Eden cried out as an orgasm exploded deep inside and radiated outward all the way down to her toes and up to the top of her head. Her whole body flushed with heat, and every muscle convulsed with the power of it.
He pushed her against the wall and followed. His cl**ax forced a low growl from between his lips. She felt him tense then tremble as he came.
She’d had good sex before, but had never experienced an orgasm so deep inside that when he set her down, her legs shook so badly she had to sit or collapse to the floor. Mikhail remained braced against the wall, his back to her, breathing heavily. Sweat slicked his entire body, making him glisten. Eden had to fight back the urge to run her own slick body over his.
“Um, that was...”
But she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before he turned around and looked at her. His face was hard, his eyes were slit like a wolf’s and he was still hard.
“I’m not done with you.”
He reached for her, picking her up as if she weighed nothing. He tossed her over his shoulder and crossed the room in two strides to lay her on the bed.
The look on his face had her scrambling back on the mattress. Fear and arousal mixed together into one potent elixir. She didn’t get away, though. He grabbed her leg, yanked her back to the edge of the bed and flipped her over onto her stomach, all within a few seconds, and with little fuss on his part.
Before she could utter a protest, he had her bent over the bed and was parting her legs. He pressed a hand to her back to hold her down and pushed his stiff c*ck into her slick opening once more.
Her orgasm had barely subsided when it started building up again. This time she could feel the first tremors of desire deep inside her vagina. It was like a hard ball of quivering heat vibrating inside her belly. The vibrations in her sensitive nerve endings were almost unbearable. She grabbed the blanket on the bed to scramble away but Mikhail held her firm, intending to pleasure her into submission.
Which was what he was doing now, thrusting deep into her. Gripping her tight around the hips, he pulled her back as he thrusted forward. The sounds of their moist flesh slapping together filled the room. As did the cloying scent of their mingled juices. Saliva and sweat and come.
Eden wallowed in it, unable to do anything but surrender to it and the delicious torment he was inflicting on her body.
Clenching her fists in the blanket, she closed her eyes and succumbed to the tsunami of pleasure that coursed over her, through her. It was so intense she bit down on her bottom lip as her insides exploded.
She cried out, unable to keep anything in anymore. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cl**axed again and again. Juices from inside soaked her thighs and the blanket beneath her.
“Oh, f**k,” Mikhail groaned as he rammed his c*ck in hard and tight and came.
He collapsed on top of her. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her sweaty neck. His heart beat so hard and fast against her skin that she thought it was her own.
For a long moment they lay like that. He on top, still inside her. Both just trying to catch their breath, trying to restart regular brain function. After another few minutes, Mikhail straightened up and pulled out of her. Eden crawled a little farther onto the bed and collapsed face-first, too exhausted to even roll over.
Her brain was a muddled mess as was her body. She thought the only decent thing to do now was sleep. She would figure things out in the morning.
She didn’t look up to see what Mikhail was doing, but she felt him next to her on the bed. A blanket was draped gently over her, and right before she fell asleep, he brushed a few curls of her hair from her cheek and muttered, “You are safe now. I will always protect you.”
Chapter Nine
Mikhail watched her sleep. For once her face was relaxed. She’d lost that usual furrow of determination and worry. He knew it would return the moment she woke. Eden was a woman with single-minded purpose. She was a pit bull with the taste of blood in her mouth.
He admired her tenacity. Even if it did interfere with his job of keeping her out of Threshold business.
Eden moaned and rolled over onto her back, the blanket sliding off one perfect, plump breast. He liked that she was curvy. More to bite into. He wondered what she dreamed of. Their recent bout of incredible sex or was Bael visiting her again in her dreams? He wouldn’t put it past the vampire to invade her thoughts especially now that she was in his territory and with Mikhail. It was just he didn’t understand his endgame. If Bael truly wanted Eden to stay away, why was he beckoning her forward? Taunting her to find him and consequently Lilith Grae, the woman Eden had watched die.
He couldn’t let her find the woman. If Eden truly knew what had happened to the woman, she’d never let it go. She’d never keep quiet. And Threshold’s secrets had to be kept. That was part of his job.
In the morning, he’d take her back to the portal and send her through. Then he’d block that entrance so no one could ever use it again. Eden would have a hell of a time trying to find another one. They were few and far between and cleverly veiled. Bif had been careless with his threats and had completely underestimated Eden’s drive and motives. Mikhail should never have sent the demon to do his job. It had been a grave error of judgment on his part, a mistake he never planned on making again.
Although he might never see Eden again, she had to go back. Back to her home and forget about this place and all its inhabitants. It would pain him to do so, more than he wanted to admit just now, but it had to be done. For her own safety if anything.
Mikhail’s stomach grumbled and he got up to go into the kitchen. He needed a constant supply of food because his metabolism was ten times faster than a human’s. Shape-shifting took a lot of energy. And their sexual romp had been quite the workout, as well. He had many voracious appetites, food and sex being his top two.
He opened the freezer and took out a packaged steak. He preferred fresh meat but he couldn’t be picky at this point. He’d defrost it and eat it. He rarely cooked his meals—raw was always best and contained the most nutrients.
He was about to open the microwave and toss the meat in when he heard a noise outside the apartment door. Someone was coming up the stairs to his floor.
Mikhail crossed the room and unlocked the door in seconds. He stepped out on top of the landing just as Bael and three of his goons were approaching.
“What do you want?” Mikhail asked, not happy at all to see the vampire at his door.
“I knew you’d bring her here. It’s so tortured hero of you.”
Bael grinned and his cronies chuckled along with the joke.
“What do you want, Bael? I told you I would take care of this.”
Bael took in Mikhail’s na**d form. “Yes, it looks like it. Is she as tasty as she looks? I certainly hope so. Or this would be a wasted trip.”
“You said you wanted her gone. So I’m doing that. Tomorrow she’ll be back in her world with no way of returning.”
“Well, I’ve changed my mind.”
“What?”
“Now that I’ve met her in person, I’ve decided that Eden would be a delightful addition to my court. You can’t really tell that stuff in dreams.”
Before Mikhail could take a step forward, Bael’s henchmen were on him. One grabbed him around the neck from behind and the other two restrained his arms. He was strong but three vampires were stronger. And it looked as if they had just fed.
Bael glided toward him as if he floated on air. He patted him on the cheek. “We always knew this was going to happen, brother. You didn’t really think she was going to fall in love with you and want to make little wolf babies with you?” Bael threw is arm up in the arm dramatically. “Especially not when she could have me.”
The vampire nodded to the goon holding Mikhail around the neck. He started to squeeze and soon everything spun, then went black. The last thing Mikhail saw was Bael entering his apartment with the swagger of a conqueror.
Chapter Ten
Eden rolled over onto her side, gathering the blanket tight to her chin, but her eyes snapped open when she noticed the silk beneath her na**d body. She had not fallen asleep on soft, silky sheets.
Gathering the blanket to her br**sts, she sat up to survey her new surroundings. She was definitely not in Mikhail’s run-down apartment but in a large, opulently furnished suite.
The four-poster bed she lay in was huge, dressed in red silk sheets and velvet pillows. One long wall was a bank of windows and she could see the lights of the strange new city. Across the room a fire crackled in a large fireplace made from stone. In front of the hearth was a thick throw rug laid over the dark hardwood floor. There were also two golden Queen Anne chairs in front of the fire. A man sat in one, reading a book and sipping a glass of wine.
He closed the book and, setting his glass down, he turned to look at her. Bael’s smile was warm and inviting and it sent a shiver down her back.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Is this one of my dreams?”
He stood and approached her. “I assure you, it isn’t.”
“What am I doing here? How did I get here?”
“You’re a guest here in my home. I thought you’d like to see the true beauty of Threshold.”
“Doesn’t explain how I got here.”
“Doesn’t it?” His eyebrow lifted in amusement.
“Where’s Mikhail?”
“Oh, I suspect he’ll be along shortly.” Bael walked to a table in the corner, where several covered dishes were laid out. “He’s working for me, did you know?”
She didn’t know, and she tried to keep the surprise from her face, but by his widening smile, she hadn’t managed to.
He lifted the lids. “First you should eat.” Delectable smells rolled over to her. “I had the cooks prepare several dishes I thought you’d enjoy.”
“Thank you,” she said, thinking it best to be polite. Unlike the way she could be with Mikhail, she didn’t know if she could push this man and not be hurt. “Where are my clothes?”
Bael walked over to a large armoire and opened it. “There are clothes in here for any occasion.” He took out a slinky black dress. “You’re a size six, are you not?”