Sizzle and Burn

know, if you’d been raised within the Society, you’d understand that this link between us is very, very special.”
    She raised her chin. “As has been noted on more than one occasion, I wasn’t raised within the Society.” She widened her hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. Haven’t got a clue.”
    “You do know that you want me, though, right?”
    She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Yes, I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my whole life.”
    “That’s enough for now.”
    He unzipped his pants.
    She looked down, startled to realize that he was fully erect. A wave of heat rushed through her. “What are you doing?”
    “I can’t resist you when you’re all damp from the shower like this. Gets me hot.”
    “Gosh, I could have sworn you said it was my hearing voices that got you hot.”
    “That, too. Pretty much everything about you gets me hot.”
    She expected him to carry her back to the bed. Instead, he reached inside her robe, gripped her rear and lifted her straight off her feet. Instinctively, she clutched his shoulders to steady herself.
    “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he said against her throat. The words were dark and soft and a little hoarse. “Tight.”
    Excitement mingled with shock, creating an erotic thrill that danced through all her senses.
    She enclosed him between her thighs. He held her in place with one arm around her back. With his other hand he teased her mercilessly until she was soaking wet and desperate for him.
    He braced her against the door. Then he was deep inside, impossibly full and hard. The feel of him was a delicious shock to her wildly excited senses. She sank her nails into his shoulders as he stroked rapidly in and out.
    The release rocked through her almost immediately, leaving her voiceless and breathless. When he climaxed a few seconds later she knew he had been deliberately holding back, waiting for her to come first.
    When it was over they remained locked in each other’s arms for several long moments, breathing hard, recovering.
    Then, very deliberately, Zack lowered her to her feet. He adjusted the robe around her very tenderly, gave her an understanding smile and patted her on top of her head.
    “I agree,” he said. “You’ve been under a lot of stress. You need time to get used to the idea of having me around.”
    Outrage replaced the warm afterglow. How dare he pat her on the head?
    “You’re right.” She narrowed her eyes. “I do need time to think. Lots of time.”
    “Fine. But I’m warning you, the bond between us is only going to get stronger. You won’t be able to ignore it.”
    She raised her brows. “How do you know that?”
    “I’m psychic.”
    He kissed her on the tip of her nose and walked out of the bathroom.

    Half an hour later, feeling only slightly more composed, she opened a can of cat food. Batman and Robin reacted to the sound of the can opener the way ancient sailors responded to the call of the sirens. They trotted enthusiastically across the kitchen to sit at her feet, gazing up at her and the open can of food with worshipful expressions.
    She looked down at their little masked faces. Out of nowhere Vella’s words flashed through her head.
    “Everyone wears a mask,” she said softly.
    Zack was at the counter, making coffee. He gave her an inquiring look.
    “What?” he asked.
    “I think I know what Aunt Vella meant when she said to look behind Wilder Jones’s mask.”

Fifty-six
    Z ack’s phone rang just as he brought the car to a halt in the drive in front of the Shelbyville house. He shut down the engine and took the call.
    Raine waited, watching the gloom-drenched house through the rain-splattered windshield. Eventually Zack hit the end button.
    “That was Mitchell,” he said.
    “Yes, I gathered that much.” Raine turned toward him. “Bad news?”
    “For Cassidy Cutler and Niki Plumer, yes. Both of them are showing signs of severe mental disorientation and confusion. A psychiatrist has been called in to evaluate the situation. I didn’t tell Mitchell, but given J&J’s recent experience with Nightshade operatives, both women are probably going to get steadily worse.”
    Raine shuddered. “And there’s nothing anyone can do.”
    “No,” Zack said. “Not a damn thing. But Mitchell told me something very interesting. Before she started cracking up, Niki Plumer did a lot of talking. She was enraged because she thought Cassidy Cutler was setting her up to take the