“He has a son. Poor kid was the product of a one-night stand, but Cristiano was still part of his life. Spent time with him on weekends and stuff. It hurts Cristiano to stay away from him, and he hates that his son will grow up believing that he’d abandoned him. It makes him feel guilty.” Remembering the mini version of my brother, I smiled. “He’s such a sweet kid.”
“Is there anything you miss about that life?”
“I miss vodka – it’s just not the same when it’s in an NST or running through the veins of a human. I miss playing with my nephew. And I miss my dream of one day being a mom – it’s not a dream I can have anymore.”
“You’d have made a good mother.” The glint of sympathy in his eyes was at total contrast to his apathetic tone. “I’m sorry you’ll never have that.”
I was pretty sure Salem and I would have made pretty babies. “What do you miss about being human?”
A shrug. “Nothing.”
“Come on, there must be something.”
It wasn’t until he’d eaten the last of his pizza that he answered. “Okay. I miss being able to be thirsty without feeling edgy, agitated, and like my stomach’s on fire.”
Yeah, that would totally suck.
Having used one of the wet wipes to wipe away the grease from his skin, he leaned back in his seat. “You done?”
Bloated, I nodded and cleaned myself up with another of the wipes. “All done.”
“Good. Come here.” He held out his hand, and I stood and took it with a smile. He pulled me onto his lap, so that I was straddling him, and skimmed his nose along my neck. “Hmmm. I love that this scent is all over my skin and fills our apartment. But it smells a lot better coming directly from the source.” He licked my bottom lip. “I always did like black liquorice.”
I slid my hands under his t-shirt, wanting to feel his solid, defined chest. “You have to take care of this body for me tomorrow night.”
He began running his fingers through my hair. “You worried about the battle?”
“Of course. Aren’t you?”
“Am I worried about the battle? No. Am I worried that you’ll be part of the battle? Yes. Doesn’t matter that I know how strong and capable you are. I’ll always worry. When I’d see Jared panicking on assignments about Sam’s safety, I never understood why he let himself get so stressed about it – she’s strong and powerful, so what’s the big deal? But now I get it. He has something very important to lose. I never had that before.”
I scowled at him. “Your life is important.” If he hadn’t thought that way before, he’d better freaking start thinking that way now.
A teensy smile warmed his expression. “Glad you think so.” Abruptly, he wrapped my hair around his fist and snatched my head back, giving himself perfect access to my throat. His other hand cinched around my waist, tugging me closer and tilting my hips to grind me against his cock. His mouth tormented every inch of my neck – licking, nipping, sucking, and raking his teeth along my skin. One hand closed over my breast, kneading and clutching, and then thumbing my nipple.
“Are you wet for me yet, Ava?”
What a dumb question. I’d been wet since the first flick of his tongue on my neck.
His hand snaked beneath my dress with an urgency that told me I’d have lost my panties with one sharp tug...if I’d been wearing any. He froze, eyes flaring with hunger. “You’re not wearing any panties.” The words came out strangled.
In less than a millisecond, my brand new dress was on the floor, his mouth was devastating mine, and a finger was thrusting inside me. He swallowed my moan as my body clamped around his finger. I pulled back, gasping. “What if someone sees?” The side walls of the balcony were too high for the neighbours to see anything, but there were many apartments.
Completely undeterred, he continued driving his finger in and out. “We’re too near to the balcony door for anyone above or below to see.”
True, but…“People might hear us.”
“Well yes, yes they might.” And the weird bastard seemed to be turned on by that. “Which means you’ll have to be very quiet.”
I bit my lip, doing my best to hold back every moan, gasp, whimper, and groan as his finger plunged, swirled, and twisted. When his teeth sank down hard into my neck just as his thumb circled my clit, a wave of pure bliss swept me under, and I helplessly cried out his name. He continued feeding from me, drawing out my climax until I was shaking.
As I lay slumped against him, eyes closed, I distantly registered some fumbling and the sounds of buttons snapping open.
“Take me inside you, Ava.”
Was he kidding? I could hardly move…and we were still outside. But when I felt his cock slap my navel I realised that, no, he wasn’t kidding at all. I might have told him to give me a few minutes to recover from my orgasm, but I was very much aware of an ache inside me – an ache only having his cock deep within me could satisfy.
He lifted me by my waist, positioning me just right. “Slow,” he ordered.
Placing my hands on his now bare chest – where did his t-shirt go? – I sank down on him. His size stretched and burned, and I wanted more. It took two downward thrusts before I was totally impaled on him. We both groaned, and his hands slid down to cup my ass.
I took a minute to just enjoy the feeling of being so amazingly full. Salem, however, wasn’t much interested in letting me ‘bask’ in the moment; his hands squeezed my ass, hinting for me to move. Eyes locked with his, I slowly rose until just the head of his cock was inside me. Then, just as slowly, I sank back down. I’d expected him to soon urge me to pick up my pace, but he didn’t. He was content to watch me ride him slowly, taking in every inch of his cock over and over.
But me? I wasn’t so content with ‘slow’ anymore. I attempted to move faster, and his hands stilled me.
“Slow.”
I didn’t want to go slow, I wanted to come. And I knew just how to make him lose control. I went to lean forward and bite into his shoulder, but the bastard collared my throat and held me back.
“Tut, tut, tut. That’s cheating, Ava.”
“You got to feed. Now it’s my turn.”
The hand on my throat urged me to keep riding him, guiding my movements. “Oh, you’ll feed. Just not right this second.”
“Why?” I practically whined.
He nipped my bottom lip just as he pinched my nipple. “Be patient.”
I pouted, speaking in what I hoped was a sensual purr. “Don’t you want to come inside me? Don’t you want to feel me come around you?”
His hand flexed around my throat. “No games, Ava.”
“Not. Fair.”
He arched a brow. “You need it that bad?”
“Duh.” In a blur of movement, he scooped me up, took me to the bedroom, and positioned me on my hands and knees on the bed. One thing I loved about sex with Salem was that he never made me beg. He worked to give me exactly what I wanted, even if he took his time about it.
“Head down, baby. That’s it.” Without any preamble, he slammed home; burying his entire length inside me with one smooth stroke. I gasped, fisting my hands in the covers. His body folded completely over mine, trapping me beneath him.
He flexed his cock inside me as he rocked forward, as if to show me just how deep he was. “Now I’m ready to fuck.” He powered in and out of me – it was hard, fast, and fierce.
And I loved it.
His pace was frenzied and merciless, and every frantic slam of his cock was a stab of pleasure/pain. I wanted to rear back to meet each thrust, but I couldn’t move while his body blanketed mine. I was pinned in place, forced to take everything he gave.
He thrust his arm in front of me. “Feed.”
Without hesitation, I sank my teeth into his wrist and sucked hard. I felt his cock pulse inside me as he came, and my own release thundered through me so intensely that I almost passed out.
Thankfully, Salem tipped us onto our sides rather than collapsing on top of me. With his h
and gently stroking my stomach and my body humming with sexual satisfaction, it was easy to let my eyes slide shut while I began to drift off to –
“When we Bind, can we scrap the party?”
My eyes snapped open and my entire body stiffened. I had to have heard him wrong. “Um, what?” My voice came out sharp, almost shrill.
He sighed in disappointment. “I guess we could have one if you really, really want it.”
“Slow down.” I twisted in his arms. “What are you talking about? Where did this come from?”
“Why do you look so surprised?”
If this was a joke, I really couldn’t guess the punchline. “Binding is an emotional connection that’s practically soul-deep and doesn’t allow for privacy. And you are a guarded, reserved, distant individual who treasures privacy.”
“What’s your point?” He seemed genuinely confused.
Nowhere near as confused as I was, however. “You’re serious?”
“Would I say it if I wasn’t?”
No, Salem didn’t waste words or say anything he didn’t mean, but…“If you truly want this, then you want it for the wrong reasons.”
“No, I don’t,” he stated firmly. It was of course important to bear in mind that as long as something made sense to him, it was perfectly reasonable in Salem’s world.
“You want to trap me. Keep me stuck to you. And have a link that gives you peace of mind during assignments. They’re not reasons to Bind with someone. You have to care about that person.”
He looked affronted. “I care.”
I arched a dubious brow.
“So, what, because I can kill without remorse I can’t feel something for someone?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said impatiently. “But Binding is a humungous thing.”
He narrowed his eyes, annoyed. “Are we back to that ‘we shouldn’t rush things’ conversation?”
“No.” Because Sam had been right in the things she’d said to me: Time comes to mean something different when it’s not running out…When it comes to making decisions about taking huge steps, there’s no timescale to measure against. It forces you to rely on your instincts. My instincts told me that Salem was mine, that what we had was deep and real. “I can’t Bind with someone I love who doesn’t feel the same way.”
His eyes and expression softened, but his voice was gruff. “You love me?” Seeing the relief and contentment on his face, I realised that he actually did care.
I smiled. “Why else would I cope with your unreasonably intense possessiveness?”
“I warned you I’d hold you tight to me.”
That made me think of something else Sam had said: We’re predators now. Predators possess and guard what’s theirs. “And I’ll hold you tight to me. But I won’t Bind with you for the wrong reasons, even though I’m happy to hear that you care.”
“I do care,” he asserted. “I feel sort of…calm when you’re with me. And I think about you constantly when you’re not.” It was spoken with his usual apathetic tone. “I trust you, and I want you to have everything you want, even those goddamn cushions. And I feel…good. But vulnerable, because you know me better than anyone. And I feel panic. Because whenever I stop to think about just how much you could hurt me, I’m suddenly fucking terrified. It’s like a physical hurt. An ache. I know that losing you would hurt worse than anything. And it scares me how much I’ve come to need you just to be okay, and just how much you – this one little person – is important to me.”
I had to swallow past a lump in my throat. “That’s love, Salem.”
“Then I guess I love you, don’t I? Why are you crying?” His arm wrapped around me, pulling me close. Of course Salem would never understand that his words could possibly have any emotional impact. To him, it was actions that spoke. “Stop it. I hate it when you cry.”
I smiled, trying to blink away the tears. “Okay, stop freaking out.”
“Does this mean you’ll Bind with me?”
“Yes, and we don’t have to have a party.” I had to giggle at the relief that crossed his face. Bindings were week-long events of entertainment that culminated in a ceremony. Being a host and the centre of attention would literally kill him. “We’ll just skip straight to the ceremony, and then have a little after-party. Okay?”
He inhaled deeply. “I can do that.”
“You do understand that we can’t have it until after this assignment is over, don’t you? You’ll have to walk into that battle without a Binding link.”
“I know. And I trust that you’ll keep yourself safe for me.”
That made my smile widen. “Just like I trust that you’ll keep yourself alive for me.”
His expression turned fierce. “But I won’t go on any other assignment after this until we’re Bound.”
“You’re really adorable when you get all growly.”
Ooh, he was offended. “Only you would ever describe me as stuff like adorable, or warm, or cuddly. And I’m betting you only do it to drive me crazy.”
“Is it working?”
Growling, he rolled me onto my back, hooked my leg around his hip, and drove himself deep. “Yes. And I have no idea why I like it.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
(Ava)
Okay, so when everyone was prepared to leave for Giles’ club at dusk, the plan had been simple enough: pay him a visit, offer him one final chance to give up Diane. If he refused to do so, we would then give him two options.
Option A: return with us to The Hollow so that Ryder could do his thing, and Giles and his nest would then be spared.
Option B: let his entire nest die by engaging in a battle with us they had no hope of winning, and then we’d take him with us anyway.
However, two things fucked up that plan. The first was that Sam and Jared received a call from Giles an hour before we were ready to leave. He gave them Diane’s current location in exchange for escaping punishment. The second thing was that Sebastian arrived at The Hollow merely three minutes after Sam and Jared’s call with Giles had ended. Sebastian’s news had not been welcome.
Sam frowned, leaning forward in her seat at the conference table. “She has something I want? What does that mean?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I have no idea. But I managed to track her to the abandoned warehouse where Giles claims she’s hiding. I overheard her discussing the matter.” As with Jared, Antonio had given Sebastian additional power as a reward, allowing him to develop a second gift. As such, in addition to having the ability to teleport, Sebastian was able to create a mental shield that prevented him from being sensed.
“At least we know he’s telling the truth about her location,” said Chico.
Sebastian continued speaking to Sam. “He is with her, willing to fight alongside her, as you predicted. She does not believe it will come to a fight; she is sure that her marksmen will eliminate your squad. She also believes that when you see what she has in her possession, you will give her what she wants.”
“What does she want?” asked Sam.
“She didn’t say. This ‘something’ she has will soon be planted in the abandoned building adjacent to the warehouse.”
“If it’s not there yet,” began Jared, “it could mean this is all just bullshit; that she intends to call our bluff.”
“It is a possibility,” allowed Sebastian. “But I doubt it – she seems too smug.”
“It could be that she wants immunity for her crimes,” suggested Butch.
Max’s mouth twisted. “Or maybe she wants The Hollow.”
“I’m quite sure we can cross the latter off the list of possibilities,” replied Sebastian. “When Giles asked if she would demand The Hollow, she scoffed at the idea. She is perfectly aware that we would never leave The Hollow unguarded; that we would never bring the entire legion to any assignment. As such, she’s certain that the moment she and Giles stepped on the island, they would be killed. She says she has no intention of dying, and what she wants from Sam is
much more significant.”
“She honestly believes that she has something important to me?” Sam shook her head, seemingly baffled. “The only things or people important to me are on this island.”
“She was extremely vague about her plan to Giles. She either does not trust him, or she is simply enjoying his irritation and confusion.”
“Maybe it’s a bit of both,” said Jude.
Jared sighed. “Okay, so we know she plans to place this ‘something’ in the building adjacent to the warehouse. Will it arrive before we do?”
“Yes,” replied Sebastian. “She believes it will be in place by then.”
“Then we’ll have Evan and his squad retrieve it while Donnie and his squad remains on the lookout,” said Sam. “You’ll all do exactly what you were trained to do: split into five groups, invade the warehouse after the marksmen are dead, and then pick off whatever guards lurk inside so that you can circle the group that awaits us.
“At the same time, Evan and his squad will invade the other building. We’ll have to trust that they’ll have retrieved what’s inside before Diane has the chance to try and use it against us.”
Jared nodded his agreement with that plan. “Is the building guarded, Sebastian?”
“No. The warehouse is, however. But I did not stay long enough to get an accurate number of guards – I wanted to quickly relay the information I’d gathered.”
“It was the right thing to do.” Jared exhaled heavily. “Okay, we do just as Sam said.”
“You don’t want to take more squads with us?” Damien asked Sam and Jared.
She shook her head. “No, especially not when two of the other squads are still hunting clients. The Hollow needs to be protected – it’s been invaded too many times for us to take its safety for granted.”
Salem spoke then. “When do we leave?”
It was Jared who answered. “Giles told us that Diane intends to leave the warehouse sometime in the next two hours – which is clearly his way of getting us to arrive in a timeframe that suits them and prevents us from taking them by surprise. We’ll have to leave very soon.”