by Rena Marks
“My job was to catch you, Ethan.”
“Instead you gave me many skills.”
I sighed. “Maybe I didn’t mean to.”
“Maybe you did. Maybe you wanted me to be able to protect myself.”
I didn’t answer. Deep down, I didn’t want to acknowledge the truth, which was, if I didn’t kill him, along would come another Extinguisher. And another. Until eventually, Ethan would be taken down.
I couldn’t bear that.
“Afton?” he prodded gently.
“Dammit, Ethan,” I snapped. “What do you want from me? No, I can’t bear to think of you being killed, all right?”
In response, the vampire raised the hem of his shirt and exposed unending ridges of abdominal muscles. The shirt rose higher until it bared well-defined pecs. It was finally flipped over his head and he stood bare-chested before me.
And tattooed.
For every time Ethan was scarred by silver, he endured more punishment. The burn of silver needles drilling ink into his body.
Why? I’d asked once.
I refuse to focus on scars caused by the injustice of humans, he’d scorned. I’d rather gaze at markings I cause willingly.
“You have some new ones,” I murmured. “Apparently I didn’t train you all that well.”
I traced a doozy with the pad of my index finger. A muse, beautiful really, fluttered over his heart. Inwardly, I shuddered at how close the silver dagger had come for the tattoo to reside there.
“That one was my own fault,” he replied vaguely. “But look closely.”
I studied the muse. She almost looked like a mermaid, the graceful way her body curved. Her lower half gradually ended on a blur, the tail of a fish or a dream, either way you looked at it. Black hair cut shoulder length around a heart-shaped face. Eyes large and framed with thick lashes. Somehow, the artist hinted at a dimple in her pink-tinged cheeks. While I was stuck concentrating on how one physically draws the indentation well enough to allow a visual of a dimple, Ethan continued.
“I shall have to endure a touch-up to lengthen her hair.” He reached out and twisted a lock of my hair onto his finger.
It was me, I realized. The muse. It was my own image.
“You’ve tattooed me? Onto your heart?”
“Need I continually remind you? You are my heart.”
“Oh, Ethan. How can I say this again? You’re a vampire. I’m an Extinguisher.”
“You were. Now you’ve retired. And being hunted, much like my species, bella.”
It was then that it dawned on me. He was right. Much more so than I’d ever realized.
God, were these creatures right about other things? Ethan once hinted that I was halfway a vampire myself. I wasn’t completely human, as Jordan pointed out. I had the speed of a vamp, the ability to morph. Not human characteristics.
Terror clutched my heart. Had I died?
If I had, could I be some sort of mutated vampire right now?
When I was stricken, had it been enough to stop my heart? Had the human doctors shocked me back to life? No, it couldn’t be. My teeth weren’t sharper, my abilities were still human bound. I didn’t need blood to survive. As long as I hadn’t died, I couldn’t be the vampire he wanted me to be. As long as I hadn’t died, I was still the human I claimed.
Ethan watched my face and sensed my mood but knew enough not to pry. Instead he pulled me gently toward him, slowly enough that I could resist if I chose. I didn’t. I welcomed the cocoon of his embrace, the sureness of his strength. It was the one thing I was certain about.
Ethan loved me unconditionally. He always had. In his own selfish way, he loved me like no other ever had.
I rubbed my cheek on his chest, solid and firm beneath my skin. “What is the symbolism behind your tattoos?” I asked.
“They’re negative and positive images. Yin and yang. Balance between hatred and devotion. While the scar was caused by the penetration of a dagger at my heart, it was covered by the image of my love. Even though you left me, it was still a balancing act. Your desertion showed me how deep my feelings ran, a reminder of how I could not face an eternal existence without you in it.”
“I’m human. One day I’ll die,” I warned.
“Not necessarily. I’d die protecting you.”
I laughed at his macho concern. Sometimes he completely forgot I was a skilled assassin. “You don’t understand. One day I’ll grow old and die. You can’t protect me from that.”
He didn’t respond for the longest moment.
“You don’t know that, Afton.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I pulled away to look at him.
“You are one of the Originals. You have vampire attributes. How do you know longevity isn’t one of them?”
The question baffled me. I’d never before thought of that. Oh, Lord, was I doomed to live this lonely existence forever?
“Of course I’ll grow old and die,” I said. “However, it’s not a theory I’m willing to test.”
He stared at me as if I’d never spoken. God, I’d missed him. When he looked so deeply into my own gaze, I was lost. And this time, I didn’t have lust clouding my judgment.
“I love looking into your eyes,” he whispered finally. “They remind me of cinnamon and chocolate.”
He looked exactly the same as he had one year ago. The same penetrating visual I’d always had etched into my memory. His lips were sensual, his voice hypnotic. Danger with a razor-sharp edge.
He reached out with his tattooed left arm to brush a lock of hair behind my ear, tucking it gently. I turned and kissed the inside of his forearm, over the colorful art which decorated, yet became him.
Closing my eyes, I remembered how I’d kissed every inch of his warm skin.
His arm was unique. The treasured scenes were depicted by the elements—earth, rain, wind and fire. Raging seas, ships at sail. Bright inks, colorful scenes. A beautiful sleeve that covered horrific scars caused from years of battling.
Most by me.
“Tell me you love me,” he demanded.
I almost outright refused. What did it matter, my fathomless love? Did it make up for the brimming hate I’d once almost killed him with? Or was he wanting it now before desire had us speaking of such things untruthfully?
He waited patiently, looking deeply into my eyes the way only he could. And I did the only thing I was able.
“I need you, Ethan. I always have. But I still don’t know if I’m capable of love.”
He pulled me to him, our bodies so tightly meshed there was not a hairsbreadth between us. “Never leave me again.”
“I can’t make promises.”
“Bella, stop fighting me. You are like trying to hold the wind. It whistles through my fingers.”
“You can’t cage wind. Set me free.”
“You are all I can keep.”
One of the original vampires. Ethan had watched his loved ones die off, one by one. He’d once told me his greatest fear…dying alone. Who was left to be there for him? He’d succumbed to the overwhelming need and had infected his mother and sister way back when.
Apparently, they’d been killed as vampires, for he was alone now. He’d never converted another family member.
Was that why he worked so hard at keeping me, another freak, around? A convenient mate?
Was my lifespan a surprise, like so many others of my virus-enhanced attributes? A gamble he was guessing on? Hoping for longevity?
Even though I rarely showed it, the man pulled things from me that no one else ever had. I traced his jawline with my index finger. I knew his greatest fear.
To die alone.
And as long as I lived, he’d never face it. As long as I lived, I protected him.
“I want you. Every day, I need you,” he murmured.
I silenced him with a fingertip dipped into his mouth, where he bit the tip gently, then sucked the sting away.
“If you don’t get me, will you throw another temper
tantrum?” I murmured, with a teasing lilt.
It was enough to make him smile. “I cannot control my urges,” he reminded. “But there are no humans around to get hurt.”
I sometimes wondered if he even knew. If he was aware of how powerful his urges had become. “So you say.”
“Kiss me, Afton. Please. I’ve missed you.”
I never thought to refuse. I lifted my mouth to his. His kisses were exactly the way they should be, slow and long.
I craved the ecstasy his kisses could bring. I welcomed his tongue, dancing with it as our passion flared. At this moment, I was unconditionally sure I loved him.
Around us, the wind picked up pace and howled.
The rush of desire hit full force, intense in its sudden ferocity. He left my lips to string heated kisses down my neck. Ever so slowly, his hand fluttered to my waist, just beneath my top. Heat radiated from his palm as if by magic. He raised the edge, caressing the tender skin beneath my clothing. When I didn’t protest, he moved it up higher to bare a breast.
He palmed it fully, caressing its heavy weight and then fingered my nipple. Pulling, pinching lightly, striking fire as my temperature rose.
“Every single day, I craved you. Not one went by that I didn’t think of you,” he murmured.
“I’m ready this time.” I pulled him to me, rubbing my pelvis against the hardness in his pants, letting him know I desired him just as much. My need was heightened with acceptance of my decision, I just couldn’t fight the feelings any longer.
He pulled my top over my head. We both stood bare from the waist up, breast to chest. I pressed myself against him.
My skirt was pushed from my hips and he followed with his pants. My eyes following his erection, thick and proud, jutting from his body. I couldn’t resist reaching out and feeling the strength of it as I stroked it with my palm.
It had been so long. The skin was soft, silk wrapped over the massive strength that could bring so much pleasure. Wide as it was, I could hardly wrap my hand around it. I shuddered in anticipation when I imagined it poised at my entry.
“I missed you,” I admitted.
“There is so much to make up for,” he said. “Are you sure?”
The day was warmer than I realized, with the sun beating upon the rocks of the stream. Very slowly, we entered the water, deeper and deeper. He was taller than I, so it was easy to wrap my weightless legs around his waist. Easy and teasing as I kissed him wantonly and I felt his cock prodding against my labia. But I lifted myself just enough to keep him from entering.
He caressed my wet skin endlessly, teasing me, stroking me.
He cupped my breasts, bringing them together and rubbing his thumbs over my nipples. Finally, he leaned down to capture one between his teeth.
“About time,” I groaned as he sucked fully.
He grinned, rising up slightly so he was against my neck. “When will you learn to ask for what you need, bella?”
I didn’t need to answer, for we both knew that day would never come. Showing your wants and desires made you vulnerable. Weak.
His hands drifted down to my hips. With his thumbs, he stroked my hipbones. Sensitivity fingered over my midsection, fanning out like licks of flames.
I dropped my head onto his shoulder.
Slowly, he trailed his hand lower, to part my labia. Before I knew it, his finger delved in, stroking rapidly in and out. My head jerked up to look at his face.
I was entranced with his eyes. They shone, almost seemed lighter, the amber of honey. I moaned. I was so ready for his touch. Impatient, even.
I ground my hips against his hand, where his fingers were buried in my cunt.
“You’re so hot inside,” he muttered, kissing my temple. “I need you.”
“Do it,” I muttered.
“Soon, bella. Soon.”
“Then get us out of the water, Ethan,” I demanded. “I want to be able to touch you as well.”
He walked back to the edge, where the water lapped gently at his ankles. I unwrapped my legs from around his waist and knelt before him.
Finally.
I traced his magnificent cock with my tongue, hearing his groan when his cool skin touched the warmth of my mouth. He was perfect.
“My God, bella. I’d forgotten—”
“Ssshh,” I hummed against his skin. The vibration stopped his speech. Gently I slid my tongue along the underside of his erection, all the way to the base. I sucked a testicle into my mouth, rolling it wetly.
He was thrusting against my lips, stroking his own cock while I licked his balls. He took the swollen head of his erection and aimed for my lips.
I sucked the very tip hard, making him gasp. His fingers tangled in my hair. “Bella, that’s good,” he muttered.
He pulled his cock from my mouth and rubbed it alongside my cheek, letting us both catch our breath. “Too much and I won’t last,” he said.
I smiled against him, turning to kiss the side of his penis.
“Turn over,” he said.
I turned onto my knees, eager for more. I felt sexy, exposing my bare ass so he could mount me, waiting for the feeling of being filled solid with his thick cock.
I arched in surprise when his lips settled onto my sex instead, sucking my labia into the warm cavern of his mouth. Then his thumbs spread my nether lips wide and he licked his tongue up my entire slit. Slowly, he speared his tongue into my entrance.
“Ahh, Ethan,” I moaned.
I felt his face moving back and forth as he kissed me rhythmically, licking and sucking alternately.
“You taste so sweet, bella. I’ve always wanted to lick you from behind. This reminds me of when you were so wicked as to sit on my face.”
His favorite memory. I’d lost complete control, grinding my pussy onto his face. The idea shot a scorching thrill through me. It had been the most erotic time of my life, no-holds-barred, down-and-dirty sex.
He gave me one last slurp and I watched his shadow move along the ground. He shifted to his knees, his erection thick and strong. His hips moved forward and I eagerly pressed back, excited for the exquisite sensation of him filling me. I creamed in anticipation.
He entered slowly and I savored the moment of fulfillment.
I craved this feeling, the connection between our intimate flesh, the moment in time when he pressed inside me. He fit perfectly, sliding into my swollen core like a hot knife through butter.
I tossed my head back at the sense of utter, complete fullness. The wonderment at this feeling deep within me. A feeling I thought I’d never have again.
“You’ve stopped the rage,” I said suddenly. The air wasn’t howling, the water wasn’t rippling with anger.
“You’re not fighting me,” he said calmly.
In response, I pulled slightly forward, only to thrust my pelvis into him again, sliding against his wet body. His hands gripped my buttocks, holding me pressed against him as tightly as he could. He rocked his hips in a circular motion, pushing deeply into me. Rocking against me, slapping my labia with his testicles.
“Play with your clit,” he rasped. “I can’t go slowly this first time and I can’t use my hands to ready you. Do it for me.”
If only he knew I was ready to explode already. Just as he was.
But if it was a show he wanted… I exaggerated the motion for the shadow. I leaned back on my knees and deliberately let my hands roam over my breasts and down the flatness of my belly. I slid my hand down my body farther, between my legs.
“That’s it. Exactly,” he muttered hoarsely.
“I want to see you,” I said, pulling away from him and turning quickly. I opened my legs and fingered myself, spreading my folds apart for him.
He surged forward, pressing the head of his cock between them to enter.
My breath was quickening and for the first time I noticed his. It came in short pants, along with mine, a mutual rhythm. His eyelids were heavy, a sultry look as he fought losing control before me.
His hips bucked and in return, mine rotated in wide circles.
And then he inhaled deeply, his eyes widening.
I caught my breath as I stared into them. What I saw in his soul frightened me. The emotion was past possessive, as if I was his. Yet I couldn’t pull away as the mutual release ripped through our bodies.
The explosion was exquisite in its ferocity.
“Bella!” Ethan yelled, caught in the throes of his orgasm, staring into my eyes.
When my waves subsided, he finally looked up to the sky, enabling me to tear my gaze away as if I were caught in a spell. He lowered his body to rest atop mine and I rested my head to the crook of his shoulder, where I could press my lips against his neck, inhaling his clean scent.
And wonder about what I’d seen in his soul. Possession. Trust. Determination. Domination.
Love.
Our bodies relaxed, neither of us had to speak. My legs were still wrapped around his waist but his cock had softened and slipped from me. I enjoyed holding him close as he rubbed comforting circles on the small of my back.
Everything around us was calm and peaceful. The faintest gurgling could be heard up ahead where the water gently splashed the rocks.
I knew what was coming.
His voice was deep when he spoke. “Do you see what I mean? This is what we have. We belong together.”
“We have a moment in time. It doesn’t make up for everything else, for all we have to go through, for all we have to do.”
His hands stilled. “You still seek to leave me?”
I didn’t want to hurt him. Never that but that was why I had to leave. He wouldn’t understand, so I tried to explain a different way.
“Ethan,” I said gently. “Extinguishers came after me and placed Jordan in danger. It’s not safe to bring your entire camp into crossfire.”
“It was a fluke. Jordan should not have morphed from the cave, he will not do so again.”
“Don’t you see? I have to do this. I have to find out why they want me.”
I unwrapped my legs from him and pulled away as I waded to the rocks. He followed.
“You have been an experiment all your life. The best one. One of the Originals and the only one ever to reach retirement. What do you think they want of you?”
