Clever, clever girl. I don’t usually indulge whims, but you have to learn that bad girls get punished. Mommy and Daddy are going to get a little visit from my friends. The voice was chilling.
Kadan reacted instantly, her safety net, her guardian, standing between her and the man in the shadows. He caught both wrists and yanked her hands outward and away from the hawk, leaving it sitting on the table, a terrible reminder of the killing of an entire family.
“For revenge,” she whispered and buried her face in his shoulder.
She was too weak to stand, and as she collapsed he caught her behind her knees, lifting her against his chest. She leaned over and was sick, staining the floor red. Kadan took her through to the bedroom almost at a run. Her skin was clammy, her face nearly gray.
“Tell me what she needs,” Nico said, coming up behind him.
“I’m afraid to let her sleep. I think the puppet master is a dreamwalker.”
“I have some powder,” Nico said. “An old Lakota remedy. It will keep her in a deep sleep and stop any dreams, good or bad. It’s been in my family for hundreds of years.”
Kadan placed Tansy on the bed and fished quickly for the pills that would help to ease the pain already beating at her skull. She turned away from him, coughing, and there was blood on the pillow.
Nico pushed past him and laid his hands on Tansy’s body. “Pull out my crystals; they’re in my jacket in the hall closet. Let’s make her more comfortable and put her to sleep. No wonder you don’t want her doing this. This is tearing her up.”
“She got important information,” Kadan said, coming back into the room with the crystals, “but the puppet master is definitely tracking her. I have to find a way to guard her dreams.”
“Give me some time to heal her with the crystals, and I’ve got enough powder for a few days. That should give Flame and Lily time to give a direction and we’ll eliminate the threat.”
Kadan sank down onto the bed beside Tansy, where he could watch over her and help Nico at the same time.
Chapter 18
Tansy woke in Kadan’s arms. He was wrapped around her so tight she wasn’t certain where she left off and he started. He was literally sprawled over her. One thigh lay wedged between her two bent legs, and his arm was around her waist, his hand over her breast. She noticed that even in his sleep he seemed to protect the injured side of her, careful nothing brushed against the laceration. Even the sheet was tented with pillows. He’d thought of everything to make her comfortable.
She didn’t remember falling asleep. There had been so much pressure in her head, pain stabbing at her. She couldn’t stand the light or any noises. Somehow she’d gone to sleep, and there’d been no dreams, almost a first for her. She rarely slept at night, and now she was afraid the puppet master might find her in her dreams. She’d been afraid to close her eyes, yet dawn was creeping through the window, she felt fine, and she’d obviously slept with Kadan wrapped protectively around her.
She shifted her body experimentally. Instantly his hand tightened on her breast, his thumb stroking over her nipple.
“Don’t move.”
His voice was a blend of smoky sex and black velvet. His breath was warm on her shoulder and she felt his mouth skim over her back.
Truthfully, she didn’t really want to move. She loved lying in his arms, feeling decadent and lazy, loving her na**d body cuddled so tight against his. Every stroke of his thumb sent ripples of arousal from breast to thighs. It was a wonderful way to wake up.
“Where are the others?”
He licked her warm skin, grazed his teeth over her neck, taking his time just nibbling, his eyes half closed while he just absorbed the feel of her. “Does it matter?”
“No.” Her answer came out a little breathless. His h*ps rocked against her, rubbing the hard length of his shaft along the curve of her bottom. The sensation was delicious.
“They went home to their women. Gator’s wife is researching, and he wants to see what she found for us. They’ll be back soon. I thought it would be better for us to be alone when you handle the other game pieces. I noticed it makes you uncomfortable when they see you afterward, although Nico was a huge help and I’ve asked him to be certain to be back by this evening.”
His hands moved, cupping and kneading her br**sts a little more aggressively, tugging at her ni**les, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger until she was stiff and aching for him.
She closed her eyes, arching into him. “Thank you for being so thoughtful. I can’t help but feel vulnerable afterward, and it is hard to have anyone see me like that. Half the time I don’t know what’s going on around me. And I’m always afraid I might end up fragmented and institutionalized again.”
“You won’t. I’ll always take care of you.”
She smiled at him, aching inside, wanting to believe he would always be with her.
“Stay still, baby.” He levered himself over her so he faced her on his side, keeping her injured hip safe from jarring.
She loved his face, the hard angles and planes, his strong jaw with the dark shadow, his sensual mouth and straight nose. Most of all, his dark blue, almost black eyes. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, positioning himself so he had easy access to her br**sts. “I love how warm and soft you are,” he murmured, tracing a finger along the shape of her lips, down her chin to the valley between her br**sts. “I love the thought of eating you for breakfast.”
Her womb clenched. Liquid heat pooled. She loved the way he wanted her. His focus was always intense and complete. Wholly on her. He could make her wet just by looking at her.
His tongue teased her nipple, first licking, as if she were an ice cream cone, then harder flicks, before his mouth settled, hot and greedy, sucking strongly. She couldn’t stop the ragged cry that escaped, or the way her body involuntarily pushed deeper into the heat of his mouth. He alternated between hot licks, small stinging bites, and sucking, so that her body just kept coiling tighter and tighter and she was left gasping for breath.
She held him to her, cradling his head, stroking his hair, sometimes yanking when another bite sent fire sizzling through her bloodstream. She watched his face, those incredible lashes, the concentration, the lust rising dark, almost frightening in its intensity. She loved that in him—the way he craved her, the way he needed her to give herself wholly to him. He made her feel beautiful and sexy and so wanted. At the same time she was so desperate for his mouth and hands and his body. The mix of emotions was incredibly sensual.