by Brianna West
Lucas had somehow managed to creep impossibly close to me, nearly molding his large frame into me. I sidestepped slightly, finding that the close proximity was already bringing up memories of our night together.
It would seem, despite getting some, I was still very much a pervert and prone to inappropriate ogling.
“Ours is at the very end of the hall,” he replied nonchalantly.
Ours. As in, we were still going to share.
I fought the heat now flooding to my cheeks.
Dear lord, I was acting like some kind of virgin.
“Oh,” I retorted lamely. “Guess I should tell you I like to hog the blanket and am entirely capable of unconsciously kicking your ass in my sleep.”
“I am quite familiar with your sleeping habits,” Lucas responded smoothly. The flickering emotion in his eyes coupled with a teasing grin was enough to make the heat in my cheeks increase tenfold. “You are easily subdued from said actions with an embrace. Might I even venture to say that after I am finished with you, you will be incapable of moving efficiently enough to 'kick my ass' in your sleep.”
Was it hot in here or was it just Lucas?
Images of Lucas hovering between my thighs with the same arrogant face he was giving me now caused my body to inadvertently tremble.
The look in his eyes wasn't a warning; it was a promise. It made my knees weak. I was suddenly at loss for my usual sarcastic quips. So instead, I opted for a silent look of disregard.
I fanned myself as I quickly ventured down the hallway.
Just your normal day with a hot vampire-angel that just recently discovered that he was capable of relentlessly teasing me into a drooling, quivering mess of a woman.
I had created a monster.
After settling our things into the room, I checked on the slumbering giants, and when I was satisfied they were probably going to be out for a little longer, only then did I seek out Lucas. He was cooking in the kitchen, his hands moving gracefully and efficiently.
“Hey,” I greeted as I sampled a bit of the sauce.
Fuck that tasted amazing.
I glanced at Victor with disbelief clearly in my gaze. He glanced my way with a small lift to the side of his mouth before continuing to concoct the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted; well, aside from him, that is.
“The boys will be hungry when they wake,” he stated.
I crossed my arms against my chest, leaning back into the counter top. “You'll be an incredible wife one day.”
Lucas stiffened before giving me an incredulous look. I couldn't suppress the grin, probably appearing a little too smug for my liking. It was not often that I threw Lucas off, so I basked in the superior feeling it gave me.
Lucas' eyes widened. I was about to point out that it wasn't all that surprising when my body was pulled backwards and wrapped tightly in a bone-crushing embrace. I gasped sharply, stiffening and preparing to send a surge of my energy before the whispered greeting had me nearly melting with relief.
“Moya solnishka.”
I was turned almost violently before being pulled once more into Pavel's chest. He hugged me so desperately that I almost forgot Lucas was in the room. His head rested heavily atop my own before he was leaning away with his signature suggestive smirk.
His pale blonde hair looked soft, which meant he had managed to shower. I could never understand how men managed to shower in minutes, but I guess it was normal.
Blue, iridescent eyes that swirled with the usual mischief and humor watched me, searching for something in my gaze that he must desire to see.
“You are even more beautiful than I remember,” he stated sweetly.
I rolled my eyes despite the permanent smile on my face.
Insufferable flirt.
“Blondie,” I greeted before being pried away from him and into Lucas' arms instead.
Pavel's eyes lit with recognition before simmering with mischief. That was the expression I knew so well. Our Pavel had returned.
“Lucas, you look just as fierce as I remember,” he said rather gleefully.
“Sit and explain,” Lucas ordered.
Pavel easily took a seat, arrogantly kicking up his feet onto the table before resting his hands against the back of his head. “Are you ready to believe me?”
“Would we have rescued if we were not?” Lucas retorted sharply.
Pavel's smile expanded before he nodded. “My memories are pretty scattered. I am not sure who I was reporting to, but I do know that I was under the impression that it was to convince the council of the legitimacy of our claims that Izzy was unlike we had ever seen.
“The only bit I remember is being brought in for interrogation on the matter but nothing else. I do not remember any sort of confession or the like. I didn't believe what I was reporting would be used to hurt her.” His eyes rested on me, the mischievous expression instantly turning serious. “I would never hurt you, moya solnishka.”
“I know,” I responded smiling. “I never once believed you would.”
“Does that mean you fancy me?” he asked with an eyebrow wiggle.
Yep, he was definitely my dirty Russian.
Lucas grunted in disgust. “I see that you are still quite delusional.”
“Either I was really drunk when we went to work today,” Bernie started as he entered the room, his shaggy hair in even more disarray than usual, “or I was knocked on my ass in a fight.”
Carl followed after him, regarding us all with a bemused expression. “Isn't that every day?” Carl offered sarcastically.
“Why are you always such a meanie?” Bernie whined, scratching his head grumpily.
Carl scoffed. “Because I have the same face as an idiot like you.”
“Hello, boys,” Pavel greeted with a small grin. “It was an honor to be unconscious with you.”
“Yeah,” I started with a smirk of my own, “and you guys looked so sweet spooning.”
“Say what?!” Bernie barked. “Hey! Which one of you took advantage of my manly charms?!”
“You're not my type,” Pavel returned coolly.
“How dare you,” Bernie pouted, “and I thought what we shared was special.”
“Idiots,” Lucas said, though his eyes were dancing with mirth.
“Should I even ask why we were unconscious and apparently spooning?” Carl inquired as he stood beside Lucas. “I would like to mention for the record, little lady, that I never spoon.”
“I definitely spoon,” Bernie mentioned with a waggling of his eyebrows and an inch too close to my face, “especially with cuties with bodies like yours.”
Yeah, he and Pavel were basically the same person.
Habitual flirts.
“Bernard, you must have one serious death wish,” Pavel teased.
Bernie tossed Pavel a bemused glance before he was pulled bodily from me by the scruff of his neck.
“She's his,” Pavel added with a smirk. “And he doesn't share.”
“I can speak well enough for myself, Pavel.” Lucas deposited Bernie as far from me as was spatially possible. He turned towards Carl before saying, “There was an attack at the compound. It looks like the Bleeding Stars managed to reestablish themselves or were never completely destroyed in the first place.”
“Damn,” Carl cursed. “What was their purpose for attacking?”
“Izzy.”
“You must be pretty important, girlie,” Bernie stated.
You mean the ninja wannabes were a group called the Bleeding Stars?
Apparently they were notorious enough that the Cowboy Twins knew who they were. So not only did I have a horde of demons and Dark out to capture me, but now I had to deal with self-proclaimed ninja terrorists?
With so many ways to be captured and tortured, how was a girl to choose?
“I have to be careful that my newly founded popularity doesn't go to my head,” I responded dryly. “Who are the Bleeding Stars?”
Lucas looked grim. “A group that believ
es that Dark should be destroyed at its very core. They are against those of us that harbor any mixture of Dark blood. You could refer to them as Purists. They believe that only those of Light should be allowed to exist.”
“The concept is relative,” Pavel explained further. “We know that you can ultimately choose the Light against the Dark, but the Bleeding Stars believed that this could never be achieved. Ultimately, the creation of the Guardians went against everything they believed and thus sought to destroy us.”
“Two hundred years ago,” Lucas added, “we fought in a great battle against them. Though outnumbered greatly, we were able to defeat them and destroy their leader who had been a very influential angel by the name of Tobis Greenfall.”
“What if Tobis survived?” I asked.
Lucas shook his head firmly. “Impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible,” I countered.
“Impossible because it was I who killed him,” Lucas responded gravely.
How did you kill an angel? I didn't even think it was possible.
“His heart was Dark,” Lucas supplied, “so when I ran him through with the Sword of Judgment, he was immediately destroyed.”
Sword of Judgment?
Giggles escaped me as I envisioned Lucas holding a large sword and screaming out some lame line like, 'only with this sword can I judge the truth inside your heart.' Lucas being Lucas would somehow manage to make this lame line sound incredibly cool.
He was just awesome like that.
I admired his majesty for a moment, giving into my temptation to ogle him. Lucas was one of those men that even if he was forced to walk around naked, chained, and belittled, he would still impress upon others his power and authority. I noticed the way that the others watched him; they respected him and sought his opinion on all matters. He was their authority.
I was suddenly very proud to be his girlfriend. At least that is what I'd proclaimed myself now that we had exchanged I love yous. Somehow, the terminology didn't quite match with Lucas and me, especially not Lucas.
Lovers? I shook off the creepy sensation that the word had given me.
Soul mates? I cringed at the bad taste it left in my mouth. I think saying we were soul mates was a little presumptuous, even for me.
“She makes quite the array of faces, doesn't she?” Carl announced, interrupting my train of thought.
Pavel was smiling in response. “She tends to fantasize. Her mind is quite interesting.”
“What was that, Blondie? You really, really loved that pink tutu from before?” My eyes narrowed with a grin that was unbecoming of a lady.
The Cowboy Twins perked with interest as Pavel stiffened and lost a little of his smile. Lucas had crossed his arms, watching on as if none of it interested him, but I could see the smile threatening the corners of his lips.
“You wouldn't dare,” Pavel growled in warning, his feet sliding from their place on the table.
I quirked a brow. “You don't think so?” My grin widened.
“That's one evil face,” Bernie whispered to Carl. “She’s making even my skin crawl.”
“Be still my heart,” Carl imparted with a clenched fist to his chest.
“Saucy minx,” Pavel whispered affectionately.
“Incessant pervert,” I returned with a smile.
Pavel chuckled deeply before throwing his hands up in mock submission. “I surrender, moya solnishka.”
“Of course you do,” I teased with a small smile.
Pavel sighed with admiration. “Ah, how I missed you.”
–
It was surprising how quickly everything reverted to normalcy. Well, normal for us.
We continued to banter the rest of the day, eating meals together, discussing our next move in order to discover the identities of these Bleeding Stars members, and watching action films that was entirely spent dubbing over the actors with our own voices in play.
At some point, I had fallen asleep on the couch, my head resting in Lucas' lap. I barely registered the hushed voices, swimming in and out of consciousness.
Jet lag was a bitch.
“Who do you think is leading them?” Carl posed.
Fingers absently played with my hair, weaving and sliding over it in an almost loving manner.
The low rumble of Lucas' voice reverberated against my ear. “I have my theories but nothing has been solidified. For the moment, we will wait. I do not want Izzy involved any more than she must be.”
“He's totally sweet on her,” Bernie mocked in a girly tone.
Pavel was chuckling. “Makes one jealous.”
Lucas grunted at the banter before Bernie was saying, “Pavel, you're never half as sweet to me. You brute.”
“Make them stop,” Carl groaned, to which Lucas chuckled lightly. “We can't stay hiding for long,” Carl said, sobering the conversation. “Eventually, they are going to seek her out, and I'd rather we be ready for the fight rather than taken by surprise.”
“Izzy is incredibly gifted,” Lucas argued. “However, she lacks experience and training. I will not risk it.”
“You sound so manly right now,” Bernie interjected. “If I were gay, I'd be all over you.”
Pavel was laughing deeply. “That's one hell of a scary thought.”
These guys were never serious. And I could tell by the hardening muscle beneath my head that Lucas was hardly in the mood for jokes.
“Enough,” Carl demanded. “I'll do a little recon. See what I can think up.”
“You have my gratitude,” Lucas responded graciously.
“Anything for the boss,” Carl shot back before he was shuffling. “I think I'll go catch some shut eye. Maybe you should put your little miss to bed?”
“I will,” Lucas replied evenly before he was carefully cradling me into his arms.
Lucas was part vampire and incredibly intelligent. He could easily deduce that I was no longer asleep, but it would seem he had another agenda. Not that I was complaining, I was enjoying the way it felt to be held by the man I loved.
Mm, my favorite man-muscles.
He tightened his hold momentarily before taking me down to our shared room.
“Izzy,” he breathed as he easily opened the door with one hand and cradled me with the other. “I know you are awake.”
Damn.
“Yeah, those vampire senses are a real mood killer sometimes,” I said with a grin.
“Indeed,” Lucas replied as he settled me down onto the bed. “Even without them, you are a horrible actress, pet.”
It had been a long time since I heard that term of endearment, and I decided that I liked it.
A lot.
“Yeah, well, I got a barely passing grade in Drama during my high school years, so that's really not much of a shock.” I sat up with effort and watched him as he divested himself of his clothing.
I wanted to lick my lips and purr at him like a kitty cat. The man was serious eye candy.
“Shall we bathe?” Lucas inquired with one of his sexy smirks.
The mere thought of water streaming over that perfectly sculpted body was enough to make readjust on the bed.
Were we a couple that bathed together now?
With so many men in one house to overhear me, should I find it difficult to contain my voice, it was quite daunting to do all that and more in a room that echoed whispers.
“L-like together?” I finally stuttered. “As in us, together, in the bath...washing each other?” I nearly drooled by the end of my mumbling, babbling inquiry.
Lucas appeared amused. Who could possibly blame him? I was highly entertaining it would seem.
The man had seen me naked; he had even been face deep between my thighs. Bathing together was hardly risqué behavior. Many couples did it.
Sure, I had never been in the shower or bath with anyone, but I was all about new experiences. Nattie had even gone to say that I was rather adventurous. Granted that had been about our choice in food.
So, come
on, Izzy, go get him.
“To hell with it,” I cried. “Lead the way, captain.”
Remember how I mentioned that all men were closet perverts? Well, Lucas was definitely one.
A big one.
As soon as we entered the large two-room bathroom, he was helping me out of my clothes and leading me backwards towards the bath.
It was Jacuzzi-style, equipped with powered jets and a removable spout.
I wasn't given long to assess it, however. Lucas was lifting me, forcing me to wrap my legs around him.
Normally, this was the moment when most women wondered if they were too heavy; but thankfully for me, I had a man that had easily carried myself and three large men four hundred miles without breaking a sweat.
Our lips met hungrily as he lowered us into the filling tub. I would be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit worried that we wouldn't fit in the bathtub. To my relief, my fears were unfounded as I was easily able to straddle his large frame between my legs.
Lucas kissed me with fervor, swallowing any of the sounds that emitted from me. I was trying desperately to remain silent, but his touch elicited all kinds of sounds from me.
I mean, dear lord, it felt like the man was everywhere at once.
“Izzy,” he whispered huskily against my lips, “I fear of what I might be forced to do should any of the others hear you.”
I was gasping, my hips rolling into his with the water sloshing around us. “Then stop touching me.”
Oh god, I hoped he didn't listen to me because I was so desperate for him to fill me. Besides, he hardly listened to me as it was. Why start now?
“Impossible,” he groaned as his hands led my hips onto him, his large erection breaching me carefully. “I would much rather destroy them.”
I was giggling breathlessly, angling to allow him to penetrate easier. My hands slid down his chest, feeling what I could. My hands were abruptly flying upwards into Lucas' darkened, wet-tipped locks when he thrust upwards, burying himself to the hilt.
“Oh god,” I cried out. “Not fair,” I gasped as he slid partially out of me and then snapped his hips upwards, causing hot pleasure to flood through me.
I grasped tightly at the sides of the tub, anchoring myself as best I could to the onset of thrusts. What had begun as gentle quickly turned violent. The water was crashing against the sides as our movements became crazed. I was no longer conscious of the cries leaving my throat; I was too far gone with pleasure.
