His fingers slipped into my panties and stroked me. I whimpered against his mouth. Oh God! Lightning shot from between my legs to my breasts and over my skin. His other hand caressed my breast, his fingers massaging. His thumb found my clit and moved. I clung to his shoulders as my whole body shook. He slid a finger inside me, my body clenching around him. It had been so long… that one finger seemed enormous. My hips moved against his hand as I reached up and sank my fingers in his hair. He kissed me deeply, hungrily, as his hands made me burn. He added a second finger, and I had to cling to the bookcase so I wouldn’t fall. His mouth moved to my earlobe.
“You’re so beautiful, luv,” he whispered, his accent thick. A wave of scorching heat rolled over me. I gasped, I was close. His fingers picked up the pace, finding every sensitive nerve I had and stroking it.
“Atty…” I cried out, my fingers clinging to the wood of the shelf. “I’m... don’t stop…” His mouth moved back to mine as his hand hit a new rhythm. Holy crap! I kept moving against him. The scent of parchment, his touch, his kiss, his body pressing me into the bookcase. It was all too much. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me. I cried out, my fingers digging into his shoulders as his mouth took every noise I made as I came so hard lights danced across my vision.
When it was over I was limp, Atticus and the bookcase the only reason I was still standing. He kissed me sweetly as he gently slid his fingers from me. I shuddered at the feeling. He set my skirt right then wrapped his arms around me and held me to him. I looked up into his eyes and found molten pools of gold. His hard body pressed against my stomach. Desire filled me. I didn’t want to stop. I trailed my fingers down his chest. His breathing hitched as I reached his belt. He lowered his head and kissed me gently as I undid his belt. I leaned into him, my fingertips moving lower.
A bell rang. The world slammed back in sharp color. Oh my God. We’re in the store. And we… Atticus… Oh dear. And he was going to leave. My heart ached.
“Hello! UPS!” someone shouted. I pulled away. Stunned at myself, I fixed my clothes, my face burning. I didn’t look at Atticus as I stepped around him and headed downstairs to give instructions. What was I going to say to him?
Atticus
I watched from the balcony as she moved around the store giving instructions. My cock finally stopped aching as time went on, though I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her lips were slightly swollen, there was a pink tint to her cheeks as she signed paperwork.
I had come in determined to sit her down and tell her about Cyrus, but now… Finding her crying changed everything. I couldn’t take that beautiful, tear-streaked face. It put my heart in a vise and squeezed hard. And now all I could think about was touching her again.
My cock grew hard, agreeing with the thought. I took deep breaths and tried to cool my blood down. Okay. Think about something else.
Cyrus. Cyrus had called almost every three hours since I hung up on him. He was starting to get suspicious. I had realized this morning that I needed to get off the grid before he figured out I wasn’t coming back. I had already started using my personal accounts that he had no knowledge of. Everyone had turned off the GPS on their phones this morning, though they had wanted to know why. Luckily, Zahur made up a cover story. Ranulf was picking me up a pre-paid cell phone and as soon as that was in my hands I was going to pop the battery out of my old one. He was also picking me up a new laptop. I planned on creating several proxy servers tonight. I’d have to hook her computer up when she was asleep. I was almost off grid, at least in regards to Cyrus and his reach. And that was all I cared about.
The delivery men were almost done. I sighed and looked around the second floor. I picked up a half empty box and continued emptying the shelf Evelyn was working on when we… I quickly focused on loading the box with books.
When it was full I went back to the railing. The packages and delivery crew were gone. Evelyn was behind the counter packing more books into their boxes. I headed downstairs.
I set the box on the end of the counter and moved to stand across from her. She kept working. Dread filled me. Did… did I push her too far? Did she not want to...? I didn’t know her history, I didn’t know if she was a virgin or not. And I didn’t care. I just didn’t want to hurt her.
“Evelyn,” I said quietly. I hated asking, but I needed to know. “Did I… did I go too far?”
Her head snapped up. “No,” she said instantly. “It’s just…” She looked around the store before meeting my eyes. “I’m at work and I’m a….” Her face turned scarlet, her voice strained. “I’m a keep-it-in-the-bedroom kind of woman.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding. She wasn’t mad or upset, she just liked privacy.
Before I could say anything, the door slammed open. Zahur strode in, cursing in Ancient Egyptian.
"What's happened?" I demanded.
Zahur came to the counter. “Any alcohol in here?”
Evelyn walked to her office and returned with a bottle of vodka and a tumbler. I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Hey, a girl could have bad days at work.” She shot me a playful look. I bit back a smile as Zahur took them.
"We've got a big fucking problem,” Zahur announced as he poured himself a drink. He quickly drank it down before turning to me. "I found where they are getting through, and it wasn't just a crack. There was a hole." I grew still, my shoulders tight. That’s unprecedented. Cracks in the barriers we expected, but a hole? Zahur poured another drink.
"Were you able to shut it?" she asked as we watched him pound down another.
"Yeah, it's shut. A patch job, but it'll get stronger if we can keep them from coming through." Zahur ran his hand down his face. Evelyn started playing with her locket.
"The big question is, what came through?" I thought out loud. As if in answer, Evelyn’s phone rang. She pulled it out and grumbled before answering.
“What’s up, Brian?” she asked instantly. Her face grew pale.
“On my way.” She hung up the phone and took a deep breath before looking at us. "Brian just came on shift, he's found something big. I need to get down there."
“Did you find those symbols?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I didn’t even get a chance to start.”
Her eyes met mine. Should I go with her? I was about to when my phone rang. I pulled it out. It was Cyrus. It was time to handle this shit now.
"Zahur, stay with her,” I ordered, my voice cold. I met his eyes. “I have some Council business that can’t wait.” Zahur nodded. He understood exactly what I was doing.
I turned back to her. Her eyes were shadowed as she eyed me. What? Where did those shadows come from?
“Let’s get going, Evie.” Zahur caught her attention.
“Thank you.” She hurried out from behind the counter and out the door.
I answered the phone. “Cyrus.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Cyrus snarled in my ear. “Report!”
My body shook with the rage burning in my gut. “Tatiana Suvu” Silence filled the line. “She was your Match, she refused you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice grew deadly. “Whatever you think you’ve heard is hardly the truth.”
“You sent me to bring back her daughter,” I said, my own voice deepening. “You thought she’d be a Match for you.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” he countered. “I was simply worried about her daughter.”
“Then why tell me to stay away from her?” I snapped. “Why did you tell me to keep her at a distance?”
“Because you, quite frankly, are dangerous and are going to kill everyone around you one day,” he said, his voice matter of fact. “You are not fit to be her Mate.”
I grunted. He was right about that. “No, I’m not. But for her, I’ll try.”
“That’s not how it works!” he raged in my ear. “Bring her back now! That’s an order.”
I smiled. “Fuck you,” I growle
d. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life keeping her out of your hands.”
“Listen, you little prick-” I hung up on him. I didn’t have a choice, I pulled the battery from my phone immediately. I stood in the silent store for several minutes breathing slowly, calming down. It was done. I was hers, if she’d have me.
I started shutting off lights and closing the store. Thankfully, she had told me where her extra key was hidden. I locked the door then pulled down the grate and locked that too. Oddly, I felt lighter than I had in years. It felt good.
Evelyn
We were running through the hospital towards the morgue. Brian had sounded shaken on the phone. I'd never heard him shaken before.
By the time we reached the morgue doors my heart was pounding. I was pulled up short by the scene waiting for us. Every table had a black body bag. Every one. Shocked, I counted. Eight. Eight dead bodies since last night.
I finally noticed Brian at the farthest table. And he wasn't alone. Detective Matthew Green was with him. The human with a badge wasn't a stranger. I had known the tall, hot mess of a man for several years now. Even dated him for a few months. Matthew's black short hair was messy, his chiseled face was, as always, striking. When his brown eyes spotted me, he sighed heavily.
"Not another one of yours?" Matthew snapped. Zahur moved to stand slightly in front of me, as if to protect me from the detective. I rolled my eyes and stepped around him to stride down the room to Brian's side. Zahur stayed in step with me the whole way.
"Unfortunately, yes,” I admitted. Matthew's suit was rumpled, there was even a mustard stain on his tie. The detective's eyes moved to Zahur, my large quiet shadow.
"Who's this?" Matthew asked, his eyes inspecting Zahur.
Before I could answer Zahur did for me. "Zahur, her fiancé’s brother." I kept my surprise off my face as Matthew frowned at Zahur.
"Since when do you have a fiancé?" Matthew's eyes moved to me. I shrugged.
"You know me, I'm such a player that I could have several,” I offered lightly. Both Brian and Matthew scoffed. I looked at the body bags. "What happened?"
"They were all found around three this morning. All within an eight-block radius,” Matthew began. "It seems completely random at this point."
"All of them have different injuries, no murder was the same,” Brian offered. I looked over the bags and sighed. This wasn’t going to be fun.
"Have they been through forensics?" I asked, going to the wall and grabbing a pair of latex gloves.
“Yes," Matthew answered. "What are you doing?"
I pulled my hair up into a bun and pulled on the gloves. "I'm taking a look."
“Evie," Matthew warned. My eyes moved to his.
"You know this is one of my weird ones,” I said calmly. "Take a walk, Green,” Matthew strode towards me. Zahur moved faster than I could follow. He was suddenly between me and the detective. Matthew eyed Zahur. Zahur eyed him right back. "Hey!" I snapped, getting both of their attention. "Knock it off with the testosterone poisoning and play nice." Matthew backed up a few steps and Zahur relaxed as the distance between me and the human grew.
"You can't examine the bodies, Evie. We’re not dating anymore, I’m not risking my ass for you,” Matthew warned. I met his eyes.
"Do you want the killings to stop?" I asked pointedly. He frowned at me as he nodded. "Then let me work. Thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes, and I want answers this time,” Matthew growled before turning and walking out of the morgue. I turned to the body bag in front of me and started to open it.
“You dated that prick?” Zahur asked.
I sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. He’s the reason I swore off humans. Now, let’s get to work.”
The world was too bright as I pulled out of the last victim's memory. Strong arms caught me, then lifted me off my feet. I was limp as Zahur moved with me in his arms, muttering in that ancient language. I needed to find out what it was. He set me down on a desk which forced me to open my eyes.
"Brian? Can you bring her some juice?" Zahur asked, without taking his eyes off me.
"Yeah, I'll be right back." Brian's voice came from somewhere behind Zahur. I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision before I looked around. We were in a dark office, the only light coming through the door behind Zahur. The victims’ death memories ran through my head like a movie of agony. My chest ached, my throat felt like it had been torn out, not to mention all the other damage the bodies suffered. I felt like I was going to be sick.
"Talk to me, Evie,” Zahur said, his voice gentle with concern.
"I think I need a drink,” I admitted. “'Cause, damn." I closed my eyes again as images surged through my head. He backed up a step
"I wish you wouldn't do this,” he said. “And I know Atticus is going to hate it.”
"It's information we need,” I reminded him as I sat up straight. I met his shadow filled eyes. "There are eight,” I announced. "Eight fully formed demons that came through last night."
He cursed. "That explains the hole I found in the Ether,” he bit out. I nodded.
"Someone is definitely pulling them through,” I told him. "We have to find them.”
"We will, but we need to talk to Atticus first,” he assured me. I nodded. It wasn't long before Brian came in with a small bottle of orange juice. Zahur took it, opened it, then handed it to me with an order to drink. I didn't argue, I needed the sugar. I gulped down the juice as fast as I could. When I was done I felt better. I met his gaze.
"Eight, Zahur,” I told him as I got off the desk and to my feet.
"I know,” he assured me. "And we only have forty-two minutes till sunset." We started moving towards the morgue doors. There wasn’t enough time…
Everyone was in my apartment and they were discussing our next move. With the warlocks dead, we had no leads about who had brought the eight demons through.
I was sitting in the corner of the sofa with my knees curled under me. Atticus had insisted on tucking one of the blankets from my linen closet around me. Ranulf had brought me a tumbler of scotch. Atticus constantly checked on me with his jaw clenched. Zahur had been right. He hadn’t liked that I read that many memories in a row. Oops.
I was zoning in and out, and hurting when Atticus brought me a cup of tea. I set down the still full tumbler and took it gratefully as he went back to the conversation.
“You’re saying that we shouldn’t patrol?” Ranulf asked.
“That’s right,” Atticus said. Ranulf shook his head, growing agitated.
“That means more bodies in the morning,” Zahur pointed out.
“There are eight fully formed demons out there. There are five of us,” Atticus explained. He glanced at me then turned back to the others. “I don’t like those odds if Evelyn is with us.”
“And you know I’d go,” I added before taking a sip of tea. They all turned to me with varying grins.
“I know,” Atticus grumbled. “Which is why I’m suggesting no patrol for tonight.”
Ranulf growled before walking into the living room area and sitting across from me on the coffee table which creaked under his weight. “Lass, I hate asking,” he said, “but what kind of demons are we dealing with?”
I took another drink before answering. “A Fury, a Wrath demon, a Preta, a Wish demon, a Pride demon, a Succubus, even a freaking Rakasha." I shook my head, stunned. "They're all out there, right now."
“That was only seven,” Atticus pointed out.
“The eighth,” I took another sip. “That one, I didn’t see. But he told the victim its name.” I looked at them. “Abaddon.”
“Shit,” Zahur said.
“Fuck me,” Ranulf breathed. Falk was silent.
“The high-level demon of destruction?” Atticus asked carefully. No one had managed to kill a higher-level demon in all of history. The only way to deal with them was to send them back. And since they couldn’t cross the boundary fully, they possessed a human.
I nodde
d. “That one… left a message,” I said quietly. The tension in the room ramped up. Everyone walked into the living room.
“What was it?” Zahur asked.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I said, repeating the last thing the demon had said to the victim before punching through his chest.
“What is powerful enough to bring that many demons through the barrier at once?” Atticus asked absently, as if he was talking to himself.
“I could,” I admitted, looking up at them.
“I think we can rule you out, lass,” Ranulf said with a smirk. I gave him a grin back.
“What else do you think could do this?” Falk asked, his voice raspy. I sighed and thought about it.
“A very high-level demon,” I offered, running through my memory. “Someone who doesn’t need spells or too long to recharge. So, no humans.”
“But this did start with a human summoning,” Atticus pointed out. “So, let’s figure out what they summoned.”
“We need to figure out those symbols,” I stated. “The protection circle failed, but that could have been because they summoned the wrong thing, or they just didn’t have enough power to do the summoning and power the circle.”
“Or they had the wrong symbols,” Zahur offered. I nodded, looking down into my tea.
“The symbols will still get us into the ballpark of what came through, even if they were wrong,” I explained, my voice tired. “I’ll need my journals.”
Three hours later…
I was still in my spot on the sofa. Everyone was spread around the living room with one of my journals. Ranulf had one of the armchairs, Zahur had the desk, while Atticus was on the other end of the sofa. Falk, the wonderful male that he was, was in the kitchen cooking dinner for everyone.
Found (Books of Stone Book 1) Page 22
