Charles (Darkness #8) (9 page)

“Will you… take more… of mine?”

“That’d make the connection deeper. So only if you want to.”

Ann’s eyes fluttered as she leaned forward, bracing her hands on his pecs. Eyes closed, pleasure soaking up into her body, she whispered, “I want to.”

“Then you can take my blood sooner, and I’ll take yours right near climax.”

Ann suspected that, based on his choice of when to take and receive, giving must feel better than taking. Unlike so many men she’d been with, she was sure Charles would always abstain if it meant she’d get the better deal.

She leaned down over his body, her bare chest on his. Her taut nipples rubbed against his smooth skin, tingling more pleasure into her. She licked up the hot skin on his neck, rested her lips against his pounding pulse, and ripped into him with her teeth.

A strange, primal energy took over her. Her magic rolled up, smelling blood and connecting that with the brutality of ripping through flesh. A thrill went through her as she licked at his life’s blood. Green magic wafted around them, her body wanting to change. To let the wild animal within her maul him, to rip and tear.

Breathing deeply, out of control, Ann rose up, her hands pressing down on his shoulders, keeping him pinned to the mattress. The beginning of a growl vibrated in her throat. The magic around her intensified, caught in the odor of blood. Thinking of a fresh kill and of his sex within her.

Mate.

A weight settled on her chest, heavy and intense. Needy. Desire flooded her senses. The need to possess overcame her, manifesting physically. Her animal was taking the lead.

She scratched up his shoulders and bent back to his neck. Her body squeezed his cock as she gyrated, slow and deep. She ripped into his neck a little more, wild and raw. The hot liquid tumbled over her tongue and lit up her senses.

“Holy shit!” Charles jolted, his hands clutching her tighter. His thrusting stopped. His body went still.

Languid in the way of a mountain lion, she moved over him, squeezing his manhood tight as she stroked him with her body. Her fingers entwined in his hair. Her teeth kept contact with his skin, the equivalent of her fangs on his jugular. Her animal held the power. The control.

She sucked down his blood, feeling his magic saturate her. Colors blasted behind her eyes. Her sex tingled in fierce desire.

She moved faster, working roughly at his neck. Wildly. Her hips swung up and back, graceful but deep movements, commanding him.

He still hadn’t moved. His breathing became laborious. His hands clutched her so tightly they would leave bruises.

It only heightened her pleasure.

She took one more long draw, hearing his moan deep in his chest before feeling him shudder under her. He’d just orgasmed, but as she licked at the wound in his skin, not slowing, she could feel his cock still maintaining its hardness, not softening in the slightest.

Wildness still in control, in a mating dance now and unable to stop it, she climbed off him, moving beside him on the bed. She got onto all fours, presenting herself. Wanting her mate to take her like she’d just taken him.

Charles rolled to his hands and knees almost immediately, somehow knowing what she needed. His large hand ran from the bottom of her spine to the top, applying pressure as it did so. Gently he pushed her upper half down.

She resisted, making him use his strength against hers, firing up his primal side and his need to dominate during a mating. The second push was forceful and filled with power, as he took charge.

She moaned as his hard length seared into her. Hands on her hips, he bore down, thrusting into her as he pulled back, consuming her with pleasure. Making her grunt in ecstasy with each hard thrust.

His hand clenched her shoulder before raising her up as he leaned over. He pushed her head to the side and bit, ripping into her neck.

“Ahhh.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth, excitement coursing through her veins with this large male taking her roughly.

He sucked in. The pull at her neck reached all the way to her sex. Bliss pooled in her core. Erotic pleasure tore through her senses. Raw, uninhibited lust stole her breath.

“Yes,” she sighed.

He thrust harder, taking her power and using it perfectly. Holding her tightly, trapping her to his body, she was at his mercy. He drew on her neck and pumped into her, crazy and reckless.

Her ardor rose. Her heart pounded. “Yes, Charles!” she yelled, lost to the exquisite sensations.

As his magic shocked through her system, a hard orgasm tore through her consciousness. Waves of pleasure crashed over her. She trembled and shook with the feelings, overcome.

Charles shook behind her, moaning with his release.

In the aftermath, all they did was breathe for a second. Hard, ragged breaths. A drop of blood trickled down her throat. Their bodies were slick where they touched.

“Are you okay?” Charles asked into the quiet.

“Very. Are you? I sorta… lost the human side of me for a while.”

She could feel him shaking his head. “I have never… That was… There are going to be a lot more of my kind fucking your kind, I’ll tell you right now. So hot, Ann. I’ve never had anything like it. It was like you spoke directly to the part of me that is distinctly not human. More primal than if I was just with one of my kind, too. Just…
wild.
Fuck that was good.”

“Can you go again?”

His breath hitched. She felt him deflate a little. “Yeah. If you want. I just… I need some time. And to lay down. But I can get there. Just give me a moment.”

Ann laughed and wiggled out of his strong arms. “Just kidding! I’m tired.”

“Oh thank fuck.” Charles sighed and smoothed the sheets on her side. Apparently, he didn’t mind sleeping on a dingy mattress, because he wasn’t getting up to remake the bed. “I had some doubts about getting hard again. Couldn’t admit that, though.”

“Ego?”

“Obviously. You can’t call your dick magical if it doesn’t work miracles.”

Ann laughed again and snuggled into him. She vaguely felt his supreme satisfaction. “How quickly does the link take?”

“I can feel your emotions, so apparently no time at all. Barely there, but that’ll get stronger. Now,
shhh.
The light is peeping through the window. I need to sleep before anyone shows up that I might have to kill.”

She should’ve been worried. Or terrified. But all Ann felt as Charles’ arm came around her was a profound safety.
Mate.

C
harles woke with a start
. Daylight streamed in through the windows, lighting up the whole room. Ann was curled up next to him, her head on his chest, her breath deep and even.

A pulse of pain throbbed through his body.

Someone was there.

Charles yanked his arm out from around Ann and hopped up, running to the window nearest the door.

“Wha—” Ann was standing a moment later, pulling on her clothes. Charles felt fear and wariness through their link. The emotions were soft; it would take longer and a few more blood offerings to establish a potent link, but they were there. And damned if they weren’t comforting for reasons he couldn’t explain.

Charles glanced out the window. In the driveway stood three large men, all wearing suits. One of them swatting at his chest and arms where small points of pain should be spreading across his skin. He’d activated the spell and the others were watching in confusion, not sure what the problem was.

All three of them were human.

“Ann, get in the bathroom.”

“Are they just in the front?” she asked, moving quickly.

“For now, yes. Men in suits, probably come to check on why we’re here.”

“You’re naked by the way.”

He didn’t bother glancing down. “Won’t matter.”

As the spell withered away, the man stopped swatting himself. He looked around, confusion plain on his face. He said something to the others, but all Charles could make out was the drum of voices. They lingered for a moment longer, the first man brushing invisible dirt off his front, before they all started up the driveway again.

Charles assessed what was coming his way. They were all large, for humans; about six feet two inches, or six-three. All had broad shoulders and thick chests. Their suits were expensive and pristine, but fit more like sacks over the large bodies bulging with muscle. Each had short hair impossible to grab in a fight, but not military buzz cuts. One had a close-cropped beard.

No, almost assuredly not ex-armed forces. That was a good thing. If Charles took out former military personnel, someone would report it to a higher up who would report it higher still. An official would overreact, and then someone would get bombed. Hopefully, these were just private guards, hired to help their employer keep secrets.

A loud knock sounded at the door. Charles pulled it open, letting his pheromones drift out to entrance the minds of these humans.

The men had one moment of suspicious confusion, probably because of his nudity, before their eyes glazed over. The closest one reached for Charles’ dick.

“Oh shit.” Charles jogged backward, swatting at the hands. “Sorry. Haven’t used this in a long time.”

He changed the chemical components that made up the pheromones, something so similar to changing elements for a spell that he wondered why humans couldn’t do it. When the new mix seeped into the air around him, the man dropped his hand, eyes still glazed over.

“Who do you work for?” Charles asked, ushering the last man in and closing the door behind him.

“Blake Enterprises,” the front man said.

“What is their business?”

The man stared straight ahead with a blank face. “They specialize in pharmaceuticals.”

“What are they doing up here?”

“This is their experimentation arm. They use live specimens for the new products.”

“So, a lab,” Charles clarified.

“Yes.”

“And what kinds of things are they experimenting with?”

The man blinked twice. “I don’t have access to the experiments.”

“What do you do, then?”

“I am the Chief of Security.”

“Why are you here?” Charles patted the man down, finding a sidearm in a holster.

“We had notice of a possible security breach. This cabin hasn’t been occupied for years. We needed to know who was in here, and why.”

“Does the lab experiment on humans?” Charles asked, finding similar guns on the other two.

“No human subjects, no.”

“Not even humans that change into animals?”

A light crease formed between the man’s eyebrows. “Those aren’t humans. Those are strange mutations.”

Charles ire rose. “Do you experiment on these strange mutations?”

The man kept his mouth shut. His face started to turn red, something in him trying to suppress the need to answer Charles. Charles put more
oomph
into the pheromones.

“Yes,” the man blurted in a grunt, spittle flying out of his mouth. “The scientists want to know what causes that mutation. Nothing like it has been documented before.”

“And have those scientists documented their finding?”

The man’s face turned a deeper crimson. Obviously this was information he was sworn to protect. Charles had to admit, his effort was valiant.

“As far as I know, the scientists keep detailed records of what they find, but they have not been published. They are gathering information. These animal-people heal quickly, and have superior sight, hearing, smell, and strength. Those abilities might help soldiers. There are a lot of possibilities.”

“And possibilities means profits.” A sick feeling churned in Charles’ gut. He felt Ann’s disgust though the link. “How many do you have?”

“There are more than two dozen alive.”

“Alive?” Charles shifted, pushing down a surge of rage. “All from this area?”

“Only a half-dozen or so came from this area. Most have been captured from areas surrounding our other facilities. When we need new blood, we put the traps in effect. Our methods of capture are unique and genius.”

“Genius. No doubt.” Charles unclenched his fists, willing calm. “And do you keep these specimens in your other facilities?”

“Absolutely not. Only a privileged few are aware of the existence of these creatures.”

“Do the idiots standing behind you know all of this?”

“Most of it, yes. The head guards in this facility need to know of the existence of these creatures to make sure there are no escapes. The creatures have the cunning of humans.”

“Because they
are
humans, you fucking disgrace.” Charles took a deep breath. “And what happens when someone that doesn’t know these are
creatures
empties a trap and finds a person? How do you keep them quiet?”

“That doesn’t happen. A special serum forces them to change into an animal.”

“And this serum… how do you administer it?”

“Like a gas, it is airborne. It acts like a poison, but instead of killing, it forces change.”

“Is that what lures them to the traps?”

“Our luring agent is also an airborne serum, pumped out in large doses. It creates confusion and disorientation. Only the creatures can smell it—I do not know why. Something to do with their genetic makeup. Once the trap is triggered, the other serum is released, though we are having a shortage. We’ve picked up a lot more of the creatures in the last few weeks. I’ve heard that the serum is expensive to make.”

“I bet. You have to cage people and extract… whatever to make it.” Charles looked at his feet. “Well, what I should do is kill you. That’s what I should do. You deserve it. But if I kill you, I lose a
lot
of valuable information. So what I’m going to do is have you draw out a map for me. Very detailed so the Boss and Tim can make plans. Then I’m going to make you fuck each other, because big, macho men like you are generally homophobic, and it’ll screw with your heads. That’ll be my little fuck you.
Then,
I’ll let you wake up out of this stupor, preferably with a dick in your ass, and send you back to work, to report. Once we free the shifters,
then
I’ll kill you. Or Tim will. Or one of the captives.”

The men just stood, blinking at the wall.

Shoulders tight with what was going on up on that hilltop, Charles went to his bag and took out some maps. He placed them on the table, rage simmering deeply inside of him. “Come over here and give me all the necessary security information.”

As the man robotically walked over, Charles said, “Just to clarify,
all
the shifters are in this facility?”

“Yes.”

Charles pushed the man into a seat. He handed over a pen. “Do you have any scientists outside of this facility that know about the… creatures?”

“Not that I am aware of, but I couldn’t be sure.”

“So if this whole place blows up, what will happen?”

A crease formed between the man’s eyebrows again. “I really couldn’t say.”

Charles nodded, because he expected that much, and gave instructions.

A
nn sat in the bathroom
, fear, unease and rage burning through her. She experienced very similar feelings in Charles. And while she could’ve left the bathroom, as Charles had the men firmly in hand, she didn’t trust herself not to lose sight of the goal and kill them all right where they stood.

She wondered what kind of experimentation they were doing. And how. To get the hormones and whatever else they needed for the serums, more than a few people had probably died.

This was the kind of thing Tim always tried to protect his people from. Fighting with each other was stupid. It was pointless. Fighting with Stefan’s people was just as bad.
This,
right here, was the real danger; these were the real enemies. Scientists trying to answer questions were some of the scariest people alive. Even worse? Greedy executives looking at a bottom line with curious scientists under their thumb.

And here they had both. Scientists to investigate, and executives to sell what the scientists found. They were no better than human traffickers.

Ann stood in a rush of anger and glanced out the window, wanting to get the hell away from this place. At least until she was allowed to go in and blow it all up.

Movement caught her eye. Thirty feet out, about twenty feet beyond Charles’ spells, an unusually large coyote looked right at her.

A thrill went through her.

It was a shifter.

“Charles!”

Its ear twitched, hearing her. It didn’t move, though, just continued to stare.

“Yeah?” Charles pushed into the small bathroom, right behind her. He saw what she did right away.

“It’s a shifter.” Ann raised her hand to point.

As soon as Charles appeared, though, the animal took off, scampering through the trees and brush.

“Has to be the one from the other night. Same size and color.” Charles stepped back, turning to peer in the main room.

“Do you think he’s with them?”

“I don’t see how he couldn’t be, or he would get trapped.” Charles put his hands on his hips. “But I don’t see how he could be, with the way these idiots were talking. Doesn’t make sense.”

“How much longer with those guards?” Ann asked, tightness squeezing her throat.

Charles’ eyes softened. He stroked the side of her face. “We’ll kill ’em all, don’t worry.”

“I know. How much longer?”

A grin tweaked his mouth. “Jesus. Impatient much? Want to jump me again? Because I’d be up for it. Magic dick is back in the zone.”

“If there was an Olympic sport for thinking about sex, you’d win. Hands down. Gold medal. You’d beat out even boys in puberty.”

“Beat out. Like masturbate. Ha! Yeah, I’d win. I can marathon masturbate when I’m bored.”

“Oh my God.” Ann threw up her hands. “How. Much.
Longer?
”

Charles glanced back into the main room. “These guys are hard-headed, but dense. It takes very little in the way of pheromones to keep them complacent once you’ve got them on the hook.” He walked back into the room, his perfect butt grabbing Ann’s attention. Her core started to burn, wanting to touch him.

“The link gives you away, horny!” Charles laughed as he looked down at the table where the guard was working at the map. “Not long now. He’s almost done.”

Ann’s face burned as she went back to the window, looking for that shifter.

“I can feel your embarrassment,” Charles called. “You are going to
hate
this link.”

“Already do,” she muttered, trying to shut out his delight filtering through the link.

It took another ten minutes for the map to be finished. Charles snapped off a few pictures and texted them to Jameson, Stefan, and Tim. After that, he led the guards outside to stage an elaborate setup Sasha would probably not approve of. When he finally came back, his face was grim and his emotions were wary and frustrated.

“What’s the matter?” Ann asked, zipping up her duffle bag.

“We need to grab a few pictures of the front entrance and the side fence. Jameson and Tim both want visuals.”

“But why? We have everything mapped out. We even have the codes to get into the main gate.”

Charles started packing up before
finally
putting on his clothes. She didn’t mind nudity—not many shifters did—but the man was distracting at best. She couldn’t keep her eyes off certain parts of his body.

“The guard didn’t have exact measurements. Jameson and Tim both want distances.”

Ann blew out a breath. “Fine. Should we do it now?”

Charles looked out the window. The light was dwindling into the harshness of late afternoon. “Let’s give those guards a couple hours to… sort themselves out and head back to their offices. Some humans can fight through the falseness of pheromones, which becomes ten times easier if they see something to jog their memory.”

A restless unease filled Ann. As Charles took out his knitting, she got to work straightening the cabin and making some food, anything to keep busy. They’d be going back into danger, if only for a little while. Anywhere near that facility was a bad place to be.