Darkness Divides (Sensor #3) (37 page)

The guardian’s face turned red and he backed away from her. “I’ll not soil myself with a vampire.”

“Have you ever been with a woman at all?” she asked, closing in on him once more.

Kariann could be ruthless when she wanted to be and I could already see the game she was playing with him. Everyone knew heaven’s minions weren’t supposed to fornicate. Within minutes of meeting him, she was already using that against him. I almost wanted to laugh.

“Of course not.” Kerbasi looked affronted. “I must keep my body pure.”

Yeah, because that made such a difference in his behavior.

“Maybe a little less purity is what you really need,” she pointed out.

Watching Kerbasi’s attempts to avoid Kariann’s touch was amusing. He didn’t want to back down and show weakness, but neither did he want the woman touching him. The guardian might dwarf me in size, but Kariann was taller and more muscular than me so she actually looked intimidating. That might sound like she was mannish, but she did have some nice curves and beautiful blonde hair that helped soften her a bit.

A yellow Ford Focus pulled up, blinding us with its headlights. Because I didn’t have enough troubles already, my favorite troll had come to add her presence to the mayhem. She got out of the vehicle and started shuffling across the yard. The fact that there were a dozen sups standing around me in a semi-circle didn’t seem to faze her at all. She just broke through their ranks and kept coming.

“I see ya couldn’t be bothered ta come visit me since yer return,” Bambi stated once she reached me.

“Things have been a little busy lately,” I said dryly.

“Ain’t no excuse.” She settled her hands on her hips. “Now where’s me salt?”

I cupped my hand around my mouth and called for Emily, who’d come to stand on the porch.

“Can you bring me my bag from upstairs?”

She nodded and hurried inside.

“Hey, girlie, who’s that strange man wit' the ugly wings there?” the troll asked.

I held back a smile when Kerbasi shot Bambi a nasty look. “They are not ugly.”

He fluffed them out a little and Kariann took advantage of it to stroke them. They immediately disappeared from view. Well, they vanished for everyone but me who could still see the transparent outline of them.

“He’s my community service for breaking Lucas out of angel prison,” I told the troll. “I’m supposed to help him find his humanity.”

She started cackling. Then it turned into a full-bellied laugh that had her falling to the ground and rolling around. She seemed oblivious to the dirt and grass getting stuck in her hair and clothes. Eventually she calmed down and caught her breath.

“
Yer
supposed ta give
him
humanity? He looks like the spawn of Satan and smells like it too.” She got up and went to poke at Kerbasi’s stomach.

Since Lucas damaged his robe beyond repair, we’d had to give him some jeans and a t-shirt, but the largest ones we could find were a size too small and fit him tightly. The muscular outline of his stomach showed clearly and provided the troll with a perfect target.

He put his arms out to block her and gave her a nasty look. “Get away from me you foul being.”

“Takes one ta know one, ya know.” Bambi snorted.

Emily sidled up alongside me and held out my bag. I took it and dug out the salt, plus a couple other items, before giving the rest back for her to put away. She didn’t like being around the troll and would appreciate the excuse to leave again. Emily didn’t need to be told twice before she hurried back into the house.

“Hey, Bambi. I got your salt here.” I interrupted the troll from speculating on Kerbasi’s man parts.

Part of me enjoyed watching him get tortured by my friends, but part of me also knew it wasn’t the best way to teach him humanity. I couldn’t bring myself to cut off the taunting completely, but I’d have to enforce keeping it to a minimum.

The troll left Kerbasi with a scowl and took the package from me, examining it closely. “Ya got the right stuff. I was sure ya’d mess it up.”

Just as I expected. She’d been trying to set me up for failure just so she’d have something else to harass me about.

“You were a little vague on the details.” I gave her an accusing look. “But I managed to figure it out.”

“There may be hope fer ya yet!” She hugged the bag close to her.

“What does this salt do anyway?” I asked.

She gave me a sharp-toothed grin. “Well for one, 'tis good fer me monthly baths.”

Nik came up and greeted Bambi. She took hold of a loose strand of her orangish-red hair and played with it. There was a glassy-eyed look about her as she gazed at the master vampire. The transformation from troublesome troll to simpering woman was sort of creepy.

“Tomorrow at dusk we’ll be discussing our battle plans. Can we expect the trolls to be here for it?” He spoke to her formally.

I supposed if a master of a territory wanted to be a good one he had to treat all his people as equals.

Bambi swayed on her feet. “Ya can count on us, Master Nikolas.”

I left them to their discussion and went over to Kerbasi. It was time to get him out of here and doing something more constructive. I grabbed his arm, taking him away from Kariann and the others.

“Here’s a notebook and pen,” I said, handing him the two other items I’d taken from the bag Emily brought me. “For tonight, I want you to write a five page essay on what love is according to human standards. Have it ready for me by tomorrow afternoon.”

He scoffed. “How is this teaching me humanity?”

“You told me you finished reading two of the romance novels I gave you. Now it’s time to see what you learned about human emotions.”

His eyes bulged. “But it’s fiction!”

“Written by human women who believe in love.” I smiled sweetly at him.

He gripped the notebook and pen in his hands and stomped toward the garage.

“Oh, Kerbasi,” I called. “It better be in English with small print and no double spacing.”

That should keep him out of trouble for the night.

Chapter Forty-one

I woke up to butterfly kisses trailing across my stomach. My breath hitched as they moved toward my breasts. A familiar hand was slowly pulling my t-shirt up to expose my skin as his lips moved softly. I arched into him and moaned when he reached my nipples.

Lucas had come back. None of my dreams were ever quite this good, so I knew this had to be real. I ran my hands across his bare shoulders and along his back. He’d put on a little more weight in his absence. His muscles were firmer and his power level had raised a few more notches.

When he moved to take my lips, I drifted my hands even lower to find that he was bare all over. He’d quietly taken his clothes off while I slept and I’d missed it. Now he was removing mine. I lifted my head as he pulled my shirt off. My underwear found its way to the floor next.

Moving down to my feet, he started kissing, licking and caressing his way up my body. By the time he made his way to the juncture of my thighs, I was burning. He parted them just enough to get his hand in between and began working his fingers inside me. First two, then three. I was moaning loud enough I worried I’d wake someone in the house. Thankfully it was just past dawn and everyone was in the deep stages of sleep.

Unwilling to lay still any longer I rose up and pushed Lucas down on the mattress. He didn’t protest as I swung my leg over him and straddled his hips. It was my turn to be in control. I took hold of his cock and eased it inside of me, letting only the head in before stopping. His eyes glowed gold as he looked at me.

Lucas lifted a hand and grabbed a lock of my hair, pulling my head toward him. I was careful to not let him slide inside me any farther as we kissed until we both had to come up for air.

I rose back up and put my hands on his chest, lowering myself downward so slowly we were both trembling with need by the time our bodies fully joined. After giving him a sensual look, I moved languidly upward not rushing to reach the end. I repeated the action over and over until I could see the impatience growing in his eyes.

He didn’t give me a chance to pick up the rhythm before tossing me on my back and thrusting into me. Like a madman he thrust hard and then harder until I had to reach up and grab the headboard to keep from crashing into it. I was sure that the bed would break, but after the last loud creak he readjusted our bodies and put me on his lap. Chest to chest we embraced. His lips met mine and we began a new rhythm that was neither fast nor slow.

I could feel my orgasm building and sensed he wasn’t far off either. His hands cupped my ass and squeezed before he worked one finger into my anus. It sent me over the edge. Lucas locked his mouth with mine to stifle my screaming as I came so hard I was convinced it would kill me. My belly filled with heat as he came as well. Both of us were jerking hard as we tried to stretch the pleasure out for a little longer.

He lay back down on the bed, pulling me with him. I rested on his chest and listened to his heart beat strongly under my ear. Neither of us said anything for awhile. We just held each other, content to be close. A moment of peace with him could make up for a thousand filled with conflict.

His hand began to stroke my hair, working out the tangles. “You should know that these new…circumstances will take time for me to adjust.”

“I know.” And I did. It was understandable that he was upset.

“Your intentions were pure, Melena, but I can’t always agree with your methods.”

I lifted my head to look at him. “I still think it was worth it. We’ve both made sacrifices for each other and it’s always going to be that way. You’ve got to come to terms with this relationship not being one-sided anymore. If I can help you in some way I will—no matter what it takes.”

“I do not risk my life the way you do,” he admonished.

“If I had truly believed there was no chance I could get in and out of Purgatory safely, I wouldn’t have gone there. But I knew I could do it. All it took was the right planning and weapons.”

Everyone might have thought I was reckless, but I’d spent every waking hour since finding out about the portal device devising a way to infiltrate Purgatory with the highest chance of success. I wasn’t stupid.

His hand tightened in my hair. “And yet you had no way of knowing what punishment you might receive by doing so. It could have resulted in both of us going back there.”

I couldn’t tell him that I’d had a guardian angel on my side. That she’d been the final factor that convinced I could pull it off without the repercussions being too much.

“You might think our punishment is bad.” I glanced at the cuff on my arm. “But I feel a whole lot better knowing you’re here—with Kerbasi under my control—than the way it was before.”

He lay back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. I had no idea what he was thinking, but his emotions were certainly troubled. The silence stretched for long minutes, but I chose to let him find his words. Eventually, he lifted his head once more.

“In all my time on earth, no one has ever made the sacrifices for me that you have.” He caressed my cheek. “I am unused to anyone putting my needs above their own. You humble me, Melena.”

I leaned up and kissed him, needing the extra physical contact. He was so serious and yet the things he’d said touched me. I’d never thought to hear him say anything like that.

We took our time, expressing without words the way we felt about each other. He filled me once more and I reveled in it. Every stroke he made came as a promise. One he planned to keep. He never broke eye contact with me and I never let my eyes roam away from him.

Beyond the bed we might fight and argue—that would never change. Here and now, though, we gave each other exactly what we needed to make it through the tougher times. I could feel the bond between us growing stronger with each passing moment. It had weakened during our time apart, but now we had the chance to fix it.

Eventually we settled once more on the bed with his arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly. Dozens of supernaturals continued to sleep in their rooms and in tents outside. We were in the heart of them. Many had become like family to me and I’d gladly fight alongside them. It was a crazy thought.

I lifted my head to look at Lucas. “You know, I just realized something. We spend so much time looking at all the bad things in our lives and the mistakes we’ve made that we miss all the good things that happen to us as well. For a long time I resented so much of what has happened since coming to Fairbanks, but now I know I’ve found my home. A place to live. A place worth fighting for, and I refuse—absolutely refuse—to give it up to someone like Zoe.”

Lucas just stared at me for a moment, then kissed my forehead. “If you consider this your home, then it shall be. We’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”

I snuggled my head against his chest and allowed my body to relax.

***

Sometime later I woke up to the pain of Lucas having a nightmare. In my sleep, I must have rolled away from him, but now his strong emotions were piercing my head. Pain, anger, and terror—they were all there. I’d seen this before and knew he was reliving his time in Purgatory. The man could handle the torture while he was awake to face it, but in his sleep it haunted him.

I crawled on top and covered his naked body with mine. He immediately calmed down. The trick had worked once before, but not quite this fast. It must have been our stronger bond making it easier to help him. I stroked his hair and whispered soothing words into his ears.

There was no way to wake him and pull him out—these kinds of dreams kept him trapped within himself. The only thing I could do was give him the comfort he needed to survive until he could fight free. He’d remember none of this later when he woke up. I wouldn’t tell him either.