Something about Madoc had changed. The way he looked at her now was darker somehow, more dangerous.
It made her body heat and sent a shiver coursing along the inside of her skin.
She splayed her hand against his bare chest, reveling in the feel of his muscles, tight beneath her palm. The branches of his lifemark swayed toward her touch as if reaching for her.
A spike of victory went through her. It was working. Finally, after all this time of knowing they were meant to be together, she had proof.
“That’s supposed to happen, right?” she asked him.
Madoc looked down, saw the motion for only a brief second; then his green gaze went back to her, sliding over her face until it settled on her mouth. “Don’t fucking care. Lie down.”
His deep, rough voice sank into her and she had to stifle another shiver. She had to focus. She had a job to do. She couldn’t simply do as he asked, no matter how nice it sounded.
Nika didn’t move. She wasn’t sure what to do now, but she knew she was supposed to take his luceria.
She reached for it, but Madoc was faster. He gripped her wrist and rolled them over so she was lying under him. He held her there, staring down at her with a look so hungry, she almost wanted to run.
Almost.
Running was no longer an option. Then again, it never really had been. She’d known this moment would come. She’d lain in bed at night thinking about it, dreaming about it, touching herself. After months of waiting for him, she was glad he was finally right here with her.
The feel of his weight on top of her made her body sing. She widened her thighs to make more room for his big body to settle between them. Madoc shifted his hips, rubbing his erection against her in a way that sent zingers of sensation rioting through her.
Nika sucked in a breath and let it out in a soft moan. “Do that again.”
Madoc blinked several times, as if trying to clear his head. His body was still, his face contorted into a mask of painful restraint.
“Madoc?”
“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be,” he said.
“What?”
He didn’t answer her. He gave his head a hard shake and gritted his teeth.
“Let go of my wrists.”
“Mine,” he growled, tightening his grip.
She looked him right in the eye. “I’m not going to leave you.”
He didn’t release her. His mouth came down onto hers in a fierce kiss.
Nika’s toes curled and she opened her mouth against his so she could taste him. As the tip of her tongue met his, his body tightened like he’d taken an electric shock. A noise too rough to be a moan rumbled through his chest, vibrating against her nipples. She felt them bead up tighter, and rubbing against him was too good to resist. The only thing better would be if she could feel his bare skin against hers.
“Need my shirt off,” she whispered into his mouth.
Rather than pulling away from their kiss, he reached between them and shoved the fabric of her shirt and bra up over her breasts, baring them.
The first contact of her nipples against his chest sent a shocking, sparking sensation into her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it was too intense to be called pleasure. She’d never felt anything like it before, but she knew she wanted to feel it again.
Madoc had gone still above her. He’d felt it, too.
She took his head in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “Don’t you dare stop,” she warned him. “I need this.”
A slow, dark smile curved his lips. “There is no stopping now.” He lifted his left hand, showing her the ring of the Theronai. It was nearly white, but the faint colors left were moving, swirling frenetically within the band. “See. You were right. You
are
mine.”
He reached between them and pressed the ring against one nipple. It was vibrating, and the feel of that humming against her sensitive flesh made her cry out.
“Like that?” he asked as if he already knew the answer. “Then you’re going to love this.”
He slid his hand down over her stomach and unbuttoned her loose jeans. The ring left a trail of tingling skin in its wake. Nika’s breathing sped up and her body heated, going liquid. Despite the cool air, sweat broke out along her hairline.
Madoc’s fingers found their way inside her panties and he cupped her mound, his big hand covering her completely. The ring settled right over her clit—near but not touching, not nearly close enough. The shimmering sensation humming from the ring set her nerves on fire and made her writhe beneath him.
She spread her legs wider, opening herself up so he could make direct contact. Her hips moved, seeking what she needed. And then suddenly, his hand was gone.
She looked up, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Madoc knelt between her knees, his body beautifully naked, his penis thick and stiff, jutting out from his body.
Nika’s mouth went dry and the need to touch him overwhelmed her. She reached out and wrapped her hands around him. He was smooth. Soft skin stretched over rock hardness. The contrast was completely surprising and totally intriguing.
A drop of liquid leaked from the tip of his erection. She touched it with her finger, sliding the slickness over his skin.
Madoc let out a sound so low she could barely hear it. But she felt it vibrate through her arms and settle in her chest.
She looked up at him, opening her mouth to ask if he was okay, but the words got stuck in her throat. He was staring down at her, his jaw tight, his muscles clenched. The look of need darkening his eyes was so intense it made Nika’s insides melt. She wanted to give him whatever he needed, whatever he wanted. Forever.
She scrambled to her knees and jerked the shirt and bra over her head, tossing them to the floor. They were going to get in the way of feeling his skin against hers.
He watched her with those hungry eyes roaming over every section of skin she revealed. Nika knew she was no great beauty. Years of suffering and starvation had left her flat-chested, too skinny and bony, but Madoc didn’t seem to mind. He looked at her like she was everything he’d ever wanted, like the rest of the world had ceased to exist.
She slid her arms around his neck, feeling the hum of his luceria as she grazed it. Her nipples pressed into his chest, his erection throbbed against her stomach, and the intense warmth of his body everywhere it touched hers made her groan in delight.
“Take off your pants,” he told her.
Nika ignored him and kissed him instead. His wide hands gripped her hips, then moved up to her waist and over her back. He pulled her hard against him, nearly driving the breath from her body, but she didn’t mind. Who needed oxygen when she had Madoc’s mouth on hers, his tongue licking along her lips and gliding against her own?
Her head spun and she was breathless when he finally pulled away from her. His cheeks were dark and his powerful chest rose and fell with his uneven breathing.
His mouth moved like he was trying to say something, but no words came out.
He wrapped his arms around her and eased her body down to the bed. Instead of coming over her as she’d hoped he’d do, he moved to her feet, gripped the open waistband of her jeans, and pulled them down her legs. He gave a rough jerk, and socks, underwear, and shoes all went flying.
He surveyed her naked body and pulled in a deep breath, making his nostrils flare. “All mine.”
And she was. She always had been. “You’re mine, too.”
He gave her a dark smile, then prowled up her body on his hands and knees. He braced himself over her, shoving her legs apart with his knee, and leaned down to flick his tongue over her nipple. Nika sucked in a breath and arched her back, pulling his head down for more.
He drew her into his mouth, creating a suction so good she dug her nails into his scalp so he wouldn’t pull away. His hand stroked down her side, over her stomach, and his fingers slid between her labia. She was slick, and as hot as his skin was, his fingers felt cool against her heated flesh.
She felt the blunt tip of one finger pressing into her, stretching her.
Madoc groaned. “So fucking tight,” he said against her breast. “But not for long.”
Madoc couldn’t think straight. He stared down at Nika’s naked body and all he could think about was getting inside her. He knew there was something he was supposed to do—something he was forgetting—but compared to taking her, everything else was unimportant.
Her blue eyes were darker than usual, more like twilight than a bright winter sky. Her mouth was swollen and red, her lips parted. A rosy flush spread down her neck and across her chest. Her nipple tightened against his tongue and she let out a soft groan.
She grabbed his head as if she actually had a chance at controlling him.
Something dark and powerful rose up inside him, balking at the challenge. No one was ever going to control him. He’d do what he damn well pleased, when he pleased.
And right now, what he pleased was getting his cock as deep inside Nika as possible. He wanted to feel her virgin-tight body yielding to him as he drove deep and hard.
He shifted his body so they were lined up just right and lifted her head so she could see. “You watch while I take you,” he ordered her.
Her blue eyes fixated on the space between them as the tip of his cock pressed hard, stretching her open. She was slick enough that he could slide in just a bit, but her muscles resisted the invasion.
“Relax,” he growled at her. “Don’t you dare fucking fight me.”
“I’m not,” she whispered.
She was lying. She had to be. She was trying to stop him.
A seething darkness seemed to swirl through him, demanding that he take her hard and fast. She was tempting him on purpose. Testing him.
Madoc wasn’t going to let that challenge go unanswered.
He surged forward, sinking deeper. Nika’s eyes fell shut and a gasp whispered out of her mouth. Her hands clenched around his arms as if she was trying to pull him closer.
He was definitely going to get a hell of a lot closer before they were done.
Madoc ripped his arms out of her grasp and pushed her thighs higher. His hands looked huge against her legs, almost brutal.
A faint flicker of worry made him hesitate for a brief moment before it was washed away by a surge of need.
Her head fell back to the bed. Her tight pussy was quivering around him, so slick and hot he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer before he came. And when he did, he wanted her to feel it—to be so deep inside her she’d never again be able to forget she belonged to him.
Madoc pulled back just enough that he could see her wetness shining on his cock before he slid back in and kept sliding. He felt some resistance, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him. He pushed past, wringing a gasping cry from Nika, and finally, after several rocking thrusts, he was where he belonged.
Her breathing was fast and her heartbeat was so frantic he could see her breast trembling in time with her pulse. The flush of color and the sheen of perspiration covering her chest were proof she was enjoying what he had to give.
Not that it mattered. All he cared about now was finishing what he’d started.
Madoc pulled away and surged back, shaking her body with the power of his stroke. Her fingers reached blindly for him, landing on his chest.
He felt the bare branches of his lifemark reach for her, arching toward her touch as if starved for it.
Too late. It was too late for her to save him, but he didn’t fucking care. Right now, with her supple body beneath him, her tight pussy hugging his cock, and her fingers on his skin, nothing else seemed to matter.
Madoc began to move, setting a hard, fast pace. He wasn’t going to last long the first time he took her, but he wanted to wring as much pleasure as he could from it before he gave in.
Sweat cooled his back. The bed rocked, making the floorboards squeak. From somewhere outside the room, he heard voices, but they meant nothing. The only sound that mattered was the faint sighs lifting from Nika that were growing louder with every move he made.
His body tightened as his climax neared. His movements became more frantic, his pace faster. A brilliant tingling swept over his skin, sinking into the base of his spine. He pushed Nika’s hips higher, buried himself deep enough that she let out a grunt; then he let go.
Mind-numbing pleasure gripped him hard as he spent himself within Nika’s slick body, spurting inside her over and over again. He went weak, collapsing over her, panting.
He felt her squirm beneath him. “I can’t breathe,” she said. She didn’t sound like a satisfied woman, replete with pleasure. In fact, she sounded upset.
Whatever.
Madoc flipped onto his back to give her room, and that was when he saw the stain of blood smearing his cock.
That flicker of worry that had nagged him before came back with a vengeance. He pushed himself up and saw the red spot on the sheets just as the bedroom door burst open.
Logan stood there, staring at them, almost in a panic. “I smell blood.”
“Get out!” yelled Nika, covering her nakedness with her arms.
The Sanguinar’s eyes moved over her body and a killing rage consumed Madoc. He let out a feral growl and leaped from the bed. Logan’s eyes went to his dick and a look of understanding fell over the bloodsucker.
“Madoc, no.” Nika was behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as if she could actually stop him from killing the leech. “Don’t do this. He was only worried about me. He knows about the ring—about how you’re out of time.”
It was the feel of her hard little nipples against his naked back that stopped him. He wanted to fuck her again more than he wanted to kill Logan, but only by a little.
“Get out,” he ordered Logan.
“You can’t let the others see you like this,” Logan told him. “They sent Chris to the Slayers only a few hours ago. You’ll be next.”