Immortal Duty

by J. K. Coi

“Do it. Fast and hard. Finish me.”

  Eyes shut tight, she bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Fuck that,” he said, slipping his hand between their bodies to tease her clit. She gasped and jerked her hips.

  “Don’t make me get up and leave this bed,” she warned with a tortured smile. “We do this the slow and easy way, or no way at all.”

  He didn’t remove his hand and thrust his pelvis up, pushing just a little deeper inside her.

  She leaned over and put her hands on the mattress for balance as she rode him faster. She still refused to completely let go of herself, but her breasts bounced and her breath caught.

  All he had to do was watch the expressions cross her face and he couldn’t hold his release any longer. Just as her movements became jerky and tight, he clutched her hips and forced her down on him hard, emptying himself deep inside her.

  She dropped her head to his chest. “I wasn’t going to do that,” she muttered.

  “I was hoping all day that you’d do that.” He pushed the hair from her rosy cheeks. “Want to do it again?”

  She wanted him to take a nap instead, which he was having none of. “Real men don’t nap,” he said.

  Rhys did finally admit to being a little tired. But he didn’t need to nap, would maybe just rest a bit.

  As he dozed, Amy parked herself in his comfy leather chair across the room. She was starting to think of it as her chair, actually. In fact, she was starting to feel way too comfortable in Rhys’ space on the whole. She picked out a book and pretended to read, when in reality she simply watched him.

  Asleep, Rhys’ barriers were weaker and his mind was more open to her, letting her read him better. It was still frightening to have such a skill.

  She felt the immense weariness in him, and she could sense his worry, so strong that it consumed him even in his sleep.

  She thought about what he’d told her the other night, and determined that the two of them were a lot alike in certain ways. They’d both lost loved ones in ways no one should have to lose a loved one, and they had reacted by letting it dictate the rest of their lives, each in their own way. Rhys had let his guilt consume him and Amy had let her fear manipulate her, and each of them had spent way too much time and energy making sure no one could get close enough to be considered a liability, or close enough to matter.

  Amy was finally realizing that it hadn’t worked.

  After years of trying to stay independent and solitary and keep her heart safe, it had taken less than a week to totally and completely fall head over heels for this private and surprisingly gentle man. She was beginning to understand that all her deeply ingrained fears had been based on a child’s trauma. As an adult, and because of Rhys, she had begun to learn that love was worth it. Love was worth every moment spent together—even if a moment was all you would have.

  Amy slowly surfaced from a light doze. She could tell immediately that Rhys was awake, didn’t even have to open her eyes to know he was watching her. But she did. And he was. She could feel the heat of his desire across the room to where she lounged in the chair.

  “You must be feeling better,” she said to him, a soft smile touching her lips. He looked tousled and sleepy still, and way too appealing.

  “Yep, ready for round two,” he chuckled, a devilish grin on his scruffy face. “You think you’re all that with those new empathic abilities of yours, but trust me, it doesn’t take a psychic to figure out what I’m feeling right now. Come over here and I’ll show you the physical evidence.”

  “Physical evidence, hmm? Well, I am a doctor,” she teased right back.

  “Well then, doctor, you really should take a look,” he taunted.

  “You think it’s serious?” she asked with a sham look of concern.

  “It could be. I’m afraid it’s been a constant condition for me ever since we met, and it can be very embarrassing, since I get hard just being in the same room with you.”

  Amy giggled girlishly, “Hmm. A constant condition? That could be awkward. We should definitely see what we can do about it.”

  “Just get that smart mouth of yours over here, doctor,” Rhys chuckled. “I could do with some relief.” Amy set aside the book that had dropped to her lap as she slept and slowly unfolded out of the chair.

  She slowly began to undo the buttons of her blouse. Very slowly.

  When every one had been slipped free of its eyelet, Amy paused, holding the shirt over her breasts. She had definitely caught Rhys’ attention. With a smile, she pulled the edges of the soft cotton apart and shrugged the garment from her shoulders. Rhys watched, his expression focused as the sleeves slid down her arms and the garment fell in a rush to the floor, already forgotten.

  Amy had talked Baron into letting her go out to run some errands yesterday. He’d insisted on taking her himself, not wanting to face Rhys when he found out that she had left the compound without him. At her apartment she’d called the hospital to arrange for a short leave of absence, trying to keep the conversation vague, explaining that she was ill and would need a few days of recovery.

  She’d been surprised at how disconcerting it felt to be back there. It reminded Amy of visiting her grandmother’s house as a child. She could still remember that sensation—of knowing where everything was, of recognizing the furniture and seeing the same photos on the walls, but at the same time feeling uncomfortable because they didn’t come often enough for Amy to think of it as familiar. She had experienced that same disquiet in her own apartment yesterday, although she didn’t feel it now, here with Rhys.

  Her mind reached out to him, searching for the connection she already thought of as theirs.

  She could get used to this empathy thing. Rhys was raging with need and desire and Amy could feel every thud of his heart, all of his passion as if it were her own. It rushed through her mind, leaving licks of heat behind as it traveled to her heart, lungs, and melted in her belly, the intensity of it magnifying her own desire. With every breath that escaped from his lips, every beat of his heart pumping just a little bit faster, the intensity built in her as well, making her ache with sharp stabs of want.

  She was purposely prolonging his suffering—and her own—and was enjoying every moment of it.

  Slowly releasing the snap of her jeans, she leisurely pushed the snug-fitting denim down her smooth legs and kicked it off to the side. She watched Rhys, luxuriating in the pleasure he took in watching her. His eyes had dilated and his breathing hitched, and for the first time in her life, Amy felt the power of her own womanhood, her own sexuality. She saw herself through his eyes, knew herself through his emotions, and felt unbelievably beautiful.

  Rhys groaned as if he were slowly being tortured to death. When she moved to join him on the bed, though, he stopped her.

  “Finish for me,” he said hoarsely. “Let me see all of you.”

  “In that case, don’t we need a pole and some music or something?” Amy joked, cheeks reddening with sudden shyness.

  “All I need is you, baby,” Rhys assured her, his eyes full of warm promises and wicked intentions.

  Amy didn’t know why she was suddenly so nervous—it wasn’t as if she and Rhys hadn’t been naked together before. But the reality of how quickly and deeply her feelings had grown in such a short time was suddenly very intimidating, and it added another layer to what they were doing that was much more personal, and consequently made her feel more vulnerable.

  She pulled the skinny little straps down her arms and hesitated briefly, hugging the scrap of silk to her chest. She was no exotic dancer. She didn’t have any super-sexy moves or darkly seductive come-hither looks, and even if there had been a pole for her to use, she wouldn’t have known what to do with it.

  She was just Amy.

  Just a woman enjoying the innocent pleasure of showing her body to the man she loved.

  Loved?

  She met Rhys’ eyes, her mental powers reaching as far inside him as she could
get. He was there, laid open for her, assuring her of his desire. Amy could sense the tenderness and wonder in his heart for her.

  Yeah, love.

  Amy took a deep breath and pulled the bra away from her body, baring herself completely.

  Amy watched Rhys’ face as she hooked her thumbs into the thin waistband of her panties, then pulled the slip of silk down her long sleek legs.

  “I’ve never seen such beauty as yours,” he said, his eyes caressing her naked body. “You’re perfect.”

  Amy slowly approached the bed. When she stopped just at the foot of it, Rhys pushed the covers aside, letting her see the rigid evidence of what she had done to him. He pulled off his boxers quickly, his eyes never leaving her face.

  Amy bent forward, hands flat on the mattress. She crawled up the length of the bed like a sleek, hungry cat stalking its prey. Rhys cupped the back of her neck, bringing her to him for a kiss so deep and passionate they were both soon shaking from it.

  She pulled back first and her hands and lips moved over his body to explore and tease. She skimmed over his recent scars, her throat tightening with tears, but when he reached for her she pushed him back and gently kissed each one. Then she licked, nipped and kissed his sculpted body from head to toe.

  When he saw where she was headed with her mouth, he tipped her head up. “Not this time,” he said with a groan, pulling her back up for another hot, wet kiss before he grabbed her and flipped them so that he loomed over top of her and was pushing inside of her, all in one smooth movement.

  “We’re not doing this the slow and easy way this time,” he growled against her lips.

  All laughter and teasing bled away in the wake of the searing, intense pressure of his thick cock penetrating her.

  “Rhys,” she moaned. The feel of him inside her, pressing deeper and deeper, was too wonderful. She squirmed, urging him to give her more. He just laughed and held her still, hips pressing hard into hers.

  She gripped his shoulders, her nails dug into his back and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. The combination of her physical and mental awareness of him, the way he bombarded all of her senses and flooded her with his passion—all of it enhanced her own raging, already unbearable need. It was too much.

  Amy whispered hoarsely in his ear, “Please.”

  With that soft, simple word, Rhys exploded with power and strength. He pounded her mercilessly and she came almost immediately with his name bursting from her lips, shuddering and trembling with the force of her release. He was watching her as she burst apart beneath him, as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Finally, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. She tightened her legs around his hips and gazed up at him. It was her turn to watch as he gave in to his own climax.

  He awoke alone a few hours later, gripped by a nightmare-induced panic. He rubbed clenched fists against his sore eyes and shivered with the chill of a cold sweat inching down the back of his neck.

  The nightmare had been slightly different this time. This time he’d seen who threatened Amy.

  Gray.

  Rhys saw the fear in Amy’s eyes even as she faced Gray with a steely determination. He saw her resolve to try and protect the people she loved and her belief that she would die in the process.

  Rhys’ stomach heaved at the images. The stakes had gotten too high. If he couldn’t save her, he knew Amy’s death would destroy him.

  Goddamn it. He had tried, but from the beginning he‘d known it was pointless to resist her. Amy had wormed her way inside of him. Burrowing in until she was the very air he breathed and the very beat of his heart.

  Mia had been young and sweet. He’d loved her for that, and their time together had been gentle and delicate, like her. But Amy he loved with everything that he was—human, Immortal, it didn’t matter. She had his heart and his very soul, as scarred and damaged as they both were. There was nothing delicate about it. His love was fierce and strong and born of fire. Amy accepted him as he was, ruined by hundreds of years of pain, death and war. She was the light that had been missing from his existence.

  Now he faced losing her and the fallout would be a hundred times more devastating than losing Mia had been. As an Immortal, knowing exactly what that entailed, knowing exactly how long eternity really was, he wouldn’t survive such a loss again.

  With a sigh he got out of bed, wincing a little bit at the stiffness in his shoulder. He poked and prodded his scars until he was satisfied they’d healed completely, then quickly dressed. He went in search of Amy, hoping to God she hadn’t talked Baron into letting her leave the premises again.

  She and Gideon were in what Baron had started calling the boardroom, probably because the warriors had started holding tactical meetings and status sessions there.

  Amy was perched in a leather office chair, turning something back and forth in her hands. Gideon looked over her shoulder, examining it as well. From the doorway Rhys couldn’t tell what the thing was.

  His approach startled them. Amy smiled at him. Gideon just nodded.

  “Rhys. I didn’t hear you come in.” She rose and stepped on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on a newly initiated demon hunter? What if I had been cleaning the lovely PPK that Baron found for me and shot you by mistake?”

  “Shit. Did that idiot actually give you a gun?” Rhys suppressed a shiver and raked a hand through his hair. He had been doing that a lot since Amy fell into his life. He wasn’t cut out for this constant worry and agitation. His nerves couldn’t handle it. “He’s got some serious explaining to do. I don’t know what’s scarier about that picture, the idea of you anywhere near a gun or that you think you’re going to be a demon hunter.” He shook his head at her innocent smile. “What are you two up to?”

  Amy showed him the dagger they had been examining. “This is the knife you brought back with you from your encounter with Gray, and we’ve been trying to figure out what these markings mean.” She held out the blade to him so he could see the strange symbols dressing the hilt.

  He took the knife from her, placing it down firmly on the table. “Just leave it alone. I don’t want you getting involved in this any more than you already have, Amy.” He watched her eyes round and her mouth drop open. “You colossal jerk!” she snarled at him.

  “Amy—”

  “Don’t ‘Amy’ me. You really don’t want to go there.”

  Gideon looked back and forth between Amy and Rhys, wondering if he should stay and catch a front row seat of his sister kicking Rhys’ ass. She looked like she was gearing up for a royal fight, and he knew from experience just how far she’d taken her martial arts training. It wouldn’t be pretty.

  He decided to give them their privacy. If they managed to make it through the titanic argument he knew they were working toward, he didn’t want to be around for the make-up smooching.

  “Yeah…um, I think I’m gonna book. Maybe go find Roland…” Gideon started backing slowly out of the room. Amy and Rhys were still glaring at each other. “Actually, you know what? I might just check myself into a hospital, see what they can make of this whole Immortal thing. Donate some blood. Maybe talk to a cop. You know… Oh, forget it. You guys are no fun at all.” He chuckled and shook his head as he left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

  Amy reached out and grabbed the knife back from the table, giving Rhys a deadly look. “Oh, so you don’t want me involved, do you? Involved in what? Your work? Your life?”

  “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be safe,” he said. “And that doesn’t mean by fooling around with knives and guns and getting in the middle of situations you can’t handle.”

  “Hah! Safe. You say that a lot, but look where it’s gotten us.”

  Fire leapt in her eyes. If he wasn’t determined that she would listen to him for once, he’d be completely turned on.

  “So it was for my safety that you dragged me here to live in the middle of your G.I. Joe battle command cente
r, while your fellow warriors talk strategy for killing demons?”

  She glared daggers at him as her finger poked him hard in the chest. “Can you promise I won’t have to nurse you back to health next time you’re carried in here at three in the morning after getting sliced and diced and left for dead? That would be too much exposure, hmm? Not very safe for the helpless little woman.”

  “I guess,” she continued, “that if I’m not to get involved, you really wouldn’t want my brother and I to suffer through an impossibly painful physical transformation that, when all is said and done, makes us just like you and forces us to leave behind everything we’ve ever known and deceive the people that we love for the rest of our lives?”

  “Amy,” he growled, but he couldn’t defend himself. He kept his temper reined in because she was right, and because he understood that she needed to vent.

  “I’d say you’re a little late, Rhys, don’t you think? It doesn’t seem to matter what you want. Hell, it doesn’t even matter what I want, now does it?”

  His chest hurt that he had done this to her. “Listen to me.” He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her and pulling her to face him. “No. How could I have wanted any of this?” Her eyes were crystal daggers, reflecting back at him all the pain, anger and insecurity she had been feeling the last few days. Everything that had been lurking and heaving around inside of her, everything she’d been holding back since all this started.

  “And me, Rhys? You didn’t want me either, did you?”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  Her breath caught and Rhys knew he’d just hurt her. Ah, fuck. “I didn’t want you, Amy, because I didn’t want this to be your life. You shouldn’t be involved with someone like me.”

  “Whose decision is that?”

  “It’s not a decision, that’s the point. You should be able to choose your own path, to choose a life of sunshine and children and security, something I’m never going to be about. You shouldn’t have to know that demons are out there preying on your neighbors. You shouldn’t have to see them or have to patch me up because I was stupid enough to get hurt. You should have been able to stay free of this world, to be safely ignorant of all of this.”