Authors: Angela Knight
Master of Smoke (17 page)
Abruptly he went limp in her arms with a weak groan.
Fear chilled her. “Cat? Cat, are you ...”
His eyes opened to look at her in dazed confusion. “Eva?”
As she gazed into his handsome face, she realized David was back.
Cat had indeed brought him back to the surface for her.
NINE
By the time
Eva finished telling David everything that had happened, her mouth was dry, though they’d worked their way through the bottle of wine. She’d carefully left out Cat’s attempts to seduce her, as well as his parting shot about what would happen when the three personalities were reunited.
Eva finished telling David everything that had happened, her mouth was dry, though they’d worked their way through the bottle of wine. She’d carefully left out Cat’s attempts to seduce her, as well as his parting shot about what would happen when the three personalities were reunited.
David saw the implications anyway.
“What you’re saying is that I am a fragment.” He took a long, deliberate sip of his wine. “If I survive Warlock’s attempts to kill me, eventually the others will return. And since one of them is a god, I may cease to exist as myself at all.”
“David, I ...” She trailed off, staring at his expressionless profile, feeling helpless. Until, on sheer impulse, she leaned forward and caught his chin, turning his face to hers.
The kiss started out slow and flavored with pain, until David’s arms closed hard around her. He dragged her close, his mouth going fierce against hers, kisses almost like bites, his tongue thrusting and swirling. She felt her senses spin.
Her body ignited in a blaze of heat that made her throw her head back to gasp. He promptly trailed kisses down the line of her throat, pausing to use his teeth and tongue against her banging pulse. Impatient hands caught the hem of her shirt and jerked it upward. She drew back eagerly, raising her arms to let him drag it off over her head. The tee went sailing across the room as David hooked two fingers in the top of her bra and pulled the cup down. Her nipple jutted into the cool air an instant before he engulfed it in the wet, eager heat of his mouth. His tongue swirled over and around the tip. He sucked hard, and she groaned, threading her hands into his hair, tracing the delicate points of his ears.
Hands closed around her waist, pulling her over into his lap. She caught her breath at the feel of his erection, thick and hot under her ass.
David reached behind her to unfasten her bra, sent it flying after the tee and bent her backward, arching her breasts so her nipples jutted at the ceiling. His teeth and tongue and hot, wet mouth played loving court to them as she curled her nails into the silk of his hair, eyes closed in delight. Almost lazily, she rolled her butt downward, teasing his cock through two layers of denim.
With a growl of impatience, David picked her up and stood, in a display of strength that had her eyes popping wide. He turned and put her down on the couch, then reached for her zipper. It hissed downward in his impatient fingers, and they both went to work dragging off her clothes. It didn’t take them long to get her naked.
He took even less time.
Eva caught her breath, dazzled as always by the stark, carved beauty of his body, muscle sliding under tanned skin, shoulders mantled in the gleaming length of his black hair. His eyes blazed down at her. She reached up for him ...
He grabbed her by the hips and flipped her over, dropping her belly-down across the arm of the couch. Her palms thumped into the carpeted floor as she started to push back up. “Hey—”
Before she could get the rest of the protest out of her mouth, he pulled her legs apart and buried his face between them. She yowled in delighted shock as his tongue stroked the length of her sex. “David!”
“What?” He gripped her hips and parted her labia with his thumbs.
Hanging head-down, hands braced on the floor, she made a sound midway between a giggle and a growl. “I was planning to participate.”
“Unless I’m very much mistaken”—lick—“you are participating.”
She squirmed as he zeroed in on her clit and started swirling figure eights of heat around it. “I mean I was planning to do fun things to
you
, too.”
you
, too.”
“I have other plans.” He slipped two fingers into her pussy and gave her a couple of slow pumps.
“I—
ah!
—gathered that.”
ah!
—gathered that.”
“You’re quick, you are.” Slipping a hand between her legs, he found her wet clit and began strumming it as he licked her up and down like a particularly juicy peach.
Her eyes rolled back. “I’m going to come if you keep that up!”
“I was hoping you would.” He licked again, very slowly, before stopping suddenly. “Unless you’d rather not ...”
She dug her nails into the carpet. “You want to die?”
“Not particularly.” He slid a finger into her sex again, pumped. “Though I can certainly think of worse ways to go.”
David contemplated the
round perfection of Eva’s bottom with lusty appreciation. Her sex was slick and hot and deliciously tight around his index finger, and he licked his lips, imagining how she’d feel gripping his cock.
round perfection of Eva’s bottom with lusty appreciation. Her sex was slick and hot and deliciously tight around his index finger, and he licked his lips, imagining how she’d feel gripping his cock.
Impatience sizzled through him, but he controlled it. He wanted to make this good for her.
No, he wanted to drive her insane.
He wanted to make sure she never forgot him. No matter what happened. No matter who—or what—he became.
Dipping his head again, he parted her and went back to pleasuring her with long, teasing strokes that circled and flicked her clit. She tasted musky and slightly astringent, yet so delightfully sweet with eager arousal
.
He loved the smell of her, the feel of her satin ass under his fingers, the long, strong legs tensing under the weight of his body. She wiggled against him, and he grinned, thoroughly enjoying himself.
.
He loved the smell of her, the feel of her satin ass under his fingers, the long, strong legs tensing under the weight of his body. She wiggled against him, and he grinned, thoroughly enjoying himself.
He found he liked her helplessness. He liked being in charge.
For once.
David’s lips peeled off his teeth at the reminder of just how little he otherwise controlled. He reared off her, grabbed his cock, and aimed it at her deliciously creamy opening. And shoved all the way home in one ruthless stroke.
Eva threw her head up with a cry.
He froze, his heart in his mouth. “Did I hurt you?”
“No! No, God, please—more!”
Well, that certainly sounded sincere. He forgot his qualms and pulled out, loving the silken heat of her grip clamped around his cock. Gods, it was sweet.
He leaned into her ass, holding her pinned as he began to grind, slow and hard, in and out. Watching her toss her beautiful dark curls, gasping and moaning in helpless delight.
Oh, yes. He
liked
this.
liked
this.
Eva braced her
hands on the floor and arched back to meet his pounding thrusts. She felt dizzy from the searing pleasure of his width and length reaching so deep inside her. Her climax boiled like a storm ready to break.
hands on the floor and arched back to meet his pounding thrusts. She felt dizzy from the searing pleasure of his width and length reaching so deep inside her. Her climax boiled like a storm ready to break.
David shoved all the way in, right to the root, almost too deep, and stiffened with a roar.
That last thrust was all it took. Fire roared up from her belly and tore through her blood, making her writhe and scream with its sheer violent glory.
Finally she collapsed to lie limp as a rag over the arm of the chair. The room spun around her as David picked her up, sat down on the couch, and draped her across his lap, boneless as a sock puppet. She wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head against his chest. Content, they cuddled as their sweat cooled and their pounding heartbeats slowed.
Some hours later,
David lay staring up at the bedroom ceiling, brooding over Eva’s revelations. She curled next to him, her breathing deep and slow in sleep.
David lay staring up at the bedroom ceiling, brooding over Eva’s revelations. She curled next to him, her breathing deep and slow in sleep.
He had no real memory of what had happened during the fight with the werewolves, but according to Eva, two other beings normally occupied his body, one a god, the other some kind of big cat. Which explained how his decorative practice sword had acquired an edge sharp enough to massacre werewolves.
What would happen to him when those beings returned? Would he cease to be himself? He wished he could ask this Cat, but his attempts to communicate had garnered no response at all. He ...
“Arhhhhhhhhhh! Get off me! Get off! Get! Off!” Eva shrieked right in his ear, a shattering cry of panic and agony. He shot upright, but she was already moving, rolling out of bed to land on the floor in a crouch. Her eyes were wild, glowing red in the darkness. She screamed again, the sound dropping, going guttural as it grew in volume, becoming a roar. “Stay away!”
Even as he hit the floor, he saw magic spill over her, lengthening her head into a wolf muzzle. Her hair became a wild, dark mane as a wave of fur rushed across her bare skin. Her delicate hands grew huge, tipped in talons, and her teeth sharpened into tearing daggers. Her snarl rumbled, low and menacing as she stared at him through the darkness, no recognition at all in her crimson gaze.
David had bounded out of bed with every intention of catching her in his arms. Now he realized that was exactly the wrong thing to do. “Eva?” He kept his voice low and soothing.
She ignored him, gathering herself to attack. And with that wolf body, she could hurt him badly before she woke up enough to realize what she was doing. She’d never forgive herself.
And he wouldn’t exactly have a great time either.
“Eva, you’re dreaming.” He said the words firmly as he kept out of reach. “You’re safe. Wake up. Wake up, love.”
She hesitated, cocking her head as if trying to remember him.
He lowered his voice to a soothing croon. “Eva, love, wake up. It was just a nightmare. You’re safe.”
Awareness suddenly filled those dark chocolate eyes. “David?”
He blew out a relieved breath. “Yes, it’s me.”
“I had the most god-awful nightmare ...” She lifted her hands—and froze, staring at them in horror. “Oh, shit. I turned, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
She took a step toward him, her gaze going frantic. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? Shit, shit, shit. This is why I never sleep with anybody!”
“I’m fine.” To prove it, he stepped in close and slid his arms around her waist. “And so are you.” As he embraced her, his head came to rest under her chin. Her breasts were as large as the rest of her. Unable to resist, he cupped one, enjoying the silken caress of fur as soft as a kitten’s. “Mmmm.” He grinned up at her, teasing. “This has possibilities.”
Her hands came tentatively to rest on his shoulders, almost painfully careful of her claws. “Uh. Yeah. It feels weird, you being this—” She broke off.
“Short?” Despite the alien shape of her head, the eyes were still Eva’s, big and brown and human.
“Something like that.” She sighed and stepped away from him. “I’d better turn back.”
With acute fascination, David watched the magic spill. Fur disappeared as her body shrank from big and powerful to delicate and feminine. When it was over, Eva sank back on the edge of the bed, panting. “Jesus, that hurts. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve shifted, but I never get used to it.”
He moved to the other side of the bed, sat down, and propped his back against the headboard, opening his arms to her. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“It’s the same damned nightmare I’ve been having for years now.” Eva crawled across the mattress and settled into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. “Anytime things get tense, I dream about the werewolf attack. The one that changed me.”
He rested his head on the top of hers. “It must have been horrific.”
“Yeah.” She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled so close, she was practically lying on top of him. “The thing is, if I hadn’t been such an idiot, it wouldn’t have happened at all.” She brooded for a moment. “The problem is, I’m tall—tall enough to look most men in the eye. I never really thought of myself as vulnerable. Not that way.”
David abruptly realized he really didn’t want to hear this story. Which was just too bad, since she obviously needed to tell it. “What happened?”
Eva took a deep breath and blew it out. “I used to go running every evening that I didn’t have to close up the store. There’s this park in town, and it was spring like it is now, so everything was in full bloom. The path loops between water features and flowering bushes, and it’s really pretty and peaceful, especially at sunset. Usually there are a lot of people walking through the park, but the sun had set and the usual crowd had gone home. I was finishing up my run when I saw this guy walking toward me in the illumination of a trail light.”
David’s heart thudded with uncomfortable speed in his chest. A kind of sick anger rose. He definitely didn’t want to hear this. “He was the one?”
“Yeah. Thing is, he didn’t look like Mr. Stranger Danger. I remember thinking he was good-looking, big and blond, the kind of guy I’d normally flirt with. I nodded at him, gave him a smile, and he grinned back. That’s when I knew he was off.”
“Because of his smile?”
“No. It was his eyes. There wasn’t anything human in there, you know? It was like looking into a shark’s eyes. Just as I was thinking that, he turned into something out of a horror movie.”
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