He cleared his throat. “Are you trying to tell me the fallen are rising to power?”
“You’re pretty perceptive when you want to be.” Her smile was genuine, fueled by a desire to drill the message home. “I’d like you to imagine how dangerous a zephyr would be in the hands of one of them. Do you have any idea of the destruction and devastation it could cause?”
“I couldn’t give you the zephyr if I wanted to.” He glanced at her before focusing on the top of his desk. “I made the necessary arrangements to have the locket delivered to Diskant Black’s home this morning when I learned Ava survived the explosion.”
The image of the dying blonde woman flashed through her head. “The Omega?”
He nodded, looking uncomfortable. “I purchased the zephyr from Ava’s brother only to learn after the fact he’d stolen it. It wasn’t until Aldon came sniffing around that I did some research into the Brisbane family and put the pieces together.”
“Does she know what the locket can do?”
He shook his head. “When I tried share what I’d learned she refused to meet with me. After what occurred last night I decided it was best to return the necklace before danger came knocking at my door.”
An unexpected wave of lightheadedness made her sway and she reclined into the seat to disguise the weakness. The motion of her shoulders pressing against the soft, cushiony backing caused the leather covering her torso to stick firmly in place before sliding in a sickening manner that told her that there was blood coating her chest and stomach.
Shit.
If Aldon found her like this he’d kill her off without a backward glance. It was time to up the ante, get the information she came for and take the necessary time to heal.
She looked into Craig’s concerned face from across the desk and caught his gaze. His lips went slack, his pupils dilated and his face relaxed. She concentrated, focused on his mind and easily slid inside. It was like working through a file cabinet of knowledge, easily done if you had the right key or knew the right destination. His thoughts of Ava Brisbane and Diskant Black were already opened and waiting on the desk, lined up in a neat stack for her to digest.
She took what she needed, stored the information for future use and, when she finished, wrapped the job up with a neat, tidy bow.
“You won’t remember any of this. Not our conversation. Not my face. Or anything we’ve discussed. As far as you’re concerned you came upstairs after receiving confirmation that your package was delivered to Ava Brisbane and you’ve been sitting behind your pretty little desk thinking about what a smart decision you made.”
His glazed eyes didn’t even flicker but she knew the message was so deep in his subconscious that he’d never remove it unless she returned to him, lifted the impression and gave him access to the memories.
Grimacing, she closed her eyes, envisioned the lush healing cavern crafted by her coven and said a small prayer that she had enough strength for a safe journey before she phased from the room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ava groaned as a hot, wet tongue slid along the inside of her knee and slowly started inching upward. A rough, bristly prickle followed, tickling the skin, awakening sensations she’d never thought possible. Each piece of skin that was touched felt electrified, so sensitive it was almost agony.
Fuzzy from sleep, she gasped when a hard nip against her inner thigh forced her to part her legs. She opened her eyes. Diskant was looking at her, his irises shimmering liquid amber. The roughness against her skin was from the thick shadow on his chin, the heavy stubble lining his jaw.
He dipped his head, maintaining eye contact and pressed kisses along her thigh until his mouth was hovering over her pussy. His heated breath caressed the skin, teasing the folds, creating a flush that multiplied and spread. She trembled as she watched him, anticipating the moment his tongue would dart out, travel along her labia and flitter against her clit.
“I’ve been waiting for you to open those beautiful baby blues all day,” he whispered against her pulsating flesh. “I’ve got so much to tell you, so much to say. But first…”
She cried out when his tongue shot out and he did exactly as she’d envisioned, licking a firm line from bottom to top, parting her lips along the way. Arching her back, she clutched the sheets and pressed against his mouth. His growl was one of approval and hunger, and his quick lapping was that of a starving man and beast. There was no warning, no build-up—she came apart under the ministrations of his clever tongue and lips, quaking as a climax unlike any other sent her body into uncontrollable tremors.
Diskant continued sucking and licking, extending the pleasure. Unlike before, she didn’t go limp and relax as the climax ended. Rather, she wanted more, ached to experience the same ecstasy as he was buried inside her, his cock spilling his seed as they came together.
Mine.
She moved to straddle him, her teeth bared and an odd growl emitting from her chest. He grasped her by the arm and forced her around until she was on her hands and knees. She struggled in his hold, thrashing wildly, and he wrapped his fingers around her nape and pressed her face into the pillows. His much larger frame rested against hers, forcing her to remain still.
Logic warred with something else, something new, something primal. There were a multitude of urges coming from within—encouraging her to fight him, to anger him, to make him earn her trust, prove his worth, show her that he was worthy of her absolute submission.
“I’m in charge,” he murmured against her shoulder, his free hand caressing the curve of her ass. “It’s best you learn that now.”
He didn’t say another word as he got into position behind her. His knee slid between hers, forcing them apart, leaving her vulnerable as she panted into the pillow. She was already wet, sex swollen, thighs shaking.
“You’re mine. Say it.”
An inner part of her continued to rebel and she snarled, “No.”
She felt his teeth against her nape, the sharp points scraping against the delicate column of her throat as his hand moved from her ass to cup her sex. It was impossible not to groan as his finger slid between the outer lips, teasing and prodding before dipping inside. The impulse to writhe against his hand was negated only by the need to remain still, to draw the moment out, to make him force her compliance.
“Ava.” He shifted his head from side to side, his hair brushing against her back, his lips warm and soft against her neck. She whimpered, unable to remain still as he slid two fingers into the giving flesh that parted for his touch, and arched into his hand. “Tell me.”
She shook her head and he continued stroking her as he lapped at her neck, placing hard nips here and there, alleviating the sting with warm swirls of his tongue. The feel of his hot, smooth skin against her back was incredible. The length of his cock pressed against the seam of her ass.
“Do you want this?” He rotated his hips, causing that hard length of velvet, satin and iron to momentarily press against her pussy before it vanished, leaving her bereft and whimpering.
God help her, she couldn’t keep this up much longer. Her body and mind clashed, wanting so much to give in yet needing to resist.
“Diskant, please…”
This time he nipped her hard enough to break the skin. She felt the warm trickle of her blood as it drifted down her shoulder, traveling down her back. He moved and she felt his cock prodding at the moist opening of her sex, seeking entrance but stopping just short. Rocking back, she tried to bring him within but was unable to do more as she was pinned, her ass in the air, chest pressed into the bed.