Deception (17 page)

Dorian smiled up at her, found the washing cloth, soaped it with excruciating slowness, and washed her legs, thighs and hips.

Everywhere he touched burned with need. Sweet and passionate, fierce and fun, he was everything she could want in a partner.

Sitting up, he took her hand, washed her arm, then the other. He stood and nudged her to turn, before washing her back, shoulders, and neck. His breath tickled her ear. “Rinse off,
mon trésor
.”

She knelt in the cooling water and rinsed the soap away while he soaped himself and did the same.

Dorian stepped out and wrapped himself in a robe before holding a towel open for her.

From the tub, she stepped into the soft cloth and his warm embrace.

His mouth covered hers, and with her arms trapped, he kissed her deeply and thoroughly.

She longed to touch him, but curiosity kept her passive. She trembled with excitement and desire to find out.

“I think I like this submissive version as much as the aggressive one,” he said.

“It would be best not to get used to it.”

His face lit with a broad grin. “I shall keep that in mind.”

He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and carried her to the bed. “I had no idea the beds in my guest rooms were so damn small.”

He sat her on the edge of the bed. Once again, her hair fell over her face, but she had no means to correct the issue.

Dorian tucked it behind her ears and kissed her cheek, her neck, and down to her shoulders.

The towel fell to her waist. She grabbed him around the neck, pulled him on top of her, and fell back on the bed. “It is big enough.”

“Not nearly, but it will have to do for tonight.” His smile destroyed any real disappointment in his words or tone.

She ran her hands up his sides, delighting in the ripple of each muscle under her fingertips. She ached for him, and the evidence of his desire pressed hard against her pelvis. She struggled against the towel trapping her legs.

Dorian slid lower, took a nipple in his mouth, and sucked.

The sweet sensation shot between her thighs, and she cried his name. She tried to lift her knees to cradle his torso. She fought the drying cloth, muscles straining until the satisfying sound of tearing fabric filled her ears.

She was free.

His laughter filled the room.

She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him tight. Her center rubbed against his abdomen. The towel still separated his skin from hers.

He suckled her other nipple until she squirmed beneath him.

“Dorian?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you do something for me?”

“Anything.” He continued his attention.

She lifted her hips and pressed her center harder and faster. She needed more of him. “Remove this towel and make love to me before I go insane.”

He stopped, tugged the towel, and the cool air shot delight to every inch of her body.

Lifting his body away, he tossed the tattered cloth to the floor and threw off his robe.

Lillian used her feet to push herself back onto the bed.

Dorian grabbed her calf and stopped her. Then he pulled her to the edge of the mattress. His cock stood hard against his stomach, and his dark gaze never left hers. Gripping both her thighs, he lifted her legs, exposing her fully. He caressed her slick folds.

His fingers were magic. The troubles of the world fell away. He stroked her pleasure higher. It was too much and not enough. She clutched for purchase on reality and dug her nails into his shoulders.

He brought his thick rod between her legs and plunged inside.

He groaned.

She cried out.

Neither one moved.

“Lilly, you feel like heaven.”

She tilted her hips, bringing him deeper. “More.”

Pulling back, he thrust inside her again and again.

She followed his rhythm, meeting him each time, bringing her ecstasy higher with every drive.

Shuddering and trembling, she climbed to the peak of rapture. The speed increased, and his touch continued until she exploded with pleasure.

Several more moans from Dorian and he spilled his seed on her stomach.

She still quivered.

He lifted her the rest of the way onto the bed and moved away. He returned to clean her, and the cool, wet cloth startled her. She stayed still while he cared for her, and joy bubbled in her chest. When had anyone taken care of her? Never.

He settled next to her and pulled her tight against him. “You are wonderful, Lilly.”

“You know, I never asked you not to spill your seed inside me.”

He lifted up on one elbow and looked down at her. “I think having a child unwise at this point in our lives, don’t you?”

She liked the sound of “our lives” more than she should. “I know these things are not spoken of, but I do not think I can conceive a child at this time. I’m not sure why, perhaps all the exercise. I do not have my monthly when I am this muscular.”

“Do you think you will ever be able to have a child?”

“I do not know if I ever want to have one. The world is not a safe place for children. It would be irresponsible to bring more into the world.”

“Your friend, Belinda, is with child. Do you deem the countess irresponsible?”

“Perhaps. She stopped hunting for a few months. Put on a little weight and found herself in her current condition. Of course, she is married to an earl, and he needs an heir. Still, I would not have made the same choice. If I started my monthly, I should have been more careful. However, Belinda is my friend, and I support her decisions even when I think they are foolish.”

With the lightest touch, he brushed a curl off her forehead and kissed her cheek. “One day, this will all be over. Perhaps then you will feel differently, Lilly.”

She hoped he was right. But even if he was, who’d have her?

* * * *

It was odd to walk into The Company offices with Dorian. They were lovers. More than that, he meant something to her, something more than a friend or colleague.

Tybee opened the door for them. His browning teeth and bloodshot eyes a welcome distraction. “Cullum arrived an hour ago, said to send you in immediately.”

“Thank you,” Dorian said.

Lillian had never been in the office of the head of The Company. She’d only been in Edinburgh once, then been assigned to work in London where the demon invasion was at its worst. She followed closely behind, and her heart beat as if she were going into battle.

The hallways and stairs under the castle were a never-ending maze. Lillian needed to spend some time navigating the place if they were going to be working there for any length of time. She didn’t like the idea of getting lost.

Dorian stopped in front of a large oak door. He took Lillian’s hand and gave it a squeeze before releasing it and knocking firmly.

“Come.”

They entered an office better suited to any fine London home. One wall was filled floor to ceiling with books, an Oriental rug warmed the floor, and a large desk sat in the middle. The only chair was the one behind the desk where Drake Cullum watched them over his steepled hands. Evidently, he did not wish for anyone to stay long enough to need a seat.

“How are the two of you getting along?”

“Fine.” Dorian stiffened.

The difference was subtle, but she had become used to his moods and telling signs.

“We are investigating several possible links to gateways and rituals.” She told him about the incident with the children on the way to Edinburgh. Dorian filled in some detail. They went on to explain what had transpired since arriving and how they had been attacked twice.

Drake’s eyes narrowed. “You had a chance to follow those demons last night and see where they came from and you squandered it.”

Lillian’s temper flared and her chest tightened. “Did you hear us? There were civilians being forced to worship the master.”

“I heard you just fine, Miss Dellacourt. I heard you tell me you could have bettered our chances of defeating the enemy, and you chose to save two women instead. I should send you both back to Inverness. Your training is sorely in need of a refresher.”

Dorian ignored the cut and placed his handkerchief on the desk. “We recovered this artifact. It shows the symbol of the master and was on the dais they were worshiping.”

“I’m very disappointed in the two of you. In the future, I’ll expect you to put our cause above all else.”

“Would you have had us leave those women to be killed, maybe even while we watched, in order to follow the demon trail?”

“Why is that so difficult for you to understand? Are you going soft? If that is the case, we can find another hunter.”

She was sure her face was bright red. Her heart pounded, and the heat of her fury blazed along her neck and cheeks. “Oh, have you suddenly found a slew of hunters who can take my place, Cullum? If I am not needed, I can assure you risking my life day and night is not my first choice in life.”

Dorian gripped her arm. “Thank you, Cullum. We will return today and investigate the tunnels. Tonight we will continue our search of the archives.”

Drake’s eyes widened and he stood up. “See that you find a way to right this, Lambert.”

He practically dragged her from the office.

Drake’s voice followed them. “By the way, the two women you had sent here last night are doing very well. They will return to their families in a few days. I am amazed at the speed of their acceptance.

“That is good news,” Dorian said.

“Dorian, you and I need to have a meeting very soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door closed behind them, and Dorian tugged on Lillian’s arm.

“Why did you do that?”

“Lilly, keep your mouth closed for a few moments please.”

“What?”

He clutched her arm and pulled her close. His mouth was only an inch from her ear. “Wait until we are out of this building, and then we can talk.”

Her muscles ached from the strain of keeping her temper in check. She wanted to beat something or someone until she couldn’t lift her arms.

She climbed inside Dorian’s carriage. They headed back toward the alley where they’d entered the tunnel.

“You were out of line, Lilly.”

“I was? He said we should have sacrificed those women. People were counting on us finding them. People love them and want them home.” She had to force away a fleeting thought about her mother and the fact that she had given her only daughter to an earl for a few coin.

Dorian’s voice was flat and reasonable. “Try to think of it from a strictly strategic point of view. What we did was not the smart thing to do. It did not better the cause. We had an opportunity and failed to take it.”

“You agree with him?”

“I did not say that. I could no more have left those women to be tortured and killed than you could. I did what I thought was the right thing. The right thing is not always the best thing in war. It is a hard truth.”

“Do you also agree that we should have let Belinda die at Fatum and concentrated on the master?”

“Based on the report, I do not know. I cannot see how you could have stopped the master. We lack the data to make a conclusion.”

“So cold, Dorian. I had no idea you could be so unfeeling.”

“I’m a soldier, Lilly. Sometimes it means putting my own feelings aside for the greater good.”

“If people stop meaning something in this fight, then what exactly will we be fighting for?

He stared out the window into the busy streets. “For all the rest.

“And to me each and every one is precious.”

“I do not expect you to change your opinion in the span of a few minutes, but give it some thought. What if we had waited in the shadow until they were finished with their ritual? What if we had followed them to wherever they came from? Maybe we could have found the gate. Maybe it would have led to a larger cell of demons or even the master’s lair.”

Lillian nodded. When they arrived near the alley where they entered the underground passage, she pushed the thoughts aside.

Dorian watched the busy street, and when no one was looking, he gave Lillian a signal by pointing at the open grate.

Lillian jumped down into the tunnel, and he eased down beside her. She pulled the strings on her skirts, and they slid up her thighs, allowing freer movement.

They followed the same path down and to the right. The open space where the worship had taken place was just as they had left it. Rotting demons were worse than rotting humans, and the place stank of both. Lillian covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

The wretched creatures they’d killed the night before had decomposed, leaving oily puddles on the stone floor.

“If this is part of an old city, I would be very surprised. I’m more likely to believe the demons cut this out to get around unnoticed.”

Dorian touched the pillar holding up the city above their heads. “Perhaps it’s a bit of both. Wherever these tunnels came from, we need to find out where they lead.”

Dark red blood marred the top of the altar where Dorian had found the amulet the night before. Demon blood was black. It might have been animal blood, but it was more likely human. Behind the altar were two archways, but they were both bricked in. Lillian drew close and touched the cold stone. She ran her hand over the roughed out arch.

Dorian approached the second arch. Stone scraped against stone.

She rounded the space between the arches and pulled her blades, ready for whatever might come.

Only Dorian stood in the alcove. It was deeper than before. He placed both hands on the stone wall, leaned into it, and pushed.

The wall slid back farther, revealing a pass-through big enough for a man. Stagnant water and demon filth wafted out.

“How on earth did they do this?” she asked.

“It is likely on a pulley system with weights to counterbalance. Quite clever. I did not think our demons had this type of ingenuity.”

“Nor I,” Fletcher said from the other entrance. He and two of his men managed to follow them and remain unheard.

“What are you doing here?” Dorian’s voice was harsher than the situation warranted.

Lillian shook her head at the byplay between the two men. Dorian must know she had no interest in the club owner. He was handsome. There was no denying that. His eyes were an uncommon combination of blue and green. He had an angular jaw and a shock of blond hair. And perhaps the most remarkable thing for an admitted criminal, he was charming. “How long have you been standing there, Mr. Fletcher?”