More Than Blood (22 page)

Kel sighed as she gripped his upper arms, allowing her claws to barely pierce his skin. She needed him to move, needed the gliding pressure of him.

His long fingers slid up her thighs to wrap around the globes of her ass, lifting and pulling her against him as he pressed his cock deep inside her and ran his tongue over the sensitive flesh behind her ear. She sensed a desperation in him, an added intensity that put a sharp edge on their lovemaking.

Kel felt herself ripple around his hard length as he pulled nearly all the way out, teasing her entrance with the tip of him.

“Say you need me, baby.”

“Gabe.” She groaned as he held her there, the tip of his cock teasing her entrance, the swirling depths of his eyes burning into hers.

He flexed his hips just enough to slide a bare inch deeper before quickly retreating as her muscles spasmed around him, trying to hold him.

“Say it.”

“I need you.” The confession was torn from her lips and she gave a keening cry as he drove so deep that a little jolt of electricity shook her when he nudged her womb. Then he was pulling out again, hovering, driving her insane with the promise of that burning fullness.

“Fuck, Gabe,” Kel snarled as her fingers tightened around his biceps, claws slicing into his soaked sleeves.

“Say you trust me.”

“Don’t,” she groaned. Even with her violent need for him pounding in her head she turned her face away, clenching her eyes shut.

His cock nudged her, sliding just past her swollen, aching entrance before retreating again. “I can protect you, baby. Trust me.”

“Damn it, Ferrar.” The growl turned into a whimper as he touched his forehead to her temple, easing past her defenses. His need seeped into her, bright and scalding as she helplessly absorbed his emotions. Sometimes this bonding bullshit sucked. She couldn’t deny that he was hurting, couldn’t deny the connection between them. He felt her pain and radiated it back to her.

“Say you trust me enough to take care of you,” he whispered. She could feel his heart pounding heavily against his chest, his anguish and dread washing over her with every beat. “I can protect you, Kel.”

“Gabe, please.” Kel whimpered as he slid slowly in and then withdrew again.

“Trust me, baby. Say you trust me. Say it.”

Kel shivered as he delved and retreated again, drawing out the sensation over her body, pulling her tight.

“I’ll find who did this. They’ll pay, Kel. I promise you. Just trust me to protect you.”

“You asshole.” She whimpered, fingers clenching in his damp strands of hair to jerk his face to hers, legs clenching tightly around his hips. She could feel the head of him pulsing just inside her, burning as her aching pussy stretched tightly around his cock.

“Say the words, baby. I’ll make it all better. Everything.”

Kel hissed in frustration. “Okay. I trust you. Is that what you fucking wanted to hear? Damn you.” His lips pressed against hers, and she could almost feel him soaking up the truth in the conflicting emotions that were nearly suffocating her. She did trust him. Damn him for that. He drew the emotions away, easing her.

“You can trust me, Kel.” His lips brushed tenderly over her face, her eyes, as though he knew what the rivulets of water streaming overhead masked. “You belong to me now and I take care of mine.” He breathed against her ear, hips thrusting against her with enough force to slam her into the cool, damp wall of the shower. “Let me take care of you.” He thrust deeply into her and she clung to his shoulders, locking her ankles around his waist. With the added leverage of the wall at her back he powered his hips against hers, slamming his broad length into her again and again, pressing his face into the curve of her shoulder. His hot breath fanned against her neck and Kel pulled him closer, curling her body around his, holding him to her.

She could feel the clench and thrust of his ass beneath her feet as he slowly and steadily thrust against her, pressing through the tender tissue of her pussy to rub against some deep point that sent warm waves rippling through her body.

He lifted his head and pressed his forehead to hers, rivulets of water streaming down their faces. His eyes were closed and an intense expression shadowed the angles of his face as his hips continued the frantic thrusting, his cock shuttling in and out of her.

“You’ll never be hurt again.”

Kel frowned at the low rumbling words, trying to focus beyond the sharp rush of pleasure that charged through her, tightening her body and taking her awareness down to a pinpoint. She needed to determine the reason for this sudden intensity in him, but his body was pushing hers past the ability to reason at all.

“Gabe.” Her voice was breathless as she felt her body tighten, the pleasure drawing her taut, and she gritted her teeth against the excruciating ascent of sensation.

His breath was hot against her neck. “Never.” His tongue swept her frantic pulse moments before his teeth sank into her. Violent tremors raged through her body as her muscles clamped down around him, triggering his release. With legs, arms, and claws she clung to him as his big body absorbed the uncontrollable shivers that racked her body.

The couple went into the deli. They didn’t even pay any attention to him which was just fine as far as he was concerned. He sure in the hell didn’t want to take on the crossbreed woman, but the big Drachon male nearly made him piss himself. Was the crossbreed his mate? Coming between a Drachon and his mate was suicide.

Sweat trickled down his temple and dampened the material of the shirt he wore as he pulled out the prepaid cellular phone and hit the programmed button. He owed Jimmy a lot of money and Jimmy had given him the choice of doing this or getting his hand taken off as payment. It was supposed to have only been the woman. They hadn’t said anything about a Drachon.

“Where is she?”

“At the deli on Fifth and Crawford. She’s just sitting down. There’s a D-Drachon male with her.” The man stuttered, swallowing hard and casting a quick look over his shoulder as the pair sat at a table near the back.

“Your job is just to watch her and call me when she moves. Or if she leaves your sight. Fuck this up and I’ll cut off more than your hand. You got that? Just watch her.”

“Yeah, I got it.” The man swallowed hard and disconnected the call. After buying a newspaper, he took a booth near the door where he had a good view of them and enough distance to give him a head start if that Drachon somehow decided he was a threat. He ordered a coffee and waited and watched.

KEL ORDERED AN obscene amount of food. Everything looked good and she was starving. A little post ass-kicking sex must have that effect on her.

The waitress’s eyes widened and quickly traveled over Kel’s tiny body, obviously questioning how she could eat so much and stay so small. The woman’s lip curled up in disgust as she accepted the menu back and then turned to Raife, who even seemed mildly shocked by Kel’s appetite. She only smiled smugly as he ordered. There was a cut in the corner of his mouth and his right eye and cheek were showing some bruising from an ingenious flip and kick combination she’d nailed him with.

She loved having lunch with him after they sparred. She got to sit across from him in a well-lit place and admire her handiwork.

“Don’t get too smug, short stack, we both know you’d look worse than me if you didn’t heal almost immediately.”
Raife narrowed his eyes on her as he handed up the menu to the waitress.

“Whatever, Merrick.” Kel snorted.

The waitress shot her a dirty look as she walked away.

“I’m pretty sure I heard a rib crack.” Raife eyed her critically as though imagining the damage that should be there.

He probably
had
heard a rib crack. She knew it had hurt enough for it. Of course, she wasn’t about to admit that to him. Instead she just shook her head. “I don’t think so. You couldn’t crack an egg, let alone my ribs. You just don’t hit hard enough, Merrick.”

Raife shook his head. “I almost pity the bloodsucker. I’ve only had to put up with you for five years. He gets a lifetime.”

“Yeah,” Kel said vaguely as she leaned back in her chair and glanced out the long bank of windows lining the street. It was lunchtime and the deli was full. Cars and cyclists slowly maneuvered their way up and down the choked city street. Pedestrians filled the wide sidewalk. It was just another day in San Francisco for the humans bustling about. None were even aware that something like her existed. They preferred it that way. She guessed she preferred it that way too.

“So, any new leads?” Raife asked as the waitress showed back up with their drinks.

“Nothing much.” Kel pulled the paper off her straw and stabbed it into her drink. “The blood I recovered from the scene matched the girl we found in the park. We’re pretty sure the person who took those girls and bled our dead girl is one and the same.” She rolled the paper from her straw and tossed it on the table. “Ferrar took it pretty hard.”

“It probably pretty much drives the nails in his partner’s coffin. No pun intended.”

Kel rolled her eyes. “No, he was pretty positive his partner was involved. That wasn’t it.” His regret and anger had been palpable. Ever since she’d bled him she could feel every one of his emotions as though they were hers whether she wanted to or not. She’d felt driven to comfort him, to try to ease him. “The girls’ bodies were never recovered. I think he still had hopes.” Kel shrugged and took another drink.

“Damn.” Raife shook his head. “Those little girls are probably dead. There’s no reason your perp would have killed that one girl and kept the others alive. Especially not after all this time. That’s rough no matter who you are.”

“We’re going to visit some of the parents today,” she told him through gritted teeth. Kel seriously lacked finesse of any kind. How was she to look these people in the face and pretend like there was even a whisper of a chance that their babies still lived? She couldn’t even offer them the hope that their children hadn’t suffered. All she could offer them was the truth. She would find the person responsible. “He’s meeting with the marshal from the bordering House to get permission.”

“You’ll nail the bastard, Kel. You’re a damn bloodhound once you get going.”

“Old Jimmy’s our only living link and he’s slipped the leash. I’ve put in a word with a few of our contacts so hopefully they come up with something. A bloodhound? At least you didn’t liken me to a bulldog,” Kel muttered and took another drink. “So, what’s Forestor got you working on?”

A shadow crossed over Raife’s amber eyes. Although he never seemed serious with her she knew he could be fierce. She sure as hell didn’t want to get between him and something he wanted. Drachon rivaled Guardians in the ferocity department.

“There’s not much to it. Just some hunches from some people with the money to have them investigated. A couple of unmated Drachon have disappeared. From what I can tell they were well into sexual maturity.” He leaned back, a tight smile on his lips as the waitress deposited their food.

Kel sighed with pleasure at the smell emanating from her plate. She lifted the sandwich and took a large bite and chewed. Swallowing, she took another drink. “Could they be going off to die in peace?”

Raife snorted around a mouth-load of food. “There’s not much peace to it. But not having people around might help. Especially women.”

Kel raised a brow. Raife never talked about how it felt. She could see it took a toll on him but he never expounded on how.

Eyeing Kel as she dived into her food, he shrugged at the question she was stuffing her face to keep herself from asking. “It’s the nature of the beast to survive at all costs. When survival is completely dependent on knocking up your mate any female in heat will do when you’re dying. Toward the end survival instinct can overwhelm all rational thinking. Most Drachon have to be locked up at the very end.”

Kel screwed up her face as she almost choked on her food. “Damn, Merrick. Where are you at on the horny toad-o-meter?”

Raife shook his head with a small smile. Setting down his sandwich, he scanned the deli as he chewed. His nose flared and he nodded his head to three women in a booth behind her next to the window. “Red sweater has a few days yet, but the pink sweater is prime for the picking.”

Kel glanced over her shoulder at the women he was talking about.

“White and blue blouse is already picked,” he finished, and Kel turned back to eye him. His eyes were scanning down the line of booths. “Next booth, the pink T-shirt would do.” Turning around he glanced down the other side and nodded to a couple more women.

“That’s some freaky shit, Raife. You know that, right?” Kel shook her head with a chuckle but her smile died when he turned his considering eyes on her. “Say anything and I’ll give you that junk shot I’ve been promising myself.”

Raife shrugged as he started eating again. “Fine, but I’d be abstaining the next couple days if you don’t want little bloodsuckers running around by this time next year.”

Kel swallowed hard and shot him a dirty look. Inside a little shot of panic pinged through her. They’d made love not more than two hours ago. Could she carry Gabe’s child even now? She didn’t want a baby, did she? She wasn’t sure but if she was completely honest with herself she’d admit the thought wasn’t nearly as abhorrent as it should be. She could see Gabe hovered over her with his lips pressed to her large rounded tummy.

Kel shook the vision off before it could turn into a longing.

Raife was giving her a pointed look.

“Kel and the bloodsucker sitting in a tree…”

Kel threw a chip at him. “I’ll body slam you right here,” she threatened and shook her head, nailing his leg with the toe of her boot just to be sure he got her message. “Damn juvenile.”

Raife chuckled and then froze with his sandwich poised to his lips. His entire body stiffened and jerked. His head swiveled to stare at the entrance of the deli, his amber eyes giving that little flash, like a reflection of the sun off a mirror.