The Entity Who Came for Christmas (entity series)

by Cat Devon

  “Peace and quiet, you mean? If so, they won’t find it here,” Pru said. “This place is full of tourists.”

  “And demons?” Lawrence asked. “After all, Damon and Simon are hunters.”

  Personally Pru thought that one of the ice sculptors looked like he could be a demon, with his stained flannel shirt and tattoo-laden burly arms. He’d created a lacy ice snowflake design that looked more angelic than demonic. But maybe that was to throw them off.

  “If you were worried about demons, you shouldn’t have hired them as mercenaries,” Simon told Lawrence.

  Lawrence shrugged. “Good help is hard to find. As it turns out, it was an experiment gone wrong and you may have done us a favor by destroying them.”

  Was that why they’d all been high-fiving each other at the ice rink last night? Here she’d been afraid Simon was in danger and instead they were all buddy-buddy now? If she lived forever, she’d never understand vampires.

  “Since I did a favor for the Gold Coast clan, do one for me. Stop following us,” Simon said with a dangerously hard edge to his voice.

  “Or?” Lawrence said.

  “You don’t want to find out.” Simon turned his back and walked away, dragging Pru with him.

  Zoe hurried after them. “Wait up!”

  “I told you to keep your mouth shut.” Simon’s anger was reflected in his expression as he glared down at Pru before Zoe joined them.

  ”Is there a problem?” Zoe asked.

  Simon flashed his charming smile. Pru knew him well enough to recognize that it wasn’t real. His real smile could almost make you forgive him anything. Except walking out on her in London. Okay, she might even have forgiven that if he hadn’t had sex with her simply because she was a descendant of Morgan Le Fay’s. He’d told her as much. And been rather proud of himself in doing so.

  What witch wouldn’t curse him? Actually, she hadn’t realized at the time that she had the power to truly curse him. Normally that didn’t happen. Not between a witch and a vampire. But because of her ties to Morgan and his to Merlin, their situation was different.

  Yes, she’d wanted to teach him a lesson, but if the truth be told, she hadn’t cast the curse in a premeditated manner. He’d hurt her so badly she’d reacted instinctively. She was the one who should have learned a lesson, because despite everything that had happened between them, that kiss last night had proved she still had feelings for him.

  There was no telling what Simon’s feelings for her might be. He certainly wasn’t telling her.

  “We’re fine,” Simon told Zoe. “Go stay with Damon.”

  And leave us alone. He hadn’t said the words, but Zoe got the message. After checking with Pru, who nodded, Zoe left.

  Pru was suddenly distracted by a strong sense of … something. Something aside from Simon. Something powerful. Something from their world, not the mortal one.

  “It’s close by,” Pru said.

  “How close by?” Simon demanded. Looking over her shoulder, he scanned the area with narrowed eyes. “Down this aisle?” He pointed left. “Or that one?” He pointed right. “There have to be dozens of bloody ice sculptures here.”

  “I don’t know.” His anger was getting to her. “What am I, your personal compass? Your magical GPS?”

  “Stay focused,” he said curtly. “Which of these ice sculptures seems suspicious to you?”

  “The one with a naked mermaid on top of Santa’s sleigh seems in suspicious taste to me,” she said before very quietly adding, “I don’t have the ability to sense demons the way you do.”

  “I know.” He took her hand in his with such gentleness that she wondered if it was his way of apologizing. “Let’s check out Santa’s naked helper.”

  As they got closer, Pru realized the mermaid wasn’t actually nude. There was the impression of a bandeau top across her ample breasts. Which made sense, given that this was a family event and there were kids in the crowd. Pru was impressed with the detail on the scales of the mermaid’s tail.

  The sculpture was certainly different from the other representations of snowmen, snowflakes, and Santa with his sleigh.

  Holiday Gift from the Waves was the title. Vin Roget was listed as the artist.

  “I’m not picking up anything,” Simon said. “What about you?”

  She was picking up plenty and it was all tied to Simon’s hand holding hers, his skin against hers, his fingers intertwined with hers. This wasn’t the first time he’d touched her since his return. He’d put his hand on the back of her neck the night before at the ice rink. And he’d done the same a few minutes ago when faced with the Gold Coast vamps.

  Those gestures had been about possession. But him holding her hand now was different. It reminded her of their time in London, dodging raindrops as they’d left Vicki and Al’s place, otherwise known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, in a downpour. Sharing tea at the Ritz. Sharing his bed in his hotel room for days on end.

  The attraction had been instant and irresistible. At least on her part. And as much as she’d hoped that things were different now, that powerful sexual bond between them had not dimmed at all.

  Pru returned her attention to the ice sculpture. There was something about it … a mermaid, tied to the lure of the water, to dangerous sirens luring sailors to harm, to lighthouses to protect the men from crashing onto the rocks.

  She looked out on the choppy waters of the lake. The city was living up to its windy title today.

  Then she saw it. “There.” Pru pointed to the lighthouse sitting offshore on a breakwall. “It could be there.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The lighthouse, with its red roof and tower, was detached from the mainland, which would have made getting to it a challenge unless you were a vampire. Or a witch. Or a demon. Or a bunch of demons.

  They swarmed overhead the instant Simon and Pru arrived. She felt like she’d just stepped into Hitchcock’s classic The Birds. As they swooped closer, she saw they looked more like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. Shit. That image was in her Top Five list of personal terrors. Shit, shit, shit. She quickly did a demon protection spell that Zoe had told her about, but for some reason it wasn’t working on these demons.

  “They are Ancients!” Simon shouted above the piercing whirring the demons’ flight created.

  “Mordred sent us to retrieve his sword Excalibur. We are his followers,” they chanted in unison.

  “It’s not his. It never was!” Simon yelled at them, slashing those who came too close with his demon daggers. He had one in each hand.

  As the Ancients continued to descend, one swooped lower and knocked Pru down. The impact knocked the breath out of her, leaving her unable to speak. She scrambled over the uneven ground, trying to escape.

  Seeing her fall, Simon howled and went full vamp. His fangs were fully emerged and ready to rip the demon to shreds. But a slew of Ancients landed between him and Pru, flapping their razor-sharp wings and preventing him from getting to her.

  They dragged their claws across his chest, ripping away his clothing and slashing his skin. Still he battled on, coming closer to the rocky edge of the breakwall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. Excalibur. There amidst the frosty rocks, embedded in the ice with the hilt of the sword sticking out.

  Warding off the blows and claws, he leapt toward Excalibur. Gripping the hilt in his hands, he could feel the power generated by the legendary weapon. It traveled up his arm to his core, but as hard as Simon yanked on it, he couldn’t pull Excalibur free.

  “You have to believe,” Pru called out even as she struggled with the terror consuming her at the onslaught of demons surrounding her.

  “Believe, Demon Hunter,” they mocked him before tearing the Santa hat from Pru’s head. “Believe I am going to kill your witch.” One had her by the hair now as he yanked her head back. “Watch me.”

  Roaring his rage, Simon abandoned Excalibur to save her. The demons immediately tossed her aside and focused on Simon. She almost
fell onto the rocks and into the lake but somehow managed to prevent herself from slipping. This was not the time to wish she knew how to swim.

  Her head was still ringing from making contact with the ground. She crawled toward Excalibur and tried to pull it free but couldn’t. She lacked the strength or the power or the belief or something. But she still had her boots. She kicked a demon who tried to stop her and get to the sword. He went tumbling, horned head over clawed heels, before bursting into flames. One down, forty to go. Yes, her boots were spelled to be a weapon, but her magic was no match for these Ancients’ demon power. She couldn’t kick them fast enough. There were simply too many.

  “Save yourself!” Simon shouted at her. He was covered in demons, crawling all over him, slashing him with their claws and rancid teeth.

  “I’m not leaving you. I love you, dammit!” She refused to let him die. She would not use her powers, severely dwindled as they were from the continued battle, to transport her away. She wasn’t able to transport Simon with her. It killed her that she couldn’t do more to help him, but, aside from her boots, nothing she did, no spell she cast, had any effect on these demons.

  “How sweet,” a demon drawled as she was pinned down by a bunch of Ancients. “You love him.” He started choking her. “Too bad for you. Too bad for him.”

  Tears blurred her vision as she watched Simon continue to fight on but weaken with each additional injury they inflicted upon him. Blood poured from his wounds until he was completely vanquished. The screaming demonic horde took Simon by the arms and legs and tossed him over the edge of the lake.

  Nooooo! Her scream was silent as she couldn’t speak because the demon strangling her continued his pressure. Her throat was closing up and she was about to black out. Simon was gone. Her heart was broken. She wanted to destroy those who had destroyed Simon, but she was losing consciousness.

  She closed her eyes and remembered Simon as she’d first met him, standing outside the hotel in London, bumping into her and smiling that endearing smile of his. Had she fallen for him then and there? Yes. He was the one. The only one for her.

  Swirls of red filled her mind. Her eyes fluttered open one last time … to see Simon!

  Was he real or was she imagining him? Bellowing what sounded like a battle cry, he stood with Excalibur in hand, slaying Ancients as if they were ants.

  He turned into a demon-slaying machine, slicing and dicing his way through them all with ruthless precision and power. Demon body parts went flying as they disintegrated or burst into flames. She was afraid to watch yet afraid to turn away.

  The battle was soon over.

  Dropping to his knees, Simon cradled Pru in his left arm. He kept Excalibur in his right hand as he kept a vigilant guard for more trouble.

  “How…?” she croaked, unable to say more.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He helped her stand and held her close. The demons had torn his trench coat and sweater to shreds and his wounds were still healing. His clothing and hair were wet from his being thrown into the water. Yet he’d never looked better to her.

  She felt the press of the flat side of the sword as he placed Excalibur behind the small of her back and tugged her close. The power of the legendary weapon dating back to Camelot enveloped her. She was rejuvenated.

  Her throat healed and her strength returned.

  She felt Simon tense, ready to do battle again as one remaining demon raggedly crawled up from the rocks. Putting her arm on Simon’s hand, she told him, “I’ve got this.”

  “Are you sure?” He remained poised with lethal intent.

  She nodded, feeling the need to confront her fears. “I have to do this.” Otherwise she’d have nightmares of how she hadn’t been able to fight fiercely enough. Besides, she sensed that this final demon had little fight left in him. His movements were feeble, but that could be an act. She was afraid, yes, but had a newfound sense of power that gave her the courage to make a statement. That power had come from the legendary sword, but there was no time now to think about the magical abilities of Excalibur.

  Gently setting Simon aside, she approached the demon and then kicked him in the face with such force he disintegrated. “That’s for trying to kill the vampire I love,” she growled, before looking down at her badly scuffed red bedazzled cowboy boots. “I always knew these were kick-ass boots.”

  “That was the last of the evil Ancients,” Simon said.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded.

  “Can you fly with that thing?” She pointed to Excalibur.

  He took her hand in his. “I can do better than that.” With a wave of the mighty sword, they were transported back to the loft.

  “I’m impressed,” she said.

  “You used a transport spell with your ring.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a witch and you’re—”

  “In freaking love with you,” he growled. “I almost lost you.” Before she could respond, he whisked her into the huge shower. His announcement made her hands shake, so he removed her torn clothes and his own with his vamp freaky fast speed.

  She welcomed the warm water washing over her, removing the stench of the demon battle. She also welcomed Simon’s hands on her breasts as he rubbed soap over her with intense tenderness. He then moved on to her arms and stomach and lower. He slid his slick fingers into her, creating a friction that had her climaxing again and again.

  Excalibur remained in the shower with them. The sword shimmered in the steamy confines, resting on the tiled shower floor as Simon pulled Pru against his hardness. She cupped the tip of his erection and brushed her thumb over the moist head.

  “Welcome back. I’ve missed you,” she said, running her fingers up and down his shaft.

  Simon had not only recovered Excalibur; he’d also broken the curse Pru had placed on him. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge. Instead he held her steady as she knelt down and seduced him with her tongue before taking him in her mouth. His hands massaged her scalp before clenching in her hair as sounds of his pleasure were ripped from his mouth. Then he pulled her to her feet and backed her against the tiled shower wall.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on. He felt sooooo good as he slid inside her with one powerful thrust, filling her completely. He went on to create pure rapture with each additional thrust. Her pleasure built … and built … until it was insanely wild.

  Finally, the force of their joining made the walls of her vagina clench as her orgasm took over. Her spasms grew until they were a mind-blowing force, erasing everything except for wave after wave of infinitely raw ecstasy.

  Digging her fingers into his shoulders, she screamed his name. He came soon after.

  Pru was hazy as he turned off the shower and dried her off. He carried her past a Christmas tree with white lights, no doubt a surprise from Zoe.

  Simon was Pru’s present, in all his naked magnificence. She’d seen the scars across his chest but had never asked him about them. She hadn’t wanted to pry. She still didn’t.

  She didn’t realize she was tracing them with her fingertip until Simon took her hand in his.

  He gently placed her on the huge bed and then joined her. Excalibur was on the foot of the black satin sheets.

  “Are you afraid someone is going to steal it?” she said.

  “No, it’s mine now. So are you. I won’t lose you again.” He rested his forehead against hers. “It was you. You were the tipping point,” he whispered.

  When she’d first asked him to believe, Simon had dismissed her words. He’d assumed she was asking if he had a soul or a heart. Ever since he’d slaughtered those humans after he’d first been turned, he’d been undead yet dead inside. The ability to love had been lost to him when he was no longer human. So he’d long suspected the answer was no, he had no heart and no soul. Therefore the concept of a soul mate was completely alien to him.

  Until he’d met Pru. She had changed everything.

  Even then, he’d fought it, run from i
t, denied it. Until that moment on the breakwall, when he’d been too weak to battle on. He’d seen her out of the corners of his swollen eyes and finally known what it was to believe. What it was to love. What it was to have a soul mate.

  It had almost been too late. But he’d grabbed for Excalibur on his way down into the frigid waters of the lake. The sword had come away easily, as if it had been in butter, not entombed in ice. With it, his power had returned tenfold.

  “It was you,” he said gruffly. “It wasn’t bloody magic. Hell, maybe it was. I don’t know.”

  “I thought they’d vanquished you,” she said unsteadily.

  He wiped away her tears. “They almost did.” He brushed his thumb over her parted lips. “You’re the one. My soul mate. And that changed everything. Excalibur has encircled you. And you know what that means.”

  She nodded. “So the legend is true?”

  “That soul mates protected by Excalibur live forever? Yes, it’s true.”

  “It’s what I wished for,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “Never mind,” she said, kissing his scars.

  As he took her into his arms once more, Simon could have sworn he saw something beside the Christmas tree–the shadowy image of Santa perhaps? No, it was Merlin and Morgan, holding hands before giving him a thumbs-up and then fading away. Simon knew his love for Pru would never fade. He and Pru would be together forever thanks to Excalibur’s legendary magic.

  Read on for an excerpt from Cat Devon’s next book

  LOVE YOUR ENTITY

  Coming in January 2014 from St. Martin’s Paperbacks

  CHAPTER ONE

  When Sierra Brennan opened the door to her new house in Chicago, she didn’t expect to find a naked man standing there. A very hot, sexy, well-built and well-hung man, looking like he was hungover. He made no attempt to cover up while she made every effort to keep her eyes on his face and not his privates.

  “Thank God you’re here,” a woman wearing a corset and little else said from right beside Sexy Naked Guy. Sexy Naked Trespassing Guy. “What took you so long?”