“Yeah, that is fine.” Finn said. “You have been practicing, Hana. Do you wish to spar?”
Hana bounced up. “Yes!”
I dragged myself to the corner and watched. They circled each other for a few seconds. Finn crouched and lunged without warning to grab Hana’s left leg. She weaved back and performed a roundhouse kick. He dodged left and remained crouched. They circled some more, staying close to the ground. Hana took a few steps forward in a front kick. Finn caught her leg and tipped her sideways. Down she went. Boom.
Hana scrambled up just as he placed his knife next to her throat. “You got impatient. Better to wait and dodge, get me to attack and catch me on the way back. Again?”
She groaned as she got up from the ground, not accepting his hand up. “I yield. Plus, I am hungry. Another time.”
Hana fled, but I do believe she delayed at the door to flirt with Jace.
Finn cocked his brow at me, indicating the floor. I snorted. “Hell, no. You’d kick my ass.”
“I like your ass. I would be gentle.” Finn smiled.
I gave him a dirty look.
“You hungry?” Finn asked.
“Yes, and sweaty. Is there anywhere to take a bath?”
“Yes, but you cannot use them. It is public bathing, and we are keeping you away from the public.”
“You are not a shy race, are you?”
“Not at all; quite the opposite. We tend to be aggressive, but ‘no’ is a magical word. We do understand it. A Fost will let you know if he is interested. He will crowd you, separate you from others. Touch you. Steal kisses.”
Now, who had been doing that lately? I cleared my throat. “So, sponge bath?”
“Yes, want help? I can do your back.” When he got the beady eye, he laughed, but didn’t look cowed. Must work on that.
Finn left to get dinner. I used the basin after I barred the door. I didn’t trust him not to rush back in to sneak a peek. My clothing choices for the evening were the uniform—that would be a hell no—or my new leathers, or some of the dresses. I didn’t feel like wearing leather; that left one of the dresses. I put on the blue one and dunked my head in the basin. I was drying my hair when Finn knocked.
He’d changed. He was in what looked like pajama pants and a linen shirt in sage green. First time I’d seen him without a wife-beater and vest. He looked good. Must not be caught staring.
Finn gestured to the table. I went to sit across from him, but he moved next to me and pulled my chair close to his. After we were seated, he kept tapping his fingers on the table.
“What?”
“What, what?”
“What is this?”
“Dinner.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He smiled and batted his eyelashes. “It is dinner.”
It would be hard to eat with him watching. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Silence fell. I fiddled with my fork.
Finn cleared his throat. “So do you like it here?”
“Yes, we’ve covered this before.”
“Stop talking back.”
“I can’t.”
He grinned and shook his head. “I love it here. My mom died giving birth to me, so it was just me and my dad. I caused him a ton of trouble.”
“I have no trouble imagining that.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. Hee. “I did, though. I loved doing pranks. Sneaking up on people. Scaring people. Anyway, I used to be a nightmare.”
“Used to be?”
“Woman.”
“I’ll stop.” I raised my hands, laughing.
“What happened to your father?”
“He died in an attack. I was thirteen at the time. Ute took me in for a few years. Then I was on my own.”
“Do you miss him?”
“My dad? Every day.”
“I miss mine too. We weren’t close, but he did try. I’ve been thinking about him a lot, him and my mom and all the things I never got to say.”
“Yes.”
His eyes met mine and understanding flowed between us. That single moment stretched as the air heated between us. I looked away and took a sip of my wine.
We ate the rest of the meal in silence, and afterward Finn pulled out what looked like a banana from his pocket. Hah.
He turned his chair so he was facing me and cut up the fruit. Then he speared a slice and waved it in front of my face. When I leaned forward to taste, he yanked it out of the way. Narrowing my eyes, I lunged and bit into dessert. The fruit was sweeter than a banana, with a thicker texture.
“That was good.”
“Good.” He put his hand behind my neck and yanked me against him. No tentative kisses this time. This was a claiming. Sweet, hot, demanding. His mouth opened on mine, tongue licking my teeth, demanding entrance. With a moan, I let him in. His tongue brushed against mine. He growled deep in his throat and tugged me onto his lap.
I straddled his waist, my hands on his shoulders, his on my thighs. Our faces level, he smiled and kissed me over and over, inching my dress up around my waist.
This was going way too fast. I pulled back to catch my breath.
He took advantage and nuzzled my neck. “No?” His hands were rubbing little circles on my inner thighs.
“I don’t know.”
Mentally, I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, but my inner tramp was all on board. I didn’t know what it was about this place, but I felt more, wanted more, ached for more. His warmth called to me, and I felt so damn alone.
His hands came up to cup my face. “Sex does not have to be complicated. That is not the Fost way. Do you want to feel something? Feel alive?”
He kissed the corner of my mouth and let his lips drift along my jaw. His hands dropped to resume their tantalizing circles on my thighs.
“I’m not built that way. I don’t do one-night stands.” Flushing, I leaned farther back on his lap.
Finn tightened his grip, pulling me close, breath whispering into my ear. “Who said anything about one night? We will see what happens…”
He watched me as I chewed my lower lip. It was that look that did it. That intent stare that let me know he wanted me. Maybe it was the wine but…
“No?”
“No,” I breathed out.
Face falling, he stopped, his hands dropped from my hips.
“No, wait. I meant no to the no. I meant yes.” I still didn’t know if I should be doing this, but damn, I wanted to be doing this, even if it was only for tonight. I wanted to forget everything for one night. I wanted to not feel so unwanted.
A smile broke across his face, and his eyes gleamed. He gripped my waist and pressed me against him. “Yes?”
“Yes.”
One corner of his mouth rose as he leaned back and looked me over.
“Yes,” he whispered. His lips met mine, his hands trailing up from my waist to cradle my breasts. His thumbs moved lightly across my nipples.
My heart stuttered. I stopped kissing and arched back to give him more access.
He bit my neck, then soothed where he’d bitten with butterfly kisses.
Impatient, I shimmied out of my dress and let the fabric fall to my waist.
Never one to miss an opportunity, his tongue swiped across my nipple; I couldn’t stop a breathy cry from slipping out. Excited, he pushed up, grinding. He sucked my nipple into his mouth, first one, then the other, pressing my breasts close together.
My hands plowed through his hair and tugged, eliciting a growled, “Beta.”
With my top off and dress bunched around my waist, I used his hair to steer him back for a kiss. I struggled to get his shirt off, wanting to feel his skin against mine. Taking a breath, he reached and ripped it off.
Damn.
The light from the fireplace turned his skin golden. For a moment, I was struck by the contrast of my pale skin against his creamy tan. Now that he’d bared his torso, I pressed against him so my breasts rubbed against his smooth chest. Logs crack
led in the background, adding to the ambiance. My hands traveled down his side to his waist. I leaned in to kiss him as my palm dropped to the front of his pants.
He inhaled shakily as I slipped my hand inside. His moan filled the room; his manhood filled my palm. I could just fit my fingers around him. And it felt like I expected. Thank God. For a minute, I was yanked out of the moment. How would this work? It wasn’t like I was that experienced. I’d only ever been with Billy, and I didn’t think that counted, it was so quick.
Finn had no such problems and no such lack of experience. He shuddered and enjoyed my hand on him. “Not too much of that if you want me to last.”
Despite my fears, I stroked him. “You want me to stop?”
“Lands, no.” He kissed me, urging me on.
When I first met Finn, I thought his eyes were pure white, but they had this thin inner rim of blue that seemed to expand when he focused on me. That blue swirled now as he looked at me with lust. And it was quite a look. In that moment, I knew he would give anything to have me, and just like that, he did.
Tugging, I pulled his shaft free of his trousers. My arms went round his shoulders.
I couldn’t stop looking at his eyes, looking at his hair, my hands threaded through it. His ridiculous hair, longer and thicker than mine. I rocked on him, kissing wildly, tongues clashing.
His hands dropped to my waist then to my thighs. He feathered his thumb across me, and I couldn’t stop my answering thrust. My juice covered his hand. He lifted my skirt and held me over him.
His eyes closed as he slowly lowered me onto him. We both shouted and my thighs quivered. He wiggled himself down to the chair edge. I wrapped my legs around him as he slipped in even deeper. Finn bunched his muscles and eased up into me with short strokes, pulling me to meet the thrusts. When he was all the way seated, he bit my neck hard, sucking.
I shuddered and pressed back so just the tip of him was teasing my folds.
Growling, he clenched his teeth, and his arms tightened, shoving me firmly back onto his shaft. I rocked on him, and he bit my shoulder as his hips answered my movements. He circled one arm around my waist, and his hand wedged between us. His fingers feathered along my sex, nudging me into climax.
Screaming his name, I came on a rush of heat and pleasure. Finn jerked and followed with a groan. He kept licking and biting my neck. I wondered if I would get any hickeys. Nah, not with the way I heal. I ran my fingers through his hair.
His hands ran up and down my back in response, making me shiver. It’d never felt this good. With a groan, Finn got up, held me tight, and carried me to the cot, then dropped down on top of me.
I lifted my arms to remove my dress. Finn shook his head no. His pants were undone; he never even got them off. He gazed at me for a second, splayed out before him. Then he pushed his pants down and stepped out of them. He was already halfway hard.
“Lay back.” He rubbed my feet as he said this. Finn massaged his hands up my calves, my thighs, my hips, paying extra special attention to my groin. His hands cradled my sex for a second; his fingers teased me. He blew lightly into my curls and then continued his northward journey. Finn’s hands caressed my belly, my breasts, and my shoulders. He braced himself above me and proved he was more than halfway.
Chapter Sixteen
I woke up a few hours later to him nuzzling my shoulder. I moaned and went to wiggle on my side to face him. We both froze when we heard a thump outside. Loud; too loud to be random.
Finn sprang up and grabbed his knife from the table. Shouts rang out. There was another thump. The building rocked. Finn ran outside, bare-assed, holding his knife. As the door swung shut behind him, he called out, “Bar the door.”
I tugged on my leathers and rushed to the door. If the killer wanted me, he could have me. No more kids were going to die. I darted outside. And it was damn dark. I could barely make out my hand in front of my face. No moon, but a couple of large stars, much larger than at home, dominated the night. There were no guards in sight.
I heard a commotion to my right and ran toward the sound. A voice snarled, and there was a thump. The air started to chill as I peered around the corner of the next home. A lone cloaked figure stood silhouetted against the night sky. Faint laughter tinkled in the air as the figure turned and saw me.
I knew that laughter. This was an Imani. Blood pounded in my ears; I heard ringing as my hands curled into fists. The figure slithered in my direction. My teeth gritted while my insides quaked in fear.
Finn slammed past me, his knife arching toward the figure. The knife got stuck in the air surrounding the man. It went in an inch or so toward him, then stopped. What was up with the shield?
He caught Finn’s arm, but the Imani’s gaze remained focused on me. The air grew even colder. The figure laughed again. Finn kicked hard into the Imani’s knee, knocking him over.
“Are you stupid? Beta, get inside. Now!” Finn shrieked at me as he hammered blow after blow down on the figure. Another guard joined him.
Shaken, I bounded back to my room and barred the door. Then I moved so I’d be behind the door if the murderer burst through. I grabbed a random bottle from Ute’s shelves and waited.
For some reason, seeing the Imani made it more real. I couldn’t fight this guy. He had some weird shield, and I saw how easily he held Finn off.
Blood filled my mouth, and I realized I’d bitten my tongue. The taste reminded me of home, the accident, the copper on the wind. It reminded me of what the Imani had done to my world.
Finn and another man shouted outside. Crazy ass laughter rang out. Fear shot down my spine. My heart raced.
Thud.
Thud.
Voices approached. My breath frosted the air. I centered and could feel him breathing. The killer was right outside my door. I knew it. Before, the cold made me want to run, but I wasn’t going to run anymore. I went into the fighting stance Hana showed me. Heat pooled, combating the chill. I started to lean down to unbar the door as it rattled in its frame.
The killer laughed, fingers scratching down the wood. His voice, high and light, flat without the echo of the Fost, murmured, “Elizabeth? Do you remember me, Elizabeth? I remember you…I cannot wait to renew our acquaintance.”
He slammed his fist against the door once.
I jumped back, bottle raised. The cold gradually receded, but I couldn’t relax. I stumbled back to sit at the table. A few minutes later, Finn blasted inside.
“It was him. Lands be damned; it was him. We had him.” He raged around the room, knocking over books, kicking chairs. He slapped his fists on the table.
Finn was still naked; he had a cut at the corner of his mouth, and blood dripped down his face. A large bruise stained his side, blending with his marks.
I watched him vent; my mind reeled. The Imani were here for me. Did I bring them here, or were they already coming?
“And you, what were you doing out of your room? I told you to bar the door.” He loomed over me. His brows beetled. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He leaned forward “What happened?”
I glanced down with a specific look and turned my eyes away.
He put on pants with a muttered expletive. “Tell me what happened.”
“He knows me. He told me he wanted to renew our acquaintance. This is about me. He’s here because of me.” The murderer’s voice echoed in my head, like the laughter. I knew it. I knew him. His eyes flashed across my mind. Those white eyes I kept seeing. Was that the murderer?
Finn pointed at me. “He will never have you. That I promise you.”
“Those kids are dead because of me!” I cried.
“No, no, none of that now.” He knelt in front of me, hands on my waist. “They are dead because of him and him alone, no one else. He chose to hurt them. He enjoys hurting them. There is no remorse. He did not have to kill them; he could have run. He did not. You did not cause this. You did not bring him here; more than likely he brought you her
e. You are not from this planet.” He took in a deep breath. “He is our enemy, and we will kill him for this.”
His mouth captured mine, once, twice. I was sitting there, my forehead braced against his as he knelt before me when Marin entered.
“What happened?” Marin asked, straight to the point.
“He attacked her guards. Luc is dead, Berin wounded. We were awake and heard the commotion. I had assigned more guards after the second murder, so there were four of us. He still managed to get around us to the door. The door was barred, or he would have had her. More guards came and he ran off. He headed toward the entrance to the valley. I have not heard from the guards there.” Finn never moved his forehead from mine.
“He talked to me,” I added, my head rising. “Through the door. He said knew me, and he could not wait to renew our acquaintance. He’s definitely after me.”
Marin strode up and lifted my chin. “We will not let him have you.”
Finn growled agreement, hands tightening on my waist.
Marin gazed at me, ignoring Finn. Sparks ran beneath my skin where he touched. His thumb grazed my lip.
I blinked up at him. Whoa.
Finn knocked his hand away.
The door opened again as Ute and Torrin entered. “What happened?”
The room was getting way too crowded for cuddling. I got to my feet and washed my hands in the basin, as Finn repeated the story.
Marin stood in the middle of the room. “Elizabeth cannot stay here now. We need a plan.”
“What do you mean, I can’t stay here?” I twirled to face him.
Finn moved in front of me. “She is not going anywhere.”
Marin held up his hands in a “peace” gesture.
“I meant here, here.” He pointed around the room. “Everyone knows where she has been staying. The Imani knows where she is now. We know he is after her. And as we saw, one of our people is helping him. We cannot defend her here. This is the middle of town, too many possible casualties, and too many places to hide. We need a better place to keep her. Without Finn and the extra guards, we would have had many more bodies out there tonight, hers included.” Marin let that settle in.
“For now, Finn, see what you can smell. Ute, Torrin, help him. I want to know if anyone was nearby who should not be. I am having all the people stay in their homes, except for guards. We need to find him and whoever is helping him.”
Must Remember: Dead or alive, they want her back. (Solum Series Book 1) Page 12
