Jade (A Dark Assassins Novel Book Four)

by Valerie Ullmer

  “Ah, ah, watch the claws.”

  The panther growled, but Jade laughed and pushed off.

  Then Kane managed to sneak up on her, but she spotted him at the last minute and flipped over his head, tagging him along his carotid with her finger, indicating he would be dead.

  As she landed, Ghost cleared his throat to get their attention.

  “We’re leaving here in a few hours so we can strike during the early morning hours. Meet here at eleven tonight. We’ll take Kai’s two Suburbans and Xander’s SUV.”

  “Where should I crash until we leave?” Drew asked.

  Xander spoke up before Jade could. “Why don’t you come over and get to know Silas? He wants to ask you what you’ve been doing since you transitioned and probably what you remember about Jade when she was younger.”

  “Sounds good. I can’t believe he’s already growing on me.”

  Xander laughed, along with the rest of them. “Yeah, he pretty much has us all wrapped around his fingers. He’s a special baby who is getting stronger as he ages. I’m partially excited to see what is to come, but the other half is completely terrified.”

  The group separated, some going to get food, and as Jade watched Drew, already deep in conversation with Xander, she felt Noah’s arms wrap around her waist.

  “Ready to head home?”

  “Yes, I’ve missed you.”

  Noah turned her around and kissed her. When he broke the kiss, they were breathless. He pulled away and soon shifted into his tiger form. Jade’s mouth popped open as she gazed over Noah’s beautiful tiger form. His coat was bright orange surrounded by black and white swirls. There were concentric-looking black circles around both eyes, drawing your eyes to his face. She sucked in a breath when his dark-blue eyes glittered as he looked at her.

  Jade stepped forward and without thinking about her actions, she reached and threaded her fingers through his fur. He felt downy soft and when he growled and butted his head against her stomach, she felt a shiver a desire wash through her.

  Ready to go home?

  Fuck, yes.

  Jade quickly shifted and led the way home. She needed Noah, more than she could express aloud. But they had hours to spare, and she would spend every moment showing Noah how much she loved him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Noah

  Noah loved the feeling of the wind blowing through his fur, but he concentrated on Jade running in front of him, needing her in ways he was just starting to understand. When the red fox slid to a stop outside her door and shifted back to her human form, desire pounded through his veins and Noah quickly followed.

  He pushed her through the front door and shut it behind them. He pressed his lips to hers, swallowing her moan and feeling her body against his own. Tilting his head a fraction, he devoured her mouth in a kiss that had his cock growing and pulsing almost painfully against his stomach. Not wanting even an inch between them, he bent his knee and slid it between her thighs, moaning into her mouth when he felt her wetness coat his skin.

  “Bedroom. Need…you.” He panted when he broke the kiss.

  “Yes.”

  Noah cupped her ass and moved her legs until they wrapped around his waist and started toward the bedroom. Jade brought her arms around his shoulders and leaned toward his neck, nipping and suckling the sensitive skin where his neck met his shoulder.

  He was looking forward to making love to her after his transition.

  “Fuck, baby. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait if you keep that up.”

  “Noah. Fuck me fast the first time, and then we can take our time. I need to feel you, deep inside.”

  “How can you make the most innocent things sound sexy as hell?”

  Jade giggled into his neck, causing him to groan, and when they reached the bedroom, he gently tossed her on the bed. With a quick look at her flushed skin and her half-lidded eyes, he stepped forward and ran his hand along her outer thigh. He lifted one leg with his right hand, while his left thumb flicked over her clit, drawing a low moan from deep in her throat.

  “Noah. Please.”

  His nerves already stretched taut, but when he traced his finger along her clit and then toward her entrance, he quickly plunged in a finger, loving how she clamped down on his digit. With two deep strokes, he paused a moment before he added another finger. His gaze caught Jade’s and he drove his fingers deep, drawing a gasp and a shiver before she moaned.

  “You’re so fucking sexy. And all mine.” He growled the last word.

  “Yes, yours. Take what’s yours, Noah.”

  He removed his fingers and reached for her other thigh. As he wrapped his forearms around the back of her thighs, he brought her closer to the edge of the bed and drove into her without warning. Giving her no time to catch her breath, he pulled back and drove inside, over and over, loving her moans and gasps as they washed over him.

  With her legs draped over his hips, he leaned toward her and suckled her nipple into his mouth. She screamed his name and clawed at his back, and he hissed at the sensation that traveled straight to his cock.

  “Yes, mark me, baby. I am fucking addicted to your pussy. I can’t get enough of you. Come for me, baby. I want to feel you squeezing my cock.”

  As Jade clutched the edge of the bed, she moved her hips in rhythm with his thrusts and soon, her body started to shiver with her first orgasm.

  “Fuck. Yes, baby, that’s it. Get off on my cock, deep inside you.”

  And with his words, she threw her head back and screamed out her orgasm. He continued to drive into her until he felt her relax, but he had other plans for her.

  He withdrew from her and flipped her onto her hands and knees. He opened her thighs with his own and kneeled on the bed behind her. Without warning, he gripped her hips and drove his cock inside, loving the flutter of her recent orgasm holding onto his cock.

  He held inside for a moment, but needed more, needed to come. He slid his hands over her hips and toward her stomach, taking the time to flick her clit, causing her to cry his name. Noah’s thrusts became relentless, as did his fingers, as he fucked into her deep.

  “Jade, baby. You feel so good on my cock.”

  “Noah…harder.”

  He growled at her words and, using the weight of his upper body, he pressed her until she lay down on the bed. He kept one finger on her clit as he knocked her legs open with his knees.

  As he drove into her, finding a rhythm that drove them both out of their minds, she bit the pillow, sending feathers around the room. She shivered underneath him and her orgasm struck her so hard, she almost forced his cock from her as wetness gushed over him and the bed.

  “Fuck, fuck.” Jade screamed into the pillow.

  “I love when your body tells me how much it loves my touch.”

  Jade bucked her hips up to meet his hips angling down. He bent down and licked a swath of skin from just above her rounded ass up her spine until he nibbled her neck. Her moans became louder when he reached the juncture of her neck and shoulder, and his mouth watered, taking him by surprise.

  I want to bite you, baby. Can I mark you?

  His words caused another orgasm to wash over her and his cock was squeezed with a pressure that almost had him coming deep inside her.

  “Yes, mark me. Fuck me. Noah!”

  With two deep thrusts, he moved his lips to her pulsing vein and he bit down. He could feel the venom moving from his teeth into Jade and without warning, he thrust one more time and emptied himself deep inside Jade. Her inner muscles clamped onto him, holding him inside as he tried not to pass out from the sensations rushing through him.

  A few minutes—or even a few hours—later, Noah still lay there, gasping for breath as Jade’s breathing was the only thing that grounded him to reality.

  Are you okay, baby?

  I think so. Can’t move, yet.

  Noah laughed and kissed her shoulder. He rolled to his side and draped an arm over her waist, pulling her close and nibbling o
n the spot that clearly indicated his mark. And with a sudden rush of understanding, he wanted Jade to mark him as well.

  They belonged together. She had known it the first moment they met, while he fought it every step of the way. At this moment, with Jade sated in his arms, he couldn’t fathom why he would believe he wouldn’t need her.

  Jade turned and he reached out to brush a dark strand of hair out of her face. She smiled at him and something in his chest swelled.

  “I can’t live without you, Jade. I don’t even want to try.”

  Jade’s smile disappeared and she ran her fingers over his bottom lip, drawing a shiver from him.

  “When I thought you rejected me…no, please, let me finish. My only concern was your happiness. If I couldn’t make you happy, I wanted you to at least find someone out there who would. Because I love you. I love you enough to accept that you know what you want and would have given up my own life for you to have it.”

  Noah couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. “I love you, too. And I want you to mark me, make me yours. I have no doubts, not after almost losing you. I will be by your side. I will work as your partner. I’ve already talked to Ghost about it and he says I have a position in Dark Company.”

  Jade threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. “I want that too. You to be my partner, on and off the job.”

  Noah’s breath stuttered out of his throat when Jade’s lithe body slid on top of his, sitting on his stomach. Jade ran her hands up and down his chest, a smile playing on her beautifully swollen lips.

  “Ready for round two?”

  Noah smiled, cupping her neck and bringing her down for a scorching kiss.

  “Yes, baby. Take me.”

  He should have known Jade had her own way of doing everything, and this time was no exception.

  Jade brought two of her fingers to her mouth and he watched, mesmerized, as she ran her tongue around both. Sitting up on her knees, she first brought her fingers over to her clit and he held his breath as she flicked her little nub with her saliva-coated fingers. She threw her head back and moaned at the sensations, but Noah kept his hands fisted on the sheet next to his hips.

  Her fingers flicked her clit once, and then again, causing Jade to shiver, before she ran her finger down her outer lips until she reached her entrance. She opened her eyes and caught Noah’s gaze before she slid one finger inside. He felt her shudder as her finger disappeared deep inside her.

  “Fuck!”

  She added her second finger, slowly fucking herself on her two digits and it was his turn to sweat as he lay there, trying to hold onto his control. It only took a few minutes of watching Jade pleasure herself before she threw her head back and came with a shout.

  He could feel her orgasm dripping onto his stomach and found himself begging, words spewing from his mouth. “Jade, fuck me, baby. Take my cock.”

  As if her body were in control, she moved back until his cock was lined up at her entrance and dropped down, taking him completely. She slid her hips forward and back, rubbing her pussy on his cock, before she moved her hips up and down, taking her pleasure from him. The whole time, she squeezed his cock and each stroke deep inside her had groans and pleas slipping from his mouth.

  Even after the impact of his first orgasm, he could feel his second building deep inside.

  “Jade, I’m gonna come.”

  “Noah, open your eyes. Look at me.”

  With effort, he managed to drag his eyes up to meet hers.

  “Can I mark you as mine?”

  “You don’t—”

  “Yes, I do. I want you…to choose…me.”

  Noah surged up and cupped the back of her head, plundering her mouth until she moaned. “I’ve never been more sure of anything else. Please, Jade. Make me yours.”

  Jade licked a swath where she’d bitten him the last time, and he shivered as the area throbbed in pleasure. He watched as her sharp teeth elongated in her mouth and when she leaned toward his neck, he breathed out a sigh of relief that finally, after all the ups and downs, she would finally be his.

  Her teeth sank into his skin and his cock immediately swelled and emptied inside Jade. It caused her to shiver and again, her orgasm struck with a ferocity that had her clinging to him, taking what pleasure she needed from his body.

  Noah could feel when her teeth slid from his skin. It wasn’t painful. He could only describe the feeling as right. The feel of her teeth, marking him, felt right.

  Both of them spent, they dropped down onto the bed and Noah had enough energy to pull Jade close and cover them both with a blanket. He kissed her neck and her sigh made him smile.

  “I love you, baby.”

  “I know. If I had any doubts, the last few hours would have driven them out. I love you, more than my own life.”

  Noah smiled into her skin and listened until sleep overtook her, her deep breathing soothing. Soon, his eyes drifted close and he followed her into slumber.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jade

  The trip down to Crested Butte had been uneventful. Noah had slept with his head on her shoulder and she talked to Drew.

  “Our parents were typical of that time. They wanted kids who could work the farm and not much else. You fed the chickens and the horses, and I worked the field with Dad. Harvest was hard, but at least it lasted only two weeks. The rest of the time was fixing the equipment and gathering hay for the winter.”

  Jade couldn’t believe that she had a brother, but the more she learned about him, she felt as though she already knew him. She understood that was the feeling when she first spotted him outside Ghost’s office.

  “Are you up for this? I know that you’re planning on training to be an assassin, but right now, you’re a newbie.”

  Drew nodded. “While you were with Noah, Reaper and Kai taught me a few moves. I’m not completely useless. I picked up some information when I searched for you, especially after I learned what you did for a living and thought I wanted to kill you. Sorry about that.”

  Drew looked so apologetic that she huffed out a small laugh. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to that reaction.”

  “There are a lot of people who want to kill you?”

  “Not that many because I kill them first.”

  Jade was more curious about their past than her past assignments. “We were close, as kids?”

  Drew shook his head. “As kids, no. We both worked too hard on the farm to be close, but when you turned eighteen and you were thinking about going to university, I helped you write your admissions essay that got you accepted into the University of Boulder.”

  “What happened?”

  “Dad. He had an old-fashioned view on women. He wanted you to marry and you refused. He’d even gone so far as to find you a local boy who took you on a few dates, but you were determined to get your education.

  “At first, I thought that Dad might have, you know, killed you for disobeying him. That’s why I doubted his story that you went into town for a movie. But my instincts were telling me you were alive.”

  “I wish I could remember.”

  Drew reached for her hand and squeezed. “It doesn’t matter. You’re alive and I know you didn’t leave without telling me goodbye on purpose. You’re a good person, Jade. I’m proud to be your brother.”

  “I’m glad you found me.”

  “Me too.”

  ETA five minutes.

  “Kai doesn’t mess around, does he?” Drew asked.

  “Nope. He’s gotten a lot better since he found Liv, but yeah, he’s usually a by-the-book hard ass.”

  I heard that.

  I hoped you did, Kai.

  Jade quickly piled her hair at the top of her head before she made a tight bun. She slipped on her black tactical gloves and along with the others, smeared black paint over her face and neck. All this before she turned to Noah, who had an amused expression on his face.

  What?

  I never thought face pain
t looked sexy, but you manage to pull it off.

  She gave him a smacking kiss, leaving some paint transfer on his cheek. Ready for this?

  He scoffed and she smiled at him just as the SUV came to a halt.

  Jade on point.

  Looking around the abandoned mine, Jade took in her surroundings, even closing her eyes to hear any movement from the surrounding area. Hearing none, she walked toward the north entrance and waited for the explosions and word from Ghost.

  The first explosion rocked the ground underneath her and she counted three seconds before the second explosion sounded.

  Go.

  Jade reached for the steel door and, with a little pressure, ripped it off the hinges. While holding it in front of her, she snuck a glance around it to see if there were any shifters waiting for them. She could hear footsteps coming their way, but no one by the door.

  Jade tossed the door away from the structure and proceeded inside. She could feel Noah at her back and when she paused to check the first doorway on the left, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  With a quick movement, she bent forward and took in the two shifter’s positions, both in the corner with guns at the ready.

  So much for no weapons.

  Jade sighed before she relayed the message. Two…with guns. Stay here.

  Noah tapped her shoulder once and she burst into the room, going for the shifter on the right first. He shook as he held the gun and when she landed an uppercut to his throat, collapsing his trachea, he dropped the gun and she turned her attention to his companion. His eyes widened as he took in Noah’s huge shape in the doorway, but before he could fire, Jade broke his arm and shoved the gun into his mouth and emptied the magazine.

  Noah walked into the room and detached both heads from their torsos and threw them into the hallway.

  Two down.

  Jade moved first, entering the hall and pressing her back against it as she traveled to the next door. Before she could open it, gunfire rang out and holes exploded through the flimsy plywood door. When the gunfire stopped, Jade broke through the weakened door and grabbed the gun of the first shifter she came across. She could hear Noah shift into his tiger form outside and when she threw the first shifter across the room, Noah burst through the door and immediately went for the throat of another shifter.