Chapter Seven
Dracen closed her eyes as Luc fucked her. She held him tightly and rode out the pace he set. For a while it had been almost frantic, now he was dragging out his strokes. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him at the shoulders.
He flexed his hips, driving deep only to withdraw until just the head of his cock was inside her. Luc rolled them over so she was on the bottom. She hooked her legs around him, the bags making their fit even tighter.
“I could stay in here forever,” he muttered as he continued driving into her.
“Yes,” she said, teetering on the cliff of her orgasm.
His calloused hands were driving her crazy. She yelped when he pinched her nipple, and bucked against him.
“Come on my cock, Dray.”
She had no choice but to listen to him. Falling free, she came, hard. She raked her nails along his skin. “Luc!” she cried to the rafters of the cabin.
Three more strokes and he filled her with his seed. He kissed her, tongue mimicking the dance they’d just completed until her need had ratcheted up once more and his cock had stiffened again inside her. She grumbled when he withdrew from her.
“Turn over,” he ordered.
It took some time but she did, and moaned in pleasure when his weight settled on her back once he’d filled her pussy again. He reached around her, cupping her breasts, tweaking her nipples as he drove into her, sliding them forward on the bed, the bags not providing much in the way of friction.
She fisted her hands and pushed back to meet his driving thrusts. Her body was aflame and she didn’t want to lose the feeling. Biting the bag, she screamed as her body fell apart yet again.
Luc wasn’t done with her, though. Not by a long shot. And when he finally did finish, she wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing, even if the demons walked through the front door of the cabin. She curled up in his arms, face in his chest, and closed her eyes as sleep clamped irons around her ankles, securing her.
* * * *
She woke alone and scanned the small cabin. Luc crouched before the hearth, wearing only one layer of clothing as he stoked the fire. She watched him through lidded eyes, taking in the raw masculinity he exuded.
“Hungry?” he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.
“Starved. What are you offering?”
His grin, wicked, flashed before he shrugged. “MREs is all I have, but I’m pretty sure there’s some disgusting spaghetti or rice meal in one.”
“You sure know how to go all out for a girl.”
“Not just any girl,” he said, pushing to his feet in a smooth motion. “My girl. Not everyone would get a meal in bed after that. I would be expecting them to cook for me.” He went to his bag and dug some packets out. “But you, babe, get food brought to you.”
“Lucky me.” She rubbed her hand down her face, not wanting to move. Sated was the only way to describe how she felt right now. Nothing else mattered beyond these cabin walls at the moment. Not the demons. Not The New Order. Not Them. She rather liked it that way.
“I agree.” He sat on the bed beside her, handing her one of his shirts so she could sit up and eat without being completely naked.
She opened her pack and ate.
“What’d you get?” he asked, leaning close.
“I think it’s supposed to be a chicken thing but not sure. You?”
“Beefaroni type. Wanna share?”
They swapped and she finished up his while he did the same for hers. He took the packet from her and disposed of them, then he rejoined her on the bed. “Are we heading out or are we staying here?”
“Pushing on.”
He inched up his shirt she wore. “I was afraid you’d say that. Can we just stay here for a bit longer, there’s some dessert I’d like to partake in.” He licked her belly and she shivered.
“Yes.”
So they did.
* * * *
Dracen sent out a wave with her sign, searching. The forest was eerily still.
“It’s too damn quiet.”
She crouched as she nodded her agreement to his statement. “We’re near to something, not sure what, but you’re right. It’s predator-aware quiet.”
“Think the wolves are back?”
“No. This is quiet because of a human predator in the area.” She rose and looked at the man traveling with her.
“You want to go off and do some Guardian thing while I wait here, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Not really used to taking a back seat here, babe.”
“I know, but I can move quicker if you’re not with me.”
He tugged on his hood and nodded. “Fine. I’ll be here.” He gripped her coat. “But if you get hurt, I’ll be pissed and take you over my knee.”
She leaned closer. “Is that supposed to be a threat or a promise?”
“Promise.”
She kissed him quick. “I’ll be right back.” Sniffing the air, she picked upon the faintest scent of deodorant. Using her speed, she ran after the one she’d located. Slowing before she reached him, she used the wind to her advantage. She knew they’d expect her to come from downwind, but she didn’t care if they were able to pick up on her smell. She was coming for them and caught them all looking in the other direction.
They’d set alerts around their perimeter and she easily disengaged them. There were four men and she used a katana to reach out and tap one on the shoulder. “Looking for someone?”
The man who looked at her swore and lifted his weapon. She killed him before he could even curl his finger around the trigger.
“I only need one to answer questions,” she announced to the other three. “Who’s it going to be?”
Her question was answered in the next moment and the only member of The New Order left had been secured against the tree trunk. “What are you doing up here?”
Hate swirled in his gaze. “Go fuck yourself.”
“I’m good, thanks. Just had a nice round of fucking before I came out here. What are you doing out here? I don’t like to ask again and can just yank it from your mind.”
“Then do it, bitch,” he spat.
“Suit yourself.” She stepped up and touched his face, mist swirling around her as her sign burst to life, lending its power.
She shoved beyond the filth in his mind, searching for her answers.
“Shit,” she swore, releasing him. The man slumped forward against the ropes, blood dripping from his nose and ears. She wanted a hot shower to scrub the nastiness from her.
She took their weapons and made her way back to where she’d left Luc.
“What happened?” he asked, stepping into view.
“Something big is going down, but they’re keeping these people on a need to know. All they know is they have to protect this area and kill anything that comes into view. That means human-wise, that isn’t one of theirs. Or demon.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’re ashen. You go into someone’s mind?”
“Yes. Disgusting pig.”
He threaded his hand around the braid going down her back. Lips to hers, he breathed against her mouth. “Let the memory go.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. It’s not for your conscience to carry. Let it go.”
Staring into his green eyes, she found herself doing just as he’d ordered. The filth from that man slipped away and lightened the grip on her soul.
“Thank you for whatever you just did.”
His kiss was brief. “I didn’t do anything. Let’s go.”
She hesitated and stopped him, turning him back to her. “No, you did something. What was it?”
There was a bit of darkness at the corners of his eyes before it vanished. “Nothing. We need to go.” He pulled free and struck out.
Is he taking the bad from me?
Luc spat as he walked, trying to get the acrid taste from his mouth. He couldn’t explain what was going on, all he knew was he and Dracen were connected on levels he’d never known people could be.
I’m going to have to tell her about this. I don’t know what it means but perhaps she does.
That night, when she set up the tent, he hung back, staring out over the snowy landscape. The night was alive with the howls from the wolf pack and he smiled at the haunting beauty.
“What’s bothering you?” she asked when he joined her inside the tent.
He took the food she handed him and sank to the sleeping bag. “Nothing.”
“Something is off, Luc. I can feel it, but I can’t pinpoint what it is.” She ate a bite. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know what it is. Something is happening with me, though. I’m not as tired as I used to be. I hear things better and can see sharper. The cold bothers me even less at times when you’re away to not share your heat with me.”
She held his gaze. “And?”
“And I can take those bad memories from you that you see when you get into someone’s head.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Is that what you did to me?”
“Yes.”
Dracen grew thunderous and he shook his head firmly.
“No, you don’t get to be pissed about that.”
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because I’m helping you. Those things are tearing you up inside, Dray. I can’t protect you from everything but I can from that.”
“What about you?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’ve seen and done enough that I can move on from it. It doesn’t eat at me like it does you, Dracen. You have a heart of gold despite the cold persona you project. Let it go. I can do it. I’ve done it. And I will continue to do it.”
“How is this happening?”
He grabbed her hand. “I don’t know. None of this is making any sense to me, but it is what it is.”
“How can you be so calm about it?”
“What do you want me to do? Yell? Scream? What of what we’re doing makes logical sense? We’re tracking on foot through the Boundary Waters in the middle of winter. Nothing more than tents. That’s by definition foolish. Yet we’re doing fine. This entire situation is odd. We’re hunting demons and their human idiots.”
“You don’t need to take those from me,” she protested.
“I know,” he said, trying to calm down. “I know I don’t have to. I want to. You’re shouldering enough, let me carry some of it.”
“It doesn’t make sense. I can handle it.”
“This isn’t about you being able to, we both know you can. This is about the fact you no longer have to. Now let it go, and tell me what you’re thinking.”
“It’s more what I feel. It’s in the air. Danger. Can’t you feel it? It’s humming along the particles, dancing on my skin, taunting me. But I can’t find out where it’s coming from yet.”
“Do you think it’s your artifact?”
“I don’t know. I’ve not had one so I don’t know what it feels like to find it. But, I find it hard to believe that it would be the feeling of unease and uncertainty that I’m getting now.” She shrugged and he focused back on the food in the pouch he held.
All the while he thought about what she’d said about feeling it on the air. He couldn’t identify it, but something did seem to be off to him.
“So how do you want to handle this?” He knew how he would, but as he’d stated, this was her op.
“We have their comms. I’d like to scout in opposite directions, keeping in contact with the radios. We can be on another channel. Check in every fifteen minutes with each other. See what we can come up with.”
“See, here I was expecting you to say you wanted to go do it alone and I stay here and wait.” Luc quirked a smile in her direction.
“I would prefer that, but I didn’t think you’d go for that.”
“Not at all.”
She rummaged through the pack he’d been carrying and came up with the extra batteries for the radios. Keeping one, she put the other near his leg. “Didn’t think so.”
“You want to go now?”
One second her hand was empty, the next she held her sword and a knife. It never ceased to amaze him how they could just appear in such a way.
“Finish your food.”
“Who makes your weapons? I’ve never touched material like that.”
A ghost of a smile flitted across her mouth. “A demon named Inaki.”
“Wait, you have demons in the vineyard?”
“No, we have a demon there. Inaki has been with Lian for centuries. He is our weapons master. I don’t know what he does to make them but he does a damn good job.”
“He looks like the scaled freaks we’ve seen?”
“No. He’s tall, powerful and dangerous when angry.”
“You care for him.”
“I do. He’s always been there for us, never complains even though his own kind don’t want him anymore.” A shrug. “He’s one of us.”
More intrigue about the woman named Dracen. Hated demons with a passion that could rival anything, and yet was a staunch defender of a demon. He finished the food and sucked the remaining bit off his thumb. “I’m ready.”
He shoved the extra battery into his pocket, then rose up on his knees and made short work of checking the guns he was going to carry with him—the MP5 and the M16. He loaded extra cartridges into his pockets. As he put on his coat, he noticed her watching him.
“Yes?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Why you’re doing this?”
“Stop doubting everything, Dracen. You and I are in this together.” He winked at her. “Ready to bag some demons?”
She hooked the comm to her ear and nodded. “Channel seven if we’re checking in. otherwise keep it on theirs.”
“Roger that.” He unzipped the tent and flipped up his hood as he stepped out into the blowing cold.
Dracen stood tall beside him, again appearing unaffected by the icy wind that whipped around them. To be fair, it wasn’t as bad as it had been to begin with. She stared at him then walked off to the left.
“Guess I’ll go right,” he muttered. Readjusting the M16’s strap on his shoulder, he set off.
As agreed, in fifteen minutes, he changed over to channel seven. “Checking in.”
He paused by a tree as he waited to hear back from her. For a few moments there was nothing then she was there.
“Progress?”
“What, no sweet talk? No how much you’ve missed me? How you want to get me naked?”
“So the cold has made you delusional?”
“Far from it, babe. I’ve not seen anything. People or animals.”
“Me either. You okay to keep going?”
“Fifteen minutes out in this isn’t enough to wear me out.”
“Does anything?”
“You did in the cabin. Care for a repeat?”
“Not right now, but soon, yes.” She was gone and he knew she wouldn’t be back until the next check-in.
“At least the cold is furthest from my mind now. Although this is a bit extreme when it comes to taking a cold shower.” He willed his unruly cock back under control and set back off on his way.
The line was suspiciously silent. For a group who had supposedly found something, they weren’t keeping in touch with each other. Pausing, he clicked through the other channels, just in case they’d figured they were compromised and had wanted to change.
The wind blew and he squinted against the spears of icicles that stabbed him with each unrelenting gust. Give me the jungle any fucking day over this ball-freezing shit. Christ, I hate the cold.
As he got ready to check back in, he froze when voices filtered to him on the howling wind. Using the trees as cover, he inched his way closer, doing his best not to think about the cold leeching into his pants.
Peering around the trunk, he found himself staring at four men who were huddled in a small circle as they spoke. They muttered about the cold and fell silent when a fifth ambled up.
“You’re supposed to be on guard,” the last to arrive stated as he integrated himself into their small group.
“From what?” one complained. “It’s fucking freezing out here. There’s not a goddamn thing lurking about. Except the wolves. And I can’t even shoot those.”
“We’re out here to protect it. You want to argue about it, take it up with those in charge.” He scowled. “But all I know is if something gets through on your watch, you’re going to be wishing it was colder for the hell you’ll be engulfed in. It has to be important to have all of us around.”
“Don’t make no goddamn sense to be guarding a small fucking hole in the ground all the way out here. I mean, let’s face it, I could have dug them a bigger one. And in a place with, oh, I don’t know, heat.” He stomped his feet and bounced around in an effort to warm up.
“You really hate the cold, don’t you?” another commented.
“I’m freezing my dick off. Wanna suck it to make it warm?”
“I’m no fag, you bastard.”
“Mouth’s a mouth, as far as I’m concerned. Just like if you bag an ugly woman’s head, her pussy is still a pussy.”
Luc shook his head. Why the hell are they protecting a hole in the ground? That doesn’t make sense. I don’t remember her saying anything about a hole.
The men jawed a bit more and he slipped away, as unannounced as he’d arrived. When he was a safe distance away, he clicked to the shared channel with Dracen.
“Everything okay?” Her tone was low and slightly breathless.
“Heard something. What about you? What’s going on?”
“Nothing, just had to take out some demons.” Silence. “What did you hear?”
“The group I walked up on was talking about guarding a hole in the ground. The humans aren’t sure why they’re guarding it, but there are a lot of people to do so. It’s a small one. Any clues?”
“Let me get back to you. I have to move, more demons coming.”
Just like that she was gone. Luc switched the radio back over and listened to the chatter as he continued on his way. She’s preoccupied if she didn’t ask me if I killed the humans. Or…whatever that hole represents is way worse than the humans ever could be so they’re no longer her concern.
He continued his perimeter search, hoping to discover the location of the mysterious hole. A tingle skated up between his shoulder blades and he turned in time to block a man who’d jumped from the trees to land on him.
Dressed all in white, only his eyes were exposed, and he hit Luc with some weight, bearing them both to the snowy ground, his knife at the ready, trying to make contact with his throat.
Shit! Luc blocked his assailant’s downward strike with his arm, the blade cutting easily through the material of his gear. He threw a punch, catching the man in the cheekbone and knocking him a bit off course. It didn’t stop him, just gave Luc a second to breathe. They grunted, rolling around in the snow, until he finally put the man on his back and broke his neck.
He ripped the facemask off and stared down at a seasoned man with short-cut brown hair. His head, angled to the side as it was, allowed Luc to see the small tattoo on his neck.
“Why did you wait so long to kill him?”
“You would be here to see that.”
“I headed over when you mentioned what you did.”
He peered up at her and found her expression blank. Pushing to his feet, he shook his arm and winced. Bastard got him. She neared, pulling something out from her coat. He noticed the gauze seconds later as she made short work of exposing the injury.
“Not deep, you’ll be fine.” She fixed him up then stepped back.
“I don’t like to take lives, Dracen. I will do it, but it’s not fun for me.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t sense any judgment from that comment so he let it go. Flexing his fingers, he checked the pain threshold for the wound. “What’s next?”
“We set up something close by then come back to take a look at that hole. See if we can figure out what is so important about it.”
“Let’s do it.”
They backtracked a bit and put up the tent in a secluded area, then covered their tracks before slinking back out to check on that which was being protected.