Rush of Darkness

by Rhyannon Byrd

  “But this isn’t your choice,” she pointed out unsteadily, her throat trembling with emotion as she craned her head back, holding his stare.

  His nostrils flared, his voice strained. “You let me in, Raine. Whether you wanted to or not, you did. That gives me—”

  “It gives you nothing!” she burst out, cutting him off. She could sense the danger here—could sense that part of her that desperately wanted to surrender to his will and throw herself at his feet, saying to hell with revenge. But she couldn’t let that happen. Would never be able to live with herself if she did. “Sex isn’t love or a relationship or a commitment, McConnell. Sex is sex.”

  He lifted his brows. “So you’re just screwing me?”

  She flinched at the crude accusation. “You know that’s not true.”

  “You can’t have it both ways,” he growled, scraping both hands back through his hair. “Either we’re just screwing each other, or we’re in a relationship, Raine. One that gives me the right to protect you.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, wetting her lips. “But I can’t give you what you want, Seth.”

  For a moment, he only stared down at her, his gaze so narrow his thick lashes were tangled together at the corners of his eyes. Then he drew in a slow pull of air, and said, “Is this about feeding from my veins?” His voice was raw, his body vibing with hot, primal frustration. “Is that what it’s going to take to make you accept me? Because if it’s the only way to save you, then have at them, Raine. Drain me of every last goddamn drop,” he snarled, holding his wrists out to her. “I don’t care anymore! I just want you to stop trying to kill yourself before you push me to do something that’s going to make you hate me!”

  Since she knew the offer was only being made in anger, she quickly pushed past him and moved to the far side of the room, needing to put space between her and the mouthwatering scent of his blood. She’d sealed the cut he’d made when she’d fed earlier, but she could still smell the potent fluid rushing through his veins…and she wanted it. Badly.

  Forcing her mind back to the argument, she faced him and said, “I know you don’t understand, but I need to see this through.”

  “Yeah, I heard you the first time.” He scrubbed his hands down his face, then braced them low on his hips as he lowered his head, his chest rising and falling with his rough breaths. “At any rate, there’s no sense arguing about it now,” he muttered. “We’ve got to get the Marker you took back to Kierland and the others. We can settle everything once we’re at Harrow House.”

  He turned, and she couldn’t hide her panic as she asked, “Where are you going?”

  Cutting her a shadowed look over his shoulder, he said, “I’m just gonna grab my shower.”

  Raine watched the bathroom door shut behind him, and fought back the tears of frustration burning in her eyes. She could feel him slipping away from her, but didn’t know how to hold on and still complete her mission. She knew damn well that he had no intention of allowing her to go into Meridian with him. He was probably planning to lock her up in a room at Harrow House once they’d returned the cross, and then leave her there…while he set off with the others.

  And ends up walking right into Calder’s trap!

  His phone suddenly rang, making her jump, and she picked it up off the dresser, seeing that it was Kellan. Worried it might be something important, she answered the phone, explaining that Seth was in the shower.

  “I was calling to let him know that we’ve finally got the last Marker,” the Lycan said. “Can you give him the message?”

  “Sure. But how did you get it so quickly?”

  With a husky laugh, he said, “It ended up being buried here in England. In a place called Wookey Hole.”

  Thinking about the things she’d learned from the others, she said, “Isn’t that where the Markers were originally found by one of the Buchanans’ ancestors? The one who hid the Markers and created the maps?”

  “Yeah, but the place has changed a lot since Alia Buchanan was alive.” She could practically hear the Lycan cringing. “It’s turned into a freaking tourist trap. You have no idea what I endured to get that last little bastard.”

  “Well, at least you were able to find it,” she said, keeping one eye on the bathroom door. “And I imagine you’re anxious to have the Marker I took as soon as possible.”

  “That’d be great, since we need to get all twelve together and see if we can form the map.”

  “Seth and I killed the last Casus on my list tonight. So I’m done with it.”

  “Ah, that’s good.”

  “What about Westmore?” she asked. “Did Ashe tell you we think the Markers they found in the Kraven’s apartment are probably tagged?”

  “Yeah, he told us. We all agree that Westmore will make some kind of move. We just don’t know what he’s got in mind.”

  “He’s probably already watching Harrow House,” she said. “Waiting for us all to show.”

  “That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to Seth about. We’re actually heading out of here. The odds are high that the gateway is somewhere on mainland Europe, so we might as well save time by getting over there. We’re hoping you guys can meet us in Paris tomorrow at noon, at the Hilton near the Arc de Triomphe. I’ve already called Ashe to let him know, so he’ll be there, as well.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Great. And, Raine?” The background clatter of voices disappeared, as if the Lycan had just walked into another room. “Do you know anything about Ian’s dreaming?” he asked, something in his tone telling her that this was going to be strange. Ian Buchanan was Saige’s older brother, and like his sister, he had a special…gift.

  “I know about the dreams,” she said. “The ones he has of the future. What did he see?”

  “He keeps having dreams about all of us standing at the gate that leads to Meridian,” Kellan explained. “In most of them, we’re all arguing about how to get the damn thing opened, and none of us can figure it out. But in the last one he had, Seth wasn’t there with us. Is everything okay between you two?”

  “I don’t know.” She forced the words past her trembling lips, a cold sweat breaking out over her body as she resigned herself to the idea that had been brewing in the back of her mind. “He’s… To be honest,” she said, “I think he’s tired of it all.”

  The Lycan’s muffled curse made her wince, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from admitting it was a lie. Finally, Kellan exhaled a rough breath and said, “Will you do me a favor and tell him that we really need him there? I can’t imagine doing this thing without him.”

  Raine said that she would, then quickly disconnected and erased the call from the phone’s memory, before powering it off and putting it back where she’d found it. Just as she turned around, Seth came out of the bathroom, his magnificent bod naked but for the white towel wrapped around his waist. She couldn’t control the violent wave of hunger that suddenly tore through her, knowing damn well this might be the last night they were together.

  Driven by raw, pulsing need, she crossed the space between them and put her hands on his bare shoulders, shoving him against the closed bathroom door.

  “What the hell?” he growled.

  “I don’t want to spend the rest of the night fighting,” she whispered. “I just want to be close to you.”

  There was so much emotion in his eyes, Raine couldn’t help but wish that she could read his thoughts. But despite the ease with which she’d finally gotten a read on Wentworth, Seth remained frustratingly closed to her, his mental guards thicker than ever.

  He started to reach for her, but she shook her head, wanting to stay in control for just a little longer. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me, Seth. But first…first, I want to do something to you.”

  His lips parted as she gripped the edge of the towel and jerked it off him, her hungry gaze dropping to his breathtaking erection as she let the towel fall to the hard-wood floor. Pulling her lower lip through
her teeth, she listened to the rush of her pulse roaring through her ears as she reached for him with her hand. But the instant she wrapped her fingers around that hot, thick stalk, he caught her wrist, locking it in his grip.

  “You shouldn’t,” he groaned, his eyes heavy-lidded and dark as she looked up at him, a warm flush burning along the crest of his cheekbones. She could see that it embarrassed him to be touched there—for his scars to be felt or seen. She hadn’t expected the ruthless hunter to possess that kind of vulnerability, and it opened her up in ways she never would have expected.

  Softly, she said, “Trust works both ways, Seth.”

  He stared down at her, his green eyes turning liquid and bright, searching for answers in her gaze. Then he released a ragged breath of air…and loosened his hold on her wrist.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  OH, CHRIST…

  Seth’s heart hammered with a painful, jarring beat as he watched Raine give him a shy smile, then slowly slip to her knees before him, her feminine little hand stroking his aching length from root to tip.

  “I meant what I said about trust,” she said huskily, grasping his wrist with her free hand…and pulling it to the long fall of her hair. His eyes went wide with shock, then narrowed with an intense rush of primal satisfaction as he buried his fingers in the thick, slightly damp waves, wrapping the honey-colored strands around his hand.

  “Feels like silk,” he muttered, his voice rough with lust as he curved his long fingers around the back of her head…then pulled her toward him, until that beautiful mouth was so close he could feel her soft breaths blowing against him. She breathed in through her nose and moaned, as if his scent excited her, and he had to lock his knees against the dizzying rush of pleasure that shot through him.

  “I’ve never had this,” he rasped, tightening his grip on the back of her head in case she misunderstood and started to pull away. “But I…I want it. From you. I want to know how it feels to have your mouth on me, Raine.”

  “Just tell me if I do anything you don’t like,” she whispered, the way her lips brushed the taut, sensitive crown making him shudder and gasp. Then she opened her mouth, her small pink tongue flicking against the slick head, tasting him, and his head fell back, thunking against the door, while something that sounded like a raw, animalistic growl tore from his throat, echoing through the room.

  “More,” he forced through his clenched teeth, unable to stop his hips from punching forward, pushing his shaft against her mouth. Then a graveled mix of sharp, hoarse curses burst from his lips as she took him in and started to suckle.

  Needing to watch her, Seth lowered his head…and found the little crossbreed staring up at him, her gorgeous eyes hazy with pleasure as she swirled her tongue around the glistening head. Then she sucked him back in, taking him a little deeper, and he felt a sharp, searing release already bearing down on him.

  Fighting for control, he covered her hand with his own, squeezing down hard, and moved his other hand to her face, the tips of her long hair still threaded through his fingers. With hot eyes, Seth watched as he rubbed his thumb against the corner of her mouth, the sight of his dark, scarred shaft sliding within the tight stretch of her lips the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen. She moaned as he slipped his thumb beneath his cock, pressing it against that center crease in her bottom lip at the same time he pushed forward, giving her another inch—and as that erotic moan vibrated along his shaft, Seth knew he wasn’t going to last a second more.

  “Stop!” he barked, trying not to yank her hair as he pulled away, his back coming up hard against the door behind him.

  She blinked up at him, her big eyes clouded with confusion. “Why? I thought you liked it.”

  “I loved it—but I don’t wanna come until I’m inside you,” he ground out, quickly reaching under her arms and pulling her to her feet. He curved a forearm under her sweet ass and lifted her against the front of his body, carrying her to the room’s massive, wrought-iron bed. Setting her down on the edge of the bed’s high mattress, Seth stood between her legs as he reached for the waistband on her sweats—but she flinched, sending a panicked look toward the two lamps on either end of the dresser, their bright glow filling the room with light. “What’s wrong?” he asked, smoothing her hair back from her face with a shaky hand.

  She wet her lips. “Can we please turn the lights off?”

  “I’d rather keep them on.”

  She winced, mumbling, “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  “Why? What is it, sweetheart?” It occurred to Seth that she’d always made sure their rooms were mostly in lshadow whenever she’d gotten naked in front of him, never allowing him to see her as clearly as he would have liked.

  When she didn’t say anything, he murmured, “Trust works both ways, Raine.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them, a warm blush covering her skin as she said, “I don’t want you to see my scars.”

  Seth frowned, wondering what the hell she was talking about. “But you don’t have any scars.”

  “Actually, I do,” she said, her gaze sliding from his. With an uneasy shrug, she added, “But they’re faint enough that you can’t see them when the lighting is low.”

  “Are they from when you were…attacked?” he asked, trying to recall if he’d seen any scars on her body when he’d carried her out of Westmore’s compound. But it was hard to say, because she’d been so battered and bruised, covered with blood and soot from the explosions that had torn through the ancient fortress. Was it possible that he hadn’t seen them?

  Obviously, it was, because she nodded and said, “I got them during my captivity.” Her voice was quiet, soft. “Normally, my healing abilities keep scars from forming. But they denied me blood for too long, which made it difficult for my body to deal with all the…injuries. Some of the wounds scarred as a result.”

  Wishing he could fucking kill Seton all over again, Seth smoothed a hand over her bare shoulder, his chest aching, his throat tight with emotion. “So you’ve been trying to hide them from me?”

  “I’m not hiding.” She gave a tired sigh. “I just…don’t want you to see them. They’re not pretty, Seth.”

  It made him furious that this beautiful, exquisite woman felt the need to hide from him, but he understood her fear, considering he’d spent his entire adult life having sex in the shadows, never trusting anyone with his secrets.

  But he didn’t want Raine to feel that way. Didn’t want her to be embarrassed by her body, or to think he was a judgmental prick. “Raine, scars are only scars. They don’t change who you are. And they sure as hell aren’t going to change the way I look at you.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” she whispered, locking her troubled gaze with his once more. “I mean, even with your scars, you’re still gorgeous.”

  His lips twitched, and he shook his head. “Woman, I don’t have anything on you. You’re so far out of my league, I’m lucky you even gave me a second glance.”

  A breathless laugh spilled from her soft lips, and she didn’t fight him when he reached for the bottom of her tank top and pulled it over her head, the scars just visible in the warm glow of light cast from the lamps. They were faint, silvery marks, covering her breasts and the slender curve of her stomach. Some of them were obviously bite marks, while others looked like she’d been slashed with claws. The skin was smooth, the scars pale enough that he hadn’t detected them before. But he hated the pain that had caused them, his resolve to keep her from Meridian stronger than ever.

  “See?” Her voice was rough. “I tried to warn you they were ugly.”

  “No,” he whispered, pushing her against the bed so that he could lean over her and place a tender kiss against one of those faint scars…and then another. “You’re so beautiful, Raine.” He nuzzled the soft swell of one breast while stroking his thumb over the other’s tight nipple. “Every part of you. You don’t ever have to hide from me.”

  She shivered, and he could feel the exa
ct moment that she surrendered to him—that tight tension easing from her body as the warm spill of desire poured through her system, leaving her pliant and soft. With a provocative moan on her lips, she ran her smooth palms over his shoulders and chest as he covered one of those deliciously plump nipples with his mouth. Drawn tight by the urgency of his need, Seth hungrily suckled the sweet tip while he tore her sweatpants down her slender legs, then did the same with her panties.

  Need her so badly. Every part of her. Now…

  Bracing himself on a straight arm, he wedged himself tighter between her open thighs and struggled for control as he gripped his cock in his fist, fitting himself against her soft entrance. A drop of sweat stung his eye as he stared down at her, his body burning with heat, and then he pushed forward…and knew he wouldn’t be able to take it slow. He was sinking into a plush, cushiony heaven, and there wasn’t a chance in hell this was going to be anything but fast and raw.

  “Put your heels on the edge of the bed and hold on,” he told her, his voice gritty and thick as he gave her another inch. He put his thumb in his mouth, making it wet, then reached down and rubbed the callused pad over her clit, her hips rolling as she took him deeper…and deeper. When he was finally packed up inside her, buried all the way to the hilt, he grasped the backs of her knees and pushed them against the bed, spreading her beneath him. “Tell me you’re ready,” he growled, bracing his feet on the floor. “Because this is gonna be rough.”

  “I’m ready.” The breathless words vibrated with excitement, and he lifted his gaze to her face just in time to see her wet her lips with a sexy flick of her tongue, her beautiful eyes smoldering with hunger as she stared up at him. She was so gorgeous she glowed, stealing his breath, and they both gasped as he pulled back his hips, then slammed back into her with a powerful, penetrating thrust that made him growl. Gasps quickly became hoarse cries as he took her just like he’d said he would, the rhythm hard and fast and grinding, blowing his mind. She dug her nails into his shoulders as he kept her pinned on the edge of the mattress, their bodies slapping together with wet, erotic sounds, their skin so hot they should have been steaming. They pushed and shoved in a violent struggle to get closer…deeper, the sex more raw and possessive than anything he could have imagined.