Area of Influence

by Mandy M. Roth

  He was about to comment that it didn’t feel like that to him, either, when another thought occurred to him. “And exactly how would you know the difference? Who have you been with?”

  She gave him a cross look and then smiled wide. “More than you. Since I’m sure you’ve been with more than just me, how about we leave it at that. Unless you want to leave.”

  He didn’t want to pull out of her, and he certainly didn’t want to leave her. Damn woman knew just how to make him obey like a whipped puppy. He grunted and then tugged on the top of her shirt, yanking it down to expose her right breast. He bent and took her pert nipple into his mouth, pressing into her pussy more.

  Fuck.

  She was pure sage-tasting goodness.

  He sucked on her nipple and worked himself deeper into her until he was fully settled in her depths. Her body squeezed him to the point he thought he’d pop then and there. Emi ran her hands into his hair and held his head in place as she bucked her hips against his body.

  He thrust, and she met him with eager readiness. Once again, the table squeaked as if it might not withstand the carnal activity taking place upon it. He didn’t care if they ended up flat on the floor. He wasn’t about to stop.

  Not when she felt this fucking good.

  He lifted his head from her breast and began to pump hard and fast into her, causing the table to shake more and her breasts to bounce. The sight of them, moving with each thrust, only served to turn him on more. Not that he required anything extra.

  “Fuck,” he growled, wanting to come then and there.

  Emi gasped with each pump of his cock into her.

  Thor reached down and rubbed his thumb over her swollen clit, drawing moans of excitement from her. He worked the small bud until she cried out, her body tensing as her hot, wet channel tightened around him.

  Thor’s jaw went slack, his panther and vampire doing their best to seize the moment and claim her. He held them at bay, lifting his hand and pounding so hard into Emi that the table began to move across the kitchen floor. He walked with it, thrusting into his woman.

  When he exploded, it was deep inside her, his body releasing all he had to offer. With a shaky breath, he lay on her, his lips finding hers. In that moment, he knew she’d managed to steal his heart in the blink of an eye, and he didn’t ever want her to release it. He was falling in love with her.

  When the kiss ended, he stayed there above her, knowing what pure joy truly was. He glanced at the spilled cup of coffee on the floor. “Sorry about your coffee.”

  She snorted. “Worth it.”

  “I’ll have more sent over.”

  “Lance, you don’t have to spoil me. I like being with you for you, not what you can get me.”

  “Sweetheart, I plan to hand you the world.” And he did. He had a lot of money put away, thanks to Pierre’s overindulgences. Thor would see to it all the money went to Emi.

  Her hand found the spot they were joined and she cupped his ball sac. “Pretty sure you just gave me the world there, big guy.”

  He grinned sheepishly.

  She touched his chin. “When we were doing our thing, did you happen to experience anything weird?”

  “Hmm, let’s see. I partially shifted into panther form and then let my vampire fangs out to play. Does that count?” he asked, embarrassed he’d lost control in such a way.

  She snorted. “Yes, that was odd, but not bad. I mean, did you feel like we slipped skin for a second and were seeing out of each other’s eyes? Or did I imagine that?”

  He tensed. “You didn’t imagine it.”

  “What does it mean?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  She stared past him at something.

  He followed her gaze, expecting to see someone standing there in the doorway to the kitchen. There was no one there. At least not anyone he could see. He strongly suspected there was someone that his mate could see.

  Damn ghosts.

  Instantly, his urge to carry on with more sex was doused.

  “Dead people are looking at my naked ass, aren’t they?” he asked, positive a spirit was now standing behind him.

  Emi giggled and wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. “Mrs. Pumpernickel says it’s a fine backside, indeed. One you should be proud of.”

  He tensed, and Emi laughed more. With everything he’d seen since becoming one of Pierre’s pets, he shouldn’t have been put off by the idea of ghosts, but he had to admit it bothered him knowing someone he couldn’t see was watching him have sex. Also, he wasn’t sure how he felt about ghosts being real. He’d never put a lot of thought into life after death. “Mrs. Pumpernickel? That is quite a mouthful.”

  Emi stared past him and her cheeks stained pink. “She says, yes, you do look like you’re a mouthful.”

  Thor joined her in blushing. “How long has this Mrs. Pumpernickel been watching us?”

  “That she’s let me know about?” asked Emi, biting at her lower lip in a tempting manner.

  Thor fought the urge to overreact to the idea they’d been spied on by the dead while getting busy. “Yes.”

  “Just a little bit,” said Emi, running her foot down the back of his leg. She laughed softly as she did. “Freaks ya out, doesn’t it?”

  “You think this is funny, huh?” He loved seeing her laugh. Loved the way she naturally touched him whenever he was worked up, as if she sensed he needed her calming energy. He loved the way her body responded to his touch. Truth be told, he loved everything about her.

  She waggled her brows. “I do.”

  He nipped playfully at her jaw, the urge to claim her rising in him once again. It took several seconds for him to cage his inner beast and lock his demon side down. They wanted Emi claimed fully. To hell with only getting to make love to her. His shifter and vampire sides wanted to know she was theirs forever.

  So did he, but he couldn’t.

  He resisted. It was difficult. But he managed. “Can you tell Mrs. Pumpernickel to go away now, because I’m not done with you and I’m not really into putting on a show for others?”

  “You just told her. She can hear you,” she said, and then looked over his shoulder and laughed more. “But Fredrick is watching you now, and he looks like he’s torn between attacking you for touching me, and making you state your intentions, now that you’ve clearly marked your territory here.”

  Of course, his woman would not only see dead people, but she’d see ones who wanted to fight with him. “Fredrick is the bath guy?”

  She nodded.

  “And he wants me to make an honest woman out of you?”

  She giggled more. “Yes.”

  As much as it pained Thor to admit it, he liked the dead guy, even if he’d never met him face to face. The guy clearly cared for Emi and wanted to know she would be taken care of. It was hard to fault that logic.

  Thor cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder to the doorway that was empty as far as he could tell. “Fredrick, she’s my mate. I’d die before I’d allow harm to come to her. And trust me, if I thought for a second that I could lock it down with her safely, I would. Now, if you’d be so kind, could you go off with that Pumpernickel lady and let me continue making love to my woman?”

  He stayed in place and stared down at Emi. She was even more beautiful covered in his love marks, her skin flushed from their passion, and her lips full from being kissed again and again. He wanted to strip her entirely and lick every inch of her glorious body, but not with an audience.

  She cackled. “Ohmygod, Fredrick says you better put a ring on my finger now. He’s so old school.” Her eyes widened a second before she laughed harder. “Mrs. Pumpernickel is back, and she says that with an ass like yours, she’d be fine with me living in sin.”

  Thor groaned and buried his head in the crook of Emi’s neck. His whiskers tickled her, and she laughed, tipping her head, trying to escape. He didn’t let her go. He kept her pinned to the table, his body above hers—
as it should be.

  He grinned down at her, and, for the first time since he’d come to as one of Pierre’s pets, he felt true happiness.

  Pure joy.

  She ran her hands through his hair and then tugged, bringing his lips closer to hers. He smiled against her mouth, his cock twitching back to life, wanting more of her. He stilled.

  “Sweetheart, are we alone now?”

  “Yes.”

  Reaching down between them, he took hold of his cock and stroked it, lining up with her wet core. He wasted no time ramming deep into her, making her cry out as he clung to his resolve to keep from instantly coming and biting her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thor came awake to the sound of water dripping in the bathroom sink. The steady drops echoed throughout the room. He blinked away the sleep from his eyes and took a moment to realize where he was and who he was with.

  Emi.

  His woman.

  Smiling, he turned to find her asleep next to him, on the bed, wearing nothing but a small black tank top and a matching pair of black panties. He wanted to be in her again. Hell, he never wanted to leave her body. Each time he sank into her depths, he felt heaven—Nirvana.

  And he’d found heaven seven times with her. If he was lucky, he’d find it seven more times soon. He’d never get enough of her.

  Ever.

  As much as he wanted to join with her again, she was out cold and needed her rest. He’d kept her up for hours making love to her. He resisted the urge to slide over her, and instead sat up on the bed and looked around the room. The sun was just setting again, and he knew they were on borrowed time, staying at her home.

  He needed to get her to Auberi and the others. They’d see to it that she was taken far from New Orleans and from Pierre. They’d do what he wouldn’t be able to do—protect his mate.

  The thought of being without her clawed at his gut. He stood slowly, not wanting to wake her. What he really wanted to do was thrash about the room in a temper-tantrum because he knew he had to give up his mate—the woman he was falling in love with.

  If he even knew how to love anymore.

  He went into the bathroom and looked into the small broken mirror above the old sink. Emi’s house was a total shithole. The fact it was where she lived infuriated him. He’d see to it that the PSI guys got enough money to make sure Emi never wanted for a thing long after he was gone. She’d never have to live in a place without electricity of its own, without any form of heat or air conditioning, and with fucking floors that felt like you’d fall through them at any moment.

  He stared at his reflection and exhaled. “Go with her.”

  As the words left his lips, he knew he couldn’t. Pierre would never let him leave, and he’d die without Pierre’s blood. The only option he had was to go back to his master and kill him. That would mean his death as well, but so be it. It would also mean Emi would never be hunted by the madman.

  His death was a small price to pay for that comfort.

  He stared harder at himself, and as he did, his mind began to play tricks on him, showing his reflection without the beard and long hair. In the reflection he was clean-shaven, and his hair was cut close—high and tight. There wasn’t a stranger there. He knew the man. It was the man he’d once been. The man before the vampire.

  Lance.

  The harder he stared at the reflection, the more it all began to come flooding back to him. He saw himself as a child. Saw himself losing his parents before enlisting in the military, wanting to serve his country. Wanting to be everything he could be and more.

  And he’d certainly gotten more.

  A hell of a lot more.

  He saw himself going through endless bombardments of tests, all aimed at making him a super soldier. He saw men around him, going through the same things, some doing well, others struggling. Men hooked to machines with wires all over them. Men in tanks of water, looking as if they were desperate for air. Men running, while other men in white lab coats timed them.

  The flashes continued, pouring over him, bringing with them memories of a life he thought he’d never know.

  One he wasn’t sure he wanted to know more about.

  He saw a man with amber eyes and blond hair, participating in the tests as well, laughing with Thor. Another man approached, he had shaggy black hair and blue eyes. He said something, and they all laughed, slapping each other on the back.

  Thor’s chest tightened, but not with pain, as had been the case for so long. It tightened with emotions. He knew these men. They were like family to him.

  Additional flashes hit him, and he gasped, grabbing the sides of the sink as he recalled everything in detail that he’d gone through to become a super soldier.

  What had left him a shape-shifter.

  He’d willingly participated in genetic engineering and DNA manipulation. He’d learned what they’d been up to and he’d stayed in the testing, wanting to do his part. And he had. He’d served his country for decades, no longer aging. And he’d been happy.

  He’d been an Immortal Op.

  Part of the elite team he’d been taught by Pierre was the enemy.

  The same team he’d been told to kill on sight.

  They were really his brothers in arms. His family.

  They fought against men like Pierre. Against evil. The very things Thor had aligned himself with since he’d come to be under Pierre’s thrall.

  “Your name is Lance. Not Thor,” he said flatly to his reflection that had morphed back into what he looked like now.

  “It’s really about time you realized that,” said Emi, surprising him by being so close. She put her hand on his shoulder, went to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before swatting his naked backside playfully.

  He twisted and lifted her off her feet, kissing her thoroughly.

  She pressed on his chest. “Oh no. I can feel you getting hard already. I’m too sore. I need a break.”

  He flashed a sexy smile. “I could lick all your sore spots. I just so happen to recall my saliva has a healing agent in it.”

  She pursed her lips. “Handy. Weird and kind of gross, but handy.”

  He laughed, and then remembered what he had to do. He had to get her over to the PSI guys then hunt down Chilton, handle him, and then go and kill Pierre.

  A walk in the fucking park.

  He glanced around the bathroom, trying to sense any spirits. He didn’t want to put his clothes back on, as they had dried blood on them, but he’d have to soon enough so they could leave.

  Emi grinned. “We’re alone.”

  He exhaled and set her on her feet. “Good. Not that I’m against the spirits or anything, it’s just, well, it kind of freaks me out.”

  She snorted. “You’re so good at hiding it.”

  He kissed her quickly. “I’m going to wash up a bit and then we’ll need to head out, okay?”

  She nodded. “Sounds good. I just need to check to see if Hector or Cherry can keep an eye out for Rocky and take care of him while I’m gone.”

  “Who’s Rocky?”

  “My ex-roommate’s dog. Kind of. Rocky doesn’t really belong to anyone. Still, he needs looking after. Plus, I should probably let Hector know I’m okay. I went off for hotdogs last night and—”

  “Emi!” a deep male voice called from the lower level.

  Thor went on high alert, ready to attack.

  Emi snorted and touched his bare chest. “Speak of the devil. That’s Hector. He’s probably worried about me. I’ll toss on my pants and go down and explain what happened.”

  Thor lifted a brow. “You’re going to tell him you were attacked by hybrids and then brought a half-shifter, half-vampire home with you and had sex with him?”

  “You did what?” asked a tall man as he entered the bedroom, his dark gaze ablaze as he stared at the open bathroom door.

  Thor thrust Emi behind him and snarled, unconcerned with the fact he was naked.

  The man didn’t seem to give a shit, either.
He pointed at Thor. “If you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll ram a paintbrush up your ass so far, you’ll be able to watercolor out of your nose.”

  “Huh?” asked Thor, calming slightly. The man was no threat.

  “Hector,” said Emi, rushing around Thor toward the man. She put her arms out and hugged him, wearing nothing more than the tank top and panties. “I’m sorry. I should have found a way to tell you what happened.”

  “Something big went down just outside the Quarter. When you didn’t come back, I enlisted everyone’s help trying to find you. We couldn’t get into the house last night. Try as we might, it was locked down tight.”

  Emi sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I think my dark troublemaker was actually trying to be helpful. Go figure.”

  “Emi,” said Thor sternly. “You’re not dressed, and stop hugging the man.”

  She huffed. “You’re naked. And trust me, of the two of us, Hector isn’t going to notice anything about my body. Yours, he’ll notice.”

  Hector grinned and nodded his head to Thor. “I’m faithful to my man. You’re safe.” He raked his gaze over him slowly. “And now that I know you didn’t hurt our Emi, might I say you have the perfect body.”

  Thor gulped and cupped himself, suddenly self-conscious about being nude. “Um, well, uh…thanks?”

  Emi snorted and pushed Hector out of the room. “Taylor probably left clothes behind. I’ll see what he has and what might fit you. I’ll also convince Hector that he doesn’t want to try to shove a paintbrush up your ass.”

  “Thanks.”

  Hector looked back at Thor. “You’re really a shifter and a vampire?”

  “Yes,” replied Thor, waiting for the human to scream or faint.

  Instead, Hector smiled and touched Emi’s cheek. “Good. That means he’ll be able to protect you.”

  “Why aren’t you freaking out?” asked Emi.

  Hector winked. “I have a few secrets of my own. Now, let’s go see what that vagabond Taylor might have left behind that we can dress that spectacular specimen of a man in.”

  Chapter Nineteen