Authors: Kate Pearce
“The elevators are working.”
She shivered. “I hate small spaces.”
“It’s only one floor up.” He pressed the illuminated call button. “You can hold my hand if you like.”
“I’m not quite that pathetic.” The elevator doors opened and she forced herself to step inside.
“It will only take a minute, Ms. Walsh.”
She couldn’t even look at him, her attention focused on the doors, and the upward motion of the elevator. A faint ding heralded their arrival and she was finally able to let out her breath.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Vadim said.
Ella didn’t deign to answer him, and stepped as close to the doors as she could. As they started to open, she stared fixedly at the narrow slit of white marble in the lobby. A sudden jolt sent her rocking back on her heels. Vadim caught her as the elevator made a terrible screeching sound and started to fall back down the shaft.
“Hold on to me!”
Vadim pulled her into his arms and curled his body around hers, drawing them both down to the floor and using his magic to protect them from the impact. Her scream exploded against his chest as the elevator hit the bottom of the shaft and everything went black.
He opened his eyes into complete darkness. Ella was fighting his hold, her breathing ragged, her nails slashing at his skin.
“Ms. Walsh, get a grip.” He grabbed hold of her upper arms and held her as still as he could. “
Ella
.”
She shuddered so convulsively he felt it resonate through his own body. “I have to get out of here,
right
now
. Don’t you get it?”
“Listen to me.” He gave her a gentle shake. “
Listen
. We’ll get out of here. We only fell a couple of levels.”
“I don’t care how far we fell, I have to get out!”
“Take some deep breaths and help me think this through.” She tried to pull away from him, but he held tight. “Is your cell working?”
He relaxed his grip sufficiently to allow her to forage in her pocket. She pulled out her smart phone and clicked on the screen. Nothing happened and she moaned.
“Try mine. It’s in the pocket of my pants.”
She retrieved his phone, but there was no response from his network either.
“Oh fuck,” Ella breathed. “Oh fuckety-fuck.”
“It’s probably because this part of the building is magically warded against the outside.”
“Not helpful, Morosov.” She took a deep trembling breath. “Can’t you use your magic to get us out?”
He considered the space around him. “I don’t think that’s going to work either.” He wasn’t sure if she sensed it yet, but he was aware of plenty of magical power encircling them already. Unfortunately, he had no idea if the magic was benign or hostile.
“Why not?”
“I’m probably not powerful enough to break through the SBLE shields by myself.”
He wasn’t sure if that was true, but he didn’t want to use up all his power in case there was worse trouble ahead. He also didn’t want to mention that to Ella.
“Can you contact Alexei?”
He tried. “No, there is something blocking my thoughts.”
“Something from Otherworld?”
“I don’t know. It could just as easily be the SBLE.”
“Then what are we going to do?” Her breathing fragmented again. “We’re going to die down here, and no one will ever find us.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “No, we’re not.”
“I’m going to die anyway, but it’s not fair to you.”
He kissed her nose and she made a growling noise. “Don’t be so negative. There are other options to explore.”
“Like what?”
“There should be an alarm button to push somewhere. We could start with that.”
“They usually only ring within the building and I bet everyone has gone home for the weekend.”
“Let’s find it anyway.”
He crawled across to where he thought the doors were, eventually bumping his knee against the steel plated metal. Kneeling up, he felt over the smooth surface until he discovered the control panel. He systematically pressed every button he found, but nothing lit up.
“Morosov?”
“I’m right here.”
“I can’t hear any alarms going off.”
Neither could he.
“We’re trapped, aren’t we?”
He turned back to her. “Just for the moment. There might be a remote alarm that rings straight through to the fire department.”
“The air is going to run out and we’ll suffocate.”
He found her hand. “We won’t. This thing isn’t sealed. There’s plenty of air coming in for just the two of us.”
“Stop being so fucking reasonable!”
“It won’t help if we both panic, will it?”
“Shut
up
.” She squeezed his hand so hard he heard his bones crack. “I just want to get out of here.”
“We could try and climb out.”
“You’re right. There has to be a service hatch. How are we going to reach it?”
“You could stand on my shoulders?”
“Do you really think that would work?”
“I don’t see why not.” He pulled her to her feet. “Put your backpack and jacket down, take off your shoes and climb up to my shoulders.”
She took off her jacket and he caught hold of her around the waist. “Go on.”
She scaled him with an ease that reminded him that she had older brothers. He steadied himself as she tentatively knelt on his shoulders.
“I can’t see a thing.”
“Use your hands. Aim for the center of the space.”
“There’s something there, but I can’t...” He almost staggered as she pushed upward. “I can’t make it move.”
“Slow down and think it through. Tell me what you can feel of the mechanism.”
“There’s a square hatch about two foot wide. In the center of it is a wheel-type thing, and at one corner there is some kind of latch.”
“Okay, so you probably need to turn the wheel and then somehow use the latch.”
“Easy for you to say.”
He kept quiet while she obviously fought with the mechanism. “I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough.” She slithered back down to the ground and he held her in his arms. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t move it even an inch.”
He kept holding her, aware of the frantic beat of her heart against his and the fear shuddering through her.
“And there’s another thing.”
“What?” he murmured into her sweet-smelling hair.
“There’s a shitload of magic swirling around down here. Even if we did get out I’m worried about what we’d encounter next.” She swallowed hard. “Do you think the Siren had anything to do with this?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like the feel of it, either.”
She sagged against him. “Then we’re stuck. I know I’m not due to go nuts until my birthday, but I think I’ll make a start now.”
He took a deep breath. “There is one alternative.”
“What?”
“You won’t like it.”
“Tell me.”
“You
really
won’t like it.”
“Tell me!”
“If we were a mated pair, we might double our powers.”
“What exactly does ‘might’ mean?”
“Mated couples take on some of their partners’ magic abilities.”
“But I don’t have any.”
“You do, but I have a lot more.”
“And how would that help us?”
“If we doubled my magic, we might be strong enough to find a way through that escape hatch.”
She rested her head against his chest and he closed his eyes. Anger shook through him. He had a terrible sense that they were both being manipulated, but he had no idea by whom.
“Are you just saying this because you want to have sex with me?”
“Yes, that’s it, Ms. Walsh. I just want to fuck you before I die. I set this all up to get in your pants.” He took a steadying breath. “It’s your decision. We can wait it out, and hope someone raises the alarm, or we can mate and try and save ourselves.”
“You don’t sound very happy about it.”
“What do you expect? It’s not exactly a great situation is it?”
She touched his cheek, her thumb catching the corner of his mouth. “It’s not exactly fair either. If we go ahead, I get all the benefits and you get saddled with a mate for life.”
“I already offered to mate with you.”
“But what happens when you find a woman you really love and want to marry?”
“Ella, we don’t have time to discuss this in depth right now. Either accept me or wait it out. I’m okay with either option.”
She rested against him, her body still trembling.
“I don’t want to go mad and die, Morosov,” she whispered.
“Then live.”
* * *
Ella breathed in his warm citrus scent and heard the reassuring boom of his heart. Could she do it? It was a momentous step, but at this moment, with her fear driving her, she wanted to clutch at his offer and run with it.
“It would just be about sex, right?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“We don’t have to get all emotional around each other?”
“No, we don’t.”
He sounded so calm and reassuring that she suspected she was dreaming. She opened her eyes but they were still stuck in the elevator. How long had they been there now? How quickly would someone come and rescue them? Dread crowded her reason and her fingernails dug into Vadim’s flesh.
“I can’t wait. I need to get out of here.”
“Then let’s sit on the floor.”
He drew her down until his back was against the side of the elevator and she was straddling his lap, facing him.
“What if we’re rescued in the middle?”
“We’ll hear them coming and we can stop.”
Was there a hint of resignation in Vadim’s voice or was she imagining it? For the first time in her life since she was five she felt vulnerable and terrified. Her intellect told her it wasn’t a good time to be making life-altering decisions, but her instincts screamed at her to take what Vadim offered her and change her destiny.
He cupped the back of her head and brought his mouth close to hers.
“It’s okay, Ella. Just kiss me and try and forget everything else.”
She almost snorted. The man was so conceited! And then his lips touched hers, and she was kissing him back, both of them igniting, mouths fused together in a deep, passionate kiss she hadn’t expected. Imminent death obviously had more of an impact on the libido than she realized. Lust shuddered through her and she rocked against him, felt his already hard cock jerk beneath the fabric of his pants.
His hand was on her ass, pressing her even more closely against him, making her sex ache and throb. She shoved a hand between them and worked on his belt buckle and the button of his pants, heard his breath hiss out as she stroked his cotton-clad erection.
“Wait.” He caught her hand. “You need to get out of those jeans.”
“Dammit!” She returned to kissing him even as they both struggled to unzip her jeans and shove them down. Not caring how she looked, Ella managed to wiggle out of one leg, taking her panties with the jeans. While she fought her way out of the denim, Vadim lifted his hips and pulled down his pants and briefs. When she lowered herself over him, the heat and stiffness of his wet cock surged against her.
He kissed her hard as she rocked back and forth over him until he slid inside, making them both moan. His hips arched forward, driving him deeper, and she took him in greedily until she could feel every thick, throbbing inch. One touch of his fingertip against her clit and she was coming around him. With a savage sound he thrust even deeper, his other hand on her hip controlling her movement, keeping him deep.
Another climax threatened. She gasped against his mouth as a succession of psychic sensations threatened to overwhelm her. She could see herself, feel Vadim’s satisfaction, his uninhibited sensual enjoyment of her body, of her mind... She’d never felt such perfect symmetry with another sexual being before in her life. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.
“
God
...” she breathed. Felt the word resonate through his mind, and his primitive response. Not human, not human at all. Underneath that beautiful exterior was a complex beast. His magical power swamped her and made her second climax so sharply edged with pleasure that she forgot to breathe. Even as she shuddered around his shaft he kept on drawing her pleasure within himself, her fear, her power, her
everything
...
She collapsed over him as he climaxed, the roar of his emotions so powerful that she almost blacked out. Whatever happened next, she’d just had the most incredible sex of her life—maybe enough to let her die happy. She had no idea how long they stayed like that, neither of them wanting to disengage, neither of them wanting to face the enormity of what they had just done.
She opened her eyes. Or maybe it was just her. Had Vadim felt the same? She could hardly ask him. Reluctantly, she sat up. His cock kicked up inside her and then slid free.
“Are you okay?” Vadim asked. He sounded as shaken as she felt. She tried to see his expression but it was impossible in the darkness. “Do you need a handkerchief? I have one in my pocket.”
“Thanks.”
She moved off his lap, and set about straightening her clothing. She was glad that he couldn’t see her properly because she was sure she looked wrecked.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m not sure.” She finished zipping her jeans. “How should I feel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never mated anyone before.” He reached out and took her hand. “I felt you in my head, though. Did you feel me?”
“Yes.” The touch of his hand made her feel breathless. She wanted him again. Wanted him right now... She pulled away. “This is weird.”
“I know.” He hesitated. “Suddenly, I don’t care about getting out of here.”
“Well, I do.” She balked at his intimate tone. “It’s just sex, remember? Now should we try that service hatch again?”
He cleared his throat. “When you get up there and find the hatch, open your mind and I’ll feed some magic through to you, okay?”
Vadim sounded remarkably composed for someone who had just had amazing sex in an elevator. Far too composed, actually. Ella made sure to almost kick him in the nuts as she scaled him to sit on his shoulders.
“Okay, I’ve found the wheel.”
“Keep still.” She felt the strange sensation of magical power flowing through her fingertips and the wheel started to spin until there was a creaking sound.