"Katie's Hellion" (Book I, Rhyn Trilogy)

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

They made love twice, then once again. When her mind had cleared and her body no longer thrummed with need, she tried to figure out what the hell had happened. She felt too sated to move. She breathed deeply of his scent and listened to his heart beat from her position sprawled atop him. She’d never felt such a connection to anyone. It was so much more than their physical joining; she’d felt him from the inside. For the first time since she could remember, she felt at peace, whole.

She didn’t exactly understand the sensation except that she didn’t ever want that feeling to end. She felt alone when he was gone, and while he frustrated the hell out of her, she still felt better when he was near.

"Rhyn…" she whispered. "Was this supposed to happen?"

"Don’t start."

"Don’t start what?" She lifted her head to look at him. He propped his head with one folded arm, silver eyes glowing at her.

"You’re my mate."

"So…that’s permanent."

"Yep."

"Guess that means I’ll have to stop sleeping around," she retorted.

"Go ahead. Don’t ask where I hide the bodies."

She chuckled. His confidence was too strong to shake, and she suspected he knew just how damned good in bed he was and how unlikely any woman who’d had him would choose another man over him.

"Don’t expect me to sleep with you at your bidding," she warned. "You’re still a jerk."

"Only have to say yes once."

She sighed, content to rest atop him. His confidence was the only rock to stand on in this forsaken world of immortals. She didn’t know if she could trust him, or Kris, or anyone yet, but she could at least know the man beneath her was probably the only man she was safe from. It wasn’t much, but it was more than she’d had in what felt like a lifetime. He’d protected her and made it clear anything that got near her would die a nasty death.

Albeit everything he did was on his terms. Always on his terms. She couldn’t swallow his ability to be a fierce beast shredding human-like creatures with no regard or morals. She didn’t understand why he’d chosen her of all people. She feared knowing what he truly was, that she’d married a demon. There really couldn’t be any kind of good demon, could there?

Troubled, she dozed, waking when she heard the knock at her door. Her demon lover was gone and her body covered with a sheet. She and her bed still smelled of him, and she breathed deeply.

"Hey, Ully wants to see you. Something about science experiments," Megan said, poking her head in.

"I’m coming," Katie replied, stifling a groan as she shrugged out of the sheet to stand. Her legs were wobbly, the muscles of her inner thighs stiff.

Megan disappeared, and Katie changed into one of the outfits she’d chosen. She almost felt normal in the jeans and light sweater. She slid her feet into clogs and left the room, meeting Ully just outside the girls’ locker room. He beamed a smile and offered his arm, which she accepted.

"All hell’s broken loose," he said cheerfully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Sasha's created some sort of funky monster that even an immortal can't kill."

Her thoughts went to Jade, and she frowned, troubled.

"Awful."

"Yeah," he agreed. "The tests I did with your blood came back promising, but I can’t nail down the right genetic code."