Haunted Prey Ch 13

Alauria remained silent as she watched Lindsay. His muscles strained as he moved to dig the grave for Raife's body. There were many things she wanted to ask him, so much she wanted to address, but his silence was indicative of his need to grieve and process what he'd done. He'd killed Raife. He'd removed his last living link to Rachel. Though she never doubted his need to kill the demon, Alauria had to admit that she didn't think that he would be able to do it. There was still that part of her that was convinced that he would have chosen Raife over her simply because of the history between them. She and Lindsay had only been involved for a few short months. Logic told her that he should have chosen Raife. But logic also told her that there was no way he wouldn't have chosen her; Lindsay had gone through hell to ensure her safety. And he would do it again. She had to keep believing that.

"What's wrong?"

Alauria glanced toward Lindsay and frowned as she said, "Nothing is wrong. Are you all right?"

"I should be asking you that." He brushed his hands over his pants as he glanced at the makeshift grave he'd created. Because he only had his bare hands, he'd dug a semi-shallow grave, but made sure to cover it and the surrounding area with heavy stones. He'd chosen a secluded area in the woods, one no normal human could access without supernatural aid. The area as also dense with animal life; the Prygorians wouldn't invade. Raife's remains, Rachel's remains, were safe. "You were the one who almost died."

"You're the one who had to kill someone you love."

"I cared about the person she once was, Alauria. I felt nothing for the demon she became." He noticed her wince when she shifted and immediately went to her. "What's wrong?" The bruises that marred her skin must have been too uncomfortable to bear. How awful was he to let her sit around and wait for him while she was in pain?

"Nothing, just a little tender." She said nothing when he gently inspected her and nearly cried out in pain when he probed too deeply. It was then that she remembered the wound Raife inflicted with her knife. Lindsay made quick work of moving the material of her tattered shirt out of the way, and Alauria felt her eyes widen at the dangerous look he gave her. "Lindsay, I'm fine."

"Liam will take care of it when we get back to the manor."

"But it doesn't even hurt that much," she countered.

"Liam will take care of it when we get back to the manor," he repeated. The red, puckered wound looked just about as angry as he felt. Guilt washed over him tenfold; had he done what he should have all those years ago, all of this would have been avoided. "I'm sorry."

Alauria launched herself into his arms, both grateful and humbled by his simple apology. "It's over now. We don't have to worry anymore."

"We?"

She nodded against him as she said, "I know that things are still rocky between the two of us, but I think that we can get through it."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She tensed against him, and for a moment, he was worried about her monosyllabic response. As he placed his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her away so that he could look into her eyes. "What do you want for us, Alauria?" Her short laugh caught him off guard, but he smiled despite himself. "What?"

"That's what I should be asking you." She smiled at the amused sparkle in his eyes and said, "If we're going to really do this, we have to be all in. No more half-assing."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes."

"Then give me the words." The panicked look in her eyes would have worried him if he hadn't gotten better at reading her. There was also the fact that Jameson told him the truth of her feelings already. But now he needed the words from her. He needed to know that he wasn't jumping so deeply into their relationship alone. "I need to hear them."

The sudden desperation in his eyes warmed her heart. She should have been scared and panicked out of her mind, but she owed it to what they had to be honest. "I love you, Lindsay."

There was an overwhelming feeling of relief and wonder that nearly knocked him off his feet. It was one thing hearing from his brother how she felt but to hear the words from Alauria herself... He was humbled. He was overjoyed. He was renewed. As he pulled her into his embrace, Lindsay kissed her forehead tenderly. "And I love you." Once the words were out of his mouth, he expected fear to wash over him. Or at least humiliation. Love made men weak and foolish, two things he couldn't afford to be. But there was nothing but the vast openness she filled with the love she blessed him with.

Alauria stood in his arms for what seemed like a blissful eternity before realization of where they were dawned on her. "Are you sure you're all right?" He only stared at her curiously, forcing her to explain the reasons behind her question. "It's just that you had to kill one of the greatest loves of your life tonight, and you just told me t you love not ten feet away from the grave you dug her."

"Does my burying her upset you?"

"No, not at all."

"It was just a courtesy. A show of respect for the woman I used to know."

"I'm not upset. I get that you'll always care about her in a way. You have to remember that Raife... Rachel... Whoever she was tonight, loved you to the point of insane, passionate obsession. She would - and almost did- do anything to make sure she was the only woman you would ever love." Alauria glanced at the makeshift grave for a moment before tilting her head in thought. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was turning over in her grave right now."

There was a brief flash in her eyes that he chalked up to fatigue and compassion. "The woman almost killed you tonight and all you can think about is how she would feel right now?" The flash reappeared in her eyes a scant second before she shrugged. "I should get you back home."

"Can we stay at the manor a little longer?" The surprised look in his eyes made her brow quirk in amusement. "I just think that we deserve a couple of days to relax before we go back to reality. Before I go back to reality." This was part of his everyday life. Demons were his thing.

"Are you sure that's what you want? You weren't exactly a fan of dropping everything in your life before."

"Yes, but that was when I didn't fully understand everything that was happening then. There's also the fact that I know way too little about you considering how deeply we're involved. Besides, I'm not really dropping anything at the moment." She shrugged and stared down at the ground as she added, "I thought we could take the time to know each other better. It's kind of weird that we love each other the way we do and I have no idea what something trivial, like your favorite color, is. I understand if you don't want me to stay-" Alauria's comment was stopped by his quick, demanding kiss. Despite all that happened, her skin tingled and became warm. She was tired and wanted to sleep, but she needed him more. "Take me home."

The low, seductive lilt to her voice immediately set his groin on fire. Alauria wasn't one to boldly seduce him, and knowing that she desired him enough to forget the personality trait enflamed him. With one quick sweep of his arms, he lifted her into his arms and began the trek to his truck. She continually kissed his neck and any part of his skin she could access. He'd nearly dropped her and taken her in the middle of the woods twice. "Shit, woman, you're driving me insane." Her amused laugh created a pleasant tightening in his chest, one that made him forget about watching out for low-hanging branches. He winced at the sting that came from a wayward branch, then smiled at her laughter. God, how he loved her.

By the time they made it to the truck, he was shaking with need. As he se her down, he groaned low in his throat at the way her hand brushed against the aching member encased in his pants. He trapped her between the truck and his body before delving into a hot kiss that should have qualified as a sex act in itself. She squirmed against him and moaned, forcing him to use his body to press her against the side of the truck. Her hands were all over, not once stopping on one particular area. "You're wild tonight."

"I don't think I can wait until we get back, Lindsay." She quickly unfastened his pants and stared up at his intense eyes as she nibbled on her lower lip.

Any protest he would have given became lodged in his throat when she took hold of his throbbing erection in her soft hand. Lindsay groaned loudly and dropped his forehead to hers. He'd parked in a very secluded area of the woods, which meant that they had a high level of privacy. But they were still out in the open. "Alauria - ah, fuck." She'd begun a steady, torturous movement with that magical hand of hers, exerting just the right amount of pressure. He groaned again as she slowly mimicked the actions of her lovemaking with her tongue; she dipped her sweet little instrument into his mouth with diabolical ease. Control was quickly slipping from his grasp.

"I want you to fuck me, Lindsay," she whispered against his mouth, "Right here."

"Alauria-"

"Right now." She shifted the position of her mouth so that she could graze her teeth along his neck. She moaned at his instinctive shudder as she increased the pace of her manipulations. "Fuck me, Lindsay."

There wasn't enough self control in his body to deny her. He jerked his head back and forth in a terse nod and felt his scalp tingle in anticipation when she lowered herself onto her knees. "Christ," he gasped. She'd wasted no time in taking him into her mouth. Alauria suckled and licked the velvet head of him, all the while cupping his sac in her hand. Lindsay looked down at her and emitted a harsh groan when he found her staring up at him. The sensual look and flashes of heat in her eyes pushed him close to the edge. He watched as his aching erection disappeared into her mouth and shuddered again when she moaned. It was then that he realized that one of her hands had disappeared inside of her panties. The sight of her pleasuring herself while she pleasured him was too much to take. Almost too roughly, he pulled her up to stand and possessed her lips with his. Fierce hunger forced him to plunge his tongue into her mouth. She reciprocated his need, going as far as to suck on his tongue as she continued to pleasure herself. Lindsay took it upon himself to pull the waistband of her pants and underwear down just enough for him to watch her touch her weeping core. She'd never been so brazen, so wanton... So naughty. Lust pushed him past the point of reason. "You're being a very bad girl, Alauria, making me fuck you like this."

She smiled slowly as she stared up at him through her lashes. "What are you going to do about it?"

The wicked flash in her eyes told him that she wanted anything he was willing to give her. For a moment, a memory threatened to dominate his thoughts, but its edges were hazy and paled in importance when compared to the moment he was having with his love. In response to her saucy comeback, he shifted them, placing her face-down against the hood of the truck. He then pulled the waistbands hindering his view down far enough for him to get an arousing view of her shapely bottom and glistening core. Lindsay removed her hand and smiled at the frustrated whimper she emitted. Slowly, as to ensure her anxious need, he ran his hands over the smooth cheeks of her bottom. He loved the way she pressed herself into his hands, silently begging for more. He stroked her tantalizing curves, fighting to keep himself from plunging into her heated core. It was when she turned her head to look at him that he raised his hand high just enough to make it sting when he brought it down to slap the very curves that drove him wild.

"Yes," Alauria hissed. He repeated the move, harder this time, and her head swam with the indescribable feelings coursing through her. The pain melded with the pleasure, and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation. As he continued the stream of slaps focused on her bottom, his hands inched closer to her center. She squirmed against him in response and it was then that the tip of his fingers made contact with her glistening core. "Again," she commanded.

Lindsay complied with the order, both surprised and enflamed by her response to him. Her harsh moans coaxed him into administering another sharp slap to her bottom. "You like that?"

"Yes, God yes!" She moaned again when he roughly pushed her head down. She did not fight him, and rested her head on the hood of the truck. A lusty cry escaped her lips when she felt his fingertips trace a trail down her overheated center, and she arched against him, needing more. "Oh God, don't stop."

He didn't intend to. Lindsay retraced the path of his fingers only to award her unabashed response with another series of slaps directed toward her bottom. She began to grunt; he was sure that the sting was nearly too much for her to take, but she didn't want to stop. He did, however, only to trail his fingers over her increasing wetness once more. The heat seeping out of her was beautifully unbearable; in one swift move, he was on his knees before her, covering her seeping core with his mouth.

Alauria felt her jaw drop as he used his mouth on her, but no sound came out. She was beyond pleasure, beyond need. His tongue flicked and licked. It plunged within her depths. He sucked on her tender flesh, pushing her closer to that much needed edge. Her legs shook from the intensity of the moment. Her hands fisted against the hood of the truck as she fought to keep her legs straight. And when he moved his lips to suckle on the tiny button hidden between her silken folds...

A consuming moan, one starting from the pit of her stomach, ground out of Alauria's mouth as her body tensed in ecstasy. Rhythmic pulsing emanated from her core, and she moaned again as she realized that Lindsay's mouth was still glued to her. As she shook and shuddered, she closed her eyes in surrender, unable to do anything else but let herself slide downward. She heard him chuckle as he caught her and she did not protest when he turned her so that she sat on the hood of the truck.

Lindsay said nothing to the satisfied look in her eyes as he pulled one of her legs out of the encasing of her pants and panties. He positioned himself between her legs and pulled his pants down just enough keep them from becoming a hindrance. Alauria was quick to pull at the hem of his shirt and he followed through with the silent order to remove it. Her brown eyes were glazed with passion and Lindsay did not fight the way he was sucked into her intense gaze. As he placed his hands on her hips, he groaned in satisfaction at her surprised gasp when he accidentally shocked her. He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. A second later, he plunged his throbbing member within her moist depths.

Alauria gasped at the sweet invasion and instinctively raised her legs to wrap around his waist. The move only served to pull him deeper within her. Yes, she wanted him deeper. She wanted every inch of him he had to give. She closed her eyes as she left the moment take over her. Raw, animalistic need took over; Alauria raked her nails over his back and ignored the wince on his face when he flinched. She moved with Lindsay and against him, desperate for the wonderful friction that would bring her to another mind-numbing orgasm.

He wasn't gentle. Lindsay used hard, forceful thrusts as he mated with Alauria. He couldn't call it lovemaking, nor could he call it sex. The wild abandon between them was nothing but animalistic. Feral. He grunted against her neck as he plunged within her again and again. She exhaled sharp bursts of air across his ear as her nails raked down his arms. He knew that she drew blood and the knowledge of that fact only made him move harder, giving into the urgency of his body. Lindsay pushed her down to rest her back against the hood of the car and pressed her thighs as close to her chest as he could. The contrast of the cool night air and the slick heat of her body against his turgid member pushed him past the point of insanity. He felt the end coming and knew that he would never be able to stave it off. In a desperate move, he thrummed his thumb over the sensitive flesh of her core. He was rewarded with her guttural moan as she continued to move with him. "Ah, fuck," he muttered. The end was coming on much too quickly.

"Don't stop," Alauria gasped between breaths. She was almost there. So close, her body began to tense in preparation. The steady stream of electrical pulses pouring off his skin only seemed to heighten her pleasure and increase her muscle tension. It was too much. It was not enough. All too soon, the muscles in her stomach trembled from the intensity. "Oh, God." He'd increased the pace and ferocity of his movements, making this by far the most intense experience of her life. "Lindsay!" Her body jerked from the harsh and consuming orgasm that swept over her. She couldn't move, but yet, she couldn't hold still. He continued to touch her and moved while she pulsed around him. Alauria felt him become even rougher in his movements and she knew that he was to join her in that sweet inevitable end. "Yes. Come for me. Come in me."

There was no way he could hold back after hearing her whispered command. With a loud roar, Lindsay held himself within her depths and let his body give into need. He gripped her hips tightly, no doubt causing more bruises, but he was passed the point of caring. Hot spurts of his seed flew from his body and into her. He continued to grunt and groan as he slowly came back to earth and soon, he was too weak to stand on his own. He collapsed on top of her and sighed in exhausted. Lindsay sighed again as Alauria adjusted her legs and ran her fingers through his hair. The simple move filled him with contentment. And love.

"Lindsay," Alauria sighed. There were no other words to express how she felt, nothing adequate enough to fully explain the rush of emotions washing over her. So she continued to stroke his hair and sighed again when he shifted to kiss the side of her neck. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of bright, twinkling stars that occasionally disappeared behind the breeze propelled leaves of the surrounding trees. And then she began to laugh.

Her amusement made him smile; she'd fallen asleep after their first joining, which didn't allow them the opportunity to fully connect emotionally. "What?"

"We seriously just had sex on the hood of your car."

"This is actually Alexis'."

Alauria turned her head to get a good look at the viewable parts of the truck and was quick to recognize the interior. It was indeed the same car she'd been in for hours during her journey to the manor. The realization only made her laugh harder.

Lindsay chuckled when she laughed harder and leaned up to watch her wipe the amused tears that streamed down her cheeks. The happiness that glittered in her eyes warmed him. Moments like this assured him that he wasn't a cold-hearted bastard choosing her over Raife. "I love you."

"I love you." Alauria smiled at the tender words and slowly leaned up to place a lazy kiss on his lips. For the first time, she felt what he didn't say and felt new, fresh tears brim her eyelids. These tears weren't from laughter, no, they were from the overwhelming joy and love she felt for him. Felt from him.

He took his time righting himself before he adjusted their clothing. Based on her lazy and sleepy movements, she was in no condition to do anything more than get herself into the truck. Pride washed over him knowing that he was the cause of her condition. He would never admit that his legs still shook and that his head still swam; arrogance had no room for such revelations. But he did love the way his hands shook when she quirked her lips at him. As he fastened her pants, he placed a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose and said, "Let's go home."