A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance (Demon's Witch Series Book 3)

by Tena Stetler

  “Uh-huh.” He reached up to cup her firm breasts as he gently rubbed his thumbs over her hardening nipples. Unable to wait any longer, Stefan pulled her down to him and filled his mouth with her breast, scraping his teeth carefully against the nipple as he sucked and gently tugged on the soft mound of female flesh. He closed his eyes and imagined again what it would be like to run his tongue over all of her, taste all of her.

  She moaned and called out his name as she shifted slowly, surrounding him and taking him into her. He felt the flames of passion building inside her as she tightened around him. Her body began to quiver with liquid fire as she soared higher and higher until her world shattered into a million shimmering stars.

  Finally, cupping the back of her neck, he took her mouth, devouring its softness hungrily. Her flavor spun into him as he slid his hands down to her hips. Grasping them firmly, he thrust up into her hard, fast, and deep, then held on.

  “Oh God,” she cried as waves of pleasure again pulsed through her.

  It was all movement, flesh against flesh, man against woman, sheathed in her satiny smooth, steamy heat until the hot flow of passion raged through both like molten lava scorching everything in its path.

  She went limp, as he knew she did now after loving. Draping her body across his, she buried her face in his neck and breathed a slow, sensuous kiss there.

  He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and savored the immense satisfaction he felt as contentment and peace flowed between them. She shifted, and he reached up, running his fingers through her soft hair, tangled by his own hand in the night, watching her eyes go dreamy and sleep overtake her. He felt her mind as it flowed in a serene blur of soft colors, rolling green hills, and pleasant visions of home, family, and faerie mounds.

  The intimacy of their lovemaking intensified as he shared her thoughts while touching her in all the places that he’d learned she enjoyed, wondering if she felt the same since she was able to tune into his feelings and thoughts as well.

  She stirred, answering sleepily in his mind, Hmmmm, yes, that is one of the best parts of making love with you. Of course the physical release isn’t bad either, is it? She smiled and snuggled closer. Stefan caught the last sleepy thought drifting through her mind and wondered…

  Tristian’s quiet knock on the door and intruding thoughts ended the euphoria for the moment.

  He knocked more insistently. “Stefan, I know you’re awake.”

  Irate, Stefan growled. “If you know so much, then you know better than to intrude on my time alone with Brandy. Now, go away. I’m not getting up.” Pausing, he listened to Tristian’s mind. “Yeah, Tristian, I’m aware that Tim knows my secret, and we’ve come to terms.”

  Barely awake, Brandy murmured sleepily, “Go on with him, if you want. I’ll be along in just a bit of a while.”

  Testily, Stefan grumbled, “No, I don’t want to, and we’ll join the others later.” He deliberately avoided telling her of last night’s conversation and the promise that he’d made. Grinning now, he thought Hannah and Tristian had enough of their own revelations to share, keeping things interesting until they joined the rest of the family later.

  Tristian huffed out a breath on the other side of the door. “I wish you’d stay out of my head, but okay, fine. Have it your own way.” His heavy footfalls grew quieter.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Best Kept Family Secrets of Gryphons, Vampires, and Warlocks

  Brandy slept peacefully for a couple hours. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she gazed sleepily up at him from under her lashes. “Good morning, my love.”

  “Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?” He leaned over and pulled her close, lightly kissing the tip of her nose.

  “I did, thanks, except for Tristian’s interruption. Did I hear Da’s voice in the middle of the night, or was I dreaming?” Her voice still a bit sleepy and brows knitted in puzzlement, as she tried hard to remember. She reached up and fingered his gold serpentine neck chain as she had numerous times before. Only this time she wondered, “There’s no clasp on your lovely chain. It’s not long enough to slide over your head either…” Her voice trailed off.

  “You did. Tim wanted to talk to me.”

  “In the middle of the night? Why?” Fully awake now, her expression concerned, she sat up and gave him her complete attention.

  “He wanted to confirm his suspicions about me.” Stefan could block his thoughts from her at times, which he’d done last night after his conversation with her da, so she could sleep.

  “Oh, is that all. I figured he knew after your altercation with Kevin.” Shrugging, she laid her head back down on his chest.

  “Brandy, he’s concerned and has every right to be. He is also worried about how to tell your mom. We should have told them when we arrived.”

  “Aye, maybe we should have. I’m pretty sure Ma knows too. She’s waiting for us to bring it up.”

  “And your brother?”

  “I believe he knew from the first time he met you. It would never matter to him. He’s dated outside our kind and likes what he’s found. Da won’t be happy when it’s three-for-three since our kind’s true blood is dwindling quickly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, shapeshifters for the most part are human first, then whatever they shift into second. Once they decide not to shapeshift anymore, for whatever reason, they live out the rest of their lifespan as human.”

  “Okay, but I still don’t see.”

  “In our case, we are gryphons—magical creatures first and the human forms we take second. We’ll always be magical creatures no matter how long we remain in human form. We are immortal, as you are.”

  “I see. So it’s not just talents that you have; it’s actual use of magic.”

  Pursing her lips, she sighed, shifted, and sat up again. “Sort of, but the ability to feel others’ emotions and hear thoughts is rare. That is a talent, not magic.”

  “I chose the elite of your kind. Is that what you are saying?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

  She swiped at Stefan, nearly knocking him out of bed, then laughed. “Yes, I guess you could say that. I’ve always had trouble reading Da. I think he’s okay with you. Disappointed a bit because you aren’t a gryphon, but you’ll win him over, if you haven’t already. How’d your talk go?”

  “His initial concern was your safety and your family’s. He resigned himself long ago to the fact that you were looking for something, someone else other than your kind. I assured him that there was no danger from me. Even though you and I both know the possibility will always exist.”

  Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”

  Shrugging, he gave her a serious look. “I will always be a vampire. You’ll do well to remember that. I left the rest of the discussion for this morning and returned to our room, where you took unfair advantage of me.”

  “Aye, that I did and enjoyed every minute of it.” She laughed easily, threw her arms around him, and hugged hard. “I didn’t hear any complaints from you.”

  “Never,” he agreed. “Now, I think it’s time we get up, get dressed, and meet your family for breakfast. It’s going to be an interesting day.”

  “That it will.” She slid out of bed and sauntered seductively to the shower. “Care to join me?” she teased over her shoulder.

  “You bet.”

  Sometime later, they dressed and stepped out into the hallway. “I think by now your da is aware his son-in-law is not what he seems either.”

  Brandy tossed her hair and shot him a saucy smile. “Want to wager on it?”

  “No way. That’s a sucker bet, and I’m no sucker.”

  “Speaking of magic and ‘not as it seems,’ you never answered me about the chain around your neck.”

  “It’s a long story, but the short version is, the chain is the reason I am able to enjoy the sunshine and not spontaneously combust.”

  “But you said that was a myth.”

 
“For me it is as long as I wear this chain.” He reached up and tugged thoughtfully at the serpentine chain. “It was conjured for me by my grandfather, a shaman in my tribe and the man who raised me. I didn’t mean to ignore your questions. It’s just that early in our relationship, trust didn’t come easy for me, and the truth put me at risk. Now, I’m happy to tell you everything, but right now let’s take care of the situation at hand.”

  “One more thing. Talking about myths and legends, the Vampire’s Kiss—is that legend true?”

  He sucked in a deep breath out of habit rather than need and blew it out. “Later.”

  Reaching out, he took her hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and walked into the kitchen. Tim and Mary sat at the head of the large oak table with Gavin, Tristian, and Hannah seated to the left and across from two empty chairs. If a fire had been lit, it was dying, and there was a slight chill in the room. All eyes turned to her and Stefan as they entered the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” they said in unison as she walked over, kissing her ma and da on the cheek. Mary reached out and hugged Stefan, patting his back affectionately. He gave her a quick hug and sat down next to Brandy.

  Everyone continued to look at them expectantly. They were the center of attention once again. He nudged Brandy.

  She grinned. “The floor is yours, Stefan.”

  “Thanks, Brandy.” He looked around uncertainly. “Well, guys, it’s going to be an interesting ride.”

  The cool, uncertain atmosphere started to melt with Tim’s half laugh as he leaned back, relaxed slightly, and put his arm around Mary.

  “Did we miss breakfast?” Stefan asked, looking around the room.

  “What do you care? You don’t eat breakfast, at least not our kind,” Mary said with a glint of amusement in her eye, if a bit unsure, and a wide grin spreading across her face.

  “You got me there.” He returned her grin and leaned his chair on its back legs, laying his arm across Brandy’s shoulders.

  Gavin’s chair scraped across the wood floor as he got up and walked over to tend to the fire. After adding a couple more logs, he coaxed the embers into a crackling fire that warmed the room.

  Stefan turned to Tristian. “Well, did you tell them?”

  “Not yet.” He stiffened in his chair, glaring.

  “There’s still more to tell?” Tim sighed with exasperation. “’Tis not enough that me little girl has taken up with a vampire?”

  “Da.” Brandy let out an exasperated groan.

  Gavin’s brows shot up, but he smiled and said, “I knew it.”

  “Oh, yes, the girls have seen to it that our family is well rounded,” Tim said with a deep chuckle rumbling in his throat.

  Looking from Tim to Tristian, Stefan opened his mouth only to be interrupted by Tristian.

  “I’m a warlock who has spent his adult life as an enforcer…assassin, if you will. Until recently. I manage my teams more than physically go out into the field as an enforcer—a lifestyle change necessitated by having a wife and family…A tale for another time.”

  Eyebrows shot to the hairline and eyes rounded on individuals sitting around the table as if all they’d heard was ‘assassin.’

  “Relax. I work for the good of man and magickind, which provides me a very comfortable living.”

  It was Stefan’s turn to look shocked. “Comfortable? More like royalty.”

  Tristian shot him a warning glance.

  Stefan shrugged. “Everything out in the open. Remember?”

  Tim shook his head while rolling his eyes and leaning over against Mary, “Where did we go wrong with our girls? Vampires, ah…warlocks. What next?”

  “Well, now that you mention it…” Stefan grinned wickedly at Tim and winked at Brandy.

  Brandy returned his grin, but it faded quickly. The air around them electrified, and her eyes grew wide.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  So Be It…All Hell’s About to Break Loose

  Unexpectedly, the air in the kitchen crackled as if electrified, and the hair on the back of Stefan’s neck stood up straight. He glanced over at Brandy, did a double take, and stared. Feathers sprouted all over the top of her head, her body began to blur, and then three figures materialized across the room.

  In a blur of motion, Tim jumped up, transforming. The chair he’d occupied crashed to the floor. Gavin, being quicker, leapt to his feet, transformation complete. Using the seat of his chair as a springboard, he soared over the table and its occupants, landing his gryphon paws toe to toe with the larger figure. His razor-sharp talons extended and ripped into the flesh of the largest figure. A howl of anger and pain erupted. He prepared for retaliation, a blue-orange fireball swirled and snapped in the palm of the large figure’s hand.

  Tristian jumped out of his chair and sprang over the table, grabbed Bruce’s arm, and said gruffly, “Stop.”

  The large figure closed his hand over the fireball and waited.

  Immediately, Stefan shoved himself between them, roughly forcing Gavin backward across the room. “Gavin, chill. It’s okay. These are friends. Uninvited but friends just the same.” Gavin propelled himself forward again, talons still extended. Stefan sidestepped him as did Bruce, the demon overlord. Gavin went sprawling face-first across the floor littered with pieces of his and Tim’s clothing. Stefan placed his foot across the back of Gavin’s neck, holding him in place, and barked, “Back off right now before you make matters worse. There is no danger here.”

  Still in gryphon form, Tim stood ready to defend his family but, at Stefan’s urging, backed down slowly. Brandy spun around the table in an effort to restrain her da and ma, if necessary. He saw her body tense as heat flushed up her neck, and a trickle of sweat slipped between the plumes on her forehead. Feathers remained on Mary’s head, though she never completed the change. Seeing Brandy’s appearance slowly return to normal, Stefan relaxed a little.

  Her soft voice purred in his head. Surprise and danger have that effect on gryphons. I’ve got things under control here.

  The vein in his neck pulsed as Stefan turned his attention to Bruce, whose fine tailored shirt was shredded and splattered with blood. . “Don’t you ever enter a home by knocking?” Stefan demanded.

  Bruce smirked, extinguishing the ball of power with a snap. “While I like the element of surprise, you’re right.” He turned to the others. “Pardon my intrusion, but I have urgent news.”

  Tristian released him. “This encounter could have turned deadly, overlord or not.” He tucked the back of his shirt in and returned to stand behind his seat, hands resting on the chair back.

  Bruce shrugged, brushing his palms together. His amber eyes swirled orange as his gaze swept over the room and its occupants, settling on Tristian for a moment, then darting to Stefan and back. “Sorry. Right now I’d like a word with my brother-in-law in private.”

  Angie stood beside Bruce, a restraining arm wrapped partially around his waist and her other arm out in front of Synn, who stood trance-like slightly behind her.

  Tristian straightened and walked around the table. “Why is she here?” His hands balled into fists, the muscles in his arms straining. He brought one hand up and pointed a finger accusingly.

  Hannah said furiously, “This is not the time or place.” She grasped Tristian’s arm and shot a warning glance at Angie, who released her hold on Bruce. Hannah reached out to grab Bruce’s arm, but he slipped out of her reach, grabbed hold of her shoulders, and spun her around, breaking her hold on Tristian. He took a menacing step toward Bruce, who held up his hand in warning.

  “Now, let’s all play nice like the good creatures we are,” Bruce said in a dangerously calm voice. “Stefan, you were saying?”

  All eyes turned to Stefan. How the hell do I keep winding up in the middle of this shit?

  He eyed the occupants in the room and suggested, “Let’s all sit down, and I’ll make the introductions.” No one moved. Tim’s jaw set in a grim line. Gavin stared at the vampire, his distru
st palpable. A muscle quivered in his jaw. Mary looked as if she was ready to cry or kill someone alternately, probably him. “Or not,” Stefan said with more confidence than he was feeling.

  Angie interrupted. “Sorry for the interruption.” She looked genuinely dismayed. “I’m Angelique, Tristian’s sister.” She shrugged and pointed to Bruce, who had released Hannah to Tristian. “Bruce is the Demon Overlord of the Western Hemisphere and my husband.” She tried a little smile. Pointing a thumb behind her, she said, “This is Synn. She’s a demon too and has promised to help us in exchange for protection from our enemy, Baltizar.”

  While Stefan was glad to relinquish the floor to Angie, Tim’s bright-red face and Mary’s shocked expression prompted him to step in. “Angie, I think that’s enough for now. Mary and Tim Shaughnessy are Hannah and Brandy’s parents”—he waved a hand toward them—“and have just learned that one daughter married a warlock serving as enforcer at the pleasure of the Overlord of the Western Hemisphere . The other is involved with a vampire. I suspect they need a respite from the drama.”

  Bruce nodded and shifted his gaze to the male that attacked him.

  “Gavin is Hannah and Brandy’s brother.” Stefan nodded in his direction. “He was thrust in the middle of this and tried to protect his family. We were just sitting down to have a family meeting to explain the situation when you three burst into the house unannounced and uninvited. That’s a bad habit, Bruce, overlord or not.”

  Bruce raised one eyebrow. “I already apologized and meant it. I don’t normally go where I’m not invited. In this case, I had to make an exception. If our very existence didn’t hang in the balance, I would have asked permission to crash your family gathering. But time is of the essence.”

  Anger flashed in Tristian’s eyes, his mouth set in a thin grim line. The vein at his temple bulged out, threatening to burst. He shifted his gaze from Hannah, who had her arm around him, to Bruce. “You’ve got some balls, coming in here like…”

  Stefan grabbed Bruce’s arm. “I’ve some shirts that may fit you, my lord.” Ignoring Hannah and Tristian’s scathing look, he said, “Let’s go to my room and try them on.” That gives Tim and Gavin a chance to leave the kitchen, transform, and get dressed privately.