She was ready for him, so damned ready, and his hard cock strained against his fly, eager to play.
“Yes, please. Master.”
The words sounded infinitely sweet from her lips and he rewarded her by stroking her through the lace of her panties, then slipped his fingers beneath to rub her swollen clitoris. Anna moaned loudly and pressed tighter against him, urging him on.
“Oh, master. That feels so good.”
Much as he enjoyed her submission, he needed more, needed pain in order to take her completely. “I must hurt you, Anna. Is that okay?”
“Please, master, please hurt me so good.” Anna plunged her fingers through his hair, her nails scraping his scalp.
Dante grabbed a nearby stick that would make a suitable switch, then turned her to face the stone cliff, stripping her bare.
Angry red welts still crisscrossed her skin, along with a few bruises on her hips from where he’d dug his fingers into her as she’d rode him hard. He grasped the flexible branch tight in his fist and gently traced it down the center of her back, preparing her for the ordeal ahead.
His inner pain demon growled with anticipation. He needed this more than he needed air to breathe. The connection between them flared supernova hot as he brought the branch down against her skin, careful to avoid the same areas he’d marked the previous night. Over and over he beat her, until she was whimpering with need and his cock ached for release.
At last, he dropped the branch and turned her to face him, pressing her back against the stone wall once more while he toed off his boots and pulled off his jeans then put on a condom. She sighed as Dante pressed his hard cock inside her wet, warm body, inch by inch, until he was buried hilt-deep.
They were silent as the breeze blew and the birds called from the blue sky above and all was right with their little universe. At this moment, at this second, at this blessed spot where they were alone and together and joined as intimately as two beings could be in this lifetime, all was good and pure and his inner demon was finally at peace.
And that was when tragedy struck.
The tragedy of knowing against all his wishes, all the odds, all the Council’s laws, Dante had found his true life mate.
In the one woman, he could never, ever have.
Not in this lifetime anyway.
Chapter Eight
Anna arched against Dante, loving the feel of him inside her, loving the scrape of the cold stone against her bruised and welted back. Loving everything about this wicked situation, even though she shouldn’t. She should be concerned only with getting to Liz, getting home, getting back to her life, and getting her darkest desires and her dangerous rogue powers safely back under control.
Yet somewhere between her arrival yesterday and now, she’d become addicted to this man. It was like she’d been swept up in a riptide of passion. Honestly, once this was all over, Anna wasn’t sure how she’d ever go back to a world without Dante.
He withdrew fully then thrust back inside her hard. Her whole body vibrated with the force, her inner muscles rippling in pleasure.
Dante nipped her skin, at the sensitive spot where neck met shoulder and she groaned. She loved this. Loved the pain, loved the submission, loved giving up control for a few precious moments and to just feel and experience and…
“You feel like hot silk, ofryd,” he whispered, lifting her higher against him to take one of her nipples into the wet heat of his mouth.
“Mmm.” She moaned against the top of his head, holding him closer. Voices echoed from somewhere in the distance and it only drove her passion higher. He raised his head at the sound and locked eyes with her.
“Don’t stop.” She growled.
“Never.” He kissed her again, their dueling tongues mimicking his thrusts below. Soon they were both panting. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you close, ofryd?”
Anna nodded, biting her lip hard. Her pulse drummed loudly in her ears and the friction of his body, coupled with his angle of penetration, had her teetering on the brink.
“Tell me.”
“I-I—”
He reached between them and stroked her clit and her world erupted as she came hard.
Dante clamped his mouth over hers, swallowing her cries of ecstasy, then returned them to her moments later as he climaxed deep inside her. Spent, they clung to each other against the boulders until, at last, he lowered her to her feet.
“Thank you.” He kissed her tenderly.
“For what?” She shivered as the breeze stirred. He handed her shirt and bra to her then tugged on his jeans. “For the sex?”
He gathered the rest of her clothes and stood guard while she finished dressing. “For giving us what we both needed.”
She pulled on her panties and jeans and shoved her feet into her sneakers, then joined him near the trail leading back to the bike. Her whole body buzzed with afterglow and she did her best to concentrate on why she was here.
“I’m ready for my clues,” she said, coming up beside him. “For Liz’s location.”
“Right.” He slipped his denim vest back on and took her hand. “It is white.”
“That’s a clue?” They passed a few pedestrians, mostly teens. From the angle of the sunlight, it was late afternoon now. “Every other house here is white.”
“I said I would give you clues.” Dante held up his hands once they’d reached his chopper. “I did not say they would be good ones.”
They boarded the motorcycle again and she secured her helmet in place. He sped out of the park and back onto the highway, heading west toward Salvation. Several miles later they passed a wooden sign identical to the one she’d seen the day before.
Welcome to Salvation. Wyoming
Population 2,423
“Clue number two,” he said.
Figures. She shook her head then rested it against his upper back. Considering the twisted maze she’d encountered so far, it only seemed right Liz’s location would wrap in on itself like some crazy Mobius strip, leading her right back where she started.
They drove past street after street lined with nondescript homes, turning corners here and there. At first, Anna had paid close attention to all the street signs, memorizing each one, thinking she could sneak out later and find Liz.
But now she knew that would be near impossible. She’d long since lost count of all the names. She needed more details to help her figure all of this out.
Anna sighed and tucked her chin over Dante’s shoulder, whispering in his ear, “Tell me about the project with Liz.”
“What?”
“Tell me about this mysterious project of yours to save the world.”
He chuckled and she felt the sound, rather than heard it, the deep rumble transferring through his back into her front and warming every single inch of her.
“Am I right? Is that your plan?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” he said.
“Sounds pretty chivalrous. For a demon.”
“Demons are not all bad.”
“No.” She snuggled a bit closer to him as the sun started to set. “I suppose not.”
They rounded yet another street corner before he spoke again. “I have a vow to fulfill.”
She straightened a tad and frowned. “What kind of vow?”
“The deadly kind.” A small muscle ticked near his tight jaw. He shifted in his seat, pressing himself more firmly between her thighs. “I have lived a long time and done many things of which I am not proud. Now is my time for atonement.”
“How does a demon atone for their sins? More importantly, why would they care?”
“I am only half demon.”
“Oh.” She clutched his waist tighter, letting that sink in. “What’s your other half?”
“Human.”
Anna blinked. “Wow. Okay. Well, at least we have something in common.”
He sighed, loud enough for her to hear it above the roar of the wind and bike engine. “We are still
very different, ofryd. Most likely your destiny will not converge with mine.”
She’d never been one of those clinging women who considered themselves less than because they didn’t have a man, but she couldn’t seem to stop the question. “Why not?”
He didn’t reply for so long that she began to think he hadn’t heard her. When he finally did speak, it was so low all she heard was his last word. “Sacrifice.”
“What?” She leaned closer to him. “I didn’t hear you.”
“I said my vow requires a sacrifice.” He swerved his cycle into a spot along the side of Seven. “The more painful, the better.”
All-consuming dread, the same as in the diner, bubbled like toxic sludge inside her. “What kind of sacrifice?”
“Blood and life. Every worthy cause requires a sacrifice.”
Great. Whose blood and whose life? She took a step back from him and bumped into the side of her rental car. Anna peered through the passenger door and saw it was unlocked. “While we’re here, can I grab my bag?”
“Hurry.”
She retrieved her messenger bag then slung it across her body before digging in the trunk for her duffle. Finally, she’d have more than one outfit to wear. “Thanks.”
He narrowed his gaze in the darkening twilight then took her wrist. “We need to get inside.”
“Why?” From the razor-sharp edge in his voice, danger was imminent, but she didn’t see anything threatening. “I want to know more about this sacrifice of yours.”
“Upstairs.”
“I don’t want to go upstairs.” The low roar of an approaching cycle grew louder. A lone headlight headed toward them, the round, yellow orb rumbling closer by the second. The dread within her rose to nauseating levels. “Who is that?”
“Basher.”
Shit. “Okay, upstairs.”
“Wise woman.”
They raced inside Seven and had just started to climb to the second floor when Basher yelled to Dante, “You. Here. Now.”
“Get to my room and lock yourself inside. Don’t let anyone in until I return. Understand?”
She nodded. For once, she had no problem obeying his command. Plus, she now had her trusty laptop and hopefully a good Wi-Fi connection. Anna rushed upstairs and all but barricaded herself in Dante’s room. Then she pulled out her computer and plugged it in before settling at the small table in the kitchen. The first thing she did was check her emails. After sorting through two days of junk, she got started on her list of things to investigate.
She started with Dante’s tattoo. Turned out it was something called a Seal of Caligostro, named after some Italian count in the 1700s. It represented the union of earth and fire, the universal balance. Then she discovered the original symbol had included additional words in Latin—talem dabit ultio messem.
Revenge shall give this harvest.
From what Dante had told her about his sacrifice that seemed fitting.
Next, she searched for demons, namely of the pain and wrath variety. That search turned up nothing more useful than ideas for her next Halloween costume or suggestions for new ways to gain XP points in video games.
Finally, she typed the word oracle into her browser.
The first page of results was pretty much what she expected, until she narrowed her search by adding the word psychic. Then a storm of pop-up ads for hotlines and pay-per-reading sites bombarded her screen.
Ugh.
Head aching, Anna closed her laptop and glanced at the digital clock on his stove. Close to eight. Carlos had said his brother’s meeting was at nine. Chances were good Dante planned to be there, too.
More than anything she’d hoped to find her sister again today, but the clues Dante had given her were worthless. She could try the astral projection again, but she had no idea how to do it exactly. The last time, Dante had her picture something happy then boom, there she was with Liz.
Settling in, Anna closed her eyes and thought of all those séances Liz had made her sit through as a teenager. She’d almost missed her SATs because of one, had missed her prom because of another. She pictured Liz in her typical undead communication garb—white flowing tunic, turban head piece, jewelry that looked like it came straight out of some crusty old pharaoh’s tomb.
A shiver ran through her, then Anna found herself outside, sitting cross-legged in a field as the stars twinkled above and Liz chanted away beside her.
“Hey, sis,” Liz murmured, between incantations. “What’s doing?”
“Where are we?”
“Wyoming.”
“I know that.” Anna glanced to the side, giving her twin her best irritated-teacher look. “I mean where in Wyoming.”
“Pryor Mountain. Wild Horse Range.”
The mustang reserve. Dante’s meeting.
She scooted closer to Liz. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing. Yet.”
“But something is going to happen?”
“No.” Liz gave her an exasperated stare. “Not if you don’t shut up.”
“Don’t tell me to shut up.” Since childhood, Anna had always acted as the responsible one in their relationship, taking on the role of surrogate parent after their mother had died, despite their Nonna raising them. Technically, Anna was a minute older, so it made sense. “And what are you doing out here?”
“Channeling.”
“Channeling?”
“Yeah, channeling energy for your fuck buddy over there.”
“What?” Heat prickled in Anna’s cheeks despite the chilly night air. “No. Dante’s not my—”
“Hey, more power to you, I say. That guy is smoking hot, and not just in a demon-y, hell and brimstone sort of way either.”
“Stop it.”
“What?”
“Whatever is or isn’t happening with me and Dante is private.” Anna crossed her arms and peered into the surrounding darkness. Her connection with Dante was a steady, warm gold, giving her no clue to how he was feeling or what might be happening to him. “There’s supposed to be a secret meeting here tonight.”
“I know.” Liz stopped chanting and glanced at Anna. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Explain please.”
“I can’t.” Liz faced forward again and closed her eyes, her palms open and directed upward toward the heavens. “Not yet.”
“That’s it.” Anna started to get up. “I’ve had it with ‘not yet’.”
“Anna.” Liz said, sighing. “Sis, wait.”
“No.” She stood then stared down at her twin. “I’m done waiting. You know how hard it is for me to be here, how awful it is to relive all those painful memories and yet you can’t even answer my simple questions. And why are you not freaking out about being held hostage?”
“No one’s holding me hostage.” Liz stood as well. “I’m here because I’m needed.”
“How noble.” Anna headed in the direction of where she thought the road was. It was hard to tell in the dark. “I came clear out here to find you because I thought you were hurt or in danger or…worse.” She threw up her hands in exasperation. “If you wanted to be here, you could’ve saved me the trip and the worry.”
“I couldn’t tell you.”
“Right.” Anna snorted and walked a few steps farther. “Because it’s all a big secret.”
“No. Because you had to come, too.”
“You know I can’t help you. My powers are far too dangerous, too uncontrollable. They hurt people. You should never have brought me here.”
“I had to.” Liz pleaded, trailing behind her. “None of this will work without you. Without us. Together. Sis, we’re the gang’s—”
“Please,” Anna covered her eyes, “do not say the word oracle.”
“Why not, ofryd?” Dante appeared in front of her.
“Wait a minute.” Anna stumbled backward, startled. “I thought these visions were only between Liz and me.”
“Normal astral projections are limited, yes. But the two of you are hardly norm
al.” He shook his head, frowning at Anna. “Again you disobey me, ofryd. I am beginning to think Basher was right. I am slipping.”
“Will somebody please tell me what the hell is happening?” Anna glanced from her sister to Dante then back again. “Please?”
“Sis, do you remember all those comics Nonna gave us to read as kids, the ones about twins with magical superpowers?”
“Yes.” She frowned. “But you know there is nothing super about my powers.”
“You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened,” Liz said. “There’s no way you could’ve known what would happen to that bully. You were trying to help me.”
“Some help I was.” Anna walked over to a large rock and leaned against it. “That boy died because of me.”
“He died because of his own actions. He was a bully and he hurt people.”
“He was fourteen.”
“And you were ten, sis. Please don’t let one bad experience keep you from your destiny.”
“My destiny?” Anna threw her head back and laughed, the sound brittle. “I murdered that boy. Broke his neck without even breaking a sweat. If that’s my destiny, no thank you.”
Dante stood beside her and took her hands in his. “I do not know the story of what happened during your childhood, ofryd. What I do know is that the gifts you possess are rare. And that when those gifts are joined with those of your sister, you form an Oracle more powerful than any I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Stop saying that word.” Anna rubbed her aching temples. “I looked oracle up on the Internet. Nothing. Nada. Unless you want a free psychic reading from 1-800-I’m-a-fraud.”
“Please, sis,” Liz said. “You and I, we can exchange and use energy together to make things happen.”
Anna pulled away from Dante. “What kinds of things?”
“So far I’ve been able to change people’s decisions, alter their perceptions, and move small objects without touching them. Earlier, I almost lifted one of those cows over there about a foot off the ground, before you busted my mojo.” As if in confirmation, a loud moo resounded from somewhere off in the distance. “Now imagine what the two of us could do if we concentrated our efforts. We could solve global warming, achieve world peace, save the rainforests. Unite a gang of misfits and make them nearly invincible.”
Blood Bound (Blood Ravengers Book 1) Page 10
