Blood Laws

by Lexi C. Foss

  He closed the door behind him, disappearing from view. His parting words had her glancing around the room again. Dark masculine tones, a four-poster bed, an oversized bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, and beyond it a walk-in closet filled with various brand name suits. Her earlier assumption about sleeping quarters was wrong.

  This was his room.

  16

  Making Waves

  His bed was comfortable. Stas was sprawled out on her back, eyes on the vaulted ceiling.

  Everything she learned over the last few days flashed through her mind, each item competing for the top spot. She kept going back to his words about valuing her life over revenge. He alluded to it while they were dancing too. She was still his perfect pawn, but her life was worth more to him than vengeance. What an impossible decision. From everything he said about Amelia, she could tell he loved her. Yet he was choosing her over his need for revenge.

  That was not the decision of an emotionally unavailable man. It could all be an elaborate ruse, but the look in his eyes was undeniable. He wanted her on some deep level he wouldn’t voice out loud. But any relationship between them was impossible. She was a fledgling. One day she would become a Hydraian. An Ichorian’s mortal enemy. Not that he seemed to have any issues with them, but that put a damper on dating.

  She considered while walking outside. The patio was empty. Issac was swimming laps, his muscular body cutting through the water with an ease that spoke of decades of practice. It explained the physique. She thought maybe he was frozen in time that way whenever he was turned, but what she saw last night during the Conclave suggested Ichorian bodies fluctuated just like humans.

  She sat on the side of the pool, letting her legs dangle over the side. Her shorts got a little wet from the edge, but she didn’t care. The water was refreshing against the warm summer air.

  He did another lap before stopping beside her. Resting his arms on the pool ledge, he pulled off his goggles and looked up at her. He wasn’t winded despite all the nonstop swimming.

  “Why do Ichorians hate Hydraians?” she asked by way of greeting. If it bothered him, he didn’t show it.

  “Their blood is toxic. They also tend to develop more than one ability, making them stronger.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, dislodging some of the water. “They’re our progeny, physically, I mean, so they tend to inherit the gifts of their Ichorian fathers and typically something from the mortal mothers. Then, when reborn, their blood is lethal. One drop kills an Ichorian instantly.”

  “That’s why they kill fledglings.”

  “Yes, they don’t want them to be reborn.”

  “Oh.” She played her fingers over the water, making ripples. “But fledgling blood isn’t toxic.”

  His gaze went to the mark on her neck in response. Right. She busied herself by making patterns in the water. He folded his arms beside her, resting his chin on his forearm.

  “So my dad was an Ichorian. Was my mom one too?”

  “No, only Ichorian males can procreate and only with mortal females, making your mother human.”

  She frowned. That didn’t seem right. Her mother had abilities too, not just her dad. “What about an Ichorian with a fledgling?” She knew an Ichorian would never mate with a Hydraian. Too risky with the whole blood problem.

  “Hydraians are infertile. Fledglings are believed to be the same, but Lucian might know more. Why?”

  Biting her lip, she considered telling him, but her memories were tainted by a childlike remembrance. It was possible she hadn’t seen the things she thought she saw as a child. Her parents’ tragic death skewed her recollection. Maybe the magic she witnessed wasn’t magic at all, just a child’s memory of her mother.

  “Nothing, I was just wondering,” she said, making another ripple in the water with her fingertip. “Do I want to know how you became an Ichorian?”

  “Depends, are you asking for a physical description?” He chuckled at the expression she made in response. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how all that worked. “The short of it, then. Amelia and I share the same mother, but Aidan was her birth father. He turned me into an Ichorian, something you already know. He also happens to be Lucian’s father, but that’s a conversation for another day.”

  She was about to protest that last bit when his hand wrapped around her ankle and yanked. She went into the pool with a garbled scream. Spitting out a mouthful of water, she glowered at the laughing demon beside her.

  “What the hell was that for?”

  “Payback for earlier.” He fisted a handful of her wet hair, effortlessly pulling her closer through the water. “For the record, I do not appreciate edicts of any kind, especially ones that forbid me from touching you.” His lips met hers in a punishing kiss that left her winded. “Please don’t do that to me again.”

  If this was how he would punish her? “No promises.” It was cute that he said please. She had the feeling that wasn’t a word he often used.

  “Then I better take advantage of touching you while I can.” His mouth took possession of hers. He walked her backwards, beneath the waterfall and up against the stone wall behind it, effectively hiding them from view of anyone outside. Not that she cared. She was too caught up in the hard body pinning her to the wall.

  “You’re overdressed.” His hands fell to her tank top. He peeled it over her head and threw it to the side before tugging off her shorts. They hit the water with a splash, leaving her dressed only in a lacy blue bra and matching panties.

  “I adore your penchant for lace.” His gaze was on her breasts, his palm on her ass. He lifted her one handed, causing her legs to wrap around his waist.

  “You questioned my desire earlier. Are you questioning it now?” His mouth captured hers in a bruising kiss as his hips ground into her. He wasn’t holding anything back. His arousal was thick and hot against her warm center, rubbing against her in the sweetest way. Already she was close to coming just from that one intimate touch.

  He possessed her with his kiss and branded her with his hands. She was his, mind, body, and soul, she belonged to him and she was done fighting it. His tongue danced with hers, deepening with every thrust. Desire consumed her every move. One hand went to his hair, the other to his back, enjoying the feel of him. All hard, hot male pressed up against her, just begging her palms to explore every muscular inch.

  His hands returned the favor in kind, sliding up to palm her breasts. She arched into him on a groan, meeting the delicious hardness settled at the apex of her thighs. He rotated his hips to hit her most sensitive spot. Electricity flowed through her veins at the promise in that single move.

  “Do you feel how badly I want you?” It was a growl against her lips.

  “Yes.” She wanted him, too, with a fierceness she couldn’t contain. She trailed her nails down his back to where the swim trunks sat low on his hips, and around to the front.

  “No.” He grabbed both wrists and held them over her head in one hand. “How does it feel not to be able to touch something you want, Aya? Does it burn you the way it burned me?”

  She shivered at the possessive hold and nipped his bottom lip in protest.

  “I could command you to let me,” she whispered. The light note underlying his heated words was the only thing that kept her from demanding he let her go. She trusted him not to hurt her. This was innocent sensual foreplay and it was burning her not to be able to touch him. “In fact, I really want to do just that.”

  “But that requires you to have a voice, Aya.” His mouth covered hers, taking her slowly, making his point clear. His free hand returned to her breast before drifting down towards the sweet spot between her thighs. He found her clit through the fabric, pressing it with his thumb. She cried out against his lips, evoking a grin from him.

  “Try commanding me now, little fledgling.” His teasing tone made her want to do just that, but he distracted her by rolling the pad of his thumb in a sinuous circle. Her hips bucked in response.

  “Fuck,” she
broke off on a hiss as he pressed harder.

  “Another demand, love?”

  She gasped when his thumb left, then trembled as he slid it beneath her panties. He parted her folds, sliding through her wetness with a groan. Her head fell back against the wall, her chest heaving with each breath as he delved deeper, but never deep enough. He teased her with those clever fingers, brushing the top of her sex on occasion to keep her on edge.

  His name was a plea on her lips as she writhed against him, needing him to give her more. Her lacy bra chafed her aroused nipples. “Please.”

  He tasted the skin of her exposed breasts and nibbled one aching nipple through the lace. He flicked her little point of pleasure, eliciting a long moan from her throat. Electric fire sizzled through her veins. “Issac …” She was going to come. He pulled his hand away and bit her nipple hard enough to make her scream.

  “Fuck!” She cried out, trembling with need. “I’m sorry, okay? Is that what you want?”

  “No, darling, it’s not. Never apologize for what you can do.” He kissed her hard and tore the lace from her body, leaving her naked against him. Her thighs squeezed in anticipation. She was going to explode. “Keep your hands there.” He pressed her wrists into the wall on either side of her hips before removing his swimsuit. His cock sprung free, inches from her core. She shuddered, desperate to touch him but fearing he would stop if she did.

  “I admire your persuasive talent, love. Even when used on me.” His fingers knotted in her hair as he forced her gaze away from the deliciousness below. She wanted to lick every inch of him. “Touch me.”

  Finally. Her hands went to his shoulders first, then down his back to his ass. He felt like heaven beneath her fingers. She wanted nothing more than to explore the hardness below, but he had other ideas. His palm moved to her inner thigh, spreading her legs impossibly wider as his erection found her entrance. He pushed forward, his blue eyes holding hers. The intimacy of it was unbearable. There were so many unspoken emotions in his gaze. They intensified as he slid deeper. It was a sensual assault, forcing her to savor every minute of their joining.

  She moaned when he filled her, her body unaccustomed to his pronounced length. He took her mouth in a thorough kiss, allowing her the time she needed to adjust. She tingled from the force of emotion in that kiss. Warmth built between her thighs with each stroke of his tongue against hers. He started to move, slowly at first, gradually increasing the pace to one that lit her veins on fire.

  His name was a prayer on her lips. God, he can move. Each thrust tightened the muscles in her lower abdomen, creating an inferno that latched onto every nerve ending and sent pleasure spiraling through her body. His desire was unhinged as he kissed her like she was his last breath of fresh air. She shuddered from the impact, unable to think beyond the coiling ball of nerves in her lower belly. He was heaven personified.

  He palmed her breast at the same time he pushed deep inside her, sending her spiraling over the edge. She screamed his name as she convulsed around him, her body vibrating with a pleasure unlike anything she ever felt. He slammed her hips into the wall and followed with a groan that went on and on, emptying his seed inside her and triggering another orgasm from her. He buried his face in her neck and held her as they shuddered from the impact of their shared pleasure.

  “Wow,” she breathed when she could. She almost forgot they were in the pool, her senses too tied up in what he was doing to think about much else. It helped that the water only came up to their mid thighs. Much higher, and it would have gotten in the way of other more interesting things.

  “I need more,” he murmured. “Much, much more.” He pressed his lips to her throat before taking her mouth in a slow, burning kiss. It was an open possession that sent electricity racing through her veins. Her legs tightened around him, doing all sorts of delicious things below where they were still locked together. Two orgasms and she was almost ready for a third. Wow was an understatement.

  “In the bedroom, love. I’m going to taste every inch of you.”

  *

  He couldn’t stop touching her. A side effect of her command earlier. Her show of power did not go unnoticed to the Hydraians at the table. Lucian’s eyes gleamed with the potential there, while Issac’s heart dropped to his stomach. It wasn’t the persuasion that bothered him, but the command itself. Don’t fucking touch me. The disgust in her eyes when she said those four words undid him. He wanted her to know the truth. He wasn’t expecting her to hate him for it.

  “Get on the bed,” he said after drying her off with a plush towel. The growl in his voice was a result of need that rivaled the hunger in her gaze. While she hopped up on the bed, he went back to the closet to select two silk ties.

  Her green eyes widened when she saw them. “Issac …”

  He placed a knee on the bed. “Put your hands over your head.” She wasn’t the only one who could give commands, though his were arguably more pleasant.

  “Someone’s in a kinky mood.” She lifted her arms as requested. He rewarded her acquiescence with a tender kiss before wrapping the tie around her wrists. She tested the knot with a cute frown. He tied it loose enough to allow comfort while still being secure, and fastened it to the headboard.

  “Beautiful.” The position presented her perky breasts to him. He trailed the remaining silk tie down her neck to her breasts and let it dangle over her engorged nipples. Goosebumps pebbled over her skin. “I was going to blindfold you, but I rather like that look in your eyes right now.”

  Her arousal thickened the air as she tried the knot again. “What are you planning to do with me like this?” Intrigue thickened her tone. He listened to her breathing, waiting for any note of fear or concern, and heard none. Good.

  “I already told you what I intend to do.” He captured one stiff peak with his mouth and sucked. Hard. Her moan went straight to his cock. Delicious. He held the rest of his naked body away from her, only touching her with his mouth as he explored her breasts. “You’re very responsive for someone who denied my touch such a short while ago.”

  “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

  “Not likely, no.” He nibbled her rosy nipple and luxuriated in her tremble. “Hopefully this will serve as a reminder for next time. I think you like my touch, Aya.” He licked his way down her abdomen and tongued her belly button before moving lower. Little blonde curls tickled his chin as he kissed and licked her from hip to hip, avoiding the part of her that ached for his touch. He hovered just over her, using anticipation to amplify her pleasure.

  “Issac …” Her back bowed off the bed as his lips brushed her swollen bud. Just enough to tease, not to please. He gave her a long lick, his balls tightening at the taste of her arousal. The edge was taken off while they were in the water, but she incited a craving in him that was nowhere near satisfied. One night would not be enough. Hell, a month wouldn’t be enough. Maybe a year.

  He worshiped her with his mouth, memorizing every inch of exposed skin and leaving her writhing on the bed. When he blew against her damp flesh and didn’t follow it up with a lick, she groaned. Her hands were balled into fists over her head. She didn’t like not being able to touch, but it was also driving her mad with desire.

  “God, you’re a tease.”

  He grinned against her inner thigh before returning to her breasts. They were flushed, just the way he liked them. He took a tender bud deep into his mouth and rolled it with his tongue.

  “I could do this all night, Aya.” A nickname he created just for her. He was surprised the first time he said it, unused to nicknaming anyone, but it suited her. She was his Aya, and he intended to keep her for as long as fate allowed.

  He bit the sensitive peak, eliciting a low growl from her. He liked that sound and forced another out of her by biting her breast. Her pleasure was addictive.

  “What do you want from me?” The begging note in her voice pleased him to no end.

  “Do you need more, Aya?” He nibbled her neck on
his way up and balanced carefully over her, his lips an inch from hers.

  “Yes.” She tried to close the gap between their mouths, but he lifted out of reach.

  “Mmm.” He kissed a line down her body to the apex of her thighs. “Tell me what you need, Aya.” Each word was murmured against her clit, making her body vibrate with want.

  “You.”

  “You want me to touch you?” It was said with a grin she no doubt felt.

  Her growl made his dick throb. He wanted to hear that sound while he drove himself deep inside her, or maybe while he fucked her mouth. But first … He licked her long and deep. “Is this what you want, love? My tongue?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about my hands?” He slipped a finger through her wetness, teased her entrance. She bucked in response, her body trembling.

  “Just touch me, Issac. Really touch me.” Those were the words he wanted to hear. They counteracted the command from earlier, lifting a bruise from his heart he hadn’t realized was there. He needed to caress her, worship her, please her …

  His lips closed over her sensitive bud and she cried out his name. He swirled his tongue over it before sucking her hard into his mouth. She came off the bed with the force of impact. He trailed his hand up her legs and gave her the touch she needed to take her over the edge. She climaxed hard against his mouth, her body shaking over and over again. He wrung every last drop of pleasure from her before climbing up and caging her body beneath him.

  “Mmm, I do so enjoy hearing you say my name like that.” He placed an openmouthed kiss on her lips, letting her taste her own pleasure. Her moan of approval went straight to his gut. “I want to hear that again.” When his erection nudged her, she opened her legs wider to accept him. He thrust into her, needing to be closer to her, to feel her. She took him deep, making him groan. He would never tire of this, not with her. It was too perfect, too right.