Embrace of the Damned (30 page)

“Broder,” she breathed, her fingernails scraping down his back, “now you’re killing me. Faster.”

He withdrew and then thrust fast and hard, impaling her to the base of him over and over. Their bodies rocked together on the mattress, finding an erotic rhythm as they came together and parted again and again. She was hot and slick, easing the way of his cock in and out of her.

“That’s it,” she breathed. “Ah, God, you’re going to make me come again.”

And she did, pleasure pouring through her body in a powerful wave that stole her breath for a moment. She arched her back and cried his name, her muscles pulsing around his fast-pistoning cock.

Broder came down over her, thrusting into her hard and fast, pressing her hips down on the bed with every thrust. He suckled and licked her neck, groaning out her name. His big body tensed and she sensed he was about to come. He thrust to the base and bit her throat possessively as he came, his cock jumping deep in her body.

After it was over, they lay tangled together in a satisfied heap until Broder rolled to the side and pulled her against him in a spooning position. She noticed with a little smile that she fit perfectly into the curve of his body.

“I hope that was good enough,” she whispered.

“What do you mean?” His voice rumbled through her back.

“You waited a thousand years for that. I hope—”

“It was incredible,” he growled, kissing her temple. “I want more.”

So did she.

Nestling her head against him and the pillow, she twined
her hand with his as he laid his arm protectively around her. She sighed, thinking she could easily stay exactly this way for the rest of her life and be perfectly happy.

She was falling in love with Broder.

She’d known it for a while, of course. After all, this was Broder Calderson—how could she not fall in love with him? She also knew that meant she was headed for a hell of a heartbreak down the road.

Her smile faded a little as she imagined the hollow place she would have in her heart when Loki finally decided their time was up. It could be tonight. It could be tomorrow. Maybe, if they were lucky, it would be a couple of weeks from now.

She’d take two weeks with Broder.

Comforted by the thought, she pushed aside her worries about the future and closed her eyes. Tonight she was safe in Broder’s arms. Tomorrow would take care of itself.

Jessa woke to warmth beside her and the events of the previous night flooded her memory, making her even warmer. Opening her eyes, she smiled and stretched, enjoying the sensation of the sleeping body beside her. It wasn’t just anyone’s body, it was Broder’s, the man who cherished her and who kept her safe against all threats.

How lucky she was to have a man like him in her life, even if it would only be for a short time.

The man in question groaned and rolled over onto his back. Jessa shifted onto her side and rested on her elbow, staring down at him. His lashes were a shade darker than his hair and shadowed his cheek. His lips were full and expressive, the mark of an emotional person.

Broder
was
emotional; one could see it teeming beneath the surface. His emotion was tightly leashed, controlled, but it was there in his eyes and in his body language, even though it might be absent from his facial expressions and his tone of voice most of the time.

And, wow, it was there when he made love.

She shivered at the memory. Reaching out, she moved a tendril of hair off his forehead. He moved a little, waking slowly. Not able to resist his warmth, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. Beneath her, she felt him become aware.

He stiffened for a split second, then relaxed. His arms came around her and he flipped her onto her back, dragging her under his body. She was happy to be there; it was a lovely place with a lovely view.

His warm brown eyes held hers. Deep emotion she couldn’t quite read roiled in their depths. This meant something to him, something profound and poignant. “Good morning,” he murmured.

“Mmm, yes, it is.” She smiled up into his face. She couldn’t remember having such a light, happy feeling in her chest. “Best morning I’ve ever had, maybe.”

He returned her smile and she nearly died. The man was handsome all the time, but when he grinned or, God help her,
smiled
he totally rocked her socks. “There are your dimples again.”

His smile faded and his thoughts clearly went far away for a moment. “Once, a long time ago, my wife loved my dimples.”

She blinked. “Wife?”

He nodded and smiled again. “She’s long gone now, no worries.”

“No, I know that. It’s just … I didn’t know you’d been married.”

“Her name was Agata. We’d only been together for a couple of years. She died before I was cursed by Loki, died in childbirth.”

“You had children?”

He shook his head. “No, unfortunately, my infant son died with her.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. I wouldn’t say I don’t still feel grief when I think of it, but time has salved the wounds. It was a life-changing experience for me back then, though.
If my wife and son had lived, I never would have gone raiding. If I had never gone raiding …” He trailed off.

“You never would have been cursed by Loki,” she guessed.

“I would have made different decisions.” He stared down hungrily at her. “The last thousand years have been hell, but right now I’m glad I endured them because they led to you.”

Sorrow threatened her happiness because she knew there was an addendum to that sentence…. 
Too bad I can’t keep you
.

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her thoroughly, while his hands drifted down to explore her body. Jessa’s thought process went sluggish, the memory of his body on hers still very,
very
fresh in her mind. When he eased his hand between her thighs, she moaned and parted her legs for him.

With her hands and her mouth, she told him silently how much she wanted him inside her again.

Slipping over her body, he pushed her thighs apart, positioned himself, and slid deep within her. Their mouths fused, hands roaming, he rocked in and out of her, taking her slowly in the early light of the morning. Before he was done, she came twice beneath him.

When they were finished, they took a shower together that was entirely too long. They stood under the hot spray of the jets, soaping and rinsing each other clean. Jessa was endlessly fascinated with his body, so hard with muscle and with such soft skin all at the same time. She could spend hours just touching him, exploring every last ridge and valley of his magnificent physique, tracing her fingers over his battle scars. Eventually, however, the water went cold and they got out of the shower and dressed.

Broder hesitated at the door, watching her pull on a sweater.

She smiled, resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and waved him off. “Go get some food. I’ll be fine alone for ten minutes.” She could tell he was starving. It took a lot of calories to fuel a body as big as his.

Broder went for the door, then stopped, came back, and kissed her. “I’ll bring up strawberries.” It was her favorite thing to eat in the morning.

She gave him a final kiss, watched him leave the room, then finished getting dressed. The phone rang and she stilled just as she was buttoning her jeans. It wasn’t so odd that the phone was ringing, really … but it was odd that the phone in question was an unplugged antique.

Taking a few steps closer to it, she studied it. This was beyond creepy, like a scene from a horror movie. The ringing stopped. She relaxed and turned away. A moment later, the phone began ringing again.

When Broder returned, the phone was still ringing. She had drawn her hands into the sleeves of her sweater and remained standing, still staring at the possessed phone. “Broder, that is not a working telephone, right?”

“No.” Glancing at her, he set the tray down, went to the phone, and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” he growled. After a moment he set it back down in its cradle. “Apparently they only want to talk to you.”

“Oh, how lovely. Who do you think it is?”

Broder said nothing for a moment, then finally said, “It’s probably not the Blight. To my knowledge, they don’t possess magick of a nature to do that.”

And, of course, that left only one other option.

“Do you think … it could be my great-grandfather calling?”

Broder’s jaw locked. “It could be.”

She sat down on the bed, staring at the phone. “If it’s not the Blight and whoever doing it is using magick, it has to be him, right?”

Broder’s face tightened for a moment in anger. “Yes.”

She chewed her lower lip. “What does he want from me?”

“I don’t know.” His voice was a low growl. “But I’m going to find out.”

Broder entered the fitness room at the back of the keep and found Erik lifting weights. The Brotherhood had all been big men before they’d been damned by Loki. Back then if a man, or a woman, for that matter, wasn’t strong and healthy, survival was in question.

The survival of the brothers wasn’t at issue, but it was in their best interests to stay in shape in order to battle the Blight. Being in shape meant fewer injuries. Just because they were immortal and had incredible healing ability didn’t mean that injuries didn’t hurt.

He came to stand in front of Erik. The head of the Brotherhood lowered the weights with a softly ringing clang and sat up, grabbing a nearby towel to wipe off his face. “What is it?”

“I think the seidhr are trying to contact Jessa through magickal means. They can’t directly enter my lands unless I allow them inside, but they might attempt to draw her out by another method.”

Erik nodded and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I’ve tried to contact Thorgest to ask about Jessa, but they’re stonewalling me. They want her, but they’re not saying why, and they’re really pissed that she’s under our protection.” Erik regarded him for a moment, his blue eyes glittering. “They’re especially pissed that it’s you who is guarding her. Why is that, Broder?”

He didn’t answer.

Erik pressed his lips together in a suspicious, dismissive gesture, clearly sensing that Broder had no interest in sharing. “You are aware of the tension between the seidhr and the Brotherhood. They are not cooperative at the best of times.”

And these were definitely not the best of times, since he was involved.

“To protect Jessa, we need to assume the worst. We need to assume they’re attempting to use magick to somehow lure her away from us.” Broder gritted his teeth.

“Lure her away from you, you mean.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Erik leaned forward a little, resting a hand on his thigh. “I mean that it’s pretty clear you’re close to the woman. You don’t want her to leave you.”

He didn’t. Not ever.

“Sooner or later, you need to let her go. She’s seidhr, Broder. Those are her people. If she chooses to go to them, we shouldn’t stop her.”

“We should if they mean her harm.”

“If they meant her harm the shaman who came to the keep would have killed her on the spot. He had plenty of opportunity. Instead he tried to take her unharmed.”

Broder grunted. “They wanted to do something to her against her will. That’s enough for me.” In fact, the rage from the mere idea heated his blood.

Erik gave him a long, measuring look. “Okay.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He gave an easy, one-shouldered shrug. “It means, okay.”

Broder ground his teeth, peeling away the layers of Erik’s true meaning expressed in his tone of voice and body language.
Tell the truth. You love her, but you’ll have to let her go. You know that. So let her go, Broder. Either it’s now or it’s later.

He couldn’t let her go. He was a strong man, but he wasn’t strong enough for that.

•  •  •

Jessa nuzzled Broder’s chest, sliding her leg along his under the covers. Smiling, she drew her arm over his stomach and cuddled against him. There was nothing better in the world than a warm Broder in bed with her. She was now utterly convinced of this fact.

The night before, he had determined that the best way to protect her from any threats was to watch over her all night long … in his bed. She couldn’t think of even one downside to that plan.

His hands roamed her body possessively, heating her to near-unmanageable levels. His mouth found hers and he rolled her under his body, pressing her onto the mattress. Her arms twined around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair, then she skated her hands down his back and sides, to cup his incredibly gorgeous rear. His mouth covered hers, his tongue sliding in to rub up against her tongue.

She shifted, forcing him to fit between her legs, and guided his cock inside her. Her back arched and she sighed as he filled her, their bodies coming together yet again in perfect rhythm and erotic fusion.