I Thought It Was You (3 page)

Elle rocked forward, but Ren caught sight of the fear in her eyes. Reaching up, he hooked an arm around her neck.

“Come here, princess,” he teased. “I need a kiss.”

His heart wanted to break.

He wanted to tell Michael to stop.

He wanted to call this whole thing off.

He could feel her heart slamming against his, and though his gifts were nowhere near as attuned to human needs as hers, he could feel her fear. He knew her too well.

Calling this off would only hurt her more. She needed this…needed
him
, one last time. Stroking the tips of his fingers up her side, he tugged on the ends of her hair. “Kiss me, princess,” he whispered against her cold, stiff lips. “You told me I could have a goodbye, after all…where is my goodbye?”

She didn't respond, but she didn't pull away either when he rubbed his lips against hers. And slowly, as he kissed her, her mouth softened under his. Slowly, her mouth opened and she started to return his kiss and once more, she started to rock against him once more. The hungry, wicked heat had faded, but the need was still there…it burned between them, edged with something new, something different.

Truly goodbye, he knew. For him…and for her. Both of them, saying goodbye to different parts of their lives. The bitch of it though—he was probably saying goodbye to the better part of
his
life.

Lock it down
.

Couldn't let her feel that. Not know…

He cupped her breast in one hand, and over her shoulder he saw Michael watching him. Michael lifted a brow.

Ren looked at Elle, tangled a hand in her hair and focused on nothing but her.

Yes, they'd had damn near a century together as lovers. Michael had her youth, and he had her future, but Ren knew her well. Focusing on that, he did every damn thing he could do bring that hot, hungry woman back to the surface. He shifted and reached between them to stroke the tip of his finger over the budded knot of her clitoris, raking his teeth over her neck.

She was sweating, rocking against him, hovering just on the edge of climax when Michael moved closer. Ren deliberately kept her there, teasing her, taunting her and when he felt her stiffen in fear he goaded her, nipping on her lip and muttering against her mouth, “What is this, princess, you come this far and now…what? Are you going to chicken out on me?”

She snarled against his mouth. “You're a bastard, Thom.”

“Yes…” He bit her lip.

She bit him and then shoved backward.

Ren groaned, because he felt it—felt it as that action forced Michael inside her. Elle cried out.

“Easy, darling girl,” Michael murmured. “Easy…”

Ren eased her weight up, forced her to prop herself up. Then he stroked a hand down her torso and whispered, “You're amazing, poppet.”

“Ren…”

Tears burned in her eyes.

He rested a hand on one hip. Michael gripped the other. “Easy,” they murmured.

Her head slumped, resting on his shoulder.

Stroking her clitoris, he gritted his teeth, tried not to think about how fucking tight she was now, how sweet, how hot—

A long shudder wracked her body. He circled his fingers around her clit, fast, firm. She started to rock forward, seeking out that contact. Ren groaned, unwittingly arched his hips up.

She gasped.

“Fuck, I'm sorry.”

“No…” Her lashes fluttered closed as she circled her hips against him and whispered, “Oh, I like that.”

Then she did it again in slow, small circles. Ren gritted his teeth and held still, focused on her face and the look of dazed delight that was slowly moving across her face.

She caught her lip between her teeth. Groaned. “Damn it…”

“Shhhh.” He nuzzled her neck, cuddled her close. “Let us…”

He stroked up, then back. Then Michael moved. She tensed.

“Elle?” Michael murmured.

“Again,” she moaned.

So they did. Slowly at first. Then, as she started to move between, harder, quicker, so did they, following the rhythm of her body and the hunger both of them sensed from her.

Her nails bit into Ren's shoulders. Her teeth marked him.

She started to convulse in his arms only seconds before he knew he was about to lose control. When she started climaxing with a series of harsh, broken moans, he held it together just long enough. And then he couldn't control it another second. Tangling his hand in her hair, he slanted his mouth against hers and muffled his groan against her lips as he came.

It was…endless.

And still, over far, far too soon.

Distantly, he heard Michael's muted, muffled curse, felt the other man through the thin membrane of tissue separating them.

As Michael started to sag, Ren just barely had the energy to shift and roll so that Elle was cuddled between them.

She squirmed around until her head rested against Michael's chest. But her hand reached down and caught his.

That was the last thing he remembered before the darkness of sleep rushed up and caught him.

Chapter Five

There was a vague tightening in the air—vague, but damn familiar.

Either Ren was having a fucking nightmare, or they were about to have a visitor.

He came awake with that thought in his mind.

And he knew it wasn't a nightmare.

Swearing, he sat up just in time to see a circle of light flash into existence in the middle of Elle and Michael's living room.

Elle was asleep, her head tucked against Michael's chest. Michael was rousing, just barely.

The light faded, revealing Will and a dark-haired
mortal
girl. Michael scowled and rubbed his eyes. “Damn it, don't you know how to
knock
?”

Will just smiled.

The girl arched her brows. They were black, black as midnight. And her eyes, dark brown and wicked, were dancing. She looked from Ren to Michael and then finally to Elle who was just now starting to wake.

“Wow. Is this what guardian angels do in their off time? Then damn it, Will, can you just kill me now? I want the off-time benefits, like
immediately
.”

Will closed his eyes.

If Ren thought the man was capable of such human weaknesses, he'd think the man was praying for patience. Then Will opened pale silver eyes and looked at Ren. Giving him a narrow, thin-lipped smile, he said, “The three of you have an assignment—
parasei
, in a town four hours south of here. I'm sure you'll feel it once the…aftermath clears and you get on the road.”

Ren curled his lip. “You couldn't have given me that message yesterday and helped us get a jump on the job?”

“The shape
you
were in, you wouldn't have lived
through
the job,” Will snapped.

Then he looked away and closed his eyes. When he looked back at Ren, he was smirking. “I expect that's…changed now. So, do your job. When you're done, Thomas, you have a new recruit. I'll take her to your place in Wisconsin.”

Ren blinked.

Then looked at the girl.

“Oh, no,” he said, shaking his head.

She smiled at him.

Scrambling off the couch, he snagged his jeans and dragged them up over his naked hips. “Are you
insane
?” he demanded.

“No. I think that's you,” Will replied.

“Well,
of course
I'm insane. Everybody bloody knows that, so why the hell are you sticking a kid with
me
? A
mortal
?”

“Because it will do you a world of good.”

Ren shook his head. He looked at Elle and flung a hand toward Will. “You talk some sense into him, princess. He's out of his head if he thinks
I
should be trusted with teaching anybody. Much less a mortal—she's still mortal too. I can smell it on her.”

The girl scowled and then plucked at her shirt and sniffed it. “What do you mean, you can smell it on me?”

Ren glared at her. “Shut up. This doesn't concern you!”

“Seeing as how you're talking about me, it damn well
does
concern me,” she fired back.

Elle climbed up from the couch, snagged a jewel-toned throw blanket and wound it around her torso. “Ren, you can handle teaching. You've been doing this for a hundred years. You're more than capable.”

“No.” He shook his head. “No, I'm not. Especially not somebody who's still mortal. They are too…breakable.”

“We were all mortal once…and we have to break. If we want to become.” Elle shrugged. Then she looked at the girl. “What's your name?”

“Mandy. You?”

“Elle.” She smiled and stroked a hand down Ren's arm. “Ignore Thom here. He's having a grumpy moment, but he'll be okay. He barks much worse than he bites, I promise you.”

“No. I don't. I bite much, much harder.”

Mandy waggled her eyebrows. “Oh, that sounds promising.”

Will swore and grabbed her arm. “You'll behave,” he said.

“You're so boring,” she muttered.

A flash of light appeared. “And you're incorrigible.”

Ren snapped out, “Damn it, Will, where in the hell are you going?”

“To your woods. You three have a job to do. And then you need to get home. You have a pupil.”

“I don't want a pupil,” Ren snarled.

But it was too late.

Will was already gone, along with the girl.

Chapter Six

Yes…
parasei
awaited them.

But they were so easily dispatched that Ren couldn't even be certain why he'd been sent here in the first place.

Elle and Michael could have handled the nest fine on their own.

They were done with before nightfall, and back at Michael and Elle's house by midnight.

“Do you get the feeling that was nothing more than a…distraction?” Elle asked.

“That was Will,” Ren said, still trying to figure how to get out
training
somebody.

A human. How had he gotten stuck with a human?

They broke too easily.

Far too easily.

“Will is nothing if not a master manipulator,” she said, shaking her head as they climbed the stairs of the wraparound porch. She wore a black tank top, black cargo pants that fit snugly over her hips and boots that laced up halfway to her knees.

Funny that she could look every bit as sexy in combat gear as she could in the clubbing clothes she'd worn on their last assignment together.

“You call that master manipulation?” Ren said, shaking his head. Bloody hell. If he knew Will that girl was already in his home.

In his
home
—the one place where he was… Well, it was
his
place. His sanctuary. His
only
sanctuary. He needed to get back there. And try to figure out a way to get her out. “That wasn't master manipulation pet. It was the most heavy-handed…”

But his voice trailed off at the look in Elle's eyes.

She gave him a sad smile. “No. Not the girl. Although I think it will be good for you. Really. But I'm talking about you being here.”

She licked her lips. “Are you… You're leaving now, aren't you?”

Ren winced. “I…I need to. If he has her at my place…”

“I understand. You and I, we never did settle easy. And when we had a place where we
did
settle, well, outsiders weren't welcome. Just remember, this isn't
her
fault.”

“I know.” He shoved his hands into pockets and glanced over his bike, reluctant to just walk away, although he needed to. And he
could
now. He realized that. The raw, aching wound in his chest he'd had every time he thought of Elle had eased.

She wasn't his, but he was okay with that. Or at least, he was better with it than he
had
been.

Looking at Michael, he said, “You'll take care of her.”

“Always,” the other man said, inclining his head.

“Good.” He gave a short, terse nod. But still…he couldn't walk away. Not yet.

Elle looked at Michael. “Can you give us a moment?” she asked quietly.

He brushed a hand across her shoulder, then touched his lips to her cheek. But before he went inside, he held out a hand to Ren. “I can honestly say this time, take care of yourself,” Michael said.

Ren grimaced. “Well, I've never been very good at that. But I'll survive—that's one thing I've always done, whether I wanted to do it or not.”

They shook, and before Michael let go, he said, “She wouldn't have spent the past century with a complete bastard. You deserve something more than just
surviving.
I hope you find it.”

Ren didn't know what to say to that. So as Michael walked away, he said nothing.

“So what are you going to do now?” Elle asked as Michael disappeared inside the house.

Ren crooked a grin at her and wished she couldn't read him so easily. “Oh, come now, princess. Don't look so glum. You heard our fearless leader. I've a trainee to attend to—unless I can chase her off or talk Will out of this.”

“That's not going to happen,” Elle said, shaking her head.

“No.” Ren sighed and smoothed a hand back over his naked scalp. “I suspect you're right.”

“I'm going to worry about you.” Her breathing hitched. “Hell, I've
always
worried about you, but we spent so much time together, I was able to keep an eye on you. That's not going to happen from here on out, I don't think.”

Ren sighed and jogged down the stairs, suddenly impatient to be gone. “Elle, I'm a big boy. I don't need a nanny…or even a fairy-tale princess watching my mangy hide.”

“How about a friend? One who still loves you, even if it's not quite the way you'd hoped?”

He grimaced. “Elle…”

“Damn it.” She sighed, then glanced back over her shoulder to where her future husband, her prince, her life waited. “Fuck, Ren. I'm sorry.”