Spell Bound (Darkly Enchanted) (58 page)

Gabriel watched her every move like a hawk. “He’s fine, asleep in the next room.”

She moved to slide her legs over the side of the bed. Before her feet touched the floor, he slid his arms under her and lifted her against his chest.

Because it was exactly where she wanted to be, and where she didn’t deserve to be, she shook her head. “I can walk.”

“Shut up, Shea.”

Her breath caught at the frustration in his tone. She felt his disappointment in the tightness of his broad shoulders as he carried her through the Spartan bedroom into the hall and to the doorway of the next room.

He pushed open the door with his foot…and, in the dim glow of a night light, she saw Matt sprawled in a chair by the bed where Leo was curled in a ball.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she returned Matt’s lazy grin.

“You’re okay,” she whispered. “They shot you. I saw them shoot you.”

He ran a hand through his mussed hair. “Yeah, well, believe it or not, I’m damn hard to kill.” He looked at Leo with a mixture of bemused devotion and confusion. “The kid’s had a busy day. Only fell asleep about a half hour ago. I told him you’d be here when he woke up. Glad you’re not going to make me a liar.”

It all sounded so normal. Too normal. Everything back to the way it was.

Nothing had changed.

She started to shake, tried to control it, but knew Gabriel felt it as his arms tightened around her. But he didn’t say anything.

“The kid’s fine, Shea.” Matt nodded toward the wall dividing the bedrooms. “Get some more rest. You need it. We’ll talk later.”

Her gaze went to Leo, curled in the bed, his little face peaceful in sleep. In his clenched hand he held the nail she’d give him. Menrva’s Nail. Had it kept him safe somehow?

She felt a bone-deep shudder move through her body, and Gabriel turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Burrowing close to his chest, she soaked in his warmth, that damn cold ache wanting to consume her.

When he reached her bed, she fought the urge to cling as he set her down and pulled the sheet and blanket over her.

“Where are we?” she asked, not wanting him to leave.

“A friend’s house in the city. He’s out of town.”

“And…and Dario?”

Gabriel’s jaw flexed, emotion darkening his eyes as he eased onto the bed to sit beside her. “I left him there. I was too worried about you. There was so much blood, too much blood. You nearly died in my arms.”

“I’m sorry.” The tears she’d been trying to hold back leaked out now. “I failed.”

She looked up as Gabriel framed her face with his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. She saw anger and anguish. Those emotions made her heart stutter in her chest.

“You’re damn right you did. That was so fucking stupid, Shea. Don’t ever do that again.” His eyes burned like lasers into hers. “Gods-be-damned, don’t you know if you had died, I would’ve let Dario kill me, too? Don’t you know that?”

Stunned by his vehemence, she didn’t move when he groaned and lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her with feverish intensity, his mouth, hot and moist, opened on hers, his tongue bullying its way past her teeth to engage hers.

This was exactly what she wanted. She wanted him to overwhelm her, to make her forget. She wanted—

He pulled back and took a step away from the bed, leaving her alone. She very nearly didn’t manage to squelch her small cry at his departure. She needed him here.

 “Jesus, Shea, you nearly died.” He ran one shaking hand through his hair.

She couldn’t believe how fast she went from abject despair to a subversive happiness that outweighed all other emotions. It left her lightheaded. She grabbed for his arm but couldn’t reach. He was too far away. “Don’t leave me, Gabriel. Please.”

She held her hand out and waited, barely breathing when he hesitated. He stared at her hand for several seconds until finally he slid his hand into her, lacing their fingers together. When she scooted over, he eased onto the bed to stretch out beside her. On their sides, they stared at each other, and the tension eased from her body with each breath.

“How are Quinn and your mother?” she asked.

He nodded, his breath escaping on a rough exhale. “They’re fine. Quinn took her to one of the
lucani
safe houses in Philly since we don’t know what happened to Dario.” With a sigh, he pushed her onto her back, laying his dark head on her chest. Then he wrapped his arms around her, enclosing her in heat, making her feel safe. Protected. Loved. “I couldn’t let you do it, Shea. Not even to break the curse. We’ll find another way.”

So many mixed emotions rushed through her, she could barely focus on one. Frankly, she didn’t want to focus at all right now. She merely wanted to absorb his strength.

She didn’t know how long they lay there, silent. Gabriel’s large hands splayed across her back on her bare skin, warm and comforting. She felt each individual finger like a brand on her skin.

A sad contentment stole over her. Even the voices were silent. His chest rose and fell against her side with a rhythmic motion that led her to believe he’d fallen asleep. But just as the thought flitted through her mind, he raised his head and looked into her eyes.

“How do you feel?” he asked. “Truthfully.”

“I’m fine, Gabriel.” Physically she felt fine, anyway. “Honestly. Nothing hurts.”

Nodding, he slid off the bed, his gaze sliding to the door.

“Don’t go.” The words were out before she realized he’d bent to unlace his boots and toe them off before pulling his t-shirt over his head.

Shaking his hair over his broad shoulders, his gaze met hers before dropping to trail over her body.

Heat followed, licking along her skin as if he trailed his fingers over the same path.

“I told you, at Digger’s, we’d finish what we started. I’m not going anywhere.”

That heat began to spread, sinking into her skin and down into her soul, warming her where she’d been cold and heartsick.

Rising to her knees, she placed her hands on his shoulders. He had a few bruises here and there, but they couldn’t mar his otherwise perfect body. She slid her hands from his shoulders to his chest, brushing the hard tips of his nipples on the way. She heard him swallow and draw in a deep breath then his hands settled on her shoulders.

He didn’t pull her closer. He let her hands continue their downward path until her fingers slid into the waistband of his black cargo pants. Turning her head slightly, she rested her ear against his chest so she could hear his heart beat. The rough, accelerated pace let her know he was in the moment with her. Then his hands slipped up into her hair and he let his fingers tangle in the length.

The button on his pants provided a slight tussle, but nothing she couldn’t handle. And the only rough spot she encountered was when she pushed down his pants and found herself staring at his naked erection, hard and pulsing and right at her lips.

Looking up into his face, she found the heat in his eyes reassurance enough to continue.

With her hands on his hips, she kissed the tip before taking him in her mouth and swirling her tongue over him until he groaned. His skin tasted salty and musky, and she could have held him there all night, learning the flavors of his body, but when he groaned again and pulsed in her mouth, he gently tugged her head back until she stared up at him.

“Slow down, Shea. I’m not nearly ready to end this yet. Lie back.”

She obeyed, not because he’d told her to but because the look in his eyes promised more pleasure to be had. And when he reached out and flipped her over, he startled a laugh out of her.

But she wasn’t laughing when he began to lick a wet path from her left ankle to her knee then followed the same treatment on the other leg. She felt the bed dip, felt him straddle her and run his fingers down her back, quickly followed by the scrape of his beard against her skin.

It was the most erotic foreplay and she shuddered against him. Her fingers dug into the sheets and she moaned into the pillow beneath her head as he continued his sexual torment with his hands and mouth.

They were everywhere—trailing down her back, kneading her thighs, caressing the inside of her arms and palming her ass—until she felt ready to jump out of her skin.

Then he shifted, rolled her onto her back and let his hands drag from her shoulders to her waist and back up to cup her breasts.

She could barely keep her eyes open, her senses shifting into overload when he flicked one taut nipple with his thumb and moved his other hand between her legs. He rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerves there with his fingers, playing her until she was hot and wet.

Then he slid one finger into her sex and her muscles contracted around him. His groan mingled with hers as he felt her muscles pull him in. She cried out when he removed his hands.

It was only for a second, though, because he pulled back to spread her legs and settle his body between them.

Her eyes closed at the feel of his blunt, burning erection seeking entrance to her body and she shifted, trying to make him hurry and fill the ache he’d caused.

Instead he moved back and her inner muscles contracted around nothing.

“Gabriel, please.”

“Shh, slow down, love.” He leaned closer to capture her lips while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. Not for a damn long time.”

Her heart flipped at his words and her lips tilted into a smile. “I do love you, Gabriel. And you couldn’t run fast enough to get away from me.”

His gaze darkened. “Are you sure about that, Shea? Because I love you more than I want to live. And if you’re sure…about me…” He reached for the bedside table and grabbed the knife he’d laid there. “Then be blood bound to me. I can’t lose you again. It was hell, and I can’t go through that again. We’ll be tied. Always.

Heart pounding in her chest, Shea wondered if she’d ever been so happy and so unsure at the same time. She was still the only link to breaking the curse. And to be blood bound meant that Gabriel would live his life yearning for her if she died before him. And the way her life was going, that could be tomorrow.

But in the next life, it would ensure that they found each other, and if it meant she got to spend every life with this man, she was game.