Primal Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3 (17 page)

Her stomach had been rumbling since she’d woken up. “I happen to be starving.” And had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring that fact until he brought it up. Neither of them would die from starvation, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be severely weakened by it.

Her feet felt blistered and her knees ached before they hit another dead end. “We’re not getting anywhere.”

Cian looked as frustrated as she felt as they backtracked to try another tunnel. “Some kind of water source must be feeding the vines, and where there’s water, there’s food. We’re not giving up.”

“I know. I’m just worried about my sister.”

“If she’s anything like you, she’s probably giving them hell.”

Undoubtedly. “We’re not that much alike, actually. She’s much bolder and braver than I am.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

She laughed. “If you hear her tell it, I used to be the bossy one, but I think she just tells me that so I wouldn’t dwell on…” She trailed off, following Cian’s gaze, forgetting what she’d been about to say.

“I don’t remember that, do you?” He pointed to a vine that snaked across the top of a tunnel. A large red blossom with a buttery-yellow center hung in the middle.

“No.” The longer she studied the crimson petals the more it intrigued her, drawing her closer.

“This way.” He laced his fingers through hers, leading the way down a tunnel that grew increasingly narrow and sloped downward. Cian tipped his head. “I think I hear water.”

Just hearing the word made her throat squeeze as though to wring even the slightest moisture from it. The tunnel twisted more sharply, the path growing steeper. The vines that grew along the wall pulsed with color.

That was either a good thing or they were in a whole world of trouble. She tightened her hold on Cian.

“Watch your st—”

Cian dropped in front of her, the ground giving way beneath him, and the fierce grip he had on her hand dragged her right along with him. The tunnel blurred past in bursts of green, pink and yellow, then the ground disappeared beneath them altogether.

Shit.

She lost her grip on Cian as they dropped straight down. Air whipped across her face and they plunged into the lake below, momentum pushing her down. The water closed over her head, and she kicked hard to reach the surface.

“Emma!” Cian grabbed her around the waist a moment before she realized her feet just skimmed the sandy bottom. “Are you all right?”

She dropped her head against his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I don’t melt in water, Dorothy.”

“Am I supposed to know what that means?”

She smiled, her lips parting to share the reference, but it slipped away before she could grasp it. Something about Oz?

He turned them toward the shore.

Shivering, she got as close to him as she could. “The water is freezing.” Who would have believed an arctic glacier fed the catacombs? She paused. Is that where they were? The catacombs?

“I can see that.”

She followed his gaze to where her nipples jutted against her shirt.

He smoothed her hair away from her face and that intense look in his eyes did crazy things to her stomach. He bent his head and she put a finger to his lips.

“As much as I’d love to be worked over by your very talented mouth, I’m a little distracted by the thought of what creatures might call this lake home.”

Glancing around, he frowned. “Where are we?”

“We’re…” She paused. “I…” Shook her head, wishing the answer would shake loose. She was sure she knew it. Wasn’t she? “How did we get here?”

He shrugged, rubbing his cheek against hers. “Does it matter?”

“Yes?” Her eyes drifted shut as his lips grazed hers. “I can’t remember.” The harder she tried to bring the memories into focus, the faster they seemed to slip away from her.

Taking a step away from him, hoping the distance would offer some clarity, she waded toward shore. On the grass, she sat and pulled off her boots, dumping out the water before wringing out her hair.

“Don’t go yet.”

She lifted her head, taken aback by the picture he made standing waist deep in the lake, drops of water sliding down his bare chest. The blossoms blanketing the ceiling at least a couple hundred feet above reflected on the lake’s surface, like something out of a dream.

Her breath lodged in her throat as she watched him emerge and offer a hand.

“Come.”

“Where are we going?”

He only offered a secretive smile and didn’t wait for her agreement before pulling her to her feet. She went to grab her boots, but he swept her up, over his shoulder. Her surprised squeal carried across the lake, but the view of his ass in pants plastered to his skin was more than worth the blood rushing to her head.

He set her down as quickly as he’d picked her up, and she latched onto him until the dizziness passed.

“No more carrying me around without some advance warning.”

Not looking the least bit apologetic, he tugged her across the soft grass and into the trees.

“Wow.” She stared at the massive tree trunks that stretched toward the vine-covered ceiling. More vines twined around the branches, as if they were part of the tree, the flowers pulsing with vibrant colors that grew brighter at regular intervals.

Something brushed against her. Something furry. She stumbled back, landing on her ass. The black cat curled around her, his tail snapping the ends of her hair. Unafraid, she swatted it away, watching the cat leap over a fallen log before glancing back at her, waiting.

Laughing, she got to her feet, looking once more over her shoulder at the lake that was already half concealed by a copse of trees. She could barely keep up, the cat easily staying ahead of her and occasionally doubling back and sneaking up behind her. Each time she’d get close, he’d disappear around a tree.

He was playing with her. She grinned and changed course the next time he vanished from view, moving in the opposite direction of the cat.

Two strong arms snared her around the waist, dragging her back against a warm, solid chest. He nuzzled her neck. “Did you think to trick me, mate?”

Mate? Yes, his. Always his.

“Crossed my mind.”

“It’s not wise to tease me.”

She turned in his arms. “Plan to get even?”

He ran his fingers down her stomach. “I have so much more in mind than revenge.” He unsnapped her pants. “Much, much more.”

And then he was beneath her panties, his fingers parting her folds.

She moaned against his mouth. “Tell me.”

He nipped her lip. “First I will fill you with my fingers, sinking into your softness until I make you good and wet for me.” He circled her opening. “And then I’ll kiss you. Here,” he growled against her ear as his fingers circled her clit. “You’ll feel my tongue sliding up your sex before I lick the most sensitive part of you.”

Hot and breathless from the carnal imagery, she clung to him. “And then what?”

“You’ll feel such pleasure, you’ll move your hips and use your hands to pull me harder against you.” He moved his mouth, speaking low in her other ear. “You’ll be so close to release, you’ll be begging me to let you come.”

She was so close now, imagining his mouth tasting her long and deep. “Yes.”

“And right when you’re ready to find your release, your whole body on fire for it…I’ll stop,” he murmured.

“Yes…no.” She opened her eyes. “You can’t stop.”

“I can’t?” The wicked glimmer in his eyes said he could do whatever naughty, dirty things he wanted, and that she’d love every second of it.

She shook her head, knowing it wouldn’t come to that, even if she did beg. “No.”

He dragged her shirt over her head. “And why is that?” He palmed her breast, his thumb dragging across her nipple.

She whimpered. “You won’t be able to stop. You’ll need to have me.” Have all of her.

His sexy grin widened as if he understood her perfectly. “Don’t I have you now?”

Catching his jaw in her palm, she nodded. “Until the day I die.”

Chapter Ten

Cian took possession of her mouth, the way she had his heart, body and immortal soul. Everything in his mind was a blur, except her. Her he knew, recognized when everything around them felt foreign and unfamiliar.

His mate clung to him, her nails scoring his shoulders as she rose up to meet each wild kiss, taking parts of him he had never imagined sharing with anyone. And still it wasn’t enough.

As if she caught a glimpse of his thoughts and was just as shaken, she broke away from his mouth, breathing hard. He didn’t stop her when she slowly backed away from him, but he watched her every move. This he knew as well, certain they’d played this game before, and the moment he took a step toward her, he could tell by the expression on her face that she felt it too.

“You like chasing me.”

He shook his head. “No. I like catching you.” And he did, moving so fast there was no opportunity for her to escape him. He needn’t have bothered since she waited for him, bracing herself as he swept her up and lowered her to the ground.

Easing between her legs, he flexed his hips and rubbed against her.

She arched beneath him, her breasts rising up, and he bent to trap one dark tip between his lips. She cried out, and he flicked his tongue across her nipple before moving on to the other.

Pinning her wrists to the ground, he hovered over her. She was so smart and beautiful and not afraid to stand up to him. He couldn’t remember how he knew those things, but he felt them with every fiber of his being. She was perfect, and he was going to make her his.

He scraped his teeth along the edge of her jaw, then moved down her neck. “I need you. Now.” He tugged her pants all the way down before catching her hip and easing her open for him. “I need to be inside you. Need to make you mine.”

“I already am. Yours.”

Growling in triumph, he sank inside her in one hard thrust. They both cried out, and he withdrew, holding her gaze as he filled her again. She squeezed her thighs around him, trapping him deep. Her muscles clenched around him, and he ground his jaw to keep from exploding inside her.

He started to withdraw, the fierce need to plunge into her running hot through his veins, only to hesitate at the vulnerability he glimpsed in her eyes.

“Be careful,” she murmured, and he knew without asking it wasn’t her body she worried about.

“Always.”

She trapped his face between her hands and dragged him down to meet her mouth. He slid his arms beneath her knees, getting as deep as he could. She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him close as he pumped his hips faster, lost to the carnal rhythm.

Her back bowed, her sex clenching him so tight the pleasure of her climax nearly killed him. Buried inside her, he reveled in the feel of her release, her body slowly softening beneath his—until he couldn’t hold back any longer and pounded into her.

Tension, sweet and hot, raced across his skin. So incredible. So close. So…

Ecstasy knifed through him, and he bent his head, surrendering to the cat’s instinct to mark her as his forever.

Warmth nestled against him, and Cian lifted his head to find his mate curled around him. He closed his eyes, torn between falling back asleep and figuring out if everything still worked after they’d exhausted each other.

Without the sun or a watch, he couldn’t begin to guess how long they’d been asleep. Minutes? Hours?

One part of his body didn’t seem to care either way, and his mate chose that moment to roll against him, pressing into his arousal. He groaned, the sound stirring the gorgeous female who raised her head to study him.

A seductive smile curved her lips. “Hi.” She stretched, and when he groaned a second time, she caught on to his problem.

Before he could pin her beneath him, she curled her fingers around him, pumping slowly. He hissed out a breath, watched her slide down his body. She ran the flat of her tongue up his cock from base to tip.

He dropped his head back to the ground, drugged by the sensation of her mouth taking him deep. After only a few teasing pulls, he raised his head to watch her again. Gods, she was incredible.

Her hair fell over her shoulder, revealing his mark at the curve where her shoulder met her neck, and his animal half roared in satisfaction. She was truly his.

And then all he could do was dig his fingers into the ground, sliding a little faster between her lips. Her fingers curled around the base of his cock again, matching the feverish rhythm of her mouth.

Sweet Avalon.

Straining toward release, he begged her not to stop. She didn’t, and moments later he shouted in pleasure.

Smiling, she threw her leg over his hip, straddling him as he tried to remember how to breathe. “Morning. Or maybe it’s afternoon.” She looked around them, her gaze suddenly unfocused. “Cian?”

He knew she was trying to remember something, but he quickly gave up trying to figure out what it might be when she shifted and the head of his cock grazed her sex. Soon he would have her again, and he had every intention of keeping her right where she was, so he could watch her ride him.

From the corner of his eye he saw something move, and he rolled to shield his mate beneath him.

“I come only to offer assistance.”

A petite woman with long black hair pulled back in a braid stepped between the trees. Fae, and an old one at that despite her young appearance. Only the most ancient of the race had ears that were slightly pointed.

“I believe you two are lost.”

His mate looked up at him. “Are we?”

No. At least he didn’t think so. All he knew for certain was the sooner the Fae carried on about her business, the sooner he could be alone with the female drawing a teasing line down his abdomen.

The Fae wandered closer, cocking her head. “You two didn’t take a swim in the lake by chance, did you?”

He thought it over, distracted when his mate squirmed beneath him. “I don’t believe there was a lot of swimming involved.”

“Perfect,” the Fae muttered. “And of all the places in Avalon, you would have to end up here.”

Something about the Fae struck him as familiar. “Do I know you?”