“Welcome,” the demon’s smile widened. “I’m Alec, and I’ve been waiting a very long time for you.”
His minions cheered, grunted, and roared.
“These are my brothers, Kade and Ryder. We together rule this realm and many others. And we are only too pleased to welcome you to your new, permanent home.”
Sharen swallowed, and curled her hands into fists. “Conceal my words from the demons.”
Rorde nodded, and his oily magic raced over her flesh.
“When I give the signal, fire at the roof of the den. It should crumble on their leaders, giving us a chance at escape. Strike anything down that gets in your way, but race for the portal. We can’t win this battle.”
Her students raised their fingers ever so slightly, crossing one over the other, to show their understanding.
She nodded, then went back to staring at the demon.
“Some of you,” Alec continued, “will enjoy their time here more than others.”
His black eyes slid over the students, then landed on Sharen.
Shock registered on his face. “What’s this? A woman?” His gaze burned over her flesh. He turned to his minions, pointing at her. “None of you are to touch her. Understand? She’s for my brothers and I alone.”
Sharen’s stomach turned. He would possess her, and use her body to exit through the portal and into their realm. The chaos such a demon would havoc... dark days would follow.
She had to get free. No matter the cost.
Pointing her weapon at the roof of his den, she turned to her soldiers. Locking eyes with Lily, she nodded.
Their weapons discharged silently but boomed as they hit the roof of the den. The ground shook as the den caved in on top of the Demon Kings. Their minions raced to their aid, and Sharen stood, half-climbing, half-running down the hill.
Valentine kept pace with her, the others just shortly behind them, but she had no idea why Rorde had hung back. They were nearly to the portal, when the demons seemed to realize what was happening. They leapt toward the students, who blasted and slashed out with their weapons. Valentine severed the head of a demon who stepped just in front of them.
Sharen skidded around the flailing creature and darted the last few steps to the portal, but paused. Pushing her strength into her weapon, she created the symbols for a powerful spell. The blade on her Splicer glowed a blinding red. Even as her students escaped through the portal, even while she knew she was being foolish, she turned back to the horde of demons.
Rorde was surrounded. One of his spells created a small shield around himself, but terror filled his eyes. How long could he keep them at bay?
Why the hell didn’t he follow us when we ran?
Gritting her teeth, she fired, praying his shield was strong enough. The blast was like a volcano exploding. Demons went flying and smoke filled the air, blocking her vision.
She needed to escape. Everyone else had made it through. But had Rorde made it?
Squinting her eyes, she tried to see through the black smoke, but there was nothing but shapes. Damn it. Damn it.
When a demon’s claws curled around her arm, she slashed out, cutting his hand off. She ignored his screaming, knowing that she already stayed too long. Risked her life in a way that could cost her job at the least, and her eternal soul at the worst. It was time to go. Inching backwards, she prayed for Rorde’s soul, and leapt through the portal.
The horrible feeling of traveling back to her realm only lasted a moment, and then she was smashing into chairs as she rolled on the ground. Rising shakily to her feet, she stood by the side of the portal.
I’m sorry, kid. She might not have liked him, but no one deserved the torment he would soon endure. But leaving the portal open any longer was too dangerous.
Rising on her tiptoes, she went to erase the first symbol.
“No,” Lily shouted. “Rorde!”
She hesitated, then raised her hand again. We can’t risk it any longer.
But it was in that moment that Rorde came rolling into the room.
With quick movements, she erased the symbols, and the portal closed with a disgusting sucking sound.
The room was filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing.
“What the hell was that?” Blake shouted.
Sharen stumbled to a chair and sat down. “My thoughts exactly.”
Blake turned to Rorde. “You said it was safe!”
Lily put a hand on his chest, but Blake towered over Rorde, who lay sprawled on the floor.
“Your job is to make sure this shit doesn’t happen!”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Lily said, shooting Rorde an apologetic look. “He can’t always be right.”
“But—“
“Blake!” Sharen silenced him with a single word.
Rorde looked to her, his face pale. “Thank you for—“
“We don’t need to discuss it.” She cut him off.
And it was true. If her superiors found out what she’d done...
Sharen opened her mouth, planning to stop the useless blame-game, when she spotted the blood spreading down Lily’s neck.
“You’re hurt,” Sharen said, pointing at Lily. “We better get you looked at.”
Blake’s anger fled as he glanced at his fiancé. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you say so?”
She shrugged. “I think we’re all a bit hurt.”
“How bad is it?” Sharen asked bluntly.
Lily gave a pained smile. “It looks worse than it is. I’ll hit the med-area soon and be patched up without issue, I’m sure.”
Sharen nodded. She knows a flesh-wound from a serious one.
“Maybe I can help,” Rorde said, struggling to his feet.
Blake sent him a glare. “I think you’ve done enough.”
Ignoring the argument, Sharen turned to the consol. “Computer, label P-90-5478 as red. Put the following notes: Team Scorpion discovered three Level 10 demons and no less than one hundred minions. It appears the demons laid a trap for us, and they seem to be trying to acquire an adult human.”
The new information filled the screen.
“Contact, Director Manthen.”
The students shifted behind her, no doubt trying to look more orderly and less frightened. When the Director didn’t answer right away, they began putting their weapons back against the wall, and their chairs into place.
“This better be good,” Director Manthen said, his overly large head coming into focus, along with his messy hair and bare, hairy chest.
The room grew quiet.
She took a deep breath, then explained what happened.
The Director swore. “I’ll make sure the other teams know, including our Realm Enforcers. No doubt, the Level 10 demons are hoping to get a human body before they come over. But if no one else enters it, they’ll get desperate and come over on their own... even if doing such a thing will greatly weaken them. It’ll make them easier to kill, but hopefully, the Enforcers can figure out the most likely place they’ll cross over.”
Without another word, the Director signed off.
Sharen spent the next few hours checking over wounds and waking Doctor Marshall to stitch up anyone who needed it. Luckily, they’d gotten out without any broken bones.
When the last student left, she felt weary beyond words. Shuffling to her cubby, she reached in and found her phone and wallet... but no ring. Her finger suddenly felt bare without it.
Carefully searching the other cubbies, she eventually had to accept that it wasn’t there.
She sighed. Blake or Lily had probably taken hers by mistake. She’d have to get it back on Monday.
Great. Something else to look forward to.
She walked home, to her tiny house just off campus. Without undressing, she kicked off her shoes and lay down in her empty bed, completely exhausted. Sleep closed in like a rushing wave, and she gave in happily to its pull.
Chapter Four
Alec’s frustration rode him like a wild
animal. He should’ve been angry that their first opportunity to leave the demon realm had gone horribly wrong. After all, they’d spent more years than he could count crawling from the darkest depths of the lowest levels of the demon realms solely focused on returning to earth.
On getting back the lives we lost.
And yet, he wasn’t upset that the opportunity had slipped through his fingers. He was upset that they’d lost the beautiful woman.
Which is absolutely insane.
He froze in his pacing, imagining her. She was tall for a woman, with dark hair and stunning green eyes. And with curves in all the right places. She had stared down a horde of demons, and three demon-kings, and... defied them. Instead of freezing in terror, she’d attacked them. And escaped.
Why does the thought make me want to smile and roar in anger at the same time?
And that wasn’t all, it was also the way she made him feel.
Human.
Like a cure to a vicious virus, just seeing her had awakened within him and his brothers a reminder of what it was to be human. Every moment since her appearance brought out new and strange changes.
We’re even starting to sound different.
And think differently.
What does this mean?
He’d only looked at her for less than a minute. It seemed ridiculous the effect she’d had on him... and yet, the feeling wouldn’t go away.
“My tattoos are coming back.” His brother, Ryder, had taken off his shirt. And sure enough, there beneath his red flesh were the dull lines of the tattoos he’d had in life.
Alec tugged at his own shirt, revealing his stomach. His tattoos were returning too. Strange.
“What about you?” Alec asked Kade.
His twin glared at both of his brothers, but after a tense moment, pulled his shirt up. Tattoos. “We should’ve ignored the awareness of humans.”
Why does he always have to be such a ray of freakin’ sunshine? Sensing humans in this realm was unexpected, and didn’t go as planned, but it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time.
Alec continued his pacing. “Why would we have possibly ignored the chance at getting out of this damned place sooner and with our powers intact?”
Kade crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the cave wall, closing his eyes. “Don’t pretend you didn’t feel the same thing I did when you saw that woman.”
Like she’s part of us.
Like she belongs to us.
Ryder’s expression grew thoughtful. “I feel about her... well, the same way I do about the two of you.”
Alec laughed, glad for a distraction from his turbulent emotions. “God, I hope not!”
Ryder picked a rock off the floor and chucked it lightly at him. “You know what I mean!”
The rock struck his shoulder with no real force and clattered to the ground at the foot of their crude bed. “I know what you meant to say.” I wonder if Kade’s pissed because he felt it too. “There was something about her.”
“Something we need to forget,” Kade said, his words harsh. “We leave her alone. To live her simple life where demons are the enemy and what she’s doing is for the greater good of the world. We keep going through the realms, and we get free. Seeing her today changes nothing.”
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
Which, of course, was broken by Ryder. “Or we get out, find her, and teach her what it feels like to share a bed with the three of us.”
The idea made a shudder run through Alec’s body. Even with this connection, even if we could hide what we are from her, is there any world where we can be with such a woman?
A cruel logical thought answered almost immediately. No.
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “Unfortunately, I’m with Kade here. The woman ran from us. She didn’t want us. So seeing her changes nothing.”
Opening his mouth to say more, he felt a wave ripple over him. Whoa.
“What the hell was that?” Kade asked, frowning.
Alec moved without thinking, striding out of their cave, and climbing up the tunnel to exit out into the open demon realm. The vicious suns beat down on him, but he didn’t care. He moved as if pulled by a powerful magnet.
He heard his brothers following closely behind.
Weaving through the horde of lower level demons, one hissed at him and he growled, sending the other creatures scrambling out of his way. Because he and his brothers were so powerful the darn things treated them like kings. But they were only staying there just long enough to recharge their powers before going to the crossing point. Otherwise, the Enforcers would sense them and send them right back to the lowest level.
Dealing with the creatures was annoying. Being treated as kings... not so much.
Another ripple ran through him, and he adjusted his direction.
The sense of being pulled intensified. It hummed of desperation and need, but also, something he hadn’t felt in so long. A raw kind of loneliness that called to him.
At last, he froze. It took him a second to see the shimmering object in the white sands. Kneeling down, he plucked the gold ring up.
Instantly, he knew that it belonged to the woman. And she was calling to them.
Fuck. Arousal uncurled within him. So overwhelmingly powerful that he knew if he didn’t take the woman soon, he would lose his mind.
He stood, and reluctantly allowed each of his brothers to hold the ring.
“What does this mean?” Ryder asked, his voice filled with awe.
It took Alec a moment to find his voice. “Normally, we could use the ring to bring her back to this world. To obey us. To allow us back to the human realm.”
“But...” Ryder handed the ring back to him.
“Because she’s calling for us, all we have to do is respond.”
“So respond!” Ryder’s expression filled with hope. “I’ve never been this turned on in my life. I’m not sure if she’s sending me images of what she wants me to do to her, or if they’re my own fantasies, but,” he shuddered, “I need her. Now.”
Kade closed his hand over the ring. “Are we sure about this? Responding to her could put her in danger.” His breathing was hard. And even though Alec could tell he was trying to hide his need, it was clearly written in the hard lines of his face.
Alec jerked his hand away. “What danger? We have a plan—“
“I can’t believe both of you could be this stupid!” Kade shouted, suddenly furious. “Don’t you recognize her? Don’t you realize who she is?”
Alec’s entire body tensed. “Who?”
“Sharen!” Kade exclaimed.
An image came to him, of a human woman trapped within a realm, begging for their help in getting home to her husband. And of the three demons who must be missing her, their friends.
Damn it. Their simple plan just got a hell of a lot more complicated.
Chapter Five
Sharen opened her eyes sleepily and moaned softly as she ran her hand along the hard, muscular chest beneath her hand. Muscular chest?
Shooting into a sitting position, she stared around herself in confusion. She was no longer in her room, but a massive, bright cave of some kind. Looking down she realized that she was lying in a bed.
With the three Level 10 demons from the realm.
Her words caught in her throat. They were naked. Erect. And smiling at her.
“What is this?” she asked.
Alec’s smile was full of mischief. “It’s just a dream, my love.”
Her breathing came faster and faster as her gaze moved down his muscular chest to his long, thick cock. She had partied a bit in her younger days, but she’d never seen a cock as big as his. She swallowed, unable to explain the heat awakening within her body.
Beside him, another demon spoke. “I’m Kade.”
He was slightly thinner than Alec, but it was immediately clear that they were twins. The same dark hair and dark eyes. The same fa
ce that looked chiseled by some horny woman.
“I felt your stare in our realm. I knew you wanted us. Have you ever had sex with a demon, demon-hunter?”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
The third demon, his hair slightly paler around his horns, and his face kinder... softer in a strange way, but obviously their brother, ran a hand along her arm. “I’m Ryder, what’s your name?”
It took her a long minute to force the word past her lips. “Sharen.”
He titled his head. “Sharen, have you ever had a man worship you? Do anything for you?”
Her answer came easily. “No.”
“Have you ever wanted one to?”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “I imagine that’s why I’m having this dream. Because I’m lonely. And the reason you’re all saying exactly what I want to hear is because... well, that’s what happens in dreams.”
Alec leaned up and cupped her bare breasts.
She gasped, realizing for the first time that she was naked.
“Then, take what you want from us, sweet human. That’s what we’re here for.”
Her insides clenched. It felt wrong. Even in a dream. Mingling with demons was trouble.
When he leaned forward and sucked on her nipple, all logic died. It felt so damn good to be touched like this. She ran her fingers through his hair and clenched his horn, pulling him closer.
He murmured in satisfaction and sucked harder.
Kade leaned forward next and took her other nipple in his mouth. She grasped him as well, and held them close to her, overwhelmed by emotion. It’s been so long since someone made me feel... desired.
Ryder moved behind her. He shifted her kneeling legs further apart and reached under her, his large hand cupping her womanhood.
She held her breath.
Very slowly, he parted her. His stroking shockingly gentle. Patient. As if he had all the time in the world.
She felt herself growing wetter. Her muscles tensing. When she began to grind against the hand that stroked her, a finger entered her core.
She moaned. Wanting more. Needing more.
Alec moved his mouth from her breast, and their eyes met.
Renegade Hunter: A WhyChoose Demon Romance (Mates of the Realms: Mortals Book 1) Page 3