Chapter 245
The door barely shut, and Jamie scarcely gone, when Katelina stood and demanded to know what was going on.
Jorick sighed and dropped to the couch. "It doesn't concern you, little one. It's boring Guild business." He patted the couch next to him. "Come."
"If it concerns you, then it concerns me. I know you think you're shielding me, but I don't want to be shielded. I don't need to be protected like Velnya was."
He asked coldly, "Did it occur to you that I might be protecting myself?"
She faltered. "From what?"
"From your disdain. What makes you think I want to regale you with stories of Executioners' deeds, especially when I'm the one doing them? I know how disgusted you are with those things."
Her anger dissipated. Deflated, she sank next to him on the couch. "I wouldn't be disgusted with you, and even if I was, why would you care?"
He ran frustrated fingers through his hair. "You're just fishing for a compliment."
"I'm not fishing for a compliment, but some affirmation. For the last three days it's been nothing but bitching and nagging! I feel like I'm dating a woman!"
His brows arched. "Perhaps I need to remind you which of us is the woman."
She smacked him in the shoulder. "Stop trying to change the subject! You're always doing that, but I'm not-" His lips sealed over hers and cut off the rest of her sentence. She struggled against him, determined to find out what was going on. Then she slowly surrendered.
His mouth tasted coppery. His hot tongue danced around her lips and trailed down her neck. She moaned softly as he peeled away her shirt and leaned her back on the couch. The vinyl was cool against her skin. His hands were warm as they moved down her sides and hovered over her stomach.
She wavered between arguing and giving in completely. His caresses decided for her, and she tugged his shirt over his head. She skimmed the smooth surface of his well muscled chest. His skin was like polished marble, only warm. The texture was somehow erotic.
He leaned down and brushed his lips over her collar bone, then nipped at her playfully. She eagerly anticipated his bite, and tried to press herself into his mouth, but he shifted his lips to the exposed portions of her breasts. Her hands fisted in his dark hair as he lifted her bra and traced her wanting nipples with the tip of his tongue, tasting her.
"Jorick," she called softly, though she wasn't sure what she wanted. Different desires coursed through her, warring and tangling with one another until her insides were a mass of seething need.
"Shhhh," he murmured against her skin. He dropped his hands to her waist and unfastened her jeans. He tugged them down so that he could slip his hand inside, seeking the warmth between her thighs.
She moaned in appreciation, but she still wanted more. She wanted him - all of him. She wanted his body and his blood; she wanted him coursing and thrusting inside her while she drowned in the pleasure.
He lifted himself to strip her jeans away completely. She grabbed him and rolled him off the couch and he landed on the floor, a look of surprise on his face. She made no effort to explain herself as she attacked the button of his jeans.
He caught her shoulders and tried to calm her, but she shrugged his hands away and jerked his pants open, freeing him. She gripped his swollen erection in her hand and smiled as he groaned and relaxed against the carpet. She stroked him and he cupped her firm breasts and massaged them with increasing pressure.
She pulled away from him to shed her clothing, so that she was naked from the waist down. He tried to pull his pants off the rest of the way, but she impatiently pinned him to the floor and lowered herself over his aching hardness with a satisfied moan. She could feel him, rock hard and pulsing inside her. Hands on his chest, his heart raced under her flat palms. He grasped her hips and guided her movements in time to the beat.
His lips pulled back from his gleaming teeth and his dark eyes locked with hers. Primitive desires stirred in their depths; a burning hunger for something more. Her hands moved to his shoulders and she dug in until her nails cut the skin. A spot of scarlet blood blossomed around her finger and she brought it to her lips thoughtlessly. It was so small a taste. So tiny. Not enough.
She bent to him and frantically ran her tongue over the spot where his shoulder connected to his chest. His murmurs tickled her ear and his hand drifted to the back of her neck. Then, she bit him. Not hard enough to make him bleed, but enough to make him moan. The feel of his flesh between her teeth excited her; the smooth texture, the salty flavor of his skin. Salty like his blood, like the tiny dot on her tongue, like the memories that fueled her desire.
She bit him again, harder this time. He cried out, and tried to pull her lips to his mouth. She fought to stay where she was and clutched him until her fingernails cut into his ribs. He was stronger than she was and he rolled over, separating them except for her clinging teeth. She clawed at him, trying to make him roll over, but he pulled free and pinned her to the floor.
She gazed up into his face and recognized the expression. It was similar to one she'd seen the other day, though not on him. The realization shocked her back to herself for the few seconds it took him to bite into her left shoulder, above the lumpy scars. The familiar sensations wrapped around her, only stronger and more intense; more urgent than usual. She stopped struggling and sought his naked shoulder with her mouth. Her teeth ground through his skin until the salty, spicy flavor erupted on her tongue.
She could hear him moaning, feel him biting her harder, feel his hips moving uselessly as he ground himself into her leg. It all seemed to be happening outside of herself, in an alternate reality. The only thing that was real was the pulsing heat flowing through her and around her, the flashing colors and the steadily building desire for "more".
He ripped away from her and it disappeared. Wordlessly, he pushed her thighs apart and buried himself in her heated core. Her back arched as he filled her, hot and throbbing. She moved her hips, seeking a rhythm. It wasn't enough.
She grabbed to pull him back. He caught her arm in his mouth and bit. She cried out in surprise and pain. A battle raged in his eyes and he mastered himself enough to let go of her. The clarity only lasted a moment, then he shuddered and clamped his mouth around her shoulder. She tried to bite him, teeth snapping thin air, but he held her back with one arm.
And then he bit into her shoulder again. It hurt for a moment, then faded as she was carried on heavy tides of ecstasy. She relaxed into the carpet and he let his restraining arm fall away. She didn't know how long it lasted but finally the world exploded around her and left her panting.
Jorick pulled away from her and swung into a sitting position. His hand trembled as he wiped his mouth. His eyes met hers, but he didn't speak. She couldn't guess what was happening behind his eyes.
"What?" she asked self consciously and sat up too quickly. Light headed, she caught herself on the edge of the couch. He stared at her and she followed his gaze. There were bleeding bite marks on the fleshy part of her forearm. Though it looked painful, it didn't hurt.
"It will later," Jorick said. "I guess I should have let you have more, after all." He cleared his throat and swallowed uncomfortably. "You're-" he searched for the word, "all right?"
She blinked at the stupidity of his question. "Why wouldn't I be?" He turned towards her and she saw the marks she'd left on his chest and shoulders; bites and scratches. Her cheeks flamed and she looked away quickly. "Sorry."
He caught her chin in his hand and gently tilted her face until she met his eyes. "There's nothing to apologize for."
"If there's nothing wrong with it, then why wouldn't you give me blood to heal my wrist?"
His eyes went wide. "I didn't think you'd want it. You were so disturbed about it at the motel, I assumed you'd refuse."
"Then why did you tell Oren I'd 'had enough'?"
He stared at her. "Because it's a little embarrassing to have a- mate who finds your blood so repulsive."
Mate. It was a strong word. "I don't know that I find it repulsive, just weird." She sighed. "It would have saved a lot of time and pain."
He traced the triple bites in her left shoulder and his voice turned regretful. "Maybe."
She answered his unspoken sentiments, "It's fine. Though, I wish you'd limit yourself to the usual scars." She thoughtlessly touched the mark above her right collar bone. "I don't want to end up looking like Kai."
He slipped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. One hand played in the spill of her golden hair and the other caressed her back. "Who's Kai?"
She hated the words even as she said them, "Sorino's human."
"Oh." He fell silent and then heaved a deep sigh. "There was another murder."
She looked up in surprise, still a little dizzy. "You mean the ones they tried to blame on us?" He nodded. "Then that proves we didn't do it! They have to let us go."
"We were already found innocent, so it makes no difference. Besides, I doubt that Malick plans to catch the culprit. He's decidedly unconcerned."
"Is that what you were talking about when you got here?" She took his silence for affirmation. "So the murderer is going on trial tomorrow?"
He stroked her hair absently. "Yes. She'll have to spend the day in a detention cell to soften her up, though Malick can read her mind easier than I can. It's just another charade. Malick is like a spider spinning webs of games and illusions until I'm not sure even he knows what's real anymore."
She closed her eyes and sighed. Sometimes, she didn't know what was real anymore, either.
