by Lynn Hagen
“Well, I’m not giving up on you, so you better find a way.” He shoved Deandre against the wall, curled his hand around his warrior’s nape, and pulled him down for a toe-curling kiss. Amir was breathless by the time they parted. “Do you hear me?”
Deandre grinned. “Yes, sir.”
Amir lowered his voice to a whisper. “And you better come back once the kids are asleep. I’m horny and need my mate to take care of my itch.”
Deandre growled as he stole a kiss. “How do you know I’m leaving?”
“Have you found the person you’re looking for?”
“Yeah, but it’s complicated.” Deandre looked as if he were mulling something over. “Just for one night I want you and the kids to stay at my place. I have to be gone tonight. Ari Gray is going to be more difficult than I thought he would be. I’ll feel better knowing no one can get to you or them.”
“One night,” Amir agreed. He wasn’t fond of the idea of taking his children to the demon realm, but if Deandre had to be gone for the night, Amir was even less inclined to stay home where paranormal creatures could get to them.
He shivered thinking about his earlier encounter with the wolf shifter and didn’t want a repeat.
Deandre turned them, hemming Amir against the wall, kissing Amir as if he mattered and Deandre was desperate for him, which settled his worries and made him feel as if he were walking on clouds. The hard body leaning into him. That masculine scent invading his lungs. The way Deandre held Amir’s hips, keeping him in place.
“I’ll take you guys now before I have to return to Fever’s Edge.” Deandre backed away, leaving Amir desperate for more.
“Let me gather them up.” It took concentrated effort to move away from Deandre. All Amir wanted to do was fling himself back into his warrior’s arms.
Clearing his throat, Amir hurried down the hallway.
Chapter Ten
It took a minute to get the kids settled. Dahj wanted to explore every inch of Deandre’s apartment, and Flynn just ran around screaming and laughing.
“Why is everything so big?” Dahj asked when Deandre helped Amir tuck her into his bed.
“It’s made just for me.” Deandre grinned.
“Can I get a tiny house made just for me?” she asked.
“I already told you that the Shire isn’t real.” Amir kissed her forehead. “Now get some sleep. No playing with Flynn and getting him charged up again.”
When they were back in the living room, Amir went to the windows. “I can’t get enough of looking at this city. It’s so pretty.”
Deandre stood there staring at his mate, bringing the images into his mind. He knew Amir couldn’t stay. There weren’t any schools in the demon realm, no need for Amir’s therapist talents, either.
He walked up behind his mate and circled his arms around him, resting his chin on the top of Amir’s head. “I have to go. If we’re gonna make our move, it’s gotta be tonight.”
“I understand, and thank you for protecting us.” Amir turned in his arms. “You’re not going alone, are you?”
“Donny and a few others are going with me,” Deandre rumbled softly, staring right at Amir’s lips. He wanted just one taste before he left, but feared if he got started, he wouldn’t stop.
“Kiss me.” Amir looked up at Deandre with such need in his eyes that Deandre couldn’t say no. He’d never be able to say no to his mate.
The kiss sent all of Deandre’s senses reeling. It was soft, a scrape of Amir’s beard, and so tantalizing that Deandre had to stop before he scooped Amir up and took him to the bathroom—since he couldn’t take his mate to his bedroom.
Amir poked Deandre in his side. “You better go before I find a closet for us to screw around in.” He winked at Deandre. “But when you get back, I want to pick up where we left off.”
“Bet.” Deandre gave him a quick kiss before he grabbed his blades and sheathed them at his sides and then left the apartment. His body was hard, his mind in other places besides taking down Ari Gray. Damn, Deandre wanted to turn back around and see where the next kiss would lead.
But he had a job to do, whether he liked it or not. And going to a strange town to find out just how many hellhounds lived there was something Deandre usually thrived on.
But all he wanted was to go back to his family and enjoy a quiet evening at home, petting and kissing and making love to his mate. Deandre chuckled to himself. Fuck, he was in love. That was the only explanation to his fast-paced heartbeat, his willingness to forget his job and be with Amir, and how much he wanted to be a part of Amir’s life in any way he could.
Deandre and the other warriors met in Donny’s apartment. Wayland was there, along with Cadeym.
“Panahasi is working on something else,” Cadeym said. “He told us to call him if we need him.”
“I still can’t believe it.” Donny shook his head. “A hellhound as a mayor. Now I’ve seen it all.”
“It’s a quiet little town,” Deandre said. “I want to keep a low profile, at least as much as possible. In and out.”
“You just want to get back to Amir,” Donny teased. “I heard the boy running around screaming a half-hour ago.”
“There’re kids here?” Wayland arched a brow. “I’ve got to meet them.”
“Not now.” Deandre headed toward Donny’s closet. “Let’s handle Ari Gray first.”
They came out by the lake with the dock. Deandre had no idea where the hellhound lived. He hadn’t thought to ask Trey. To make matters worse, Ari was probably expecting them now that a demon warrior knew he was there.
“I’ll see if I can find his address on the internet,” Deandre said. “Maybe there’s a listing.”
The four walked into town but decided to separate. Four large warriors combing the streets together would raise too much suspicion. Deandre wanted to get this over with, get back to Amir.
He was with Donny when they turned the corner, ending up on the street with Cresting Moon. The streets were bare, only a few cars passing by them.
Deandre looked at the time on his phone and saw it was three in the morning. Perfect time to kill a hellhound.
“You feel that?” Donny asked. “Got another hinky feeling coming over me.”
Deandre wasn’t going to dismiss it this time. He tucked his phone away and scanned the streets. He saw three men coming toward them, and the middle guy was Ari.
“Thought you’d be back.” Ari and that irritating smirk of his. Deandre wanted to punch it right off his face.
“I’m gonna send a text to Cadeym,” Donny said. “I think we need them here.”
Deandre thought so, too. Ari looked seasoned, as if he wouldn’t be easily defeated.
Midstride, the men with Ari shifted into their Rottweiler forms. Big sons of bitches, vicious, snarling as they took a fighting stance—front legs spread apart, ears pinned back, baring their teeth.
Deandre wanted all the help he could get because he planned on making it back to Amir tonight.
Hopefully in one piece.
Deandre removed his blades as he, too, took a fighting stance. The atmosphere was charged, making the hairs along Deandre’s arms stand on end.
Donny grabbed one of Deandre’s wicked knives and teleported, appearing at the side of one of the hellhounds and stabbing it behind the ear, before teleporting back to Deandre. The hound burst into dust before any of them knew what had happened.
Lightning fast, Donny had taken out an opponent, leaving only two now.
Deandre liked those numbers even better. Soon there would be four demon warriors against two hellhounds.
Ari and his pet didn’t stand a chance.
The fight would be over within a matter of minutes, and Deandre could get back to Amir. Get back to what they’d started. Get back to deepening their bond and trying to figure out how they were going to make their crazy lives work.
“We got this,” Donny said. “One down and two to go.” He looked around. “And maybe later we can come
back here. This looks like a nice little town to visit. As soon as we eliminate their hellhound infestation.”
Deandre had already thought about bringing Amir and the kids here. There was an ice cream shop at the end of the block. They could bring a blanket and get some treats then stretch out under a tree in the park.
A day out, forgetting everything that had happened, would be the perfect solution, even if for only one day.
“I can’t have demon warriors coming to my town and messing up my plans.” Ari’s voice interrupted Deandre’s thoughts. “I’ve worked too hard to take over, to position myself in a place of power.”
“And what does Marino Malone have to do with all this?” Deandre asked. “Why bring him back from the dead? You’d have to hand over your power, Ari. If you ask me, that’s not the brightest idea.”
“Together we could take over Fever’s Edge, and then who knows, maybe even the entire east coast.”
Fever’s Edge sounded like a pretty small target for a bad guy.
Deandre had been searching for a ghost, for the power behind the unseelie, Lyle, but Ari wasn’t that power. He was just well funded and sending nonhumans to Amir’s house to do his bidding.
He’d sent Brett, who had almost kidnapped Dahj and Flynn and nearly killed Amir. Would have if Phoenyx hadn’t come right away.
For that, Deandre wanted Ari’s head. He wanted to send the bastard back to hell with a swift blade in the mark behind his ear.
Deandre started forward, ready to kill Ari, when two more men appeared behind the hellhound. One of the men even had on a cop’s uniform.
This was bad. How many other officials were really hellhounds? How badly was Fever’s Edge infested?
“I have plenty of protection.” Ari smirked as he held out his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Come at me, demon warrior. Come get spanked.”
Donny teleported to one of the newcomers, but Ari had anticipated his move, and so had the hellhound in his dog form. The Rottweiler spun around and attacked, raking his thick, long claws down Donny’s back.
Donny screamed as Deandre shot forward, driving both blades into the hellhound’s head, but not before it bit Donny.
Wayland and Cadeym arrived, instantly launching into the battle as Deandre dragged Donny far enough away.
“Go.” Donny swallowed and panted. “Kill that son of a bitch.”
Deandre started to shout for Phoenyx, but Ari was on him, slamming his fist into the side of Deandre’s head.
That dazed Deandre for a split second before he spun and swiped his leg out, sending Ari onto his ass. The guy didn’t stay down. Ari leapt to his feet and shifted, snarling and snapping as he lunged for Deandre.
Deandre shoved his hands in front of him, fingers splayed, and used his mind to lift the humungous dog from the ground. He slammed Ari into the building repeatedly then sent him crashing to the ground.
Deandre advanced, blades out, hatred in his heart for everything evil Ari had done—for putting Deandre’s family in harm’s way, for one of his men attacking Donny, and for infiltrating this town.
He raised his arms, but instead of swiping the blades down, he used his mind to send them flying through the air, one embedding in Ari’s side, the other in his skull.
The dog’s eyes widened before he burst into a cloud of dust. Deandre spared a glance at Cadeym and Wayland. They’d defeated the hellhounds they’d been battling.
Deandre ran to Donny and cradled his friend in his arms, throwing his head back and shouting for Phoenyx.
“Hang in there, Duncan.” Deandre gave a weak smile at remembering the debate the two had had when Phoenyx had introduced them to his mate. “Gonna get you all patched up in a second.”
Deandre looked around. “Where the fuck is Phoenyx?”
“Let’s get him back to Serenity City.” Cadeym placed a hand on his shoulder.
Just then Phoenyx came rushing from a shadowy alley, dropping to one knee. “Where are his wounds?”
As gently as he could, Deandre turned Donny over. “I don’t know where the hellhound bit him, but it left gashes in Donny’s back.”
All Deandre knew was that the hellhound had sunk his canines in somewhere in the back region, but with the gaping wounds from the claws, it was hard to tell exactly where.
Phoenyx let one tear fall into the wounds then leaned back. “I’ll take him to the demon realm,” the redhead said. “You guys make sure no more hellhounds are lingering around this town.”
A vortex opened to Deandre’s right, and Panahasi stepped through. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. “No more hellhounds are here.”
He bent and scooped Donny into his arms. Donnchadh was shivering and jerking as Panahasi backed up and walked through the vortex, the swirling black hole closing behind him.
Deandre let out a long breath, glad this was over. Fever’s Edge would need a new mayor, but at least the town was rid of its infestation.
“Let’s go home.” Cadeym touched Deandre’s shoulder.
Deandre couldn’t wait to get back to Amir. He got up, and the four headed down the alley Phoenyx had used to get there.
* * * *
“Why on earth are you levitating Flynn?” Amir squeaked as Deandre led the toddler down the hallway, heading for the bathroom. Flynn swung his arms around, squealing in delight. The little daredevil.
“Because he pooped on himself, and there’s no freaking way I’m touching that. Get his bath water ready.”
“I’m next!” Dahj circled around Deandre as he walked. “I’m next!”
Using his other hand, Deandre lifted Dahj a few feet off the floor and spun her around. She screamed with laughter as Amir ran ahead of him and started the bath.
He bounced Dahj up and down before setting her gently back on her feet. Then he lowered Flynn into the water. “Sorry, but a dirty backside is something I refuse to do.”
“Wuss,” Amir said. “You can battle bad guys, but can’t handle a stinky Pull-Up?”
Deandre made a gagging noise. “Can’t handle snot, either. Poop and snot are my downfall. I’ll battle a hundred bad men before I wipe a runny nose.”
Dahj patted Deandre’s hip. “We’ll learn him.”
“Teach him,” Amir corrected.
“That too.” She nodded. “I’m going to my room. Flynn stinks.”
Deandre chuckled and ruffled her hair before she walked out of the bathroom.
And hour later, they were in the backyard, Dahj and Flynn chasing a ball as Deandre and Amir stretched out on a blanket.
“Do you think the spells Panahasi put on the house will hold? I’m still not sure about staying here considering this house used to be a drug lab, but…” Amir sighed. “I’ve grown to love the place.”
So had Deandre. He considered it home, not just a place to rest his head, and this was where he’d discovered Amir lived and talked to Dahj through her window. There were too many memories for them to just walk away from.
“The spells will hold.” Of that Deandre was dead certain. It had been a month, and no one else had shown up for the box, which helped put Deandre’s and Amir’s worries at ease.
“I feel like I’m dreaming.” Amir rolled over onto his stomach as Deandre lay on his back, staring up at the fat, white clouds drifting by. “I had my doubts about this working.”
So had Deandre. He was beyond shocked when Panahasi told him to go live his life with Amir, that Deandre was released from his obligations to the demon realm but would be called upon if needed.
Deandre still had to go to his apartment every few days because that was where he drew his power from, but so far, no one had called him.
At least not for work.
“Okay, Uncle Donny is here!” Donnchadh walked out of the house, clapping his hands together. “Let the praising begin.”
Amir rolled his eyes. “I’m still not sure I trust you to watch the kids. You seem like a kid yourself.”
Deandre was glad Donny was back on his
feet. It had taken him weeks to recover from the hellhound attack. It had been touch and go for a long while, making Deandre worry that he might lose his friend.
The Rottweiler that had attacked Donny had some kind of concoction in his mouth when he’d bitten him, stopping Phoenyx’s powers from outright healing him.
Thank fuck Panahasi had finally found a counter drug and had saved Donny’s life.
“Hey, I can handle two little pipsqueaks,” Donny said. “I just might teleport them to Disney World for a day of fun.”
“See, that right there makes me second-guess my decision.” Amir stood up. “First, no teleporting anywhere. You two are spoiling Dahj and Flynn rotten. Second, there’s no way you’re taking them for their first time. Deandre and I have already been making plans to go on the off season.”
“Fine.” Donny rolled his eyes as if put out. “We’ll go into town for ice cream. Leave your car keys.”
Amir frowned. “Do you even know how to drive?”
“How hard can it be?” Donny asked.
“For fuck’s sake,” Amir groaned. “Deandre, do something with your friend before he teleports them to Alaska for a fishing trip.”
“Stop putting ideas in his head,” Deandre teased. “But he can teleport his ass to the grocery store.”
“Nope.” Donny shook his head. “I don’t do menial chores. That’s on you, Mr. Family Man.” Donny patted his own chest. “I’m Mr. Fun.”
“No, no, no.” Amir shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m not leaving my children with you.”
“He’ll behave,” Phoenyx said as he walked out of the house, Edward, his mate, at his side. “We’ll make sure they don’t take any unscheduled trips.”
“We’re going to do human things today,” Edward said. “I brought some movies with me, coloring books and crayons, and we’ll watch educational videos.”
Deandre was starting to like Donny’s plans a lot better.
“See.” Amir shoved a hand toward Edward. “He knows how to watch kids.”
“Boring,” Donny said under his breath.