On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (10 page)

“What’s the most expensive thing you’ve stolen?” His fingers massaged the lithe muscles in her calf.

She leveled him with a look, seemingly unfazed by him maintaining contact. “Off the record, right?”

He shook his head. “No one here cares about anything you stole. Unless you ever took something of Arawn’s.”

She scowled. “No way. No one can even find this place.”

“That’s part of the plan.”

She fiddled with the hem of her tank top. “Most expensive thing…that would be a necklace that belonged to the second Viper Queen, from two eons ago. It had her fangs, still full of venom, and hundreds of gem—”

“Wait, that was lost. It was being moved to their newest building in the West, and their transport convoy was crushed in a tunnel collapse.”

“Um,
yeah…
it
was
.” She widened her eyes and feigned surprise.

“Shit, that was you?” He gaped at her. “The whole tunnel was rubble. How’d you get that much explosives?”

“My dad has suppliers all over, even on Earth. It’s incredibly easy to get ammo and explosives in some Earth countries. Some places have freaking outdoor markets!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard. But damn.”

“How about you? I’m guessing you don’t usually steal, but…” Her eyes swept his face. “What’s the highest rank of creature you’ve killed?”

“How do you know I’ve killed anyone?”

“You’re a Watcher.” She nudged his thigh with her free foot. “Duh.”

He chuckled and grabbed her toes. “Two Viper generals.”
And another one is in my sights
. Years of practice kept his voice calm. The one creature who’d led the charge into his village all those years ago still roamed with his band of soldiers. Caine made it his mission to follow his exploits. One day the demon would slip, let down his guard, and Caine would be ready.

“Those demons are awful.” She shuddered. Though the moons didn’t cast much light, he could see goose bumps along her arms.

“You cold?”

“A little.”

“Come here.” He tugged her legs toward him and she gave a little squeak, but scooted closer so that her thighs were draped across his. He wrapped an arm around her back and she rested her head against his chest.

 “I still can’t believe I’m here.” She let out a sigh. “And that I have family…and that I’m a …gods, I can’t even say it. I feel so ordinary.”

You’re far from ordinary
. “Will you stay for a while? Your dad can come. I swear, nothing will happen. Arawn has way too much other shit going on to bring any retribution against any alleged thieves. And even if anything was substantiated, we’d work out some kind of arrangement.”

She pulled back to look at him, deadly serious. “An amnesty?”

“Sure.” His response was quick, born of absolute reassurance. He knew Arawn cared more about her being a Solsi than about her being a thief.

“Caine, this is important. You know my dad and I operate at a high level.”

“It’s important to me too.” Hell, he didn’t want her dodging hellhounds or climbing for her life ever again. He wanted her to do what she was born to do, and a fresh burst of possessiveness curled around his heart. He’d protect her. Always. “The Watchers, as a group, have sworn to protect the Solsti. To the death.” But he’d be kidding himself if he said he was simply following orders. Alina was a beautiful, powerful mystery wrapped in a tempting little package and he couldn’t wait to learn everything about her.

“Wow.” She blinked. “Now there’s a pledge that’s hard to refuse.”

He stroked a finger down her cheek. “So that’s a yes?”

She nodded, leaning into his hand.

“I’m glad you’re staying.”
If you left, I’d find you.

She turned those sweet green eyes on him. “Why?”

Because you’re beautiful. Because I can’t get you out of my mind. Because I need to be near you.
He shrugged. “I like a girl who knows her gadgets.”

Soft hands slid up to circle his wrist. “Causing landslides doesn’t bother you?”

“You try that, and I’ll save you.”

“Promise?” She turned his hand and pressed her lips to his palm, the sweet pressure like a shot to his groin. “I think, in fairy tales, this is where the hero gets a reward.”

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN

M
AYBE
IT
WAS
THE
ADRENALINE
from the night’s events, or maybe it was just the demon whose lap she was practically sitting in, but Alina was drunk on Caine. He was so much bigger than she, almost blocking out the stars in the sky. Heat rolled off his body, tempting her to press every inch of her skin to his. Never mind that she barely knew him.

He saved me
. He’d give safe harbor to her and Sebastian. And she knew he meant it. The one thing he broadcast loud and clear, besides the strength to snap a creature’s neck, was sincerity. She’d been around plenty of bullshitters in her work, and he wasn’t one of them.

He had showered too, and his gray T-shirt seemed even tighter than the one he’d worn to the club. Muscles that had beckoned to her at Hell’s Gate now created a coiling force within her, urging her closer.

As her lips caressed his palm, he sucked in a breath and his other hand slid up her leg.

“A reward, huh?” His voice was husky, rumbling over her skin.

She nodded and turned his hand over to kiss his knuckles.

“Many would probably say that sitting in your presence is reward enough.” He reclaimed his hand, sliding it around to her nape. “But I’m greedier than most.”

She looked up into dark eyes that shone with hunger, at full lips that earlier had devoured hers in the most delightful of ways. “Me too.” She curled her hands into the fabric of his T-shirt and tugged.

“A greedy Solsti?” He closed the small space between them until his lips brushed hers. “Sounds like trouble.”

Alina’s body trembled at the electric yet gentle charge where their lips met. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing closer, needing his mouth. When his tongue swept across the seam of her lips, she gasped at the delicious tease.

One of his hands gripped her thigh, the other her neck. Alina couldn’t move if she wanted to. Everything else, all the terror and confusion and shock of the night faded and she lost herself to Caine’s kiss.

His lips shaped hers and his tongue tangled with hers, sweeping in to explore and taste. He smelled of soap and the woods after a fresh spring rain. Every sense ramped into overdrive, hungry for anything he’d do to her. No loud grunts of creatures caught in the throes of seasonal sex. No gross sex room. Just her demon, under the stars and focused on her. True, she’d noticed the guards posted inside the balcony doors, but she couldn’t care less about them. She knotted her hands in Caine’s hair, whimpering as he tore his mouth away and kissed a lethal path down her neck.

He reached the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder and sucked.
Oh, gods
. Her breath came in gasps and she squirmed, her legs still draped over his thighs. His long hair cascaded over her skin, brushing her biceps in a ticklish caress.

“You like that?” he whispered against her skin.

“Mm-hmm.”

He moved across her shoulder, scraping with his teeth, and her whole body jerked. Goose bumps erupted in his wake and her lips tingled, needing contact. An ache started low in her belly. “I need another kiss,” she whispered.

“Yeah?” His voice was sexy and dominant, like he knew he could give her exactly what she wanted.

She nodded, slowly losing the ability to form sentences.

“I like you greedy. But I may like you even more—satisfied.” His hands skated up her arms to the straps of her tank top, sliding under the black cotton to caress her collarbones, then he pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him.

She leaned in, meeting his lips as she settled her center over the rock-hard erection behind his zipper. A zap of feminine power ran through her, feeling his steel shaft and knowing she was responsible for it.

It could just be the time of year.
No, it wasn’t. It was more than that. She wasn’t a Lash demon, and he’d affected her the first minute he’d laid eyes on her. And now, as his hands slid under her tank, nothing felt more right.

His fingertips were warm, a delicious roughness against the skin of her back. He slid up slowly, exploring her body while she devoured his mouth. Suddenly she realized his hands had stopped partway up her spine.

“Caine?” Her voice was breathy and she tilted her head to kiss his ear.

He groaned. “Baby. You feel amazing. But if I go farther with you, I’m not gonna be able to stop. It’s our fertile time and—”

“Who said anything about stopping?” She licked his other ear.

“Alina.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Don’t doubt that I want you.” He rocked his hips into her just once, and her eyes nearly closed at the wave of sensation that ramped her up even more. “But a ton of shit went down tonight. Literally.”

“Maybe I want to forget all the shit.”

“Sometimes that’s not an option.” He stared at her for a moment and, lost in his dark gaze, she felt the vibe of something she couldn’t name. Regret and resignation. It was like he understood, and yet a deeper secret lurked in his eyes. Was it about his family? He probably had times he wanted to forget, and couldn’t. She felt like a bitch and opened her mouth, but he stopped her with a gentle finger on her lips.

“I need to leave tomorrow. Early. Arawn needs me down near Stroehm. It’s a two-day job.” He shifted her so that she sat with both legs across his lap. “I don’t want a quick taste of you and then have to go without.”

Oh.
She exhaled slowly, savoring his words. No male had ever said something like that to her. It was always quick, dirty, and then goodbye. Not that relationships were something she did. No, not when she’d either had to lie about where she’d been, or leave town in a hurry. But with Caine, all of that seemed like the distant past, even though earlier she’d stolen a nymph’s money right in front of him. He knew and didn’t judge. Her life felt open to him, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, that didn’t bother her. It seemed…right. “Do you have to go? I don’t know anyone else here.”

“Yes, I have to go. People don’t say no to Arawn.” He chuckled. “You can get to know your newfound grandparents. And invite your dad.” He stretched brawny arms over his head. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”

“You know which one it is? I don’t even know.”

“Baby, we all know where our resident legend is staying.” He stood and tugged her to her feet.

She playfully punched his abs, and it felt like hitting a wall. Then again, it wasn’t the first time she’d run smack into him.

“Damn.” His eyes glittered down at her.

“What? That didn’t hurt.”

“No.” He looked like he was struggling to hold in a huge grin. “I’ve never stood next to you when you weren’t in heels. You’re, uh…”

“Short.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I can help it.”

“It’s fucking hot.” He pulled her close and leaned down, nipping her neck and cupping her bottom in one fluid motion.

She gasped and turned her head, searching for his mouth, desperate for another kiss.

He licked deviously along her shoulder. “Don’t know which I like better. You being so tiny in my arms, or you in those boots you wore tonight.”

“They…they’re…” Words jumbled around in her head. What was she trying to say? “They’re a little dirty right now.”

He groaned. “I like dirty.”

The timbre of his voice reverberated down to her toes. She tried to thump her fist against his chest, but her arm was pinned between them. Dammit, he was torturing her. “Stop teasing me.”

“Yeah? What’re you gonna do about it?”

 “I…I’ll wear them when you get back.” The words rushed out of her mouth, before she realized how he’d probably interpret them.

He stilled and pulled back, his expression alternating with mirth and raw hunger. “Deal, Boots.”

She blinked rapidly, surprised and tantalized at his quick reaction, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you just call me Boots?”

He tilted his head and his eyes raked over her in a lazy caress. “Yep. I can see you now, wearing only those boo—”

She hit him again, harder this time, but couldn’t stop a smile from tugging at her mouth.

Chuckling, he draped an arm over her shoulders and steered her back into the large room, past the guards, and down a marble hall. “Is everything in here marble and granite?” she asked.

“A lot of it.” He shrugged.

“Guess it’s good to be a Watcher.” 

“We do okay. And we get to fight for a living.”

Fighting.
She frowned, her emotions stumbling over the word. She’d seen him in action tonight. He’d snapped necks and hurled demonfire with cold professional ease. That hadn’t bothered her in the least, because he’d helped stop the destruction of the club. But she had a new, gnawing feeling she didn’t want him to get hurt. “Be careful. I heard Stroehm is dangerous.”

He stopped at a heavily carved wooden door. “It is. And I will be.” He turned a silver handle and pushed the door wide. “It’s all yours.”

“No guards here?” She wanted to keep talking, keep him close, for some irrational reason. Besides, she was curious.

“This hall is monitored with a constant video feed. So, no. The guards are for when you’re somewhere else in the facility.” He grasped her fingers, enfolding her hand in warmth. “I should be back in two days. If things change, I’ll be in touch with Arawn.”

She frowned, not exactly thrilled to go find the formidable demon leader for updates. Maybe she could get news through Ashina and Raniero. “Okay, well, bye.”

He stared down at her for a second, then pressed a swift, hot kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back before you know it.” He turned and strode down the hall.

Alina stood, watching him, touching fingers to her tingling lips.
I don’t want a taste of you and then have to go without.
Her body warmed as his words echoed in her mind, and she willed those two days to fly by.