“Well, that’s too bad. It would’ve been helpful to know where the rift is so we can close it. But at least he’s dead and can’t talk.”
Mason’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out. “That’s William. Danika’s up. I need to leave.”
“Mason, Selene can’t stay here forever.”
“I know. I know. But there are things about Selene that you don’t understand. I need to make sure she’s safe. Just for a few more days till I can talk to Danika.” Mason looked at the door. “I don’t even know what to do with her. She’s so…”
“Annoying?”
Mason laughed. “I was going to go with unpredictable, but yes, she can be a handful as well. It’s not her fault, it’s in our blood. And she has a hard time controlling her…impulses.”
Mason turned and left and Neeman walked back into Selene’s room and closed the door. They stared at each other for a moment.
His emotions were all jumbled. He didn’t know which way was up with her looking so defeated.
He crossed to her bed and sat next to her. “All right. What do you need?”
* * * *
Selene shivered in her bed, a bra and pair of matching pink panties the only covering she had besides the sheet. She stared at Neeman, his face a mask. What she needed and what she wanted were two different things. What she wanted was to have him hold her and make love to her. But that wasn’t what she needed.
“I…I need your energy,” she chattered.
“What does that mean?” His eyes filled with suspicion.
Embarrassment flushed her. She’d never had to ask for it before. Men had always been more than willing to bed her.
Neeman stared at her for a minute and then relaxed his stance. “Scoot over,” he ordered.
She did as she was told and he slid in next to her. She waited till he got comfortable and then pushed her body up next to his. They were the same temperature. He lay completely rigid as she pressed into him. He was like hugging stone.
One of his arms wrapped around her, but she could tell it was with great effort.
This wasn’t going to work. His energy was all wrong. There was nothing comforting or protective about him at all.
“You know what?” she said. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine. You can go.” She turned away from him, tears welling in her eyes. Fatigue weighted down her body as if she’d gained a hundred pounds in the last hours.
She pressed her face into her pillow and stifled a cry. Why had she thought she could do this? Control her other half? She’d forgotten what it was like. So many years she hadn’t had to deal with it. She’d forgotten what a struggle it had been on this plane. Only finding Mason had kept her sane. That and her mother’s amulet. She was so alone.
“What did I do?” Neeman asked. “I was holding you.”
She sighed, pushing the pain at bay. “You can’t just lie next to me. I could do that with a dog.”
“Then what?”
She rolled over to face him. “You’re mad at me for killing Rex and for stealing your car and for bringing home bags and bags of stuff. I get it. It’s okay. You don’t have what I need.”
“What do you need?” His voice rose with tension. Anger played across his features, but anger could often become something else.
Her inner voice growled. “You can’t do this. You’re not good at it. This is my job.”
She sat up to face him, reached out the palm of her hand, and stroked his cheek.
He stiffened under her touch.
She ran her hand down his muscular chest and hard packed abs.
“This,” she whispered. She leaned in and kissed him softly, letting her tongue slip over his lips. “I need tenderness. Caring. Love.” She kissed him again, running her fingers through his soft hair.
His hand slid up her bare arm and goose bumps rose on her skin. He kissed her back, letting their tongues swirl together. Warmth pooled in her belly and her limbs tingled.
He pulled her to him with his rough hands and her body melted against his. Every inch of them touched as they lay side by side. He wrapped her leg around his hip, his arousal pressing into her most sensitive spot. One arm snaked under her head cradling her against him. The other ran up and down the length of her body, sparking her skin with electricity.
“No. Stop. You can’t.” The voice chanted. Selene blocked the voice out and reveled in the feel of Neeman.
She slid on top of him and undid her bra, tossing it away. He sucked in a breath, his eyes worshiping her every curve. He cupped her flesh, rolling her nipple with his thumb. A thrill of pleasure ran up her body, but she knew this romp wasn’t for her pleasure. It was for his. She needed his chi and to get it, he had to be in utter bliss.
She allowed him to caress and knead her skin with his fingers. His arousal grew even more and pulsed beneath her. He sat up and kissed her breasts in turn, suckling them while using his hands to move her hips against him.
“I want you,” he growled deep in his throat.
Good.
The voice in her head pleaded with her to stop. But she couldn’t afford to. It was too dangerous.
He gave her panties a yank and flung them to the floor. Then he shucked his pajama bottoms off and settled her on his lap. His gaze swept over her, clouded with desire and lit on her neck.
For a moment, she contemplated not going through with it, knowing what would come afterward, but she had to. She had no choice. She needed this.
His hand slid over her body to her neck and he ran his fingers over the pulsing vein in her throat.
She smiled and gripped his length, rubbing his head against her core. He grabbed the sheets and moaned.
“You’re going to kill me.”
She held him tight and slid down the length of his shaft. He filled her, making her head snap back. She gasped and clawed at his chest. Too long. It had been too long.
His strong fingers dug into her hips and he guided her. The friction between their bodies heated her center and made her throb with need.
“Neeman,” she gasped. “Harder.”
He growled and sat up against the headboard. He pulled her hips forward and thrust at the same time, causing her to grab onto his shoulder with one hand and onto the headboard with the other. Over and over she rocked her hips, sliding down on him, bringing herself closer to the release she had always craved, but never obtained.
“Selene.” He groaned. “You are so beautiful.” He caught her breast in his mouth once more and waves of ecstasy shot through her.
“Selene.” His hands moved faster, and their friction increased. His face tightened and she no longer felt him inside her. Instead, she concentrated on his energy.
It flowed and swirled around him, growing like a ball of light. His body tensed and the ball wound tight, ready to snap. At that moment, right before he climaxed, she placed her palm over his heart.
He groaned and thrust as his body tensed and she dug her fingers into his chest. His ball of energy snapped and wisps flew in every direction. She uttered the magick words of gathering and the wisps flew to her chest, burning through her skin and warming her instantly.
“I bind the one that hides within. I cage her deep and bid her sleep. Till her name is called by me.” She chanted in the ancient language.
The voice howled in rage and backed away.
She opened her eyes. Neeman’s expression was stunned. Her body warmed and her energy renewed itself.
“It worked. Thank you.” She reached to touch Neeman’s cheek, but he pushed her away, his eyes wary and his skin paler than normal.
“Neeman—”
He dumped her off him and ran to the bathroom. Hitting the toilet, he retched violently. Selene swallowed hard. How many men had she taken from in the past? Fed off their chi, leaving them in their bathrooms, confused and weakened. She couldn’t just walk away this time. She wanted to go to him, to explain and apologize.
Instead she
pulled the sheet around herself and waited. Minutes passed and he stumbled out of the bathroom.
“What the hell did you do to me?” he demanded.
* * * *
Neeman hadn’t felt this weak since the first months of his turning when he’d refused to drink blood. His limbs burned as if every fiber was being torn apart. His throat felt like dry ice had been forced down it and his head spun so violently he couldn’t see straight.
Selene sat on the bed in a dizzying spell of health. Her color had returned and her skin no longer looked waxy.
“I asked you what the hell you did to me,” he said again, swallowing down the nausea that threatened to send him back to the toilet.
“I... I took your chi.”
“My what?” He leaned against the doorframe, trying to get his vision to focus.
“Your chi, your energy. It’s strongest right before the climax of a sexual act. I’m sorry I didn’t explain better.”
“Explain? Explain what? That you were going to steal from me?”
“I didn’t steal it, Neeman. You said you’d help me. Besides, isn’t that what all Vampires and vampyr do all the time? Steal blood’s life force from humans?”
Rage ripped through him. Though his head thundered like a bass drum, and his vision continued to spin, he let go of the door jamb and stood straight.
“No. That’s not what all Vampires and vampyr do.” Taking heavy, deliberate strides, he moved to his underwear and pajama bottoms and tugged them on, refusing to fall over and be humiliated any further.
How could he have been so stupid as to think having sex with her would have been anything more than a means to an end for her? Another way for her to get what she wanted.
“Neeman, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“To what? To steal from me or to steal from the demon upstairs?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I stole nothing from the demon upstairs.”
“But you did kill him.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “He deserved to die.”
Neeman wanted to be angry with her, but if what she’d said earlier about the demons coming for Mason was true, then they were obviously coming for her as well.
They stared at each other for a long time, with him trying to get his bearings enough to leave the room without crashing into a wall.
She finally got up and pulled a pair of panties, a bra, and a hairbrush out of the bags he had unloaded from his car.
A thought struck him. “Can you get pregnant?”
She swallowed and then smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Us fae know how to take care of those kinds of things.”
The statement was a punch to the gut. Take care of? What the hell did that mean?
She headed for the bathroom, closed the door and the lock clicked.
He stared at the door, playing and replaying the last hour in his head, the pleasure, the release, the pain, and now the weakness. Holding her and having her had felt so right. The connection between them had been deeper than any before. It couldn’t have all been a lie, could it?
The room stopped spinning but his limbs twitched with fatigue. He strode to the door and raised his hand. A small sound from the other side stopped him, beyond the sounds of the water from the shower. His gut clenched and he lowered his hand. She was sobbing.
* * * *
A few hours and several bottles of Savor later, Neeman’s phone rang as he lay on his bed trying to recover from what had transpired.
He contemplated not answering it, but his phone never rang for no reason.
“Neeman.”
“It’s William. I think you should grab a few trackers and come over.”
Neeman sat up too quick and his head spun. “What’s up?”
“Danika’s relatives are coming and we need a show of solidarity.”
“Absolutely. When do you need us?”
“As soon as you can get here.”
“Will do. William?”
“Yes?”
“Does she know we’re coming?”
The line was silent for a minute. “No. Does it matter?”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Neeman got to his feet and made for the shower. Whether or not he was at his best didn’t matter. Danika needed him and he was going to be there. The fate of Chicago could very well depend on it.
Chapter 9
Selene lay in her bed till she could no longer stand it. Her mind, which was now conspicuously quiet, reeled with images of Neeman and how hurt he’d been by what she’d done. In the past, she’d fled the scene as soon as the males hit the toilet. She’d never stayed around long enough to find out how they turned out. Seeing him like that had been more painful than she’d like to admit.
For all of his standoffish, boorish ways, Selene liked Neeman. He was a good man and loyal. He’d not done anything but try to keep her safe, this entire time. Though she’d been...less than easy to get along with.
She blew out a heavy breath. She never used to be like this. Okay, she’d always kind of been like this, but that had been when she’d let her demon side rule her actions. Her other half craved chaos, pleasure, and pain. Unlike Mason’s other half, which craved destruction. She wondered why it was they’d turned out so different despite having the same father.
It had been that chaotic side of her the elders had tried to control. She looked down at her stomach and laid her palm across it.
“Manifesto,” she whispered. The air around her stomach shimmered with light and then peeled back, revealing the skin underneath.
Scars crisscrossed her skin like a preschooler’s doodle board. Deep grooves coursed over her ribs and down her belly. White puckered scars from each piercing of the skin, each cut, each burn. She ran her trembling fingers over them, remembering each in turn and who had produced them. A face burned into her memory, the man who haunted her nightmares.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. He didn’t matter now. He couldn’t reach her here. Not now that she was back with her brother.
Footsteps pulled her from her memories.
“Obscuro.” She waved her hand over her stomach, not even looking at it.
She jumped from her bed and riffled through the bags. She pulled on a pair of black leggings, a blue couture t-shirt and a pair of flats. Then she pried her door open. Neeman, Riley, and another tracker marched down toward the elevator. Neeman looked over his shoulder and she closed her door.
A minute passed.
“Dispareo.” She waited till her image faded and then opened the door again and stepped into the hall. Rushing to the elevator, she moved aside when the doors opened. Silly really, since she was already invisible.
She looked inside then hopped into the empty elevator and rode up to the warehouse floor.
The door opened and she tiptoed out and waited. Riley turned and looked at the elevator.
“What’s up?” asked Neeman.
“Nothing. Someone must have pushed the wrong button.” Riley got into the SUV. The engine started. She sprinted for the vehicle and jumped for it. She planted her foot on the rear bumper and landed on all fours on the bars of the roof rack. The door opened and a Vampire she didn’t recognize looked up. He shook his head and got back in.
Selene blew out a breath and settled herself on the roof as the SUV backed out of the warehouse.
By the time the SUV pulled into the drive of a large estate, Selene’s arms and legs burned from hanging on. At some point during the ride, a bug had hit her in the face. She wiped the splatter from her cheek and swallowed down her disgust. Cleaning toilets and bug guts. Her trip back to the Earth plane was not as glamorous as she had expected.
* * * *
Neeman, Riley, and Stephos pulled up to Coven House and were let in the gate by Siad, Coven House’s head of security. The driveway already held several cars in addition to those owned by cove
n members.
He still wasn’t up to his normal strength but that wasn’t going to stop him from doing his duty. His thoughts turned to Selene. He hadn’t told her he was leaving the compound but what did it matter? She wasn’t his mate.
“Are we waiting for something, boss?” asked Riley.
“No.” Neeman cut off the engine and stepped from the car. He walked to the entrance with the other trackers and met several of the house guards and William. “Are they here yet?”
“Not yet.” William stuck out his hand. “Within the hour. Thank you for coming.”
“Any time.” Neeman shook hands. “Chicago is our home and Danika is our Lord. We’ll always be here to protect those two first.”
“As will we all,” replied William. The young vampyr grew in strength and wisdom every day. “Come on. We better tell her I called you.”
Neeman nodded. Maybe William hadn’t grown in wisdom as much as he’d thought.
The group entered the front hall. All around the splendor of Coven House hit him once more. House slaves were busy at work. There were no other Vampires to be seen.
William turned. “We will be meeting in the atrium, but—”
“Neeman?”
Danika and Mason descended the stairs. Her almost-human coloring was still quite off-putting.
He bowed to her, as did the rest of the entourage.
“What are you doing here? We didn’t have a meeting, did we?” She plucked at her red silk blouse.
She looked from William to Mason and back. Her amber eyes made his gut clench. He much preferred her blue ones.
“No. I heard you might need some help, so I thought we’d make sure everyone played nice.”
“Played nice? That’s one I’ve never heard you say before,” she said. “I thank you for coming but this is a private meeting and—”
“I asked him to come,” said William.
Danika’s brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you consult me first?”
“Because you would’ve said no.”
“Damn right I would have said no. There is no reason—”
“We need them,” interjected Mason. “You’re being pressured from every side. I need to keep a level head while they’re here and I won’t be able to do that if I am trying to watch everything at all times.”
Rise of the Fae Page 10
