Touch of the Angel (Demons of Infernum, #3)

by Rosalie Lario

  “Expecting someone else?” he asked. Ronin, no doubt. She probably thought she had his brother wrapped around her pinky finger. Hell, sort of seemed like she did.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  He leaned against the doorjamb. “I hear Asmodeus has your mother.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, you’ll have to excuse me, but after your attempt on my brother’s life, I’m not feeling too trusting. I’m here to see if you’re lying or not.”

  Her eyes widened and she rose to her feet, tugging down the sides of her dress. Yup, definitely hiding something. She seemed scared as hell, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  Before she could back up more than a few steps, he approached.

  Amara gasped. “Please don’t touch me—”

  Taeg grasped her arms, forcing her to meet his eyes. He activated his charming ability, the familiar hum of energy flowing through his ears, and she relaxed into his touch, her eyes going wide and unfocused. “Is it true that Asmodeus has your mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is why you work for him? No other reason?”

  “That’s right. No other reason.”

  Well, damn. He supposed he couldn’t hate her too much for that. He started to loosen his grip.

  But then, come to think of it, she’d already said Asmodeus hadn’t assigned her Ronin, that she’d almost killed him on her own. So now he was back to hating the bitch. He dug his fingers into her arms. “Do you have any plans for hurting Ronin, or anyone else here?”

  “No.” Even though she was compelled to respond, he could still hear the undertone of horror in her voice, see it in her dilating eyes. She meant what she said. Every word.

  “Okay.” He relaxed, about to release her, when a low growl made him pause.

  Ronin’s voice, low and almost inhuman in his anger, made the hair on the back of Taeg’s neck stand on end. “What the devil is going on here?”

  Shit. Taeg hadn’t been quite as sneaky as he’d thought. He let go of Amara, who scampered away, wide-eyed, and turned to face Ronin head-on. “Listen bro, I—”

  That was as far as he got before Ronin shot across the room and shoved him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Taeg’s temper roused. He pushed back, instinctively resorting to the native language he and his brothers rarely spoke anymore. “Seeing if she was telling the truth. Did you think I was gonna take her word for it?”

  “You should have told me that you wanted to talk to her.”

  “What, I have to ask your permission now? Fuck off.”

  Ronin bared his teeth at him and pinned him against the wall, reminding Taeg how effing strong his brother could be. Then again, he was broader and several inches taller.

  “I don’t want you terrorizing her,” Ronin said. “She’s been through enough.”

  “She’s a killer, bro. It’s her nature; she’s a succubus. If you’d stop thinking with your little brain for one second, you’d remember that.”

  Amara approached and placed a hand on Ronin’s arm. “He’s only trying to protect you, Ronin. He loves you. I’d do the same if you were my family.”

  Ronin’s eyes traveled to her face. To Taeg’s shock, the tension melted from his body. When he nodded and let go, a sense of calm radiated outward and washed over Taeg. “You’re right.”

  What the hell? A mere touch from Amara and his missing calming ability had returned? Huh. Funny thing was, Ronin hadn’t even seemed to notice.

  Taeg opened his mouth to mention it, but then changed his mind. All of this bore some further thought.

  “Did you find the answers you were searching for?” Ronin asked.

  “Yeah. She’s telling the truth about her mother.”

  “I know that, jackass.”

  Taeg cast one last considering glance at Amara, who hadn’t taken her eyes off Ronin the entire time. Huh.

  “I want to talk to you in the living room.” Taeg left to give them a moment of privacy.

  §

  Ronin waited until his brother left before turning back to Amara. Damn, she was so beautiful. He brushed a strand of hair off her face, then caressed her soft cheek. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” She pressed her cheek into his hand. “He loves you very much. All your brothers do. You can’t blame them for being protective. Especially given what I am.”

  “Maybe, but he needs to lay off.” For some reason he couldn’t even fathom, he longed to shield her from pain. To make her feel happy. “My brothers and I are going back to Asmodeus’s townhouse tonight. We’re going to check for weaknesses, see if we can formulate a plan to get your mother out of there, and that band off you.”

  She gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you. I wish I knew of any weaknesses in his invisible shield, but I don’t. I’m afraid when it comes to helpful information on Asmodeus, I’m completely useless.”

  “You’re not at all useless.”

  Her eyes grew unfocused and the scent of her awakening arousal settled over him. With a muffled curse, he turned to leave before he could do something stupid. Like jump her bones.

  Ronin found Taeg and Dagan on the narrow balcony, murmuring to each other in low tones as they leaned over the railing. Their conversation halted when he walked in, and they turned to face him. Okay, so they were talking about him.

  “What’s your problem with Amara?” he asked without preamble.

  “Are you kidding me?” Taeg gave him an incredulous glance. “The woman almost killed you. That’s my problem.”

  “You know that wasn’t her fault. Asmodeus keeps her imprisoned and barely fed. She was acting on pure instinct.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m beginning to realize that,” Taeg muttered.

  “But she still did it,” Dagan said. “She’s dangerous.”

  Ronin stared at them. “That’s why you two don’t like her?”

  “Not the only reason.” Taeg let out a weary sigh. “She stole your mojo, bro.”

  “My...what?”

  Dagan nodded. “You haven’t been the same ever since the incident. That’s no secret. You’re weaker.”

  Ronin growled at that, but Dagan ignored him. “On top of that, you’re always on edge and you lost your calming ability. It’s like she drained it right out of you.”

  “Except she didn’t.” Taeg turned to Dagan. “He used it few moments ago.”

  “I did?” Ronin took a step back.

  “When Amara touched you. I had the feeling you didn’t notice.”

  Dagan muttered something under his breath before speaking up. “What does that mean?”

  “Beats me,” Ronin said.

  Taeg gave him a meaningful glance. “It means she’s sort of good for you, bro.”

  “No.” Dagan’s fingers tightened on the railing. “She’s still a succubus.”

  A pitying expression crossed Taeg’s face, and he placed a hand on Ronin’s shoulder. “I’m afraid that’s true. Maybe one day Cresso will find that cure he’s been searching for, but that hasn’t happened yet. It may never happen. And until then...”

  Any relationship Ronin might seek to have with Amara was doomed.

  Hell. Even putting aside the fact that he’d sworn off serious relationships the day his father had claimed him, they were right.

  Why couldn’t life ever be easy?

  §

  Amara sat at the edge of Ronin’s bed and stared out at the night scene through the glorious windows. The lights from the neighboring buildings appeared to twinkle, making her feel like she was in some sort of urban fairyland. She could stare at this view for the rest of her life without tiring of it. It was so phenomenal
that she hadn’t even once turned on the small flat-screen television hanging on Ronin’s wall.

  Ronin and his brothers should have arrived at Asmodeus’s townhouse by now. If they were lucky, they’d uncover something new about Asmodeus. She didn’t hold out much hope that they could help her, at least not on a permanent basis. Not as long as she wore this gold band around her wrist. But maybe they’d find a way to help Solara. Somehow.

  The murmur of voices sounded from outside Ronin’s bedroom, but she paid them no mind. Ronin had brought someone in to watch her while they were gone, a panther-shifter named Bram. The man had to be six-foot-five, and he had muscles a bodybuilder would envy. Quite handsome, though he was no match for Ronin in her eyes. He’d probably turned on the television in the living room or something.

  The voices grew closer, sounding distinctly feminine. When her door crashed open, Amara shot to her feet and faced the doorway, backing up toward the wall of windows.

  Two women stood on the other side of the threshold, staring curiously at her. They were both beautiful, and human if she guessed right. One was petite and curvaceous with long, dark hair and golden skin. The other was almost as tall as Amara. She had honey-colored hair and was slender, with the exception of the large belly extending in front of her. She looked like she was going to give birth at any minute.

  A distraught Bram appeared behind them. “I don’t think Keegan is going to like this.”

  “You can tell him I beat you up, if you think it’ll help,” the petite woman said before stepping into the room. She carried a duffel bag slung over one shoulder, and she carelessly dropped it to the floor.

  The pregnant woman walked in behind her and closed the door in Bram’s face.

  Amara stared at them silently, until it became clear neither of them was going to speak first. She cleared her throat. “Um...hello. I’m Amara.”

  “I’m Maya,” the petite woman said.

  “And I’m Brynn.” The pregnant woman winced and placed a hand on the small of her back.

  “Are you okay?” Amara hovered in place, uncertain whether or not she should try to help. She didn’t know many human women. They made her nervous.

  “I’m fine. I need to sit, though.” Brynn wandered over to the bed and sat with her back to the headboard, maneuvering two heavy pillows behind her for support.

  Maya surveyed Amara up and down. “You don’t seem like a coldhearted killer to me.”

  Her words made Amara blink. To her surprise, a giggle tore out of Amara’s throat. Hearing it, Maya relaxed, the corners of her mouth tugging upward.

  “I’m engaged to Ronin’s brother, Taeg.” Maya headed toward the bed and took a seat close to Brynn.

  “I’m married to Keegan, the oldest. And the most hardheaded,” Brynn said.

  Maya laughed. “I think you’ll get some argument from me there. They can all be pretty hardheaded.”

  The easy camaraderie between Brynn and Maya made Amara’s chest tighten with a sharp ache. Was that envy?

  “Congratulations on your upcoming addition,” she said to Brynn. “Do you know the sex?”

  “No, we want to be surprised.” Brynn changed the subject with surprising ease. “We hear this Asmodeus character is holding your mother captive and that he’s forcing you to kill.”

  Wow, that was blunt. “Yes.”

  “Bummer.” Maya gestured toward the other side of the bed and Amara hesitated before sinking down. She kept as close to the edge as possible.

  “We have to admit, we don’t know as much about the biology of sex demons as we’d like to,” Brynn said. “And the men aren’t being too forthcoming right now.”

  “No, they’re in full hunter mode, which means minimal talking,” Maya added. “Damned annoying, it is.”

  “Okay.” Amara rubbed her hands along the bottom of her dress, tugging on the fabric in a vain attempt to add more length to the material. “What do you want to know?”

  “How does it work?” Maya asked. “I mean, I know you drain the life essence of your sexual partners, right?”

  “Not exactly.” Amara fought back her shame at the memory of what she’d done to Ronin. “It’s true that I absorb some of my partners’ life essence through sex, but I don’t drain all of it.”

  “Then what is it that happens? How do they die?”

  Maya and Brynn seemed so interested, in a clinical way, that it didn’t occur to Amara to be embarrassed. “Here’s how Solara—my mother—explained it to me. All beings are born with only a certain amount of life essence, or soul energy. Once that is used up, you die. Sex demons metabolize this energy. By the time we reach sexual maturity our bodies no longer have much in store. For sex demons, the act of sex not only transfers some of our partner’s life force to us, but it also activates certain chemicals in our bodies that cause more of our own life essence to form.”

  Brynn nodded. “Okay. Sex creates energy-inducing chemicals. Got it so far.”

  “The problem is that the chemicals our bodies produce are deadly to anyone but other sex demons,” Amara explained. “Sex kills our partners pretty quickly. Usually.”

  Maya cocked a brow. “Ronin got pretty damn lucky then, didn’t he?”

  Another burst of shame caused Amara to duck her head. “Yes. He did.”

  After a moment Brynn said, “No one’s blaming you. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to be kept as a prisoner and starved.”

  That was nice of her to say, but it didn’t change the fact that Amara had nearly killed Ronin.

  “Can I see your band?” Brynn asked.

  Maya bit her lip. “Brynn, I don’t think you shou—”

  “Come on, they’re only memories.”

  Amara tried to puzzle out their conversation. But when they both turned their gazes back on her, she shrugged and scooted closer to Brynn, holding out her arm. “Be forewarned, it’s very unpleasant to the touch.”

  Brynn closed her fingers around the band on Amara’s wrist, and gasped. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head lowered, almost like she was in a trance. Several seconds later, she flinched and cried out, doubling over.

  “Oh no. Brynn!” Maya cried out, closing her hands around Brynn’s arms and helping her back onto the pillows.

  “No. What have I done?” Amara covered her mouth in horror.

  Brynn’s lashes fluttered. “No.”

  “Brynn? Brynn! Are you okay?” Maya shook Brynn’s arm, panic on her face.

  “No. I...” Brynn’s eyes opened. She blinked a few times and tried to sit. Maya helped her up. “I’m okay. I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” Maya asked.

  Brynn colored. “Yes. Just...that was unexpectedly horrifying.”

  “I don’t understand,” Amara said. “What did I do?”

  “You didn’t do anything.” Maya shot Brynn an aggravated glare. “Brynn was being stupid.”

  “I have psychometric abilities,” Brynn confessed, lowering her gaze to her stomach. “I read some of the memories embedded on your band.”

  “You...read...”

  The full weight of Brynn’s words hit her hard. Turning her back on them, Amara hopped off the bed and headed toward the window, staring blindly out of it. The thought that Brynn had seen the memories of some of the things she’d done...worse, some of the things Asmodeus had done to her...she was so ashamed.

  “I’m sorry,” Brynn said. “I shouldn’t have done that without asking first. I promise I never will again.”

  The regret in Brynn’s voice was so honest that Amara found herself nodding. “Okay.”

  Amara faced them. “Do you see now why I fear for Ronin’s safety where Asmodeus is concerned?”

  “Yes, I do,” Brynn said. “But you need to understand this: Ronin, Keegan, Taeg, and Dagan—they can be p
retty frightening when they want to be.”

  “And they are so gonna kick that demon’s evil ass,” Maya added.

  To Amara’s surprise, the muscles in her mouth quivered and a laugh came tumbling out. “That sounds like a dream come true.”

  Maya tilted her head, studying Amara. “You know, you’re not at all a bad person. And believe me, I can tell bad when it comes to demons. I’ve spent the past six months perfecting that ability.”

  “What do you mean?” Amara asked.

  “My parents were killed by demons when I was a kid. Until I met Taeg, I thought all demons were evil. Now, I know how to spot the good ones from the bad ones.”

  Amara got the sense that Maya was far tougher than she appeared. “What happened to the demons who murdered your parents?”

  “Haven’t found them yet. But when I do...” She broke out in a wicked smile that made her seem positively scary.

  “Best of luck to you.” She stepped away from the windows, pausing to tug down her hem.

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Brynn said. “Our excuse for coming here.”

  “What’s that?” Amara asked.

  Maya bounded up and grabbed the duffel bag she’d set down earlier. She plunked it on the bed and unzipped it. “We brought you some clothing. Ronin said you were close to Brynn’s height and size, so we’ve got some of hers in here.”

  “Pre-pregnancy, of course.” Brynn surveyed her. “Though I’m afraid they’ll be a bit snug, and the bras won’t do at all. You’ve got way more curves than I do.”

  “You brought me clothes?” A small part of Amara’s heart, a part that she hadn’t even known existed, gave a sharp pang. No one had ever given her clothes. She turned away before they could see the growing mist in her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Brynn said. “Now...let’s take our time having you try them on. I can just imagine Bram dying a little inside with every passing moment we remain in here against Keegan’s orders.”

  She said the last three words so melodramatically that Amara couldn’t help but laugh. “Believe me, I can be slow.”