CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

Seth cocked one brow as he looked at Sara beneath him. “I will assume that means that you understand what you are asking for.”

His gaze stayed on her face as he rolled and tugged her left nipple between his finger and thumb. Sara’s breath grew labored until she was gasping. Interesting.

Her gift seemed to have a direct link between her nipples and most intimate core. With each caress, thin threads of electricity streaked over her skin from one point to the other.

Testing his theory, he leaned down and sucked her right breast into the heat of his mouth. A brighter, stronger streak of energy tickled his lips and zipped down her body.

Sara moaned and squirmed, grinding her pelvis against him. “What are you doing to me? If I didn’t know better, I would say you were teasing me with a vibrator.”

“Mon amour, I assure you, I am an experienced, fully equipped male. I have spent over a century studying how to sexually pleasure my mate should I be so blessed. The last thing you will ever need is a battery operated device.”

Seth switched to her right breast. He lengthened his fangs and used the edge to stimulate her nipple. A flash shot from that breast and snaked between their bodies.

Sara cried out and clamped both hands around his head to hold him in place.

Very, very interesting. He logged that information away for future use.

The air around them sizzled and crackled. Sara’s chest began to glow. Not just the flush of sexual pleasure, but as though a light bulb shined under her skin. Tiny, almost imperceptible flashes of light leapt from strand to strand of the silken mass of her hair. Where her fingertips touched his skin, he felt tingles.

The calluses on Seth’s hands added an extra element of stimulation. His expression morphed from quizzical to downright carnal. His wolf’s eyes glowed like spotlights, hungry and focused, making her heart hammer wildly and her need an unbearable ache.

He flicked her nipple with his tongue, sucked it into his mouth and hummed… no rumbled. The vibration radiated from her nipple all the way to her toes.

A cry started in her chest and erupted from her lips. “Seth!”

Her hands went to his hair, gripping great fists full as pleasure rioted through her body. Her gift reveled in the energy they were creating. Growing and flowing as a wave, which was freaky. Normally it manifested as a lightning bolt. Somehow she knew that this time, it wouldn’t end in death and destruction. It was more like her strange ability was joining in and expressing its enjoyment in the only way it could. She prayed it held itself in check or they might not survive the energy ball building inside her.

Sara pressed deeper into the pillows, arched her back, and wiggled her hips. “Please, Seth. You’re killing me.”

Seth pushed himself up until he knelt between her open thighs.

She ogled his straining erection, reconsidering her demand for all of a second. He was rather large, and she hadn’t had sex in…well, a while. Then he cupped her mound, and all thoughts fled her mind.

“Look at me, mon coeur.”

It was an erotic command she couldn’t disobey. Her lashes lifted.

Seth’s fist circled his cock, slowly stroking the weeping length. He stopped and waited until he claimed her gaze. Then he stroked her center with the tip. Her hips rocked, and lips parted.

“Mon amour,” he moaned. “I love how responsive you are.”

Sara growled in warning and reached for the side table’s drawer. The damn man was teasing her.

Seth chuckled. The glow of his eyes flared, an unmistakable sign of his desire that made her even hotter if that was possible.

He positioned himself and pushed the crown into her hot, slick entrance. “Aw, fuck. I’m not sure I’ll survive this. But it’ll be a hell of a way to go.”

Her heart pounded as he began to push inside.

“Wrap your legs around my hips,” he commanded softly.

She did as he asked and locked her ankles around his trim waist and clutched his shoulders. He sank a little deeper while her inner muscles clamped around him tightly.

Seth gasped. Swore. Then his breath hissed out, “Give me a moment to control my body, or I’ll never last. I’ve never felt anything as erotic as the caress of your gift on my shaft.” He growled the words through clenched teeth.

Thank God she held still as his eyes pinched shut and he panted.

He rocked his hips and pulled nearly free. Sara whimpered at his retreat, then moaned when he thrust again, going an inch deeper, stretching her inner muscles more.

Seth couldn’t tear his gaze away from where their bodies joined. Sara was a miracle of female anatomy. His mate was a glorious gift he intended to savor. Slowly. Gently. Damn his body’s demands for hard and fast. He was in control, always, and he wouldn’t fail now.

Inch by inch, he watched as he disappear into her body, glancing back and forth from her face to her fiery center, assuring he didn’t cause her pain. His thick length made an unhurried advance, encouraging her muscles to relax and accommodate his size. He was blessed, but not excessively so. A fact he was thankful for. If he were any larger, he would hurt his beloved. As it was, they were a perfect fit. The only problem was Sara’s tight sheath hadn’t become accustomed to him yet. Yet, being the operative word.

The little minx and her blasted gift didn’t make it easy. She gripped him like a vise, flexing her inner walls. All the while her gift stroked and caressed with stimulating surges of power. He deserved an award for his control.

Thank the Source of all! Sara relaxed, and he slid home. She was heaven, home, and salvation, surrounding him with glorious heat.

Her lashes fluttered, and lips parted, but only soft sounds of satisfaction escaped. Her hips rocked, urging him on.

Seth took the hint and stroked out and then in again. “I love the way your breasts sway when you move. Play with your nipples, mon amour. Show me what you like.”

He was able to restrain her gift, but not control it completely. Electrical surges trickled over her skin like tiny fingers rushing over her belly and lower.

A roar he couldn’t quite control erupted from his throat. A painful shock zapped a part of him that should only ever be handled with the utmost care. Fang! Control Sara’s power before we’re castrated by it!

Oh, hell no!

Seth moaned with the pleasure Sara gave him. “Loving you is indescribable. Woman, you destroy my control. I need you to be still for a minute. Fang is taking control of your gift, so it doesn’t get away from us. It will be easier for him if we don’t generate any more energy until he has it in hand.”

Panting, Sara gazed into his eyes and smiled. “I’ll try, but it’s hard when you feel so good.”

You’re good to go, boss man. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Fang teased in his mind.

Thank you.

Seth put his complete trust in Fang’s ability to wrangle the pesky electrical surges and turned his focus back on his mate. She wanted him to make passionate love to her. Needed it. Commanded it. He was more than happy to comply.

The air around them sparkled and glowed. Their joining fed Sara’s gift. It drew every bit of energy within the room. Good old Fang kept it from harming them by dancing it around the room. His wolf had a strange sense of humor based on the light show he created. The energy morphed from Pony’s snorting sparkles to wolves racing under the moon. One animal after another lent light to the space, but Seth ignored the show. He had a mate to satisfy.

He began to make slow, sweet love to her. A slow glide in and an equally slow withdrawal. All the while, mindful of her responses. He would die before hurting his one true mate. Her eyes widened, and her ankles locked tighter. Excellent, she was enjoying their joining.

“Harder. Faster,” Sara demanded.

“As you wish, mon amour.” He surged forward with a hard, fast stroke, driving deep until skin slapped against skin. She slid her hands down to his hips to clutch his flexing ass. He withdrew again, and this time adjusted the angled so when he thrust forward he stimulated the nerves deep inside.

“Again!” Sara cried out and gripped harder.

Hell yes, he would do that again. His breathing became harsh, and his lungs burned for air. Still, he denied his release, waiting for her completion before claiming his own.

He and Fang worked like a well-oiled machine. His wolf kept her gift at bay while he ensured their mate’s pleasure.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his face. His pulse pounded. Seth grit his teeth as her power gathered within her like a hurricane about to make landfall. Errant flashes of energy escaped. The tiny trickle of electricity shimmered over her nipples.

Sara gasped.

A second streak of electricity found freedom. This one a little stronger. It snaked down her belly and slithered between their joined bodies. Only to fork, one half down his shaft to her core and the other wrapped around his balls. Stimulation, so intense it bordered on pain, had his sack pulling up tight to his body.

“Seth!” she wailed his name.

“Sara, my love. I fear I can’t last much longer.” Each time his body moved in hers a tiny surge of electricity broke free. Every nerve ending burst into life. And lord have mercy, he had a lot of them.

Sara’s world narrowed until there was only Seth and his mind-blowing lovemaking. The pounding pace he set sent streaks of pleasure rushing through her that centered in her womb.

He swelled and filled her further. Her breath caught in her throat, and fingernails bit deep as her inner muscles rippled and pulsed. The orgasm overtook her in a rush. Driving her over the edge hard and fast.

Seth plunged into her a final time and held fast as he barked her name.

Fireworks exploded around them, showering the room in every color of the rainbow.

His head fell forward as he sucked in great lungsful of air. He quivered and his hips jerk with every flex of her inner core. Slowly, he raised his head and opened his eyes.

Sara lay spent and panting. She gazed up at him as her gift receded and the light display dissipated.

He leaned forward, and aftershock made his breath catch. He lowered himself over top of her, using his forearms to support his upper body while he buried his face in her neck. Aftershocks shook them both. She giggled when he moaned in her ear.

She made no move to roll him off. She liked him right where he was. His amber scent mingled with sex and sweat were a heady combination. She kissed his temple and rubbed her hands along his back. Enjoying the feel of his strong body as he recovered from their exertions.

“Damn, woman. Making love to you for the rest of my days is a challenge I look forward to.” He flashed her a grin. “You made fireworks.”

Sara looked around as the last sparkles faded. Then she frowned. “It was cool, but I don’t want the neighbors knowing every time we have sex.”

Seth scowled. “I made love to you. Get that through your head.”

Sara sighed dramatically. “Okay, fine. It was more than sex. Mind blowing as a matter of fact.”

“I’ll take mind blowing. For now. That was us making love. If you dare try to say that we only had sex, I’ll put you over my knee.”

Sara raised a brow at his threat. “You don’t scare me, Le Beau. I have a gun, and it’s loaded.”

He rolled then, separating from her body to lie beside her. He pulled her close for a long kiss. “Believe what you want, mate.”

She traced his lower lip with the pad of her finger. “I was just teasing. I would never call what we did ‘just sex’. It was incredible.”

Seth’s happy grin warmed her heart. “Let’s rest for a minute, and then I’ll make you dinner. I just need a little nap first. I told Randy I was taking you out to dinner, and we can’t have him losing the bet.”

His breath grew even as sleep overtook him, but Sara was wide-awake. Her feelings shocked her. No, they terrified her. Her body reacted intensely to his touch. She hadn’t known such a physical attraction, or strong emotions existed. At least for her. What the hell did she do with that?

 

 

The next morning at eight a.m. sharp, Seth escorted Sara to work. His intention was to honor her demand that he busy himself outside of the police department. It didn’t go as planned. He stopped just outside the door and gave her his ritual kiss on the cheek. But before he could turn and go a voice brought him up short.

“Seth! Come on in here and have a cup of coffee with me.”

Sara groaned.

Seth grinned.

Fang rumbled. We’re in. She can’t overrule her boss.

Twenty minutes later, Seth followed Randy into Sara’s office and made himself comfortable in the chair Randy so graciously provided.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Sara mumbled under her breath.

Seth settled in for the long haul with a magazine from the reception area. He was halfway through an article on gun safety when Randy poked his head in.

“We have a fresh one.”

Sara nodded and headed for the door.

Seth was right on her tail. “What’s going on?”

“We just got a call and need to go to the scene. There’s no need for you to come,” she said over her shoulder as they waited for the elevator.

Seth growled low in his chest. “The hell there isn’t.”

“You’re not allowed to ride in a police car unless you’re under arrest.”

“He gets a pass. Seth told me about your stalker and that he’s acting as your bodyguard. As long as he stays at least twenty feet away from the scene, he can come along,” Randy’s voice boomed behind them.

Sara sighed heavily but didn’t turn from the elevator doors.

When they stopped beside the car she was assigned, he smoothed her hair and brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones. He told himself it was to soothe her, but he knew it was because he was the one who needed the soothing. Touching her was imperative.

“Please don’t be angry. I have to come so I can protect you. We don’t know when Paul will make another attempt on your life. Until we take him out, where you go, I go as well.”

“Right.” She dragged the word out with as much sarcasm as a person could instill in a single word. “You just want to be with me.”

His smile was slow in coming. “You’re right ma petite colombe. I take every opportunity I can get to spend time with you. Though I’m serious about coming along to protect you.”

Sara shook her head and opened the car door. “Suit yourself.”

Seth took the passenger seat. Pleased he had wrangled his way into a ride along without too much fuss.

Sara glanced at him and scowled. “When we get there, stay in the car. I can’t have you contaminating evidence.”

“Agreed. But if you find yourself in trouble, call to me through our telepathic link. I will be to you in a heartbeat.”

Sara rolled her eyes.

He glared at her. “I mean it. Either comply with my request, or I’ll be at your side.”

“What’s the point? You can’t turn into a wolf in front of everyone, and you sure can’t pull out your sword.”

“I have other ways to protect you, mate. Besides, many innocent objects can be used as a weapon.” He flashed her a dazzling smile. “I have excellent skills with or without a typical weapon.”

“Fine,” she huffed.

“Fine, what?”

Sara’s nose wrinkled. “I’ll let you know if I need help.”

“Good.” What he didn’t tell her was he would be close by, regardless of her orders to the contrary. Something about this situation had his spidey sense buzzing.

After several minutes of silence, Seth asked, “Want to hear a joke?”

She gave him an odd look. “Sure, why not.”

“A policewoman with a K9 dog on a leash caught up to a criminal in an alleyway. The criminal sneered at her and turned to make his escape. She smiled and reached to unhook the leash then said go ahead. He loves fast food.”

Sara looked at him and laughed. “You have a sense of humor?”

He cocked his head and looked at her for a moment, then his mouth quirked up. “Of course, though it’s a facet of my character that my brothers insist does not exist,” he said in a mock-disappointed tone.

Sara snorted. “They’re wrong.”

“Exactly.”

The personal police radio crackled and cut their levity short. “Second shooter! The scene is not secure. Repeat the scene is not secure.”

“Shit! I have to get in there.”

“I thought homicide wasn’t called in unless a death was possibly a murder? This sounds like an active crime in progress.”

“I was called in for a body found in the alley. The fact that an unexpected shooter is there now is accidental. Someone screwed up.”

“There’s no way you’re going into that alley alone. I’m coming with you.”

She put the car in park and gave him a hard look. “I won’t be alone. Officers are on the scene. Stay in the car.”

Before Sara could coordinate with her men, she felt Seth’s presence, but neither heard him approach, nor spotted his position. He was close though, somewhere behind her. She wasn’t going to touch how she knew that with a ten-foot pole. “Pain in the ass man can’t follow one simple order,” she mumbled under her breath.

She held very still, listening for a retort, but he said nothing at all to give himself away. Stupid shifter was dang good at playing cat and mouse. She didn’t like feeling like the mouse.

Very carefully she peeked around the corner into the alley. Making a quick note of the position of each man. The perp was cornered beyond their positions but out of sight.

“Stay where you are.”

The command was a low growl. Close to her left ear. He’d gotten so close, she felt his warm breath stir her hair and dampen her skin. “How the hell did you do that?” she snarled.

He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m a hunter.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Go back to the car, I have work to do, and you’re distracting me.”

Suddenly, Seth felt fear. Paralyzing fear. Something was off about this situation, and Sara was about to walk into the middle of it. “Please, Sara. Stay with me where it’s safe. Let the others take him into custody.”

She gave him a quick shake of her head. Seth felt a pang of impending loss stab his heart.

“Like it or not, this is my job, and those are my men in there. I won’t abandon them,” she hissed.

He had the unexpected urge to kiss her into submission. The need so strong it was nearly impossible to suppress. He was grateful for all the years of training and self-restraint. Detective Sara Adams would despise him if he used such tactics to prevent her from doing her job.

Seth caught her wrist and spun her around to face him. “Damn it, woman. I’m trying to keep you alive. Listen to reason for once in your life and heed my warning.” His voice was impatient and demanding as if she would obey his every command.

“When I hear it, I’ll heed it.” Before he could say more, she pulled her hand free and disappeared around the corner into the line of fire.

Seth stared at the spot she’d vacated. Stunned. Unable to draw breath.

Officer Jones inched from behind a dumpster and yelled, “Adams, take cover!” The barked order echoed off the walls of the alley and was immediately followed by gunfire.

Jones crumpled in a heap within feet from her position where she crouched along the wall, a bloodstain blossoming across the right side of his upper chest. Sara lunged for him, grabbing the first body part she could reach and tugged with all her might. “Dammit, Jones. How many time do I have to tell your dumb ass to wear a vest?”

Additional shots were exchanged as she worked to stop Jones’s blood loss. A siren blast from an ambulance told her help drew near as her teammates subdued the perp. “Thank God,” she murmured. Then she snarled close to Jones’s ear, “Don’t even think about dying on me.”

Seth fell to his knees next to her and held his hands over the wound. “I can help.” She watched him close his eyes as light blazed from his palms.

Sara kept an eye on her fellow officers. They would have a huge problem if anyone saw the light coming from Seth’s hands. Moments later the ambulance appeared at the mouth of the alley. Sara gasped and touched Seth’s arm. “Times up.”

Seth opened his eyes and withdrew his hands extinguishing the light. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I like Jones and would hate to lose him.”

The medical team converged. Sara and Seth stood and moved out of the way. She turned and handed him the car keys. “I have to collect evidence and take notes. I can’t have you in the middle of a crime scene.”

He closed her fingers around them and shook his head. “I’ll be just outside on the sidewalk.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

He gave her hand a squeeze and left her to do her job.

Sara walked to where the body lay facedown in a pool of blood. She flipped her notepad open and froze. All of her team was to her left, but the crunch of a footstep on broken glass came from the right.

Another gunman emerged from a hidden door in the wall. Once the door closed it virtually disappeared into the brickwork. Someone took great pains to camouflage its presence. From the crazed look of his eyes, he was tripping on drugs. Whatever he’d taken gave him unexpected strength.

She dropped the notepad and braced for the impact. She’d secured her weapon and didn’t have time to pull it from her holster. He took her down hard, cracking her head on the pavement.

Pain exploded, and she struggled to maintain consciousness. Broken glass bit into her back, but she didn’t feel the pain. She shoved him with her left hand and reached for her gun with the right. Before she could get the upper hand, he leapt from her chest and pulled a magnum from behind his back.

Multiple gunshots rang out simultaneously. Three holes blossomed on the perps upper body, one directly over his heart. The impact of the bullets threw off his aim and saved her life. She took the bullet in her shoulder instead of her chest.

Someone shouted, “Officer down!”

Seth roared, “Sara! No!”

Activity burst around her. Running feet crunched on litter and debris, someone shouted orders, and a multitude of hands held her in place while others put pressure on her wound. Over it all, she heard Seth’s frantic snarls.

“Let me through!” Seth shouted. Then a shaft of sunlight stabbed her eyes when the officer applying pressure was yanked to his feet. Seth dropped to his knees and took the displaced officers place and applied pressure to the wound.

Another voice, one of the paramedics, took control of the situation. “Stabilize her neck, Steve,” he told the second paramedic. “You, maintain pressure on the wound,” he ordered Seth. “Everyone else back up so we can get the gurney in here.”

Another flurry of activity erupted. Everyone but the paramedics and Seth stepped away.

“Are you related to the victim?” one of the medics asked as he worked.

“I’m her fiancé.”

Whispers of his declaration spread like wildfire through her fellow officers. You would think she worked with a bunch of junior high girls.

“Good. We need a third set of hands in the ambulance.”

Gentle but efficient hands transferred her to the gurney for transport. Pain shot through her chest and head as they started rolling her through the alley. “Jesus! Put shock absorbers on these damn beds,” she groaned through the agony.

“Fucking human healers,” Seth mumbled as he walked beside her having been instructed to maintain his position and pressure as they headed to the ambulance. He rumbled a low growl each time the gurney hit a bump, and she winced.

Sara swore like a sailor when she was jarred as the gurney was loaded. Every breath she took was excruciating, and it felt like an entire drum line pounded in her head. She needed major painkillers, stat.

When the wave of agony subsided to mind-numbing pain, she opened her tightly shut eyes and met Seth’s tortured gaze. The fear in his eyes told her she was in much worse shape than she imagined. Abject terror caused deep lines in his handsome face. Alarm filled her when she noted his coloring. He was as white as a ghost.

Seth leaned close to her ear and whispered low so as not to be overheard, “You will not die. I won’t allow it.”

She lifted her hand, smoothing the deep line between his brows and gasped when the movement pulled at her shoulder.

Seth grimaced but didn’t pull back. “Stay still, mon amour. I feel your pain and refuse to be the source of more.”

“Don’t worry about me. This is nothing but a scratch.” Sara winced, but less so, when he helped her lower her arm.

“Your injury is much more than a scratch. But now is not the time to argue.”