Marcus hesitated for a moment then reached out his hand to her. She held out her palm, and he dropped the little figure there. Courtney brought the wooden piece closer to inspect. She stared in wonder at the little object, now understanding its earlier familiarity.
“This is me?” she asked softly. She looked over to Marcus, who had shifted his gaze back to the fire.
“Isn’t it a time for gifts?” He shrugged. “Merry Christmas.”
She turned the little figure over within her fingers. He had carved a figure of her. The detail was surprisingly intricate, and the appearance was unmistakable. She’d not suspected he was such a skilled artisan.
This wasn’t something he could have done quickly, which meant all this time, even before they’d been thrust together by circumstance, he’d cared enough to pay attention and prepare such a gift. Never in her life had she been given something so thoughtful, or something that required such extended effort.
Although he might have a gruff exterior, Marcus cared, likely more than she’d ever understood. The walls he threw up had convinced her before that, if anything, he disliked her, but that entire time he’d been preparing this gift for her.
The truth was clear to her now. He cared. Not only that, he cared in ways that weren’t expressed with words. After all, it was always easy to say something. Words could be nothing but hot air in the end.
Instead, he proved he cared. He showed he cared in the only way he knew how to: with his hands.
She didn’t know how much she believed about what she’d heard about Vestals, but it was undeniable that something deep and profound connected the two. Denying it would be like trying to deny breathing.
How could she turn her back at her opportunity for her own true love?
Courtney stood slowly, knowing the one thing she really wanted that Christmas. With care, she placed the little figure on the table.
“I’m going to bed,” she said.
Chapter Thirteen
Marcus sat there quietly waiting for her to say something about the figure he’d made. His brain might not have known what the intent of the object was when he first started making it, but his heart always did. The primal side of him never would allow itself to deny the truth of his connection to his Vestal.
He had been making the figure for her. He’d always been, consciously or not. It was the only thing that made sense.
That was how fundamental their connection was. Even though he’d spent so long denying he could ever want to be with a human, his soul knew the truth and still pushed him toward the path of bonding.
The figure was his message to her about how much he cared, about how she meant more to him than simple sex.
She glanced between the figure and him a few times. He focused on her, desperate to hear her reaction to the gift.
His heart twisted when she placed the little figure on the table without further comment other than saying she was going to bed. The feeling of rejection was almost too much to bear.
He dropped his gaze.
She wanted to just go to bed and ignore him. He’d thought they had a connection, but maybe he’d been fooling himself. What did he really know about bonding?
He didn’t want to believe it. He’d finally accepted the truth about his Vestal, and now she was turning his back on him?
No. That couldn’t be the case. He couldn’t feel the way he did if there wasn’t something there. His feelings were too strong. This wasn’t some trivial infatuation. This was real.
He lifted his head, ready to try and put into words what he felt.
Surprise struck him. She stood there, her hand outstretched toward him.
It took several seconds to process that she didn’t reject him. Their connection was real. His heart leapt for joy.
Marcus reached up and took her delicate fingers in his. Courtney gave a small tug, and he stood with ease.
She led him down the hall to the spare bedroom and pulled them both in. Without a word, she closed the door behind her.
Marcus watched as she walked towards him, stopping just before they touched.
Still not saying anything, Courtney lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. His heart kicked up even more in his chest and hammered hard.
He swallowed as she unclasped her bra and dropped it to the ground. He could see her hard red buds pointed directly at him. She was already ready for him. Not just ready, ready and excited.
He hardened. He was also ready and excited. No doubts remained. He knew now that they were connected, and so did she.
She understood. He could sense that now. She knew what it’d mean to be with him. The pull between them, after all, ran both ways. They would complete each other.
With one final move, Courtney slid her pants down her legs, taking her panties with them.
She stood before him now completely naked. His gaze rested on her as she stared lovingly into his face.
Courtney brought her soft hand up to cup his cheek and smiled as she ran her thumb along his lips, gentle and slow.
“You have such beautiful eyes,” she said softly. “The most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”
He’d never felt prouder to be a hybrid. She found his differences to be something of beauty. It made him ache for more of her words, for more of her. He wanted to complete their joining. To truly bond with her.
Courtney grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. Marcus lifted his arms to help her with his clothing.
She tossed it to the side as she had done with her own clothes. Courtney ran her hands along his chest, sliding them along the contours of his body as if she were learning every last piece of him. He let out a grunt of appreciation.
He growled when she leaned forward and placed her mouth just above his heart. She laid open-mouthed kisses against his hard flesh.
Marcus could no longer stop himself from touching her soft skin. He lifted her chin and leaned down to give her the kiss he’d been aching to. Their tongues twisted with one another with a familiarity that felt like they’d known each other their whole lives.
When he pulled back from the kiss to stare at her, Marcus found himself still needing more, but there was one thing he still wanted and needed to hear.
“Did you like the carving?”
Courtney smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her soft breasts pressed against his firm chest. He could feel her hard nipples rubbing against him there. His cock throbbed in response, eager to be inside his woman.
“I love it,” she said. “I love it because it came from you.”
It was all he needed.
Marcus kissed her again. This time the kiss was as fevered as he felt. His need for her burned like an inferno inside of him, threatening to consume them both in the flames of its passion.
He felt her fingers pop open the button on his pants and groaned as she slid them down his legs. They fell to the floor, and he stepped out of them before leading them both over to the bed. Gently, he laid her down and followed, nestling himself between her spread thighs.
The heat of her center warmed his aching cock. He gritted his teeth. This was going too fast. Though he wanted to plant himself in her badly, he still needed to show her all the ways that he cared. The carving was a start, but not enough. She needed to truly know.
Marcus groaned loudly as her small hand wrapped around his aching member. Courtney wrapped her other arm around his neck and pulled his ear close to her mouth.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered in his ear.
Damn it. How could he resist when she said something like that?
Courtney felt his body tense over hers at her words. He stared down at her, his bright blue eyes literally glowing with passion.
She was being bold. It was hard to be something that she wasn’t used to, but she had to make the move. It had to come from her.
She wasn’t quite sure, but she sensed that Marcus was holding off for some reason.
She couldn’t guess wha
t it might be. He obviously wanted her. It didn’t matter. She’d do what she needed to convince him to move forward.
With her hand still on his hard length, she guided the blunt head to her very wet opening. With ease, he slipped inside of her.
She let out a gasp, and then this time it was her turn to moan as he filled her. She’d already seen how large he was, but feeling the huge girth buried inside of her was very different.
Her insides stretched to accommodate his size, but she felt no pain, only a fullness unlike any she’d ever experienced before. She took several deep breaths as she adjusted to him inside of her.
Her hands wrapped around his back, and she raked her nails down lightly until they rested on his firm ass. Marcus pushed in the final bit, and they stayed like that, completely joined.
Courtney circled her hips once, rubbing her clit against his coarse hairs. Her insides fluttered at the feel, so she circled her hips again.
Marcus groaned loudly. She let out a moan. The sensation was wonderful.
“If you keep doing that…” he said through gritted teeth.
Courtney grinned at his warning and moved her hips again. “You’ll do what?”
She stared up at his brightly glowing eyes and was surprised to find a soft smile on his lips.
Marcus pulled his hips back, leaving only his head inside. She frowned thinking he might pull out completely but gasped when he surged back inside, filling her once again with his thick cock.
Courtney arched her back, the wonderful feeling almost too much. Her insides fluttered again.
Marcus pulled back again, and this time he slammed into her. She shivered as she tried to hold back her orgasm.
He continued to hammer into her now, their hips slapping against one another as he filled her so completely with each thrust.
Marcus reached down and lifted her hips. He placed each of her legs over his shoulders, bringing her level with him as he fucked her harder.
Courtney opened her eyes and watched him as he worked his body, his hard muscles straining to go faster.
His eyes caught hers, and she came hard around him, crying out. Her insides squeezed him rhythmically till she felt him jerk inside of her, his hot seed spilling deep within her womb.
Courtney kept her gaze on him, watching him as they truly became one.
Slowly he pulled out of her and pulled on the covers on the bed. With ease, he moved her up the bed and cocooned his warm body around her, spooning her from behind as he’d done before, except now there was no question about his intent.
Marcus placed a soft kiss in the spot just behind her ear, and she gave a small smile.
She tried to think of a time in her life she’d ever been so happy and content. After a few moments, she gave up.
Courtney took his hand and placed a kiss on the palm. She wrapped it around her and snuggled into his warmth, letting herself slip into a deep sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Marcus woke up hours later, the touch of dawn pushing back against the darkness, even amongst the dense nearby trees. The soft woman nestled next to him shivered slightly at the touch of the cool air. He kissed her creamy bare neck and smiled when she sighed in her sleep.
When he looked at her, an unfamiliar ease settled over him. His time as a prisoner of the Horatius Group had been a time of anger and fear. His time away from the Group hadn’t been much different. He hadn’t looked forward to the future as so much worried about his past catching up.
His true past was lost to him, shrouded in memories long gone. A time before the Group, a time likely long ago. What little hints that remained didn’t suggest a life of contented warmth with a woman he loved.
Now everything was different, far more than he’d ever dare dreamed. In such a short time, everything had changed for him. He’d spent so long hating the humans, both because of what he was and what the Horatius Group had done to his people. He’d wanted no part of their life. In rejecting them, though, he’d been rejecting his own happiness.
In the end, he couldn’t deny the humanity that joined him to Courtney. Yes, he was a hybrid, and that made him different, but that didn’t mean being human wasn’t still a piece of who he was.
He wasn’t a totally different breed of creature. He was meant to be with a Vestal, and for whatever else his Vestal might be, in the end, she was no more and no less than a human.
There was no resistance and no questions left in him. Now that he’d been with her, he no longer needed to search for the missing piece of his existence.
There’d always been a faint longing in his soul, even when he wasn’t aware of it, a hole really. Courtney filled that hole. She completed him.
With Courtney he knew he could be exactly who he was and what he was. Both man and beast. It was freeing to have someone who accepted him for the person he was. There was no need to hide his true nature.
He loved her for it. Marcus frowned a little. He loved her?
He said the words inside his head and knew them to be true. He did love her, likely had since the moment he’d first seen her. For all his mocking of her understanding of the word love, now he wondered if he’d misunderstood the Vestal-hybrid relationship just as badly. It’d explain why he’d spent so much time resisting the idea of being around her.
He’d always assumed that the primary feeling between the two had been lust and that they’d been acting on some sort of primal animalistic urge. That was something he’d convinced himself should be easy enough to ignore, despite how she kept invading his thoughts.
The truth was though lust played a part, his heart had always been leading the way when it came to Courtney. Lust didn’t lead him to spend so much time making a carving of her.
Marcus smiled at the woman beside him and quietly climbed out of bed. The chill had seeped in the below the covers, and he knew he needed to add another couple logs to the fire, especially if he wanted to show her again just how much she meant to him.
After all, now that he’d frightened off the animal, they could weather out the storm until they were able to leave, or Rem sent someone to check on them. There was no reason for any more tension or worry.
The wind had mostly died down, and the snow had stopped falling for the moment. The sky remained overcast, but the sun poured through more than a few holes in the clouds. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the main stormfront had passed them by.
He might even be able to get the car in a drivable position later that day and get them back to the compound. For the moment though, he only needed to get the house more comfortable for Courtney.
He stood and slipped on his pants and then his shirt. Quietly, he made his way into the living room and tossed a log on the fire. A log or two should be all they needed.
A cold draft wafted through the room. Marcus tensed and frowned. Why would there be a draft inside?
He turned his head, seeking the source of the nippy air. The kitchen window was partially open, just a few inches.
He bit back a growl. The window hadn’t been open earlier. He was sure of it. The cold air would have been obvious, just as it was now.
He cursed silently. He’d been wrong, stupid and wrong. Now several things made sense.
Animals didn’t open windows. Someone much more human had tried to get in. They were only stopped by the safety catch on that window. They’d probably wanted to get in without making too much noise and attracting his attention.
Not a wolf, or a rabid bear, but some criminal scum was skulking in the wilderness. A murderer. That wasn’t so hard to understand. And he’d even be easier to deal with once he showed his face.
Marcus peered out into the darkness. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He shut the window and locked it behind him.
The enemy was out there. If anything, he’d been more worried about the idea of facing a crazed pack of wolves. A human would be easier to scare in many ways, if not easier to take out.
He slipped on his shoes and opened the front door.
Marcus looked around the darkness, but the area remained quiet. Slowly, he made his way around the house, watching for any signs of an ambush.
His gaze shot to the tarp covering Mr. Martin. He hadn’t exactly examined the body closely. Maybe the poor man had been murdered, and an animal simply finished the job. Maybe the bastard even had an attack dog with him. Humans killed humans all the time, after all.
He curled his hands into fists. If this scum thought it was going to be that easy with him, they had another thing coming. He wasn’t an ailing old man. If this fucker showed his face, Marcus would make him regret it.
He didn’t want trouble, but the man had obviously been stalking them for some time. He had plenty of time to run away and plenty of time to set up in the house himself. Or he could have knocked on the front door and introduced himself.
Instead, he’d been running around and hiding. That suggested a guilty man who was only looking for more trouble.
Marcus rounded the corner near the previously opened kitchen window and examined the fresh footprints in the snow. It was the final proof he needed that it wasn’t wolves, a mountain lion, or a bear.
He leaned over to peer at the footprints more closely. Marcus frowned. Something was wrong. The footprints looked human-like, but were too large, too wide, with evidence of clawed toes.
He shook his head. It didn’t make sense. What else could it be?
Maybe he was wrong, and it was some sort of bear after all. Even if he could imagine the bear trying to open the window, the rest of the behavior didn’t make sense. There was one further piece of evidence to check.
With fresh tracks on the ground, he had a decent chance of picking up a useful scent. He leaned farther toward the window and breathed in deeply. For the first time since they’d come there, he could pick out something from the air other than what he expected. It was a familiar scent, something that made his stomach clench.
The hairs on the back of his neck raised as his brain processed just what he was smelling. He’d never forget that stench. After all the Horatius Group had forced him to have to smell it.
Marcus: #5 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 7
