Cold Moon Rising (21 page)

I heard her arrive at the room, and I didn’t move to open the door for her. She should have a key and I found I was enjoying the anticipation of her arrival too much to end it abruptly. Something that hadn’t changed was her scent, which flowed under the door and caught the air-conditioning draft to brush my nose. She smelled of fresh flowers in a summer forest and it was still a scent that pulled at things inside me—made me think of home and permanence. But she also smelled as aroused as the day I met her. The thick, earthy scent made me stare at the door with suddenly tight fingers around the crystal glass, and a rapidly tightening groin.

She slid the card in the lock and I heard it click. The handle turned slowly, in a twitching movement that was nearly teasing. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one aroused. The door opened and the image of her, framed by the hallway lights, made me suck in a slow breath. She was wearing an outfit I’d never seen before, and never dreamed I would see on her. I hadn’t realized the burgundy blouse had buttons and they were now undone to where both milky breasts strained against the fabric and both shoulders were bare. She must be wearing a push-up bra to get the level of cleavage I was seeing. The lowest button was also open, leaving just three buttons holding the shirt on her body. It draped over a skin-tight black miniskirt that hugged every curve and revealed just the barest hint of garters. My eyes raked down and down to the shiny patent pumps with the four-inch heels

Oh, baby.

“Hi, lover.” Her voice was thick and husky as she stalked forward and I found I had to shift my hips to move the zipper from pinching the suddenly tight skin underneath.

I had to clear my throat and take another sip of liquor before I could talk. “Hi, yourself. Did you go out like that?”

She smiled with those perfectly matching burgundy lips and nodded. “Uh-huh. You like?”

I’d be lying if I said otherwise. “Oh yeah. I like.”

She stalked forward, her hips twitching in time to the throbbing of my dick and when she reached me I started to stand. She didn’t let me get that far. Instead, she crawled into my lap until she was straddling my hips, knees bent and tucked neatly into the space between the seat and arms. Her makeup was absolutely perfect, meaning she’d either taken lessons or Linda had done her up. I was betting on the latter, but I might be wrong. Still, when Sue got dolled up, she looked great. When she didn’t make the effort, she tended to blend in and be invisible. Completely average, just like me.

“Missed you.” She leaned forward and put manicured hands on either side of my face. I’d taken the time to doll up myself, meaning that I’d showered and shaved, brushed my teeth, and splashed on some of her favorite musky cologne. She let out a little moan of pleasure when our lips met.

Magic flared with the intensity of a wildfire and I got lost in the sensation of her lips and tongue and hardened nipples pressing against my shirt. I didn’t stop her when she reached down and grabbed my hand. We interlocked fingers for a moment and then I got my next surprise. She guided my hand down between her legs and I realized she wasn’t wearing underwear under that tight mini.

It took, Did you go out like that? to a whole new level. She was sopping wet, slick enough to make me moan. I began to thumb her clitoris and she whimpered around the tongue I had stuck deep in her mouth. She reacted by unbuckling my belt and pressing my erection tight against my stomach to unzip and release it.

This wasn’t at all what I had in mind for the evening, but damn, I wasn’t about to stop it. My dick jumped out of the underwear so fast it slapped her between the legs and made us both jump. Magic was flowing so fast between us that I could barely breathe as Sue guided me inside her. I shoved my hips hard against her and she arched backward, causing her breasts to pop out of the shirt and bra altogether. The thought that the same thing might have happened out in public turned me on to no end. But then I happened on another new thing. I suddenly realized that I wasn’t the only one turned on by it. Walking around nearly naked for other men to ogle her . . . noticing their sudden erections and pretending not to

. . . flat got her hot. That was totally unexpected and was really, really not Sue. But it was driving me mad with desire. I grabbed her hips and started pumping into her as she leaned close enough that I could suckle one breast and then the other in rapid succession.

“Tony, yes!” She let out a growl from low in her chest and bucked against me as fast as I hammered into her. I could feel the magic building with each squeak of the tortured chair springs until there was nothing but sweat and roiling power and the scent of sexual perfume. She wanted to end it, wanted to climax, but I wouldn’t let her. Each time she pushed against me and dug her fingers in my arms, I slowed—held her legs so she couldn’t move and rocked so slowly that it was pure torture for both of us. Then I lifted her up until I was nearly completely out of her, with just the barest tip teasing her entrance. She struggled and squirmed, but she was no match for my strength. All she could do was moan again and try to shove herself downward. “God, you’re killing me.”

I smiled at her and the near panic in her eyes made my heart beat faster. “Beg me for it. Ask me, pretty please, to let you come.”

Her shirt was splayed open, framing the heavy breasts, her nipples as dark as her shirt. I could feel the warmth of her juices running down her legs and I wanted her more than I ever had in my life. This game wasn’t one to finish lightly.

She paused, realizing as I did, that something new and special was happening. Just to keep the tension going, I dropped her down, burying myself to the hilt and then lifting her off so quickly that all she had time to do was open her mouth in shock and catch her breath before her head flopped back and her fingers dug into my arms.

“Say it, Sue. Beg me to screw you.”

She gathered herself together after another drop filled her tight, wet hole. Her head flipped back down, making her dark hair sparkle in the lights. Her eyes were as cold and sure as the ones I’ve seen in the mirror all my life and it grabbed my gut and made it do flops. The moment turned from teasing to deadly serious and I suddenly realized why. It was in her bearing, in her face, and in the mind that brushed mine. Confident, independent, proud . . . yet still caring and loyal. This was the woman I’ve wanted . . . the one I’ve waited for her to become. “Do it. Screw me until I come, killer. Just for you.” She paused and caught my smile, only to give me one of her own that was filled with hope and love. The scent of love was unmistakable. It didn’t throw away the other scents. It just blended and made our lust more profound. “Always for you. Make us more than just one, my mate.”

Reality seemed to shift when she said that, just a fraction. Some sort of weird magic tightened my skin and made all my hair stand on end. I felt off-center, yet clearer headed than I ever had been in my life. Some men want a soul mate, the part they’re missing. A yin to their yang. I realized I wasn’t one of them. I want two yins, or two yangs, but not half of each. I want a woman who will share my soul, not compliment it. Somehow, whatever had happened in that ritual had done what love hadn’t, and no amount of therapy ever could. It was more than acceptance, more than need. I sensed a joining that would make both of us stronger, yet allow us to be individuals who could stand alone. Not two halves of a whole, but two wholes who could stand against the world together.

“You got it.” I closed my eyes and let myself slide into her body, and into her head. I let her feel the sensation of tight warmth that made my nerves dance, at the same time I felt the intrusion, and stretching, that made our stomachs ache with need.

Now I eased slowly in and out, letting the tension build again. She began to moan and whisper my name. Over and over, in my ear and in my brain, like a mantra that made me want to slip inside her skin and never come out again.

She took control away from me and I let her. She started to rock over me, kept my hands pinned to the chair arms so tight it felt like another Sazi, not just a human. I remembered then what Amber had asked and opened my eyes. No, she didn’t have an aura, but how was it her eyes were glowing with a deep emerald fire? I wanted to dwell on that more, try to piece together whatever clues I was seeing, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. The intensity of the sensations was too much. All I could do was pull loose from her grip and grab that tight leather-clad ass and pound myself inside her until the rumbling in my stomach became a wave that crashed over me so hard I yelled out loud. The climax was so intense it was like I hadn’t had sex in years. Sue followed soon after and it doubled my pleasure, nearly making us both pass out.

It was nearly a minute of pounding hearts and heavy breathing before either of us could talk. I chuckled and gave her a little slap on the thigh. “Anytime you decide to drop by and visit me in a hotel, feel free.”

She laughed brightly and leaned back until she could see my face. Then she kissed the tip of my nose.

“It’ll be more often than before, I assure you. The clothes aren’t the only thing that’s changed about me.”

“I’m starting to figure that out.” I let her get off me, not really surprised that her legs were a little stiff and one foot was asleep. I definitely got the better end of the stick on comfort. “I’m up for a shower. How about you? Do you have any other clothes with you?”

Her response started with a sexy, knowing smile that tightened parts of me that should be unable to respond. “I asked the front desk to have my things sent up in an hour. I told him we might be too busy to answer the door until then.”

I got to my feet and took her into my arms. “Might be even longer than that. We’ll have to see.” I kissed her again and let my hands follow the slender curves that might last or might not. I didn’t really care about her weight, so long as she was healthy and happy. I pulled away briefly, before my head started being ruled by a different part of my body. “Have them send up food with the bags. I think you’re going to need your strength tonight.”

The laugh made me smile and she winked as she reached for the phone. “Maybe some whipped cream and chocolate. I’ve always fantasized about licking whipped cream off a man.”

“Hey, it’s a night for fantasies, apparently. I’ll try to remember what some of mine are. I think one involves a little maid’s outfit. But the one you just did has always been a particular favorite.”

I started to more to go into the bathroom to turn on the shower when her voice stopped me. I turned my head when she said, “Tony?”

“Yeah?”

Another little smile. “That’s why I did it.”

Chapter Eleven

I WOKE WITH a frantic slapping of sheets for the third time since Sue and I had finally drifted to sleep. It was still dark outside, but wouldn’t be for long. I should feel content and satisfied after a night of having a good number of my fantasies come true—even some of the kinky ones, but instead my heart was pounding a mile a minute and I couldn’t seem to breathe right.

I was choking and the more I struggled, the worse it got. Worse still, I couldn’t raise my hands to relieve the pressure.

Pain. Bound and in pain. What had I done this time to anger him? I was smelling something that raised old, nameless fears in my head, but I couldn’t remember what or why.

As soon as I opened my eyes again, I realized what was happening, even though I couldn’t stop it. I could see the tasteful wardrobe across the room, highlighted by the bathroom light that we’d forgotten to turn off. But superimposed over it was a silver door that glinted every time the moon came out from behind a cloud.

I was stuck in the snake king’s head again. The sensation of pain at ankle, wrist, and neck, combined with metal tinking and rasping against concrete told me he was probably in cell four. That one has a bed, but also has thick chains—the size you see holding loads on big rigs. They’re bolted to the concrete and have a high silver content. Now, silver’s not really a strong metal, but it hurts like blazes to a Sazi. Left on long enough, it can scar, and it weakens us pretty quickly. It’s not like it saps our magic or anything. It’s not Kryptonite. But pain is wearing after a while. It sucks out your fight and makes you easier to manage.

I was frankly pretty surprised they did that to Ahmad, him being a council member and all. But I was also noticing that he wasn’t quite in his right mind. It was hard to concentrate on anything but the fear that was pounding his heart. Chains, and the scent of venom was pushing him into a frenzy that was dragging me down into the depths with him.

While I wanted to tell him to get his shit together and relax, that was like telling a little kid there was no monster under the bed. Whatever he was reliving was very, very real to him and I had to figure a way out of the delirium before there was no mind left to save.

Center. Who is hurting you? Maybe if I treated this like any other hindsight, I could pull him out of this. Show me his face.

A snake, the jaw open wide to strike, appeared in my vision so suddenly that I slapped out with my hand to knock it away. I had to shake my head and fight off the cold sweat that threatened to make me panic too. Sue was starting to get restless beside me, not quite awake, but nearing it if I wasn’t careful. I had no idea what would happen if she woke. We’d tied our minds so tight together over the past few hours that we hadn’t been able to shut the door again. I couldn’t imagine this would help any.

I carefully slid out from underneath the covers and found my way across the room to the recliner. At least I could try not to wake her. The snake led me, still fixed firmly in my vision, a monster in the dark.

Maybe it was important to know what kind of snake it was. With the image frozen, waiting the next command from me, I studied it and tried to recall my very basic knowledge of the serpent family. The teeth were long, so I was thinking it was part of the viper family. Hard to tell if the head was triangular from the image, but I could definitely see a deep pit between the eye and nostril, so I was betting it was a pit viper. And, it was coal black with the mouth a pinkish-white. Um . . . a black mamba? Was that a viper?

I was guessing the answer was yes, because the image fast-forwarded, the snake striking fast enough that I couldn’t quite separate the vision from reality and backpedaled into the depth of the chair so fast the footrest shot into the air.

The snake can’t hurt you. It can’t reach you while I’m here. It seemed seriously weird to be telling the snake king that a snake wasn’t going to hurt him. But nightmares aren’t terribly logical, and I presume that there are bigger and badder snakes than him out there somewhere.

I repeated the words again. It took a third time before the snake retreated back to the depths of his memory. I felt his muscles start to relax. The chains loosened when he did, and some of the pain eased.

Now he was coming back into his mind and starting to figure things out, but for some reason he didn’t know I was there. Most of my hindsight victims know I’m pulling at their memories. They just can’t stop it. But Ahmad really didn’t seem to know we were attached.

That might not be a bad thing, because it could be more useful to Lucas than a knowing link where he was in control. There wasn’t much to see right now, since he was just figuring out where he was. Bits and pieces of memory were still there, from meeting with the new wolf (me) and then having a severe headache soon after he left. But the cause of the abrupt pain that had driven him past the point of sanity was a mystery. Ahmad lifted one arm, then the other, and yanked on both simultaneously with as much strength as he could muster. The wristbands and chains stretched but held. The pain the silver produced wasn’t as bad as the headache had been but wasn’t worth repeating, either.

What part had been reality? Had he truly attacked both Lucas and Charles and tried to destroy the clinic? For what purpose?

Still, judging by the number of chains on me, the upstairs must be quite a wreck.

It was dark outside if the image through the bars could be trusted, but was it even the same day? Have I missed the one opportunity to infiltrate the Order, or is there still time?

The superimposed cell in the darkened hotel room was odd, but try as I might, I couldn’t shake the image from my brain. Ahmad thought about calling out to see who answered, because surely, with this level of security, there would be someone standing watch. But to what end? Amber might be considering whatever Angelique had to be contagious . . . and who was to say it wasn’t? No, it was better to try to get some sleep for now, despite the discomfort of this horrible slab of concrete. Morning would come too soon and there would be questions to ask on both sides.