Her gaze moves over me and clings to my hair. I see a bit of disappointment in her eyes, but I think she realizes that as a tiny woman, I’m likely not the man they’re looking for. “If I were you, I’d keep going. This is the fourth kid to disappear in the last two weeks. Maybe it’s just been kids so far, but I wouldn’t bet on the fact that this creep won’t take a tiny thing like you.”
I draw my shoulders back, deciding instantly that I have an excuse to be searching for my target. “Actually, I think I’m going to join the search party.”
Her brows rise. “You sure?”
I nod.
“Well, Cindy will appreciate it. Bob is handing out flashlights, and the kid’s name is Jennifer.” She points me to Bob, who sure enough is handing out flashlights.
I go to him. “Hi, I’m Em, and I can help.”
He hesitates, then nods and hands me a flashlight. “We’ll all start behind her house and spread out.”
Yes, that’s where I will start. But after that, I’d follow my instincts. If my target was here recently, which it sounds like he was, I have no doubt I’ll find him soon.
And those kids better be alive.
I might be planning on killing him either way, but I’ll make sure to make it slow if he’d hurt any innocents.
Chapter 7
Narath
* * *
I don’t like the sound of the police sirens. I don’t like much about this world. Rokad says I’ll get used to it, but he doesn’t say what we both already know, I didn’t get used to it last time. My demon half was simply too powerful, and its call for death and violence too strong.
Being bespelled into sleep was a terrible thing. Like dying. But I’d understood, they’d done it to keep the world safe.
From me.
This time I want to do better. But I can already feel the darkness calling to me. It hungers for death and violence.
And it doesn’t like this loud world crawling with humans.
I’ve tried to explain it to Rokad. The way everything feels grey, until there’s a loud noise or bright lights, and then it’s overwhelming. I feel… I feel like a snake that is somewhere between dead and alive, caught in a strange hibernation, until my senses are overwhelmed by the world, and then I’m instantly ready to strike.
Usually at the wrong things.
I need to tell Rokad I have to go back to slumber. I need to tell him waking me up was a mistake. I might be good at hunting monsters, but I’m almost a monster myself. And if we wait too long, one day my brothers might be hunting me.
Yes, it’s time, even though just the thought of returning to my undead slumber makes me feel sick and afraid. My demon side is screaming to be released inside of me, and I don’t know how much longer I can control it. So, I have to do what I know is right.
Besides, I’d die a thousand deaths if it lept Lucas and Rokad safe.
I’ll tell them after this mission. I know that both Rokad and Lucas will be crushed, but I cannot become a danger to them. I will not become a danger to them.
I’m about to shrink away further into the woods, away from the police, and their flashing lights and loud sirens, when some movement in the woods makes me freeze. My hands closearound the hilt of my sword, and I hold my breath, hoping it’s the beast that’s been stealing children.
But it’s not. It’s the woman.
And just like the last time, she stands out from the grey of this world. She’s like a beacon of light, and that light overwhelms me. It makes me want to crumble to my knees before her and worship her like a goddess.
I don’t understand it. I don’t know what this is. My brothers are the only other things in this world with a light like hers, only, her light is brighter… more colorful.
For a minute, I just watch her weaving through the trees. She has a flashlight in one hand, but she doesn’t turn it on. She takes a few steps, freezes, then chooses a direction and keeps walking. When she is out of my sight, I lightly leap from the tree branch and use my wings to slow my fall. Making no sound, I follow in the direction of the strange woman.
I am more fascinated by her than I lust to kill the monster. It’s a strange and unexpected feeling.
For quite some time, I follow her, catching a glimpse of her, waiting to be sure she doesn’t see me, then continue to follow her. My heart beats fast the entire time, and that something inside of me that scares me is silent. Just as transfixed by her as I am.
And then, I can’t find her.
Panic uncurls inside of me. The beast within me roars to life, and my hands curl into fists so hard I hear my knuckles cracking. I start moving faster. I can feel the muscles in my neck tightening, and my body expanding. Since awakening, I feel terror every time the beast within me awakens, but it’s never been like this… like I’m so close to exploding that I’m going to kill anything and everything.
Suddenly, I’m struck, knocked to the ground so hard it leaves my head spinning. And then, the woman, the source of the light, is on top of me. Her hand has claws, and she presses those claws against my throat, her eyes glowing with a golden light.
Beneath her skin, I see it. Flames. Lava. Something moving under her flesh.
And even though I should be scared, I’m not. Because the demon inside of me has calmed. My control slowly returns. And it’s so unlike what I expected that I’m left silent, bewitched. My demon side should be tearing her apart right now, but it’s not, it almost seems… content. Like a cat being pet.
“Why the hell are you following me?” she hisses, a threat in her voice.
I don’t know what to say. Because I’m bespelled by her? Because my demon half is fascinated by her? I can’t say anything like that. No one outside of our Brotherhood, our grandfather, and that damned phoenix, knows about our other half.
“Speak!” she orders.
“The children.”
She stares at me like I’m a fool.
“The children. And the creature.”
She lifts a brow and sits back just a little. “You’re the other gargoyle. Rokad’s brother.”
I nod.
“And friend to the phoenix?”
I snarl. “I am no friend to a phoenix.”
Her eyes narrow. “Why? He seemed pleasant enough.”
“Phoenixes and gargoyles are enemies,” I growl, and my demon half whispers for me to kill him.
Not killing him is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
She leans closer to me and my gaze goes to her cleavage. I feel my body heat up in a way it never has before, and all my blood rushes to my cock. A groan slips from my lips, and her eyes widen in shock.
“What the hell is it with you gargoyles?” her question is a whisper, almost as if she’s asking herself.
“I want you.” The words explode from my mouth before I can stop them.
Her eyes glow brighter. “Do you?” And her voice is an erotic purr.
She reaches between us with her free hand and grips my cock through my jeans. “I want you too. But I shouldn’t… the lust.”
I don’t understand. But I understand lust. I understand wanting. Even a virgin gargoyle knows those things. How many nights had I spent in my youth stroking my cock and imagining being inside of a wet, willing female?
And this one… my body is demanding.
Her claws move away from my throat, and she leans down and kisses me. I kiss her back, roughly at first, biting lightly, licking lightly.
A small laugh slips from her mouth. “No, like this,” she whispers.
And she shows me. She teaches me. She wants light biting. She wants my tongue tangling with her own. She wants hard kisses and hands running over her body. And I want to give her it all.
We touch each other. We taste each other. And the demon inside of me is cheering.
My demon has never been happy. Not unless I was killing.
Maybe I should be afraid, but I’m too aroused to be afraid.
And then, I hear a noise. We both turn at o
nce, and that fucking phoenix Conley is there.
“Go!” I roar at him.
His eyes widen.
This woman surprises me. “No, let him stay.”
I feel my demon urging me to come inside of her. Urging me to claim her. But my hatred of the phoenix is strong. “You want him to watch?” My words are an angry growl.
“I want him to touch me too,” she whispers.
“No,” I tell her, but she reaches between us and undoes my jeans. “No,” I whisper, the anger fading from my voice as she pulls my cock free.
“He’s like me,” she whispers into my ear, lightly biting my earlobe. “We should be enemies. You and him should be enemies. But we’re not. Are we? And maybe you aren’t his enemy either.”
Her words tangle together. There is nothing but her hand around my cock. I’m panting, my head spinning.
“Can you share me, my big gargoyle?”
And when my woman asks me such a thing, there’s only one answer. “Yes.”
She looks back at him. “Conley, join us.”
He moves closer, and I watch the phoenix, expecting the rage that usually comes with his presence to awaken inside of me. But it doesn’t. In fact, my demon wants him to hurry up, so we can taste our woman now.
“Join you?” he asks, his voice small in the darkness as his gaze seeks mine.
“Make this woman ours,” I growl.
And I don’t even care when he starts to undress, because she undresses too. I don’t care that we’re getting naked in the dark woods. I don’t care that this phoenix should be my enemy. No, nothing matters but this woman who is a light in the darkness, who fascinates my demon side.
Who makes me feel as tame as a kitten.
He’s naked when she is, and he stands near us with his erection straining. For a moment, it seems that he’s not a phoenix, and I’m not a gargoyle, we’re both simply moths drawn to her flame.
“Be gentle,” she whispers.
As if we could be anything but gentle with a woman who is everything. “If he isn’t gentle, I’ll kill him,” I promise.
She kisses me again, long and hard, then breaks her lips from mine and beckons the phoenix closer. He sits down awkwardly beside me, and then she leans over and kisses him too. At any other time, I think I might kill him. I think my jealousy might take control.
But not this time. Her breasts fall into my face, and then I’m sucking them, licking them, biting them gently, and filling my hands with them. He can have her lips. For now. Because the rest of her is mine.
She begins to rub against my cock, and my breath is coming in and out hard. I don’t know what to do. But somehow, I trust that she’ll tell me. This woman. This woman who calms my demon and makes my hatred of the phoenix fade.
Her body is so wet and ready. A place that beckons for me in a way that I’ve never felt before. Every instinct screams to push deeply inside of her, but I hold myself back.
I’d promised to be gentle. I’d die before breaking my promise.
And then, her lips break from Conley’s, and she pulls away from me, so that I can no longer touch her breasts. Frustration explodes within me, and a growl escapes from my lips, but she only smiles and looks at the phoenix.
“Can I… Can I suck your cock?”
“He’s not a fucking moron,” explodes from my lips, and they’re both staring at me. “Of course he wants you to suck his cock.”
Conley doesn’t say anything, but he climbs to his knees.
And never in my life have I felt anything like this. As her soft lips close around his dick, my entire body jerks. Had I thought I hated the phoenix? Then why am I enjoying watching my woman suck him?
There’s no logic to this.
Her body continues to rub against mine while I watch her sucking the phoenix. And then, she adjusts, positioning my tip at her opening. Again, it’s a new and welcome sensation. This tiny woman taking my shaft inch by inch into her tight channel. Several times I think I might explode, and then, she comes to my hilt.
I’m panting. Losing control.
Which is exactly when she starts to work me. Hard. Over and over again she bounces on top of me, while I thrust like mad, trying to lose control, and keep control, all at once.
When I explode, I don’t know how to feel. Ashamed I went so fast. Or just enjoy the pleasure that crashes through me, darkening my vision, and leaving me feeling weak and strange.
Her lips break from Conley’s dick, and she whispers, “your hot cum feels… oh god, so good inside of me.”
I don’t know what to say. I can’t say anything.
She runs her nails down my chest, then pulls my cock free and turns around on top of me. “Conley, finish me,” she begs.
It’s strange as he climbs on top of her. He enters her body. He kisses her. And I should be jealous. I should be angry.
But the whole damn thing is hot.
I feel my dick harden again as they begin to thrust against each other. Her moans fill the air, and my hands move to cup her breasts, playing with her nipples. Her body jerks and I enjoy knowing that I’m adding to her pleasure.
She’s suddenly crying out, orgasming, and the phoenix moves harder and harder against her until his groaning fills the air. I feel myself explode against her ass, and I clench my teeth as I ride the waves of yet another orgasm.
This is nothing like what I thought.
It feels as if a bond has been made. Between her and I. Between her and the phoenix. And between the three of us. I don’t understand it, and fuck, I don’t know if I need to.
She shifts between us, pushing against the phoenix. He rolls to his side, and she stands. The little woman is dressing in a rush before I can even feel my legs.
“I have to go,” she says, then she’s running as she calls. “Thanks.”
I don’t have a fucking clue what just happened. It feels like a dream. I turn to the phoenix, his gaze snaps from where she’s hurrying away to me.
“Thanks?” he asks, sounding as confused as I feel.
My teeth clench together. “We need to dress. And then, we need to get our woman.”
He shakes his head, frowning. “She’s not ours. I know this is new to you, but we don’t want to come on too strong.”
“Maybe you don’t,” I snarl. But if I succeed in not throwing her over my shoulder and running away with her, I’ll be controlling myself.
Sitting up, I search for my clothes. This woman, whoever she is, whatever she is, now, she’s mine.
Chapter 8
Empusa
* * *
What the fuck is wrong with me? Seriously! I’m a virgin one night, and then I’m eagerly fucking three guys the next moment? My head is screaming at me that this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. That the gargoyles are my enemies, at least in a traditional sense, and they might not be so kind if they found out what I am.
So why do I want more?
It feels like the lustful beast inside of me has awakened, and now I can’t contain her. When this mission is done, I’m going to need to beat it across the country and get as far from the gargoyles as possible before I lose my way and allow my darker cravings to take over.
I just wish my fucking body agreed with me. My hard nipples and wet body are screaming for me to go back and see what else those gargoyles could do to me. I feel like I’m trapped in some kind of nightmare, that feels more like a dream, where I just want to lay down in the forest, spread eagle, and let the gargoyles do what they want to me.
But some fucking monster stole a child tonight, so I need to find a way to control my demon side and stay focused. This is my only reason for living now. Not the desire to ride big cocks.
I keep repeating those words to myself over and over again as I rush through the woods, following my instincts. Following that sense that whispers that a dark soul is somewhere ahead of me.
It almost seems fitting when I find the cave. This is the place that I could see a cyclops hiding out in, surrou
nded by piles of bones of children. There’s a huge rock to one side of the cave, and a distant memory claws at the back of my thoughts.
But there’s only one way to find this monster, and it’s by going into this creepy cave. So, I take a deep breath and inch into the darkness within.
My unique abilities mean that I can see in the dark. Not perfectly, but I can make out general shapes. My claws elongate, and I sense someone breathing not far ahead.
I creep slowly through the cave, going deeper and deeper inside. Up ahead, I see a huge shape on the ground. The cyclops! And, it seems to be sleeping.
My eyes narrow, and I inch closer. Kneeling down slowly in front of it, I reach out and lightly touch its chest… and I’m hit with the brightest of souls. Like the other gargoyle, the beauty of it is overwhelming. It sings inside of me, and I know that this isn’t the cyclops, not a chance.
Grabbing the flashlight I’d tucked into my back pocket, I turn the light on… and spot the third gargoyle.
Fuck. He’s pretty banged up. Breathing, but unconscious.
Which means that I’m in the right place. I’ve just found the wrong person.
Shutting off the flashlight, I don’t move. I study the shadows all around me, trying to get a sense of the cyclops. Trying to get a sense of if he’s in here with us right now. But after a moment, I’m one hundred percent sure we’re alone. The cyclops likely attacked this gargoyle and ran.
Which means I need to wake this guy up and get him to safety, before the bastard returns.
So, I shake the man. Over and over again. But he doesn’t move. I slap him. Still no response.
Not sure what else to do, I reach down and start to stroke his dick.
I swear, that’s the move to wake up any man, because his body instantly tenses, and then he’s on me. His big body crushes the air from my lungs, and he looms over me, his face inches from me.
“Wait,” his voice is groggy. “You’re… you’re that woman.”
“Em,” cracks out of my lips.
He sits up straighter, and then his voice comes out in a rush. “We need to get out of here. Before it’s too late.”
Empusa's Hunger: A Reverse Harem Romance (Monsters and Gargoyles Book 8) Page 4