’ll be fine, promise. I do this kind of thing every day.”
“Okay, but you expect me to come along and what, just stand there and watch?”
“Of course not.” I looked along the walls and found the perfect solution. “You’ll have my back with...this.” I pointed to the red blade, the one that burned my hand.
She picked it up without issue. Whatever it was, it packed the most punch for its size.
I continued, “But from inside—”
“I know, I know, my circle.”
“It’ll be fine. This guy probably won’t be into me anyway.”
“Shifter dreams don’t taste so good?” she asked.
“Probably not. And mine are ultra-masculine, and less delicious than most.”
She shook her head and smiled.
“Now go get that salt and let’s kill this thing,” I said.
Juliana headed up the stairs and I got to work. I grabbed a little bit of everything, having no fucking idea how to kill an Alu. Too bad Leonard wasn’t available for some advice. But, if he hadn’t suggested it before, he’d probably never heard of it.
We were on our own, which suited me fine, so long as Juliana listened and stayed in the salt circle. Knowing her, she wouldn’t. I couldn’t ask her not to go. I wouldn’t. So I’d just have to keep an eye on her.
With a collection of tools and tricks in the duffle bag, I headed upstairs.
Juliana was waiting by the door.
“Got your salt?”
“Ohhhh you said salt. I thought you said flour.” She gave me a pointed look and held out the salt canister.
“Very funny,” I said. “Let’s roll.”
This was the part where the action hero cocks his shotgun, puts on his sunglasses, and strolls out side by side with his partner. Explosions in the background, badass rock anthem or heavy bass dubstep blasting.
The car ride to the graveyard in the woods by Milly’s was just like that, if a little under-dramatized. The song playing on the radio—Mumford & Sons.
When we arrived, I slid on my sunglasses and followed Juliana down into the moist depths of the graveyard catacombs. We entered through one of those little buildings that housed dead people, with spiral stone steps that led down to creepy-ass tunnels.
Damp, earthy, and slightly metallic, the scent of the tunnel was exactly like these places usually were. Just like how abandoned warehouses were monster MO, so were crypts and caverns. Show me a baddy who lived in a house, then I’d be surprised.
Parts of the tunnel were made of stone, but most of that stone was worn and cracked. Some of the tunnel was just dirt.
Juliana seemed tense, so I figured it was time to li
ghten the mood.
“So just one orgasm at a time in the past, huh? What else can I give you as a first?”
“What? You’re asking me this now?”
“Your pupils are giant. Your heart beat is elevated. You’re nervous, and I’m a master of distraction.”
“I don’t know how you can see shit down here.” She shone the flashlight of her phone in my eyes.
I squinted and shielded my sensitive eyes from the harsh light.
“Shifter vision,” I said.
“Do you...you still have on your sunglasses, don’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I do. They look badass.”
“Uh huh.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I think it’s a bit ridiculous in the dark,” she said.
“I think you like me a bit ridiculous.”
She didn’t say anything, so I took that as a yes and continued leading the way through the dark tunnels. To be honest, I’d have been better off without the flashlight. My impressive shifter night vision was hindered by the small glow behind me. But she needed it, and that was more important. I still had my tiger eyes, and therefore the ability to see farther and better than any human could even if it were light down here instead of dark.
“You want to talk to distract me,” she said, “so tell me more about shifters. You said it’s in the genes. So shifters are always born, not turned. Right?”
“Yep, always born.”
“To two shifter parents?” Her voice went up just a bit. I could feel her eyes on my back.
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“What does it have to be?”
“Well when two people love each other—”
“Seriously, Lincoln.”
“When a shifter falls in love, he falls for life,” I said.
She was quiet, so I continued.
“He picks a mate, and he gives her his mark, claiming her as his for both of their lives.”
Juliana was still quiet. I stopped walking and turned.
“Does she have to be a shifter?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.
“She is more often than not,” I said. “But sometimes she’s human.”
“And the mark?”
“It goes right…” I touched her neck, right where I’d wanted to bite her, where I’d been so tempted to claim her in the heat of the moment.
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