She squirmed beneath him with a gasp, her lush breasts rubbing against his chest. “Merek! Gods, yes. I love it when you— Merek! ”
His name on her lips was enough to send him over the edge. He forced his eyes to remain open, to watch her come with him. He loved the look on her face as those sharp hazel eyes glazed with fulfil ment.
Fulfil ment he’d given her. It was the most potent aphrodisiac he’d ever known. His back hunched, his hips bucked, and he slammed his dick hilt-deep into her sleek pussy. He jetted his come into her, letting go of the unraveling edges of what remained of his discipline. “Chloe!”
Long, long moments later reality began to return by degrees. He lay sprawled on top of her, breathing in the female scent of her. He had to be crushing her, so he hauled himself up onto his elbows to keep from smothering her.
Gods, he’d been wild, out of control, savaging her. He winced as his gaze snagged on a lurid bite mark forming just below her col arbone. It wouldn’t be visible with a shirt on, but he’d know it was there, know he’d marked her. What the hel was wrong with him that he liked that idea? He wasn’t one of the fanged races, but it didn’t stop the primitive, possessive pleasure that coursed through him at seeing his bite on his woman.
She could heal the mark in the morning, and she’d probably hex his ass if she knew what he was thinking.
But she hadn’t said so much as a word since they’d climaxed. Concern punched through him. He swal owed a hard lump of dread, and forced his gaze away from the bruise.
“Are you al right? Did I hurt you?”
But she was already asleep, her hair fanned out on the pil ow, her cheeks ruddy, and her breasts rising and fal ing in the slow cadence of deep slumber. He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and couldn’t help the smile of satisfaction that curled his lips. Sliding out of her made him grit his teeth and sweat break out on his forehead. Gods, but he wanted her. Stil . Again. Always.
Rifling through her suitcase produced a nightshirt, which he managed to work over her head without waking her. If he lingered when tugging the shirt down over her breasts, smooth bel y, and supple thighs, no one would ever know except him. She was so beautiful.
He forced himself to move away from her to go and dig through their camping supplies until he came up with a smal , battery-powered lantern. Flipping it onto its lowest setting, he deposited it beside her. The batteries were new, so they should last al night long. Then he went and gathered up Ophelia. She mewed in annoyance, but he petted her until she relaxed. Laying her in the sleeping bag with Chloe, he covered them both up. He might not be able to hold her, but he wouldn’t make her spend the night alone.
Bending forward, he kissed her forehead gently, so as not to awaken her. “Sleep al night, and have only sweet dreams.”
It was a benediction, a prayer, a wish, and if he was lucky, a spel that would make it so. Her inner demons could unravel his magic, but he hoped they slept tonight, too.
8
“Iwant everything we don’t absolutely need in the morning loaded in the car tonight before Alex heads out.”
Merek growled the command as he picked up Chloe’s biggest suitcase and his own duffel bag.
Alex and Chloe stared at him for a long moment, but then Alex shrugged and went to get his stuff. Chloe plucked a few things from her smal er suitcase and then closed the lid. “I’l keep out the clothes I’m wearing tomorrow. We can just load up the rest.”
“Okay, I’l do the same,” Alex said as he shuffled clothes around, zipped up his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder. Then he fol owed Merek to the car and helped him stow al their gear.
When they were done, the only things left out were the sleeping bags and pil ows, two lanterns, and a few personal items.
Stil , Merek’s shoulders twitched. It was an itch he couldn’t scratch, and it had started just as they were cleaning up after dinner. The feeling had only intensified as the sun sunk toward the horizon. He had no idea what was coming, but he knew something was. He didn’t even know when it was coming. Tonight, tomorrow, next week.
He. Didn’t. Know.
Fuck.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he suppressed the frustration that roared within him. There was nothing he could do about this now. His precognition was unreliable in this situation. He could only be as prepared as he could be. It was ironic that he normal y had to have a stranglehold on his sight, and now that he’d give anything to cal it up, it had abandoned him to the same blind fate that most people dealt with al the time.
“Hey.” Chloe’s softness pressed to his back, her arms wrapping around his waist from behind. “You want to tel me about it?”
He sighed and let his hand drop away from his face. The lake stretched before him, as smooth and unruffled on the surface as he usual y was. The thought didn’t reassure him at al . “There’s nothing to tel . I don’t know anything. I can’t see. ”
“You’re doing the best you can.” She pressed her forehead between his shoulder blades, her fingers moving in soothing circles on his stomach.
He caught her hand in his, flattening it to his bel y. Much more of her stroking and his body would respond with embarrassing enthusiasm. “It might not be enough.”
“I know that.” She slipped around until she leaned against his front. Tipping her head back, she met his gaze. “Alex knows that. There aren’t any guarantees.”
“If anything happened—” He choked off the sentence, unable to finish it, but he forced the words to grate out. “I can’t watch you die, Chloe. I can’t.”
“You won’t have to.” She propped her chin against his chest, cuddling closer. “I know you’l get us through this. We’re going to be fine.”
He snorted to cover the depth of his reaction to her trust in him. He’d wanted it, and now he had it. “Did the voices tel you that?”
She pinched his butt. “No, my precognition isn’t real y strong enough for that. I just know that I trust you, and I have faith that we’l come out of this okay. I have to believe that.”
“Why?”
A sigh flattened his T-shirt against his chest before she dropped her arms and stepped away from him.
“Because you and Alex don’t. So, that’s my job.”
He caught her hand, keeping her close. She gave him a soft smile when he lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Thank you.”
She shook her head. “Thank you. For everything.”
For coming along on this case with her and Alex? For last night? The words hovered on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to know if her gratitude was specific to her, to them, or just for his being a cop. Why he was making that distinction now, when he normal y thought of himself as a cop first and foremost, was beyond him.
He was saved from making a bumbling ass of himself by Alex. “The moon’s going to rise in about ten minutes. You guys need anything from me before I shift? I like to Change before the moon goes up. I don’t know if that makes my chances any better because I can already feel how it pul s at my bones, but . . .”
The kid trailed to a babbling close, his fingers clenching and unclenching, his eyes red-rimmed, his body twitching with al the signs of a junkie just off a bender.
Merek nodded. “Do what you have to do. We’l be here when you get back. I want to head out at first light, so you can crash in the car on the drive.”