The Girl and the Lion (Sanctuary Book 1)

by Stella Night

  Her lion was quick, but he wasn’t faster than a hail of gunfire. If they noticed him, he was as good as dead. She couldn’t let that happen.

  Sadie wracked her brain for something to do. Some way to help. There was only one thing she could think of.

  She jumped out from behind the tree and shouted, “Hey assholes! Over here!”

  Two surprised faces turned to look at her. The men swung the barrels of their guns to point at her. She dropped to the ground with her hands over her head, as if that would stop what was coming.

  Gunshots filled the air like thunder. Bullets whizzed over her head, ripping through the air around her. She heard them tearing at the trees behind her and the dirt on either side of her. Then it stopped.

  When she dared to raise her head, she saw the two men sprawled on the ground, not moving. Dimitri was running toward her, shouting her name.

  ***

  Sadie lay on the ground, her body shaking. She looked like she was crying. He knelt down beside her and lifted her up.

  “Sadie, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

  She looked up to face him and he realized he’d been wrong. She wasn’t crying. She was laughing. “Holy shit, that was intense,” she said between fits of laughter.

  “Did they get you? Are you in shock?”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine. But damn, what a rush.”

  “Don’t tell me this is fun for you,” he said, frowning.

  “No, I mean, not when it was happening. But now that it’s over, I feel amazing. I feel alive.”

  “You are just full of surprises, Sadie Fisher.”

  “You’re telling me. I’m just as surprised as you are.”

  “That was either the bravest thing I’ve ever seen or the stupidest.” She shot him a hurt look. “I’m pretty sure you’re not stupid.”

  She grinned at him, eyes shining with excitement. “Well, maybe it’s a bit of both. But you needed help. What was I supposed to do?”

  “I don’t know. But you did good. I’m proud of you.”

  She glanced over at the three men lying on the ground. “Any of them alive?”

  He nodded. “All of them. I just knocked them out.”

  “Good. They probably deserve to die, but that’s not for us to decide. What do we do with them now?”

  He thought about it. “We need to interrogate them, once they wake up. So for now, I figure we’d find some rope and tie them up.”

  “I have a better idea.”

  “Is that right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Remember where we first met.”

  He smiled. “The cages. That’s perfect.”

  She fished in the backpack and pulled out a ring of keys. “Here. Throw them in the cages and then meet me in the house.”

  “What for?”

  “I’ve got a surprise for you. Just hurry.”

  ***

  Dimitri strode into Sadie’s house less than fifteen minutes later. He’d secured the guards in separate cages easily, since they were out cold. He had a feeling they wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.

  “Sadie?” he called out. Curiosity gnawed at him as he wondered what kind of surprise she might have in store for him. The fight was over. There was nothing he needed at that moment.

  But she’d been so sure when she told him. So pleased with herself. It had to be something good.

  “I’m back here,” she responded from the recesses of the house.

  He picked his way through the dark hallway, keeping an eye out for whatever she had for him. The house was quiet and still. All the more so after the thundering sound of gunfire from before.

  He could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, heightening his senses and filling him with a tense energy. He felt like he needed to run ten miles, to climb a mountain, or take on the whole goddamn world.

  It wasn’t the first time he’d felt like this. He’d had plenty of chances to experience this rush of excitement after battle. He knew it would wear off eventually, but in the meantime, he could enjoy it.

  Sadie seemed to feel it, too. Instead of freaking out after the close call with the gunmen, she’d been filled with an intense joy. Maybe she was more like him than he’d imagined, finding thrill in danger and excitement in taking risks.

  “Where are you?” he called out.

  “I’m in my bedroom. Hurry up! I think you’ll want to see this.”

  He lengthened his strides down the hall and walked through the only open door. Sadie stood there in the dim light of dusk wearing nothing but her underwear and a smile. She held her arms out to either side of her with a flourish, as if presenting herself to him.

  “Surprise!” she said, laughing.

  Desire surged within him. All the energy from the adrenaline rush now turned into sexual energy. He was rock hard in an instant.

  “Holy shit, you’re beautiful,” he breathed.

  “No time for talk,” she said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I need you to take me to bed right now.”

  “Are you sure—”

  “Right fucking now,” she commanded.

  He didn’t need her to ask him again. Dimitri swept her up in his arms and pulled her into bed.

  Chapter 10

  His lips met hers, tasting her, exploring her. Hot fire ignited in her veins. She kissed him back with a desperate need. The urge to touch him and to be touched by him was like a physical ache. She ran her hands over his face and chest, wanting to feel every part of him.

  His muscles rippled beneath her fingers, tense and alive with his passion for her. His hands found her breasts. The fabric of her bra scraped deliciously against her nipples. They hardened into points instantly.

  “You are so beautiful,” he groaned.

  “Kiss me, Dimitri. Kiss me now and never stop.”

  His eyes blazed with passion and he slanted a frenzied kiss over her eager lips. His hands slid down over her back to grip her ass, kneading it like dough. The feeling of his touch sent jolts of pleasure through her. He pulled her hips against him, and his cock probed at her through his pants.

  She could barely believe this was happening. Just moments ago, her life had been in danger. She’d been more scared than she could ever remember. But something about the experience had more her so horny she could barely stand it.

  Maybe it was the danger. Maybe it was the thrill. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was still alive. Something had her aching with desperate desire. She couldn’t hold back, and she didn’t want to.

  He pulled her bra down, uncovering her breasts for his hungry eyes. Then he took her nipple in his mouth, nipping at it with his teeth and swirling his tongue around it. The sensation was intense. He had her moaning and writhing against him, unable to control herself.

  She felt Dimitri’s hand slide up her leg and caress her thigh. His touch left trails of hot fire on her skin, and her thighs trembled with lust. He knew how to touch a woman, that was for sure.

  He ran a thick finger along her pussy, separated by nothing except the damp fabric of her panties. Just that light touch sent waves of bliss through her, and she bit into his shoulder to stifle the moan that threatened to escape her throat.

  Passion overwhelmed her. Her hips gyrated against his hand with a mind of their own, desperate for his touch. He teased the sensitive spot between her legs, moving his hand with a steady, pulsing rhythm. It felt so good she thought she might explode. The fire inside her veins raged into a furious inferno.

  His thick finger traced a line over her dripping slit, back and forth. Each time swirling around her clit before returning to stroke her pussy. He grazed his teeth over her neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her entire being.

  She needed to feel him, skin on skin. She reached down and tore his shirt open, sending buttons clattering to the floor. She ran her hands over the hard lines of his chest. He was so strong, so powerful. Unlike any man she’d ever met.

  And now he was in her bed like a fantas
y come to life.

  He pushed her panties aside and thrust his finger into her. The feeling was intense. She rocked her hips against his hand, desperate for more. He slicked his thumb in her juices and swirled it around her swollen clit. Her body burned with delicious fire.

  She could barely hold back her insistent moans. The feeling of his thick, masculine fingers toying with her silky folds was too intense. The pleasure within her spiraled upwards like a wave. That wave carried her along in its flow, and she was helpless against it.

  She panted and moaned uncontrollably. All rational thought had fled, leaving the passionate, animal part of her brain to do the thinking. And all she could think about was how good it felt to be with Dimitri.

  The pleasure built up within her to a fever pitch. She could feel it escalating like a storm about to break. Her whole body crackled with a fierce energy. It threatened to consume her in its heat.

  Then the storm broke, the lightning crashed, and waves of fiery pleasure swept over her. Sadie’s whole body shook with the intensity of her orgasm, and she moaned so loud she thought the prisoners in the cages would be able to hear her.

  Dimitri held her in his arms while she came, stroking her and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Finally, she collapsed against him, sweating and trying to catch her breath. She’d never come so hard in all her life.

  “You’re fucking beautiful when you come,” he said, his deep voice thick with desire. “I need to see it again.”

  He flipped her onto her back and knelt on the floor at the foot of the bed. She looked at him, wondering what he had in mind. His hands snaked out and grabbed her ankles. Then he pulled her to the edge of the bed, her legs resting on his shoulders.

  For a brief moment, he gazed between her legs, drinking in the sight of her. Then he tore her panties off her hips in one smooth motion.

  Sadie was about to say something, but Dimitri ran his tongue up her wet slit and swirled it around her hard clit. Whatever protests she might have made were drowned by the moans escaping her lips.

  His tongue probed into her expertly, making every nerve ending in her body sing with pleasure. The sensation was enough to drive her crazy. She was so close. The pressure built inside her, aching to explode.

  He licked at her, and she gyrated her hips into his face, urging him on. Then he sucked on her clit like he was sucking on a ripe peach. It was a sensation she’d never felt before.

  Sadie couldn’t stand it. Pleasure ripped through her, and she writhed against his skilled mouth. Her orgasm coiled up tightly inside her like a snake about to strike. She teetered on the brink, balancing on the razor’s edge.

  Then the dam broke and pleasure burst inside her, washing her away with wave after wave of ecstasy. She bit into her fist, trying to stifle the sounds of her moans. He lapped at her as she writhed in sweet agony. Every tiny touch of his tongue caused her to tense up, her body too sensitive. Finally, she had to push his face away.

  She collapsed back against the mattress, struggling to catch her breath. He stood up and looked down at her with glimmering eyes.

  “You taste even better than I thought you would,” he said.

  Sadie reached up and grabbed his arms, pulling him down so she could kiss him. The multiple orgasms he’d given her had kindled her lust instead of extinguishing it.

  The fire was still burning inside her. She needed more. She needed everything.

  He smothered her mouth with a kiss, and she reached down to undo his belt and pants. They slid down his hips easily, revealing his gorgeous length. It was hard and thick, and Sadie felt an empty throbbing inside her, crying to be filled.

  “More,” she begged. “Please, I need you.”

  Sadie crawled up on the bed, laying against the pillows and opening herself up to him. She looked up into Dimitri’s smoldering eyes. They were filled with raw desire.

  He followed her up onto the bed and knelt between her legs. His hard length just inches from her. He gripped her hips and positioned himself against her eager entrance. He rubbed the head of his cock along her dripping slit, killing her with anticipation. She thrust her hips forward.

  “Do it,” she cried.

  Without another word, Dimitri plunged his cock inside her. Sadie’s eyes narrowed to slits and she gasped at the glorious feeling of being filled up. All of her nerve endings were on fire. It was all she could do to keep from screaming in ecstasy.

  He kissed her then and started pumping his hard shaft into her with a steady, pulsing rhythm. The man was skilled. There was no denying it. Each stroke of his cock sent shivers of pleasure through her. She moaned wildly between every panting breath.

  He kissed her neck and her breasts while he pumped into her. His hands caressed her sensitive skin, seeming to find every part of her. He pleasured her from all sides. It was a potent mixture that made her body feel like it was filled with hot, molten fire. She couldn’t get enough.

  Sadie thrust her hips against him, matching his pounding rhythm so that every thrust plunged into her deepest places. He found parts of her she never knew existed.

  Her hands gripped his biceps tightly, digging into his flesh. He groaned at the sensation. She looked up into his wild eyes, ablaze with desire. He was beautiful in his passion. She didn’t care about anything in the world but him at that moment and how good he was making her feel.

  Everything inside her coiled up like a spring. The tension built higher and higher until she couldn’t stand it anymore. She thought her whole body would burn up with the feeling.

  Then pleasure exploded in her brain like a bright, white light. Her pussy clenched around his throbbing cock like a fist, and she could feel him tense up and erupt inside her. It felt so good to be filled up with his hot cum. It made her feel alive.

  They froze together like that, their two bodies made into one by their connection. They held each other close. The only sound was the beating of their hearts and their panting breaths.

  He pulled her into his arms and they held each other as they basked in the afterglow.

  Her legs shook with weakness, her pussy ached, and her heart pounded in her chest. She felt dirty and satisfied, wild and free. She absolutely loved it. It was a side of herself she never knew existed. Despite that, she was thrilled to discover it.

  “Holy crap,” Sadie sighed. “That was amazing.”

  Dimitri laughed. She could feel it in his masculine chest. “No kidding. That was without a doubt the best sex I’ve ever had.”

  “Me too. Is it always like this?”

  “What? Sex?”

  She slapped his arm playfully. “No, after a battle. Does danger always make people this turned on?”

  He laughed. “No, it definitely doesn’t have this effect on everyone. You’re special like that.”

  “And you? Does it make you feel the same way?”

  “Well, I was usually surrounded by other guys whenever I got into trouble. So I can’t say for sure. But it definitely had that effect on me today. Or maybe it’s just you that has this effect on me.”

  He kissed her again, long and slow and deep. Finally, Sadie pulled away and drew in a shaky breath. “We should probably get back to the real world.”

  He laid down beside her and cradled her in his arms. “Not yet. Let the world wait for a while. We’ve earned this, and I’m not in any hurry for it to end.”

  But Sadie knew it had to end soon. The real world wouldn’t wait for long.

  Chapter 11

  “We should call the cops,” Sadie said, hands on her hips, looking at the caged thugs still unconscious.

  Dimitri shook his head. “When this is all over, we can get the authorities involved if we have to.”

  “Why wait? It’d be better than trying to do this alone.”

  “We can’t tell them the truth, obviously. And if the gang behind all this gets wind that the police are coming, they’ll go underground. We may never find the antidote then.”

  “So then what do we do?”


  He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. His gaze bored into her, deathly serious. “We don’t do anything. I’ve put you at risk enough. This next part is all me.”

  Sadie shook his hands from her shoulders. “You’re not sticking me on the sidelines. I’m just as involved in this as you are. They know who I am. They know where I live. This is my fight, too.”

  “Sadie, I can’t let you get hurt. You should run away as far as you can, as fast as you can. Until all this blows over.”