I got myself cleaned up in the week to come.
I didn’t drink. I went to meals. I went to meetings.
Although, I did tend to ditch my bodyguards, much to their dismay, hating them following me everywhere, even standing outside bathroom doors while I was inside.
And that was how I came to be alone, and face-to-face, with Elder Merrick late one evening.
The man I had been avoiding. The man I had been ignoring. The man I had been trying to forget in my sober state.
Sitting inside the intimate living room of the Elemental section I favored, I lifted my head from the book of Laws I had been trying to memorize, having finally gotten around to perusing it when I heard the door shut and lock. I froze, my finger stalling on the page I was turning. He stood only in a pair of black athletic shorts and worn tennis shoes, his curls half pulled back from his face in a small ponytail, his glistening chest bare, the black curls on his chest damp, muscled arms crossed over his chest, and navy blue eyes glaring directly at me.
Inhaling shallowly, I closed my book and set it on the small coffee table in front of me, trying to keep my voice steady as I stared at him coldly. “Have you come for retribution?”
Muscles ticked on the sides of his jaws “I was doing my damn job. I won’t apologize for it.”
“So you’ve told me,” I murmured harshly, standing and moving toward the door, needing to get out of here before I lashed out. “And you should be proud, since you did it so believably, Cain.” I hoped the use of his name would sting like it did me, my tone like the lash I meant it to be. “I mean, why not go ahead and continue fucking me to gain what you needed. We’d already done it once by mistake. Why not use it after you’d already screwed up?”
He sidestepped, placing his back against the door handle when I reached for it, and fuck if his heat and smell of a forest before rain didn’t surround me. “You’re right. I manipulated and used you.” He ran a hand over his face, his eyes glowing in his fury as he threw his arms out wide, bending, shouting in my face, “You’re not my fucking kind! I despise any damn mixed-faction relations. I always have. It was how I grew up. And somehow, I got so stupid drunk one night I thought I was fucking a Shifter who was overly friendly with the Prodigies, only to wake up next to a damn Elemental, so yes, I used what I had.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, screaming in his face, “If I could take back that damn drunken night where I also thought I was fucking someone of my own kind I would. I want to kill you, I hate you so fucking much for what you did to me!” I was shaking as blood burned hot within my veins, perverse gratification flooding me as I saw his hands were shaking in his own fury, and I went for the kill shot. “You know why you hate me, Cain? You want to know why?”
His wolf growled, his power flaring, and he bellowed, “Why the fuck do you think, spirit bitch?”
I hissed, “Because you fucking liked it. You wanted to use sex as your in to give you a damn reason to fuck me, someone of another faction.”
His chest heaved repeatedly, and he growled, “And you hate me so much because you still want me, even after what I did to you on a job you even agree with, but despised just because it was you that got fucking duped.”
My lungs pumped heavily as my jaw clenched, unable to deny his words, just as he didn’t deny my allegation, as I stared straight up into his eyes, my breath panting in arousal, my lower gut burning for him, and I growled quietly, “You. Are. Shit.”
His scent spiked, the spice that had been beginning to waft, damn near blasting me. “And you are shit.”
Instantly, we were on each other. Reaching for one another. Our mouths slamming against one another’s with bruising force. Ah, God…he felt so damn good. Grabbing onto his curls, I knocked the band from his hair, getting a fierce grip on this man I hated, a mixture of desire and hatred washing over me as he growled low, his slick, hot tongue wasting no time, delving forcefully inside my mouth, curling around my mine. I groaned with all the craving for him I had tried to extinguish with other men, his hands moving down to cup my ass, squeezing and lifting me effortlessly against him. My legs wrapped around his waist as he fluidly dropped to his knees, lying me on my back onto the carpeting in one swift move.
His hands were instantly pulling the camisole top I wore over my head, our frenzied mouths separating, and he growled harshly, “Fuck, I hate you.”
“I hate you too,” I muttered, meaning it wholeheartedly, but groaned heavily when he palmed one of my bare breasts roughly, his teeth latching onto my nipple, his scent flooding around us, his power, aged forty more years, leaking about us in a flurry, a potent blend of wild animal and spiced evergreen and forest before a rain. He laved my puckered nipple, groaning heavily as he sucked its sensitive peak fiercely into his mouth, my breasts swollen in need, my back arching off the ground as I shouted, “Cain!”
His wolf growled loudly as his lips traveled across to my other breast, nibbling in sharp nips until he pulled heavily on my neglected nipple with his teeth, pinching with an erotic pain and pleasure. Fire shot through my limbs as I trembled under him, his lips sucking and pulling as his hands moved hastily down my sides to my pajama shorts, his lips popping off my breast, his voice guttural. “I’ve wanted to see this forever.” He pulled my shorts and panties off, and stared down between my legs with glowing eyes, face flushed fierce with loathing and desire, lips swollen. “There’s the white.”
Burning need had my hips rising to him. “Get back down here.”
His teeth bared at the order, but not even three seconds passed before his shorts, boxer briefs, and shoes were tossed aside, and his heavy body was lying over mine, hot and deadly, and so damn perfect. I pulled his mouth down with a sharp yank of his curls, even as his hand dove between my legs, and he groaned against my lips. “Fuck, you’re as wet as I remember.”
I grabbed his cock as he thrust a long, strong digit into my slick, hot channel. “Uhh,” I moaned. “Ah, fuck…I hate you.” I hated that he felt more perfect in my hand than any of the other men I had been with. I rode his finger on a moan, and started pumping his massive shaft. “You’re shit.”
He shouted into my mouth as I pumped him harder, thrusting into my fist. “And you’re not my kind.” He shoved another finger into me swiftly, staring down at me, nostrils flared, watching as I screamed. “I detest you.”
“Good. We’re on the same page,” I muttered on a choke. “Now, fuck me, dammit.”
“Christ,” he groaned, thrusting into my hand once more, only to pull his hips away, pulling his fingers from me to place his cock at my core’s entrance. “I am going to fuck you, honey.” He nipped my bottom nip brutally, bringing blood to the surface. “I’m going to fuck you so damn hard.”
He dipped in a dizzying blur, his mouth widening and teeth latching over my throat in a killing blow, holding me motionless as his hips rammed forward, his thick cock brutally sliding halfway in. My mouth opened on a keening cry, my head tipping back. His wolf growled violently, the sound vibrating the air around us, low and menacing, his hands yanking mine from his curls, pounding them onto the ground above my head, holding my wrists in an unbreakable hold. He groaned low as he slowly slid his hips back, his cock gliding roughly through my tight channel before he shouted against my flesh as he slammed his hips forward. A choked shout caught in my throat as his hips pressed flush with mine, his cock buried so fucking deep he stretched me utterly, and completely, exquisitely and flawlessly.
I shuddered under him. “Darling, I hate you.”
He licked along my throat where his teeth had been, his wolf in his tone as he growled, “No more than I hate you, honey.” He pulled his hips back, and then drove against mine fiercely. My body bowed under him, my nipples rubbing against his damp chest as he moved to peer down at me, his face etched in desire and hatred, the same as mine. “Making me fucking want this.” He slammed into me again, his cock bumping my cervix hard, and sliding deeper, so fucking perfectly deep. “Forty fucking years, never being able to forget your damn pussy over any other goddamn Shifter, no matter how many I slept with.” His cock pulled back, to slam through my channel again, stretching me. “The women I’m supposed to be with.” I screamed as he started thrusting against me harder, faster. Brutally and frantic, his voice half wolf. “Yes, spirit bitch, I fucking hate you.”
Jealousy…yes, irrational jealousy flooded me, burning a hole in my gut, making me tremble even more as I gazed up at him.
He inhaled deeply, faltering for a moment before he slammed into me so damn hard I choked as he groaned heavily, his lips curved cruelly, his face turning vicious over me. “Good. Be fucking jealous.” He drove into me again furiously, then began a relentless rhythm meant to drive me insane in pleasure, driving his cock in and out of my slick channel, our skin smacking feverishly, the sounds of our joining echoing throughout the room, his voice a growling pant. “Now, you know what I’ve felt for the weeks you were fucking every goddamn cock in sight.”
“Fuck you,” I muttered breathlessly, tugging on my restricted wrists as I slammed my hips back up into his, just as hard as he was me. “I was trying to forget.”
His nostrils flared, and he released my hands, grabbing handfuls of my hair as his soft lips touched down on mine without kindness, his mouth demanding and dominant as his tongue grazed mine back and forth as potent as he was driving his cock into me. “It didn’t work, did it?” he asked breathlessly against my lips. “This,” he drove his hips savagely against mine, our skin slapping loudly throughout the room, “is what you want, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I groaned low, grabbing his flexing ass, digging my nails in, enjoying how he moaned low in his throat, his hips working mercilessly against me. “Nothing worked, dammit.”
“I know,” he growled low, his tone furious. He curled his tongue around mine, gliding it repeatedly. “I fucking know.” He groaned deeply, his lips stroking mine feverishly, his body beginning to tremble over mine. “I want to see the stars, honey.” I moaned as he ground his pelvis against mine, hitting my clit. “Show me the fucking stars.”
“Mmm-hmm,” I hummed, pulling one of my hands up and thrusting it into his curls as I bucked under him, grabbing his soft hair tightly, screaming into his mouth as his continual driving thrusts, pressing against all off my spots, warmth suffusing my limbs in lightning streaks. “Again…oh, God, Cain…again.”
He did. Driving his hips faster, his panting breath flying into my mouth as mine flew into his, our tongues gliding feverishly against each other, and he pressed harder, rubbing against me deliciously, and I stilled under him, my body tightening uncontrollably. I screamed. Fire shot threw me, my Core opening even as my channel clenched him tightly, my body bowing against him as I glowed brightly, stars shooting off my flesh into his chaotically swirling wild animal power that was pressing around us like a tornado. My lids closed as I convulsed under him, even as he shouted, raising up to pound into me fiercely, his cock pistoning within my pulsing channel as my mind blew in whirlwind speed and warmth, hearing his choked shout of pleasure, his wolf growling so loudly it shook the floor under us as he slammed into me brutally, driving himself deep as his cock pulsed inside me, his hot cum scalding inside me in long spurts, making me whimper in pained fulfillment.
Floating down, air escaped me as his quaking, massive form landed heavily on top of my shuddering frame, his grip still brutal in my hair. He barely kept any weight off me with his elbows, just enough so I could suck in oxygen, his unique scent, as our hearts pounded against each other, chests heaving, and I growled breathlessly against his neck, “God, I hate you.”
“Back at you,” he rumbled against my temple, lips rubbing against my damp skin, his tone just as breathless and pissed as mine. Slipping from the room, which we most definitely should not have had sex in, or even had fucking sex for that matter, I went the opposite way as him after we had broken away from each other, both seething from the act, glaring at one another, even though both of our faces were flushed as we silently threw our clothes back on. I wouldn’t have minded jumping him for a second round as I watched his goddamn delicious body move, which it was apparent he wouldn’t have minded either when he had inhaled heavily, staring at me for long moments before we quickly moved away from each other. He hurriedly jerked the door open and stormed out into the hallway as I hurried to grab my book. Now I was creeping down the damn hallway like a thief in my own home, glancing into each room I slowly passed, thanking God no one had been nearby.
And I turned a corner.
Stopped dead at one door.
And frantically worked to blank my features as King Collins noticed me before I could move.
…Where he sat in a small study with the three other Rulers, talking quietly.
He glanced at his watch, and then peered back up to me where I was illuminated in the light from the room. “It’s getting kind of late, isn’t it, Caro?”
I swallowed as both the Queens’ heads turned, rubbing at their own eyes tiredly before squinting in my direction, and I nodded once. “Yes.” I waggled the book in my hand. “Late night reading, but I’m going to bed.”
And, I firmly kept my gaze away from King Zeller, who had already been staring out the doorway, watching, waiting, where he sat comfortably with an elbow on the arm of a chair, his chin in hand, fingers covering his mouth with an utterly blank expression…silently observing.
…well within range of his fucking ears to have heard everything.
Queen Cooper chuckled. “Did you enjoy it?”
My eyes widened marginally, my heart rate skyrocketing even further, and I swear I saw King Zeller’s shoulders start to shake a bit as my gaze flew to her, my tone a smidge too high pitched. “I’m sorry?”
She rubbed her eyes again, still chuckling, pointing with her other hand. “The book of Laws you’re holding. I can’t imagine it’s very interesting reading this late at night.” She waved a hand at me. “But, you seem awake enough, so I thought you might actually be enjoying it?”
“Oh.” I stared at the book a moment, taking a step toward the salvation of the dark hallway, out of the spotlight. “Actually, it’s boring as hell.”
King Collins eyebrows were together. “You’re not coming down with anything again, are you?” He pointed at his face, then mine. “You’re kind of flushed.”
My lips parted slowly. “I am kind of hot, so I should probably go to bed.” The words didn’t flow as easily as I had hoped they would, but it still worked, so I waved a hand. “Good night, everyone.” And then, hearing them call their good-byes, I speed walked as fast as I could without actually running, not bothering—or wanting—to glance in any other rooms for fear of who they might hold, damning King Zeller for being there, but slapping myself mentally for having sex in that room—with him, only mildly relieved I didn’t believe King Zeller would currently ever out us on our reckless deed.