Part 11 (2/2)

And still, he moved his fingers inside her, making her wetter, making her lift to meet his hand as he drove more insistently against her.

'That's it, baby. Show me how much you want it.'

She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling the tension coiled tight within her. She'd never done this before, given this much of herself to a man. Yet Derek inspired this level of trust, this intimacy she craved to share. And G.o.dd.a.m.n, she needed this.

'Let go, Gina.'

She did, reaching down with both hands to grasp his wrist as she tightened, then flew. And she never once took her eyes off him as she came. He bent down and took her scream into his mouth, allowing her to let loose and cry out as her climax poured over her and she shuddered on the table. He held her close, sheltering her with his body while she trembled through an almost unbearable o.r.g.a.s.m.

And even after, when the quakes subsided, when she felt raw and naked, he still stroked her, held her, lifted her and helped her right herself and find her clothes.

'Wait,' she whispered. 'What about you?' She looked down at him. So hard, a rigid outline against the zipper of his pants.

'No time.' He smiled, but there was no regret, no irritation in his smile.

She'd never expected anything like this from a man like Derek. But somehow he'd known exactly what she needed.

She wasn't about to question how or why he knew.

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'The attack went well,' the Master said to them, walking along the dark cavern. 'They were unprepared for us.'

It couldn't have gone better, actually. If he'd wanted to, he could have wiped them all out tonight. Oh, it would have been too, too easy. They had been unarmed, running through the jungle playing with weapons that had no power to harm. If Louis had not sent his hunters out in such a hurry, they could have at least taken the women. Sadly, they had lost one of their own. A small price to pay.

But it was his desire to toy with them a bit, play the game. That was why they were all on this island, wasn't it? To play a game?

He had taken a couple of their hunters, and that satisfied him.

'Master, why did you pull us back?'

Whipping around, he growled at the demon. 'Do not ever ever question me!' In an instant a human hand turned to a claw and a face became a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp of shredded skin. The demon crawled over to the corner, whimpering. The others backed away, cowering in fear. question me!' In an instant a human hand turned to a claw and a face became a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp of shredded skin. The demon crawled over to the corner, whimpering. The others backed away, cowering in fear.

Just as they should.

Addressing the others, he said, 'None of you may question me. There is a plan, and it is my plan. And it will be executed on my orders in the time frame I desire. Does anyone else wish to second-guess me?'

Of course, there was silence. He nodded and walked away, breathing in the fear and dismay from above.

Turmoil, terror, shock. Ah, yes, being soaked in those emotions strengthened him.

He knew exactly what he was doing. Tonight was merely giving notice to Louis and the others that they had arrived.

It was a declaration of war.

A war he intended to win.

Chapter Ten.

D erek downed his second cup of coffee and waited for the rest of the hunters to show up so they could get started. The sun was straight overhead and hot and humid as h.e.l.l. erek downed his second cup of coffee and waited for the rest of the hunters to show up so they could get started. The sun was straight overhead and hot and humid as h.e.l.l.

Brand-new day. Brand-new battle plan.

Lou never did let them reconvene last night. After Derek and Gina left the first-aid shack and found him, Lou decided everyone had been through enough and they all should go back to their bungalows and process the information they'd learned. They'd meet again in the afternoon.

Derek and the other hunters had buried the two they'd lost and departed without a word to each other. This wasn't new territory for them!they'd done it before. There really was nothing to say. They all knew it could have been any of them. This was what they did. There was no time for tears or wallowing in sympathy.

You fight demons, sometimes you don't come out on the winning end. They all knew it, accepted it, and moved on.

So Derek had said his quiet good-byes to two men he had called friends, and had gone to his bungalow. Which was probably a good idea, but it left him with a lot of time alone to think. He supposed he could have invited Gina to his room and picked up where they left off, but the faint shadows under her eyes told him she'd had enough, too. What she'd seen in the past twenty-four hours would have any normal woman curled up in the fetal position crying her eyes out and refusing to deal.

Then again, Gina wasn't a normal woman. That was one of the things he admired most about her.

She was tough. A fighter. A survivor. Her past told him that. She'd make a great hunter.

And last night he'd been the one who wanted to crawl into his room and curl up into the fetal position. His b.a.l.l.s were wound up tight and aching after watching the way she came apart for him. Her body writhing underneath him, bathed in the overhead light, glistening with beads of sweat as she worked for her o.r.g.a.s.m.

She'd felt like heated silk inside. He wanted desperately to finish what he'd started, to linger and taste her, to spend all night learning the secrets of her body, but he couldn't. Not then. But instinctively, he knew they would find that time somewhere during all this chaos.

If they lived through it.

Now he needed to focus, to get his head screwed on straight and his game plan in action.

He picked up Gina's unique scent before she even entered the tent. How strange that he could recognize her smell. Of course, why wouldn't he? He had absorbed it by now, since it clung to him as he lay in his bed, still hard and unsatisfied, kicking himself over his act of self-sacrifice. He'd thought about jacking off, but knew it wouldn't begin to relieve the ache. He didn't want to do it himself. He wanted to be inside her, releasing the tension, feeling her surround him, bathing him with her moisture until he couldn't hold back anymore.

'Afternoon,' she said as she entered the tent and grabbed a cup of coffee, then slipped into a chair across the table. Her cheeks were a cute shade of pink as she made eye contact.

'Afternoon. Sleep well?'

'I got a little,' she said, then realized what she said and her cheeks darkened even further. She bent her head and dove into the coffee.

He laughed. 'I'm glad one of us did.'

When her gaze met his, she arched a brow and offered up a saucy smile, clearly recovered from her moment of embarra.s.sment. 'You'll get yours eventually.'

'Oh, I know.' Just the thought of it had him hardening and wis.h.i.+ng they had more time alone together. He downed his cup and rose for another, adjusting his tightening pants along the way. d.a.m.ned unruly d.i.c.k. He had to get it under control, and fast, because everyone else was up and heading in their direction.

Most didn't look like they'd slept much, but at least they didn't appear as sh.e.l.l-shocked as they had the night before. Their faces fixed in determination, staring straight ahead, they ate in near silence, and when they were finished, Lou led them outside to a shaded area near the beach. Derek had already sent the other hunters to grab the weaponry and lay it out on the tables behind Lou.

'Okay, let's pick up where we left off. We have a lot to do before dark.'

'I guess they only come out at night?' Ryder asked with a half quirk of his lips.

'You guess right. Demons can't tolerate heat and light, one of our advantages over them.'

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