Rise of the Fae (19 page)

Dirt and blood dripped off her body into the water, staining it brown. He grabbed the shampoo and lathered her hair. He massaged her scalp and she slid down dunking her head under the water and swishing it back and forth. When she finished he drained the tub while refilling it at the same time so she didn’t get a chill. He lifted her wrist and squeezed the washcloth over a cut to her upper arm and then proceeded to clean her other arm.

Selene snickered. “I think you can move on to other parts.”

He swallowed back the boulder wedged in his throat. “Are you sure? You’re in pain.”

“My pain dulling spell helps.”

Okay.

Neeman swirled the washcloth lower over her firm breasts that bobbed under the surface of the water. Desire shot straight to him like a bullet, making his erection strain against his pants, begging to be let free.

Her ripe nubs puckered at the touch of the washcloth. She moaned and turned her head to the side. He moved the washcloth lower and rubbed over her stomach. Then lower to her thighs. His gaze trained on her neck. The vein at her throat pulsed with life. Her blood pumped faster as he rubbed down one leg and up the other.

He reached her most sensitive spot and hesitated.

“Don’t stop.” Her voice was husky and low.

He slid the washcloth between her legs and pressed it against her, making her moan again. He moved the cloth in slow circles. She reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

“Neeman,” she breathed.

He tried to hold back. To be gentle. To give her what she needed. But his body throbbed and pulsed with need. His teeth ached, wanting to bite into her peachy flesh.

He worked the washcloth softly over her small nub, making her body jerk. She pulled him close and he stopped an inch from her lips. His erection pushed painfully against the side of the tub.

“Kiss me,” she demanded.

He froze with fear. He didn’t want to do this again. Didn’t want to make love to her only to have it mean nothing and for her to suck him dry again. But he did want her.

Leaning in, he pressed his lips firmly to hers. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer. Water soaked his t-shirt as her tongue swirled against his teeth, demanding access. He gave in to her. He continued working his fingers against her. She panted into his mouth and he tasted her sweet breath. His head swam with wanting to bite into her, to taste her and feel the euphoria he had just hours early.

She broke their kiss, nibbled down the side of his neck, and grabbed his t-shirt, trying to pull it off.

“I want you,” she whispered.

His restraint broke. Dropping the washcloth, he then stripped off his shirt and helped her from the tub. Her slick body rubbed against his bare chest and he kissed her again, hard. Standing on her good foot, she turned to the bathroom counter. He planted his palms on either side of hers and moved her hair aside, nipping and suckling her neck.

The friction of their bodies had him wanting to be inside her again. Reaching around under her arm, he squeezed her breast, making her arch against him.

He grazed her throat with his fangs.

She jolted. “Damn.”

“Did I hurt you?”

She hopped on her good foot. “No, it’s just my broken foot. I got so caught up that I put my weight on it.”

A knock on the outer door pulled his attention. He growled low in his chest.

“Hello?” called a female.

“What?” he yelled.

“Uh... I was told to bring some clothing—”

“Leave it.”

He waited till the door closed and then turned to Selene. His gut clenched as he stared into her deep green eyes. The ends of her hair dripped down, making her skin glisten. He wanted nothing more than to lap every last drop from her.

What was he doing? He settled his hands on her waist and bowed his head till it rested on her shoulder. This wasn’t right.

“I should get you into bed,” he said.

“The bed might be a bit more comfortable, I agree.”

She was willing. He should take her and take her blood.

He grabbed the towel from the floor and wrapped it around her. “Not tonight.”

The encounter left him pent up and the look on her face told him she felt the same. His body ached for a release, or for sustenance. But more than that, he ached for her. The admission left him shaken to the core. He’d resigned himself to never wanting another woman again.

Neeman licked his fangs, wishing for the millionth time he wasn’t what he was.

* * * *

The throbbing need inside Selene was enough to drive her batty. She’d read book after book about sex and the mind-blowing, amazing release that was supposed to come along with it; but that she herself had never achieved. She’d been taught sex was for obtaining a male’s chi. And with chi you could do magick that wasn’t possible on your own, like caging her inner demon. There had been times where she had wanted more, craved more. But how did you ask a guy who was vomiting into the toilet to come in and service you?

The way Neeman had touched her, stirred her... It made her believe that maybe he could possibly be the one who would finally give her that release. But he didn’t want her.

He wrapped her in a towel and carried her to the bed. Then he got her the clothing and helped her put them on. She wanted him to lie next to her. To hold her and touch her, the way he had in the bathtub. But he simply propped himself in the bedroom doorway snapping and popping a fresh piece of gum, his arms folded over his chest. Every inch of his posture was rigid as steel. Even so, his eyes sparkled like blue diamonds.

“I’ll go get you something to eat and then you can rest.”

He was leaving.

She didn’t want to be alone. All she’d been since she arrived was alone.

“What about me? I’m here.”

“Are you going to stay here tonight?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll sleep on the couch to make sure you don’t need anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “That thing was barely big enough for me, there’s no way you’ll fit.”

He shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

Why did everything have to be so hard with him? “Neeman, there is more than enough room for both of us in this bed. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

He stared at her for a moment and then headed out the door. “It’s not
your
hands I’m worried about.”

“Come on, we can be adults about this,” she called.

He looked back at her and the desire in his eyes hit her like a punch in the gut. “No. We can’t.”

Selene awoke the next evening to find a note from Neeman. He’d run an errand for William and would return later. He’d left her some fresh fruit and water. She smiled. No one had taken care of her like that before.

Recharged and refreshed, she sat up. The blankets out on the couch in the sitting room were folded neatly.

“Neeman?”

There was no answer.

She shifted and her foot shot with pain. Throwing back the covers, she looked at the swollen purplish bluish limb.

“Reparo.”

The bone knit back together and she covered her mouth to stifle a cry. The throbbing subsided after a moment and she breathed in deeply. She fixed every scrape, every bruise, every cut. Then she pulled up her shirt and ran her fingers over her stomach.

“Reparo,”
she whispered.

The air around her stomach shook and shimmered, but nothing happened. Tears threatened to spill. She’d never shown someone her scars before. Not that she’d had anyone to show besides her mother. But Neeman... He’d been gentle with her, concerned, angry even. He’d seen her as raw as it got, and hadn’t turned away.

“Obscondo.”

The air shimmered again and a veil fell over her skin, masking the scars. She stood and tested her weight. Her foot held.

There was a knock on the outer door and then it opened. “Selene?” Mason called.

“In here.”

Mason entered and looked her up and down. “Feeling better?”

“Right as rain.”

“Good. I need you to stay out of trouble tonight.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. They’d barely had a chance to speak since she’d been back and this was what he had to say to her the first chance they had to be alone?

“Please,” Mason said. “Today is visiting day and I can’t have anything go wrong. Word is already spreading about the compound explosion. We are saying it was a gas leak, but that isn’t going to hold forever.”

“What’s visiting day?”

“Prospective masters are coming to meet the humans.”

She shook her head. “I thought the humans weren’t slaves anymore.”

“They aren’t. They get a chance to pick their new…masters. Though they aren’t masters anymore, they are more like mentors.”

“How can you even say those words? You know as well as I do that this society isn’t right.”

“Don’t, Selene. Don’t even start. The world is what it is now. You don’t understand because you weren’t here when it all went down. The fighting, the wars, the death. You can’t even imagine. Danika is a good person. It’s because of her and William that these humans haven’t been turned over to the slave market. They are getting a choice in the matter of where they go. She’s trying to help them.”

They stared at each other for a long minute. He’d changed. Whether it was because of Danika, being mated, or because of what he’d been through, she didn’t know.

“Okay.” She held up her hands. “I’ll be good.”

His stance relaxed. “Thank you.”

“Do you know where Neeman went?”

Mason chewed his lip for a minute. “You like him.”

She shrugged. “He’s all right.”

He laughed. “Don’t lie. I can see it on you.”

“See what?” A flutter raced through her stomach like a rabbit on the run.

“Happiness.”

She cocked and eyebrow. “Oh really? You can see happiness? Is that a new power you gained in my absence?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and his amber-colored eyes flashed with anger. “You know what I mean.”

She didn’t want to anger him. “So what? Maybe I do like him. He’s handsome and strong. Why shouldn’t I?”

He gave her an impassive look. “I didn’t say you shouldn’t.”

“Then what?”

“Be careful.” Mason’s gaze was serious.

She scoffed. “Don’t worry, big brother, I won’t get hurt.”

“I’m not worried about you. I’ve seen you bounce back. You use men the way most people use tissue. But Neeman... He’s different. He’s been through a lot and I don’t want to see him get hurt. I don’t know how he’ll handle it.”

“You do realize that it was you who told him to help me out the other night, right? You’re the one who asked him to crawl into bed with me.”

“I realize that. But you were hurting and needed help. This is different. This is toying with someone’s emotions, Selene.”

He was serious. She’d never seen him be protective of anyone but her before. And this time he was protecting Neeman
from
her. What must he think of her? “You really do think I have no feelings, don’t you?”

“Selene—”

Her inner demon growled.

“No just stop, Mason. I get it. You have a life here. Family. And that’s great. I’m super happy for you. You finally have what we’ve always wanted. Both of us, together. You found it without me, and that’s fine. I promise to behave while I’m here and at the earliest convenience I will leave you to your new family and make my own way, but please, whatever you do, don’t treat me like I don’t care. I know you see me as the annoying younger sister who you always had to get out of trouble, but I’m not that girl anymore. I can take care of myself.”

Mason ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Selene. I don’t mean to be like this, but you don’t understand the strain, the pressure Danika is under. And what Danika is under, I’m under. This isn’t the way I expected my life to turn out, but this is who I am now and I have to protect it.”

She nodded. “I get it.” Oh how she wished her mother had felt the same way when the fae elders had come to their house to take her away. How would it be to have someone love you so much they were willing to risk everything they had, just to make sure you were safe? She’d thought that’s how it would be with Mason, coming back.

A chasm opened wide inside her. And now she was here, back on the Earth and she was as alone as she’d been in the fae world.

“It’s just you and me girl. Always has been. Always will be.”

* * * *

Selene ate and then lay down again. When the myriad of cars pulled up outside she walked to the window. Vampires of every shape and size poured into Coven House. Mason had told her they would talk after visiting time was over. Apparently, Danika wanted to wait till Neeman returned.

She pulled a pale blue sweater over her cami and jeans and walked barefoot to the upper landing. Vampires and humans milled about the foyer. From her vantage point, she watched the informal cocktail party. Some humans were outgoing, talkative and friendly. Others watched everything without speaking unless spoken to.

The Vampires and vampyr held cards, presumably with information about different humans. It was like watching businessmen exchange information with a new client. But they weren’t clients, they were people, humans, and these were their lives.

“Hello.”

Selene turned to find a tall, black-haired Vampire with a stubbly goatee and sexy, messy hair standing nearby.

“Interesting party, isn’t it?” His voice was smooth as velvet and his bright hazel eyes were alight with interest. He held a bottle of Savor synthetic blood.

“Party? Is that what this is? I thought it was human prostitution.”

He chuckled and his smile shot through her. “I guess you could look at it that way.”

She turned completely to face him. “And I suppose you don’t have a human?”

“Not yet.” He stepped forward and his musky cologne floated to her. “But maybe if I found the right one, I could be persuaded.”

He was handsome and sexy in a dangerous bad boy way. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To find a human?”

“I came to see what the crop looked like this time.”

He stepped closer to her and reached out, pulling on a lock of her hair. “I’ve not see a human with hair the color of mine in a long time.”