Darkness Unbound (31 page)

Seconds later she spanned her hand around him. He wrapped his large hand around hers where she held him, and stroked. “Bella…damn...” Her thumb swiped over his head. He tugged her hips over him, forcing her hand to release. And held her suspended. He was right there. His thick head poised below where she was aching for him. He grinned at her.

“Come on…please?” she begged.

He released her hips, thrusting deep inside.

She gasped. He paused while her body adjusted to his presence. Then she squirmed to get him to move.

He clutched her hips, anchoring her. His gaze fixated on where their bodies were joined. So sexy. She curled her nails deep into his shoulders and clenched him with her internal muscles, willing him to move.

He answered her with a groan, and initiated a brutal pace. He used his massive thighs to hammer his hips upwards. Hard. Insistent. She moaned long and low. His finger moved to that sensitive nub and caressed. “Tell me you love me. Admit it.”

“Damn you, Langford.”

He rubbed harder and pounded mercilessly. “Tell me.”

She swallowed a scream as she approached that cliff over which she desperately wanted to swan dive. “This is extortion.”

He pulled his finger away from her. “I want to hear you say it,” he said before a hard thrust.

Breathlessly she asked, “You’re serious?”

One hard thrust sent sparkles flaring across her vision. He said, “Fuck, yeah, I want to hear it.” He threw her a sexy grin. His thumb rubbed again.

She moaned, “I love you.”

“That’s better.” His thumb halted its torture. He angled her pelvis to hit that just-right zone. A few hard thrusts and her massive free fall hit, shattering her mind into a million stars.

“Oh, Bella,” he whispered hoarsely. He slammed her down on top of him several times, and erupted deep inside her. As their bodies stilled, he cradled her against him.

Her head fell onto his shoulder. He stroked the hair off her face and ran a hand over her stomach. “I’m good with this.”

She whispered, “Really?”

His hand moved back to her abdomen to rest there. “I understand the situation a bit better with Zannis’s memory. This child is ours. Amun-Ra promised to protect him.”

“You talked to Mr. Blue-hair about this?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think he’d like being called that. Zannis spoke with him, although I don’t think Amun-Ra wanted you to know he approached him.”

“Why not?”

“The gods like to think they’re doing everything on the sly—manipulating behind the scenes. To do that they need to believe their meetings are secret.”

“I got that from them.”

“His promise reassures me that you should survive whatever is coming against Djoser.”

“What about you? You must survive too, right?” She squirmed to get more of her body in contact with his, and buried her face in his neck, filling her nostrils with the smell of his sweat and subtle aftershave. She could stay here, in his arms, forever.

“Who knows. Now that I have full recall of how to fight that daemon, and our history, things are balanced heavily in my favor.”

“I won’t…keep going without you. He kicked Zannis’s ass last time. Well, yours.”

“Maybe he did, or maybe I let him.”

She pushed away from him. “You did suicide yourself. Cy was right?”

His eyes darted away.

“Cy told me that there’s no way Djoser could’ve bested you, if you’d brought the dragons into the fight. Is that true?”

He whispered, “With the dragons I’ve never lost. They’re of the gods’ world, which mean they trump almost everything in this realm.”

“Oh, God. You did suicide.” She listened to him breathe with her ear pressed tight to his chest. “Why?”

“A god who is my father asked me to do what was best for you.”

Her heart squeezed. “Amun-Ra has been manipulating us from the beginning. Half of me hates that you suicided. The other half of me is…crap, this sounds so bad, but I wanted you as Kane. It was tearing me up to want both of you but feel guilty about wanting you a bit more as you are now in my time.”

Kane chuckled. “You got both of us. Amun-Ra knew what he was doing, even if it sucked. Like you, I’m also of full-blood god-descent. Reincarnated now.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t know until Amun-Ra spoke with me. I’m not sure what it means at this point since I’m in a new lifetime.” Kane’s phone dinged.

She mumbled, “We’re probably being ordered to work again. Damn it.” She traced the contours of his chest through his T-shirt. “If we live through this, then there’s nothing that will stop me from getting you on a beach.”

“We’ve been talking about it for a long time.”

“Never seriously. Right now, I am dead serious. I want you half dressed on a beach.” She smiled against his chest.

“I’m not wearing a speedo.”

“Oh, hello, no. I don’t want the other girls seeing that much. I see you in a sexy pair of low-slung board shorts.”

He chuckled. “We better shower and get moving. Let’s deal with Djoser and see what he’s got up his sleeve other than a snake. And see what new shitfest sending him to the afterlife incites.”

“You don’t think this is a straightforward daemon execution?”

“Hell, no. There are too many gods involved in this.”

She giggled. “And goddesses.”

“That too,” he added with a grin. Kane shifted to pull his cell out of his pants and glanced at the screen. He cursed. “They got confirmation from Djoser that Hashishins have them.” He looked up at her. “Fast shower. Then food on the run. You think you got another portal in you today?”

“I feel good. Recharged. But food is mission critical.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Astrid looked sexy as hell when she pulled her damp hair up into a ponytail. Kane pushed a PBJ across the kitchen counter at her. Flashes of what they’d done together in the empty room had him wishing he’d joined her in the shower. And for roomier cargoes.

She bit into the PBJ and moaned her delight. She smiled at him with a warmth that melted his soul. This woman was the start, finish, and all for him. Forever. The thought of what they were about to do, to attempt to battle, released a font of stomach-grinding, chest-gripping emotion that he didn’t immediately identify.

Fear.

He’d accepted death as a reality for years. He’d watched too many friends have their chains snapped with near-misses, almosts, and that’s-all-folks. Now facing the thought of never exploring the depth of that warmth in her eyes terrified him. He’d had a few ass-clenching moments with Astrid and her reckless need to be the one that took the bullets for everyone, but out of self-preservation he’d never braked his life long enough to allow himself to recognize what was in his heart.

He smiled at her.

“What?” she asked as she reached for a second sandwich.

He shook his head. Funny how infinitesimal moments like this were the sum total of the meaning of life. He reached for her hand and squeezed.

She returned the squeeze. “Don’t worry.”

“Can’t help it. You’re everything to me.”

“Stressing over details is your forte.” She slid around the counter and wedged herself between his legs. Her hand caressed the bulge between his legs. She brushed her lips against his.

He licked her lips. “Mmm. Peanut butter. If you keep this up, we’ll never get going on this mission. There are lives at stake.”

“There are always lives at stake. Right now my sanity is at stake.” She laughed low in her throat and caressed him again. “I love how big you are. Have I told you how deep you go in me? Very deep…sooo nice.”

Fuck.

“I heard that. Sounds like a perfect idea,” she said before she brushed her lips against his again. “How long you think we have before we must go?”

“Not long. In fact…”

“Good. I finally found you guys. We have to do this. Now!” Khyan announced from the kitchen doorway. “Dakar is cranked up, and I can’t take him exploding on me again.” Khyan rubbed his now-healed nose.

Astrid groaned and banged her head against Kane’s chest. She thought to him,
I want a week. No disruptions. You. Me. No clothes.

It won’t be long enough,
he thought.

It’ll be a start, damn it.

She pushed away from him and faced Khyan. Kane marveled that her face didn’t reveal even a hint of the inner turmoil he detected. She was locked down and in business mode. God, this woman was incredible. Now if only he could smother what she’d started. He pushed to a stand. Walking was going to hurt. A lot. He thought to her,
Remind me to get you this jacked up and then force you to turn it off.

Her head slow turned his way. Her eyelids drooped and her gaze slid southward.
You think I’m not in pain?

God, he wanted this woman. He thought to her,
Djoser doesn’t even need to kill me. You are going to single-handedly do me in.

She laughed. “Let do this, Khyan.” She thought to Kane,
Then you and me. Alone.

****

Astrid landed knee-first at the edge of the dense foliage surrounding the northwest corner of the Hashishin headquarters’ main building in Asheville. The tip of the sword at her back whacked the ground. The hilt bit deep into the skin between her shoulders. She adjusted and scowled at Dakar who smoothly adjusted his blade to avoid pain as he knelt next to her. A smile flickered across his lips, but he was smart enough not to comment.

Half-planted flowers and uprooted flowerbeds surrounded the brick buildings, suggesting the gardeners had ditched their work in a hurry today. Up the road a hundred or so yards rested several houses, likely living quarters. No humans were visible outside. She didn’t detect a warded wall, nor did she have a clue how to try. Khyan or Dakar would have to inform her.

She backhanded moisture off her forehead, silently cursing North Carolina’s humidity. A few gnats annoyingly buzzed around her head.

Dakar announced, “A warded wall again stands ahead of us. Have you any proposals, Astrid, to remove this? Could you call forth one of your familiar gods?”

“What exactly is this invisible wall, and why do we need a god?” Astrid asked.

“Hashishins bespelled a power-kill wall of protection by invoking a god’s power. I know not which god. If one of us crosses, we shall be at risk to have our powers removed for an indefinite time. Except, perhaps, you. The spell did not appear to affect you the last time.” Dakar’s face darkened. “You shall not run through this to enter alone, not only because I recommend you not risk your child, but also because I will be the one to find Shay. And kill all that have threatened her.”

Her gaze darted to Kane who scooted in to her left. Kane’s gaze narrowed in warning.

She said, “We’re doing this together. Why do we need a god? Don’t you know a good counter spell for this kind of thing? Between you and Khyan, you both remember a lot.”

Dakar shook his head. He glanced behind him to Khyan who had remained standing. He also shook his head. Dakar said, “I beseeched a god to remove it the last time, but that god will probably not be generous twice. I could attempt such again should you be unable to summon forth one of those gods you know. I will do it for Shay, but it carries high potential for me to end my existence.”

“I’ll do it this time, bro,” Khyan said.

“I cannot ask that of you,” Dakar said.

“You didn’t,” Khyan said resolutely. “I’ve been here a long enough and—”

Astrid interrupted Khyan’s martyr speech. “No one’s dying over something as silly as a warded wall. How do you know there’s a wall there? I don’t see anything.”

Dakar said, “My
bochnori
informs me of such. Like Kane’s dragons, it is not of this realm.”

“That living tattoo thing?” Astrid’s gaze slid to Kane where he balanced at a kneel next to her. “Let me see what I can do before we have Khyan ask a god to help.” She poised to slide closer to the wall and follow Seth’s advice about putting her mind to it, whatever that meant.

Kane clamped down on her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing what I can do.” She thought to him,
Seth suggested I could do a lot more than I think. I don’t know what that means.

This is not the time to experiment. You’re not running through it again. There are two of you to think about.
He glanced at her stomach.

“I’ll be careful. No running through the magikal wall.” The concern in his gaze and instant lockdown on emotion squeezed her heart. She slid her hand up his arm and gripped his biceps. The ache between her legs reminded her of a few hours ago. She traced his cheek and then his lips.

He said hoarsely, “You better be careful or my ass will be so far up yours—”

“You can chew my ass to hell and back later,” she interrupted. “How close is this wall, Dakar? I can’t see or feel it.” Astrid squinted into the manicured lawn behind the building.

Khyan replied, “Ten feet ahead.”

Astrid pried Kane’s fingers off her wrist. She met his gaze with a silent plea for him to trust her, and then strolled forward.

An attempt to detect the wall with her senses yielded nothing. A downward shift in ambient temperature surrounded her. She halted and put her hand out.
Show yourself to me
, she ordered in her mind. Instantly she got a visual of the sheeny dome covering the Hashishin buildings like a thick cobweb. Laughter reminiscent of the evil bad guy at the climax of a B-grade horror flick surrounded her. She took a step back and bumped full-body into Kane. She gritted out, “I can handle this.”

His glower was a loud
I-don’t-think-so.
“You have no more idea what you’re up against than I do. So, how exactly are you going to
handle
it?”

“I need you to stay safe,” she whispered.

“The safest place for me right now is right here.”

She turned back to face the wall. As she reached a hand out to touch the mesmerizing shimmer of the wall Seth’s voice echoed in her brain,
Do not touch it.

She thought,
How are you today, Dad? Going to help me?

You can do this.
Seth’s deep voice rumbled in her mind