Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Ebony was speechless when she entered. There was a large sitting area set up around a fireplace and television. A balcony that looked out high over the city strip, and up on a landing, as if set apart, but not quite private, was a large bed. Only one.

Ebony stared at it and bit her lip. Lark tipped the bellhop who'd arrived right behind them to deliver Lark's bags. She was frozen, thinking about that bed.

"Ebony?" Lark said gruffly after he'd shut the door behind the grateful young man.

"Lark, I—there's only one bed," she blurted.

He rubbed her arms from behind and bent close to whisper in her ear. "I decided to push you into my way of thinking." He kissed her neck, sending a shockwave of desire through her body.

"Please," she whispered but she wasn't sure if she was asking him to stop or keep going. Her knees were weak, her breath coming in pants and when his body pressed against her from behind, a groan escaped her lips.

"I never wanted a soulmate, Ebony, never sought you out, but since you're here. I find I can't stop thinking about what it will be like to have you beneath me."

"Lark," she pleaded, her mind racing around all the reasons this was a bad idea. Why she needed to tell him no, to keep him at a distance. But when it came right to it, none of those reasons held a candle to her desire and underneath it all she was afraid. "I don't know how to do this." She finally admitted, afraid of disappointing him as much as anything.

He pulled back and turned her to face him, a satisfied look on his face. "You're a virgin?"

Her face flamed and she stepped back. "As are most halflings," she snapped.

He stepped toward her like a predator after its next meal. His eyes bright with desire. "No, most halflings are searching for a way to feel alive any way they can, and sex is the cheapest way to get it."

"Not me," she whispered. "I never wanted anyone, even without suppressants."

"What about now?" he asked, closing the distance between them and hooking a finger into the waistband of her pants, pulling her forward until their lower bodies touched and his face was a breath from hers.

Her breathing was erratic, her body on fire and she couldn't resist reaching out and touching his arms to steady herself. She looked into his green gaze and felt her heart flip, and everything she'd put in place to prevent this very thing from happening was suddenly gone. "Now I want you," she admitted with a whisper.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he was smashing his lips to hers. His tongue was hot and sweet as it pressed between her lips, demanding she open to him. She did, with hesitation and fear of not being enough, not being able to give him what he was asking for. She tried to ignore the doubts and worries as his hands ran up and down her back, finally settling at her ass and squeezing it as he pressed her closer. She could feel his erection, pressed hard into her belly and it sent another rush through her.

Giving her no time to think, he moved them to the bed and gently guided her down onto it. He hovered over her, lips still clasped to hers. Then he moved them to her neck, licking and nipping, tasting her flesh as his hands worked at her clothing. His fingers moved under her shirt, leaving a hot trail where he touched her and stopping when he hit her bra. He sat up so he could pull her shirt up and off. He froze then, staring down at her.

She wanted to cry, she knew what he was seeing, and it tore her apart. She moved to cover herself, but he reached down and ran a finger over the red, angry scar that went from above her left breast, around and down to the middle of her ribcage where it ended in a deep purple mark.

"I'm so sorry I didn't try to find you sooner," he whispered and the emotion she heard in those words broke her.

Tears flooded her eyes and when he bent to kiss along the scar, leaving not a single inch unloved, she let the tears flow unchecked down her face. His hand caressed over the fake mound and he didn't frown, didn't retract from the coolness that was ever present there, just gave it a loving touch and that act made her accept herself in a way she never thought she would.

"I could have given you better, I could have bought the best doctor in all the world," he whispered as he laid his face against the scar.

Ebony reached out and ran a hand through his hair. "It wouldn't have mattered," she whispered. "I'm dying."

His grip on her tightened and she could feel him shudder; this big, strong, beautiful man trembled with emotion. When he moved, it was with a new determination. He kissed her deeply and tore at the rest of her clothing, then his own. Soon she was lost to sensation as he played on the mate spark they shared. His hands ran over her body and a trail of fire ran behind them. He kissed her belly, his hands gripping her thighs as his thumbs rubbed so close to her apex that she was sure he must feel the wetness that was already seeping from her.

"Ebony," he growled and laid a chaste kiss to her mound then moved until his face was even with hers once again. "I want you so many ways but knowing this is your first time we'll take it slow."

She could only nod, she wanted him every way possible and she wouldn't have cared if he demanded her get up on her knees and shove her face against the pillow, all she wanted was him inside of her and this deep ache to go away.

He hovered over her with passion in his eyes as she was trembling with need, ready to accept him, no matter what the future held. Then a tingle of a thought flashed through her mind and she put a hand to his chest, stopping him as he parted her thighs with a knee.

"You're stopping me now?" he growled, but he didn't move and the knowledge that he would indeed stop if that was what she wanted was further proof that he was the perfect kind of man.

"I can't get pregnant," she said, embarrassment making her cheeks red. "I won't do that."

He smiled wickedly and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose, her chin and finally her lips. "I had a vasectomy years ago, love. I won't add to the world's problems either."

She couldn't believe how sexy those words were, and illegal for a fullsoul. She wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him forward like a hussy and delighted in the groan he let out as he slid into her. He took it slow as promised, pausing and relishing the moment with her. It was an interesting feeling; a fullness, a tightness but it wasn't uncomfortable and she wanted more. She lifted her hips, telling him to proceed.

"You're sure? I don't want to hurt you," he asked, holding himself still above her as her heels dug into his ass.

"I'm sure, Lark. I want all that you can give me."

His eyes half closed and he groaned. "Oh baby, you have no idea what you're asking for," he said then finally he entered her fully and his eyes locked to hers. She never imagined such an intimate moment and the gasp of pain was so short lived it wasn't even worth mentioning. It was nothing in comparison to the absolute completeness she felt with him buried inside of her. And when he started to move it was as if the world didn't exist, the future didn't matter, and everything she'd been through in her short life was worth it to be right here, right now experiencing this with him.

It was the most perfect moment, and she was sure no one had ever experienced anything like it. She was sure that no heaven could compare and if she died and spent an eternity in hell, she'd remember this moment with a smile because she was his, and he was hers, and their souls were singing to each other.

Lark held her close as she dozed, listening to her heartbeat slow and her breathing relax. Her eyes were closed and he thought she might actually fall asleep despite the fact that it was still daylight outside. Good sex did that, and fuck, that had been good. He'd never believed in the stories of soulmate sex being exquisite, but now he couldn't imagine settling for less.

In his mind he saw her scar, the very real reminder that they didn't have time to waste. She needed her full soul to fight the cancer. Even his money and the best doctors might not be enough without it, but he definitely planned to get her at least that. He would take her to the doctor he knew in Texas as soon as she was whole. Now more than ever, he knew he didn't want to live without her. No substitute would do, not even another body housing her soul would be enough for him. He'd rather die beside her body than accept a substitute for Ebony.

Her breathing became steady and her body relaxed in sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a woman asleep next to him. Usually he was sending them on their way as soon as their good time was over, or going on his. Anxious to move on to something else, work usually, with no interest in ever seeing their face again. Right now, with Ebony, he felt like he could stay in this position happily for the rest of his life.

How was he going to make that a reality? He'd had high hopes about stepping off the plane and having her feel her soulsibling nearby. It wouldn't have been the first time it had been that easy, though that wasn't the usual route his jobs took. No, a case like hers really was worth eight because it could likely take six months to find the soulsibling with no leads to go on.

She didn't have six months.

He thought about the letter from Senator Buchanan. It meant something, it hinted at a knowing and Lark was determined to find out why. He slipped out of the bed, immediately mourning the loss of her body against his, and headed for the shower, grabbing his cell on the way.

A message from Stone said they'd made it to DC and were requesting an audience with Shine Buchanan under the guise of discussing the halfling orphans. She wouldn't deny a request like that, it was her biggest talking point when vying for support for her father's reelection. It also said that Senator Buchanan was holding a campaign fundraiser in Vegas tomorrow night.

Perhaps the fates were going to work in his favor after all.

Another message had come, this one confirming two tickets to the Senator Buchanan campaign fundraiser tomorrow night in Las Vegas. Granger was a damn good man; he was almost always a step ahead with stuff like that. Lark set the phone down and started the shower. If Senator Buchanan knew something, Lark was going to convince him to reveal it. By any means necessary.

His phone rang with an unknown number before he could step under the spray. Lark debated for just a moment before picking it up and answering. It wasn't unusual for an unknown halfling to get his number, though it wasn't his official business line, he liked to field those calls through Stone and Granger.

"Yes."

"Oh, um, I'm not sure I have the right number… is this Lark the, uh, the searcher?" The voice was quiet and feminine, hesitating at the end like she might be struck down for saying the word out loud.

"What do you want?" he asked, knowing better than to reveal too much. If she needed a searcher, he was going to send her to his competition, he wasn't taking anything else on any time soon.

"I'm looking for Ebony," the woman said with a little more confidence.

Fear spiked through Lark as if this voice could reach through the phone and take her from him. "Who is this?" he demanded.

"Her best friend. Who the hell is this?" she snapped back.

"Lark."

"I need to talk to Ebony."

"She's sleeping."

"In the middle of the day?" she asked, clearly disbelieving.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"I want to talk to Ebony."

"No."

There was a sound of annoyance on the other end of the phone and Lark debated hanging up but figured if this really was a friend of Ebony's, he didn't want to piss her off too much.

"Tell her to call Taylor. Something happened and I think she needs to know."

"What happened?"

"Glick was killed."

Lark's mind spun around the way they'd left the man, clearly still alive at the time, hadn't they? Lark had been so angry, so filled with hate for the man. He'd wanted to kill him, but had he?

"How and when?" Lark demanded.

"Well he never showed up to work this morning and so the police went to check out his place and they found him dead on his living room floor, shot in the back of the head."

Lark let out a relieved breath. It hadn't been him, they hadn't taken guns, there was no need when fists did just fine for a guy like him.

"I'll let Ebony know."

"There's more," Taylor said quickly before he could hang up.

"What?" Lark let his annoyance seep through, Ebony wouldn't care about Glick's death, the man was an idiot. Did this Taylor think Ebony would want to attend the coming funeral or some shit? If so, she obviously wasn't that close of a friend.

"The police want to question her. They know she's the only employee who just didn't show up to work today. It makes her look suspicious."

Fuck, that wasn't good.

"Don't tell me where you guys are, but tell her to call me. I want to know she's safe, and let her know that she needs to avoid scanning. I'm at work now, borrowed a moment on the phone but I'll be home later and I hope she calls me."

"Fine," Lark snapped.

"Hey!" she called before he could hang up.

"More?" he demanded, annoyed and staring at the warm, waiting shower.

"Be good to her. She's special."

"I know," he said and hung up the phone.

This was a complication they didn't need. Who would want Glick dead, besides him?