“Slide your fingers in, nice and deep. I want to suck them clean.” He knelt between her legs, spreading her wide. His tongue flicked out, moistening his lip, his eyes dark with hunger. She was helpless to disobey. His commands crawled through her mind, heightening her excitement.
Pressing her palm against her clitoris, she slipped her fingers inside her throbbing entrance. Moaning, getting closer to coming, she withdrew her fingers and he leaned forward to suck them into his mouth. His tongue darted between them, curling around each digit.
His cock pushed at her slick flesh, the head rubbing against her clitoris. She gasped as she almost tumbled over the edge, his talented tongue licking her fingers. When he released her fingers, his head dipped to her breasts, feasting on her. His hips rocked and she spiraled higher and higher. How much more could she take before she exploded?
“I want to watch you come. Keep your eyes on me, don’t look away.” He gave her a thorough kiss, leaving her breathless and even closer to nirvana. On his knees, he brought her legs up, resting them on his thighs. Taking himself in hand, the erotic image seared into her brain, he entered her, inch by slow inch.
Pulling out, he slammed into her, stretching her. “Make yourself come. Play with your clit. Rub your nipples. Come for me.”
He groaned when she obeyed him, his cock sliding between fingers as her palm massaged her swollen flesh. He pounded harder, his gaze shifted from her slick fingers to her bouncing breasts.
“You’re so hot, so wet. I’m not gonna last much longer. Come for me. Let me feel you orgasm around my cock. I wanna feel you come.” His eyes locked onto her face. Her orgasm slammed into her, taking her unaware. Body tensing, the powerful sensations overwhelming her. Obeying him, she kept her eyes open, letting him see the strength of emotions swirling through her.
“Oh darling…” He moaned, moving faster, chasing his own release. “So damn tight and wet.”
A few moments of harsh breathing and hard pounding before he followed her over the edge. Head thrown back, his jaw clenched as the orgasm washed through him. Grinning, he dropped his body on top of hers, still inside her as whispered in her ear. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the enormity of what they’d said washed over her.
Stunned, she demanded, “I’m sorry, you what?”
He rolled off her and leaned on his side, gazing down at her. Fingers stroked her cheek as adoration lit up his face. “I love you. I think I fell in love with you when you threw the fireball at the troll. You didn’t hesitate, just did what you had to. You were like an avenging goddess and looked so incredibly sexy.”
She blinked at him, surprised and a little touched. No one paid attention to her during battle. They expected her to do what all Enforcers do - fight and survive. Okay, not all the Enforcers expected her to survive, but they did expect her to fight and they certainly did not stop to admire her battle prowess.
Shyly, she gazed at him as she confessed. “Bit by bit, I’ve been falling in love with you too. I tried to resist you. I didn’t want to fall in love with my kidnapper. A victim of Stockholm Syndrome is not something I want on my resume.”
His horrified expression caused her to stop and laugh. It appeared he’d forgotten their less than romantic way of meeting. The dynamic of their relationship changed after the first day. He’d trusted her with his secrets. Treated her with respect and hadn’t threatened or harmed her. She was an equal in his eyes.
Shame crept up, its slender fingers wrapped around her throat, forcing her to see the truth.
She hadn’t reciprocated his trust. Never told him about her magic resistance. Never discussed her close relationship with Keeper. They talked about her family, likes and dislikes, inconsequential things.
Not once did she mention the death sentence hanging over her head. Did she have the right to keep this from him? Would he stop loving her if he found out their race viewed her as a monster, an aberration to be destroyed?
A loud gasp from the crowd, a scream forever silenced by the keen blade. Blood sprayed on Julia’s face, shocking her into stillness. She wanted to yell, wanted to stop them, but it’d happened so swiftly. Her friend, beheaded. Laughing blue eyes sightless and glazed in death.
Mouth dry with fear, she hugged Jackson tight and buried the memories. The death of her best friend Irene, a magic resistant mage like herself.
Until that moment, she’d thought it overzealous propaganda from her Academy teachers.
In that horrifying moment, she understood why Keeper drilled her to hide every trace of her genetic flaw. They’d been merciless, uncaring of Irene’s young age.
Wiggling out of the bed, needing a few moments to herself, she feigned a light tone and said “And now, with all the dignity a naked person can have, I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t take up all the space on the bed ’cause I’m joining you tonight.”
She disappeared into the bathroom. Clean up didn’t take long although she lingered. Pep talks had never been her forte, so instead she channeled Markus, imagining what he’d say.
“Chin up. He hasn’t found out yet. And what he doesn’t know won’t kill you. Show him how wrong the Coterie law is.” She muttered under her breath, staring in the mirror. Certainly sounded like Markus. Too bad she’d forgotten he sucked at pep talks.
Enough wallowing, she fiercely thought. An amazing man who wanted her waited in the other room.
Leaving the bathroom, she slipped into the spot Jackson left for her and cuddled under the blanket. She pushed aside her guilt and worries. There was time enough to regret her decision, after she made memories to sustain her through the lonely future that stretched ahead of her.
Wiggling her hips, she found Jackson willing for a repeat performance. Gleefully, she pounced on him, this time the aggressor. She worshiped his body, showing him exactly how much she adored him.
Several times throughout the night one would wake the other until they fell asleep, exhausted.
Chapter Ten
“UH-HEM.” JACKSON recognized the not-so-discreet throat clearing and didn’t react to the new presence in the room. Julia, on the other hand, had no idea who the intruder was. She swiftly armed herself and confronted the threat. He stifled a chuckle, waiting to see how this would play out.
He was almost certain she wouldn’t hurt Victor.
“Whoa, whoa, pretty lady. No need to use that pointy blade. I’m harmless.” At that, Jackson couldn’t contain his snort of laughter.
“Alright, maybe not harmless, but I’m not here to hurt either of you. Um, Jackson, buddy, how about a little help here? And by the way, did you know she sleeps with a knife?” Admiration coloured Victor’s voice. He loved strong women, ones willing to kick ass when needed.
“Of course. One of the many reasons why I like Julia.” He then added with pride, “She’s quite deadly with it.”
Jackson stretched his arm around and squeezed her gently on the hip, reassuring her he knew the intruder.
“It’s fine. This is Victor, my mentor and demon hunting partner.”
“I’m trying hard to be a gentleman.” Jackson choked at Victor’s statement who continued undeterred. “It’s getting increasingly difficult to stare at the boring wall instead of her naked chest. Not that I’m complaining. What I did catch a glimpse of, very nice. However, I’m sure ogling isn't allowed. More's the pity.”
Jackson glanced over and caught an eyeful of Julia’s breasts. Crouching on the balls of her feet, balanced on the mattress, she had her knife gripped in her hand. While she’d crossed her arm over her upper torso, it didn’t do much to hide her healthy chest. Her other arm was flat on the mattress, steadying her body.
The blanket had fallen down, pooling at her thighs. Sitting up, he pulled the thin material up around her shoulders. It exposed his own chest, not that it mattered. Julia alter her posture, now resting on her knees. She drew her arms out and clenched the blanket under her armpits. The knife stayed in h
er hand.
He gauged her reaction to Victor. Numerous times he’d heard from different women how incredibly hot Victor was. His smooth, deep voice drove the women crazy. Many a phone numbers found their way into Jackson’s possession. Not for him, of course, but to pass off to Victor.
A while back, when he’d first paired with Victor, they answered a call to contain a succubus, a drop dead gorgeous demon, able to charm anyone into her bed.
“Mmm, well hello.” The succubus purred, not at all worried they’d cornered her. “So this is the wondrous Victor.”
Sauntering closer, she tried to trail a finger down Victor’s face. He grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. Jackson raised an eyebrow, shocked his partner would dare touch one of her kind. The pheromones she exuded affected him even several feet away. Skin to skin contact, a guaranteed way of falling prey to her charms.
And yet, Victor sneered at her as he said, “Nice try, sweetheart. Doesn’t work on me.”
A shudder went through her body, pure lust shone in her red eyes. “Give me a taste.”
Victor laughed as he released her wrist. “Not gonna happen, sweetheart.”
“A small taste. Just one, please. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll make every single fantasy of yours come true if you’ll give me a taste.” Her pointed tongue flicked over her lips and they glistened like plump cherries. Short puffs of air escaped from her, her chest bouncing with every shallow breath.
Jackson activated his dampening spell, one that shielding him from her pheromones. The primal need to satisfy her every desire cleared from his mind, showing him how close he’d been to the edge.
Victor leaned in close, his mouth almost touching her ear. “I’m sending you back and you won’t fight me. Understand?”
A low moan escaped the succubus, her eyes closed and her body trembling.
“Jackson, leave us.” The command in his voice impossible to ignore. As the junior member, he followed his partner’s orders. Nodding, he spun on his heel and exited the building, standing guard.
Julia, he noted happily, was less than impressed. She also didn’t relax completely, in case Victor turned hostile. He grinned, stretched his arms above his head and thought life was pretty good, even with certain death dodging him.
Tilting his head, he nodded to Victor. Something important happened or else his partner wouldn’t have shown up unannounced.
“How about you leave and let us get dressed? And from now on, I suggest you knock.” He said pointedly to Victor.
“Knock? Then I’d miss out on all the interesting things I shouldn’t see.” He winked and rapidly left as a pillow flew towards him.
With a sigh, Jackson suggested getting dressed. He really didn’t want to get out of bed. However, he didn’t put it past Victor to charge back in if they took too long.
JULIA STARED BLANKLY at the door. A frown creased her brow as she tried to understand the unwanted and unnatural attraction towards Victor she experienced. As soon as he left the room, it faded away like a hazy mirage. A niggling sense of desire, a summer shower compared to the hurricane of emotions Jackson invoked in her.
“Something’s different about him.” She said, wondering if he enhanced his attraction through a spell. Some mages wanted to increase their appeal. She couldn’t understand why he would though.
By anyone’s standards, Victor was fantasy material. Tall, over six feet easily. Dirty blond hair cropped closely on the sides while slightly long on the top. Gorgeous hazel eyes. Square jaw, smoothly shaved. His lean body had well-developed muscles without being too brawny that even his suit failed to hide. Looked like a movie star and moved with the confidence of one. A hint of danger coiled beneath the surface, enticing a woman to learn more.
It made no sense why he’d boost his sex appeal with a spell.
Jackson snorted, “Yeah, you and every other woman who meets him thinks that.”
She turned her attention to him. His tone puzzled her for a moment before she realized what she heard.
“Are you jealous? Seriously?” She giggled a little. This was a first for her. “You’ve got nothing to be jealous of. Yes, he’s quite handsome. And so are you. I much prefer you in my bed.”
She leaned over and gave him a long, hungry kiss. Parts of her tingled, reminding her of last night’s pleasure. His fingers gripped her hips and they broke apart panting.
She was right. He was damn sexy with his hair rumpled from a night of hot sex. Made her want to tumble him back into bed.
“You have nothing to worry about. I love you and I don’t want anyone else. For the sake of complete honesty between us, yes I felt attraction to Victor, but it was forced. Soon as he left, it went away. It’s not real and no way would I act upon it.”
She held her breath, hoping Jackson believed her.
Another twinge of guilt ate at her. She wasn’t being completely honest with him. Even those words were a lie. She had bigger secrets than a strange attraction to his partner. Ruthless, she pushed the guilt aside. Time enough to worry about it later.
Slowly, he nodded. Some of her tension leaked away her as she acknowledged how much his trust meant to her. While she couldn’t tell him the truth of her existence, she could hold his love for her sacred; never give him any reason to doubt her feelings for him.
A faint thread of tension remained. In a few moments she would again experience that odd, unwanted attraction to Victor when he came back into the room. She didn’t like having her emotions manipulated. Truth be told, she liked being immune to most magic.
They both got dressed; Jackson in cargo pants and a t-shirt, Julia in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. She’d chosen them on a whim during an online shopping trip. The cheerful yellow had caught her eye.
To combat the muggy July heat, her mainstay of clothes were tank tops and shorts. Having so much exposed skin around Victor didn’t sit right with her though, like tempting a pixie with a bowl of milk. While he hadn’t tried anything untoward and had kept his eyes averted from her naked body, she preferred to keep the milk hidden in the fridge.
If she focused, perhaps blocking the spell was possible. Normally she wanted her resistance out of the way, but this time it might work in her favour. Jackson and Victor had been friends for too long and she refused to come between them.
Thoughts of wrecked relationships swirled through her mind. Jackson would lose all trust in her once he found out. Would he execute her or would he turn her over to the Coterie? She wanted to tell him, just not yet. He had enough to worry about. She didn’t want to add another complication.
Liar. Her treacherous thoughts whispered to her. You don’t want to lose him.
Or her head.
Chapter Eleven
“WHAT WAS SO important that you showed up at...” Jackson looked at his watch, “Ugh, 8 A.M. That’s just cruel. You know I hate mornings. And I haven’t had my coffee yet!”
He sounded like a petulant child, but couldn’t help it. He wanted to spend the time in bed with Julia, enjoying a lazy day with her. Didn’t he deserve a lazy day?
Studying Victor, he realized a frank talk was in the works between the two men. A talk he didn’t want to have. Victor didn’t do it on purpose. Sometimes he forgot to suppress the natural ability.
Since Jackson wasn’t interested in men, he didn’t feel the effects. Therefore his friend didn’t bother containing it around him. He’d noticed the difference when they were around women or gay men. Less carefree, more withdrawn and curt.
The subject itself was touchy with the other mage. He hated the ability, detested the fact he attracted women against their own wishes.
Out of respect for Jackson, Victor would now restrain it, avoiding any latent affects with Julia. Stealing a friend’s woman was never Victor’s intent.
His friend laughed, unaware of Jackson’s dark thoughts. “Check the kitchen. As if I'd be without gifts at this early hour.”
He winked at Julia as Jackson pushed past him and stalked to the s
mall kitchen. Sitting on the counter, a Tim Horton’s large double/double coffee. Jackson sighed in delight and ignored the other two while he savoured it.
Bliss. Such pure bliss.
“Is he always like this before his coffee, a banshee wailing your death if you get between him and his cup?” Julia questioned Victor.
Jackson refused to answer that absurd question. Of course he needed his coffee to kick-start his morning. It’d been weeks since he enjoyed a Timmie’s coffee and nothing was putting a damper on his delight.
“I’m not listening.” He growled.
Chuckling, Victor replied, “An apt description. Yeah, give him coffee and he’ll love you until the caffeine fix runs out.”
Lazily, he flipped them both off as he leaned against the counter. The hot liquid warmed him on its way down to his stomach. Having had enough time to cool off, it was at the perfect temperature.
Victor took command, a natural role for him, and explained why he’d shown up unannounced. “I have a lead for us. A contact told me he has some information about werewolves and demons. Wouldn’t go into specifics on the phone though, wants us to meet him in the PATH.”
The PATH was the largest underground shopping complex in Canada. Approximately twenty-six kilometers of stores where almost anything could be purchased, even items regular black markets wouldn’t touch. It was easy to find what one needed, provided one knew who to talk to and where to go.
Jackson had spent time cultivating connections; they saw more than he ever could. With a mixture of intimidation and bribery, he received a wealth of information from the sellers and buyers of the seedy side.
“When does he want to meet us? I want this done quickly while everyone is off-balance from Revenant’s throw down.” Jackson’s mind leapt ahead. He planned out the best route to the PATH and how to avoid unwanted attention. Questions crowded his mind. Who was this person? How were the werewolves involved? And how could he keep Julia safe?
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