Twice Cursed (26 page)

It was her.

Squelching an overwhelming urge to
scale the fire escape, he pushed his way through the building’s
street entrance only to find the inside door locked.

Peering through the glass, his fingers
closed around the doorknob, leaving dents the dull brass. With a
low growl, he considered crushing the lock, but didn’t. He pulled
his hand back, digging his fingers into his palm, instead. She was
so close.

His eyes scanned the tenant list for
her name, but the door clicked open before he even unclenched his
fist. She knew he was here. Anticipation flooded his body with
adrenaline, and he took the stairs three at a time, his blood
pulsing through his veins.

Lily’s scent thickened in the air with
each step, sending his inner wolf to near madness, shredding his
tenuous grip. He rounded the top landing, and there she stood,
waiting for him in the doorway with a ready smile.

“
Sean…”

Her words cut off along with her
breath, as he threw her over his shoulder. Without missing a step,
he slammed the door with his foot, ignoring her protests as he
headed down the hall in search of a bedroom.

“
Sean…” she tried again,
only to be silenced with a savage kiss. With another low growl, he
pushed the bedroom door open and deposited her on the mattress,
sliding himself along her full length.

He kissed her more, his fingers
slipping beneath the front of her robe, her bare skin silky and
warm beneath the flat of his palm. Lily shivered as his hand
traveled across her belly, searching out her full breasts. He
teased her, cupping the full weight of one in his hand, his thumb
grazing the ridge of her taut nipple. Her breath hitched in her
throat, and the sound jolted straight through his groin.

“
Open for me Lily,” he
said, his voice deep and rough with need. He squeezed her breast,
rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger while devouring
her mouth with another kiss.

Her fingers fumbled with the knot on
her belt, but the soft cotton refused to budge. Her moan of
frustration was answered by a smooth, seductive half grin as Sean
tore the fabric in two and with a single twist.

He pushed the front edges of her robe
apart, exposing her naked flesh. A warm flush crept its way across
her creamy skin, from her bare thighs to her throat, staining her
cheeks with desire.

Sean’s nostrils flared at the scent of
her wet arousal, and he half moaned, half growled, rolling her onto
her stomach and ripping the rest of her robe from her body. He
could wait no more.

Lily read his urgency and came up on
all fours, her hair splayed across her back, arching and pushing
her swollen sex toward him, hearing his sharp intake at the wetness
glistening between her legs.

Sean grabbed her hips, grinding
himself against her, his cock throbbing as he rubbed himself across
her slick entrance. Leaning across her back, he cupped her breasts,
rolling her nipples again, before trailing one hand down over her
chest and belly and delving his fingers into her moist cleft. His
thumb circled her taut, swollen nub, her juices
dripping.

Lily gasped, moaning and grinding
herself further into his hand. Sean’s inner wolf snarled, its need
to dominate, to take its chosen mate overwhelmed him. Gripping both
her hips, he dragged Lily up and back, driving his thick, corded
cock into her wetness. Her cries turned to moans of pleasure as he
thrust, pushing his engorged member deeper and harder.

His body shivered, every muscle taut
and hard, pulsing along with his cock. He pulled back, and ignoring
her protests flipped her onto her back, impaling her with a single
stoke. He rode her hard, lifting her legs to delve even deeper.
Lily’s body trembled, slick against the rock hardness of him, her
thigh muscles burning and straining to hold on as he thrust harder
and faster.

Sean’s upper and lower canines
descended, hurtling him toward the edge of sanity. He needed her in
submission, his alpha female, his wolf-bitch. With a feral growl,
he flipped her onto her stomach and pulled her hips back, driving
himself into her again and again, his cockhead swelling to near
bursting. He bit down on Lily’s shoulder just as he had before
she’d left, his body shuddering in climax and his inner wolf
snarling in unleashed conquest. Lily threw her head back in a swirl
of pain and pleasure, her inner walls convulsing in time with
Sean’s release.

Time stood still for a moment, neither
daring to move until the last waves receded and they slumped
forward on the bed, panting and sweaty.

Lily pushed her hair back from her
face and peered up at Sean from behind her shoulder. “I guess this
means you can’t live without me, huh?” she said, kissing his
fingers as they came up to stroke her cheek.

“
You could say that,” he
answered, his voice still rough and growly. He pulled back,
trailing his fingers down her damp back and smacking her butt as he
withdrew.

“
Hey!”

“
You didn’t seem to mind my
smacking that part of you a minute ago,” he said with a
grin.

“
That’s completely
different.”

“
Hmmm
…and here I thought you liked it rough.”

“
Me? You’re the one doing
the caveman impersonation, throwing me over your shoulder like a
sack of grain. What’s up with that, anyway? Did you really think I
was going to turn you down?”

He smirked, tucking a piece of stray
hair behind her ear. “I told you I was on the brink.”

“
Brink? That’s the
understatement of the decade. Is this what I have to look forward
to every month?” she asked, tilting her head a bit.

Sean looked down at Lily’s fingers as
she absently traced the pattern on her duvet cover, a sexy smile
spreading toward the corner of his mouth. His gaze flicked back to
hers. “Only if you want it to be.”

Lily laughed, giving his shoulder a
gentle shove. “Ha! Typical male answer.”

“
So, you’re saying you
didn’t enjoy yourself?”

Lily’s face pinked, and the color was
glorious against her creamy complexion. She was tough as nails, but
he loved that he could still make her blush.

“
No, but…”

Sean’s lips silenced any
further reply. He broke their kiss, resting his index finger over
her lips. “
Shhh.
I missed you. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

His initial urgency for her had ebbed,
however, as Lily looked at him, one glance told him her antennae
were up and pointed his way.

“
What’s going on, Sean?
There’s something you’re not telling me.”

He blinked, but didn’t
answer.
Damn that mind of hers.

“
Sean…”

If he told her there had been an
attempt on his life, she’d be gunning for Parr before he even
finished speaking. Not that he could blame her though, not when
he’d do the same. Like it or not, the attack had actually bought
them some time. Time for him to be here, with her.

“
Lily, it’s nothing, just
Parr grasping at straws. He tried, he gambled and he lost.
Nevertheless, I took care of it, and now he’s off somewhere licking
his wounds. Trust me, his miscalculation cost him, and he won’t be
trying anything else for a while. I’m here now, and Mitch has
everything under control, so there’s nothing to worry
about.”

“
If you say there’s nothing
to worry about, then how can I argue? Parr tried a different
approach…okay. What kind of approach? Is that why you were in wolf
form for days, or can’t you tell me?”

“
Lily, I’m tired, that’s
all. Having to deal with Parr, while at the same time trying to
keep a lid on my libido, is just exhausting. Of course, I feel a
whole lot better, now,” he said, rubbing his knuckles over the
swell of her breast.

Lily chewed her bottom lip.
He could see the wheels turning in that head of hers, but at least
there was no steam coming out of her ears.
Not yet, anyway
. The only steam he
wanted tonight, was the kind generated between the
sheets.

She lifted her hand, resting her palm
against his cheek, and a familiar prickle danced along their shared
mind path.

Lifting one eyebrow, he gently took
her hand from his cheek and held it in his. “Don’t you trust me?”
he asked, sending her a mental kiss, while at the same time
redirecting her out of his head.

“
Of course, I do, but…” she
said, hesitating.

“
Then leave it, Lily,” he
told her, linking his fingers with hers. “We’ll both be back in
Maine soon enough, and you can have full access to the files, both
in my desk and in my head. Right now, we need to focus on what you
sense here. If it seems familiar, like you say, then perhaps
there’s a connection to the Compound. Vampires are no joke under
the best of circumstances, and I want you sharp. No distractions,
not even me. Even a Weres accelerated healing is no match for a
full on vamp attack. You’re still human, Lily, and that makes you
completely vulnerable.”

She considered him for a moment. “Jack
said the vampire council would consider me a Were, regardless of
the trace amount of Jerard’s blood in my system. He thinks I’ve put
us in a precarious position, working with the police on this case
and all. Is he right?”

Sean let go of her hand and sat up,
running his fingers through his hair. “Technically, yes. However,
you are also the alpha female. I took care of that before I left
the compound.”

“
Took care of it?
How?”

He flashed a sheepish grin her way.
“Since we’re talking in technicalities, I basically took back what
was mine. I disbanded the council and took back the traditional
role of alpha, naming you as my mate. That should give you enough
status to circumvent any trumped up legalities the vamps might
throw at us.”

Lily sat up as well, hooking one leg
under the other. “Wait a minute, disbanded the council? Why? Is
this because of me? Does this mean the debate over my acceptance by
the pack is over?”

“
Technically yes, but in
reality, no. I threw a gauntlet down, literally, telling Edward if
he wants to challenge me as Alpha, it would have to be done old
school.”

Technicalities.
The word was starting to get on her nerves. Lily
exhaled, her eyes narrow and questioning. “What does that
mean?”

Sean shifted on the bed, lifting
Lily’s hand to his mouth and kissing the tips of her fingers. “It
means simply, if Edward wants to be Alpha he has to fight me for
it.”

Lily burst out laughing. “Fight you?
Oh brother, how quickly did he turn tail and run?”

Sean smirked, shaking his head. “He’s
got a good poker face, but I think my dictate made everyone think
twice about the prospect, Edward included. He’ll never agree to a
blood arena, especially not when the rules state it’s a fight to
the death.”

Lily’s eyes widened, and she swallowed
hard. “You didn’t mention the fight was to the death. That
son-of-a-bitch is sneaky, and he’ll cheat anyway he can. I don’t
like it, Sean. Not one bit,” she said, shaking her head.

Now it was his turn to laugh. “What’s
the matter, do you doubt my abilities? Where’s your faith, alpha
girl?”

Lily shot him a dirty look. “I don’t
doubt you. What I doubt is your hunter’s intel, and their ability
to flush out Parr’s con before you end up dead.”

Slipping his arm around her waist, he
pulled her to standing. Leaning down, he kissed the tip of her
nose. “That’s what I have you for, my beautiful stealth weapon,” he
said with a grin. “No one can get in and out of people’s heads like
you. They won’t even know what hit them.”

Lily leaned back, searching his eyes.
“My abilities aren’t exactly state secrets. They all know what I
can do, and I doubt they’ve forgotten my little display in the war
room. Don’t you think they’ll expect some kind of telepathic
surveillance? I wouldn’t put it past them to plant false
information just to throw me off the scent.”

He shook his head. “Edward is
cavalier, and overly confident. If he thinks you’re still exiling
yourself in New York, he’ll believe he has us at a disadvantage.
They know what you can do when you’re close by, but none of them
know about your long-range capabilities.” He waggled his eyebrows
and kissed her mouth hard. “But enough about that. I’m hungry,
woman! Then after you feed me, I’ll throw you over my shoulder
again and show you just how caveman I can get.”

Lily laughed, but her eyes never left
his muscled thighs as he pulled on his jeans. He left his fly
undone, and standing there with his bare chest and the subtle
invitation of what waited for her south of his belly button left
her mouth watering. “Whatever you say, baby...you Tarzan, me
Jane.”

Chapter Eleven

***

A delicious soreness greeted Lily as
she stretched, her feet searching out Sean’s under the downy
comforter. She shifted, wincing at the familiar yet satisfying
twinge in her thighs, twisting to mold herself to Sean’s broad
back, softly rising and falling with each breath. He was still
asleep, but as far as she was concerned, he’d more than earned his
rest. “You’re amazing,” she murmured, snuggling in
closer.