Marcus gathered her into his arms. Pressing her chin up to face him, he pressed his forehead to hers. “If this is all we have, I’ll take it over an eternity without you. You’ve shown me what love is. You’ve pushed me to be a better man. You make the darkness bearable.”
Tracing her fingers over his cheekbone down to his parted lips, his heated gaze inflamed her skin and she filed away every beautiful feature inside for future reference.
“I can’t do—”
His mouth smashed against hers, shutting off her words. His tongue slipped between her lips, tangling with hers. They clung desperately to each other, attempting to erase their fears. The urgent kissing sent her pulse soaring sky-high. Breaking the connection, Marcus hung back, panting. He cupped her face. “I’m coming back. I’ll find a way. Nothing will stop me, but you must let me do this. Don’t come looking for me. Work with the Assembly. Jake will be at your side, and Isabella will help you. Listen to them. Don’t do this alone.”
He stroked her cheek with his thumb and his stony reserve lifted into place, shielding his inner turmoil. Tears threatened because she knew, like time, she couldn’t hold on to him. Ella ran her hands down his thick biceps, stroking his hard flesh and feeling the power he held. Pressing ardent kisses into his rippled chest, she savored the citrus and masculine scent Marcus owned.
“But who will help you?”
Smiling, he wiped the lone tear falling down her cheek. “Ella, I’ve got this.”
She could not argue anymore. She knew the plan to go to the Morrigan made sense, but the goddess of war would be the one in control once he did. They both knew how manipulative the shadow queen was, how persuasive. Ella shuddered.
“What if she makes you do things you have no control over?”
“You own the key to my heart and soul. Only you. I’ll discover the Morrigan’s weakness, and we’ll end this together.”
Marcus ran his finger over her lip, tracing a line down her chin, throat, and collarbone, finishing at the edge of her silk camisole. Her breathing hitched. His abrasive touch was electrifying, striking a match that burned away sanity. Butterflies fluttered in her belly. Heat coiled low as he cupped her breast and brushed his thumb over her pert nipple through the thin material, begging for his caress. The beat of her racing heart was the only sound she heard as he slowly removed the slip over her head. Lowering his head, he captured her sensitive bud with his mouth, sucking and flicking the skin, arousing the nerve endings and taking delicious control of her body. When he paused, she groaned at the loss of pleasure.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded.
“Not a chance.”
A part of her cracked, seeing the desperation in his hooded eyes. If all they had was tonight, she would make him remember every burning second. She quivered as he dropped to his knees, slipping her panties down and bracing her hips. He groaned. “I’m going to devour you, inch by inch.”
CHAPTER SIX
It was the twenty-first of March. Three weeks had passed. Marcus studied the dismal scene outside as rain pelted down and for a moment, he recalled saying good-bye to Ella. Her pale face had been etched with worry, but her skin glowed from their ardent lovemaking and the shifting of power after she had absorbed his energy. The infuriating woman refused to drink much of his blood, and he felt zero difference. In fact, despite the distance, he sensed Ella around him—inside his mind, calling to him—stronger than ever. He swore he heard her whisper on the breeze and the vanilla scent that she wore followed him everywhere.
Since arriving in Wales, he had not spoken with Ella. In order to complete his mission, he needed to be focused on the task at hand. His family was safe for the time being. He needed to retrieve Ella’s mysterious brother and face the Morrigan. This mission’s success depended on his ability to get close to the goddess to determine her weakness and strike when she least suspected. He rubbed the silver signet ring on his right hand, the one which belonged to his boss and mentor. The only means of identifying Steel after the undead creatures had savaged him. The sight of the bloody remains appeared at odd moments making him question his sanity. Even now, he could not truly accept the man’s demise.
“Boss, there’s movement inside the manor house. You need to see this. Look who just arrived,” Bear said from the computer terminal, which was recording live footage from the grounds at Tregowen House.
The team had been holed up in a small three-bedroom terraced home a couple of miles from the target’s location, and the place bugged the shit out of him. It was starting to look like a well-used frat house. He swiped empty cans from the table and ran his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath, absorbing his impatience but it wouldn’t help. He wanted this over.
“Bear, clean this shit up. Is Payday in place right now? Rerun the footage,” he barked.
Alexander Blake, the only nonmember of Orion, nodded at him. Over the past several months, they had developed a mutual acceptance of each other. He almost admired the clean-shaved man who never seemed fazed by anything but wondered what lay beneath the perfect façade. After all, everyone had a dark side and it kept him on edge, not knowing. The man strolled in from the hallway with a comfortable ease, chewing on a granola bar.
“Sleep well, Zander?”
“Not bad, considering the constant hum of traffic outside.”
He eyed the man as he left the empty wrapper on the table next to the various computer stations, and gritted his teeth. He
