Chapter Nine

The impact from his voice and his refusal to move had Poppy spinning out of control. She’d only ever moved through this world when it was absolutely necessary. She didn’t want to alert her other half to what she was doing as it would mess up her plans.

Adam fought against her and, unprepared for his fight, Poppy couldn’t maintain her control over her realm. They spiralled through a vortex and shot straight out into a darkened alley.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” she asked. Adam collapsed in her arms and she stared around, trying to find anyone who could help. Coming out of the place in between never had this effect on people, but very rarely did the strangers walking round with nothing to do attack a person either.

“I-I-I n-n-need…” His voice drew out.

“Please, Adam. Tell me.”

“I need…blood,” he said.

Poppy froze. She couldn’t help him. He lay gasping in her arms and Poppy panicked. Not caring what her actions could do, she opened up her power to the other side, searching for someone—anyone—who would be able to help.

She logged onto a person who was on the verge of dying. There was an elderly woman who was dying and had no family to miss her.

Poppy did something she hadn’t done since the first time she’d taken on her full pure-blooded necromancy role. She lured a human to their death. The woman would be dead within a few weeks from the cold and the disease eating away at her. Saving Adam was more important than saving this woman. The scenery washed in red, except the woman walking towards them. Her essence was bathed in a white glow.

“You called,” the woman said under the thrall of Poppy’s call.

“Come here.” Poppy cut her emotions out of it and worked on the mechanics. Once the woman was down on their level, she sliced the woman’s wrist with the blade she carried and presented it to Adam.

Within seconds, he was gulping her life force. Poppy watched the glow around the woman disappear until the older woman slumped to the ground.

Tears filled her eyes over what she’d done. At least Adam could open his eyes and a small radiant heat came off him.

“My dear, no need to cry.” Poppy turned her head to the sound of the voice. The older woman flashed before her eyes. The older woman was transported back into the prime of her youth.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the dead woman.

“I’m not. You did me a favour.”

The woman didn’t say anything else but walked away in the distance where the afterlife shone through. It was a small mercy to witness on this insane night.

Adam lay in her arms staring up at her. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Next time don’t fight me,” she said.

“I promise. Complete cooperation from me from now on.”

Poppy chuckled and helped him to his feet. He swayed a little and she caught him before he fell down.

“Be careful.”

“So we’re in America?” He glanced down the dark alley and scratched his head.

“Yes. You’ve never been here before?”

“Nope.”

 

Adam hurt all over and kept it to himself. He didn’t want to alarm her. The older woman had been a snack taking the edge off the pain. He glanced at Poppy and tried to keep his attention away from the pulse at her neck. Her blood called to him. “I’ve always wanted to go to America.”

“You’re here now.”

He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. Her touch always shocked him. The pleasure running through his body was driving him crazy. The longer he was with her the more the pleasure turned into an aching desire. “Why did we have to come to America?” he asked.

“This is where the alpha’s mate has decided to rest. She’s waiting, I guess.”

“But he was the Beyer West alpha,” he said to distract himself from her touch. She seemed to be able to function fine while he turned into a blubbering idiot when he was around her.

“You’ll probably find she’s redesigned her resting place. So where she was murdered is the same, but she was happiest with him in America.”

Adam loved hearing her voice.

“So what you’re saying is her soul has retreated to a place she recalls as being happy, but her surroundings should still resemble the place she was murdered?”

“Yes.”

“Are we going to see her now?”

“I thought, seeing as it’s almost sunrise, we could book into a motel until sunset.”

Be alone with her in a private room? “That sounds like a very good plan.”

Poppy smiled at him. “I may be a necromancer and a woman, but I still have good plans now and again.”

“I’d like to see more of these plans.”

“Maybe you just might. Are you ready?”

Adam nodded and allowed her to take him through to their next location. He could become lazy through this method of travel. Usually he ran or went by car to get to and from a place. With Poppy, the process made him a little sick, but at least it got him quickly to where he wanted to be.

Minutes later they appeared outside of a motel. Adam paid for the room. It was a single room with a double bed.

Poppy entered first and he kept his eyes on her ass. He saw how nice and rounded it was even hidden by the cloak. He wanted to pull her dress up and see if she was as pale there as she was everywhere else.

His thoughts were darkening with every passing second.

The motel room made him think of all kinds of erotic pleasures he could be having with her. They were alone with no chance of his family interfering. Not even his unfeeling younger brother.

“Only one bed?”

“It’s all they had.” He lied easily about the situation. In fact, he’d asked for a room with one double bed. He wanted to feel what it was like having a woman he cared about lay next to him.

“I guess. There’s plenty of room for us to not disturb the other.”

I want to be disturbed.

“I thought any room was better than no room at all.”

“I’m going to use the bathroom. Is it all right if I take my turn first?”

He licked his lips and nodded for her to continue. He heard the shower run. The sound and her essence tormented him where he sat on the bed.

His cock threatened to tear a hole out of his trousers.

Was she in the shower now? Wet and washing the soap off her body?

His mind worked on how he could get into the room to take a peek at her. He stood and walked to where the door was. He reached out and touched the knob and pulled back.

She trusts you. Don’t be a pervert, and go sit down.

Cursing his attitude, he went back to the bed and sat down. Only to get up a few seconds later when he heard her call out.

He walked slowly, even though he wanted to rush in there and help his young lady out. “Poppy?” He called out when he got to the door.

“Adam, I’m so sorry but could you come in?” she asked.

Fuck yeah.

“I’m coming in now.” Adam opened the door. The steam was escaping. Poppy stood gazing around the bath curtain. “What do you need?”

“I know this is going to sound stupid and like a come-on but it’s not, I promise. Could you wash my back? I don’t like being dirty and I feel horrid.”

How he wished she’d asked him to join her.

“You want me to wash your back?”

“If you don’t mind? I’ll do the same for you if you hurry—I don’t want the hot water to run out. And is…is it possible for you not to look?”

“I can’t do it with my eyes closed.” Adam heard her sigh. Without waiting for an invitation he pulled the curtain open. Her naked back was exposed for him to see.

“Please, don’t make this hard. I usually have a scrubbing brush to deal with it. I feel unclean and I wouldn’t ask you if I had other means of getting clean.” She sounded irritated.

“You’re a necromancer,” he blurted.

“So? Does that mean I can’t have my back washed? Am I suddenly some unclean person because of what I was born as?” she yelled.

Adam held his hands up. “I’m finding this a little unsettling.”

He saw her rest her head against the shower stall. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat.

“Please, I know I’m freaky but I can’t stand the thought of not having my back washed.”

He wanted to say more to her but he stayed silent. Staring down the length of her back, he admired the sight of her. “I’ll wash your back. I think it’s strange you want a clean back but I’m an agreeable guy, for the most part,” he teased.

Seeing you naked, I’m going to need the cold water to cool my dick off.

“Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your shower. Do you want me to get in?”

“Can you lean round?”

“I can but I’m going to need to remove my shirt,” he said.

“Okay.”

He wondered if he’d be able to smell her arousal. All he could scent at the moment was lemon shampoo. It was a nice scent, though not as nice as a woman’s essence when she was turned on.

“I’m so sorry about this,” she said while he was removing his shirt.

He briefly checked out his chest and muscles to make sure he looked okay. He took great pride in lifting weights and it showed in his arms. Adam had thick heavy muscles, hopefully enough to make this woman drool.

“I’m coming round,” he warned giving her a little time. Adam had no intention of averting his eyes.

Oh, sweet Lord have mercy.

He could bounce a coin off her full ass. Would it be inappropriate for him to squeeze the globes in his hands?

Closing his eyes for a split second to get his raging hormones under control, he began thinking about vegetables, his mother and his brothers to rid himself of the killer hard-on he was sporting.

“Sorry about the scars.” All it took was hearing the insecurity and vulnerability in her voice to get him back to focusing.

Opening his eyes, he stared at her naked flesh. A mass of faded lines dotted her back. Each one was fiercer than the last.

“Never be sorry about these marks,” he said to her. With the soap in his hand he touched her skin and began to spread the scented stuff all over. “You’ve been through a lot of battles.”

“Yes. It’s part of my calling.”

“I think part of your calling doesn’t like you.” He heard her hiccup. “Hey, baby, don’t cry.” Adam didn’t think about her nakedness anymore. He thought about the woman he cared about spilling tears over her body.

“I’m ugly,” she said between sobs.

Adam turned her to face him. Not caring about the water, he climbed into the tub so he could wrap her in his arms. His cock liked her close but more than that, his heart and soul beamed having her so close to him. He feared, after finding out what he needed to know about the alpha, he wouldn’t want to let her go.

“You’re never ugly.” Adam had never found any of her scars frightening.

“Yes I am.”

He held her while she poured out her heart, the tears speaking more volumes than any words could spill.

“You’re not ugly.” He placed a finger over her lips to keep her quiet. “Give me your hand.” Her little fist was resting on his chest.

Adam hoped what he was about to do was the right thing. This wasn’t about his needs. It was about hers.

“Why?”

“Because I want to show you why I don’t think you’re ugly.”

Her tears subsided and she gazed at him with curiosity in her eyes. She gave him her hand and very slowly he brought it to rest over his tight pants. As he guessed, she pulled back and he looked at her.

“I don’t find you ugly and this is my proof.”

“Proof?”

“I can’t get a hard-on if the woman in front of me is ugly.” There were many types of ugly to Adam. To some men the scars may bother them and some would consider them ugly. He’d had many women—beautiful, fantastic, good-looking women. But they had been ugly on the inside with only their good looks getting them through from one day to the next. Ugliness to him wasn’t about looks. Ugliness was about a person’s attitude and general personality.

“You feel this for me?” she asked. He heard the sound of wonder in her voice.

His heart burst for his good luck. “Do you want to see what you do to me?” he asked.

This was all for her.

Poppy nodded. He removed his arms from around her and carefully took off his pants. He never wore underwear unless he had to. Adam threw the trousers over the side of the bath.

Getting back in, he stood naked and proud for her to see.

“Wow.” He heard her mutter. Pride filled him, even though he cursed as the blood filled his cock standing to attention.

“You’ve never seen a man’s cock before?”

She shook her head.

“Would you like to touch?”

She nodded her head. Adam braced himself for the touch of her small fingers. He contained the moan inside his throat. His whole body going on white-hot alert as her small hands encompassed all of him in her fist.

“You feel so hot,” she said.

Darling, you’ve no idea how hot I feel at the moment.

“It’s because I want you,” he admitted to her.

“Want me?”

“I desire you as a woman.”

“It seems strange for us to be talking about desires like a normal man and woman.”

“Poppy, underneath it all we are just normal people. We feel and love and want like the next person.”

She nodded her head and her touch ceased. “I think I’d best go and get changed.”

Adam watched her leave the bath then shut the door behind her. He looked at his hard member and growled at the unfairness of it all.

The water still ran hot, but he wouldn’t be able to get his bearings with hot water. Turning the dial to cold, he blasted his body with the icy water. His mind was still filled with the images of her naked body.

He took himself in hand—the only way he felt was going to relieve some of the built-up pressure was to make himself climax.

He thought about Poppy and her wet body while stroking his shaft.

The cold water did nothing to cool him off.

He started to masturbate faster, thinking about pressing her against the tiles and taking her. His thoughts were plagued by images of what she would do and sounds she would make while he pounded inside her.

In no time at all he was climaxing, his seed lost with the water down the drain. He was left panting, resting his head against his arm.

Adam cleaned himself, trying to wait it out before going into the other room. He knew in his heart it was only a matter of time before he lost control and took her. After getting out of the shower, he washed his face with water from the sink and after another twenty minutes had passed, he let himself back into their room.

“Are you all right?” she asked from the dark. She lay on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom door. In the dim light he saw the outline of her body.

“I wanted to cool off.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

Adam went around the bed and settled in beside her. “What are you sorry about?”

“I know a man can reach physical pleasure from his organ.”

Adam tried not to laugh but failed. “I’m sorry, Poppy. Just so you know, I took care of it.”

“How?”

“I masturbated in the shower.” He heard her gasp. “You’ve never taken care of yourself?”

Poppy’s eyes widened. “How?”

Chuckling, Adam moved closer. Maybe he’d get his hands on her after all. “Do you want me to show you?”

“Will it hurt?”

“Never.”

She nodded and he shortened the gap between them. She wore the dress she’d been wearing every day he’d seen her. A few buttons were undone and he saw she’d not bothered with a bra.

“I want you to close your eyes and trust me.”

Adam didn’t touch her until those eyes were firmly shut.

His fingers ran up her thigh, gathering up the fabric of her dress and lifting it to lie over her stomach. Opening her legs wide, he leant down and kissed her lips at the same time resting his hand over her mound. As she gasped into his kiss and opened her legs to his touch, his fingers slid along her wet slit. A slight dusting of hair covered her pussy lips. He pressed his tongue against her lips and sought entry.

Careful to bring her only pleasure, he teased her clit, which was already swollen and peeking out from its little hood. This wasn’t about drawing out her pleasure but about giving her release, showing her how good it could be for a woman as well as a man.

Within seconds of constant contact with her sensitive clit, Poppy grasped his arms and a scream emitted from her lips.

The sound was sweet music to his ears.

Adam helped her to ride the climax and bring her down slowly.

He kissed her on the lips, cheek and neck before bringing his fingers to his mouth and sucking her sweet cream off.

“Thank you,” she said on a whisper.

“Try to get some rest, and you’re welcome.” Adam kissed her cheek and cuddled against her.

Being near Poppy—having her in his arms—was the best feeling in the world. He no longer wanted to be in a world without her in it. All he wanted to do was claim her for his own.

He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift.