The COMPLETE Witching Pen Series, Boxed Set (46 page)

“Well, that would be one hell of a love-fuck.”

He clenched his jaw.

Was it to stop from smiling?

She threw a wide grin at him.

His top lip twitched. “Smart-mouthed bitch.”

“Overbearing arsehole.”

Then his mouth descended on hers. He reached out with his right hand, and fumbled for the dial to turn the water off, his lips trailing down the side of her neck. “I want you
so badly,
” he muttered against her skin, travelling back up her front until a final kiss landed on the tip of her nose. “Tell me what to do, Mary. Show me how not to hurt you.”

A chord struck deep within her, and she stilled.

An image of herself at thirteen sprang to mind out of the blue; it had been the first time she’d held a blade to her wrist. Her mind had been numb with pain, her actions fuelled by desperation, her heart hardened by need…

In her mind’s eye, the thirteen-year-old girl looked back at her, blue eyes large and pleading…
Show me how not to hurt you…
 

A semi-sob tumbled out of her, and for once, in far too long, it was not ripped from her in a moment of agony, but drawn out of her in a moment of healing. The angel in her arms gave voice to what she couldn’t – and maybe that’s what true mergence was.

He wiped a tear from her cheek. “Mary, we don’t have to—”

She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips. “Oh, no you don’t… Lie back,” she whispered, surprised her voice worked. Her throat ached from tears that still needed to fall – she’d never cried so much in her life, as she had the past few hours. You didn’t cry as an orphan growing up in childcare unless you wanted the shit kicked out of you. She felt wrecked inside. Wrecked and mending; a part of her broken, but something stronger – purer – rising in its wake.

Gwain shifted on his knees, then brought himself down to sitting, before lying back on the tiled floor.

Mary lowered herself on top of him so they were both stretched out, head to toe. “This is a very roomy shower.”

“You should see the rest of the apartment.”

“Are you a secret billionaire?”

“Of course.”

“Let me guess… You don’t live on Earth for over ten thousand years without seeing your financial investments grow into one hefty portfolio?

“Spot on.”

She laughed, then gasped as his hand found a breast. He stroked her gently, played with her nipple, was the epitome of tentativeness; but his eyes held fear. Not quite the ‘I’m going to burn in Hell’ fear she’d grown accustomed to seeing, but it was close.

Was this really the same man that had taken complete control over her train-wreck of a body just a few days ago? Except then, he had always known he wouldn’t go any further with her. Now, he was giving her all of himself. And not because she was in pain; not because she needed rescuing; but because he wanted to. She moved up a fraction and leaned her forehead against his. “Gwain, you’re not going to hurt me.”

“I don’t know that. You don’t know—”

“I do. I really do. I trust you.”

“But—”

“Will you stop if I ask you to?”

Doubt lingered on his face, before he seemed to come to some kind of resolution within himself. He nodded.

“Well then,” she smiled. “Don’t you move a muscle.” She made her way down his body.
If he stops me this time, I swear I may just have an epic adult tantrum.
 

“That may be worth seeing.”

“You’re so not ready for that.”

His laughter turned into a hiss as she finally got to do what she’d wanted to do ever since that first time back in the jail, and slid her lips over the crown of his cock.

She moaned as her taste buds exploded. He was all male musk and saltiness – like oysters and sunshine rolled into one.

His husky voice reached through the blood roaring in her ears. “That’s quite an analogy.”

She grinned, and swirled her tongue around him, up and down his length, not wanting to miss an inch. “You having fun in my brain?”

“Your thoughts are bloody loud.”

“Then you know how much I’m loving this.”

He groaned his affirmation.

“And you know I’m damn good at it,” she teased. She had to fight the urge to climb on top of him and ride him ‘til they were both done. Instead, she took him in her mouth again, relaxed her throat and went down as far as she could.

“Fuck!”

His hips jerked up, and she wondered if for the first time in her life, she might be capable of coming on the spot. This was so
hot
. He was raw power laid bare beneath her.

She reached for his hand with her left one, and placed it on the back of her head.
You know what I want.
 

His moan carried a hint of protest, but she knew very well he could read her.

You know what I like,
she directed at him.
Please… you won’t hurt me.
 

“Mary,” he whispered, but his fingers entwined themselves into her hair. He pushed her down.

Harder … don’t be scared.

She didn’t hear what he muttered next, but he pressed her down harder onto his erection and held her there, using that tiniest bit of force she wanted so she couldn’t wriggle free. A thrill of pleasure ran through her body when he passed the back of her throat, and then she went to work on him, sucking hard, holding down his thighs as he tightened his grip in her hair.

“Oh, God…” His muscles twitched under her palms as he strained to control himself.

What a turn on. He was so …
godly
. He made
her
feel godly – a part of Heaven – and it felt a whole lot nicer than being a part of Hell.

An unexpected tingling swept up her spine. That awakening feeling was back, and this time in full force. Pictures, sounds, smells, sensations, all flooded her senses, and heightened her sensitivity to the point where she had to concentrate on holding back her climax. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that she was remembering … it was more like an unfurling of knowledge that had been dormant. It felt like Karma Sutra for the brain… for her soul…

Images of Jasmine hit her first – its creamy white petals, its overpowering scent – then everything else rushed in, and she let it, a deep ache pulsing within her that had everything and nothing to do with her desire. She saw acres of woodland and deep, dark forests; oceans that spanned eternity; mountains that guarded the balance of life and the secrets of death; stars that kept history alive from one generation to the next… She breathed it all in, something archaic inside her dancing for joy. Home … she was home.

And then she saw Earth turning on its axis in front of her… Only the planet had a huge red tear down its middle, as if someone had tried to rip it in half. Rage tore through her. That wasn’t right!
That wasn’t right!
 

Mary was hauled upwards before she even realised it, Gwain’s actions knocking her out of her vision, his glowing self now sat up against the wall. Had he seen what she’d seen?

He pulled her forwards, and crushed his lips to hers, drinking her in like a man dying of thirst. She was lifted and jostled until she straddled him, his sex nudging hers…

“Did you see? Gwain, did you—”

“Yes. I saw. I need you.” All trace of fear had left him. Instead, his eyes burned into hers with a yearning she was certain she mirrored.

His hands found her hips, and without losing her gaze, he guided her down onto him, filling her inch by inch until he could go no further, and honest to God, no one had ever been this deep inside her, not even with her strapped to a bench and bound in all sorts of positions.

Her cry was ecstasy and relief all rolled into one. It bounced off the tiled walls, colliding with his own.

“I’m gone,” he moaned. “There’s no stopping…”

“Don’t stop… Never stop…”

Their bodies rocked in unison; both hungry; both hard… The tingling down her spine became like a loud shriek that whipped up and down her back.

Gwain pressed the pad of his thumb against one of his canines, and bit down hard, tearing his own skin, then brought the cut up to her mouth. Whereas Abaddon’s blood had smelt good, Gwain’s smelt
divine
. She tightened around him as her muscles rippled with anticipation.

“Ymari, me bleden a tu—”
 

“M’angeal, tu savhail iama.”
The ancient words rolled off her tongue as if she were speaking her first language – which, of course, she was – their meaning crystal clear in her mind:
my angel, you save me.
 

She took his blood into her mouth, sucking hard on his thumb.

Oh, Christ!
She lit up inside, or at least, that’s what it felt like. Her nerve endings were shot to pieces, and she swore she could feel every one of them exploding in multi-coloured sparks. Immortality surged through her veins.

Beneath her, Gwain moved relentlessly, seeming to find his way deeper into her each time his blood dripped down her throat. With his thumb still between her lips, he grabbed her hair and pulled it right back, also forcing her spine backwards, which it did not like one iota – it felt bruised, for goodness sake – but Gwain’s mouth on her breast soon made her numb to anything else.

“Oh, yes!” she moaned. His teeth found her nipple, which he teased and sucked to a hard point, before biting down on it. She felt him break skin; take blood; felt the pull of her own self into him, just as she pulled him into her. It was that moment in Hell all over again, where she was suddenly in his body, only this time, it was ten-fold, and he was in hers as well. They were merged, and it was impossible to tell him from her. She felt his orgasm approach, just as she felt hers. She didn’t know whose was whose – it was just one great big, looming, tsunami of a climax, and by God, the earth
must
be moving…

FUCK!

Her fingers dug into his shoulders.

Her insides quivered, and he swelled within her.

He cried out her name.

Pain shot through her back.

Gwain released her hair and she arched upwards, just as something pulled on her diaphragm and light beamed out of her.

She glowed.

Although her glow wasn’t white, but a deep indigo.

Her glow merged with his, colouring their surroundings a tranquil sky-blue.

With a cry of surrender, Gwain threw his head back, the cords on his neck bulging, muscles taut… He spasmed inside her and let himself go, filling her with warmth. She felt every second of his release, even in the midst of hers.

A scream of jumbled words ripped out of her, although she had no idea what she said, because the most horrendous pressure squeezed her spine, and then her back ruptured.

Her wings hit the screen of the shower cubicle the same time Gwain’s did, black feathers tumbling with white ones, encasing them both in their own private world.

Oh…

My…

God…

Stunned and sated, amid heavy breaths, they sat there in silence for what could have been an eternity, staring at each other, forehead to forehead.

Then a gut-wrenching sob heaved Gwain’s chest.

He sat up and pulled her close, his embrace so familiar now she was … whole.

Mary felt his pain, right to the bottom of her mended soul – funny, how she’d never known it had been broken. His had too, only, he
had
known it; had carried the pieces around for a few aeons while he’d searched for her.

He held onto her, and openly wept onto her shoulder.

She gathered him in her arms …
it’s been too long
… and ran gentle fingers through his wet hair.

“Ssshhh,
m’angeal
. Don’t cry …
na criaen
. Everything’s all right now. I’m home. I’m home.”

Chapter Ten

“Are you ready to bring her back home?” asked Karl, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Elena nodded as she washed the last of the night’s dishes in a pre-bleached sink, but didn’t trust herself to speak. She was more than ready – she was
itching
to get to her mum. But Katarra’s little display had rattled her cage, and of course, now she was worried about Amy too. To make matters worse, she could have sworn she’d just felt a mini-earthquake, which she would have thought ridiculous if Pueblo hadn’t mentioned feeling a tremble earlier. Her senses told her that strange things were afoot, and she hoped to all the deities she could think of that the apocalypse wouldn’t begin while they were in the Shanka world. “I don’t know if we should leave Amy here alone.”

“She’ll be fine. If throwing up is all we suffer from tonight, then we’ll be lucky. She’s still safer here. Did she say what was wrong?”

“Just that she’s been feeling exhausted and what Katarra said was the last straw. What about Pueblo? Is he still refusing to come with us if Katarra does?”

“He’s settled down a bit. I told him the alternative was that Katarra stay here alone with Amy – obviously that didn’t go down too well – or that he, Katarra and Amy stay here together and put up with each other as one happy family. That didn’t go down well, either. I also made it quite clear that I didn’t want to bring your mother back to three dead bodies because they’d gone and killed each other. He couldn’t promise that there would be no injuries, so we’re back to square one, with Amy staying behind, and Katarra joining us, as long as she promises to stay out of Pueblo’s way.”

“Maybe Amy should come with us too.”

“I gave her the choice just now, and she looked like she was going to puke again at the thought of going through a portal.”

“It’s not really a portal, it’s more of a—”

“Yeah, I don’t think the technicalities will make an ounce of difference to her. Can’t say I blame her.”

“Okay, as long as she’s sure…”

“Also, when we’re on the other side, I think you and Katarra should go ahead to find your mum, while Pueblo and I take care of the Shanka.”

“What? Why?” She spun around so fast she flicked washing up bubbles at him.