Wrath: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 2

by Denise Tompkins

  He moved to sit in the chair opposite me. “All I’ve wanted was a chance, Maddy. I know, I know, we are fated, you and I. I’ve come to believe it with my whole being. So while I won’t settle long-term for a chance at love, I’ll settle for a chance at long-term love. Does that make sense?” he asked, concern drawing his brows together, “because it made sense in my head.”

  I nodded, my heart in my throat. I think we had just negotiated sex with an option on love.

  Hellion rose and moved to face me. I couldn’t help but notice he was already becoming aroused. I stood up to meet his approach, and he gently reached for the tucked edge of the sheet-toga. I nodded, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He tugged and it fell to the floor. Arms like steel bands wrapped around me, and I felt safe for the first time since…the last time I was with him. Hellion’s head dipped toward mine, and I turned my chin up and away, offering my neck. He nibbled a line from my collarbone to my ear, sucking on my lobe and groaning so slightly I wasn’t sure what I’d heard. He ran hot hands up my back then down, caressing the soft upper swell of my buttocks, teasing the skin with his work-roughened hands. I fought the urge to rush this, leaning into him and lifting my face to his. He bent down and kissed me, gently at first and then letting the passion grow with unspoken consent. He lifted me up, and my legs went around his waist instinctively. He reacted quickly to my positive response, ravaging my mouth, and I did the best I could to give as well as I got. He gripped my thighs and walked me to the bed, letting me slide down his body just before we reached the platform.

  Hellion sank to his knees in front of me as if in worship, and I bent down and pulled his T-shirt off over his head, my nails raking his sides as I pulled. Hissing slightly, his breathing increased in depth and rhythm, mine voluntarily matching his in measure and intensity. Firelight gilded his body, and he seemed elemental and raw, a ripple of muscle and restrained desire. I stumbled into him when he grabbed my ass and yanked me forward, my hips pressing into his chest and my hands grabbing his shoulders for balance. He held me steady, working his lips up from my lower torso until he reached the nipple on my right breast.

  I moaned as he bit it, almost too hard—almost, but not quite. I grabbed his head and pulled him closer. He drew great, laborious breaths around the breast, and his hot breath skated across the skin like a mirage.

  Finally he released the nipple, and it pebbled even harder in the cool air, glistening with moisture. I stood bare before him, totally unembarrassed at my appearance for the first time in my life.

  “Oh great goddess,” Hellion moaned, standing and holding me at arm’s length so he could look at me. “You’re a miracle.”

  I flushed a little with the praise and reached out tentatively to pull loose the drawstring on his pants. They loosened and fell, hooking on his erection. I was uncertain how to handle this, and I looked up to find him watching me. He hooked his thumbs around the waistband and pulled, his erection springing free.

  What was it with the supes going commando? I smiled up at him and he chuckled. I guess the smile could be interpreted several ways. He was impressive.

  Together we sank slowly to our knees so we were closer to each other. I leaned into him, trapped his blazing arousal between us and lifted my face for a kiss.

  Hellion bent down and captured my mouth without pretense. I worked hard to keep up with the aggressive pace he set and to not let my mind get between me and my physical desires. We kissed and touched and caressed, learning the topography of each others’ bodies, the tender points and those spots that brought a hiss or a groan of satisfaction. Finally, bracing his hands under my arms, Hellion stood with me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist again.

  Locking my arms behind his neck and sucking his tongue into my mouth, I bit it gently and pulled back. His hands flexed into my ass. I ground my hips against his, and he involuntarily thrust forward in response, setting himself at my opening. I was thoroughly aroused. At this point, consequences could be damned. I wanted this man like I’d never wanted anyone in my life.

  Hellion was panting hard. He lifted me ever so slightly and looked at me, his eyes bottomless pools of black. “Are you sure—”

  “No talking,” I whispered into his mouth, licking at his lips. I bit his bottom lip hard, and his eyelids fluttered and he moaned. “No thinking.” I reached between us and adjusted the head of his rigid erection so he was well positioned. I sank down on him slightly and he breached my outer folds. “No consequences.” I sank farther, and he grabbed the back of my head, took three large steps to the wall and slapped my back against it, driving himself home. I gasped at the invasion that stretched me to the point of discomfort.

  “I can’t stop,” he warned and I nodded. He began to pound into me, the slap of flesh on flesh an erotic background noise to our grunts and moans of pleasure, small words of encouragement, praise and challenge pouring from both of us.

  Leaning forward, I licked the shell of his ear and breathed, “More.” He shouted, grabbing my hips to drive me down his length and oblige me. I grunted at the impact, but it was what I needed, this borderline violence. It was like flipping the bird to the universe. Arching my back, I pushed against him again and again until sweat ran between us in rivulets and made it hard for him to hold on to me.

  “Close, Maddy, I’m so close,” he ground out and I clutched him tighter, throwing my head back right before my own climax took me over and I was shattered, bucking and writhing with pleasure. My sheath clenched and released, pulling his orgasm from him without apology. Hellion shouted and I felt him let go. It seemed to go on forever, this circle of mutual gratification. Finally, finally, Hellion sank to the floor and fell backwards, taking me with him. His heart thundered in his chest, and I shifted to roll off him but he tightened his arms and held me still, forcing me to stay where I was.

  “You called me Maddy instead of Madeleine when you weren’t thinking about it,” I said, lazily running a hand through the sweat on his chest. “I much prefer it, you know. So keep it up. Look at the rewards.”

  “Don’t get used to it, chit,” he replied. “Of course, it didn’t exactly hurt anything.” He was silent then, running a hand up and down my spine. He whispered something, and I paused mid stroke, playing the phrase over in my mind.

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “Táim i ngrá leat, Madeleine,” he said softly.

  “And it means what?”

  “I’m in love with you, Madeleine.” I froze but he didn’t stop his gentle caresses. “Does it scare you?”

  “Terrifies me,” I admitted. I struggled to move off him and he let me, but refused to completely release me. “How can you be sure you really love me and it’s not just about your expectations based on the prophecy?”

  “Life offers no guarantees, anamchara, so we must make the best of what we’re given.”

  I was petrified that he suddenly seemed so serious. I’d convinced myself I’d been looking for comfort and affirmation of the decisions I was making for my own life. What could really be more affirming than post-coital bliss?

  We lay in the floor until the sweat started to cool on our bodies and the air became uncomfortably chilled against our skin. Hellion shifted me to the side and sat up, grabbing the discarded toga to wrap around his waist. “I’m going to the kitchen to fetch some snacks. Get settled, and we’ll talk when I get back.”

  I scrambled up and ran to the bathroom, quickly cleaning myself up. I went back to the bedroom and crawled into bed, pulling the sheet up and tucking it under my arms. I waited like that for at least fifteen minutes, watching the sky lighten as dawn broke behind the cloud cover of the Irish sky. One minute I was contemplating the chance for rain, the next Hellion was scooting me over in the bed and sliding in beside me.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. “Must’ve fallen asleep.” I let loose a jaw-cracking yawn and looked at the tray of meats and cheeses he’d brought up. I was too tired to be interested.

  “Sleep, l
ove. The food will wait. Rest easy, Maddy. I’ll be here.”

  His words were so reassuring. I settled down in bed, snuggling next to him. I didn’t even have time to realize how immediately comfortable I was with him beside me, naked, before sleep claimed me. Fortunately, even Tyr left me alone and let me get some dreamless sleep. I was grateful.

  I awoke to a bright room and the sounds of soft whuffling in my ear. Hellion had fallen asleep with his chin tucked into the crook of my neck as he spooned me. We fit together like puzzle pieces. I shifted and he jerked awake.

  “Sorry,” I said, patting the arm around my waist. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “No, no. It’s okay. I must have fallen off just after you.” He yawned and stretched from head to toe, shaking with the effort before relaxing against me. “I haven’t slept that well in ages,” he said against my neck, kissing me softly behind the ear.

  I rolled over and laid my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat solidly beneath my ear. My traitorous stomach growled loudly. Hellion chuckled, the sound reverberating through my skull. Setting me gently aside, he rolled to the bedside table and hauled the tray of meats, bread and cheeses to the center of the bed. We ate in silence, sharing small caresses or covert glances when our hands would touch. The comfort of darkness was only partially lost in the light of day which was—historically—remarkable for me and my sense of propriety. The charming way he was behaving made me feel that much less conspicuous.

  Finishing the meal, I curled up under the covers while Hellion scrounged around for clothes I might be able to wear. He came back with a pair of his lounge pants and an enormous T-shirt. I’d obviously have to grab better clothes when we got back to London, but for today this looked perfect. I pulled on the pants and shirt and admired his physique as he tended the smoldering fire, watching the muscles move on his back as he hoisted firewood and encouraged the flame. The hollow of his spine between the columns of muscle was just deep enough to cast a shadow in the uncertain light of the room.

  “When do you want to go back?” he asked, turning on the balls of his feet to face me as I lounged in the bed.

  “Back?” I asked dumbly.

  “To London, love. We’ll need to get you back there so you can start putting together the pieces of this puzzle. Another girl has died, this time a waitress from the small café we had lunch at near Avebury Henge.”

  I blanched and Hellion moved toward me. “I wasn’t even near there,” I murmured, a chill settling over me that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. “I was here last night.”

  “Ah, but not for the whole night, Maddy. Think.”

  “I—okay, I need to sort this out. Who was at the henge last night that might wish me ill?”

  “Besides all the dragons?” Hellion asked, crawling back into bed and drawing me to his side.

  I scooted over, settling in against him with a sense of familiarity that hadn’t yet been earned. “All right, all the dragons. But who else? Let me think.” I pushed my nose into his chest and breathed deeply of the scents of linen and laundry detergent, a faint remnant of cologne and the musk of male. “There was Darius and members of his voyen, the dragons—though it wasn’t restricted to the blue weyr, a handful of fae, Sarenia, members of your coven and me. I think that covers it.” I lifted my chin and met his eyes, arching a brow. “So, roughly, we’ve got about a hundred people to exclude that were inside the circle. Outside? No way of knowing.”

  Hellion sighed deeply, running his fingers up and down the back of my skull and making me want to purr. “We’ve got to be able to pare it down more, Maddy. Who are the primary suspects and why?”

  Considering, I sat up and wrapped my arms around my knees. “Do you have some paper and a pen? It might help if we write this down.”

  He crawled out from under the covers and disappeared from the room. I heard a door open and, moments later, close again. Hellion padded back into the room, his long, loping stride covering the ground quickly. He tossed the pen and notebook on the bed and crawled back under the covers, propping himself up against the headboard.

  I grabbed the notebook and flipped it open to the first blank page, intimidated by the vacant paper and energized to finally be doing something.

  “Here’s what we know for certain,” I said. “The killer is purported to be right-handed based on Bahlin’s report. He also claims the knife used was non-serrated, so it’s probably something like a dagger or dirk, right?”

  Hellion nodded. “It would have to be something that could be easily handled yet sharp enough to get the job done. Magic leaves a trace, so if we can get in to see a body, I can determine whether or not it’s just brute strength behind the violence.”

  “Darius,” we said together.

  Hellion nodded and gestured for me to go on.

  “We’ll get Darius, or his inside morgue man, to get us up close and personal with one of the bodies. Then there’s the letter. Could you tell anything about the handwriting?”

  Hellion looked at me, amused. “I’m a wizard, not a bloody forensic specialist, sweetheart.”

  I glared and shifted around in the bed to face him, tucking the covers around my bare feet. “No need to be snide. What you do is ‘bloody’ complicated, and I’m unfamiliar enough with it that I don’t know what’s reasonable and what’s not.”

  He grinned. “You’re cute when you say ‘bloody’.”

  I rolled my eyes and moved on. “So we know nothing about the letter except it was delivered to your London home and, somehow, the killer was able to snip a lock of your hair. If you haven’t been sleeping that well, it should have been difficult for someone to sneak up on you and steal your hair. Unless, of course, the hair isn’t yours.”

  “Brilliant!” Hellion exclaimed. “We’ll go to London, retrieve the hair, and I’ll perform a spell of revelation. It should be able to give us at least a cursory idea what flavor of individual we’re dealing with.” He scrambled from the bed, grabbed the covers and yanked me toward him. Scooping me up, he spun in a circle and I flinched, not prepared to dematerialize, but he was just being slightly exuberant. Recognizing my hesitation, he set me down gently. “Does it bother you, what I am?”

  “What you are… Oh. No. I’m just, um, a little unnerved by the casualness with which you pop in and out of places. Can all witches and wizards do that?”

  “No.” His brows drew together as he contemplated a reasonable explanation. In the end, he went with basic truth. “It’s a highly specialized skill, and to be able to carry a passenger with you is even more difficult. There are four, maybe five of us in the world who can do it. Two of us, Amaly and I, are in my coven.”

  “Amaly?”

  “She was at the henge last night, but she went back to London so you’ve not had a proper introduction. She’s the most powerful witch in Europe and my second.”

  “Oh.” I felt uneasy, and it took me a minute of digging around in my own psyche to understand that the emotion I was having a hard time identifying was jealousy. I sighed, slightly disgusted with myself.

  Understanding the variety of emotions dancing across my face, Hellion leaned in and kissed me gently. “You’ve nothing to fear, Maddy.” He sat on the edge of the bed and lay back, pulling me down with him so I straddled his hips. Shifting beneath me, Hellion smiled up at me so harmlessly that I had to laugh.

  “That’s far from innocence I’m feeling from you despite the look on your face,” I said, leaning forward to brush my lips over his.

  He snaked his tongue out and traced my lower lip, and I shivered. “What would it take to talk you out of your clothes?” he murmured against my lips before laying kisses across my temple, down my neck and stopping just over my heart. He bit me through the T-shirt and I gasped, involuntarily responding to his physical suggestions if not his words.

  “Less talk,” I responded.

  Hellion flipped me over on my stomach, and I shrieked with laughter. “Less talk it is,” he promised.
He delivered.

  Chapter Fourteen

  We gathered our things and left Ireland. I had to get busy with the investigation, and too many interruptions—imagined death, near death, death—had diverted my attention. Hellion and I materialized in his London home. More specifically, we ended up in his bedroom. I recognized some of my personal belongings sitting on his dresser. I stepped over to the chest and pulled out a drawer; there were my underwear.

  “It seems you expect me to stay…to, ah, live here with you at this point.” My voice was unsteady as my mind ran through a gamut of emotions—fear, frustration and anger.

  “And why shouldn’t I, mo shíorghrá? We’re together now, not to be separated. In my mind that means we live together. Am I wrong, then?”

  “I’m not sure. That isn’t the point, though. Not really.” I stumbled around, searching for the right words, but blurted out, “I’d like to be asked, Hellion. Don’t presume to know me well enough to know what I want.”

  “You’re right, my love. I should have asked if you wanted the same thing, not just assumed. I apologize. Do you want to stay here?” He wandered up behind me and his hands snaked around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

  “For now. I’ll stay for now.” He moved to cup my breasts. “Don’t assume I’m here because I’ve nowhere to go at the moment. I could get another hotel…” He laid small kisses along the side of my neck. “Or an apartment.”

  “I’ll buy you your own house if you’ll stay here. Then every time you get angry with me, you’ll have somewhere you can go.”

  I sighed, distracted from my displeasure by pleasure. He was stroking my nipples through the thin material of the T-shirt and they, along with other things, were tightening in response to him. How could I want him so much? I wondered. It hadn’t been this fierce with Bahlin… I was distracted momentarily until Hellion nipped at my neck and, settling himself in the crevice of my ass, gently rocked back and forth.