Sanctuary Page 2

  “Patience, my lovely. Let me learn you more.”

  His hands skittered down her body, pausing to investigate her curves and hollows with great and thorough interest. Anna moaned as his palm pressed into her pussy, kneading the moist, heated flesh of her arousal until she was mindless to all else.

  “Taste me,” she begged shamelessly.

  He moved down her body, his skin rasping over hers as he shifted. He pushed her thighs wide apart with his hands. Anna arched up, seeking him. His mouth—oh god!—his mouth came down, open over her sex. His tongue speared her. His lips suckled her. His teeth…

  Anna screamed as he found her clit. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  Enigma moaned into her flesh, vibrating it. Her body flooded with desire and her pussy became drenched with her passionate juices. His fingers came up to play with her back entrance. He traced the seam of her buttocks and delved even deeper within. His fingertip pressed into the dark, forbidden opening of her anus and she bucked in response, driving her pussy deeper into his mouth.

  “I’m going to fuck you dry,” he promised.

  “Oh please,” she begged, wanting everything he had to offer her.

  His dark wings came forward and covered them both like a blanket that blocked out all sight and sound of the world beyond, and the dream was gone from her.

  Anna awoke with a gasp, startled to find herself inside the crypt where she’d waited on the dawn for the past week. Her body felt as though it were still aflame from Enigma’s touch and she tamped down on her desire.

  With a sigh she tried once more to sleep, but it was a long time in coming.

  * * * * *

  “I must speak with you.” Enigma approached Anna a few hours later while she stood just outside the crypt door, taking her shift as lookout. He’d put on the jogging suit, though it barely fit him with all his bulging muscles underneath.

  “Are you feeling better now?” she asked, knowing Liz had made him some warm noodle soup. She did her best not to look at him too closely, still wrapped up in the forbidden memory of her dream.

  He sat down next to her in the grass. The dark made his hair look like a bright halo around his head and shoulders. “Yes. I am not so disoriented as I was. It happens sometimes, when we fold space from our world to this one.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “So you’re not okay. Here, let me see if you have any head injuries.”

  “I have no injuries and you know it. You had Tawny check me.” He smiled at her, ultra-white teeth blazing. “You think me mad?”

  “I think you’re overstressed. Hell, we all are. It’s a wonder we’re not all acting kooky like you,” she sighed.

  “You are gifted, it is easier for you than the others.”

  “Gifted? Oh yeah, I feel really gifted,” she scoffed. “It’s the end of the world and here I am caught in the middle of it. It’s a real fuckin’ field trip.”

  “It is not the end. It is merely a transition.”

  “How would you know?”

  “I know many things. For instance, I know that this plague has not yet reached beyond the borders of this city. But Pestilence will see that it does, if you do not help me to stop it.”

  Anna looked at him incredulously. “You are totally crazy, do you know that? You’re telling me it’s been a whole fucking week and this plague hasn’t spread beyond the city? I don’t believe that—if the government knew enough to quarantine us they would have sent in troops to help or something.”

  “I know not how your government conducts it’s business, but I would hazard a guess that they have been busy keeping this plague contained. Sending in reinforcements would have only fed the plague, not controlled it, and they must have known this.”

  “So they’re just going to cut their losses, is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “That is correct. And you are being given a chance to insure that this plague does not spread beyond the borders of this city. You can keep many lives safe if you but try.”

  “What the hell can I do to stop this?”

  He smiled at her gently. “You’ve been chosen by my people to fight this battle.”

  She shook her head and looked away. “You are totally nuts.”

  “I am not, and if you look deep inside of yourself you will know I am telling you the truth.”

  “That I’m chosen, whatever that means?”

  “You are chosen. I am a Fae, ancient and endless. My people watch over these lands of Earth to protect them from evil. Now is the time of evil, and I have been sent to stop its curse from spreading over all the land. You have already killed many of these abominations on your own, rising to the fray like any seasoned warrior, and I am come to gift you with an even greater power, one that will keep you immune from their taint.”

  “You’re a Fae? As in fairy? Right. How do you expect me to believe something like that?” she exclaimed.

  “You believe in zombies now, do you not, where a few days ago you would have scoffed at the very idea.”

  “That’s not fair and you know it.”

  “Then hear me out. I will prove to you that I am what I say. And you must agree to help me, else the whole world might be lost.”

  “How can you prove something like that to me, Enigma?” She spat out his name like a curse.

  “Like this,” he said, pulling off his shirt. He gave her his back and she gasped at the sight.

  His spine was covered in crimson fur.

  His flesh rippled and the fur expanded into wings that shot straight out at her. Anna screamed her surprise and he turned to quickly silence her with his hand over her mouth. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his furred wings, which now fanned out behind him like a cape.

  It was just like her dream.

  “Do not let the others know. This knowledge is only for you,” he warned her with a steely look in his pale blue eyes. He lowered his hand, and she gasped for air.

  “Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,” she chanted.

  “Anna, why does this shock you so after all you have seen?”

  She couldn’t think of an answer, so surprised was she still.

  A loud noise at the edge of the graveyard drew her attention. It was one of the zombies from the crowd that had permanently gathered outside the gates. He’d strayed too close and had caught fire. And even though Anna knew she was safe enough from them where she was, she still waited and watched to be sure that the zombie died before he made any further progress into the boundary of the fence and gate. When she looked back at Enigma the wings were gone again, retracted underneath the red fur that traced down the middle of his back.

  “Why in the hell didn’t I see that before, when you were buck naked?”

  “I used a glamour to hide it. See,” he turned to let her see his back again, but the crimson fur had disappeared completely from view.

  “I think I’m going to pass out,” Anna groaned.

  Enigma ignored her. “We must stop the plague from escaping the city. Your people have quarantined the area, but humans cannot control this plague for long. It took your government three days to respond to this threat, but luckily none of the undying who escaped the borders were allowed to live. The military and disease control groups have seen to it that no more infected can escape and no outsiders are allowed in. But the efforts of your government only delay the spread of the disease; they do not completely prevent it. You and I, we must be the ones to fight and destroy these abominations and ensure that the plague does not spread.”

  She looked at him incredulously. “I’m leaving the day after tomorrow with them.” She gestured to the crypt behind her. “I’m setting sail for some deserted island and I’m never coming back here.”

  “There isn’t any time left. An air strike is already being planned by your military. If you and your friends are to leave then you would have to do so tonight.”

  “What? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” she screeched.

  “You needed your rest,” he eyed her devilish
ly.

  Did he know about her dream?

  Anna brushed her suspicions aside. “I am not going to help you fight some battle.”

  “Then you have doomed mankind.”

  “Oh fuck you, buddy. Like I didn’t need that extra guilt on my conscience after the past week of killing people with faces I remember from better days,” she spat.

  “You have killed monsters—there is no shame or guilt to be had in that. But you must do more. Bond with me and I will give you Sanctuary from their taint. Fight with me and you will win immortality and the right to dwell with my people.”

  “Oh, good grief. I can’t believe this is happening,” she wailed, looking toward the crowd of waiting zombies. “It’s like some kind of sick, twisted nightmare.”

  “Believe it. And know that you must rise in your duty to save your people from this horrible curse. For if you do not help me, no one else will.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “Will you bond with me?”

  Damn it. Did she really have a choice? “How do I bond with you—and if you don’t tell me it’s through sex or anything kinky, I might do it.”

  He smiled a devilishly wicked smile and she felt her belly do a thousand flip-flops in its wake. “A kiss. A willing kiss is all I ask to gift you with Sanctuary.”

  “Sanctuary, eh? And after this kiss I’ll be immune from the zombies?”

  “Yes.”

  Anna swallowed hard and thought about it. To be free of the plague would be an incredible boon. But why her, why no one else? Why hadn’t he found someone better prepared for such a thing? Why couldn’t he give this Sanctuary to all of them?

  Searching for answers to all the whys would drive her insane if she let it. “Fine. One kiss,” she agreed at last. “But only if you promise to help me get my new friends out of here safely. Then I’ll help you all you want.”

  “Done.” He smiled again and leaned into her.

  Damn, how did she get herself into this mess? She closed her eyes and prepared for the kiss. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared her for the press of his lips on hers.

  A bolt of sheer electricity washed through her, making her nearly black out with its intensity. His lips pressed onto hers like a fire that burned straight down into her soul. She gasped and his tongue found entrance into her mouth, moving at once to stroke alongside hers. He tasted of sunlight and trees and crisp, clean waters, making her head swim with overwhelming sensation.

  He caught her wrists in his hands and brought her arms up around his neck. He sank deeper into her, lowering them to the ground, catching each of her panting breaths within his mouth. His arms went around her, pulling her close and tight against his hard, muscular body.

  Bright lights danced behind her closed lids, mesmerizing her. Her heart thundered and her nipples tightened against his well-muscled chest. One of his hands trailed down over her neck and chest, moving to cup a pebble-peaked breast, and the kiss changed dramatically.

  Something warm and effervescent seemed to flow from his mouth into hers. She opened her eyes and saw that a golden glow had enveloped them both. His fingers pinched and pulled at her nipples and the glow brightened, blinding her.

  With a cry she pushed free of him and rolled away, jumping to her feet as the glow subsided. “You perv! I should have known the kiss was just an excuse to get your paws on me.”

  “You are quite beautiful. I could not resist,” he teased, a grin playing around the corners of his lips.

  “What just happened?”

  “I have given you the power to be free of the plague’s taint.”

  “It glowed.”

  “Such is the power of Fae. And now you have some of that power within you.”

  She frowned thoughtfully for a moment, wondering at the possibilities. “I’m going to go get the others. We’ll leave here in the next thirty minutes if I have to drag everyone out. And you—” she pointed at him angrily, “You stay right there until I come back out. You can take the watch. Who knows, maybe your Fae magic can help you weed out some more survivors or something,” she said sarcastically.

  He laughed as she turned to go, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming her frustration out into the night.

  Chapter Three

  She was a warrior princess, this he could clearly see. It was no wonder she’d been chosen by his people. Not only did she have everyone ready and in the vehicle before the thirty minutes were out, but she’d also loaded up all the extra supplies she’d stockpiled herself over the past few days.

  She was a fighter and a survivor, but she was also a vixen. A beautiful goddess of form and grace. With her rich auburn hair and green eyes, delicate skin and lithe form she had almost a Fae look about her, though she was definitely human. He’d never seen a human so lovely, and his people were well known for their love of humans. Especially human women.

  “C’mon, let’s get a move on here, Enigma,” she called to him as she climbed back into the SUV. He joined her in the front seat and tried not to stare at her incredibly long legs as she pressed her foot to the gas and started the vehicle on its journey.

  “How do you know they’re going to bomb the city?” Tawny asked curiously.

  “Uh, he’s in the military,” Anna answered for him when he refused to respond to the question.

  “Is he a deserter? Is that why he was in the graveyard with no clothes on?” Liz demanded.

  “I already told you that’s classified,” Anna pointed out. “Just be glad he happened here tonight or else we would have all been fried come morning.”

  “And you’re not coming with us—I just don’t understand it.”

  “Neither do I, Liz. But it’s the way things have to be. I’ll be fine and so will our Enigma here. Just wait and see.”

  Enigma merely smiled and let her work her way through the explanations with her comrades. While he did so, he watched her maneuver the vehicle with deft efficiency through the throng of zombies outside the cemetery gates.

  It had been centuries since he’d ventured into the human world and much had changed. No longer did the world move on the back of horses or camels. Now it moved on technology, on fossil-burning machines and computers. Enigma wondered if any of his brothers-in-arms had been here in recent times to see the wonders for themselves.

  It was too bad that the fate of those wonders rested on his shoulders and those of a human woman.

  He knew that if they failed in their mission, all would eventually perish and the world would become a hotbed of undead minions wandering about the lands. This he must never let happen, even if it meant his death. It was his duty and it would be done. And he would do everything in his power to keep the lovely Anna safe.

  It wasn’t odd that a Fae and a human should join forces together. It was well-known among his people that humans were strong and valiant allies. Sometimes, when necessity called, a Fae would bond with a human such as he had done with Anna. And Anna was truly a gifted human. She was strong and fit and full of endless courage. That she had survived this long in such dire circumstances was a testament to her abilities, and one that very much impressed him.

  She’d taken these human stragglers under her wing as well, though he well knew she would deny it if he pointed it out. Her leadership abilities had ensured the survival of not only herself but now these new friends of hers, and soon she would be put to the test in a mission to save the world from a similar fate as this poor, lost city.

  And this wasn’t the first time Pestilence had plagued the Earth. It had happened in Roanoke, Virginia, once and another time in Atlantis. Both times the Fae, despite their love of humans, had been forced to obliterate the area to keep the plague from spreading. This time though, the humans would obliterate the city themselves and save the Fae the trouble.

  It was up to Enigma to find this Pestilence, secreted away in an underground laboratory in the heart of Willoughby Bay, and destroy it before it was released in the blast. If he faile
d, the plague would become airborne and destroy the world and everyone in it in a matter of weeks. If Anna helped him, he would make sure that she was rewarded mightily.

  Already he was growing enamored of her. His kind could rarely resist the great lure of a human female, and he was no exception. He wondered if the elders who had sent him on this quest had known he would find the woman much to his liking. He had little doubt that they had indeed foreseen the possibility.

  Her kiss had tasted like sweet wine on his lips and tongue. Her flavor haunted him still.

  He couldn’t wait to kiss her again. And perhaps they would do other things as well. He would do his best to make it so. But for now he would sit back and wait. Perhaps she would make the first move if he were patient enough.

  Chapter Four

  “Run. Don’t look back, just run.” Anna urged the group further down the pier toward her waiting boat, waving her free hand as she turned to fire a gun with the other. A hundred or more of the zombies were less than a dozen yards behind them and closing quite fast. She was no marksman, but she was quite proud when she felled two of them with well aimed shots to their heads.

  “Ray! Here are my keys, take them and go!”

  “But what about you? You’ll never make it past those bastards.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine with Enigma—just go, please.”

  Ray took the keys from her and sprinted the last few yards toward the boat. He hopped in with the others while Anna untied the docking ropes. “She’ll be fine using the motor until you get further out and unfurl the sail. Just be sure you get far enough up the coast before the air strike or else she’ll rock too hard and you’ll run the risk of capsizing,” she told them.

  “Are you sure you won’t come, Anna?”

  “I’m sure, Ray.” Anna held a silent hope that she was making the right decision, because truth to tell she wasn’t sure. She simply wasn’t sure about anything much anymore.

  The motor caught and started with a low hum, and before another minute had passed, Anna’s new friends were already adrift and heading out of the bay with as much speed as the boat possessed.