A Promise Kept

by Lynn Hagen

  Calvin tapped the side of his nose then tapped his own chest. “I smelled you the first time I came here, and you smell like ambrosia, Emilio. I want to dine on your fucking soul.”

  Emilio’s fingers curled into Malik’s fur. “That sounds…oh my fucking god…really?” Absolute fear was laced through Emilio’s words.

  Malik leapt, going for Calvin’s throat just as Malik heard shouting. The demon rushed backward and threw his head back, laughing before he disappeared around the corner.

  He started to give chase but turned and saw Darren and Moose surrounding Emilio. With his mate protected, Malik took off, but he was too late.

  Calvin was nowhere in sight.

  If the demon was that desperate to suck Emilio’s soul out, there would be no stopping him until Malik killed the bastard. He trotted back around the corner and shifted before telling Darren and Moose what Calvin had said.

  “Fuck, this is more serious than we thought,” Darren said.

  Malik spotted Lenox peeking out the back door. He shuffled his feet as he joined them, looking horrified as he stared between Malik and Emilio. “He’s caught Emilio’s scent,” Lenox said. “It’s now a game for him. He won’t stop coming after Emilio until he gets what he wants.”

  “And how do we stop him?” Moose asked.

  Lenox swallowed and curled into Darren’s arms. Darren squeezed Lenox close as the demon said, “You’re gonna have to kill him.”

  That was exactly what Malik had thought. It was gonna be Calvin or Emilio, and Malik planned on his mate coming out of this with his soul intact.

  “Tell Jericho that Emilio’s going home,” Malik said to the men as he grabbed his mate’s hand and led him to his Jeep. He prayed no one was outside but, at this point, didn’t care if anyone saw his nudity.

  Malik needed help. To hell with renting the apartment across the hall. Emilio wouldn’t be able to pry Malik from his fucking side.

  “You’re naked,” Emilio said when they climbed into the Jeep.

  His mate was focusing on something other than what had transpired at the back of the building. That was Emilio’s way of coping with things, and Malik let him.

  “Afraid some stud will see me and want me for himself?” Malik teased, although his hands shook as he steered the Jeep toward Emilio’s apartment building.

  Emilio gave a nervous laugh. “You wish you looked that good.”

  But he noticed how his mate kept stealing glances at him. Malik’s mind might’ve been scrambling for a solution, but his body had no qualms about eating up the attention.

  He’d just had an orgasm not too long ago, but as he drove, his dick was rock-hard. Clearly Emilio needed the distraction, too. He’d never dealt with a demon before and more than likely felt out of his element. But Malik would do whatever he had to in order to keep Emilio safe.

  When they made it into the apartment, Malik locked the door, like that would do any fucking good against a demon who could move around through shadows. Still, the act made him feel better.

  “Turn on all the lights and open all the closets,” Malik said.

  When Emilio asked why, Malik explained.

  Emilio’s brows shot up. “Demons can move through shadows?”

  “Yep.”

  Emilio had rushed to do as Malik had asked when a knock sounded on the door. Would Calvin be so bold as to knock? Cautiously, Malik moved to the door and looked out the peephole.

  His heart thundered in his chest. On the other side stood Christian Espelimbergo, the vampire who was a member of the Ultionem. He was also well over two thousand years old. Malik had met Christian once or twice over his lifetime, and although Malik wasn’t afraid of much, he was very cautious when it came to the ancient vampire.

  The guy was tall, with black hair and even blacker eyes, which seemed to penetrate the soul whenever Christian looked at someone. Malik seriously doubted the leader had come alone. There were probably half a dozen or more vampires spread out around the building to keep an eye on their prince.

  Grabbing the bag of clothes he’d brought with him, Malik quickly dressed, telling Emilio to have a seat on the couch before he opened the door.

  With a regal walk, Prince Christian entered. Malik had an urge to bow. He curbed that urge and shut the door behind the vampire.

  “I am told you have a demon problem you need help with.” Christian looked Malik over before his attention was pulled to Emilio. “Someone is interfering with your mating.”

  Malik hadn’t the first clue how Christian had found out, but he was glad the guy was there.

  Chapter Six

  Emilio wasn’t sure if he was relieved or frightened that some leader from Malik’s world had come over to discuss Calvin. Of course he was terrified that the demon wanted to suck his soul out. Who in their right mind wouldn’t be? Emilio didn’t even know that was possible until he’d heard Calvin’s taunts behind the bar.

  Before this guy had shown up at his apartment, Emilio had been ready to take a long shower and forget about the past hour. But now there he sat on the armchair and listened as Malik and Christian talked.

  What creeped him out the most was that the vampire kept glancing over at Emilio and smiling. He didn’t want a goddamn vampire smiling at him because all Emilio thought about was the guy draining every drop of blood from his body.

  Emilio excused himself and hurried to his bedroom where he eased the door closed and sagged against it. His stepdad had been a shifter, but Emilio had never known the depth of their world.

  His stepdad had also been a real piece of work, but Emilio shoved Jordan from his mind. He never wanted to think about that bastard again.

  Jericho and Reese had never told him anything about themselves. Emilio had accidentally overheard the bartender on the phone one night and that was how he’d found out about him. After that, Jericho told him about the cook being a rhino.

  But no one had ever told him other creatures besides shifters existed, and Emilio’s mind was still blown over that fact. There was a real-life vampire sitting in his goddamn living room. Emilio had an urge to run to the kitchen for garlic and to turn one of the legs of his table into a stake.

  He nearly screamed from wound-up nerves when his cell phone rang. Emilio looked at the screen and was stunned to see Steven’s name displayed. Steven had given Emilio his number a long time ago, and honestly, Emilio had forgotten he’d had it.

  “Hello?”

  “What’re you doing?” Steven asked.

  “Uh…nothing. Why’re you calling me?” Steven was the last person Emilio ever expected to hear from. The guilt of how he’d tried to befriend Steven entered his chest. He wished he could go back in time and do things differently, but that was never going to happen.

  “I told you I was your friend,” Steven said as though it should’ve been obvious. “Derek tells me you found your mate and he’s moving into my old apartment. You have to tell me everything!”

  Steven’s excitement made Emilio furrow his brows. A thought occurred to him as he sat on his bed. It was possible that he’d treated Steven that way to keep a wall between them. Emilio had sabotaged a lot of potential friendships over the years in order not to let anyone get too close to him.

  In order to guard his heart from ever breaking again.

  “I saw you in the diner, but you didn’t say hi,” Steven went on. “Don’t worry about Kenny. I had a long talk with him about being nice to you.”

  Tears stung Emilio’s eyes. How could anyone that sweet even exist in this world? Steven was a rare breed.

  “I had things to do that day.” Emilio wiped at his eyes as he cleared his throat, the vampire in the other room and a demon wanting to suck his soul out temporarily forgotten.

  “Was that your mate I saw?” There was something crinkling on the other end of the phone. “We should have dinner together. Your mate and mine.” Steven laughed. “I mean, we’ll be there, too. It’ll be fun.”

  Emilio hadn’t known that Steven was m
ated. He’d just assumed the guy had moved in with his brother. There was so much he’d never learned about Steven, and Emilio regretted that he hadn’t tried harder to ask Steven to be friends.

  “I’ll talk to Malik about it.” Emilio didn’t want to sit across the table and look at Steven the entire time they were eating. The guilt would be too much, but if he’d given a flat-out no, Steven would’ve bugged him, so that was why he’d given that answer.

  The door eased open, and Malik popped his head in.

  “I have to go, but I promise I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay, don’t forget about me,” Steven said before he hung up.

  How could anyone who’d ever met the guy forget he existed?

  “You didn’t have to end your call because of me.” Malik entered the room and sat next to Emilio. “I just wanted to check on you.”

  Malik had been nothing but nice to him, and all Emilio had done was keep the man at arm’s length. He was tired of keeping the walls up, tired of wrecking friendships and relationships because of his fear that anyone he cared about would leave him.

  Emilio looked up into Malik’s green eyes and once again felt himself falling into them. Malik cupped Emilio’s face and brushed his thumbs over his cheeks.

  “Tell me what to do for you,” he said. “Tell me how to help you.”

  Malik hadn’t been the first person who had wanted to fix him. Normally Emilio played it off and laughed, telling whoever that they were crazy and that he was fine.

  But Emilio wasn’t fine. Far from it. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know.”

  Malik brushed the tears off his cheeks. Emilio hadn’t known they’d escaped until he’d felt the wetness.

  “Oh my fuck.” He tried to pull away, but Malik kept his hands planted on his jaw. “I’m crying like a freaking baby.”

  Malik tilted Emilio’s head until they were looking at each other. “You’re crying because of all the crap you’re holding inside you, but I can’t help you unless you tell me what it is.”

  “I…” Emilio couldn’t bring himself to bare his soul. That would have meant being vulnerable, and he wasn’t ready for that. “Kiss me.”

  He rolled and straddled Malik’s lap, sliding his arms around his lover’s neck. He wanted to…no needed to escape, using sex as a means. Emilio was pretty sure Malik knew what he was doing, but the guy didn’t object.

  With a snarl, he rolled them over, placing Emilio on his back. The words—to make Malik promise not to bite him—were on the tip of Emilio’s tongue, but he held them back, desperate for a connection to someone, to feel as though he mattered to at least one person.

  Going through life all alone fucking sucked, and Emilio was so damn tired of not having anyone in his corner. Keeping everyone away was too exhausting, and Emilio just didn’t want to do it anymore.

  He slammed the lid on the whole biting thing, refusing to think about it as Malik stripped Emilio naked between frenzied, sloppy kisses.

  Emilio rocked his hips against his lover as Malik settled over him, cupping his face once again as he traced Emilio’s lips with his tongue. Emilio moved his hands up Malik’s chest, over his neck, and through his hair, where he gripped strands in his fists.

  “Don’t think I don’t know this is a distraction,” Malik murmured against Emilio’s mouth. “But I’ll let you distract me, for now.”

  “Please shut up.” Emilio fused their lips together as Malik shoved his pants and underwear down his legs. They parted long enough for him to rip his shirt over his head, and then their limbs tangled and they reached for each other as though they couldn’t get close enough. Everywhere Malik touched sent ripples of goose bumps over Emilio’s skin.

  He curled a hand around Malik’s cock, squeezing the man’s hardness as he kissed his way down Emilio’s neck. “Need you inside me,” Emilio groaned.

  Malik looked hesitantly at him, as though waiting for Emilio to demand he promise not to bite him. Emilio stared into his lover’s green beauties, his heart thundering hard as he smiled at Malik.

  As if he could read Emilio’s mind, Malik reached for the drawer and pulled out the lube. Emilio couldn’t resist touching him. He ran his hands up Malik’s thighs and glided them over his hip and along his lover’s lower back before Malik looked down at Emilio with one brow raised.

  Emilio bit his lower lip and smiled. “I love touching you.”

  “I love hearing you say that, mate.”

  His pulse tripled in beat, and panic tried to set in, but Emilio swallowed and grabbed the bottle from Malik’s hand. He wiggled until he was on his hands and knees then inserted two lubed fingers into his own ass.

  “Fucking hell,” Malik whispered. “You know how to turn me on.”

  That hadn’t been why Emilio decided to stretch himself. If he’d allowed himself to think too hard on the word mate, he just might chicken out and not let Malik claim him.

  Although terrifying, that was Emilio’s goal. To finally let someone in, someone he could trust, and pray he wasn’t making a huge mistake.

  Malik clamped down on one of Emilio’s ass cheeks, sucking up what felt like a bruise before he moved lower, licking at Emilio’s balls.

  “Oh fuck.” Emilio hissed, stretching himself faster. Malik pulled his fingers away and inserted his own. That felt like fucking heaven as Emilio dropped his shoulder to the bed, thrusting himself on Malik’s fingers.

  Malik gave a devilish chuckle from behind him. “You think this is good? Wait until I slide my dick inside you.”

  “Prove it,” Emilio teased.

  In an instant Malik’s hand was gone and he was flipping Emilio onto his back. He latched onto one nipple, and Emilio carded his fingers through his lover’s hair.

  Malik really did have the softest hair Emilio had ever felt. The strands were dark and short but long enough for a tight grip. The black strands were shiny and felt like silk under his fingers.

  “You’re not proving it.” Emilio moaned and bucked his hips. “Oh hell, your mouth feels good.”

  The art of seduction. Hadn’t Malik said he would teach Emilio that?

  Malik skimmed his hand down Emilio’s body, teasing the nest of curls between his legs, but the fucker wouldn’t touch Emilio’s cock.

  He moved to Emilio’s neglected nipple as his hand moved even lower to tug at his balls.

  “Are you trying to make me come before anything gets started?” Emilio slapped at Malik’s shoulder. “Do something, damn it.”

  Malik looked up at him. “I am doing something. It’s just not the something you want.”

  “And you accused me of being a cocktease?” Emilio snorted. “I think you’re the real culprit.”

  “You talk a lot of shit.” Malik nipped his shoulder, sending waves of pleasure through him. “Sorry, but I’m not a five-minute guy, so if you want this rushed, you’re gonna be disappointed. I like to enjoy my meal before I devour it.”

  The way Malik looked at him, the way he’d said those words had Emilio panting as he slowly nodded. “By all means, enjoy.”

  With a smirk, Malik moved down Emilio’s body and settled between his legs. He nipped Emilio’s inner thigh and then the other, licking where he’d bitten as his tongue moved closer and closer to Emilio’s balls.

  His goatee scraped along Emilio’s skin, causing surges of pleasure to flow through him. Malik looked up at him from between Emilio’s legs, and that look was predatory, as though he planned on claiming Emilio tonight, regardless of whatever happened.

  Emilio swallowed roughly as Malik grabbed his cock and anchored it toward his lips. He gave a sly smirk before he engulfed Emilio’s hard dick, taking it down to the root.

  Throwing his head back, Emilio cried out, arching his back as Malik sucked and licked, driving Emilio insane with his talented tongue.

  * * * *

  Malik had Emilio right where he wanted him. Desperate. Willing to do whatever Malik wanted in order to find his release. Malik
wasn’t trying to play games with his mate. That wasn’t his intention. Pure seduction was his strategy to win Emilio over, which would allow him to claim the little human.

  The scent of his arousal, his mate’s desire, was thick in the air. Malik had also sensed Emilio’s fear, too. But that odor had faded, replaced by raw need. Malik wanted him wound tight before he fucked Emilio. He needed his mate to beg him to make him his.

  He pulled off Emilio’s cock and worked his way down to his balls, lapping at them, sucking each one into his mouth and lavishing the wrinkled flesh with his tongue.

  Malik felt Emilio’s legs trembling. The guy was close to coming, so Malik backed off, giving his mate a moment to pull back from the abyss before he started again.

  “Stop torturing me,” Emilio begged. “I can’t take it anymore.”

  That was a lie. Malik knew Emilio could take so much more.

  “Please.” That single word came out in a small whimper. How could Malik deny his mate anything when he sounded like that? He climbed up Emilio’s body but stopped at his navel, where a string of pre-cum was leaking from the head of his cock.

  Malik leaned down and licked it up, moaning at how good his mate tasted. Emilio’s stomach muscles contracted as he hissed. Emilio grabbed for him, curling his fingers around Malik’s biceps.

  “Is there something you want from me?” He’d been teasing Emilio, but his mate’s eyes filled with hesitation.

  “To be able to trust you.” Emilio lowered his gaze then turned his head. Malik hadn’t expected that. His mate had been all about sex, wanting to hide behind the act.

  Yet there he lay, exposing himself for the first time. Malik curled himself around Emilio, resting his forearms on either side of Emilio’s head. As badly as he wanted to fuck Emilio, his mate’s emotional needs were just as important to Malik.

  “You can.” He brushed a few strands of hair from Emilio’s forehead. “I’ve been trying my hardest to make you see that.”

  Emilio pressed his fingers into Malik’s nape and pulled him down for a slow-burning kiss. Once again his mate was using distraction instead of talking to him, but Malik’s lion was too wound up to stop Emilio.