by Lexi Ostrow
“I suppose the next question is, how do you feel about the Royal?”
Odette’s question took her by surprise, and she felt her jaw hang slightly open. Just how do I feel about Jacob Tresay? She sat there, deep in thought, trying to come up with a response. When she looked at him, she felt desire. When she thought about him, she remembered that he was the first man she’d kissed, back when she’d been his serving girl. Yet, when she was in the same room with him, all she wanted to do was land a good punch to his face for the way he had treated her, the words he had said.
Suddenly, she wasn’t sitting across from Odette, but rather, she was alone in the crystal lit council room. Jacob’s hand was under her blouse and wetness was seeping betwixt her legs. Her breathing grew heavy, and she felt her face heat with embarrassment when Odette cleared her throat.
“I take it that you have mixed feelings on the man?”
Before the conversation could continue, a blaring noise blasted through the small office. The demon tracker.
“Bloody hell, we cannot be suffering a second attack in one night,” Odette shouted over the shrill alarm.
The tracker had no official name, but it had an official purpose. Crystals lined the streets of all the main areas around the world. Those crystals had been infused with demon blood—something the Angels had done. The crystals would vibrate on a sort of frequency when a demon passed and would be sent from crystal to crystal until it reached the large one atop the guild and sounded an alarm, complete with the geographic location of the demon.
Every city with an Alliance sect had one, and McKenna was certain they were all as terrifying as that one.
“You want to prove yourself? Get to the steam bike bay and go with Philippe to track this one down. The communicators will not work down here, but if I am not mistaken, Jacob is training with him at present. The three of you will go, and then you will see how things fit together when the need arises.”
McKenna’s jaw hung open. She’d been on a few training hunts since her position as a bodyguard. Yet, she had certainly never been assigned one by Odette. Paired with the compliment she had just been given, McKenna found herself frozen in place for a moment. Blinking back the shock, she stood up from the chair.
“I don’t think this will work, but I am not turning down the opportunity to fight with the best hunter the world has ever seen.”
Odette shook her head, smiling. “Do not tell him that. I swear to you, his ability to work with others is a stretch, to begin with. Do not let him think he is good enough to hunt alone again.”
McKenna laughed. “I will not let the Alliance down. You did not choose wrong. I will make this work.”
Her skirt caught briefly on the chair as she tried to rush to the door, and she flushed. She had no clue that Odette had thought so highly of her. She wasn’t happy with what had transpired betwixt her and Jacob, but she was going to do whatever it took to succeed in her assignment.
“Do not make me ask again, Kellan,” Seraphina snarled his name as she dangled her bleeding wrist over the hunter’s broken body.
Kellan had been her prisoner for more than half a year, and all she had been able to glean from him was that he’d been a hunter for a year, broke his weapons as oft as he fired them correctly and that he despised her. But he wasn’t immune to the allure of a Fallen Angel’s blood. The look in his eyes turned her on. She liked the power she held over such a strong man. One who didn’t owe her his allegiance like Neal.
“I’ve nothing to tell you, not until you give me what I want.” There was a psychotic edge in his voice.
Kellan’s Irish heritage was making it almost impossible to teeter him over the edge into a blood craze. At first, it had infuriated her that she couldn’t control him and demand what she wanted. Now, she was wondering if it wasn’t a blessing. It had been ages since she’d had someone truly able to withstand her, and certainly never a human. He was becoming rather a fun toy.
At least that was what she was telling herself, and what she would continue telling herself until she finally had the name and location of every Alliance sect and its leader to take them down. Kellan’s soul would be hers. She wouldn’t need Lucius to steal it, but all of her blood would anchor him to Hell just like any other demon’s soul. He would pay for dragging this out long after his death. Even if she could have gotten some information without him, she needed him to report to her when they made a move at the main Alliance sect, and at this rate, death would come first.
She shoved her thumb into the muscle in the center of the underside of her arm, and the trickle of blood turned into a quick stream. Kellan growled low in his throat, and his green eyes flashed with greed. He couldn’t move to get the stream of blood, thanks to her breaking his legs hours before, when he’d attacked her for her blood.
Kellan might not be fully under a blood craze, but he was taking more than she was able to safely give. For the past week, she had been incredibly weak after the torture. His mouth had latched onto her wrist, and she had almost come undone from the sensations that had swept through her. So much blood had been exchanged, she’d been able to feel every ounce of lust and desire swirling through Kellan as he had drunk.
She’d let her guard down earlier because of it. She’d been so certain the sight of her naked body would have been the tip of the scale to break him. Instead, he’d attacked her, blood craze riding him, instead of a blood lust, and she’d been forced to destroy him to save herself.
Tipping her hand up, the blood dripped toward her elbow, and she removed her thumb from her arm.
Kellan growled but couldn’t move. “You’re not feeding me enough. I’m going to go crazy long before you can control.”
She looked at him with alarm on her face. He shouldn’t have known that there would be only a small window of control. Was it possible he was purposefully acting that way so he could deny her the window, and she would simply be forced to kill him?
“You know far too many things you shouldn’t, hunter. We are done for the week. I can assure you, the blood craze is far from on you. You might not drop the farce of a British accent, but I know you are Irish, and I know how long it will take before you’re ready to be controlled. Although I must admit, I’m impressed you’ve lasted this long.”
“I want it, Seraphina. You disgust me, but even when I’m not drinking from you, I can taste your blood. It’s like a delectable sweet drowning in an intoxicating wine.”
His voice was so husky, she felt her body tingle with lust for an unknown reason.
“You’ll come back one day, Seraphina, and I will kill you. I’ll drain you dry and escape this prison of yours. The Alliance will take me back, it won’t matter what you’ve done if I can kill you.”
Fear looped its way through her in a quick circuit. Kellan could kill her anytime. When he drank, he could subdue her and attack. Despite the power of Angel blood, draining blood from any creature made them weaker. She doubted he knew that and reminded herself of the fact, forcing her heart to slow back to a normal rhythm.
“I’d like to see you try, Kellan. You’ve been mine for almost a year. If the Alliance wants you, they’re not trying very hard. My army of Fallen is nearly one hundred strong now. If I cannot turn you into my slave, I will kill you and simply send my warriors in blind. Earth will be ours.”
Kellan’s eyes bored into hers, and his lips pulled back in a snarl, showing off his teeth—stained red with her blood. “Then why am I still alive?”
The question slammed into her with the force of a storm and almost knocked her backwards. Her eyes darted back and forth, and the small cell suddenly felt far too tiny for both of them. Seraphina could feel his eyes on her, and she forced herself to suck in a breath through her nose. She was Queen of Hell, she feared no one and nothing. She had even almost undone the damage Lucius had done with the nightmare of Demetrious. One little Irish hunter was nothing.
“Because I would rather have you kill from the inside than send half my warrio
rs into a slaughter. Your time is running short, Kellan the hunter. Enjoy these final moments of your sanity. I can promise you, once you fall into the whirlpool of my control, you’ll be locked behind your brain, clawing for freedom.”
She flung her wrist and watched with a satisfied smile and a few small drops of blood landed on Kellan’s face, and his tongue darted out to attempt to lick them off. Satisfied once more with the power she leveraged, she turned on her perfectly sharp heel and walked from the cell, ignoring the slight tremble in her step.
Six
“Time’s up. Pack it in, and Jacob, pass back your gun. You’re not to walk out of here with a crystal weapon—you aren’t an Alliance member. Not really,” Lucius said as he pushed off the alleyway wall.
McKenna sighed and pushed her sweaty hair off her forehead. When Lucius had suggested the pair learn to work together, she’d thought he meant him and her. He’d meant her and Jacob.
“I’m not comfortable yet,” Jacob replied to Lucius.
“Of course you aren’t, you haven’t hit a bloody fucking target yet,” she grumbled as she slipped the safety back on the gun and placed it in her breeches pocket.
“I can hear you.”
“I wasn’t hiding anything,” she snapped back and whipped her head around to stare at him.
“Now, now children. If you go and tear each other to bits before we leave, they’ll have been no use in this session. Now, if you want to tear each other’s clothes to pieces…” Lucius shrugged his shoulders and winked. “I’ll be leaving now, and the choice is yours.”
His solid black eyes danced with amusement and McKenna wished, just this once, that she could see the demon lurking in him so she could hate him.
“Not a chance,” Jacob retorted before she could.
Lucius grinned and lifted his hands in surrender. “Do be gentle, McKenna. I doubt his jacket and trousers cost as much as my traveling suit, but you never know.” With a wave, he walked back inside the guild.
Neither she nor Jacob spoke, and neither of them made a move to walk inside. The tension betwixt them was thicker than the fog cover on a dreary London morning. It was so palpable, she almost felt the weight of it would crush them if they didn’t part company.
Whilst she had forgiven him for kissing her and launching her into a downward spiral of fantasies, she hadn’t forgiven the way with which he regarded her as if she was a thing to be had.
She took a step towards the doorway and felt her ankle scream in protest. Without warning, her body began to slip to the ground. Hands wrapped around the crook of her underarms and tugged her upright. Her arse pushed against Jacob’s pelvic region, and she felt every muscle in his stomach as she did so. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his hands let go of her arms.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
She felt him take a step away from her. “S’ok,” she said and shook her head. “I mean, thank you.”
“Really?” Jacob walked up next to her.
She couldn’t deny that the post-training look suited him. His eyes seemed more intense against the slight redness of his cheeks. His heavy breathing only emphasized how muscular his body was with each rise and fall of his chest. His hair, like hers, was wet with sweat and sticking to him. McKenna couldn’t force herself to look away.
All at once, a slight hum of need began to build. For a moment, McKenna was back in his arms, if only in her head. She could feel his hands on her and the way his lips crushed against hers. She shivered as a trail of lust descended over her. His eyes were locked on hers, waiting for an answer, and all she could see was the question in them.
Her feet had moved before her brain caught up with her thoughts. McKenna wrapped her fingers around the lapels of his navy waistcoat and tugged herself towards him. A look of surprise sparked in his eyes just as she titled her head up to kiss him.
The kiss was so much gentler this time, much like the one they’d shared when she had been his servant. There was a slow and sensual chasteness to it. Their lips moved together, but his hands didn’t wrap around her body hungrily as they had the time before. It was easy, peaceful even.
He pulled back first again, his eyes blazing with heat. “McKenna,” his voice was hardly civilized sounding.
“If you are going to insult me again, I recommend thinking better of it. Your aim is far worse than mine.” She hadn’t meant it as a joke, but it hadn’t come across as the insult she’d intended.
“Bloody hell, that was the farthest thought from my mind.” His mouth captured hers, and, this time, the kiss was anything but peaceful.
Their tongues darted together, stroking and sucking as the kiss progressed almost instantly into something, unlike anything McKenna had ever known. Passion roared white-hot through every part of her body, and she bit Jacob’s lip as she felt his prick come awake in his trousers. His hands clutched at her shoulders before snaking down her body and settling on her arse. With hardly any effort, he lifted her off the ground, and her legs instantly wrapped around his hips.
Her head spun with desire, and McKenna couldn’t process anything except the feel of his tongue sliding against hers and the warmth of his body holding her tightly as if she was a prize to be had. Her hands moved over the muscular planes of his back, exploring the taut surface and reveling in the strength he must be capable of. Jacob’s hands did much of the same, and she sighed into their kiss as his hands trailed sensually over the thin cotton her shirt.
Jacob tore his mouth from hers, and she felt the cool night air pass over her wet lips. She shuddered from the sensation. His kisses were on her throat, trailing a heated line from her chin to her collarbone. Wetness pooled betwixt her legs, and she moaned louder.
McKenna wasn’t completely untouched by men, but she’d never been handled with so much thoughtfulness—so much desire. There was nothing in the world but her and Jacob. Nothing but a would-be prince and a peasant, who knew only each other’s touch at that moment.
“McKenna,” Jacob’s voice was a harsh rasp, and his lips skimmed further down her shirt.
Everywhere he touched, her body burned. She slid her own hands down and around to his chest and let her fingers tug hastily at the ties that secured the shirt around his neck. The minute it loosened, she shoved her hands past the barrier and massaged his chest with her hands. Nothing had ever felt like this, and she wanted to touch every intimate part of him. No matter how inappropriate.
She arched forward, pressing her hips against the thick bulge of his desire and cried out. Her hands still played over his skin, but she jerked the shirt down, trying to get it off, and she heard a ripping sound somewhere in the back of her mind. She didn’t care. She couldn’t care as Jacob’s hands slowly began to pump her arse against his body, and the world became even more of a pleasure filled haze.
“Are you lot coming or not?” Lucius broke off into a fit of laughter.
Immediately, McKenna shoved Jacob in the chest, sending them sprawling apart, and her feet slamming into the ground. Her breathing was heavy, and her body was screaming at her for ending the kiss. McKenna pursed her lips, lifted her head high and stalked past Lucius through the open door.
“I was joking about the ripping and tearing off each other’s clothes.” Lucius laughed once more.
“Oh shove off, demon,” Jacob growled, and she heard his footsteps stamping through the tiny hall.
That was an absolute disaster. You are his watch maid, his nanny and a commoner with no family to speak of. You are a fool, and you have a mission to do, she thought as she turned into the stairwell that led back to all guild members’ living quarters.
Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. Jacob had kissed her back and hadn’t insulted her, but it made no difference. She knew how he must see her, as a desperate toy he could play with until this mission was complete and he could move back to courting proper women in the ton.
“Well, I’m done. I’m no man’s fall back choice,” she said to herself as she unlocked the door
to her room and stepped inside.
“No, I can’t picture us running into an Abaia in the middle of the Atlantic,” Jacob said.
“Hmm?” McKenna picked her head up off her hands and looked at him.
For almost three hours, he had been inflicting demonology on her, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. They would be leaving in a month, and she’d avoided him at all costs, but when they were together, she could see his fear all over his face. Jacob wasn’t only physically not ready, he mentally wasn’t up for the task.
Oh, he’s physically ready for just about anything, McKenna thought dryly before she could stop herself. Her fingers clenched as if she was trying to wrap them around his body once more. She snarled, and Felicia stopped talking.
“Something the matter, McKenna?” There was a slight warning in the older hunter’s voice.
She sighed and laid her head back down on her hands. “I simply do not think discussing everything we will not run into out there is a plausible use of our time.” The lie was as convincing as any she’d ever told to survive. “Have you seen him with a gun? He’s horrid, Felicia. He needs to be out on the streets, not in these quarters acting like some sort of bloody scholar.”
“I’m not acting like a bloody scholar, damn it,” Jacob burst out and slammed his hand down on the desk, narrowly missing her head.
McKenna rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Knowing your weaknesses is the only thing that will save your life down there, isn’t that right, Philippe?” She looked at the other hunter, who hadn’t said a word in nearly an hour.
“Do not drag me into this. I don’t like partnerships to begin with, and yours is leaving much to be desired. The pair of you will get us both killed if Lucius doesn’t do that first.”