“That goes for all of you,” he declared. “I’m certain none of you want to be handed over to Brute. I loan him out for special tasks. But Brute can be quite a handful. Things can get messy. I prefer other, less gruesome forms of discipline.
“I know it’s hard to believe but I assure you, I rescued you from a horrible fate where you would have suffered at the hands of men far worse than our Brute here.” He addressed the man in question. “Brute, step outside so our guests can eat in peace.” Then, with a lift of his chin and a gracious wave of his hand, “Now, please, do eat before your breakfast gets cold.”
For the next thirty minutes, the silence was broken only by the frantic clatter of silverware on china plates, and the euphoric groans and contented hums of the women as they ate. Inc looked on contentedly as the women scarfed down one plate after another of the delicious fare. It was the first time they’d had a decent meal since their ordeal had begun, and none of them were shy about it.
“Have some fruit, my dear,” Inc murmured.
Electra stiffened as his warm breath teased the shell of her ear. “I’m really quite full, thank–”
“I insist,” he replied, a piece of juicy pineapple held between his thumb and forefinger. Without conscious thought, she opened her mouth and he slid the fruit between her lips. As her tongue flicked across her bottom lip to catch a stray bit of juice, his nostrils flared and a muscle in his jaw twitched. When he reached up and stroked the plump flesh of her lip, there was nothing for her to do but suck it into her mouth. He rested his forearm along the arm of his chair and hummed with pleasure, lazily sliding his finger in and out of her mouth, and smiling to himself as her tongue twirled and fluttered along its length.
Without looking away from this singular demonstration of oral prowess, Inc addressed the other women. “Brute will escort you to your rooms where you’ll put on workout attire and then be escorted to the gym to meet with your trainer. I expect you to take your training seriously. You’ve been through an ordeal, so please make the most of what I am offering.”
As Inc spoke his name, Brute stepped through the doorway, his timing impeccable as if Inc had somehow conjured him. Inc briefly turned censorious eyes upon him as he gave him his marching orders. “I expect you to be a perfect gentleman, Brute. You will not spy on the women and if you so much as think about touching one of them without my permission…There, that will do,” he whispered, smiling serenely as he withdrew his finger from Electra’s mouth, then addressed Brute once more. “As I was saying: touch them, and I’ll cut your hand off.”
The women turned wide eyes toward the big man as he meekly shook his head in submission. How in the hell could a man that large and scary fear his boss? Inc was no lightweight himself, but there was something compelling about him that gave him unquestionable power. There was no denying it: their captor was a force to be reckoned with.
When the women got up to leave, Electra moved to join them, mortified at how she’d behaved. The urge to suck and pleasure his finger, to show him what it would be like to have his cock in her mouth, had taken on a life of its own and been utterly beyond her control. As she stood, he shook his head and frowned, his displeasure clear. She sat back down in the chair and did her best to be impervious to the cutting looks she was receiving from the other women.
As soon as they were alone, she turned on him. “Why are you doing this, Inc? And what’s with your name anyway? Are you covered in tattoos or something?”
“That’s Inc with a c, not a k.”
“Well, that’s Electra Karmin with a K and that’s not what I asked. You’re making the other women hate me.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”
He pulled her chair closer and leaned in toward her until they were practically nose to nose, and placed his hand on her thigh. “I’m not sure you’re getting it, so let me break it down for you. You. Belong. To. Me. It’s obvious that they understand that fact perfectly well. I couldn’t care less how they feel about it.”
He slid his hand beneath the hem of her sundress and trailed a fingertip slowly up the inside of her thigh. When she tried to close her legs he pinched her inner thigh and twisted the tender skin, causing her to cry out in anguished pain. Her distress stirred his baser instincts, and his cock lengthened and grew hard. Her breathing took on a ragged rhythm that prompted a low growl from deep in his chest.
“Remember…things aren’t always what they seem. You should consider letting your guard down. You might find that I’m not the man you think I am.”
“You’ve got to stop this. I’m not your woman, your girlfriend, or someone you’re dating. This fixation you’ve developed on me is crazy.”
“I couldn’t agree more. You’re my property.”
“Nobody owns me!”
He raised a sardonic brow with an expression that spoke volumes. Being that she had no means of escape, she really was his property in every way that mattered. She had every intention of changing that, though.
His feather light touch eased beneath the front of her silk panties. He shook his head in warning when she attempted closing her legs. His fingertip found its target with ease, sliding over her clit and between her slick folds to the depths of her core. She mewled and arched her back in response to the delicious friction on her clit. He closed his eyes and probed her depths with his fingertip, humming with satisfaction when he found the spongy bundle of nerves just inside.
“Yes, just…there,” he whispered and pressed down on the spot. Her head snapped back and her hips surged against his hand. She wanted nothing more than to rub against his hand until she lost her mind, but her survival instincts kicked in just as the first ripples of pleasure began to tease her inner walls. Before she had time to think, she shoved his hand away and bolted out of the room.
Inc leaned back in his chair and watched her leave, his eyes gleaming wickedly as he savored her flavor from his glistening finger. Then he sighed and adjusted the crotch of his pants. His dick was so hard it hurt, damn her. This hadn’t been part of the plan.
She wasn’t even supposed to be here. If he hadn’t seen her jogging that day... After that? He had been a goner. Day by day he would watch her: going to classes, at the grocery store, and yes, jogging. When the time came to take action, he’d simply not been able to resist. The ‘powers that be’ could have easily intervened on his behalf, but he hadn’t been able to resist the chance to move things along himself.
He was a predator by nature and Electra was his prey, simple as that. He had tracked her relentlessly and yet, discretion was paramount. He was vigilant not to draw attention to himself or his associates. For that reason, she was the only woman he had ever hired Randy to acquire for his own purposes. Inc was adept at making people disappear, but not drawing them to him.
He had been aware that that lowlife Randy was acquiring women for dark purposes, which worked to Inc’s advantage on several levels. He’d never dealt with Randy before and after this larger transaction was completed, he planned on never again dealing with him or the dark forces that surrounded him.
An explanation had been necessary, of course. When the moment of reckoning arrived, he’d explained that he required Randy’s services to acquire a particular woman because she was gifted.
Which was entirely true.
He’d recognized Electra’s special qualities the first time he saw her out jogging; she’d certainly felt their connection during their encounter in the basement. After that first day, she had invaded his thoughts, his dreams, every waking moment, hell even when he slept she was there. She didn’t know about or understand her gifts yet. The ‘powers that be’ would use them for a purpose far greater than either of them realized. All would be revealed in due time.
Blaze was drifting in that drowsy void somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, with his wife in his arms. But he wasn’t alone in his nocturnal wanderings. The vision occupying his somnolent mind tonight was altogether different than Rain’s usua
l visions of mayhem and death. Blue eyes and an arrogant smirk filled his mind, then a frisson of wariness rippled down his spine…because this was no dream.
“Blaze, you’ve been busy, I see.”
“I must be causing quite a stir if you’ve seen fit to drop in. It’s been a while. Your timing couldn’t be better. Rain’s having dreams about your evil ass. It’s time for me to bring her into this mess. I’m afraid it’s unavoidable.”
“How exactly is that going to work? You’re the guy who comes to the rescue when there are noble deeds to be done. I, on the other hand, make people disappear with a little hard-fought penance thrown in for good measure when I’m so inclined. So what does that make her?”
“The watchman on the wall, brother. She’ll be our eyes, our ears. She already has Mother’s favor. This is all new to Rain, of course.”
“Hmm,” Inc sniffed noncommittally. “Not for long. So you think she’ll be able to handle what’s to come?” His voice was as dispassionate and calm as a man discussing the weather.
“Yes. She can handle me, can’t she? But you have a dark side that concerns me.”
“As do you. We were both hand chosen by Luminous and the Dark Angel.”
“Created is more like it.”
“Yes, it seems our spiritual mother has always liked the bad boys,” Inc chuckled.
“She understands the importance of balance. We can’t do what we do without light and dark. Rain thinks you’re a demon, you know.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” At Blaze’s quick frown, Inc sighed impatiently. “I wasn’t expecting her to be there. A little warning would have been nice.”
“There’s no predicting her visions, you know that. She saw horrible things, and heard a voice threatening her. It said it was coming for her.”
“I see. So she heard that too, eh? That is concerning. Well, here’s hoping she learns to control her gifts. The ‘Nancy Drew’ stunt she pulled in that basement nearly ruined everything. She saw me, yes, but the voice she heard was the dark force we’re fighting against. You know the one.”
“Shit. That’s what I was afraid of,” Blaze said. “And if she saw and heard what she has described to me, then he’s getting stronger. He’s losing control.”
“So it would seem. So she could see him as well. That is unfortunate.”
“He was up to no good, as usual. His actions are positively depraved, that one.”
“No doubt. Then there’s no time. She needs to see us for the fallen angels we are. She was already gifted so it will make more sense to her than you think it will.”
“I hear you, Inc, I just don’t know if I believe you. Traces of her old existence are still present even as she adjusts to her gifts. It’s like one big supernatural stew at the moment.”
“She’ll find her way, Blaze, but things are progressing quickly. He has to be stopped, the bastard. When did we stop orchestrating reunions for long-lost lovers or leading police to careless children wandering lost in the woods? When did we start doing the police’s job for them? I mean, really–human trafficking?”
“When local organized crime syndicates started shutting those operations down, it left a power vacuum–one a tall, dark, and bloody demon was only too happy to fill.”
“There’s nothing dark about him except his hair,” Inc drawled.
“True. But it’s the perfect fit, if you think about it: he saw an opportunity and snuck in when no one expected it. Mortals do that, you know; they stop paying attention and get lazy, then their problems are abruptly far worse than what they started out with.”
“We should have seen it coming.” Inc’s voice was grim. “He loves women and he loves power.”
“I wouldn’t say that ‘love’ is the right word. He loves to destroy women. Very different.”
“Agreed. So he started taking women and selling them to mortals who are as sick and twisted as he is. Seems to like college girls. But he’s become careless. He’s arrogant. And he likes to have his fun along the way, it seems.”
“That poor girl. What a mess,” Blaze said with disgust. “As I understand it, she didn’t seem to be in her right mind when he manipulated her, and Rain was pretty sure it had happened before.”
“He might be wiping her memory,” Inc mused aloud. “You know how he loves to do that sort of thing to mortals. I gave that sniveling asshole he hired a hard time for coming up short on my order, but we all know what happened to that one. The mortals have the impulse control of a child. It’s not entirely surprising that Phenex would take advantage of their frailties.”
“He doesn’t even fight fair. A mortal woman doesn’t have a chance of saving herself when he puts his mind-control thing to work. Such a bastard.”
Inc snarled his displeasure. “And he’s drawing mortal attention to our realm, and that we do not need. The last thing we need is the local police or, God forbid–”
“Very funny.”
“–the FBI to come riding into town on their white horses, ready to save the day. What a mess, and so unnecessary. Law enforcement has been backing off around here, now that the organized crime syndicates seem to be shifting gears. It’s like they’ve developed a conscience or are having some kind of collective mid-life crisis. The time has come to take him down. Such a shame,” he murmured dispassionately. “Darkness has its place. In the interests of balance, of course.”
“Of course,” Blaze said, his words dripping with sarcasm.
“Well, it’s true. Depending on what happens, balance will have to be restored. He’s ruining it for everyone.”
“I know. The battle has been inevitable, hasn’t it.”
“Quite.”
“I wish we had more time so Rain could acclimate. Some of her more volatile mortal qualities are still front and center.” Blaze couldn’t fight the grin the curved his lips at the thought of some of their most recent spats and the truly stellar makeup sex that followed. “She’s got quite a temper.”
“Lucky you.”
Blaze awoke with his brother’s sinister laughter ringing in his ears.
Chapter Eleven
“Blaze. Blaze!” Rain had Blaze by the shoulders, shaking him gently. “Wake up, Blaze. What’s going on?”
He opened his eyes and was greeted by his wife’s concerned eyes and tousled auburn curls. A frown knit her brow. He idly ran a fingertip along the furrowed skin, smoothing it. “Such a simple question. I wish there were a simple answer.”
“Just tell me, Blaze.”
“The pale-haired woman you’re seeing in your visions is an angel. Her mate is a fallen angel. My sources…my Creators. They brought me into being eons ago, and I have been waiting for you ever since. They handpicked you from the beginning of time to be mine. But they didn’t tell me. Ours is…an unusual union, so they had to follow a different path for us. Because you were mortal, they had to transition you. It was necessary that I experience the transition with you to seal our bond. So we died the night of that wreck and were resurrected, together. We’ll never die or age unless they morph us into another form for a special purpose, but we’ll always return to each other when that purpose has been served.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Any questions?”
Rain flopped back on her pillows for a long moment, slack-jawed. She rested her hands on her forehead, then pressed her fingertips to her temples and rubbed. Finally, her arms fell to her sides and she turned to look at her husband. “So that makes you an angel? A fallen angel? You know, because of your parents.”
“They’re my spiritual Creators. But if it’s easier, you can think of them as my parents. Actually, they’re yours too. And, yes, that makes you an angel.”
“Oh. I guess it’s a good thing there are no blood relations with fallen angels, right? So who’s the man in my vision, the one who bought those women?”
“My brother, Inc.”
“Ink? Like a tattoo?”
“No, no ‘k’. He’s an incubus. So he goes by ‘Inc’.”
&nbs
p; “What the hell is an incubus?”
“He’s…a dark being. He was formed to be about as dark as you can go without being a fully evil demon. He and his kind have a special fascination with women.”
“What does that mean?!”
“Well, his proclivities are usually expressed at night. In dreams. If a woman has a particularly sexy dream and wakes up hot and bothered, there’s a good chance Inc had something to do with it. His form of creation is necessary to fight the darkness of this world. It’s not all harps and wings, you know.”
“Apparently. So you’re fighting fire with fire.”
“Exactly. You were picking up on his dark side that night, but the presence you interacted with was far more malevolent. That threat came directly from Phenex, the demon responsible for perpetuating a human trafficking ring we’re trying to take down. A battle is in the offing, it’s just a matter of time now. And he’s pure demon. Pure evil. You’re lucky you got away, Rain. I just hope we haven’t lost the element of surprise.”
“I think I’m going crazy.”
He tilted her chin up with a fingertip and looked into her eyes. “No. What you are, my love, is crazy gifted.” His eyes followed his finger’s trek along her jawline as he continued, “It’s a lot to take in, I know. That’s all you need to know for now. This is a new journey we’re taking together, and we’ll be stronger than ever as we go.”
“I wish I could get a location on those women. You said that this Inc person bought them. Where are the women now?”
“Inc has them. He’s protecting them and they don’t know it. They think he purchased them to pass along to other buyers.”
“Is he dangerous? Your brother.”
“Dangerous doesn’t even begin to describe what Inc is,’ he said, fully prepared to reassure her once again that all would be well. But he needn’t have worried.
“Good,” she said. “Because we’re going to need someone like that on our side.”
Chapter Twelve
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