Of Love and Darkness (10 page)

“But around the edge. I like that. Maybe nibble on the lobe.”

“This is so surreal.”

“I know. It is, isn’t it?”

“No, not this.” He motioned with his hand, indicated the two of them. “I mean
this
. Me, acting like this is my first time ever, and you, practically teaching me what to do.”

She giggled. “I admit, I never thought you would be nervous. You’re always so–so tough and confident.”

He blew out a breath and rolled over to lay on his back beside her. “Damn it, Sydney. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me. I want to mate with you. The Fates know I want to have sex with you. I’ve fantasized about a hundred different ways to do it, too. I don’t think I’ve ever had this problem before.”

“Maybe it’s because you actually care this time.”

Maybe.

She sat up and straddled him, her perky breasts jiggling slightly. And then she took charge.

Sydney, taking what she wanted, was a beautiful thing. She threaded her fingers with his and pressed his hands into the mattress while she kissed him and rocked against his cock until he was legitimately afraid he would cum all over himself.

“Sydney, I’m gonna—”

With a serene smile, she lifted her hips and then moved so she kneeled on the bed next to him. She licked and nibbled and kissed his ear, along his neck, and down his chest, focusing on his flat brown nipples, while her hand moved south, following his happy trail, until she cupped his cock and caused his hips to buck of their own accord.

“
Fuck
.”

He surged into a seated position, wrapped his arm around her waist, and flipped her onto her back again. She lay there, staring up at him, her eyes wide and brimming over with desire.

For him.

“I’m going to lose it if you keep going.” He grabbed her pajama bottoms and tugged them from her body. “I think it’s my turn to show you what that feels like.”

There was no trepidation in her gaze, no fear, no worry. Just anticipation. And lust.

He worshiped her body, kissing every bit of flesh he could, using his hands to continue stroking those areas he noticed drove her most wild. He made his way down, from her breasts to her belly, to her hip bones, and then he deliberately skipped the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and instead trailed kisses down her left leg.

He suckled on her big toe while his fingers skimmed along her leg, and when she rolled her hips and twisted her hands in the sheets and cried out for release, he reached up and stroked her between the thighs. She came apart almost instantly, and then, chuckling, he kissed his way up her right leg, until he was face level with heaven. A tiny triangle of golden curls he knew hid pleasure and enjoyment for them both.

He lifted his gaze and saw her watching him, her breasts heaving, her eyes dilated so much he could hardly see the blue.

“Ready?”

“For what?” she asked, the confusion evident in her voice.

He didn’t bother to answer. He licked her instead. She arched off the bed and cried out.

“Yes!”

He settled between her thighs and lifted her legs so they draped over his shoulders. He ran a finger along her seam and it came away wet. She was drenched and ready.

For him.

The earlier self-doubt threatened to invade his mind again, so he distracted himself by focusing on her instead. He licked and suckled, while thrusting with two fingers, until she jumped and bucked so hard he was half afraid they would both go tumbling off the bed.

As soon as she exploded with her second orgasm, he sat up and snagged the condom she’d dropped on the bed next to her. With one hand still pumping, stretching out her pleasure, he used the other and his teeth to release the latex from its case. He had to use both hands to get it rolled over his almost painfully swollen cock, but that took only a few seconds, and then he was back, covering her with his body, pressing into her, not giving her a chance to change her mind. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t at this point, but he saw no reason to take any chances.

He had no interest in discovering if one really could die from blue balls.

Gavin grabbed her ass with one hand and wrapped the other around her back, clamping onto her shoulder so he could get the best leverage. She lifted her hips, wrapped her legs around his back, and cupped his face, pulling him down to make love to her mouth as well as her body.

Fuck
. It really was only going to take five minutes.

“Won’t. Be. The. Only Time. Tonight,” he vowed between thrusts, grinding his teeth against the impending release.

And then he let go, gave himself over to her. To the pleasure. To his Chala.

His mate.

Chapter 8

When Gavin strode into the kitchen the next morning, William glanced up from where he stood at the counter, pouring pancake batter onto an electric griddle. And then he did a double-take. And then he sighed.

“I see she finally gave in.” The idea clearly gave him heartburn.

Gavin chuckled and stepped up to the counter to pour a cup of coffee. “I’d say it was the other way around. Let me tell you, your charge is a hot little number in the bedroom. If I’d known what she was capable of, I would have tried—”

William slashed a hand through the air and Gavin was rendered momentarily speechless. “Spare me the details. She’s like a sister to me.”

“And you’re still here,” Gavin commented when the power of speech returned.

He drained the last of the pot of coffee into his cup and regarded the Fate over the rim. Instead of his usual dress or skirt, William wore a bright yellow, fitted sweater and a pair of horizontally striped leggings. He was a giant walking bumble bee. But at least he made a mean breakfast.

“Why is that?” Gavin wondered. “It’s official. We’re mated. If you won’t take my word for it, watch for the sated smile when she gets out of the shower.”

“I’ve no doubt you had sex last night,” William said waspishly. “Trust me, the entire household is fully aware of what the two of you did last night.”

“We were that loud, huh?” Gavin was not the least abashed.

William sniffed delicately and expertly flipped a series of pancakes on the electric griddle.

Gavin shrugged one shoulder and lifted the coffeepot, replacing it when he realized it was empty. “Hey, I can’t help it. I think Sydney’s new favorite word is
yes
. Guess she likes to say it loudly.” He grinned.

William lifted the pancakes onto a large platter and then shoved it into Gavin’s stomach. “Take these to the table. While you’re there, why don’t you fill in your new recruits?”

Gavin glanced over his shoulder. “There’re more?” For once, he wasn’t unhappy about the notion of being surrounded by more Light Ones.

The latest group was comprised of eight Light Ones from the Deep South. They greeted everyone with a collective, “Hey y’all,” and then devoured breakfast with the relish of men who hadn’t eaten in days. William couldn’t keep up. Three of the youngest shifters were assigned to dishwashing duty so he had no other responsibility but to stand over the griddle and make food.

“Damn animals eat like it’s their last meal,” he muttered under his breath.

“We need a bigger place,” Quentin commented as he snatched a slice of bacon off Jack’s plate. Quentin had become cockier than the rest, because he was so obviously William’s favorite, and William earned everyone’s respect just by nature of being a Fate. Not only a Fate, but Sydney’s Fate. Their Chala’s Fate.

“I think I have a solution to that problem.”

All gazes shifted to the hallway, where Sydney stood with her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a black sweater and black yoga pants. Gavin felt the familiar twinge in his groin and wondered if she’d be up for another round. How many times had they done it last night? Did it really matter? He still wanted her again. He was pretty sure his need would only increase with the passage of time and frequency, and he found he wasn’t the least bit upset about the notion.

She blushed prettily and Gavin knew she wondered if everyone suspected what transpired last night. His gaze cut to the kitchen, where William was whipping up another batch of pancake batter, and he wondered again why the Fate was still hanging around. Maybe it was because of the imminent threat of the Rakshasa from Detroit. Did Fates have that kind of control over their own, er, fate?

As far as he understood it, a Fate was assigned to a Chala until such time as the Chala found a mate, and then the Fate left and was assigned to a new Chala, once that one came of age. Although, considering the lack of Chala to protect these days, maybe the head Fate had decided to give William some leeway. What else did he have to do with his time?

“It’s the Chala, y’all!” The shout came from the cluster of new shifters. They rose as a unit and rushed to crowd around Sydney, pawing at her and cooing and making suggestions, some that were bawdy even by Gavin’s standards.

“What the hell?” He strode across the room and bodily tossed shifters out of his path. When he reached Sydney, he was momentarily bowled over by her beauty. When had she become so beautiful? When had she
not
been beautiful? When could he get her naked again?

She smiled as if she understood the train of his thoughts and said, “Thank you,” as demurely as a sex kitten.

Gavin shook his head. “Why are they still fawning over you? You’re my mate.” He stabbed his chest with his thumb. “We consummated it last night. I ingested your blood, I healed you, we had sex”—he ticked off the points with his fingers as he listed them out loud—“so why are they still acting as if they have a shot in hell of getting into your pants?” He eyed those pants with obvious appreciation.

“I see great sex hasn’t made you any less crude,” Sydney commented calmly, and damned if he didn’t like the way she assumed the sex had been great. Of course, he’d been very vocal in his praise last night, so he supposed she had a right.

“And to answer your question, I have no idea,” she said as she breezed past him and glided into the kitchen.

Glided
? Great sex had fucked up his brain,
that’s
for certain. Gavin shook his head again and followed her. Sydney pulled the empty coffee carafe off the burner, put it into the sink, and filled it with water. Gavin offered his half-full mug and she took a sip before handing it back to him.

“William, do you have any idea why all these shifters appear to still believe I am not yet mated?” she asked as she measured coffee grounds into the filter and then turned on the coffee maker.

“Possibly,” he hedged and then handed Gavin another plate loaded with pancakes and asked, “What is this idea for a larger place?”

Gavin took the platter into the dining room, keeping his ears tuned to the conversation in the kitchen.

“Your aunt’s place, up north. The house itself is pretty big, plus the pole barn is heated, and with all the muscle around here, I don’t think it would be very difficult to convert it into a sort of barracks. Plus, she lives on, like, seventy acres, so we could all train without anyone questioning what we’re doing.”

Gavin returned to the kitchen. “Is this the kind of stuff you think about while I’m banging your brains out?”

William wrinkled his nose and Sydney rolled her eyes. “We had sex frequently enough last night to fill my quota for a while. Keep it up and I’ll cut you off for a month.”

Gavin snorted. “Liar.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” William commented.

Gavin threw him a startled look. “Cutting me off is a lousy idea.”

William and Sydney both gave him
get real
looks and he realized the rest of the world did not currently revolve around his sex life.
At all
, he thought, when he spotted one of the newest shifters eyeing Sydney’s ass. Gavin growled, deep in his throat, and the guy quickly averted his gaze.

“How long do you think we have before they attack?” Sydney asked him.

He wondered when she’d become so damn confident and self-assured. Was it the sex? Or had it been his reassurances last night that he was the baddest-ass shifter around, and so long as she was his mate, she had nothing to worry about?

He liked the fact that she believed him, because he was plenty worried enough for both of them. He may be a badass, but if the Rakshasa gathered enough numbers, well, numbers almost always won, in his book. Gloria and Hernandez had been proof positive of that.

“A little time. First, they have to figure out where we are, which they’ll have done by the end of the weekend, if they don’t know already. They could have followed us last night. I wasn’t paying enough attention to be sure. I was more focused on getting the kid back here so he could get medical aid.” That was a lie. He’d been in a near-panic, needing to see for himself that Sydney was okay. When he realized why the Rakshasa tortured the poor kid, all he could think about was protecting Sydney.

“After they figure out where we’re holed up, they’ll watch us for a little while, so they know exactly what they’re up against. Since our motley group is currently pretty damn pathetic, if we stay here, I’d say they’ll attack by next weekend. If we move, it’ll definitely buy us time.” He shrugged.

Sydney turned to William. “Call your aunt.”

William was a thousand-year-old Fate. If he’d had any aunts when he was human, they’d died a very, very long time ago. His aunt wasn’t, of course, really his aunt. Her name was Hilde, and she was a fellow Fate who pitched in every now and then to help out when needed. Considering the lack of Chala to protect, she had little else to do with her immortal time.

She didn’t even hesitate to agree to help this time, especially when William mentioned it was Sydney’s life at stake. Hilde, like William, had a soft spot for the sweet, young Chala.

“What is it with you?” Gavin asked. “The whole damn world adores you like you’re the frigging Pied Piper. I don’t get it.”

Sydney frowned. “Somebody has to counteract your incredibly charming personality.” Her voice positively dripped with sarcasm.

“I’ve already contacted my boss and told her I have to go out of town for a family emergency,” William said, interrupting the conversation before it turned into an argument.

“Oh my God,” Sydney blurted. “I totally forgot about my job. I have five events this month. I can’t leave now.”

Gavin gave her an incredulous look. “They’re goddamned parties, Sydney. It won’t be the end of the world if you can’t work there anymore.”

“What do you mean,
anymore
? We’re just taking a small hiatus.” Her head swiveled around to look at William. “Right?”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Sweetie, this isn’t a hiatus. This is the real deal. We likely aren’t coming back here. It’s far too dangerous. Now that the Rakshasa are aware of your presence, they will continue to search for you until either they are killed or you are. I’m sorry, Sydney.” He reached out and ran his hand over her hair.

Sydney batted his hand away, the reality of the situation obviously hitting her harder than she expected. Gavin grabbed her and, despite her feeble attempts to get away, pulled her into his arms and pushed her face into his shoulder, holding her tightly while she sniffled and struggled to get out of his grasp.

“Why
are
you still here?” he demanded of the Fate, as he glared at William over Sydney’s shoulder.

William’s gaze shifted to the side before he spoke. “Well, we normally have about forty-eight hours to gather our things and say good-bye.” And then he frowned. “But I don’t feel the same as I have in the past.”

“What does that mean? “ Gavin asked. Sydney stopped struggling to get out of his arms. He knew she was listening intently to William’s words.

“Normally, the connection I have with my charges sort of goes away when they take a mate,” William said haltingly. He lifted his gaze and looked Gavin full in the eyes. “But I still feel the connection with Sydney.”

Sydney glanced at Gavin. “Does this mean we aren’t really mated?”

Gavin tightened his grip on her waist and shook his head. “No. It means you get the bonus package.” He changed the subject, reminding Sydney that she needed to let her employer know she would no longer be managing their events.

While the distraction reminded her of her current predicament, it also had the added effect of shifting her focus away from the fact that if she were truly Gavin’s mate, William would be packing his bags and heading to wherever Fates go once their charges have been released from their protection. Instead, William packed his bags to go with them to Hilde’s home in northern Michigan. Even as the Fate’s presence made Gavin nervous about his connection with Sydney, it was also reassuring, because William had a great deal of knowledge they would undoubtedly need in the next few weeks.

Sydney decided it was lucky that most of the occupants of the house had their own vehicles. Even more convenient, the shifters from the Deep South arrived in a parade of pickup trucks, so there was plenty of room to pack clothes, linens, toiletries, and, so it turned out, half the kitchen as well.

“Hilde lives alone.” William’s tone was defensive when he handed Gavin a box full of various kitchen utensils. “And someone has to feed all you hungry animals.”

The final argument was whether Sydney would drive her own car, which of course Gavin nixed. “I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he declared, his eyes glowing faintly.

“Okay, that’s just ridiculous. You can’t possibly keep me within your eyesight every single moment of every single day.”

“Watch me,” he challenged.

In the end, it was easier to let him have his way than to stand there, wasting precious time arguing about it. Gavin was reasonably certain the Rakshasa had not yet figured out where she lived, because he’d sent Hugo and two other seasoned shifters out to scout the neighborhood, and they reported back that they’d unearthed no Rakshasa, nor any Rakshasa scents. Leaving sooner rather than later bought them much-needed time.

“Besides,” Gavin said in a blatant attempt at placating her, “if you leave your car here, they will assume that either you are still in town, or wherever you went, you took a plane to get there. It could buy us even more time.”

Time, she knew, was what they needed more than anything else. As the caravan merged onto the freeway and headed north, she and Gavin analyzed each of the shifters who had so far joined their ranks, and the analysis wasn’t pretty. A handful, like Hugo and Ignacio, were old enough to have seen and survived enough battles that they could be worthy adversaries. But for every seasoned shifter, there were five young enough to have not yet experienced their first battle.

“How are there Light Ones who are so young, if there are no more Chala in the world?” Sydney wanted to know.

“Female Light Ones are infertile, unless they are born as Chala. But male Light Ones and Chala can mate with humans, too, like your great-great-great-grandmother did. But the gene that creates Light Ones and Chala is recessive, as I understand it, so the likelihood of producing a shifter instead of a human is slim. Plus, if the parents are far enough removed that they don’t even know they have a shifter gene in their blood, the kid could grow up and not even know what he is, at least until he outlives everyone else around him and still doesn’t look any older than twenty-five.”