Darkness Unbound

  “It is always possible,” he said, his gaze meeting mine as he pulled back a little. My skin mourned the loss of his lips, but the heated, sexual look in his eyes suggested it wouldn’t be mourning for long. “Although as I said, we tend to be singular rather than a community.”

  “Except for the priests.”

  “Except for the priests,” he agreed, then his lips came down on mine again and, for the longest time, there was no talking, no thinking, just enjoyment of this man and the incredible electricity of his kiss.

  “Let’s resume this conversation upstairs,” he murmured eventually.

  “What about the stew?” I glanced across to the stove as his fingers entwined mine and he tugged me forward. The jet was on low, so it was doubtful anything would burn. And even if it did, I really couldn’t have cared. Right now, my hunger for him was far greater than my need to eat.

  “Right now,” he said, as he weaved through the kitchen then out into the rear of the dining room, “I couldn’t give a damn about the stew.”

  The door at the back of the restaurant had handprint security. He pressed his free hand against it and, after a moment, the door clicked open. He stepped back and ushered me through, pressing his hand lightly against my spine as we began to climb the stairs side by side. The heat and rawness of him swirled around me, almost overriding the sweetness of jasmine drifting down.

  “So what is your father’s name?” he asked as he opened the door at the top.

  “Hieu.” I glanced around the room. It was an open kitchen, dining, and living area, the wall sparsely decorated and the furniture expensive but well used. A large vase of jasmine and roses dominated the dining table.

  He guided me left, toward a small hall. “It’s not a name I know, but then, I haven’t been in Melbourne long. Is the filigree around your neck his?”

  I nodded. “Why?”

  “Because it is the type of filigree worn by priests, and they don’t exist anymore.”

  “Well, he was alive twenty-eight years ago, and the priests died out long before then.”

  “That’s true. I shall ask around, if you like.”

  I flashed him an appreciative smile. “That would be great.”

  He half shrugged. “You are aware, of course, that an Aedh only breeds when his death is near. He might well have gone from this world.”

  Not likely, given the number of people who suddenly wanted to talk to him. But I held the comment back and simply nodded. “I know. I was just curious, that’s all.”

  His bedroom was the last door on the right. The room was simply decorated in creams and brown, and there was little in the way of furniture—mainly because the bed was so large, it dominated the room.

  “Aedh rarely choose to meet their offspring.” He closed the door behind him, then turned to face me. My mouth went dry with the sheer force of his desire. “Even if I find him, he may wish to have nothing to do with you.”

  “I know.” I brushed my fingers underneath his shirt and slid them upward, pushing the material from his shoulders. He let it slip to the floor, then raised his hands, catching the end of my sweater and pulling it gently over my head. He tossed it to one side as his gaze slipped down my body, the heat of it making my nipples pucker even more fiercely.

  “Lovely,” he murmured as his hands continued their journey downward. He tugged lightly at the button on my jeans, then undid the zip.

  His touch slid erotically down the outside of my panties and my breath hitched. God, how I ached to be touched. No, not just touched, but filled. I needed him, needed the hardness of him, inside me, thrusting deep. I licked my lips and undid his jean button fly. His cock sprang free of its restriction, engorged with blood and quivering with readiness. I caressed it lightly, saw the bead of pre-cum on its tip, and felt the shudder that went through his body.

  “I have to warn you,” he said as I hooked the edges of his jeans and underpants and thrust them down his hips, “that it has been a while since I’ve shared this experience with another. I’m afraid that I may not last very long.”

  “Then let’s make the first time all about satisfying basic urges,” I said with a grin, as my jeans joined his on the floor. “And the second all about passion.”

  “And what about the third time?” he growled, as he pressed his fingers against my shoulder and lightly pushed me backward.

  “Will you be able to manage a third time?” I teased.

  Something flared in his eyes and my heart skipped several beats. A challenge had been given and accepted. I was in for one hell of an afternoon.

  The backs of my knees hit the base of the bed, and I let myself fall backward, bouncing lightly and grinning in anticipation. He smiled and crawled onto the bed, his body straddling mine but not touching.

  “I am Aedh,” he murmured, his face so close to mine that it felt like I was breathing in the very essence of him. “And I intend to make love to you until your body is weak and you beg me to stop.”

  I chuckled and cupped his cheek with my hand. “I’m half werewolf, so it’ll take a whole lot of loving before that happens.”

  His lips twitched. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Then his mouth met mine and he kissed me fiercely. I wrapped my legs around his, desperately trying to pull him down on top of me, aching with the need to feel skin on skin, skin inside skin. He resisted, his mouth moving from mine, trailing kisses over my chin and down my neck. But it was teeth that grazed my nipples, and I gasped in pleasure, my body arching in response.

  He chuckled softly. “I think you like that.”

  He didn’t give me the chance to reply, simply nipped again, teasing each hard nub lightly between his teeth then sucking gently. I shuddered and groaned under the pleasurable assault, and wrapped my legs higher around his body, drawing my hips upward until his penis teased my clitoris. I rubbed gently, back and forth, gradually sliding him farther and farther into my slickness until he pushed lightly inside. I kept the contact shallow, allowing only the tip of him to enter before quickly pulling back and repeating the whole process. His body began to shake with the force of his desire and the smell of lust and sex was thick in the air, mingling with the aroma of man and power, creating a heady mixture that had all my senses reeling.

  Or maybe that was the magic of his mouth, the kisses he rained all over my body, the clever way he seemed to know just when to bite and when to caress.

  And then, just when I thought I could take no more, he leaned close, his lips brushing my ear as he said, “I think I need to fuck you now.”

  “Do it,” I said, my voice so breathless with longing that I barely recognized it. “Please, just do it.”

  And with those words, he plunged inside me, going as deep as it was possible to go. Pleasure, pure and basic, rammed through me as forcefully as his flesh, and I gasped, my body arching up against his, my hands on the scarred planes of his back, holding him tight.

  He began to move, not slowly, not gently, but fiercely. My own movements were just as urgent, just as demanding. It had been far too long—if ever—since I’d experienced pleasure this damn good.

  Then he tangled his hand in my hair, holding me still as he kissed me. But this was no ordinary kiss, because it was more than just a meeting of lips, a tangle of tongues. It was energy and power and heat, flesh and spirit, as if our joining was on this plane and the other.

  Then thought was swept away, becoming pure bliss on all levels. His movements became more frantic, and my body shook under the assault. The tightness built up inside me, radiating out to the very tips of my toes and fingers, until it felt as if my body was ready to explode and my mind about to fracture.

  Then everything did explode, and I was shuddering, shaking, not only with the force of my orgasm but the sheer intensity of sensation rolling through me on that other plane. A heartbeat later, an animal roar was torn from his throat as he came so very deep inside me.

  For several minutes neither of us moved. He kept his weigh
t off me, but his forehead rested against mine and his breath washed my face. It was a pleasant sensation that did little to cool the heat still lingering in my flesh.

  Mom was right. The sex didn’t live up to the promise of the kiss, but it was still as far away from functional as you could get.

  He sighed and moved enough to claim my lips, our kiss soft and sweet. Then he shifted to one side and gathered me close.

  “I should go down and turn the stew off,” he said, running his finger lightly down my cheek. His eyes still burned with unchecked desire. “But that would involve moving from this bed and, right now, I have no desire to do so.”

  I said teasingly, “Don’t tell me you’re tired already. What happened to that legendary Aedh stamina I heard so much about?”

  He chuckled softly and kissed my nose, then tucked his leg over my hip and pressed me closer. He was already rampant, and my pulse rate skipped then raced.

  “There’s nothing wrong with my stamina, young lady, and I shall prove it to you if you wish.”

  “Please do,” I murmured and shifted a little, allowing him to slip inside again.

  He chuckled softly. “I think we are in for a very long, very delightful afternoon.”

  “Only if you stop talking and get down to business,” I said, voice husky as desire began to flare again.

  He did stop talking at that point.

  And it was a very long, very delightful afternoon.

  “Hey, sleepy-head.”

  The soft voice squirreled its way into my slumber. I mumbled something unintelligible and turned away from the sound, burying my head deeper into the cloud of pillows.

  “Ris,” the intruder said again. “You wanted to be woken at five.”

  “It can’t be five yet,” I mumbled, and swiped lazily at the thing suddenly tickling my ear. I brushed away air. “I only just went to sleep.”

  “You went to sleep at three thirty,” that all-too-cheerful voice informed me. “That was an hour and a half ago.”

  I gave up on trying to hang on to sleep and opened a bleary eye, gazing up at him balefully. “You’re lying. It can’t be five already.”

  His jade eyes danced with mirth, but rather than replying, he simply showed me his watch. He was right. It was five.

  “Goddamn it,” I muttered, rubbing at eyes that felt gritty with sleep. “I need to sleep some more. Then eat. And shower. Maybe not in that order, either.”

  He laughed and dropped a kiss onto my cheek. He smelled fresh and his hair was damp. “What about you go have a shower, and I’ll go see how the stew has fared in our absence.”

  “I really haven’t got time to eat.” I pushed myself upright. My body felt languid and my mind still hummed from the afternoon of loving. It almost felt as if we were still connected in some metaphysical way, though our only contact was the press of his knee against my thigh, and even then a sheet lay between us. “They’ll kill me if I miss the party.”

  “You won’t miss the party because I’ll drive you there. And you can eat in the car.”

  His expression dared me to challenge the offer, but I had absolutely no intention of doing so. Being chauffeured was a far better option than trying to find a taxi at peak hour. “You just want to see where I live.”

  “Too right,” he murmured as his palm cupped my cheek, holding me steady as his lips came down on mine. The kiss was passionate, hinting at hunger that had yet to be satisfied.

  And I thought werewolves had stamina. This man was a goddamn machine.

  “It is too bad I have an evening appointment,” he continued after a while. “Otherwise I’d be angling for an invite to the party, as well.”

  “You wouldn’t have been successful, because it’s just close friends.” But it was a case of bad timing on both our parts, I thought, casually running my fingertips down his well-defined abs. Right now, I could think of nothing more pleasant than spending several more hours in bed with him.

  “Given the afternoon we just shared, I dare anyone not to call us close.” He placed a hand over mine, stopping my playful progress downward. “And if you don’t move, my resolve to let you go will weaken and you’ll end up being extremely late for your friend’s party.”

  I sighed regretfully, but tossed the sheet off me and rose. His gaze skimmed my body and the scent of his desire sharpened. “I’ll be in the kitchen,” he said abruptly. “Everything you need for a shower is in the bathroom.”

  I watched him leave, my smile dying a little as I saw the puckered, ruined skin on his back. The remnants of what once were wings. Bastards.

  I gathered my scattered clothes, then headed for the bathroom, quickly washing the scent of sex, sweat, and him from my skin before drying and getting dressed.

  The smell of burned meat filled the stairwell as I headed down the stairs. He’d obviously set the heat under the pot too high. “Is the pot salvageable?” I said as I entered the kitchen.

  “Yeah,” he said, dumping it upside down on a tray before pushing it into the dishwasher. “It probably only started to burn in the last hour or so. I’ll leave the fans on, and that should clear the smell out quickly enough.”

  He washed his hands in the sanitizing sink, then walked toward me, catching a quick kiss before presenting me with several sandwiches on a plate. The beef inside was thicker than my thumb.

  “Best I could do on short notice,” he said, sweeping his keys off the countertop. “Shall we go?”

  “Yes. And thank you.”

  He smiled as he motioned me toward the front of the restaurant. “Next time, you can pay for the meal.”

  I snorted. “It’s not like you paid for the sandwiches.”

  “No, but I paid for the stew in the sweat and tears it took to clean the damn pot.”

  I laughed, but having cleaned a few burned pots in my time, I knew exactly what he meant. Even in this day and age of machines capable of doing anything, they failed to as good a job as good old-fashioned elbow grease. “Okay, my treat next time.”

  “Excellent,” he said as he guided me left down the street. “If only because that means there will be a next time.”

  I gave him a teasing grin. “Only if you promise to up your performance in the bedroom. It seemed a bit lacking when compared with our kiss.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “And does that imply the sex wasn’t satisfactory, my dear?”

  “No.” Far, far from it. “It simply means the kisses of an Aedh are fucking amazing.”

  He laughed, the sound like rain on a tin roof after a long hot day. “Then I shall endeavor to ensure that next time, the sex is its equal.”

  I didn’t honestly care one way or another, and actually doubted it could get any better. But anticipation still hummed through my body and I wondered if tomorrow was too soon.

  His car was parked several houses away and wasn’t what I’d expected. Given he was an investment adviser, I’d thought his mode of transport would be something sleek, sporty, and fast. Instead it was a Ford Ute—brand new and shiny and fire-engine red, granted, but still not the sort of car you expected a man dealing with millions to drive. And it suggested there was a whole lot more to this man than a great body and unbelievable sexual prowess.

  He opened the door and ushered me inside. The cabin still had that fresh-leather smell and I flared my nostrils, drawing in the scent and enjoying the richness of it. Especially when the aroma of lemongrass, suede, and musky, powerful male rode underneath it.

  He climbed into the car and started it up, the throaty roar of the engine making the whole car rumble and vibrate. “Good grief,” I said, glancing at him in surprise. “What’s in this thing? A V-8?”

  “It’s better than that—it’s a revved-up V-12.”

  “I thought they stopped making those things when the climate crisis hit and the environmentalists got all hostile?”

  “They did, except for a few specialized places. But this baby runs on synthetic gas.”

  That widened my eyes. “I didn’t
think they had full pump coverage for synthetic yet.”

  He pulled out into the traffic, the big engine roaring like a mad cat on the prowl. “They haven’t. Which is why, when I drive beyond city limits, I have to plot my course extremely carefully.” He cast an amused glance my way. “Not only is running out of gas embarrassing, but the tow fees are damn high.”

  I laughed. “If you can afford a hand-tooled engine, you can afford tow fees.”

  “I’m not rich,” he said, smiling. “Just moderately well off. Where do you live and when are we meeting again?”

  Any near-immortal possessing an average amount of smarts when it came to investments would have to be enormously wealthy, but I could certainly understand his reluctance to admit it. I bit into my sandwich, munching for several seconds and making him wait. I gave him my address, then added, “You sound anxious for our next date.”

  “I am. I’ve been asked to up my game, remember?”

  I laughed again. “I’ve already got a lunch date tomorrow, and I’m working the evening shift. But you can meet me at RYT’s at midnight, and we can go from there.”

  “Isn’t the Blue Moon just down the road from you?”

  I had another mouthful of sandwich, so I simply nodded. But I was half hoping he didn’t want to go there. After the mess with Jak, I really preferred to avoid the club. Going there just wasn’t worth the risk—if only because Jak still went there on occasion, and I really didn’t want to meet up with him. If I did, I’d no doubt punch him—and that would only give him something else to write about.

  “I’ve never been there,” he commented, glancing at the rearview mirror, “but I’ve heard it’s the best of the big clubs.”

  Damn. He wanted to go. “How could someone as old as you not have visited the Blue Moon? It’s been around forever.”

  He snorted softly. “Hardly. Even white settlement hasn’t been here that long. Besides, I haven’t been in town long enough yet to visit all the local hot spots.”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror again, and something in his expression had the hairs along the back of my neck rising.

  “What’s wrong?” I resisted the urge to look around and flicked the sun visor down instead, looking into the vanity mirror. The traffic behind us looked normal. Certainly there wasn’t anything I could see that jumped out and screamed Problem.