Ties That Bind: The Bellum Sisters 3 (paranormal erotic romance)

by Grey, T. A.

  Reaching the door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, held it, and pushed the door open.

  * * *

  Telal's mouth felt like he'd been sucking on cotton balls the whole day. His tongue was dried and damn near crispy and his head throbbed like a hammer had been taken to it a dozen times. The worse was trying to walk. Nothing stayed still long enough for him to figure out which direction was which.

  Slowly, he hunched forward in his seat, but in the process his legs kicked out and the bottles around him were knocked to the ground. Even the sound of the bottles hitting the floor sounded too loud to his ears, which had somehow gained hypersensitivity from the alcohol.

  Bracing his hands on the arms wrests, he lurched forward, stumbling to keep his feet on the ground. It didn't work and his foot caught on one of the bottles. He shouted as the floor went out from under him. His ass landed hard on the floor, making his teeth clang together and his spine feel like it just got jacked up into his face.

  “Ahh, fuck,” he groaned, his hand wiping over his pounding face.

  He never drank. Didn't like the feeling of being out of control, but now he rejoiced in it. It dulled out all the shit that had happened last night. Shit he didn't want to think about for at least a hundred years.

  With groans, grunts, and a fair amount of sweat spilling he finally managed to pull himself back up to stand. His whole body felt heavy like he'd gained two hundred pounds overnight. His arms hung at his side like boulders; each time he took a step, or tried to, it felt like he was dragging a planet behind him.

  Bottles and cans slid across the floor as he shuffled by them. The room didn't just spin around it, it raced up and down, side to side, and freaking sideways. Squinting, he kept his eye on the bedroom door and made his way to it. By time he reached it, it felt like an hour later with the little baby steps he took and he’d managed to bump into every table and wall along the way.

  The noise blaring from the TV, some obnoxious show he didn't even know he'd owned, helped him more than he could believe. The sounds seemed to keep him occupied, keep his mind from drifting where it wanted to go—even to his own detriment.

  Pitch black surrounded him as he entered the bedroom. He'd turn on the light but right now the darkness felt welcoming. Like a cool hand on a feverish forehead. He made his way to the bathroom but must have been walking sideways because his shoulder slammed into the bedpost.

  “Frika!” he cursed. His shoulder burned with the beginnings of a good bruise.

  He stumbled into the bathroom and flicked on the light. With jerky movements he tore his shirt off, toed off his shoes, but lost his balance which sent him slamming face first into the ground. His cheek glanced off the hard tile and he felt the beginnings of another bruise start to form.

  Fucking perfect.

  Using his elbows and hands he crawled into the shower space and leaned against the wall. The frigid cold tiles sent a violent shiver over his heated body. He forced his eyes closed and made himself press all the way back until his entire body shivered like little electrical impulses shot through his body.

  Swinging his arm up, he slammed his fist into the “on” button on the panel. Water poured down from a metal grate in the ceiling. The temperature was programmed in just how he liked it—a perfect lukewarm.

  His eyes drifted shut and flashing images of his brother and mother projected behind his eyelids like scenes from an old movie reel.

  Groaning, he shoved the heel of his hands into his eye sockets until pain flared and his eyeballs felt like they were going to explode.

  As the water poured over him, matting his hair to his face, making his pants cling to his legs, he had a brief thought as to how ridiculous he looked. The laughter started and wouldn't stop. He slid down to the floor and felt the water beating over his face and neck. If he opened his mouth far enough he almost felt like he was drowning from the small downpour.

  The images never went away. He saw his brother looking like he'd rolled around in coal dust, glaring at him with eyes so dark with hatred... Telal bit his lip until he felt blood.

  He'd thought he could do this. Hell, he even thought it might be easy. How fucking wrong he was. With the water pouring over him, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

  * * *

  “Oh, no,” she said.

  In a rush, she ran across the bathroom, sliding on her knees to his prone body. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, saying his name, but his eyelids never even fluttered.

  “Telal!”

  Water poured over him from the shower head and she frantically pushed a metal button that shut it off. Her fingers pressed against his neck as her heart pounded. A solid bum bum bum beat against her fingertips.

  Tears appeared in her eyes and she blinked them back. She let out an unsteady laugh as her heart slowly beat back at a normal rhythm.

  “God you scared me.”

  She called his name, getting louder each time but he didn't move. Was he in some kind of a coma or just that drunk? She hoped for the latter.

  Gritting her teeth, she opened her palm and let it fly. The slap caught his cheek and jerked his head to the side. Finally his lips moved in a deep mumble she couldn't understand. So she slapped him again.

  This time his eyes flew open but fluttered shut.

  “Krinaru shetar'emu.”

  “What the hell's that? Demonic?” Her palm stung with the force of the second hit and she sagged. She wanted to help him but with him like this there wasn't much she could do.

  Footsteps sounded in the bedroom, then Kearnyn appeared at the door. “How's he doing?”

  “Passed out stinking drunk, I think. He's alive though.”

  Kearnyn nodded and lifted Telal bodily in his big arms. Lily whistled under her breath at his strength. It would have taken her an hour and a lot of struggling to drag Telal's big body into the other room, let alone actually lift him.

  She followed Kearnyn into the bedroom and watched him put him on the bed. Spotting a small trash bin, she grabbed it and set it beside the bed. He'd probably need that.

  “Good call,” Kearnyn said, grinning.

  “Thanks.”

  He headed towards the door and stopped. “You gonna stay and watch over him?”

  Lily looked at Telal's sleeping form and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I will.” He looked handsome while he slept, his face and body relaxed in a way she rarely saw.

  “All right, if you need anything there's a phone in the kitchen. Just press one and you'll get me. Let me know when he wakes up.”

  She nodded absently and was already on her way to the other side of the bed. She crawled in it and sat next to him, just listening to the sound of his breathing. His wet hair was a mess so she pushed it off his face. His skin looked so beautiful in contrast to that unique hair. Golden and almost shimmery.

  She took in his bare chest that was so strong and packed with muscles. Gently she touched one of the gold hoops in his nipples, tugging on the metal between her fingers. Why did he have these? She wondered. Was it just a demon thing or something kinky he preferred? She couldn't see him doing something like that just for kinky kicks, though she didn't know him well enough to be sure. God, she wanted to though.

  Her father left her to him for a reason. He had to know why. Her father had to have a significant reason to leave her in his hands. They must be strong, trustworthy hands for her protective father to do such a thing. She'd taunted him with a letter before that he must know the reason why, but now uncertainty prevailed. It could just be out of all the people her father knew, mostly businessman supernatural or not, he, Tyrian, and Lyonis were the ones he trusted most of all. She'd have to ask him about that. A smile tugged at her lips. She could already sense it'd be a battle. The man never wanted to talk about anything.

  Her eyes drifted down his strong torso to his side with the tattoo. Without a light on she couldn't make out what it was, so she gingerly reached to the nightstand by the bed and switched on the l
amp. Dim orange light lit the room pushing back some of the shadows.

  She blocked the light with her own body so she positioned herself on her stomach with her head cocked to face him. It looked like some kind of symbol. A vertical tattoo, it had a bulb like end at the top and bottom in dark, royal blue that reminded her of the tops of the Taj Mahal. It began under his arm pit and ran down to cover his hip bone.

  She stopped her perusal to trail her fingers over his warm skin. She bit back a moan and snapped her fingers back. Touching him while he slept felt so...wrong.

  Colored in navy blue and royal reds, the symbol had a black band in the center near his rib cage as if it held the whole symbol together and wispy edges swirled out from the main bulbs like petals to a flower. Each was colored equally in different shades of red. From the outside rim the shape was dark then inwards it faded lighter and lighter.

  The beauty of the piece impressed her. The skill it had taken to draw something so large and bold had to mean something. She reached out one last time to trail a single fingertip over the design.

  Suddenly he groaned something in demonic and rolled towards her, one arm catching her around the back and pulling her in close. Her eyes flared wide as he aggressively tucked her against his body.

  Then, as if to keep her from moving away, his strong leg wrapped across the top of hers. He mumbled more incoherent words then she heard the soft even sounds of his breathing.

  Okay then. She scolded herself. Well you want him, don't you? Then don't be so nervous. She couldn't help it though.

  It was one thing to...act and another to actually be caught up in it. She was so close to him this way, her face could easily bury in his warm neck.

  With the quiet noise from the TV in the other room, Telal’s soft breathing, and the incredible warmth of his body, Lily soon found her eyes drifting close.

  CHAPTER 23

  Lily woke to the sound of groaning. Her eyes fluttered open, then stayed open as she stared into the face of Telal Demuzi.

  Her stomach tightened with butterflies. “Good morning.”

  His eyes searched over her face as if realizing she was actually there and not some figment of his imagination. Her usual bravado faltered and the butterflies shot throughout her body making her heart race.

  “Lily.” It sounded like a question.

  “Hi, Telal.” She wanted to say something sharp and witty, but nothing came to mind. He was completely wrapped around her, his face only inches from hers. When his eyes fell to her mouth and darkened in the way it does when a man is attracted to a woman, her breath hitched.

  He leaned in and her hand shot up to press against his mouth. “Did you throw up last night?” The erotic glint in his eyes vanished and he fell back on the bed with a groan.

  “No, I don't think so.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, rubbing the palm of his hands into his eyes. “God I feel like shit.”

  She laughed, which helped to put her back to rights. “I'm not surprised. I'd feel like a truck hit me too if I drank as much as you did.”

  He started to sit up but groaned like he'd been stuck with a knife in his gut. “Fuck.” He stood and she heard the trash can get knocked over.

  “Any evidence of upchuck in there?”

  He shook his head in answer. She watched him stumble with heavy, uneven steps towards the bathroom. She couldn't help it, she grinned. Watching the strong, smart demon look...human was amazing to see.

  He flicked the bathroom light on and the door closed partway. She heard the toilet flush a minute later, then the shower kick on. Not sure why exactly, she went into the bathroom.

  Her eyes widened. He'd already stripped down and stood under the spray of the shower. Under normal circumstances his body was incredible, but dripping wet, he looked glorious.

  He'd just finished brushing his teeth when she stepped into the doublewide stall with him. He looked over at her with surprised eyes. So he hadn’t heard her. Grabbing the toothbrush out of his hand, she dispensed some paste on it from a container attached to the wall and scrubbed away. They watched each other, both getting doused under the oversized shower head.

  She finished brushing and set the toothbrush back on the ledge carved into the wall. He picked up a rag, rubbed some soap on it, and began washing his arms and chest. Still his eyes watched her.

  “You shouldn't be in here,” he said without any real heat.

  She smiled because she couldn't find words as he slid that washcloth across his chest and over the loops in his nipples. Watching him made everything inside her feel tight and needy. With the wall of white suds on his chest she wanted nothing more than to step forward and rub her own chest across it.

  He finished washing and she held her hand out for the cloth. Now it was his turn to smile and the feral look in in his eyes actually made her flush from chest to nose.

  “Let me.”

  She almost moaned and somewhere in the whirlwind of fog beginning to swim around her mind, she managed to nod.

  “You shouldn't bite your lip,” he said softly as he soaped the cloth up again until it was nice and foamy.

  “Why?” She sounded breathless and hoped he didn’t hear it.

  His eyes flicked to hers. “Because it makes me want to.”

  And breathing became difficult. God, she'd never expected this. Never thought he'd even speak kindly to her let alone...almost romantically. She closed her eyes and told herself not to think about it, if she did then she might jinx it.

  “Turn around.”

  She did, stiffly. When his body stepped up against hers, the air in her lungs exhaled in an unsteady stream of air. Hot and wet from the water, his chest pressed into her shoulders, and his groin against her lower back which gave her the strongest urge to rub back against him. And he was hard, his erection not quite digging into her, but making its presence known.

  Dark golden arms came around her, so different from her own light skin tone. The washcloth flattened against her stomach, rubbed in small circles around her bellybutton and she sucked it in whether consciously or not. Her eyes watched his strong forearm, the dark dusting of hair there, a darker shade of gold, and the thick veins that fed blood through his system. He was so strong compared to her, it made her knees weak.

  His arms curled more around her, bending her into him. His voice came at her ear, husky and deep. “You are quite beautiful, lilit.”

  “What-what does that mean?” Her eyes closed as the washcloth swept across the expanse of her stomach from hip bones to just under her breasts.

  “Succubus.”

  She couldn't help it, she laughed. The answer was so underwhelming.

  Her laughter stuttered to a stop as the washcloth moved up between the valley of her breasts, which sent some kind of signal to her nipples to pull them into hard, aching points. He rubbed the cloth along her neck and collar then back down between her breasts. Her chest sawed hard. It was almost painful how badly she needed him to run that cloth across her breasts, to squeeze her. But he didn't.

  Moving slowly, he traced the cloth up either side of her arms, across her shoulders, occasionally stopping to rewet and soap it as it cooled. Her muscles turned to putty under his hands. She was completely at his mercy, under his control. She'd let him do anything to her in that moment. Hell, she hoped he'd do something to her. Like bend her forward then slip his cock inside. Her core clenched needily at the image and a soft moan bubbled out of her.

  “What are you thinking about, Lily?” he asked in a soft, hypnotic voice. Her breathing quivered as he made his way with the washcloth across her hips, then rubbing bigger circles across each of her ass cheeks but never becoming indecent with the touch, never going as far as she craved.

  A heated blush blazed across her cheeks. “I can't say it.”

  She could hear the laughter in his voice. “Since when are you shy, Lily Bellum?”

  “Since now apparently.”

  Now he did laugh. A warm, delicious sound that drifted over her b
ody like an embrace. He warmed the washcloth under the water again and knelt down, slowly tracing the cloth up first one leg, then the other. Her knees turned to jelly as he softly cleaned each foot forcing her to brace an arm against the shower wall to steady herself. She'd never have thought that rubbing a cloth slowly against the arch of her foot could connect to the need in her sex. But apparently that was the case because with each stroke across her arch, even in between her toes, need curled in her.

  Her legs were squeaky clean by time he finished, but he didn't stop there. Oh no, he ran that decadent cloth up between her thighs then higher near her aching sex. Her breathing turned harsh and loud in the shower. He gave her the same treatment with the other inner thigh, and this time, just the barest piece of cloth scraped against her swollen lips. She moaned, a wild unsteady sound.

  “Your ass is perfect.” His gruff voice bordered on demonic. She never knew crude words could turn her on until now.

  The soapy cloth left her thighs to sweep more forcefully around each cheek and when he pressed in between her cheeks the caress was so erotic, her core actually spasmed.

  “Telal!”

  “You like my touch,” he murmured.

  Then he stood, resoaped the cloth and rubbed it up her stomach, this time headed straight for her left breast. The first touch sent tremors throughout her body, making her thighs shake with the effort to keep standing. She had to lean back against him, if not to rely on his strength to hold her up, then to feel his body against hers.

  He molded her breast with that cloth. It felt as if the cloth wasn't even there as his fingers shaped her, circled around her silkily, then he passed it across her distended nipple. Once, twice, then again and again. Panting moans escaped her throat. He brushed across that puckered tip creating a jolting sensation that ran straight inside her. She thrust her chest forward to get more of his touch but the washcloth left her and moved to her other breast, where he began the whole tortuous process again.