Chaos Burning (20 page)

He fucked her hard and fast, but like she was something special. That juxtaposition, the way he took her way into filthy, hot sex town and still looked at her as if she were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen was really her undoing. She could hold herself back with a lot of things. But Simon wouldn’t
allow her to, not with this, not with him. And that was a challenge of an entirely new kind.

“Damn you’re good at this stuff.” She shuddered as he dragged the head of his cock over some sweet spot deep inside.

“You’re going to kill me with your body.” He grunted as she managed to squeeze herself all around him.

“I need you for the sex. No killing.”

He smiled and shook his head but then to get her back, he dug his fingers in at her hips and pulled her up and closer, held her tight against him as he went to his knees. She got her ankles together at the small of his back and managed to hang on as he continued to devastate her.

“Can’t get enough.” He raked his gaze all over her body. Inside she went a little gooey at that. This alpha male thing wasn’t underrated. He was raw, feral and made her feel like the sexiest woman to ever live.

“Don’t have to. I’m not going anywhere.”

He let go of her hip on one side and drew those fingertips around her nipple and down her belly until he found her clit and with a light, deft touch, set about shattering her all over again. She sucked in a breath and plunged under as he continued to fuck her in short, deep digs until she couldn’t hold back and arched as he made her come again. This time with more ferocity, this time with him in her, this time as he growled her name and came as well.

“I’m going to need to do that again. Not right now, as I’m not sure I can feel my toes.” He rolled to the side and pulled her to him, her back to his front. “But once I regain some feeling I’m gonna be back all up in your business. Once wasn’t enough. I doubt twice will be either. But let’s see what we can get up to before we finally go to sleep tonight.”

Chapter 16

“SO
what did you learn?” Simon asked when she came out to where he’d been waiting, speaking to Dominic. Dominic the playboy who now had a wife and an office at Clan Owen’s headquarters. It looked good on his friend.

Then again everything looked good that morning. All night long, long after the moon had set and the sky had begun to lighten with dawn, they’d napped and woken up with more need. She’d received him over and over, always with open arms, always with enthusiasm and a great deal of skill.

“I’ve got to meet Meriel right now. I’m going to be a little late getting out of here. Do you want to go ahead?”

He simply stared at her. As if he’d just go about his day because she had to work a little longer. She got that smile of hers, the one that brought out the dimples to each side of her mouth.

Heat flashed through him and her pupils widened. He knew she felt it too. The pull between them.

They were combustible, he’d told Dominic. Their chemicals had mixed and gone supernova. It was a nice thing to know he’d have this with her forever. Though he wondered if that need
to be in her, to be touching her as much as possible would ever go away.

Today she wore… he had no idea what the fuck it was. He looked her up and down. She had on snug pants and heavy boots. He approved of this part. She could run in those. In fact he’d seen it firsthand. And she had little buns of hair on either side of her head. Not quite like Princess Leia but smaller.

But the top? The swells of her breasts showcased well above the top of the corset-type thing she wore over it. A turtleneck. She wore a turtleneck beneath the vest thing, which covered the bare skin, but not the magnificence beneath. It was as if the fact that she was covered only made it sexier.

She huffed a sigh. “It’s a dirndl. Or part of one anyway. I got it in Austria several years ago. It came with a full skirt and an apron thing. I like that too. But today was cold and I decided on pants instead. In case I had to run.”

“How did you know? Also I approve of the top.” He leaned in close. “Though I’m not sure about the way the sweater draws the eye right to your tits.”

She smirked. “You’re not so mysterious for a big giant alpha male. Plus, you looked at me like an encyclopedia page.”

He took her hands, kissing them both, delighting in her blush and the way she didn’t try to move away but leaned into his touch. “You obey no rules when it comes to fashion. I think I must be getting used to that. I may even find this particular ensemble rather sexy.”

“Boobs are the secret weapon and the best accessory. Don’t tell anyone though.” She winked and it was his turn to blush.

“I can wait for you. I’m here already and I’m certainly not crossing over until you’re with me.”

Dominic cleared his throat to remind them he was still standing there. “You should come in to the meeting anyway.” Dominic indicated they should go into his office. “Meriel will be here and you have to go speak to Simon’s father so you may as well be part of the briefing now.”

As he promised, Meriel came in shortly and Lark got started.

“Mrs. Warden was amazing. She’s a werewolf encyclopedia. I’ve passed her info to the Kellys. I think they should all hook
up and take over the world.” And then she sobered. “They thought it was at least two thousand years ago, but turns out it’s three thousand years since the Magister has been seen in this reality. The last mention of it, or what may be it, was actually thirty two hundred years ago. The wolves have some myths that might be about it. Gia looked them all up. Many people died and then the storm was vanquished, is all she could find.”

“Not how it was vanquished?”

“This is like partly cuneiform and partly hieroglyph. They have their own ancient language with pictographs essentially. It happened around a time with a great illness so the deaths were just sort of rolled up into that. Or maybe that was actually the Magister. I don’t know. She’s continuing to research and has contacted the other Elders from different packs to see if they have anything helpful to add.”

“I don’t like being blind.” Meriel played with the bracelet she wore as she thought. “I’ve had the Kellys add some staff to work on this. Please officially request any information the Lycians have from Simon’s father. I don’t want to send you guys out there with so little info.”

“I have no doubt my father will assist.” Simon spoke calmly. “I’ll also make the request to the Table. Through my brother Card I have connections with the Fae. If anyone has answers, they will.”

Lark gathered up her paperwork. “The only difference between today and last week is that we know about the Magister. There’s no difference otherwise. It’s just as dangerous. And this week we’re more prepared. The crew is learning, tightening. We’ll meet this challenge, Meriel. And we will win.”

“I love your attitude. Call me when you get back, please. And don’t be gone too long. We need you here.”

“I promise not to keep her longer than one night. We’ll be back by morning.”

“SO
do they know I’m coming with you?” She practically bounced from foot to foot as they stood in the small glade an acre or so from his home. She knew she was being ridiculous and probably annoying him, but she couldn’t help it.
“Also, this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. So thank you.”

He paused to look her over, smiling as he did. “No, they don’t know you’re coming. I can’t call them or anything like that. We’ll show up and it should be later in the day there. There’ll be sentries and once I’m identified we’ll go to my family’s property.”

“Should I change?” She suddenly felt a little awkward.

He moved to kiss her, brushing her hair from her face. “No. I like you just how you are.”

“Can I watch how you do this? Is it something I can do again on my own? You know in case I want to go to meet the Fae?”

“You won’t be doing that without me as your escort in any case. But only those with the blood of the other side of the Veil can part the way and get through on their own. Everyone else has to be brought over.”

“I love the way you describe it. It sounds a lot better than you have to be one of us to get there.”

He took her hand. “Ready?”

She had a small pack he tried to get her to let him carry on one shoulder and her hand in his. She nodded. “Yes.”

And his magick, something she’d witnessed at this level only once before, when he’d changed for her, spilled out over the glade, washing against her skin, calling to her own magick as it stirred in her belly. It rose up and through her pores as it slid against his.

He turned, surprise on his face.

It felt so good she simply took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. If her magick reacted that way, it was supposed to. She never questioned that sort of stuff. Of all the things in her life, her magick had never steered her wrong. She trusted it and the way it reacted to Simon’s magick only strengthened the stuff he’d told her the day before.

And ahead of them, the air shimmered and then they walked through it.

For a moment she didn’t realize they weren’t on his land anymore. The surrounding area was heavily laden with trees and huge ferns. It wasn’t until she noted that darkness
had begun to fall there that she realized they’d left Earth and were definitely somewhere else.

“Hold,” he said calmly, loudly enough to be heard by anyone standing nearby.

And then they came out, two wolves, nearly as large as Simon was when he wore his beast. And when they saw him they went down to their front paws before yipping and running off.

“They’re going to alert the pack I’m home.” His smile was bigger, she realized, now that they were here in his homeland.

“Is it hard? To live on Earth?” She looked up at the sky as the stars began to wink into sight. The sky was different here. The stars more plentiful. A moon began to rise in the far horizon.

“I miss home sometimes. But I have a full life in Seattle.” He looked down at her for long moments as they kept walking. “And now it’s even more full. But I should visit more often.”

There was a story there she knew. Had waited for him to tell her and maybe he would now that she’d seen the place for herself.

A large house surrounded by smaller cabins and outbuildings rose in the distance, just on the shores of a large body of water.

“I expected big, huge walls or gates or something.”

“There’s plenty of defense here. When you’re strong enough, you don’t need gates or walls. Just enough fear to create reverence.”

That sent a shiver through her.

And then three men, men as large as Simon, emerged from the house and waved to them. Simon grinned and waved back, picking up his pace so that she had to hustle or get left behind. The man had ridiculously long legs!

“Seymeon! Welcome home.” The biggest of the males, the one she guessed was Simon’s father, Cross, walked out to meet them. She tried to let go of Simon’s hand so he could get to his father faster, but he squeezed and kept his hold.

“It is good to be home.” He finally let go of her hand not to hug his father, but to go to one knee and bow his head.

Cross Leviathan looked at her and then back to his son,
whose head he caressed. “Stand and let a father embrace his son and then you can tell me who this wee girl is.”

Simon stood and embraced his father. So much passed between them that Lark knew she needed to see her own father, knew she needed this as well.

The other two came forward and Simon did a version of what he’d done with his father.

“Before the entire family comes out, let me introduce Lark Jaansen to you. She is a warrior. A witch. The hunter for the Owen Clan and she’s here to speak with you about a matter of great importance.” He paused a moment. “And she’s my…” He said a word that she didn’t understand, in a language that felt old just to hear.

Eyes widened, Cross looked back to her and grinned before pulling her into a hug. “Welcome to you! Come, come inside. Tila will be already ordering the staff to get started on cooking the feast but she’ll want to meet you.”

“I’m your what?” she asked in an undertone she was sure they all heard as they walked toward the big house where people of all ages began to pour out, all apparently delighted to see Simon.

“My everything.” And then he was enveloped in one embrace after the next as she went reeling because of yet another thing he said to make her all warm and noodley inside.

“I take it this is your first time on this side of the Veil?” Cross asked as he held the door open for her. Simon still stood in a knot of people all speaking at once, touching him, laughing, kissing and hugging him.

“Yes.”

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s marvelous! This is amazing and beautiful and I’m going to have to work really hard on my filters to not say something dumb because I’m excited.”

Cross laughed, surprising her and apparently several others around them. “I’d always imagined Seymeon with a completely different sort of female. I was wrong. Come in and let me introduce you. He won’t get free from his sisters for another several minutes. Don’t tell my other sons but he’s the favorite with his sisters.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I’ve yet to see a female who isn’t charmed by Simon. Or Seymeon I suppose. I quite like that name.”

“It’s my great-grandsire’s name.” He inclined his head and then looked up, his expression softening at the approach of a woman roughly the same size as Lark.

“Tila, come and meet Seymeon’s Lark!” He turned back to Lark. “This is my wife, Seymeon’s second-mother.”

Lark bowed her head as Simon had showed her at the approach of the silver-haired woman. Her eyes were pale gray and Lark had never seen anything quite so lovely. She was a high-ranked demon who’d escaped her tribe and had found shelter here in Lycia with Cross and his young family.

And then Simon’s mother had died while having him and she’d stepped in, slowly falling for Cross and marrying him some time later. This woman meant a lot to Simon, had raised him after he lost his biological mother.

Tila took her hands and squeezed. “I’m so very pleased to meet you and have you here. Are you tired? Hungry? There’ll be food momentarily. And a big feast in a few hours’ time. It’s been a long time since Seymeon has been home.”