Unchained (Men in Chains Book 3) (39 page)

Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for him to respond.

Finally Marius offered her a smile and even had a glimmer in his eyes. “Actually, I have a suggestion.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “Well, since I’ve already made the decision that I will do whatever it takes to have you in my life, what if I got a sweet apartment in the Cascade system, not far from Seattle? It’s a bit pricey, but I can afford it. And I’m sure, if I worked hard, I could find the same setup, or build one, in Malaysia. How long do you plan on doing your fieldwork?”

“A year. At least. Maybe more if I feel the need.” Her throat once more seized. “You’d really do this for me?”

He took her in his arms. “In a goddamn, righteous, fucking heartbeat. I’m in love with you, Shayna, all that you are, not just how you might fit into my life. I know how important getting your doctorate is to you, your education, and your hope one day to teach.”

“But in my world, not yours. I realize that I could have a place here.” She gestured at the stack of tablets. “Just working with these could be a lifetime’s effort. But my calling is to the human world. We have so much that needs to be done in our civilization worldwide and I’ve come to believe that not much will get accomplished without people like me who work hard to really understand each culture. With that understanding, real progress can be made. Without it, it’s like trying to dig a trench using soup spoons.” She took a deep breath. “Can you live with that?”

He smiled and smoothed her hair away from her face. “Shayna, you helped my world get rid of its biggest threat in the last millennium. I’m telling you that if you told me that the only way we could be together is if I stood on my head the rest of my life, I’d do it. I’d be crazy not to.”

She blinked a couple of times. “You really are serious.”

“Damn straight I am. But I should warn you that if you leave, I’ll come knocking on your apartment door. I’d bring flowers, thousands of them, bottles of wine, chocolate by the ton, anything you desired to try to win you over.” He lowered his voice. “I’d bring you books, too, lots of books, on anthropology, history, science. I’d even steal some of these tablets and put them on your doorstep just to get you to open the door for me. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Tears burned her eyes. She grabbed his vest at the shoulders and tugged a couple of times, then slid her arms around his neck and held him tight. He did that thing he often did, rubbing his hand up and down her back, comforting her.

“Shayna, I’m teasing you about coming after you. Say the word, and I’ll take you home and you’ll never see me again. But I want you to know how grateful I am for who you are. This time with you has been incredibly healing for me, something I didn’t expect when Rumy sent me to Seattle because you had the highest score on the computer game he designed. You brought so much into my life that had nothing to do with either Daniel or the extinction weapon. For that, you will always have my undying loyalty. If you ever need anything, you have but to ask and I’ll come running.”

*   *   *

Marius held himself in check, utilizing the tight control he’d learned from living as long as he had. He felt so much right now that he had to work extremely hard to keep his emotions from swamping Shayna. He didn’t want to say too much or too little. Sometimes the war was won holding tight to the middle ground and letting the moment breathe.

Finally she drew back and said, “I trust you, Marius. If you truly believe you can do what you’ve said, that we could have a cave apartment somewhere near Seattle, that I can pursue my studies or anything else I feel is important, then I’m all yours.”

Marius didn’t realize he’d levitated with Shayna in his arms until he hit his head on the cavern ceiling. “Ow.”

Shayna laughed. “I did the same thing. Remember? That happened in Sweden.”

He searched her eyes, his heart so full he couldn’t speak.

Instead, he kissed her. Hard. And as soon as she parted her lips, he slid his tongue inside, thrusting and making all kinds of promises.

When he drew back, her beautiful sexy scent filled the air, a perfect match to his own need to take her to bed and make love with her.

As he slowly levitated back down to the floor, he realized Shayna’s emotions were as euphoric as his own, as though a fog lived in her mind. She kept stroking his neck, his shoulders, his pecs, and pushing her fingers beneath his vest at an awkward angle. She was as anxious as he was to get down to business.

He picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He may have bumped into a couple of doorjambs as he made his way to the bedroom and the blue silk sheets once more.

Because he’d bulked up, he struggled a bit to get his leathers off and ended up on his ass.

Shayna laughed so hard and at first he thought it was because of his stupidity. Instead he finally realized she’d gotten her hair stuck in the zipper of her dress. “I need help!”

He got his boots off and his leathers then went to her aid, working her long white-blond hair out of the zipper.

By the time he helped her get her dress off, he was undressed and she wore a sexy bustier and a thong. He had his mouth on the mound of her breasts, lifting them out of the bustier at the same time, before he knew what he was doing. She’d already started panting when he latched onto one of her nipples and began suckling.

“Oh, God, Marius!”

His hands got busy, having a mind of their own, teasing her between her legs, stroking her bottom, lifting her knees, or squeezing her breasts while his lips kept working her.

“I need this bustier off. It’s pinching me.”

He flipped her over and untied the strings. She moaned with relief and he could see why. Her back was crisscrossed from the indentations the lace-up had created. He rubbed her back and slowly worked her out of her thong. But he kept her on her knees.

“Shayna, I have something I want to do with you, but only if you’re comfortable with it. Do you remember what I did in the Dark Cave system, how I split into two separate entities and both of us fought?”

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. “Of course. And I still have so many questions.”

He laughed. “I’m sure you do. But here’s my question: I can make love to you like that as well. I can split into two parts, a primary and a secondary, and we can both have our way with you. What do you think? Interested?” He leaned close and kissed a line down her back.

She froze.

“What is it?”

“Two Mariuses. I think I’d faint if I wasn’t already lying down. I swear it.” She drew in a hissing breath through her lips. “Oh, two of you. My God.” The sudden rock of her hips and the groan that left her mouth told him all that he needed to know.

“I take it that’s a yes.”

“Oh, yes, that’s a yes.”

With the added power he’d gained, it only took the smallest thought to split.

With his secondary self above, and lifting her into the air, his primary self slid beneath her.

Her eyes were wild, her nipples peaked. “I didn’t know you could do this. You’re touching me from behind and yet here you are beneath me. I think I might faint.”

He nodded and smiled, levitating just enough to reach her lips and kiss her.

Drawing back, he said, “See if you can levitate and hold your position in the air. You’ll be able to reach more of me with your hands that way and Shayna, I want you touching me. I love the way you touch my body, fondling every part of me.”

She nodded, and he felt her rise into the air just a few inches, then slide her hands over her shoulders. “Make a sandwich of me in the air. Can you?”

“Hell, yeah.” His secondary self stretched out over her, then he levitated so that he made solid contact under her.

“I’m going to die and go to heaven right now. There’s so much of you. Oh, my God, two cocks.” Her body writhed so that she rubbed him in front and behind at the same time.

“Damn that feels good, Shayna.” He kissed her again, and the secondary Marius began working his mouth from the base of her neck down her body.

She whimpered and cried out. He suckled her buttocks from behind while in front he nipped at her throat, warming up her vein. He was in a state, locked onto her body and craving her blood.

His secondary self shifted so that he could catch Shayna behind the knee with one hand and draw her leg against his hip. At the same time, holding himself with levitation, he used his hand to guide his cock to her opening.

Her hands were driving him crazy. She plucked at the muscles of his arms and pecs. Her fingers played with his nipples, then his ass.

At one point she surprised him by turning her head so that his secondary self caught her mouth and kissed her. He watched the sensual movement of his secondary tongue pushing in and out of her mouth as he began to drive inside her low.

Keep kissing my other self. I love watching.

This is so unbelievable.
Her voice sounded breathless inside his head.

She panted against his secondary mouth. He took the opportunity to begin licking a line up her throat since her neck was so beautifully exposed.

Hold this angle, Shayna. Just keep kissing my secondary mouth.

Okay, but this feels amazing. Two of you. I can’t think. Oh, my God.

When her vein rose to meet his tongue, he once more spoke telepathically.
I’m going to bite you in this position. Would you like that?

Yes. Do it. Marius, this is incredible. I’m so close. But first let me feel your cock in my hand.

His secondary self shifted sideways to give her access. She groaned as she stroked him.
Bite me.

His neck arched and he struck, piercing her vein. When her blood hit, his whole body arched, which set her to writhing all over again. Feeling her hand stroking him while he drove into her, as well as the taste of her blood, almost made him lose control.

He loved surrounding her like this, giving her pleasure. Nothing seemed more important right now than that Shayna have her needs met, especially since once again she fed him with blood that nourished his soul as much as his body.

*   *   *

Shayna felt ecstasy begin to flow, a hot wave through her body as she held one cock in her hand and had another hitting her in just the right place so that she spasmed repeatedly.

She groaned, then cried out as the pleasure kept flowing. Her heart felt light and free as she held on to Marius, as he drank from her and as she met his most basic needs.

When he drew back and stared into her eyes, the pleasure heightened. He moved faster, vampire-fast, while his secondary self latched onto the back of her neck.

“Oh, God, Marius. You’ll make me come again.”

“I love you, Shayna, and I want you to come.”

She could feel his release building. “I love you, too, and I want you to come just like this while you’re looking at me. I want to see everything.”

He nodded and went even faster, which ignited a second orgasm deep in her body. She gripped his buttocks and a slight vibration went through him, telling her that he was rejoining.

He flipped her in the air, shouting, but still holding her gaze. She landed against the bed and another orgasm began to pulse, pleasure on pleasure until she was crying out repeatedly.

His hazel eyes, flecked with gold, almost glowed as he released into her, giving her all that he had. He continued to pump until her body grew lax, then he settled his hips and rested against her.

Still connected low, she slid her hands through his hair, leaning up to kiss him.

He kissed her back.

She sighed heavily, once more gazing into his eyes, unable to believe this tremendous bounty that had come into her life.

He stroked her cheeks with his fingers, a soft curve on his lips.

She smiled. “You look content.”

“I am and very much at peace, something I’ve never known before. I owe that to you, Shayna.”

She nodded. “Same here. I hadn’t known how bad things had been for me until I got here, until I was with you and experienced your kindness and your selflessness. I feel that I owe you everything.”

He kissed her again, gently.

Several hours later, in Gabriel’s living room, Shayna stood by yet another beautiful waterfall, leaning against Marius. He had his arms around her, holding her close.

His brothers and their women, Lily and Claire, all helped set the table. Lily’s son, Josh, played video games. Gabriel talked to his head of security and afterward crossed to join them.

Gabriel’s smile was warm. “I’m so glad you’re going to be part of our family, and I heartily approve of Marius’s plan to keep supporting your work. You’ll love the Cascade system. Beautiful waterfalls and a hotel with a wonderful swimming pool. Good people over there.”

Shayna pressed Marius’s arms. “And there are good people here.”

Marius nuzzled her neck and Gabriel laughed.

Rumy arrived waving two bottles of Dom P
é
rignon in the air. “We have a lot of celebrating to do tonight. Eve said she’d be joining us in a few minutes, right after her last show. How does that sound?” A cheer went up.

“I’ll get some glasses,” Gabriel said. He crossed to take one of the bottles from Rumy.

Shayna owed Eve so much, the woman who embraced her sexual bondage side while facilitating healing through a lay counseling practice. She turned to meet Marius’s gaze. “Do you think she would mind if I asked her a few questions?”

*   *   *

Marius grinned and his heart heated up. Claire, who now sat beside Josh, called to her. “I know you ended up here because you won a computer game online, but how are you at video games?”

“I love them. I use them to relax when I’m grappling with a difficult theory.”

“Then join us.”

Marius felt her hesitate. “Go ahead. I need to talk with my brothers anyway.”

She reached up and kissed him, then planted herself next to Claire, who immediately handed her a controller. “Halo. I love this franchise. So how long have you played this game, Josh?”

Marius smiled, thinking that with Shayna’s intensity, Josh may have met his match.