Embrace the Night

by Crystal Jordan

  “Fine,” she lied. “Where are we?”

  “A few hours over the border into Idaho.”

  Hugging Ophelia tighter, she tried not to limp. “Which room are we in?”

  “Numbers seven and eight. They have an adjoining door.” He dangled two sets of keys from his index finger. She snagged them and led the way to the nearest room, unlocking the heavy door and pushing her way in with one shoulder.

  Feeling along the wall by the door for the light switch, she relaxed a little when the room flooded with brightness. She held the door open for Merek and watched him bypass the two double beds to deposit Alex in the bathroom. The pipes rattled in the wall as he turned on the water. Out of habit that Merek had drilled into her, she shut and bolted the door and then closed the curtains as tight as possible so no one could see in.

  Then she went around and turned on every single lamp in the room and opened the adjoining door to do the same in the second room. This one had only a king-sized bed. “I’ll stay in there with Alex, and you can have the big bed in here. Then your legs won’t hang off the end.”

  “Thanks,” he said as he appeared in the doorway. “I’m going to bring in what I can salvage from the car. Why don’t you—”

  “Get Alex hosed down so when you come back you can carry him to bed?” She slid past him to do just that.

  “Yeah.” He’d never sounded so weary, and her heart clenched. He was as covered in gore as she was, and she stared at the gruesome sight he made for three full seconds before she shook herself and kept moving. He glanced down at himself. “Don’t worry. The clerk won’t remember me or anything about us.”

  “Those memory spells sure do come in handy sometimes, don’t they?” She had to force herself away from the desire to cling to Merek and make sure he was all right. To hover over him, grab him, and hold on tight. If something happened to Alex or Merek and she was left alone . . . Her belly jolted at the punch of pain and panic that thought caused. No. She could not—would not—lose either of them. She refused to even consider the possibility, despite what had happened tonight.

  As if he understood her need to hold him, Merek caught her around the waist and pulled her close. She shouldn’t let herself lean on him, should pull back instead of letting him draw her in. It would only make it worse if she cared too much, but he ignored the filth coating both them and pressed her to his side. She caved in to her need and rested her head on his shoulder. Reaching up, she cupped his jaw in her palm, stroking her thumb over the rough stubble there.

  He tilted her head back and kissed her. The heat that always bloomed between them filled her body, and it was the first time she’d felt warm in what seemed like forever. She suckled his bottom lip, and he groaned, burying his hand in her hair. He nipped at her lips before sweeping his tongue into her mouth.

  Her body liquefied at the deeper intimacy, her sex clenching, nipples tightening, skin sensitizing until the rasp of his beard against her face was pure eroticism. His fingers cradled her head, his big body a welcoming fire that tempted her. It was so sweet, tears stung her eyes, and she felt that weakness try to overtake her, the need to desperately hold on, and forced herself to stumble back, away from the solid warmth he provided.

  “I’m going to check on Alex before the tub overflows,” she gasped and fled.

  Skittering into the bathroom, she snatched up a thin washcloth from the pile on the vanity, and knelt beside the bathtub Alex was sprawled in. His long legs were bent awkwardly, and the water had already turned bright pink from the blood on his skin. Gingerly, she peeled the soaked bandage away from his side and tossed it in the garbage can. She wet down the cloth and wiped away as many of the rusty blotches from his skin as possible. Then she drained the tub and refilled it before she grabbed another washrag.

  She noted his skin tone looked better, not as deathly pale. His breathing was deep and even in true sleep, and the area around the wound looked pink and healthy, not enflamed or hot to the touch. Good. He was healing nicely. If things continued along this course, he would be back to normal by morning, without even a scar to remind him of the shooting. A physical scar, anyway. The kid had far too many internal scars, and she feared this would add one more. She sighed and scooped water up to rinse the shampoo provided by the motel out of his hair.

  “Everything’s in the room, and I fed the cat.” Merek came in and set the first aid kit on the counter as she pulled the plug on the drain again. “Just in case he needs another bandage.”

  “Thanks. I don’t think he does, actually. Toss me a few towels and help me dry him off.” A sheet of thin white terry cloth draped over her shoulder a second later, and then Merek wedged himself in next to her to lift Alex up and towel him down. When he was relatively dry, Merek picked the teen up as gently as he would a newborn and carried him into the room to tuck into bed.

  The front of her shirt was soaked, and pink droplets hit the carpet in a steady stream. She winced. “Man, I wouldn’t want to be the maids who get to clean this room in the morning.”

  Merek left her standing beside the bed, picked up his duffel bag, and went into his room to change clothes. When he came back he nodded to her smallest suitcase. “This is the only one that survived. Go into the bathroom, strip down, and hand me your clothes. I’m going to take the towels and our bloody laundry with me when I torch the SUV.”

  “T-torch the SUV?” she echoed blankly. She knew what he was saying should make sense to her, but it didn’t.

  Merek reached out and caught her chin in his hand. “Sweetheart, Alex told me Luca said vampires can track the scent of our blood. We were leaking a hell of a lot of it, so depending on how sensitive they are, they might find the SUV pretty easily.”

  “It’s soaked with Alex’s blood.”

  “Yeah. We’re ditching the car. I’m going to take it outside of town, burn it, dump it in the river we passed, and hope that throws them off a bit. I’ll do what I can to mask my scent on the way back.” He returned to his room for a moment and came back with a revolver. “I’m leaving this with you. Anyone but me tries to come into either room, and I want you to use it. Understood?”

  A jerky nod was the best she could do as she accepted the heavy weapon. “I ran over a man today. If that’s not proof I’m capable of hurting people before they hurt me, I don’t know what is.”

  “Good girl, and thank you for saving my ass, too.” He ran a hand down her hair, which had been a windblown, tangled mess before he’d kissed her.

  She gestured to the sleeping Alex. “You saved ours first.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” He flashed a brief grin. “Go take a quick shower. Then I want your clothes and all the dirty towels.”

  Picking up her suitcase, she shuffled into the bathroom, and obediently scrubbed herself clean in the fastest shower of all time. She’d have liked to linger and pamper herself under the hot stream of water, but instead winced as the soap insinuated itself into all the little scrapes and bruises on her skin. Drying off used the last of the thin towels, and she was in a pair of yoga pants and a shirt under a minute later.

  “Be careful,” she whispered and handed Merek everything from the bathroom, including the bloody bandage she’d fished out of the garbage.

  “I will.” And then he was gone.

  Not letting herself peek out the curtain as he drove away, she set the revolver on the nightstand and pulled up the one chair in the room next to Alex’s bed. He looked better, but he was bound to now that he wasn’t covered in his own blood. She didn’t know how long she sat there in tense silence, watching over Alex, feeling grit burn her eyes, listening for any noise outside. An eternity.

  She jolted when the doorknob rattled, snatched up the gun, and held it at the ready. Relief made her wilt back into her chair when Merek’s voice came through. “It’s me.”

  He was even filthier than he had been, dirt and sweat making streaks down his face. His gray eyes stood out in pale contrast. Exhausted strain made brackets around
his mouth. “I’m going to clean up, get a few hours sleep. We’ll take a cab to the small airport here, which opens at seven in the morning. We’re going to be on the first flight out. I don’t care where it’s headed.”

  “Okay.” She stared at Merek for a long moment, drinking in the sight of him. Some of the tension inside her eased at having him back with her. She knew that was dangerous, but they’d gone so far over the line tonight, she didn’t know if they’d ever get back to safe emotional ground.

  His stride wavered a little as he walked into his room. Frowning, she hurried after him, shut the adjoining door so their conversation wouldn’t disturb the sleeping wolf, and followed Merek into his bathroom. He was gingerly tugging his shirt away from his arm, and it was then that she realized he was injured.

  A long gouge ran up the length of one bicep and came to a ragged stop just above his elbow. It was ugly, swollen, caked with clotted blood. A trickle of red ran down his arm. “It broke open again on the way back.”

  “Oh, gods,” she choked. “How bad are you hurt? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” This, after everything with Alex, was too much for her. It piled on top of her until she felt moisture welling up in her eyes. The pain, the gut-wrenching terror, the exhaustion.

  “Sweetheart—”

  “Gods.” A tear slipped down her cheek, something deep inside her crumpling under the force of her fear. “How the hell did this happen? This can’t be real. I’m just a scientist. I don’t . . . I don’t hurt people, I don’t . . . Alex was shot, for gods’ sake. I had to pull a bullet out of my godson’s gut.”

  “Look at me,” Merek ordered, cupping her face in his hands. “Take a deep breath.”

  She sucked in a breath, and her chest hitched on a sob, but she locked her gaze on his dirt and blood-streaked face. The dried crimson stains did little to calm her, but she swallowed and forced herself to get a stranglehold on her control. Blinking away the tears still clinging to her lashes, she let the air ease out of her lungs. “Okay. Okay, I’m calm.”

  “Good.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek, and she leaned into the comforting touch. “I know this is nuts, honey, and nothing I can say will make it less so.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “It just . . . hit me all of a sudden.”

  “That happens.” His smile was crooked. He dropped his hands and yanked his T-shirt over his head. Even the blood crusted on his skin didn’t stop her mouth from watering at the sight of all that naked flesh. He unsnapped his fly, the hiss of his zipper loud in the small bathroom, and then he was deliciously nude. “Once our flight takes off from here, we’ll take a bunch of connections and bounce around different cities before we get off. I don’t know how or if they can track us from one plane to the next, but I doubt it.”

  She thought about what she knew of vampiric hypersenses and tried hard not to stare at Merek’s sculpted ass. “It doesn’t seem feasible, no.”

  To give herself something else to do, she leaned to the side and plucked up one of the threadbare hand towels provided by the motel, hosed it down in the sink, and started dabbing at his arm.

  “Good. We’re not risking it though. We’ll keep moving.” He flinched, but angled himself to the side to give her a better look so she could clean him up.

  Pressing her palm over the wound, she closed her eyes and pulled up the dredges of her magic to disinfect and heal the ugly gash. She felt the flesh close under her fingers, but the effort sucked away the few reserves of strength she had. When she opened her eyes, she saw the skin was still swollen and pink, but it was as healed as she could get it. Wolves and vampires had magical healing abilities that left no scars, but unlike Alex, Merek would be physically marked by this night forever.

  The muscles flexed as he tested his arm. “Nice. Much better than I could do. Thanks, Doc.”

  “Anytime.” She tossed the towel down and laid a hand on his chest, just to feel the vital warmth of him. He was here; he was alive. They were all okay. This time. Her fingers moved in circles on his skin, stroking unconsciously as she absorbed the reality of him.

  Slanting her a sinful look that was her only warning, he looped his good arm around her waist and swung her into the bathtub. “Keep me company while I shower. Strip.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for that? I mean, your arm still has to be sore, and you must be bone tired because I know I am.” Her mouth snapped shut when he just took her hand and wrapped it around his hardening erection. She grinned a little. “I guess you’re up for it.”

  “I guess so. Not enough energy left for any pleasure spells, so we’re doing this the Normal way.” He shook his head, his smile rueful. “I’m half-dead, and I still want you.” And then he dropped his mouth to hers and all but inhaled her. The desperation in his touch reached down deep inside her, and her own chaotic emotions imploded.

  She shoved her tongue into his mouth, drowning in the taste of him. He tugged at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up. The time it took to break the kiss and get her top over her head annoyed her. Her arms twined around his neck while he lobbed her shirt at the vanity, and she stood on tiptoe to press herself against his long, hard body. His teeth grazed her neck, and her pussy fisted, dampened, pulsed with want.

  The pipes squealed in the wall, and Merek twisted so he blocked the initial blast of icy water. When had he turned on the faucet? Did it matter? She held on to him as he maneuvered them around until her back pressed to the wall, the tile cool on her flesh, and she gasped. Beads of water soaked through her clothes, trailed down her legs in a sensual caress.

  Big hands cupped her hips, fingers hooking in the waistband of her pants to work them and her panties down. She kicked them away, impatient for the full length of his naked body against hers. The pleasure of it made her arch. Closer, deeper, yes.

  The hair on his chest stimulated her nipples; the heat of his skin set her on fire. She stroked her fingers over him, needing to touch as much of him as she could reach, to assure herself that he was safe and whole. He bent her backward over his arm and closed his lips over her nipple, flicking the taut crest with his tongue, sucking it deep into his mouth.

  A mew erupted from her mouth, and her nails dug into his chest as she tried to communicate her craving. He merely switched to her other nipple and offered it the same erotic treatment. Her body undulated against his, but it only served to make her burn hotter.

  The water trickling down her flesh made her shiver. His lips sipped at her skin, her collarbone, her throat, her jaw, her nose, her eyelids. His hands moved over her body much the same way hers slid across his rougher flesh . . . a reassurance, a reverent worship.

  “Chloe,” his voice was a breathless whisper, and the look in his eyes was so hot and tender, it made her heart stop.

  And then utter panic hit.

  No. She could feel it, the last of her defenses beginning to crack and crumble. A sob caught in her throat. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t need him. Not like that. Not permanently. She refused. She would never, ever need anyone like that again. Not so much that losing them would shatter her.

  Jerking back, she tried to rip herself from his embrace. Her hormones screamed a protest, but her mind knew better. Stumbling back, she tangled in her wet clothes and slipped on the slick tub. She would have fallen if Merek hadn’t grabbed her, spun her so her front was plastered against the tile wall.

  He pinned her there, his heavy weight keeping her upright. “Too late to run now, sweetheart.”

  She hated that he might be right. Gods help her, but he felt good, amazing, perfect. His hand drew back and smacked against the fleshy part of her upper thigh, and she jolted, all her tight, twisting emotions snapping. His hard body made hers melt, made her thoughts dissolve and swirl down the drain with the water. There was only Merek, only this moment. The future didn’t matter; the past was nothing. The present was everything. The present was—“Merek.”

  “Chloe.” He kissed the nape of her neck, nipped at it.

  He
r heart hammered in her chest, blood pumping through her hot and fast. Flattening her palms to the shower wall, she sighed at the mix of incredible sensations. The thick steam in the air, the hot water, his slick skin sliding against hers. His hard muscles pressed to her back, and she arched her ass to rub herself against the heavy arc of his cock.

  It was too much, and not enough. She wanted more, and knew she couldn’t have it, couldn’t even ask for it. How could she defend herself against herself? Those unruly, incendiary emotions she didn’t want wrenched at her insides.

  Wrapping his arms around her, he filled his hands with her breasts. She moaned when he tweaked her nipples. He circled them with the callused tips of his fingers until they were so stiff she thought she’d scream. When he pinched them hard and rolled them between his fingers, she had to bite her lip to keep from doing just that. So good. It was so perfect. He knew just how to touch her, just how to play her to make her give him anything and everything he wanted. Moisture burned her eyes while lust and craving clawed at her like wild things.

  One of his hands moved to follow the slide of water droplets down her belly until he toyed with the soaking curls between her thighs. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, closing her eyes to savor the streaking ecstasy. If tears mingled with the water on her face, she hoped he didn’t notice.

  Those wicked fingers dipped in to stroke her clit, and her hands slithered down the slick wall until she could latch onto his forearm, pressing him deeper into her sex.

  “More,” she pleaded. “Please, more.”

  Two big fingers pushed into her pussy, and her muscles squeezed around him. His groan vibrated against her back. “So hot and tight for me, sweetheart. So creamy I can’t wait to get inside you.”

  “Don’t wait.” Her head rolled on his broad shoulder, and she squirmed when his cock slipped between the globes of her ass.

  He hummed in his throat and began pumping his long digits into her, adding another and another until she was stretched to the limit. Her wetness increased each time he filled her, the slide so exquisite she thought she’d die. She gasped for air, the thick steam making it that much harder to breathe.