Passion Ignited (39 page)

A sigh escaped her as she realized that
everything would be okay. She started to drift off to the sounds of
Kaira’s baby snores, when her eyes opened as a bright light
flashed.

Hades traced into the room, flames licking up
his body until they disappeared completely. “Nitro,” he
greeted.

“Get out,” she hissed.

He looked at her, seeming to take in every
detail as she lay in bed. His evil smile vanished as his lips
formed a grimace. “Ugh, what’s wrong with you?”

“Sick,” she mumbled.

“Why would you be sick?”

“I tried to eat food.”

His eyebrows popped up as he looked down at
her. “That shouldn’t be a problem. As long as you wean yourself
back on it. You’ve had a lot of changes in your body recently, so
you’ll mostly need blood.”

“How do you know?” she asked, sitting up in
her bed slowly.

“I’ve seen a lot of creatures enter my realm.
You start to learn things.” He shrugged.

“Why are you here?”

“I just wanted to check on you—”

“Right
.”

“Fine,” he said. “You have one of my
demons.”

Her stomach tightened, but not from the pot
roast threatening to make a comeback. “No, I don’t.”

“You can’t lie to me, I can sense her.” His
gaze dodged around the room. Down on the floor, up on the walls, in
every corner—both high and low—closets, doors, everywhere. The last
place he looked was at Nitro, on the bed. “Kairalilium,” he said,
his tone gentle. The warm baritone of his normally angry voice was
like honey, settling over her.

Kaira’s form suddenly appeared. She’d simply
vanished earlier, but remained in the same position she’d been in.
Fully visible, she remained by Nitro’s side, cowering from Hades’
stare.

“How did you get out?” he asked.

Kaira looked down at the bed, her small
shoulder rose and fell in a shrug.

“You’re returning with me.”

“No,” Nitro said.

Both Hades and Kaira looked at her in
disbelief.

“She’s staying with me,” she insisted, staring
at the Devil.

Hades returned her glare for a moment before
he schooled his reaction and smiled. “Of course. She can stay with
you. As I mentioned before, you and I are kin. We must look out for
each other.”

“We’re not kin,” she argued. “You’re the
Devil—”

“And you are Death,” Hades growled.

She stared at him silently, her eyes wide. Not
because of his anger, but because of what he’d said. Had that been
what she saw that night?
Death
? And was he right about the
two of them being connected somehow? Now that she took the time to
look at him, she realized that she did sense something familiar in
him.

A quiet knock sounded at her door just as Ally
snuck in carrying two bags of blood. “Sorry to bug you, but I—” She
paused as her gaze landed on Hades, who was looming over Nitro’s
bed. “Umm, do you need help, Nitro?” Her eyes narrowed as she
stared at both of them, her head tilting to the side just as it had
downstairs.

“No,” Nitro said.

Hades stared at Ally. The same shock that
covered her face was plastered on his own. His head turned back and
forth, his gaze flicking between her and Nitro in what appeared to
be abject disbelief. Then, speaking to no one in particular, he
said, “Another?”

****

“What’s going on?” Raider demanded.

Ally rushed from the room as she tried—and
failed—to hide her paleness from Raider. He turned to look at Nitro
once Ally left. “There was a blip in the security system…in
here.”

“Nope. Nada,” she replied. She let her gaze
travel upward to where Kaira was on the ceiling, her form
hidden.

“I thought you’d go to my room,” he said,
shutting the door quietly behind him.

Nitro shrugged. “I didn’t want to crowd
you.”

“I see you’re feeling better.”

“I am. The blood Ally brought me really
helped.”

Raider nodded slowly as he approached her bed.
“Speaking of Ally, what happened that made the two of you go
pale?”

Hoping her emotions weren’t transmitting
through their bond, she said, “Nothing.”

“She was up here for a while.”

“Girl talk.” Nitro waved her hand
dismissively. “Just girl talk.”

He smiled as he pulled her hand into his and
sat next to her on the bed. “I don’t believe you.”

Crap!
“How are you feeling?” she asked,
changing the subject.

“I feel fine. In fact…” He leaned lower and
took her mouth in a tender kiss as he stretched out next to her on
the bed.

Her eyes went up to the ceiling where Kaira
was perched, now visible, as she cocked her head at them. Her
stubby little fingers waved and she disappeared again.

The feel of Raider’s lips and hands brought
her back to her vampire. “Raider,” she purred. “You’re
injured.”

“I’m not that injured,” he said, before
setting back to the task of sprinkling kisses over her
body.

Pushing the details of her conversation with
Hades and Ally from her mind, she melted into her male. His warm
hands roamed her body as the gentle touch of their lips turned
rough and passionate. Raider slipped his tongue past her teeth as
she opened her lips in a sigh. He rolled on top of her, his weight
settling between her spread legs.

“Be my mate,” he whispered between
kisses.

Nitro froze, pulling her mouth away from his.
“I can’t.”

“Why?” he asked casually as he placed gentle
kisses down her neck.

She closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling
of Raider’s lips all over her, and wishing he wasn’t ruining it all
right now. “Because something is wrong with me.”

A wicked smile curved his lips. “I can assure
you. There is absolutely
nothing
wrong with you.”

“You don’t know—”

“I know what I feel, and I feel the connection
between us,” he interrupted, placing a finger on her lips. “We’re
Fated. It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be drawn together as
mates.”

She looked up at her male as he loomed over
her. His warm eyes held hers steady as all the love he felt for her
washed over her.

“Be my mate,” he said again.

She couldn’t deny the pull she felt. Such a
strong bond connected her and Raider that it would be impossible to
stay away from him. Their souls needed each other as much as one
needed air.

He moved his finger from her mouth, replacing
it with his lips. He kissed her once, twice, and then pulled away
from her again.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Let’s be
mated.”

Raider’s eyes glowed with pride. His smile
widened into one that showed his adorable dimples that she knew
she’d never tire of looking at. Nearly faster than she could track,
his mouth was on hers once again, taking her in a red hot,
scorching kiss. She laughed at his eagerness as his hands roamed
more greedily now, touching anything and everything he could get
his hands on, ripping her pants from her body and slowly unhooking
every clasp on her corset. Her hands fumbled with his as well, and
within seconds they were bare. She could feel his cock resting
between her legs, where moisture had pooled. Her body ached to take
him inside, to feel the battering of his thrusts. She opened her
legs wider, welcoming him. Demanding him.

He complied, the head of his shaft sinking
deep inside her. She never felt better than when her vampire was
deep inside. She shuddered and arched upward, meeting each thrust.
Raider bent down, his fangs grazing her neck. “Do you know what to
do?”

She shook her head, barely able to form
conscious thought. “No.”

His thrusts slowed. “That’s okay, doll. I’ll
walk you through it.”

Her hands roamed over his broad shoulders and
chest, causing his muscles to jump under her meandering fingers.
Even his Guardian’s Mark pulsed beneath her touch, the Mark moving
and swirling with color as though it lived on his skin. “When did
it start doing that?”

His eyes caught the movement and he smiled
brightly. “Demetrius’s does that too.”

She’d never seen his move, had never seen it
as more than a tattoo that came with his allegiance to his
brothers. “What caused it?” she asked in wonder.

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “My guess is it’s
because of you.”

Nitro beamed up at him. She could tell her own
eyes glowed as light shone on Raider’s face, even as his eyes
gleamed a brilliant green. Everything about this moment, everything
about being with him felt right. Despite the uncertainty she had
with the changes she’d been through and the information she’d just
been given. Raider loved her. And that was all she
needed.

He cupped her face before kissing her lips
tenderly. “I love you, Nitro. You’ve made me so happy.” Placing his
hand on her heart, he said, “Alright, this is what we
do.”

Epilogue

He stood in the shadows of the street,
watching, catching any glimpse he could of the women inside. He
hadn’t been able to get the brunette out of his mind and, ignoring
his duty to Eugene and Kyle, he’d come straight here as soon as
he’d woken up.

It was dark out, but people were still milling
around, shopping and dining, completely unaware of him as they each
passed him by on the sidewalk. He preferred it that way. Remaining
unseen. It allowed him to catch a few glimpses of the woman he’d
seen before. The woman he’d ended up dreaming about.

There. She just passed the window, talking
animatedly to her friends. Just like in his dream, her hair was
long and flowing, curling at the ends. In his dream, they’d made
love anywhere and everywhere, in forests and meadows, in kitchens
and rooms. And beds. So many beds. And in each of the instances
he’d dreamt of taking her, he’d also drunk her blood. She hadn’t
died like the people he drank from in real life. She’d clung to
him, demanding—and at times, begging—for him to take
more.

The door to their condo opened, and he
stirred. One by one, the women filed out. They were each dressed in
a way that could make any man stop and stare, but he only had eyes
for the brunette.

Raine.

Such a perfect name for such
beauty.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and
looked across the street. She’d remained frozen there as if she’d
sensed him, but he remained silent and still. She shook her head
and walked along with the others.

“Where are we going again?” one
asked.

“You said you wanted to know what it’s like to
be human, right?” Raine replied with a smile. “Well, Victoria’s
Secret is a girl’s best friend.”

He followed them just as he’d done before, by
remaining across the street and sticking to the shadows. He could
see her well enough, not needing the sun to light his way. As it
was, the street was bright enough, illuminating her features. She
glowed with radiance and he couldn’t take his eyes off of
her.

“What is it?” another woman asked.

“Oh, you’ll see. This’ll take care of
practically everything we’ve been talking about,” Raine laughed.
“Not that any of you should have any problem with men.”

They all laughed as they walked down the
sidewalk. Within minutes, they’d reached a store and walked inside.
It was Victoria’s Secret, just as Raine had said, and he risked
getting a lot closer to the store. His eyes widened as he took in
the sight of all the items the store had to offer, and he couldn’t
help but watch what Raine picked up for herself. She mostly grabbed
things for the other ladies, but every once in a while she’d admire
something and throw it over her arm.

There were a few instances where she looked
over at the window, as if she could actually sense him, but he
quickly dodged behind a poster of a woman scantily clad in the
underwear they were hocking inside.

The women spent a good deal of time in the
store, trying on things and grabbing underwear for the others to
try on. He felt like a creeper watching them through the window, so
he decided to take a step back and watch from a distance once more.
He couldn’t explain why he was so attracted to Raine. She was
gorgeous, yes, with a body he wanted to touch more than anything.
But he couldn’t pinpoint the undeniable draw that she had on
him.

From the other side of the street, he caught a
few more glimpses of Raine inside the store, and after a little
while longer, they emerged with pink and white bags in hand. By the
looks of it, they’d made out with quite a haul and were all smiling
as if they’d hit the jackpot.

They walked a few steps before the blonde one
finally spoke. “So, where are we going to eat? That Chinese place
was good.”

“Oh, there are a lot more Chinese food
places.” Raine laughed. “Let’s try another one? Actually, why don’t
we sneak through this alley? It’ll shave off some time.”