Love, Immortal (Alchemy Book 2) Read online

  Ethan nodded.

  “Ezra isn’t the commander anymore?”

  “There’s no way he could lead a field operation in his current condition. He had no choice but to forfeit the position to our brother, Aaron.”

  So much guilt had been in Ethan’s eyes when Ezra had wheeled from behind that desk. The former commander hadn’t been lying. Ethan really couldn’t look at him.

  “Did you hurt him, Ethan?”

  He was quiet for so long, Davey began to wonder if he would answer. His hand tightened over the steering wheel as he finally spoke. “When they came for me five years ago, I resisted. You and I had just had a big fight. I knew I couldn’t leave you like that, thinking I was angry enough to walk out on you forever. I asked for more time, but Ezra refused and tried to take me by force.” Ethan paused, gritting his teeth. “I had already killed at least one of his men when Ezra intervened. I was in a desperate rage, Davey. It’s not an excuse, just the only explanation I can come up with for what I did to him.”

  “They couldn’t fix him? Twice now I’ve been given a serum from Global Cures, and it’s miraculously healed my injuries.”

  Ethan shook his head. “That stuff has limits. My brother wasn’t pulling his punches, so neither was I.” He took a breath, but still wouldn’t look at her. “I—I pulverized his spine. Part of it is still missing. It’s because of the serum that Ezra isn’t dead or completely paralyzed. At least with the use of his arms, he can still be useful to the company.”

  “I think you hate yourself for it more than he does.”

  “Shouldn’t I?”

  Davey carefully considered her answer. “No,” she finally said. “Not unless you went into that fight with the intent of killing or seriously maiming your brother. To some extent, you were both designed for war. God knows, Ezra is no innocent. He knew what he signed up for and assumed those risks. Leading a task force whose sole purpose is to hunt you down is a dangerous job.”

  Ethan sighed. “I know you’re right. I just can’t look at him, Davey. Knowing what I did. I can’t forgive myself.”

  “You wouldn’t be human if you could.”

  14

  Thankful to be back in her own home, Davey lay curled against Ethan with his arms wrapped around her. She had never felt safer. The hour was late. Hogan was in his room, asleep and hopefully not traveling within another realm of wandering souls. But if he had journeyed to the otherworldly place, then Davey could at least be certain he was safe. Drekker was locked away and couldn’t touch him.

  Aaron, as the new commander, seemed much more lenient where Ethan was concerned. She wasn’t sure, but it also seemed as if Aaron recognized Ethan was much more like his old self. That development was good. If Ethan’s brothers could finally be convinced that their little brother had returned from the afterlife, then maybe things could be different. Ethan would be treated like an actual person and not just some indispensable weapon, having his memories wiped again and again without any regard given to the damage the process did to his psyche. It was possible, if farfetched, that Aaron might one day even grant Ethan a measure of autonomy. And then when not deployed on some secret mission, Ethan could have a life—and he could make it here with her. Davey’s heart warmed at the thought.

  One of Ethan’s hands slipped beneath her shirt to curl around her right breast. “You’re thinking too much,” he whispered and kissed the back of her neck, sending tingling sensations across her skin. “Go to sleep. You need your rest.”

  “What if I don’t want to sleep?” she whispered.

  He shifted, and something very hard and inviting bumped against Davey’s ass. “Then there’s something I’ve been wanting to try,” Ethan whispered and kissed her again.

  Instead of replying, Davey arched her back until her butt found the thick ridge of his arousal. She wriggled against him. Groaning, Ethan tightened his fingers around her breast. She continued to tease him, gyrating her hips and grinding against his cock until it was fully engorged. But then his hands dug into her hip and brought her movements to a halt. His voice was thick with desire as he spoke. “Maybe you should have found out what I wanted to try before doing that,” he said hoarsely.

  “I don’t care,” Davey said quickly. “Whatever it is, the answer is yes.” Her stomach did an excited flip. The danger and thrill of not knowing what she had just agreed to was arousing in itself. She squeezed her thighs together, testing the ache there.

  “Oh Davey,” Ethan whispered.

  He cupped her ass, roughly pulling her body closer to his. Then his hand slid down her thigh and coaxed her legs apart. She moaned as his cool fingertips touched the edge of her panties, pulling them aside to expose her most sensitive areas. Davey gasped when he touched her, as his fingers dove into her folds, spreading the slick moisture already pooled there. His strokes were gentle, yet firm as he coaxed her body into heightened desire. When his thumb pressed into her clit, Davey moaned, shuddering as she clutched his arm.

  “Not yet,” he whispered and withdrew his hand.

  She whimpered, craving more of his touch. To be so close but then denied release was unbearable torture.

  When he tugged at her shirt, she lifted her arms, maneuvering slightly to allow the garment to be pulled overhead and tossed into the darkness. Wanting to kiss him, Davey started to turn, but Ethan held her still, preventing the movement, and rolled her onto her stomach instead. As he kneeled over Davey, roughly spreading her arms and legs, her heart lurched. Her entire body shivered. He began rubbing her neck, slowly kneading away every ache and tension. Gradually, his hands moved to her shoulders and drifted to her back, repeating the process. As her body melted beneath his touch, both her pulse and thoughts slowed, stalling in the present moment.

  His fingers slipped beneath the band of her panties and began tugging them downward, slowly removing them from her body. Davey sighed when his lips came to her skin and his warm breath blew lightly against the backs of her knees. His kissed her thighs, massaging them as he had the rest of her. But when he reached her ass, something in his hands changed. Davey could sense the tension in his touch, the barely restrained desire.

  He lowered his mouth to her body once more, tasting and teasing her flesh. Then his tongue dipped into the valley of her cheeks, found the sensitive nerve endings that surrounded her opening and set them afire. Davey gripped the sheets as he worked, muffling her cries against the pillow. That salacious organ then penetrated her, making her thighs quake as slick moisture spilled between them and onto the sheets. She was dripping wet—nearly ashamed at how much she craved to have his cock impale her only virgin orifice. Then Ethan’s finger took the place of his tongue, prodding deep inside of her, and Davey was gripped by a jolt of pleasure as it tore through her body. She cried out, her back arching from the bed. Relentless, Ethan pushed even deeper, making her gasp his name as a thin layer of sweat broke out across her skin.

  He kept the finger in place, plugging her ass while he covered her body with his. “Are you okay?” he asked, lowering his face next to hers.

  “Yeah,” she answered breathlessly.

  “Good,” he said simply and kissed her neck, nipping her skin with his teeth before moving away. Davey sensed rather than saw him reach for something across the bed. Then his finger slowly eased from her ass, making her quiver with need as he withdrew. Leaning down, he tasted her one more time with his tongue, and Davey nearly came undone.

  “You’re soaking wet,” he said, an undercurrent of satisfaction and amusement flowing within his voice.

  Davey took a moment, struggling to catch her breath. “I need you inside of me,” she panted.

  “Almost.”

  A stream of warm liquid dribbled onto her skin, and at first, she was confused. Then the realization came to her and she bit her lip, trembling.

  After an excruciating wait, Ethan finally nudged against her. Throbbing, hot, and rock hard, his cock pressed between her cheeks, stretching her ass as he slid so thickly insid
e of her. Even with the lubricant, it was a tight fit, given Ethan’s generous size and the newness of the act. Davey gritted her teeth and tried to relax, clutching a pillow in each hand. The pain subsided as her body accepted his girth, becoming a pleasure so raw and intense that she literally saw stars. He began to move, slowly pushing deeper in slow, controlled thrusts. Davey cried out each time his hips rocked his cock deeper into her, overwhelmed that anything could feel so fucking amazing. She was gasping by the time he paused to lean down again, kiss her cheek and smooth her hair.

  “Are you okay?” he asked for second time.

  Too breathless to answer, Davey clutched the sheets and nodded.

  He kissed her again, pulling her up from the bed and against his body. His cock still filled her, pressing against every inch of her walls, sending shocks of pleasure through her body with every movement as he rolled their conjoined bodies.

  “Bend your knees,” he instructed, when they both lay on their sides.

  As she curled into a fetal position, he scorched her neck and shoulders with a series of fiery kisses, making her dizzy with pleasure. Then his solid arms wrapped around her, and he began to move again, thrusting up into her ass, making her body tighten and writhe, pushing her toward oblivion. Each time she thought her body had accepted all of him, his cock inched impossibly deeper, making her moan and hiss with surprise. Then his hand wedged between her legs and found her slit—searching until his fingers encircled her clit—and Davey fell over the edge, completely losing control.

  Ethan’s free hand clamped down over her mouth as she screamed out, while her body seized up, muscles contracting violently to the point of pain. Relentless waves of rapture overtook her senses and for a moment, Davey lost all awareness of where she was. She could only feel the exquisite agony of her tempestuous release.

  Even after she was completely spent, her body continued to move, involuntarily writhing and quivering against the sweat-soaked sheets. Her head rolled back against Ethan’s chest. She was too weak to hold it up any longer because all of her muscles were liquified. Ethan grunted, pounding into her ass one last time as he finished deep inside of her.

  They lay still for a long time. Davey was limp in Ethan’s arms, and he was quiet with his own thoughts. If the room had suddenly caught fire, Davey was certain she had no chance of survival if it depended on her getting up and trying to walk out on her own volition.

  When Ethan finally stirred, it was to finally withdraw from inside of her. He eased out slowly, but the sensation of that single stroke from his partially erect cock had Davey gasping and digging her nails into his forearm.

  “Fuck,” he whispered.

  “No shit,” Davey agreed when she could speak again.

  Ethan turned so that he faced her, and Davey was pleased to see several beads of sweat at his temple. He kissed her long and slow, stealing away what little of her breath remained. “You’re incredible, Davey Little.”

  15

  “Hogan!” Davey screamed at the top of her lungs. “You’re going to be late, kiddo. Hurry up!”

  Remembering she hadn’t packed a lunch for him, Davey yanked opened the fridge and hurriedly scanned the shelves for a suitable noontime meal for a teenage boy, but came up empty. Hearing a creak from the staircase, she guiltily spun around but was surprised to see it was Ethan—and he was grinning from ear to ear.

  Davey raised an eyebrow. “Wow, someone sure is chipper this morning.”

  “I dreamed last night,” he announced cheerily.

  “I thought you didn’t sleep.”

  “I don’t,” he agreed. Sliding his arms around her from behind, he kissed the side of her head. “But…I slept last night, and it was wonderful.”

  “That’s odd,” Davey said, struggling to hide her worried expression. She hated to be a killjoy, but couldn’t ignore the weird feeling she got. Taking into consideration everything that had happened with Ethan over the past few days, the timing of such an unexpected evolution was questionable, if not downright alarming.

  “No,” he insisted, not losing his smile. “It was wonderful.”

  Falling silent, Davey chewed her lip. It wasn’t worth arguing over or ruining his good mood.

  “Stop worrying,” Ethan urged, giving her a little squeeze. “Hogan didn’t break me.”

  Turning into his arms, she hugged him back. “I know I worry too much. But I can’t lose you again.”

  “You’ll never lose me, Davey.”

  On the verge of tears, she didn’t trust her voice not to crack if she spoke. Instead of answering, she simply held him tighter.

  Hogan cleared his throat from the kitchen doorway. “I’m going to be late again.”

  “Are you wearing shoes?” Davey asked without looking up.

  “Shit,” Hogan muttered. A moment later, his heavy footsteps were pounding back up the stairs.

  In Hogan’s absence, Ethan took the opportunity to kiss her. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Right.” Davey pulled herself from his grasp. Discreetly wiping her eyes, she grabbed her purse and handed Hogan ten dollars as soon as he’d rounded the corner once more. “Use this to buy your lunch today.”

  “Thanks.” He stared at the bill thoughtfully. “So, I was wondering something.”

  Davey sniffed and patted her cheeks, hoping her face wasn’t flushed. The last thing she wanted was to get Hogan worked up because of her overblown emotions. “What’s that?” she asked.

  But Hogan was looking at Ethan. “How old were you when you had your car accident?”

  “Twenty-two,” he answered easily.

  “Wow.” Hogan grinned. “Davey, you’re totally robbing the cradle huh?”

  Heat flooded every inch of her face, and she thumped her brother in the shoulder. “That doesn’t count, you little shit. It’s not like he was frozen in time.” She turned to Ethan, expecting some help. “Show him the video. Let’s see who’s really the pervert.”

  Wearing an amused smile, Ethan shook his head. “That’s a terrible idea.”

  Hogan’s ears perked. “What video?”

  Ugh. Damn it. Recovering from the indignation over her brother’s unwarranted accusation, Davey remembered the other big revelation she’d witnessed in that video—their father’s true identity.

  “Never mind,” she said quickly. “Go get in the car.”

  “Is Ethan taking me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool!”

  “He’s taking me to work too.”

  “Oh,” Hogan said with significantly less enthusiasm.

  Davey frowned. “Gee, thanks.”

  Ethan winced. “About that.”

  “Of course,” Davey said, suddenly feeling ill. How could she have forgotten? Guilty of criminal trespassing and theft, setting foot inside of a Global Cures facility would mean being arrested on site.

  “Let me smooth things over,” Ethan said. “Now that Drekker has been captured, I’m in my brother’s good graces, and Aaron will have no trouble getting your job reinstated.”

  Davey nodded, but before she could utter a verbal reply, her cell phone rang. It was Lana. Giving Hogan a quick hug goodbye, she answered the call. Davey could tell something was wrong as soon as she answered. Her best friend’s voice was strained and shrill.

  “I just got off the phone with Travis. He said you dumped him, stole from the company, and now you’ve been fired? Davey, what the hell is going on?”

  “Lana, calm down. I’m okay, and everything is fine. Travis didn’t tell you the whole story.”

  “He said Ethan shattered his arm.”

  Gritting her teeth, Davey squeezed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “Let’s meet for lunch. I’ll explain as much as I can.”

  “Travis is going to the police. He wants you to call him.”

  “Lana, will you just meet me? Don’t jump to conclusions.”

  “Okay,” she agreed hesitantly. “But I’m not going to Arnie’s. That place is di
sgusting.”

  Davey gave a little laugh of relief. “We won’t go to Arnie’s.”

  “Okay, tell me where to meet you.”

  Giving her an address, Davey hung up and dashed to the front door. Luckily, Ethan and Hogan were still in the driveway. “Wait up!” she called. “I’m going to need a ride after all.”

  Rolling his eyes, Hogan gathered his backpack and started to get out, yielding the front seat to Davey, but she stopped him. “Stay there. Go ahead and enjoy your bromance with my boyfriend.”

  ∞∞∞

  “Your brother Aaron, he’s different, isn’t he?” Davey asked as soon as Hogan had been dropped off at Welling and St. Aire. “It seemed like he recognized you—like he believes you’re really Seth.”

  “Aaron has always been more accepting than Ezra. He’s never treated me like an animal—even when my memories were completely absent.”

  Musing the implications of Ethan’s claims, Davey fell into a pensive silence and stared out the window for several quiet miles. Finally, she gave voice to the thing weighing on her mind. “Will he let you stay here with us, Ethan? Can things be like they were before?”

  “I would like that.” Reaching over, he took her hand in his. “But have you really thought it through? Maybe you don’t want things to be the same.” Frowning, he paused as if searching for the right words to get his point across. “Davey, you’re older now. It’s okay to want something different.”

  Despite his efforts, Davey stared at him with blatant confusion. “What are you saying?”

  Ethan sighed. “I may appear human. And by design, I can do a lot of things, but I can’t give you a family.”

  “Oh, Ethan.” She squeezed his hand. Extraordinary origins aside, the universe couldn’t possibly have orchestrated a better guy for her. “You and Hogan are my family. But if there comes a time when we want more, we can adopt.”

  “You think someone would give me a kid?”