"You suck," Mer said into the shower, and he stiffened behind her. "Can't you be at least a little worried? I'm scary dammit."

"Right," Rush said. He backed away from her, and she turned as he took a few steps and dropped into the bath behind them, all the while keeping his eyes frozen on her. "Please don't hurt me, oh great mage, Meredith," Rush said from the furthest corner of the tub, gripping it in feigned horror that had her cursing under her breath.

She didn't even bother washing off the suds as she slipped into the deep end and swam over to where he'd parked on the shallow edge. The water rushing against her skin felt so good as she swam until she bumped her knees on the ledge for the Jacuzzi tub.

"You can't escape me," Mer said as she stood up. Rush eyes went directly to the water dripping off her nipples and then so low that she fell right back in the water onto her backside to hide her lady bits.

"Oh no, please don't come for me," Rush couldn't even say it without a laugh that sent waves through the water. "No, stop, please no," he begged as she swam up and grabbed him on either side of his face, wishing she could head butt him and do any damage.

"You're the worst, Rush," Mer growled but her mood sank as she looked at his damp hair falling back as she leaned him against the side of the Jacuzzi. "Next time we fight, I want use to be on equal footing, not have one of us just lying around as a decorative plant with thorns."

"I'm sorry," Rush sighed, and she lowered her eyebrows at his despairing expression. "I'll try harder next time, great mage, Meredith. I'll do as much as you, I promise."

"Rush!" She splashed him and he sputtered and coughed until the waves stopped.

"I'm serious, Meredith," Rush said, dropping his joking attitude for a moment. "You stood at the frontlines for hours. Sure, you felt like it was a supporting role, but you stayed on your feet till the end to keep your people and mine safe. All I did was get knocked out by Talamayas while the Cascades took care of the entire fight, and then I fell to a cheap shot from Tanya and had to be saved by Alpine Copse.

"I assure you I wasn't out there in my best form. I let myself get complacent and neglected my training. After this, we'll train together, get stronger, and you can scare someone other than me. Maybe Neil can give us a few pointers since he's done nothing but climb in power since we left him alone."

"Neil has to climb somehow. He isn't getting any taller." She laughed and Rush chuckled, but his eyes darkened in mischief.

"I know something that's getting taller." Rush grabbed her hips where she had raised them up in the water and pulled them back down on his lap. The length of him rose up her stomach as she flattened it against his abs, and she gasped as she realized how damn aroused he was already.

This man needed literally no foreplay.

"Turn this way," Rush said, spinning her around and sitting her back down, running rippled of warm water around them. The way he did so had his erection riding up her back, and she let out a groan of pleasure as both of his hands landed on her breasts. "I didn't finish washing here," he growled low as his fingers probed them in the least helpful manner possible.

At first, he gripped them as much as he could in his hands and kneaded them with his palms, but then he ran his fingers around as if exploring until he found her nipples. In lazy circles, he rolled his fingers over her nipples, not quite squeezing, but coaxing them into hard little nubs that just barely floated to the top of the steaming water.

"I think I'm a little dirty lower," Mer said as she leaned back to his face, the side of her mouth nibbling the edge of his lips in hunger for a kiss that he'd denied her until he'd gotten the blood off of him. She had no idea when he'd washed himself, but she'd been distracted several times.

"Really?" he murmured into her lips before gripping her head and pulling her lips on his with a force that took her breath away. His tongue ate hers as his hand dipped lower than her breasts. "Here maybe?" he asked, running his fingers down her ribs one by one before he found her navel and gripped her front to pull her harder against the erection pinched between them. "Maybe here?" he growled as his fangs lengthened.

"Lower," she half begged as he lingered with his hands tracing the soft curly hair just above where she wanted him to go.

"Oh," Rush dipped his fingers down between her legs, and she moaned as he drifted past her pleasure to sink the tips of his fingers into her. "I'm not sure if these will get... deep enough." Rush paused to inhale her scent in a quick breath as he slid his fingers in and out of her in shallow thrusts. "Can I use my special brush? I want to get you really clean. I feel like you have some really dirty thoughts inside of you right now that need cleansing."

Whoever said water was a lubricant wasn't reading the manual, but Mer didn't mind at all as he lifted her, turned her to face him, and to eased himself into her. The entry was tighter than she was used to because of the water's resistance, and she muttered sweet incoherent praises as Rush enjoyed it for a moment, entering and retreating a few times. By the time he was in, she was so wet inside that she wondered if the bath even needed water anymore. She had plenty of moisture to soak in.

Pulling out, he braced his feet against the far edge of the Jacuzzi and sheathed himself with such force that she fell against his chest, a surprised gasp of pleasure hissing off her lips. Rush inhaled the scent of her pleasure, pressing his lips to her hair, and she kissed his neck where her lips landed.

"It's not fair that you didn't let me wash you," Mer said into his skin, pulling a handful of water up from the bath and pouring it into this hair before she sank her fingers in.

"I had so much time to do it myself while you stared at the wall," Rush said into her hair, rocking his hips for another push that stretched her and had her struggling to find air. "I was getting jealous of the tile actually. I might have to replace them. Trying to steal my mate."

"Since it's you, I don't know if you're being serious or not," Mer said, lifting her eyes to his glittering emerald. They shone with adoration but wandered down to her neck in desire he'd been resisting so that she wasn't weakened before the fight.

"You do that and this is going to be worse than Jaws with the water jets," Mer said, but his eyes rolled back as he started to get impatient with his pleasure.

His hands gripped her hips and moved her on and off him with more regularity, and their conversation died off as she moved with him. Ripples of water moved around them and splashed up as they sloshed and he buried himself deep within her. The way he bit his lip and his gaze clouded as he looked into her eyes, riled her. That expression was her favorite–mind melting euphoria brought on by her body–and she imagined he liked the way she looked to him more desperately with each movement, begging that he give himself over to her, body and soul.

"Are you clean yet?" Rush growled out hoarsely, and she stuck a hand over his mouth before she started laughing and ruined this entirely. "You better be," he hissed into her hand as his fangs clenched and he pushed her hand away to dip his mouth to her neck.

Elevating strokes urged her on with how close and hard they were together, like the light flashing yellow to warn her of a collision if she didn't stop. What she wanted more than anything right now was Rush's pleasure, and she saved herself for right up to the end when he couldn't hold it any longer.

A desperate roar shook the water as he released into her like another water jet, filling her with dark magic and a satisfaction that took her over her own edge. The slice of his fangs into her shoulder braced her upper body and pushed her further into him, and he ground his hips into her in a calculated roll that milked every last drop of ecstasy out.

Panting, she fell against his face as he fed from her in shallow draughts that she knew he was controlling to keep from taking too much. Around her, the water was pink but was pushed away by the flow of water out into the pool. She always ran out of things to do when he fed from her, so she trailed her fingers through his hair and enjoyed the view of his muscled shoulders.

She relaxed, knowing that things were troubling still but also that Rush had promised to help her through it. That's all she'd ever wanted, someone who wanted her, felt pain with her, and needed to know she was happy and safe. Everything had just come to a close, but their story was just beginning, their beginning as mates. The house head of the Shades and his mixed magic Aurion mate.

The theme song was a little different than she'd expected.

Rush had finished drinking from her, and he rested his face against hers, hugged her to himself, and whispered into her ear, "Du nu... ... Du nu... ... Dunu Dunu... ... Dunu Dunu Dunu."

This was why you didn't teach vampires pop culture references.

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Word Count: 1697