by I. T. Lucas
Vanessa sighed. “There are as many versions of this as there are girls who’ve been deceived. Every girl’s story is different. The common factors are naïveté, wishful thinking, and romantic notions. A new boyfriend who’s too good to be true comes with a fantastic offer that’s impossible to refuse.”
“Hook, line, and sinker,” Ella murmured.
18
Ella
Vanessa leaned forward and steepled her fingers. “At some point, you’ll have to deal with what you’ve been through, Ella. Rape is not easy to recover from on your own. I just want you to know that when you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen.”
Crap, she’d walked right into the shrink’s trap. “I wasn’t raped.”
Next to her, Vivian shifted in her chair and started fussing with the hem of her blouse.
The traitor.
“Then what would you call what happened to you?”
“I was coerced.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
“No, it’s not. That’s like saying that a punch to the face is the same as a slap with a glove.”
“Is that how you feel about it? That it was a slap with a glove?”
God, she hated shrinks and the way they turned everything into a question. She’d just said it.
“Yes.” Here, that should be the end of it. Unless Vanessa could turn even a yes answer into a question.
“Was it a playful slap with a glove? Or an invitation to a duel?”
Ella snorted. “It was an invitation to a duel alright. Except, I wasn’t given any weapons, and my opponent was armed to the teeth.”
A victorious smile bloomed on Vanessa's face. “You’ve just proven my point.”
“Well, whatever. I had no choice, and I did what I had to in order to survive. I just want to forget about it.”
“When you think back, is there anything you could have done differently?”
Ella rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? I would’ve never gone with Romeo to New York.”
“And other than that?”
“As I said before, I did what I had to do to survive and eventually to escape. I had to make the Russian believe that I wanted to be with him, so he would lower his guard and not keep me in the dark about where we were going and when.”
“So you don’t regret succumbing to his coercion?”
Ugh, this woman, or immortal, was making her so angry. As a shrink, she sucked even worse than that other one. Was she suggesting that Ella should’ve fought?
To what end?
Pinning Vanessa with a hard glare, Ella bit out, “Not even for a moment. If I’d done anything differently, I wouldn’t be here, talking with you about making videos. I would be married to a mafia boss and pregnant.”
The therapist smiled. “That’s very good. Many of the girls blame themselves for not fighting harder, but after talking with those who did, they change their minds. He could’ve starved you, drugged you, even beaten you or forced you physically. The end result would’ve been the same. I’m glad you realize this and don’t blame yourself.”
Would Gorchenco have done any of those things?
Ella didn’t think he would’ve starved or beaten her, but he could’ve drugged her. It would’ve been so easy for him to slip a date-rape drug into her drink.
But the worst he could’ve done was to lock her up and not tell her anything. If he hadn’t shared his travel plans with her, the rescue operation would not have been possible.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Ella lifted her chin. “Now that we’ve had our little chat, I’m sure you can see that I don’t need therapy.”
“You’re doing better than expected. Self-blame and a diminished sense of self-worth are usually the first hurdles to overcome. The second is fear, and the third is mistrust. After such a traumatic experience, it’s difficult to interact with people who haven’t suffered anything like you have, and even more difficult to have a relationship.”
Damn. Vanessa had hit all three nails on the head.
But Ella wasn’t going to admit it and give the shrink and her mother more ammunition against her. Hopefully, this had been as close to a therapy session as she was going to get.
It was time for a smooth redirect. “My mother mentioned something about a sewing class she was going to teach. Do you have any other arts and crafts classes here?”
“Yes, we do. Are you interested in joining? It’s a great way to meet the girls in an informal setting and get to know them a little. They will be more willing to talk to a classmate.”
That sounded like Vanessa’s way to trick her into participating, but what she’d said made sense.
“Wouldn’t they get suspicious about an outsider joining the class?”
It was Vanessa’s turn to pin Ella with a hard stare. “But you’re not really an outsider, are you? You just don’t live in the sanctuary. If you want to gain their trust, you can’t lie to them.”
Sneaky shrink. Did Vanessa think Ella was that gullible?
“I have no intention of lying to them. I’m going to tell them the truth of why I’m here, which is making videos for a fundraiser that will help them transition into independent life.”
19
Syssi
“I missed you all day.” Kian put his hands on her waist and pulled her into his body. “The reason I hate Mondays is not work. It’s not having you around.”
Even though Kian often worked on the weekends, he did it from his home office, and she could be there with him, reading a book on the couch. Or making out on it when he wanted a break, which was quite often. After two days of all that wonderful togetherness, separating on Monday was hard on both of them.
“I can put a couch in your official office, quit my job at the university, and read books all week long. With the occasional interruptions, of course.” She waggled her brows.
But even if Syssi were willing to quit her job, which she wasn’t, the problem with Kian’s official office was that unlike the one at home, Kian was rarely alone in there. People were coming in and out all day long, and the phone didn’t stop ringing.
It wasn’t the same.
Besides, even though they hadn’t been successful in identifying any new Dormants, she loved working at the lab with Amanda.
Eventually they’d have a breakthrough, she just knew that in her gut. And in the meantime, they were collecting important data on paranormal abilities. As far as she knew, no other lab was doing it, probably because there was no funding for paranormal research.
In the past, when the army had been interested in exploring the possibilities of remote viewing and other special abilities, funds had been plentiful. But the subject had fallen out of vogue and was considered pseudoscience rather than science.
Except, proving that paranormal abilities existed wasn’t even all that difficult. Most people had at least some extrasensory perception. Like knowing who was calling them before picking up the phone or sensing when someone was looking at them even when their backs were turned. Still, few were willing to explore their abilities, and only when they were strong. Most tried to explain away the inexplicable.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Kian took her lips in a soft kiss. “It would do wonders for my stress level.”
“I’m not sure about that. Once your business starts failing because of your neglect, your stress level will skyrocket.”
He sighed. “It was a nice fantasy while it lasted.”
“Speaking of fantasy. You know what time it is, right?”
“Time to make love to your pirate?”
“First, it’s potion time. Then making love.”
The concoctions were supposed to make them hornier than usual, but Syssi hadn’t noticed any difference. Keeping their hands off each other had always been a struggle, even before they’d started Merlin’s dubious fertility program.
Kian grimaced. “Let’s get it over with.”
In the kitchen, she pulled the two decanters out of the fridge t
ogether with two Godiva chocolates.
“Cheers.” Kian lifted the shot glass she’d used for measuring the ounce of potion.
“Cheers.” Syssi quickly swallowed the vile concoction, and then immediately stuck the chocolate in her mouth. “I really hope Merlin knows what he’s doing. I would hate to keep drinking this stuff for nothing.”
As he finished chewing his piece of Godiva, Kian pulled a bandana out of his back pocket and tied it around his head.
“Harrr, lassie. It’s time for ravishing.” He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, thankfully not throwing her over his shoulder this time.
Her sweet guy was smart enough to know that she would’ve barfed all over him if he had. It warmed her heart, though, that he’d remembered her fantasy and had even prepared a prop to act it out.
“Oh, no, please don’t ravish me!” she pretended to plead.
Taking her seriously, Kian immediately put her down.
“Oh, no, please do!” She laughed so hard that her belly was heaving.
“Make up your mind, lass.” Kian picked her back up and kept striding to their bedroom. “I don’t have all day.” He pulled her shirt off even before they got there.
Gently lowering her to the bed, he kissed her quickly before continuing the act. “What do we have here? A lass dressed as a lad? What kind of a garment is this?” He pulled down her stretchy jeans.
Eyeing her white cotton panties, he put his hands on his hips and leaned forward to inspect them. “That’s much better. I was half expecting to find boy briefs.” He pulled those down too. “And that’s even better than before.” Smacking his lips, he dove between her legs. “I need to have me some of that honey to wash out the bad taste from my mouth.”
“Is that what ravishing is?” Syssi asked innocently.
“That’s just the prelude, lass.” He flicked his tongue over her sensitive nub.
“Ooh, I like this. Do it again.”
“Like this?” He repeated what he’d done before.
“Yes. More.”
“Before I do that, there is the little matter of your impudence.” He grabbed her by the hips, turned her around, and smacked her bottom. “I don’t take orders from my prisoners, is that clear?”
Syssi giggled. “Yes.”
His hand landed on her other cheek. “No giggling either.”
“Okay.”
“And you answer me with a yes, captain.” Another smack.
“Yes, captain.” Syssi smiled into the mattress.
“And take off your bra. I want to play with those succulent nipples of yours.”
This was fun. It had been a long time since they’d played their naughty games, and never like this. She didn’t even know Kian could get this playful. Maybe the biofeedback was working, helping him to loosen up and have some fun.
Lifting her bottom up, he licked into her, and all thoughts of biofeedback and anything else flew off. As he alternated licks with light swats, supercharging her arousal, Syssi’s hips started gyrating of their own accord.
Her hands fisting the duvet, she buried her face in the soft fabric to stifle her moans, which earned her a couple of harder swats.
“I want to hear every sound you make, lass. Your moans belong to me.”
“Yes, captain.”
He massaged the small sting away, and then kissed each globe. “Lovely ass you have, lassie. And it’s mine too. Mine to spank, and mine to kiss.”
Enfolding her with his body, he thrust into her wet folds, eliciting a throaty groan from her. “And that’s the ravishing part.” He pulled back and surged inside her again.
His arm reaching under her, he found her swollen little nub and rubbed it gently as he kept up a steady rhythm that was enough to have her climbing higher and higher, but not enough to push her over the edge.
He knew her body so well, knew how to bring her to the very precipice and hold her there until she was ready to scream in frustration, but she knew this game just as well. When he finally released her, she was going to fly up to the stratosphere.
As his strokes gained momentum, he grabbed her hip, holding her in place with one hand while the fingers of his other kept massaging, faster and faster until she threw her head back and screamed out his name.
20
Kian
As Syssi erupted, Kian clamped his lips on her neck and sank his fangs into her soft skin. As always, the double release was so powerful, it felt like he was dying and being resurrected at the same time.
Nothing compared to this, and as impossible as it seemed, the experience not only hadn’t diminished with time, but had grown even more earth-shattering.
Kian felt blessed.
He hadn’t known that he’d been lacking a vital part of himself until Syssi had entered his life. But now that he was sharing it with her, it was so painfully clear to him that up until he’d met her, he’d been running on empty.
Would the same be true for the child they would hopefully create together? Would he feel the same wonder?
Still buried deep inside his mate, Kian wrapped his arms around her middle and toppled them both sideways. Spooning behind her, he nuzzled her neck, but she was out.
It didn’t happen as often as it had in the beginning, but from time to time Syssi still blacked out for several moments after a venom bite.
Knowing how much she loved the sensation of soaring on the clouds of euphoria, he loved giving it to her, which meant waiting patiently for her to come back down to earth.
Sometime later Syssi sighed contentedly. “We should go to sleep like this. I like the feel of you inside of me.”
He kissed her shoulder. “I’m not nearly done with you yet, sweet girl.”
“Oh, I know.” She chuckled. “I can feel you charging up already. I’m just saying later, when we actually go to sleep.”
He pulled out a little and then pushed back in, lazy, shallow thrusts that were more about the connection than ramping things up again.
A moment later, he pulled out all the way and pushed Syssi onto her back. “I want to see your face when I make slow love to you.” What he really wanted to say was, when I put a baby inside of you, but he could make no such claim.
Straddling her, he feasted his eyes on her beautiful face, her gorgeous, smart eyes, and those lush lips that were curved in a coy little smile that was reserved just for him.
He could never get enough of kissing them. Hell, he couldn’t get enough of kissing every part of her perfect body.
“Are you just going to stare?” Syssi cupped the undersides of her breasts. “Or are you going to take care of me?”
As his eyes zeroed in on her nipples, the scent of her arousal flared, and the little pink peaks tightened under his gaze. His mate loved it when he paid attention to her breasts, and no lovemaking session would be complete without him pleasuring them thoroughly.
Leaning down, he licked one, sucking it into his mouth, and then took care of the other with his fingers, pinching it lightly and tugging on it in sync with his suckling on its twin.
When both nipples had been properly pleasured, he smoothed his hand down her inner thigh. And as he cupped her between her legs, Syssi moaned and arched up, grinding her core on his palm.
“Come up and kiss me,” she breathed.
That was an offer Kian couldn’t refuse. Pushing up, he braced on his forearms and cradled her head in his hands.
For a moment, he just gazed into her luminous eyes, still marveling after all this time that she was an immortal like him.
“I love you,” he whispered before taking her mouth in a kiss that was all about possession.
Her nails digging into his shoulders, Syssi kissed him back with just as much fervor. Owning him as surely as he owned her.
She was his everything, but even though she was well aware of it, mainly because he told her as much almost every day, she never tried to use her power over him to gain any kind of advantage.
She just loved him back.
>
“Do you know that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet?”
With a sweet smile, she lifted her head and kissed his lips. “I know. And I’m the luckiest woman.” She swiveled her hips under him. “But I’m getting a little impatient.”
“Are you now?” He gripped her wrists in one hand and brought them over her head. “What are you impatient for?”
“For you to get inside me and put a baby there.”
“Oh, love.” He dipped his head and kissed her lightly. “There is nothing I would like to do more, but it’s not up to me. Not entirely.”
Her eyes hooded with desire, she smirked. “We just need to keep working on it tirelessly.”
“Tirelessly, eh?” He pushed just the tip into her.
“Yes, like this, but a little more.”
He pushed a little deeper. “Is this good?”
“Almost. But it’s still not enough.”
He withdrew and pushed in again, going all the way in until he was fully seated inside her. “You meant like this?”
“Yes, please don’t stop.” Syssi lifted her legs and linked them behind his ass, spurring him on with her heels.
In no time, he was pounding into her, taking her as roughly as she loved being taken while thanking the Fates for giving him the perfect mate.
When Syssi’s core tightened around him, and she cried out, Kian’s climax was ripped out of him. Throwing his head back, he released a roar that would've been heard by every occupant of the village if not for the topnotch soundproofing of their house.
Panting, he had the presence of mind not to collapse on top of her but to drop sideways.
“Wow,” Syssi breathed. “That was baby-making sex.”
“Fates willing.”
21
Julian
“What do you think?” Julian asked.
He’d done his damnedest to sell Ella’s idea to the boss. Mostly because he thought it was a good one, but also because it would give her something to do and get her out of the house.
