Reaper (A Dark Assassins Novel Book Two)

by Valerie Ullmer

  He leaned over her to lick the spot on her neck where he wanted to mark her, to have evidence on her body that she belonged to him. The instant his tongue crossed the juncture of her neck and shoulder, wetness washed over his cock and her inner muscles locked down. His teeth elongated and he scraped her soft skin, loving her moans as she pushed back against him. He released a measured amount of venom, and while he thrust deep inside her, his teeth found the perfect spot and he pierced her skin.

  “Oh, Reaper, yes,” she moaned.

  The taste of her skin reminded him of sunshine and sweetness, something that he never really had in his life, and he lost all control of his movements. Thrusting deep inside her, he felt when her body shivered violently. Not wanting to hurt her, he removed his teeth from her shoulder.

  The venom in his teeth would seal the punctures, and without hesitation, his lips sought hers. After a quick, heavy kiss, he wrapped his arms around her torso and plunged deep into her waiting warmth. He listened to her breaths; her exhales matched each time he drove deep inside, and soon, the pleasure built low in his spine. He cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples as he continued to move, and before long, her body shivered in his arms.

  “Too much,” she breathed.

  “No, beautiful. Not enough, not yet.”

  His hand slid to her clit, and with a stroke of his fingers over her sensitive bundle of nerves, she came apart in his arms with his name on her lips. Her spasming muscles milked his cock, and the exquisite feel of her come washing over his thrusting shaft had his arms locked across her stomach and chest, pulling her flush against his hard body.

  He sank on his haunches and brought her down on his lap, sinking even deeper inside her. One thrust, and then another, had him roaring his release as he poured himself deep inside her.

  His throbbing cock set off another spasm, and she shuddered as she reached back to grip his thighs. Instead of pulling away, she held onto him, allowing him to draw out his pleasure and hers.

  “Mine,” he breathed.

  “Yes, I’m yours, Reaper. All yours.”

  Her words settled in his chest, and he lowered them down until their heads hit the pillow. He pulled her close, unable to keep any distance between them. When she tried to turn in his arms to face him, it took him a long moment before he unlocked his hold enough for her to turn. He searched her face for any pain or discomfort, but he found none. His gaze landed on his mark on her shoulder, and he sucked in a breath at the vivid imprint. Tentatively, his fingers smoothed over the mark.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  “No, Reaper. That feels so good.”

  His heart swelled in his chest at her words, and with one last sweep of his fingers against her skin, he pulled her close and settled her against his chest.

  “Sleep, beautiful. I won’t let you go, ever.”

  Her hand traced his face and he watched the start of a smile tug on her lips. She brushed a light kiss against his mouth, before she settled her head on his shoulder and blew out a breath.

  His arms tightened around her and soon her breathing turned deep and even. It took him a long while to fall asleep. His worry and need to protect her had adrenaline tingling through his limbs. But when she burrowed deeper into his side, he concentrated on the beat of her heart and the breaths hitting his heated skin, and found his body relaxing.

  She had become everything to him in such a short amount of time, and he would do everything in his power to have her believe his words. He knew that time would be his greatest asset. Well, time and perseverance. He would show her, in big ways and small, that she meant the world to him. Each and every day. She was his future.

  Chapter Ten

  Ara

  Ara had woken in the cocoon of Reaper’s arms and couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on her face.

  The night before, he had shown her ways that made her moan and smile. With each of his actions, she realized that he’d come to care for her as she had him. As she spent more time with him, she realized that she truly trusted him with her life, and he’d given her a connection to someone that was both tangible and wondrous. Although in the back of her mind she still worried about both his and his friends’ safety, she didn’t want to alert him to any doubts.

  She was determined to control her powers and then she could protect them, before anyone had a chance to hurt anyone she’d come to know.

  Reaper had woken and burrowed his face underneath her hair, brushing his lips against the sensitive spot on her neck he’d found the night before. She held him close as several emotions coursed through her. She memorized each ridge and indent as she ran her hands over the hot skin on his back. He had shown her heaven each time they had made love, but being in his arms and freely touching him was a gift.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  Her eyes followed him as he rose from the bed; her eyes lingered on the movement of his shoulders and arms, the ease in which he held himself, and the quickness of his movements. Still finding a blush heating her cheeks at her continued timidness, she rose with a sheet that covered her own naked body.

  Instead of pulling on clothes and heading downstairs, he clutched her hand in his and pulled her into his spacious bathroom. The side of his mouth quirked up, giving him a devilish look, before he ripped the sheet off her and threw it back into the bedroom. Before she could protest, he switched on the three powerful jets in his shower, and adjusted the temperature. Without waiting for word, he looped his arms around her waist and snagged her close. His mouth brushed against hers for a fleeting moment before he turned and carried her underneath the spray.

  “I can walk, you know.” She laughed.

  He growled into her mouth as his lips touched hers, kissing her for a long moment, before he pulled back and grasped her chin with his fingers.

  “I like being able to touch you, anytime I want to.”

  Happiness rose inside her chest, and she nodded. There was no real argument in her, anyway; she loved it whenever he reached for her. She went willingly each time.

  He rinsed them both with the hot and heavy spray before he reached for the shampoo. As he took his time running his fingers through her hair, she closed her eyes and savored his gentle fingers massaging her scalp. She kept them closed as he scrubbed her body with soap, and grew breathless by the time he turned off the faucets.

  “Relaxed?” he asked.

  She nodded, unable to speak, and when he placed his lips on hers for a gentle, yet poignant kiss, her knees weakened. He lifted her into his arms and deepened the kiss. When she wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around his shoulders, he pressed her against the tile and slid deep inside her.

  “I will never tire of being inside you, holding you,” he groaned.

  This time their lovemaking had a gentleness that brought tears to her eyes. He sipped each one away, and before long, they were both panting and surging toward completion.

  Once again, the flutter that started deep inside her as his cock surged in and out grew in intensity until her entire body tightened with pleasure. His arms clamped down harder around her. She loved when he drove even deeper.

  She glanced at him and loved the fierceness etched on his face. It gave her reassurance that he got as much pleasure from their lovemaking as she did. His movements staggered between deep penetration and short, piercing thrusts, trying to prolong her frenzy. He left her pleading and moaning. When she finally shattered, everything around her disappeared except Reaper. He followed over the edge soon after.

  Entranced by the sparks of pleasure from the shower, she couldn’t remember getting dressed or walking downstairs with him, but when Reaper set a plate of eggs and toast in front of her along with a mug of delicious coffee, the awareness of her surroundings returned.

  “Thanks.” She reached for the fresh brew and sipped.

  The one thing she delighted in, other than Reaper himself, was the strong dark brew he mad
e for her the moment she arrived in the kitchen. She smiled when her lips touched the edge of her cup when she realized that the memories of her time she’d been confined were fading. The sole reason had been because Reaper had assured her she would be safe and protected around him. She still worried for him, not wanting to lose him or put him in any more danger, but she was resolute in her decision to learn about her powers and how to control them.

  “Why do you look so serious?” he asked.

  “I realized that since I’ve been with you, I haven’t dreamt or thought about what happened to me at Standard. You make me feel safe.”

  Pain and something she couldn’t define flashed in his eyes for a moment, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her roundly, before he set her back in front of her breakfast.

  “You are mine to protect, beautiful. Now, eat. We’ve expended a lot of energy already, and today, I have something else lined up for you.”

  She nodded, curious, but they were both ravenous and before long, breakfast had been eaten and the dishes washed.

  With a full stomach and caffeine in her system, she turned to see what Reaper had planned. He lifted her in his arms and pressed her close. She closed her eyes, leaning in for a kiss. Instead of feeling the press of his lips against hers, he had other ideas.

  “Open your eyes, beautiful,” he said.

  When she did, a gasp exploded out of her throat and she clutched onto Reaper’s shoulders with strength that made him flinch. Her eyes shut and her breathing sped up. She hated heights and she started to shake when she glanced down at her feet perched on the top railing of the staircase and noticed the distance to the floor below.

  “Why are we up here?” she whispered.

  “Ara?”

  “I am…deathly afraid of heights. The look I gave you when Hunter asked if I could levitate myself wasn’t one of excitement.” Her voice came out clipped and she wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t get the words past her throat to do so. It closed up immediately after her last word.

  Instead of the nurturing comment she expected from him, he shocked her into opening her eyes when she could feel his chest and arms shake. She clutched onto his shoulders and glanced down to see whether they were falling.

  His body shook harder with laughter. He happened to glimpse her face at that moment, and he buried his face underneath her long hair before he released another roar of laughter.

  She thought about pinching him, but instead, she found herself smiling at his happiness. He had been reserved with her and from what she noticed, around his friends as well, and this side of Reaper was new and fascinating.

  “Not…laughing at you,” he choked out.

  Without thinking about it, she flipped him upside down and moved him to hover above the couch in the living room, watching as his wide eyes met hers.

  “Not nice, especially when I can do this.” She flipped him around three times in fast succession before she settled him on his feet.

  Instead of glancing at her with distrust, the smile that lit his face and reached his eyes said everything. He trusted her with her powers and what she could do with them. He held his arms out and indicated that she should jump.

  Fear had dictated her life until this moment, but her trust in Reaper and in herself gave her the strength to overcome it. She nodded once as an indication that she was ready, and leapt off the railing.

  His hoarse shout had her eyes opening. She gazed around and noticed that she hadn’t moved from the spot where he’d placed her, but he had bounded to her and wrapped her in his arms.

  When she had felt the tremors that shook his body, she drifted them toward the chair in the corner of the living room, keeping their movements slow until he was seated on the chair with her in his lap. She cupped his chin and raised his face, and the fear etched in his features worried her. He had wanted her to levitate herself, another step in the process of learning about what she could do, and yet it had scared him.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Well, I think I had a heart attack.”

  She learned the inflection of his statements, and this one told her that he had been scared for her. She understood the fear of losing him, but refused to think about the night before. He was alive and well, and she needed to keep him that way.

  “Can you put me back up there? I want to try it again.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m always going to want to protect you, and I’ve realized that this was a stupid idea,” he said.

  “I trust you.” She swallowed before she continued. “You believe in me, in my powers, and I want to show you that I can do this.”

  A flash of surprise passed over his features before he cupped the back of her neck and brought her in for a fiery kiss that left her shaking and wet with need. He stiffened as her scent reached him, but instead of having him distract her, she broke the kiss and nodded toward the stairs and her newest challenge.

  With a strength that took her by surprise every time, he jumped to the spot where he had taken her before. With hesitation, he dropped to the living room floor and glanced up at her with expectation. His hands were fisted against his hips, and although his stance was casual, she could feel the trepidation coming from him in waves.

  “You’re really sexy when you worry,” she said.

  He lifted one eyebrow, making the mundane movement seductive when it should have been funny. “Stop trying to distract me.”

  “If I were trying to distract you, I would tell you that I’m not wearing any panties.”

  He straightened, his hands falling to his sides, and his gaze narrowed in on her. Pushing aside her desire, she took a deep breath and stepped off the railing. Without meaning to, she had closed her eyes, but instead of feeling Reaper’s arms around her, she felt…nothing.

  “Beautiful, you can open your eyes,” Reaper said.

  With excruciating slowness, she opened her eyes. For a moment, she became disoriented and her brows drew down in confusion. She wondered whether she had flipped upside down, but when she happened a glance down, she yelped with fright. Instead of floating down to the ground, she hovered near the ceiling at a terrifying height.

  It took her several moments to get her fear under control, and when she was able to listen to Reaper’s encouragement, his words settled her nerves.

  “Come to me,” Reaper said.

  He held out his arms and smiled at her, and with that, she blew out a breath and willed herself into his embrace. When she reached him, his hard kiss left her breathless and wanting more, but now that he knew that she could do it, he wanted her to practice.

  Over and over again, he placed her in different high spots around his immense house, and she gained confidence each and every time she drifted into his arms. The last time, he wanted her to levitate upstairs to his bedroom, where he would be waiting. She nodded and watched him disappear around the corner where his bedroom was located.

  Giving him a few minutes, she followed behind, holding herself off the ground by several feet. By the time she reached the bedroom, she was grateful that levitating wasn’t a move that drained her energy. Energy she would rather spend with Reaper.

  She found him lounging on the bed, his hands cupped behind his head as he smiled at her. She lowered herself to straddle his lap, sitting on his strong thighs as her hands pressed against his chest. She leaned into him, hoping for a kiss, and maybe much more, but there was a determined glint in Reaper’s eyes and she pulled back with a sigh.

  “More training?” she asked.

  He nodded, but the next words he spoke took her by surprise. “Tomorrow, you’ll train with the other assassins. They’ll teach you hand-to-hand combat while working on endurance and conditioning. That way, if you have to heal again, it won’t be such a drain on your energy.”

  “Why can’t you train me?”

  He pulled her closer until her head rested on his chest. His hands circled her back in comforting strokes, and she found herself relaxing against
him.

  She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes as emotions swamped her. She was falling hard for Reaper.

  “I want you to learn, and if I train you, I know I’ll go easy on you. You won’t learn anything if you don’t push yourself. But if they hurt you, I will try really hard not to kill them.”

  She lifted her head from his chest and snagged his gaze. “Will it make you feel better if I can defend myself?”

  “Yes.”

  She snuggled back onto his chest, loving his hands as they continued their movements on her back. “Okay, I will train with them.”

  His body sagged at her words.

  These were badass assassins who had supernatural abilities, and if she learned a fraction of what they knew, she would feel better being prepared for any eventualities. Although she understood that Reaper and the others could defend themselves, she thought that if she could hone her offensive powers, she could eliminate the threat without having to involve anyone else. Determination coursed through her, so much so that she felt anticipation for the next day.

  Sometime during her thoughts, Reaper had flipped her onto her back and reached for the button on her jeans. “It wasn’t nice to tease me earlier.”

  The last few days with Reaper had given her the confidence to go after what she wanted, and she had a feeling that she would always want him. So with a boldness that she never had before, she pressed her lips against his and spoke.

  “Who says I’m teasing?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Reaper

  Reaper cursed himself again. Although he’d wanted Ara to train and build endurance in order to protect herself from what was coming, the more selfish part wanted to keep her in their bed. Each time they had made love had been more intense than the last.

  Their connection from the first moment had been immediate and visceral, and although she’d run from him, that finite contact had driven him to search for her and eventually find her. But since they’d gotten to know each other, something elemental had developed between the two of them, and he knew that he couldn’t live without her.