Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel) (29 page)

He lay back against the bedding and stared up at the ceiling. Things were going to change. Micah hadn’t kicked him out of her life yet and had even orchestrated a rescue. Although he didn’t have his scythe, he’d find a way to get it back. Thomas had been ignorant in thinking he could keep her from becoming a shadow. Souls always turned into one, given enough time. Thomas knew this, but had ignored it.

Sully sighed then sat up. Perhaps sleep would not come after all. He scrubbed his palms across his face and groaned. This was partly his fault as well. He’d been so surprised to see Natalie, believing his best friend’s daughter had died then crossed over long ago. When faced with the fact that she hadn’t, he hadn’t done anything about it. If he’d been thinking clearly, he should have raised the alarm. Who would have thought the once sweet girl would become a murderous little bitch? And she had his scythe, damn it.

He threw his legs off the mattress
, and his bare feet crunched against paper. Frowning, he looked beneath the bed and picked up the sheets of paper scattered beneath it.
Shit
. All the information he’d gathered about Kelly Banks was there. Micah had seen everything.

The bedroom door swished open
, and Micah stood in the hall, looking in at him. Her gaze drifted to papers he held in his hand as a flush stained her skin. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

Sully tossed the papers aside, but was unable to take a step toward her. His shame kept him frozen to the spot. “I’m sorry, Micah. I should have told you.”

She came into the room then closed the door softly. “You didn’t think I could handle the truth?”

Guilt hung heavy in his chest as he laid the offending papers on the end of the bed. He was a little irritated that she’d broken into his office to take them. He’d locked that door for this very reason. He
had known the information would upset her, and he hated like hell to be the cause of it.

Micah cleared the paperwork away, her hands trembling as she gathered it all up. Without comment, she tossed the wadded papers into the bottom drawer of the dresser. “Fine. You want to go there, we’ll go there.”

“You knew how confused and scared I was. You knew I was searching for answers that you had all along. So yeah, I wish you would have told me.”

He crossed the room to rest his hands on her shoulders. “You’re right, doll. I should have. The only reason I didn’t was because none of it matters.”

“It matters to me, Sully. Remember when I said some of it was starting to come back? I wasn’t entirely truthful about that.” Micah laughed, but the sound was anything but humorous. “Pieces of memories have come back. They made little sense until I read your files though. Now the memory of me being in a mental hospital makes perfect sense. I mean, what normal person sees ghosts? The fact that I didn’t know what was happening, that I thought I was out of my fucking mind … is all clear now. Now I understand why the me in the past took drugs and eventually overdosed. She was trying to get away from the shadows.”

Sully wrapped her in his embrace. Her body was shivering
, and he knew the anger and hurt of his secrets were fueling her now. “I know saying I’m sorry isn’t going to make things right between us.”

Micah sighed against him, nuzzling her head beneath his chin. “You’re right, but it’s a start. No more lies or secrets, okay?”

“Deal.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “You shouldn’t have gone into that room, Micah. The door was locked for a reason.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got to trust me, doll.” Sully’s arms tightened around her. “The more I dug into the past, the more I realized you’d be upset by it. I figured there was no reason to tell you any of it if you didn’t remember.”

“I love you, Sully.” She drew back to stare into his eyes. “I know that’s probably not something you want to hear, but it’s the truth. When Natalie took you, all I could think about was getting you back. I was so scared I would never see you again.”

Sully wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb. “I didn’t want you to come for me.”

Micah drew back, confusion drawing her brows downward.

He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I
was afraid you’d get hurt or killed because of me.”

Micah wound her arms around his waist and hugged him close. His chest tightened with emotion
, and he never wanted her to let him go.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I thought I’d lost you. When I saw the scythe in your chest, I thought you were gone.”

“Never.” His arms tightened around her, and he buried his nose in her hair. The things he had to say would be easier if he didn’t look her in the eyes. “You’ve stolen my heart, Micah. I could never live without you.”

She tipped her head back to grin up at him. A tear slipped down her cheek. “Is this your way of saying…”

“I love you.” He stroked fingers across her cheek then used his thumb to caress her lower lip.

Micah took his face in her hands and guided him toward her mouth. He didn’t move as she slid her mouth over his in a gentle, explorative kiss. The warm, soft feel of her body against his skin nearly tripped him over the edge. He longed to throw his arms around her and ravage her mouth until neither of them could breathe. Instead, he allowed her to continue her exploration.

This time, her kiss was more demanding. She tasted the crease of his lips then nipped the bottom of his lip. Her tongue danced with his as her fingers slipped down his back, beneath the towel, nails digging into the curve of his ass.

Cursing softly, Sully hauled Micah to him. Her breasts smashed against his chest
, and she stood on tiptoe to reach him. Sully couldn’t keep his hands off her. He needed to touch and savor every part of her exquisite body.

He tugged the t-shirt over her head then tossed it aside. The bra was next. Once her breasts were freed, he cupped the perfect globes in his palms. His thumbs flicked over the peaks
, and he reveled in her soft moan.

“Undress for me.” Sully was more than tired, but he’d be damned if he’d let her go unsatisfied. He eased them backward until they were against the bed. He sat down on the edge then laid back to watch her. The damp towel was cool against his skin, but he’d rather feel the heat of her naked skin against his.

Micah unbuttoned her jeans then slid them down her legs. Kicking them away, she ran a finger along the lace waistband of her panties. “Is this what you want?”

“You know what I want.”

She allowed the scrap of lace to drop then stood naked before him. She was beautiful.

“Get over here, woman.” Sully beckoned to her.

“So, Mr. Sullivan…” Micah gripped the front of the towel. “Are you hard beneath there?”

“Only one way to find out.” Sully challenged
her with a raise of an eyebrow.

Within seconds, her hands were on him and the towel forgotten. She swirled fingertips over the head of his cock, gathering pre
-cum on her finger. Keeping her eyes on his, she brought that glistening fingertip to her lips and sucked. A sexy little purr escaped her parted lips.

This was more than Sully could take. He had to make love to her. Now. He rose up onto his elbows, but Micah pushed him back down against the mattress.

She climbed onto the bed then sank onto her knees between his legs. Palms on his thighs, she bent forward to take him into her mouth. Her devilish tongue flicked across the head then licked a trail down to his balls. Without warning, she took his entire length into her mouth, and he nearly lost it then and there. His hand fisted in her hair as she moved up and down his length.

“Micah,” he said on a hoarse whisper. “I need to be inside you.”

She hummed, and it nearly sent him spiraling out of control. He clenched every muscle in an effort not to explode on her tongue. The building sensation demanded a proper release. “Now.”

She straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips. The head of his cock nudged at her entrance, eager to be wrapped in its slick warmth. He gripped her hips, guiding himself into her heat at an agonizingly slow pace. Micah groaned in pained pleasure as her body stretched to accommodate him.

“You’re so tight,” he said through gritted teeth. He held tight to her hips, eager to help each stroke along. What he wanted to do was thrust inside her until he came again and again. Instead, he allowed Micah to take the lead.

Her hips rocked slowly at first until she found the most pleasurable groove. Her fingernails clenched against his chest
, and her head fell back as she rode him harder and harder. A shiver of desire raced up Sully’s spine. He was so close to letting go, white hot frenzied heat coursed through him as he thrust his hips upward. He was buried so deep, but still needed more of her.

Rolling her onto her back, he took control. He slammed into her again and again. Her inner muscles contracted around him, pulsing and sending tingles of sensation all the way to his core. Micah’s legs were wrapped around him, drawing him tight against her body with each thrust. He tensed, orgasm reaching them both at nearly the same moment. He swore, not moving for several seconds before he collapsed atop her. He kissed the side of her neck as they both struggled to gain control of their breathing.

Micah gave him a long, lingering kiss.

“That’s quite the welcome home,” Sully said, his voice hoarse and breathless. He rolled onto his side, cradling her in his arms.

****

The harsh morning light bled in through the curtains, waking Sully. He opened his eyes then blinked several times as his brain struggled to process the scene around him. Micah lay curled on her side, facing him. Her luscious breasts peeked out from beneath the sheet
, and his lower anatomy had no problem responding. Then a rampant thought stilled the breath from his lungs.

What if it was another of Natalie’s cruel tricks? What if he was still inside the mausoleum
, and they’d put last night’s fantasy in his head? Snapping his eyes shut, he took a calming breath then reopened them.

Micah still lay there, just as stunning as before. Her features were soft and relaxed in slumber. Careful not to disturb her, he rose from the bed and slipped on his jeans. They were a bit dirty from his stay at the mausoleum, but they’d do.

The rattle of pans sounded from the kitchen, reminding him Thomas had spent the night. Shit, he’d probably heard everything.

“Hey,” Thomas said as Sully entered the kitchen. “I’m making French toast.”

Sully slid onto a barstool and watched his friend move around Micah’s compact kitchen. He seemed perfectly at ease.

Thomas turned to regard Sully’s silence. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.” He stared at his friend, weighing what he needed to say. “We need to talk about this.”

“About what? Natalie?” Thomas sat a pan on the stove then removed a bowl from the cabinet. “I know what I did was wrong.”

“She killed you the first chance she got, Thomas. She isn’t your little girl anymore.” Sully tried to keep the ire out of his voice, but failed miserably. “We have to find her. I cannot allow her to harm Micah.”

Thomas kept his back to Sully as he mixed the ingredients. He dipped slices of bread into the bowl then put them in the pan. “I know.”

“You know where she is, don’t you?”

“She feels safe at my apartment.” Thomas said softly. “She’s probably hiding there.”

Sully didn’t say anything in response. He was already thinking of what had to be done.

Thomas plated the toast then sat on the furthest barstool from Sully. “All the shadows she controlled are gone. She’ll be at her weakest.”

Sully lifted a forkful of syrup-covered toast to his mouth and considered this. “We’ll have to move fast before she has a chance to build a new following.”

Micah entered the kitchen wearing a pair of loose shorts and a tank top. She looked pretty damned cute
, and he didn’t care for Thomas’s appreciative smile.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she slid onto the stool between them. Claiming her as his, Sully leaned over to kiss her. Thomas turned his gaze away
, and Sully knew he’d understood. Micah was off limits.

After several seconds of silence, Micah reached over to squeeze Thomas’s hand. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to go.”

Seeming to have lost his appetite, Thomas scooted his plate away. “Azrael asked me to mentor you. I’ll see you through this.”

“What about the dagger? You don’t have a weapon.” Micah picked up Sully’s fork and took a bite of the leftover toast on his plate.

Thomas pursed his lips then allowed the blade to appear in his hand. It matched Micah’s exactly. “I’ve got a new one.”

Micah’s cell phone played its happy little tune. She snatched it off the kitchen counter where she’d left it the night before and answered. Her features pulled into a frown. “Today?”

After a few moments, Micah hung up then laid her head against Sully’s shoulder. He ran his fingers along her spine and smiled when she shuddered. “Problem?”

“
No.” She looked up at him. “I have a client who wants to see the house in Andreas Hills. They can wait.”