by LJ Swallow
"The big guy who walked out worries me," replies Ewan. "What if he’s who Ripley has been waiting for?"
I chew my lip. The man who Vee told us stank of demonic energy, who disappeared the moment he walked through. Were they all demons? Another kind of supernatural race? I bloody hope the angels find them all.
There are new creatures in the world from behind the portals. We don’t know what to look for if we did chase them down. Does Seth need to open all portals before we take each other on? Or is meeting at a time and place the end?
“They’re not coming here,” Xander announces.
I frown at him. “Who? The angels?”
“Yeah.”
Ewan snorts. “And how exactly are you going to communicate this to them? Pray?”
He shoots Ewan a look. “Ha, ha.”
Joss pushes his chair back and stands. Without a word, he walks back into the house.
“What’s up his arse?” asks Xander.
I stare. “Seriously? In the middle of all this shit, you ask us that? You, the guy who trashed the fucking house?”
Xander looks away and a muscle ticks in his jaw.
Vee’s eyes remain in the direction Joss walked. “What do you think about all this, Vee?”
“Today has been a bit of a headfuck,” she whispers. “And I don’t care where we see the angels. I want to see them soon.”
I shift my chair closer and rub a hand along her arm. Vee blinks away from watching Joss and covers my hand with hers.
“What do you think Seth will do next?” she asks.
“He has two days to cause more shit until he has to meet us.”
“According to the angels,” puts in Xander. “They’d better tell us exactly where, when and what we should expect.”
“I think they will,” I reply. “Leoc and Erzla said they’d meet us and already stopped Seth once.”
“I have a lot of questions before I trust them,” Xander finishes his coke. “Don’t you?”
“I get that, but we need them. Ripley’s a useless fucker. He’s definitely an enemy, and we were forced to trust him. Again, we take the help we can get.”
“If what they say sounds legit when we meet them,” puts in Ewan.
Vee stares out across the gardens, and I’m unsure she’s listening. I spoke to her earlier, and the fight in the desert shook her up. Not surprisingly. She told me she worries how we’ll deal with Seth at the end, if his attack on the guys is again as strong as we faced today. I told her we couldn’t let doubt in and that even though I ache from the fight, the damage hasn’t lasted.
Not this time.
“Ripley surprises me.” Vee looks back to us. “The way you spoke about him and the Order, I expected him to be more…” She waves a hand as she searches for the word. “Sinister? Frightening? He doesn’t scare me at all.”
“His power over others is what’s frightening, Vee. Powerful demons protect the guy. He controls an empire,” I say. “If we fight against and not with him, he has a lot more manpower than we do.”
“Hmm.” Vee doesn’t look convinced. “Do you want me to kill him?”
Ewan chokes on his Coke. “Vee!”
“Hasn’t he tried to kill you a few times? You told me you'd died before. I presume that was him, or his associates.”
I rub my temples. Vee’s right, but not right now.
“I agree, Vee.” Xander straightens. “But the other guys don’t.”
“Because we discussed this,” I tell him. “We can’t end up in a battle with demon forces when we’re focusing on Chaos. More distraction? He’d love that.”
“Heath is right though. Ripley’s no help.” Xander folds his arms. “I bet he’s plotting shit against us while we’re distracted.”
I sigh. “Probably.”
“So can I kill him after we kill Chaos?”
I find it difficult to tell how serious Vee is. Yes, her drive to kill demons influences her thoughts and behaviour, but she sounds flippant.
“I’m up for that,” says Xander.
I wipe crumbs from my mouth with the back of a sleeve. “Do you think the big guy who came through the portal is connected to him?”
“I fucking hope not. Ewan, did you find anything to identify what the creature in Seth’s clip is?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet. There’s a lot of discussion happening on the boards. People are trying to ID where it happened and search for the monster.”
“And us?” I ask cautiously.
“You know we don’t have a digital footprint. Seth has pictures and names, but we don’t exist in the world, do we?”
The doubt in Xander’s face unnerves me. Nobody has identified us in the past. If somebody wanted to, they could dig into CCTV footage. With a camera on practically every corner in the UK, we exist somewhere.
“We have Ripley’s and fae help—they have influence everywhere and if anything comes up can intervene.”
“Ah. Fae.” Ewan snorts. “When Syv gets here, I’ll be interested to hear what she knows from the Collector. He’s distracted Portia from her portal plans but, from what I hear, her and Logan’s men are in a diplomatic war with her.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I ask.
“They want her out.” Xander groans and I frown at him. “Why is that bad? You don’t like her, and she has this coming. The newer fae generation doesn’t like Portia’s method of rule.”
Ewan shrugs. “If this keeps Portia away from her portal opening plans, I don’t care who’s in charge.”
Xander huffs. “We will care if someone like Logan takes over.”
We lapse into silence as the question we don’t discuss plays on my mind. After Chaos—what then? Do they return to Horsemen "duties"? Or does there time as the Four Horsemen end?
19
VEE
We wait for word from the angels. None comes. The mood remains tense following today’s and last night’s events. Xander already apologised to me for his breakdown, in more ways than one. After lunch, he chats with Joss and Heath. Maybe they’ll receive a rare Xander apology. I told him he needed to. His change in coping strategy needs to be between him and the guys too.
By the evening, the pair persuades Xander to switch off, with a beer. I watch them from the hallway, and a happy warmth spreads. Unity and time off show progress in their rebonding. I head to the kitchen to tell Ewan to join us because he promised he’d switch off this evening too.
His usual spot at the far side of the table is vacant and laptop missing.
Wow. Maybe he has.
Wrong. Because a quick scout around the house reveals Ewan in one of the bedrooms. He’s sitting, back to the door, at the small desk in one corner. His laptop screen shines as he taps on the keys. The inelegant guy looks strange in this room covered in elegance. The desk he sits at has ornate gold legs and the chair cushioned in pink velvet. Behind him, a pink voile canopy drapes over a large four poster bed, and birds adorn the black and white wallpaper.
Not what I’d choose for a home. If I ever have one.
Sighing, I close the door. Ewan looks around and closes the lid quickly, as if caught watching something he doesn’t want me to see. The screen only contained text. Research.
“Vee.” He turns in his seat to look at me.
“What happened to your promise you’d take time off?” I ask.
“I was just checking the message boards one last time.” He waves a hand at his laptop. “I was about to finish up.”
“Uh huh.” I walk across the room and ruffle his hair. I thought he knew I was joking? That I understood the importance of keeping an eye on everything. Ewan has alerts set up—we’ll know if anything matching information we need hits the internet. Following today’s revelations, I can’t blame him for returning to his usual habit.
To my surprise, Ewan wraps his arms around my waist and looks up. We’ve barely spoken or touched since the day at the Collector’s house, and I’ve searched for time to talk about how h
e’s coping. I don’t think he’s resistant to his feelings the way Xander was, but his words from the night in Scotland have echoed in my mind.
Ewan is scared he’ll lose me, and he’s putting his all into winning. I know Ewan: if searching for answers will take up a hundred percent of Ewan’s time, that’s what he’ll do.
I also suspect his pride was dented today by another failed attack on Seth.
“How are you, Ewan?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He shrugs then his brow tugs down as I laugh at him. “What’s funny?”
“Yeah,” I mimic and shrug too. “Eloquent Ewan today.”
His mouth pulls into a half-smile, and he pulls me onto his lap. I balance myself on his hard thighs—this man’s lap would never make a great cushion. “What do you want me to say?”
“Anything. Nothing. Up to you.” I drape my arms around his neck. “You’re quiet again though. I hope you’re not avoiding me.”
He tips his head to look up at me, earnest eyes revealed as his curls drop away. “No. Sorry. I keep meaning to talk to you, but you’re with Joss and Heath a lot.”
“And you’re hardly around unless you’re studying your laptop,” I remind him. “And the reason I spend time with Joss and Heath is because they’re more relaxed. They help me switch off.”
Ewan pushes his laptop away. “Partly my fault. I didn’t think I’d be the best person to be around right now. Still processing.” He watches me warily from beneath his curled fringe.
“In that deep-thinking head of yours?” I smile and tap the side with one finger. He catches my hand and nips my finger. “Ow!”
“Don’t tease.”
“Don’t sit up here alone, Ewan.” I stroke his hair. “I miss spending time with you. Come and join us.”
He chews in his lip. “Maybe.”
“The angels haven’t been in touch yet, and we imagine Seth is regrouping. I persuaded the guys to sit and tell me some Horsemen stories while we wait. Tell me your stories. Come downstairs.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.”
“Ewan, you really need to—” I’m interrupted by his mouth on mine, the suddenness unbalancing me and I tip backwards. He catches me and crushes me to his chest enveloping me in the arms I always disappear into when he hugs. With Ewan, I’m obliterated from the world once he takes hold of me.
I didn’t realise how much I missed his kiss or how much can be spoken in one. Ewan’s kiss tears the breath from my lungs and drags our hearts together across the distance between us. If nothing else is said or done between us tonight, I’ll know from this moment that nothing has changed.
He pulls away, and his eyes darken as he looks at my mouth. “Maybe I’m avoiding spending time with you because when I look at you, I want to kiss you. Amongst other things.”
“I don’t mind if you kiss me, Ewan. You know that.” Don’t mind because one kiss from Ewan and yeah… really don’t mind. I shift to straddle his waist and settle on him. I changed into yoga pants and shirt earlier thanks to my jeans covered in desert dirt and smeared blood. My wardrobe is still limited, but at least I have something to slouch in when not pursuing chaotic gods. The pants are thinner than usual, and the friction from his jean’s seam rubs against me.
Oh, hell.
“I’m trying to give you space, Vee. This must be a headfuck for you too.”
“Oh no, we’re not going backwards.” I push him in the chest and give him a mock stern look. “Don’t you dare.”
He runs his fingers around the edge of my shirt collar. “I’m not. Just…” He sighs.
“What we discovered about me doesn’t change how I feel, Ewan.” I rub my nose against his. “Nothing’s changed apart from my label.”
My half-truth might not fool him. The guys have noticed my reactions to the pain and pressure inside, the new headaches and unsteadiness.
“Everything has changed, Vee.”
I slip a hand beneath his shirt and run my palms upwards, along his chest. The one he’s held me against while doing deliciously bad things to me in the past. Things I’ve missed. Whatever is happening inside me has zero effect on my lust for the guys. I lightly drag my nails across his abs. “You haven’t changed. You’re the same.”
He smiles. “Uh huh.”
“I think so.” I smile and grab my loose shirt by the hem and pull it over my head before dropping it to the floor.
My lace covered breasts are at Ewan’s eye height and his momentary surprised expression changes as he looks back at me, pupils dilating.
“Don’t you think?” I ask and gesture at myself.
He runs both hands along my sides and upwards towards my breasts. Eyes still on mine, he rubs a thumb across my bra. The lace rough against my sensitive nipple sends a shiver through. Ewan pulls the lace away and flicks the sensitive bud with his tongue. I take a sharp breath and shift against him, pushing myself closer. His breathing speeds up to match mine as he pulls the lace further away. Moistening his lips, Ewan moves his tongue along my the soft flesh before circling my nipple again.
“Same,” he says in a rough voice as he unhooks my bra and drops it to the floor. “Fucking beautiful.”
He scoops me around the waist and lifts me with one arm. I curl my legs around him, and our mouths meet in a harsh kiss. The need he’s held back while focusing on the madness surrounding us spills out. The crumpled sheets are cool against my hot skin as Ewan presses me into the bed. I can’t move, our limbs tangled, mouths locked. His warmth and familiar scent trigger memories of the last time I was beneath him.
In frustration, I push at his T-shirt, with shaking hands. “Off.”
Ewan kneels and grabs the material between the shoulder blades, his arms flexing as he does. I catch my breath as I take in the sight of him. The solid, thick muscles in his chest and shoulders, the ridged abs, and the trail of hair heading into where his jeans sit low on his hips. I trace his tattoos, the strange map of colour on his chest I haven’t spent enough time exploring.
Something I intend to do more of.
Ewan’s attention returns to my breasts, and I slide my hands along his arms to the curve of his shoulders and hold him in place. Hot kisses move across my neck, jaw, and onto my mouth and his hands move to pull at my yoga pants. I wriggle away from him to push them down, and he stands to shuffle out of his jeans.
The blood pulses in my ears as I drink in the sight of him. Why did I leave this so long? All the guys will offer the distraction I need if I ask. And Ewan’s body is bloody distracting. He leans over me, hand either side of his head and I swear he should be able to hear how hard my heart is beating right now.
“I missed you too,” he says is a husky tone. “Every. Single. Part.”
Heat grazes my skin as he strokes my belly, teasingly playing with the edge of my panties. Before I can catch my breath, Ewan’s mouth is on mine again, as he delves his tongue into my mouth, exploring, tasting. He skims his fingers along my the dampening material and groans.
“Fuck, you’re turned on,” he mutters as he pulls his mouth away. “I like how I do that.” Ewan yanks my panties to one side and slides his fingers across my heated flesh, watching my face as he does.
Ewan’s dark eyes remain on mine as he slides my panties to the floor. He runs a hand along my thigh, slowly, until he pauses with his fingers on my inner thigh. He knows exactly how easily I’ll fall apart beneath his hands. Everything changed, but some things never will.
He moves his mouth close to my ear. “Do you still want me to go downstairs with you? Because I guarantee you’ll have more fun up here.”
“Persuade me.” My hoarse-voiced attempt to sound in control isn’t convincing as he strokes my inner thigh.
“Persuade you? I have a few ways to ensure you won’t want to leave this room. Where should I start?”
The promise of his words is joined by the rush of pleasure as he finally moves his hand and pushes a finger inside me.
He kisses my face, nipping at my neck and chin b
efore sliding his hard mouth onto mine again. His fingers seek out the spot inside me likely to make me beg for him as he works me higher. I close my eyes, and a knot binds tight in my stomach.
No. He’s pushing me too quickly towards letting go.
“Ewan. Stop,” I breathe out while my body screams what a stupid idea those words are.
I curse myself when he does as I ask and looks down at my confusion with a hint of a smile on his lips. He kneels, roughly dragging me to the edge of the bed by the legs. “Not enough persuasion?”
Ewan parts my legs and rubs a stubbled cheek against my thigh as he kisses his way from my calf upwards and a tingle shivers through my weakening limbs.
Strong hands slide beneath my ass and pull me upwards, and his fingers dig hard into my skin. He flicks his tongue against me, and I jolt at the sensation. “Fuck!” I breathe out.
“Not yet.” He says the words against me with a chuckle and the vibration adds to the pleasure curling upwards.
I grip the edge of the sheets and bite back the groan as Ewan teases me with soft strokes of his tongue. The pleasure coils deep inside, and the shaking intensifies as the pressure builds. I try to hold on to thoughts but I can’t. I’m torn between asking him to slow down or yielding to him.
The choice isn’t mine, as Ewan holds me close, his fingers digging into my backside as he moves his fingers and tongue harder. He sucks on my clit, and his scruff scrapes against me as he moves his face against my sensitive flesh.
No choice.
I let go, pushing into him, and grasping his hair as I give in and let the orgasm hit.
EWAN
I move away from Vee and wipe my lips with a finger before slipping it into my mouth. Fuck, she tastes good. She’s a panting mess, hair tangled and cheeks pink. I hope she doesn’t think I’m finished there, because I sure as hell am not.
As I lean in to kiss her, she eagerly kisses me back, and I thrust a finger into her still sensitive flesh. Vee gasps and bucks against my hand. So fucking wet.
“You feel fucking amazing,” I growl, increasingly blinded by anything but the need for her hot, tight pussy around my cock. Shifting around to the side again, I drag her hips toward me. “Turn over,” I whisper against her ear.
