The Dead (The Thaumaturge Series Book 1) Read online

  “I want to hold you,” I said, leaning back instead and nodding to the space in front of me.

  He shrugged, and stepped in, displacing a great deal of water as he settled against me. Fortunately, one of the few perks of the trailer was its jet bathtub, and we both fit more or less comfortably, though my long legs were cramped against the tile. I straightened them, pressing my feet flat against the tub surround.

  He let his head fall back against my shoulder and I ran my hands down his slick chest. I pressed my nose against his black curls and breathed in his scent. For a long time, we lay in peaceful silence, our chests rising and falling together, the warm water surrounding us. I closed my eyes, almost sleeping, content and warm.

  “I know I’m gone a lot,” Leo said suddenly, jerking me out of my near-doze.

  “Hmm?”

  “You should keep doing it,” he continued. “I mean it. You should find people to be with, even if they’re just casual like that-”

  “Leo, shut up.” I bit his neck gently, right on the ridge between his neck and shoulder and he sighed and wriggled back against me a little.

  “I just wanted him,” I said quietly. “Do we have to do this? I don't know why I did it. He was hot.”

  Leo nodded in agreement. “He was. He was pretty.”

  “It's not like you haven't fucked other people, Leo. I know you have.”

  “That . . . isn't the same thing.”

  “Why not?”

  He was quiet for a while, rubbing his head restlessly back and forth against my shoulder.

  “I don't own you, Ebron,” he said finally. “This isn't Twilight, or whatever. You don't belong to me. But I did kind of think that we had an understanding.”

  “That you take off and do whatever you like and I should wait here for you?”

  “No,” he snapped. “And fuck you. I'm the one always telling you to go on a date or something. You're not getting any younger, love. You should find someone to spend your life with.”

  I pressed my lips to his neck. “I thought I had.”

  Silence again, and I wondered if I had gone too far. Then he sighed, long and weary and covered my hands with his, where they lay on his bare chest.

  “Then you're going to be lonely. I can't be that for you. I can't be here all the time.”

  “Can't I go with you sometime?”

  “No!” he shook head forcefully. “No, never.”

  I snorted. “All right. No romantic getaways. Got it.”

  “I can't take the risk, Ebron. If you came with me, and anyone else found out about you . . .”

  “Who? I don't know what you mean.”

  “Come on, moron. Think. When I leave here, I meet up with... others. There’re things out there, Ebron. If they knew about you, what you can do . . .”

  I felt very still, my heart going cold in my chest. “What? They'd what? And also, what things? Other vampires?”

  He scoffed and turned his head to nuzzle at my jaw. “You know there are others.”

  “I know, but...”

  “You're the only one like you. As far as I can tell.”

  The words felt like rocks hitting my chest. They stung, and I wanted desperately to change the conversation. Couldn't we talk again about the him loving me thing?

  “I can't be the only one,” I said softly.

  “I think you are. I've been all over the world, and never found another human who can do what you can do. There are healers, of course, and people who can talk to spirits, and even people who can ascend into the higher planes, like you can, but I've never met another human who can do all that and raise the dead.”

  I swallowed hard. Yeah, I could do all that. But apparently I paid the price with other people’s blood. A sacrifice.

  Some of the tension receded a bit and he relaxed against me again. His skin still felt warm against mine, comfortable against the cooling water. I reached for the soap and scrubbed at my hands, washing away the last of the blood. Then I ran the soap across Leo's chest and down to his belly, making him laugh a little as I lightly tickled him.

  “Want to go to bed now?” he purred at me, and I smiled weakly.

  “I don't know if I'm really in the mood, Leo.”

  “That's okay. We can cuddle.”

  I smiled into his shoulder, and squeezed him a little with my knees.

  “What were you and Marcus arguing about?” I asked, and felt him stiffen.

  He gave an exasperated snort. “The little fucker wanted me to kill him. So he could go up there with you and help you fight that witch.”

  “And you declined the opportunity?”

  He craned his neck around to look at me. “Would you have forgiven me for that? And you would have felt obligated to bring him back again.” He shook his head. “It would have been too complicated.”

  I closed my eyes, suddenly seeing all the blood again. I wondered where Marcus was now, if he was struggling to help Jim carry Corvin out to Scott’s truck. I wondered what they would do with him, with Morgan. Would they take her to the hospital? Would I ever hear from Marcus again? I wanted my clothes back from him.

  I didn't want to think about the man I'd killed.

  “Come to bed,” Leo said softly, pulling away from me and standing up. I playfully slapped his ass and he smiled down at me. I took the hand he offered and naked we went into my bedroom.

  Leo pulled the covers out from underneath Johnny, who leapt off the bed and stalked over to his corner. Then Leo turned to me and pulled me into his arms, kissing up my neck.

  “Well, maybe I could be in the mood,” I said, closing my eyes as he ran his hands down my back, and left a trail of warm kisses up to my ear. He shifted, pressing his pelvis right against mine.

  “Maybe I could convince you?”

  “Yeah,” I said, letting him push me back onto the bed. “Convince me.”

  He grabbed my legs and pulled them up, pressing in between them. His kiss stayed gentle, almost careful. My hair knotted in his hands as he splayed his fingers out against my temples. I had the sensation of being completely held, safe and protected.

  We kissed for a long time, tender kisses that he didn't try to turn up. His mouth tasted smoky, his damp skin hot against my belly. He thrust lazily against me, but there was no urgency. I felt like we could have kissed for days.

  Finally, Leo moved his mouth to my neck again, his lips soft. “Can I fuck you?” he whispered, and a bolt of pure lust shot down from my chest into my groin. I nodded, and he kissed me again, just as slowly, with the same amount of attention. When he paused and our eyes met, it was almost too intense, the depth of the emotion I saw there.

  “There’s new lube in the nightstand,” I told him, and he smiled ruefully.

  “When did you have time to go shopping?”

  I laughed. “I just forgot that I bought more. Lucky for you.”

  “Lucky for you,” he countered, and reached over to rummage in my nightstand. He produced the little box and tore it open, dropping the bottle on the bed.

  “Lay on your back,” Leo said. His voice was little more than a growl. “Grab your knees.”

  I regarded him for a moment, and he gave me a tiny nod. My head still ached a little, and when I stretched out on my back, there were pings of pain all along my spine. I had to take a few deep breaths to calm down, to make myself stay still. I pulled my legs back a little, all vulnerable and on display.

  Leo moved over me, nudging my thighs apart. His fingers, slick with lube, rested on my ass, not probing yet, just touching. His other hand went to my hip, running his thumb in small circles against my hipbone. Then his fingers pressed into me and I grunted at the intrusion, instinctively trying to move away. The hand on my hip kept me still, though, tightening enough to bruise.

  “I've got you,” he said softly and I nodded, letting my head rest against the mattress. He touched me again, moving his fingers into my ass a little deeper. It was familiar and foreign and terrifying, all at once.

&n
bsp; “Ready?” I felt him moving against me, both hands on my hips now as he moved into position.

  I glanced up at him, seeing his powerful body hard and waiting for me. It was intensely erotic, and I nodded, moving my hands to cover his and letting my knees hang open.

  He pushed in, stopping when he felt resistance, and then I felt his thumb on my ass, spreading me wider. I panted a little, feeling my face flush with excitement and embarrassment and desire.

  “You look fucking gorgeous like this, Ebron,” Leo said. His face shone with sweat, a curl of dark hair hanging over his eye. He thrust in deeper and I felt his thighs against me, felt him stretching me. My hands flailed a bit, finding purchase in the blankets and twisting tight. My legs shook. It was almost painful, discomfort and pleasure tumbling over each other. My stomach ached, my cock ached. The backs of my eyes burned a little. I wanted him to make me forget.

  He rubbed a soothing circle on my leg, even as he increased his tempo a bit, hard enough that I felt his thrusts deep in my guts. Pleasure started to build, phasing out the pain and I heard myself moaning.

  “God, that's good.” Leo dropped down, draping himself over me and resting his head on my shoulder. His hair brushed my cheek, and I gripped his arm, pressing my face into his neck. He groaned. “Oh, fuck, yeah love, you sweet little thing . . .”

  I wanted to protest - I'm not a little anything - but I couldn't think through the haze of pleasure. My hand dropped down to my erection, but then Leo grabbed my arm, holding me still.

  “Fuck, Leo, come on,” I groaned.

  “Not yet,” he panted. He shifted suddenly, pulling my arms straight up above my head and holding them down with one fist. He scrambled up on his knees, thrust again, harder than before, pounding into me.

  I cried out at the unexpected change of angle, which sent electric shocks of pleasure straight to my balls. I felt on fire, my skin tingling, and I struggled against him, bucking up a little, desperate to get some friction against my throbbing cock. But his grip on me was like steel, not budging in the slightest. Of course, despite the charade we played, I was completely helpless against him, powerless to stop him if he ever really wanted to hurt me. He held me immobile with one effortless hand. We strained against each other, and when I finally submitted and relaxed in his arms, he released me. Our eyes met and something passed between us, some acknowledgement.

  What the fuck was that? I wanted to ask him. There had never been any sort of power plays between us before, and I wasn't sure if I liked it now. I gave a little buck, just to see if he would let me and he did, straightening his arms to give me more room.

  He nuzzled against my ear. “Just reminding you, babe.”

  “What?” I could hardly catch my breath.

  “Just reminding you what you're fucking.”

  “I never forget, Leo.”

  “Let me bite you, Ebron,” he mouthed my neck frantically. For barely an instance, I felt the fangs rest on my skin.

  “No. Fuck me, Leo, come on, please, give it to me.”

  He growled in frustration, and roughly hauled my hips up, balancing me easily in his lap. My legs protested at the ungentle treatment and I must have winced or gasped, because he immediately let go, his touch becoming tender. My heel slid against his slick back.

  He leaned over me, lacing his fingers through mine, and began to rock into me. I couldn't think anymore, not with how he was fucking me, my whole body shuddering underneath him. Finally, he grabbed at me to stroke me and I came in his hand, my cries muffled into the pillows. He thrust for a bit longer, his jerking hips hard and snapping against my ass, and then he went still, panting and moaning, and his hand clenched mine hard enough to hurt.

  I didn't move, lying still under him as he came, and then he slumped onto his side, making satisfied little purring noises, his chest rumbling.

  “I wouldn't hurt you,” he said right away, before we had even caught our breaths.

  I moved out from underneath him, shifting with our legs still tangled, stickiness between my legs. My breath caught against the cage of my ribs.

  “I don't want you to,” I said, getting comfortable with one arm propped behind my head. He tugged the sweaty, damp sheets up over us and snuggled down against me, shamelessly rubbing his head against me like a big cat.

  “Afraid you would like it too much?”

  “No. It's not that. You could kill me. And I don't want to be your food. That creeps me out.” I paused, debating whether or not to continue. Then, “Don't hold me down like that again, okay?”

  He looked up at me, his amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. I swallowed hard. Did he really think I needed reminding that he wasn't human?

  “You didn't like it?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Sure as hell seemed like you liked it. Maybe I'll tie you up next time.”

  “Not like I can stop you,” I replied, but I couldn't deny the effect the words had on me. Christ, did I really want him to do that? Was I harboring some secret cache of S & M fantasies?

  He leaned over to kiss me. “You can tie me up if you want.”

  “Be like tying up a tiger with yarn.”

  He grinned wolfishly. “I'd play along. Meow.”

  I smiled back and put my arm around his shoulders, drawing him closer. My eyes heavy, my body relaxing into the bed. I felt him kiss me, the bed shifting.

  “I'm going now, love,” he said quietly. “See you tomorrow.”

  I snuggled down into the bed, and felt him tuck the blankets over me. “Love you.”

  A brief touch on my face, the ghost of fingers. If he answered, I didn't hear him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I slept all of the next day and most of the evening, too. When the sun went down, Leo appeared with Chinese take-out and I ate it snuggled against him on the couch. I called Cody and declined to leave a message when he didn’t answer. Leo took my dishes into the kitchen and fed Johnny for me. We didn’t talk about the witches. We watched movies until midnight, and then I went back to bed. Leo didn’t come with me.

  Marcus knocked on the door to my trailer about eight the next morning, and I almost didn't answer. I hid in the kitchen, not yet dressed and still damp from my shower. After yesterday’s R & R, I felt enormously recovered, but I was no hurry to face the outside world yet. That would require not only talking to Marcus, but also evaluating the damage at my store. And examining my new status as stone-cold killer. That one was pretty low on my to-do list.

  I clutched a coffee mug in one hand, and cowered against the stove, peeking out at the idling car in the road. I didn’t see Morgan, but Shaina lounged in the backseat, bent intently over her phone. Jim, though, stared right at me from the driver’s seat, and I hurriedly let the curtain drop back into place. I held my breath, hoping that Marcus would just get in the car and go, but when he started to turn away, panic seized me and I rushed to the door and flung it open.

  He turned halfway down the steps, his face drawn and tired and hopeful. He held a shopping bag full of my clothes and wordlessly held it out towards me. We looked at each other for a second and then I cracked open the screen door.

  “Come in,” I said and he glanced once at the waiting car and followed me inside.

  I grabbed a stray sweater out of the front coat closet and pulled it on with my loose jeans. It itched and smelled like a thrift store, but it offered some sort of protection, a barrier against the intimacy that we had shared. I sat on the recliner and waited. He carefully set my things on the floor and looked at me.

  “We're leaving,” he said. I nodded. He paused, and then sat down on the edge of the couch, close enough for our knees to touch. “We took care of the – situation.”

  “He’s gone for good?”

  I couldn’t interpret the look in his eyes. “Yeah,” he said and then swallowed hard. “Yes,” he said more firmly. “He’s gone for good.”

  “And Morgan?” I asked. “She’s not with you. What did you do with her?”

  “She�
��s,” he swallowed again, convulsively. His eyes flicked away from me and he studied the far wall with concentration. “She’s under control. You don’t need to worry about her.”

  “Thank you,” I said with sincerity. He nodded and we sat in uncomfortable silence until he shifted and raised his eyes to me imploringly.

  “Ebron-”

  “It was a mistake, Marcus,” I said softly.

  He looked stricken. “It wasn't. You know it wasn't.”

  I rubbed my hand over my face; I still hadn't shaved and probably looked more like a mountain man than ever.

  “What do you want me to say?” I asked.

  “Can we keep in touch?” he replied, and I was dismayed to see the tears welling in his eyes.

  “Marcus, what did you think that this was going to be?” I asked. “Even without all the crazy witch stuff, we still wouldn't ever work.”

  “You could come down and visit me. You'd love it, I could show you . . . ” he trailed off as I shook my head.

  “I'm not going anywhere,” I said. “I'm sorry, but, no.”

  He looked away, biting his lip. “I just want you to know that I never intended for this. I honestly didn't know that they were going to use me to lure you out. And I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”

  “Anytime,” I said, smiling a little. “Uh, Marcus, you guys won't say anything? About me, I mean?”

  He did some sort of weird Boy Scout crossing motion over his heart. “Swear. We've all agreed to a blood pact. No one will ever know.”

  I sagged a little in relief, even as I wanted to roll my eyes at the “blood pact.” Witches. I won't miss the drama. “Thank you. And, thanks for . . . you know. It was fun.”

  “It was,” he said softly, then cleared his throat. “So, uh. I guess you and the vampire made up, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I shrugged. “Yeah, we're good.”

  He looked at me curiously. “He wouldn't kill me, you know? I asked him to. So I could help you.”

  “I know. He told me. Thank you.”