His shaft throbbed against her belly. She wanted to get closer to him. Her pussy positively ached to feel him. She loosened her grip on his hair and grabbed at his shoulders. She slung one leg over his left hip and gave a little jump, hooking her other leg around his right hip. She held on tight, tilting her pelvis until her mound was hard against his cock.
It felt better than she’d imagined. Hot and thick, he pulsated against her core. His hard hands cupped her ass, holding her securely. She’d never doubted for a moment Marko would support her and keep her safe.
That thought gave her pause. She didn’t trust any man. History had shown her she had to look out for herself, not depend on anyone. But this was only a dream, wasn’t it?
Sadness threatened to intrude on her erotic interlude. Reality reared its ugly head.
What was she thinking? What was she doing? It might be a dream, but it felt so real. She couldn’t let herself get attached to a figment of her imagination. Heck, she was already halfway in love with him. He was strong and honorable and…crazy. He thought he was a shapeshifter, an ancient warrior, a bear. And maybe he was. In this place, in this dream, he could be anything.
As if sensing her distraction, Marko broke away from their kiss. He was breathing as heavily as she was. He looked at her, his dark eyes growing sad and distant. He expected her to back away and was fully prepared for it.
That alone gave her the courage to move forward. After all, it was just a dream.
Mordecai glared at Brittany. “What do you mean we don’t know where they are?” Kellsie had freed the bear and then they’d both disappeared.
Brittany shrugged, appearing totally unconcerned. “Everyone is looking, but they’re not anywhere on the carnival grounds or in her trailer.” Behind her, he could see members of the crew rushing around like bumbling idiots.
He dragged a hand through his hair, barely keeping from ripping out the heart of the succubus in front of him. It was no wonder Hades needed him and his brethren in his war if he surrounded himself with such simpletons. “Then expand the search. They must be in the forest somewhere.” Mordecai stared out at the surrounding darkness, knowing they could be anywhere.
“Why don’t you just ask Hades?” Brittany snapped the gum she was chewing, looking more like a petulant twenty-year-old than a three-hundred-year-old succubus.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Mordecai snapped. Really, the girl was too stupid to live. Hades would not be pleased to arrive only to find out they’d lost the bear and the woman. Mordecai did not want to be the one to tell Hades he’d lost them.
Brittany paled. “No, that’s okay.” She backed away. “I’ll keep looking.”
“You do that,” he muttered. He continued to gaze out over the landscape, searching the darkness, searching for any hint of power or life force. They must be in a cave somewhere. The thick stone would be capable of blocking his ability to find them.
Time was running out for all of them. “You can’t stay hidden forever,” he muttered. If they couldn’t find them, Hades would when he finally deigned to grace them with his evil presence. For now, they would search and hope for the best.
Mordecai left the lights of the carnival and the loud din of voices behind and headed into the thick woods.
Chapter Nine
Marko was torn between honor and need. No, not need. That was too tame a word for what was flooding through his veins. He had to have Kellsie. More than he needed air or food or water, he needed her. No other woman could sate him, satisfy the craving deep in his soul.
That worried him.
Was she really his savior or would she be his downfall? There was no room in his life for a mortal woman. Nothing was more important than fulfilling his duty. He had to keep them both alive for the next twenty or so hours. He had to find a way to try to free his remaining brothers-in-arms. And he had to find out what happened to Roric. When that was done, he had to attempt to rescue his Lady from Hell.
He really had no time for sex with Kellsie.
But what was between them went far beyond sexual desire. He recognized that even if she didn’t. Frustration ate at Marko at her continued belief that what was happening wasn’t real. He knew she thought she was dreaming. They’d met in a dream only days before. He remembered it now and knew it had been a foretelling of her arrival.
This woman, this fragile human female had reached deep inside him and touched his soul. There was no other way for him to describe it. Like most animals, he trusted his instincts, and he’d known immediately that she was meant for him. But the human side of his nature feared it was much more than that.
Kellsie was his mate. She belonged to him.
And that could never happen. Even if they survived the battle with Hades and his demons in the coming hours—which was iffy at best—she was human and he was immortal. He would love her only to lose her in the blink of an eye. It would be better to walk away now before he was pulled deeper under her spell.
The bear inside him growled and roared in anger at the thought. He agreed with the animal half of himself and would take what was she was offering. It was an unexpected reward after years and years of torment. He’d be a fool not to make love to Kellsie. And Marko was nobody’s fool. Bears might seem slow and lumbering to those who did not know any better, but they were intelligent creatures. He would not turn down the gift before him.
He stared down into her stunning blue eyes. He could see the heat, the lust reflected there. But he could see something more. Uncertainty and need mixed together, as though she expected to be rejected, didn’t quite trust him not to hurt her in some way.
His warrior woman had been emotionally injured in her life. The last thing he wanted to do was add to those wounds. But he would. There was no turning back for either of them. She was a pawn in this game between the gods just as he was. His fate was hers. No matter what happened, they were tied together for the rest of her life.
Resolve hardened within him. Kellsie Morris belonged to him. She had been given to him, a prize worth fighting for, an offering of redemption and he would not fail her. He would protect her at all costs and, if it came to it, he would give his life for hers.
In the meantime, he would give her pleasure, the kind of which she’d never known. Leaning down, he laid his lips against hers and felt her slight hesitation before she gave herself fully to the kiss.
He was in awe of her bravery. Whether she believed him a dream or not, it didn’t really matter. He knew what was happening between them was real and so would she soon enough. He would give her this interlude of pleasure. It was the least he could do, and it was something they both deserved.
He teased her tongue with his, encouraging her to play, to take whatever she needed. She tasted fresh and tart and warm. The hunger burning in his belly was nothing compared to the hunger flaming in his soul. He needed her touch, her hands on his body. Anywhere. Everywhere.
Her legs wrapped around his flanks, gripping him and keeping her close to his body. The heat from her pussy enveloped his dick even through all their clothing. Her full breasts were plastered against his chest, her puckered nipples nudging his flesh. Even with her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips returning his avid kiss, it wasn’t enough.
He had to get closer.
He tore his lips away from hers, gasping for breath when she began to nibble on the taut cords of his neck. He needed a bed. Marko didn’t want their first time together to be in the dirt on the hard ground, but he didn’t have much choice. There weren’t any feather mattresses close by. But there was something he could do to make things nicer for Kellsie.