CHAPTER ONE
Two weeks before
Ella sat naked on the firm mattress, stretching her arms up toward the ceiling and pushing her chest out to let the bones in her spine click into place. A crinkled cotton sheet tangled over the lower half of her equally exposed body. She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself and brushed her hand over her round belly as she settled back down. Lying in their king-sized bed like this was a rare indulgence, but yesterday evening her lower back throbbed. One word to her protective husband of four months, Marcus, and he had carried her right to the bedroom.
“You just need to rest and let me put my magical hands to work.”
She giggled. Some women at this stage of pregnancy might be annoyed at the double entendre, but Ella smiled. As soon as his skilled hands caressed her sensitive skin, electrical spasms brought her body and libido swiftly to life. A scorching desire erupted only he could quench. To deny him would be like starving herself of oxygen.
She simply couldn’t do it.
She wondered, in fact, whether there was anything she would deny him.
The primal need for his touch always existed, rendering her at his mercy. Even now, as she let her eyes roam over her sexy and dark husband, with his strong, square jaw covered in day-old stubble as he lay on his side next to her, the sizzle of lust danced in her blood. She shifted on her side slightly as she perused his taut and toned muscular body, much bigger than hers. She traced her finger over the frog skeleton tattoo on his huge rounded bicep and down over fresh purple bruises that stained his ribs. As his broad chest rose and fell with each slow breath, Ella noted how the fine dusting of dark hair did little to disguise his fresh injuries. She sucked in the air around her to draw on the energy and placed her palm out flat over the injuries, healing the damaged bones and muscles.
All the while, Marcus lay asleep with his hand possessively lying on her belly. Before her eyes, his magnificent body healed. His lips twitched into a mischievous smile, and she smiled in response. She lost herself in him, but it hadn’t always been that way. When they first met, Marcus had been an undercover agent, and she was his target. She was his mission. As an FBI agent, he was meant to bring her in for questioning. She was on the FBI’s most-wanted list and the main suspect in a murder, but thrown together and hunted by the nefarious Elusti organization, they soon realized something else was at play. Something neither wanted to admit.
Destiny.
The discovery that they were soul mates was a hard fact to swallow, but as Ella began to experience an uncontrollable yearning for Marcus, their feelings for each other exploded. From the beginning, his touch flicked a switch that she couldn’t turn off. Her soul responded to her mate, and her mate was Marcus. The last man she imagined. Their entwined history unraveled as they explored the sexual chemistry between them. They were the last of their kind, soul-shifters born of the clan of Ariana, the moon goddess. Everything between them changed. After completing the ancient mating ritual, their fates were sealed when Marcus bit her neck. This final intimate act fulfilled the ancient ceremony, uniting them forever and rendering them immortal. At least that was what the legend said.
However, they weren’t sure of the exact details.
What was clear to Ella was that she belonged to Marcus in every way possible. As her baby grew inside her, a need to be close to Marcus at all times increased. It drove her crazy, and when he wasn’t around, a panic for his safety set in. As a result, lately, Ella practiced using her sense of hearing and smell to locate Marcus. Listening for his deep baritone voice, heartbeat, and his spicy scent when he wasn’t around, using anything that reminded her of him. After concentrating on him for hours with the scent from one of his sweaters, Ella managed to pinpoint his exact location on the compound and could visualize him as if she were in the room with him like a butterfly. She could not only see him, but hear the conversation that swirled around him.
It was fascinating.
It was a new skill, one she hadn’t shared with him yet, but she would because she wondered whether he was able to conjure up the same ability. She wanted to extend and increase the range of the talent beyond the private compound, but she wasn’t sure of the strength or limitations of her powers, or whether she could only track Marcus. Could she use this power on anyone if she trained more? Anyway, it reduced her anxiety a little. Marcus was a fierce warrior for the private security firm, Orion, but he wasn’t immune to pain or injury. Last night, when he stripped naked in the bedroom, his vivid bruises were evident. He refused to listen to her pleas to help him, and silenced her with passionate kisses. Seeing the damage wasn’t new but their lives were about to change. She wanted him to listen to her worries, not dismiss them, but in his usual way he took control by striking the match, lighting the flame of sensuality in her veins, and all rational thought evaporated.
She couldn’t deny him.
Ever.
Was it the same for him? Would he deny her when all she wanted was his safety?
Staring at the callused suntanned hand that rested on her tummy, laying claim, a quiver of aching need throbbed below. Even now, seven months pregnant with his child and after making love last night, the thread of need for him burned. Pressing her head back into the soft pillow, a nagging ache caught her in her neck. It wasn’t new, just annoying. She reached her hand up to scratch the skin where at times it felt sore. Fingering the small area of skin that was irritated, she felt a small bump there but as the pain faded, she let it go. The hand that had been warming her exposed belly moved upward to stroke her engorged breast, making her gasp. Marcus smoothed his rough hand over her skin, sending wonderful tremors throughout her body. Her eyes darted to meet his now wide-open, dark melting ones that mirrored her own desire.
“I wasn’t asleep, Ella, and even with my eyes closed, I was aware of you the entire time. You forget, I was a Navy SEAL. Are you feeling better this morning? Or are you still uncomfortable?” Marcus said hoarsely. He cupped his hand around her pert breast as he spoke, brushing her already hard nipple back and forth playfully with his thumb.
Her breathing increased, along with her heart rate, and she pressed her lips together. No, she could never deny Marcus anything.
“My neck is sore, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Anyway, I’m better than last night—only, now I have a different sort of ache.”
“Let me have a look at your neck.” Marcus twisted his torso and leaned over to reach for her.
“I would rather you focused on something else.” She smiled, smoothing her hand over her breast and wetting her lips. She watched as the corners of his mouth lifted.
Marcus pressed his taut and corded chest closer to her body until his mischievous mouth lay inches from her waiting breast. Marcus gave a wide, satisfied smirk as he lowered his head to capture the sensitive nipple between his lips, all the while his smoldering ebony eyes remained on hers.
Oh God, he knew exactly what she needed and when. As his tongue swirled around her sensitive bud, sucking and pulling, her insides liquefied and the hot throb that started earlier pulsed louder, beckoning. Ella sunk into the mattress, allowing the hot flood of shooting tingles to rise inside her belly. She stroked Marcus’s cheek, loving the friction of his rough whiskers on her hand. Marcus was all male and, breathing in his exotic cardamom and bergamot scent, she relished everything that was him. A moan escaped her mouth as his hand caressed its way down between her legs and pushed her thighs apart to stroke the juncture between them. He pressed his fingers over her silky wet folds and brushed her clit.
“Does it ache here?” he said with a husky voice.
Ella stared down at a confident Marcus. The sheer power that oozed from his determined glare was hypnotic, and it stole her breath. At times like this, she couldn’t believe he was hers. Shifting farther down in the bed, she nodded, clutching the mattress with her hand, wanting more. The delicious electrical sparks engulfed her in crushing waves, making her wanton. His finger toyed with her velvet skin and stroked the length of her opening, increasing the moisture and her frustration.
“Marcus, please.”
“Tell me what you want.”
Argh, yes, Marcus liked to be in control, and only on a few occasions did Ella challenge that. He knew what she wanted, but Ella knew he liked her saying the words, as if he needed confirmation of her complete and utter need for him.
“I need more—I need you to touch me here.”
Instead of words, she pressed his fingers deep inside her throbbing heat and closed her eyes. He buried his finger deep inside her core, connecting them. A flash of white light flooded her mind and Ella froze. She panted as dark images filled her mind. She couldn’t decipher or make any sense of them but an overriding fear for Marcus grabbed her. Ella tried to catch her breath but Marcus mistook her reaction for desire and thrust another finger inside, increasing the tempo. Something was wrong but Ella couldn’t break away as the tidal waves of desire took control. Her tingling orgasm built as Marcus continued his lovemaking. He delved deep inside her core, sweeping his fingers around, and touched her sensitive spot. When he removed his fingers almost all the way out, it made her gasp with fear that he would stop, but he shoved them back inside and she bucked to bring herself closer to his touch. Ella grabbed his hand.
“Marcus.”
“Relax, baby. I’ve got you.”
The overpowering feelings threw her off-balance and she hated feeling out of control. As his masterful strokes touched her in all the right places, adding just the amount of pressure she needed, she let go. The whirling waves of euphoria and pleasure rose higher and higher until she couldn’t help but scream out his name. As her orgasm took her over the edge, a clear picture of Marcus kneeling on the floor, head bent, with a gun pointed at his temple appeared in her mind like a photograph.
A loud bang sounded and echoed around her.
The pleasure turned to pain, and Ella jerked her body forward. Thirty minutes later, showered and dressed, Ella paced the unpainted wooden floor boards in the bedroom as she chewed on the tips of her nails. The morning sun shone through the translucent sheers, promising a lovely day, but she couldn’t shake the sinking dread that consumed her inside. Her heart pounded in her ribs, not from the passion of earlier but from raw anger.
“You’re so damn arrogant, Marcus. If the roles were reversed, would you be so blasé? Would you let me leave? Why won’t you listen to me?” She rubbed her abdomen and stared over at the man who had just walked out of the shower after dismissing her concern about the terrifying vision.
Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, tugging on his heavy leather boots as he met her look. He sighed, stopped what he was doing for a moment and rubbed his hand across his temple.
“You are overreacting, Ella—that’s why. And you’re not me. I’m trained for this. I’m used to staring death in the face. I’m coming back, I’ve told you that. I understand you’re worried, and the pregnancy makes you—”
“Don’t you dare say it, Marcus.”
She moved to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. He grabbed his thick black sweater from the bed and pulled it over his wet hair. Facing her, his eyes were so dark Ella couldn’t see the pupils.
“Okay, I won’t. This baby, this pregnancy, it’s a gift, Ella. One I never imagined I would want. Up until I met you. The past—it’s been fucked up and our baby is a chance for us to have a normal life. I think it’s safer that way. Anyway, what the hell am I supposed to do, tell me? Should I tell Ben that my wife has had a bad dream and wants me to stay home? Let some other poor soul face whatever danger is out there? Or should I tell him the truth? Should I tell him what we are, Ella? I know you worry about the professor and the Elusti, which is why we live here on the compound with the others. Where it’s safe. I can ensure you’re protected here because it’s like a damn military base. It would take an army to infiltrate the high-tech security here.”
Ella didn’t lose eye contact with him, but she wasn’t convinced. The Elusti had unlimited power. Marcus raked his heads through his wavy, inky-black hair and Ella swallowed.
His eyes blazed at her like daggers. He was angry but so was she. She sniffed and forced back tears. His nostrils flared as he waited for a response from her, but Ella knew no matter what she said, he wouldn’t budge. Crossing her waist with her arms, she watched as he finished dressing in his dark combat pants. She had never wanted this. She hadn’t wanted to be a mother, and yet, little by little, as the baby developed, an overwhelming awareness changed her. At times, she knew she was being irrational and emotional, but this wasn’t one of them. As the date grew closer, the anticipation and deep-rooted foreboding magnified. The Elusti and Aidan, the professor, were out there. Intuition told her she would never be free of them. Ella knew the professor was waiting for her and the child she carried.
Since the wedding, the last several months had flown. For a while, they had fallen into a blissful and domestic pattern of sorts. Marcus had continued with his missions taking him all over the world but when it became clear to everyone that Ella was pregnant, she hadn’t been given any option by Marcus or her boss Ben. She had been grounded and reduced to gathering intelligence from the office, working on the computer.
It just wasn’t her.
It didn’t take long for boredom to set in, which was worse when Marcus traveled. She couldn’t sleep, and the visions started. Marcus was understanding at first, sympathetic, but now his patience had evaporated. Staring around the large bedroom for a second, he stepped closer and reached his hands out to hold her hips, bringing her closer to his body—as close as the bump would allow. She stared at her protruding belly instead of him. He tilted her chin up and she met his demanding gaze.
“I know you’re worried, Ella, but I’m good at what I do. You have to trust me. Your job now is to take care of yourself and the baby that’s growing inside you. Do you hear me? You haven’t stopped cleaning and rearranging stuff since we moved in. The nursery is ready and painted. All you need to do now is relax, baby. Please, for me. You have to let go of everything else. I’m only going to be gone for a couple of weeks and then, I’m here, by your side. I think, from what the book says, what you’re experiencing is a normal part of the third trimester—nesting and worrying. But it’s not good for you or the little one, Ella.”
He moved one of his strong hands from her hip to stroke her belly in small circles. Like the soothing sound of the ocean, it did relax Ella, a little, but as she sighed, she couldn’t let go of the earlier image of Marcus getting shot. The visions weren’t part of a normal pregnancy. Hell, they weren’t average humans, but that was the problem. Marcus had pushed aside the fact that they were both soul-shifters. He refused to discuss what that would make their child or the implications of being immortal. As the pregnancy progressed, Marcus had reverted to his stubborn old self, not wanting to confront his otherworldly abilities or explore his powers. He was adamant it would be safer for them both to keep their magic a secret. To act as if they were merely humans.
There were parts of their heritage neither understood, but she couldn’t ignore it. Ella believed they should explore and push their powers to test the boundaries. Were they physically immortal or did it mean that their soul was? Which meant their physical form could die. She sighed. This wasn’t a new conversation; they had been arguing over it for the last several months too.
She forced a smile. “So you have been reading the pregnancy book?”
Marcus dipped his head as he kissed her temple. Her smile widened. He was trying to distract her.
“You’re so beautiful, Ella. I love seeing your belly get bigger—”
Ella playfully slapped his arm and he laughed. Marcus stood back and held her arms with his, examining her.
“I read the book because this is all new to me too. You were right. We need to be prepared and I’ve been putting it off, but I’m ready. I cannot wait to meet our little one. But for now, you have to promise me, you will behave. I’m worried about you and the baby. You’re not sleeping at night. You’re restless. None of this is good—”
Ella pushed his hands away and moved to gain some space. She wasn’t a child and he wasn’t taking what she said seriously. “Don’t say for the baby. It’s all I hear. Marcus, what I’m experiencing isn’t normal. We are not normal parents. We cannot simply forget what we are because you believe it will make things easier. We need to use our gifts to help us. We have lived and died before, and even though we’re immortal, you still get battered and bruised. Did you know you have a gray hair, a sign you are aging? And the visions show you getting shot, for heaven’s sake. I’m terrified I’m going to lose you.”
The tears came too easily these days. She tried to wipe them away as they fell down her cheeks but Marcus was there in seconds, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone and lifting her chin up to face him.
“I’m not going anywhere, woman. When I return, I’ll prove to you that having this baby was the best decision you made—well, after marrying me.” He knelt on the floor and kissed her protruding belly.