“Because you think you deserve penance for your past mistakes,” Abram deduced. “I get that. I’ve felt it, too. In my case, I deserve punishment. I’m the only one to blame for my actions. There were times when I did horrible things to protect those I cared about, but that’s not how it was all the time, not even most of the time.”
“I enjoyed many of the horrible things I’ve done,” she confessed in a whisper. “I always blamed it on my demon heritage, but Mitchell isn’t like that. He doesn’t like hurting others.”
“Mitchell is special,” Abram agreed. “The rest of us can’t compare.”
“But you still want Mitchell as your mate?” she asked, opening her eyes to watch his reaction.
“I want Mitchell in any way I can have him,” he confessed. “There’s no way I can have him long-term. Hell, I can’t even get him to talk to me.”
“You aren’t making much effort to talk to him,” she argued. “I thought you were the one avoiding him.”
“I’m not, and you’ve been too busy being the ultimate bitch to everyone around you to pay all that much attention to what I’m doing,” he pointed out. “Do you think you could tone down the bitchiness some so everyone doesn’t forget why they need to keep you alive?”
Kish sighed as she got to her feet. “I’ll try to be nicer. It won’t be easy. I’m not used to dealing with people who aren’t using me, and there’s no way I can be as nice as Mitchell.”
“It’ll get easier,” he assured her. “Not being more like Mitchell. I think we both need to aim a lot lower.”
Kish stood and caught his arm. “Would you like me to talk to Mitchell and see if I can help the two of you work things out?”
Abram responded with a startled bark of laughter. “Why the hell would you do that for me?”
She shrugged. “Because you’re not as awful as I thought you were, and you’re nowhere near as awful as you think you are.”
Abram chuckled as he made his way back toward the others. “Ah, babe, you are a bad judge of character.”
“If you call me babe again,” she began in a sweet voice. “I’ll feed you your balls.”
Abram’s eyes widened. “If I wasn’t already half in love with your cousin, that threat would turn me on.”
“You are a sick bastard,” she muttered.
Chapter 44
Mitchell wasn’t sure what Abram had said to Kish, but it had worked. She’d acted much more subdued all day, and no one was glaring at her when they parked the jeeps to set up camp for the night.
Still, her offer surprised him. “Would you like to take my blood?”
Mitchell’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No, but thank you.”
She frowned at his reaction. “Sorry. I thought you needed to feed, and since we’re cousins, I wanted to offer.”
Mitchell placed a hand on her shoulder when she turned to walk away. “Wait! I think you misunderstood my reasoning for turning down your offer.”
She turned and met his gaze. “You don’t want demon blood.”
“Yeah, I guess that is a big part of it,” he admitted. “After what happened before, I don’t want to tip the scales in favor of my demon side. It’s not you.”
“You want to avoid my blood because I’m a demon,” she reminded him. “I’d say it’s at least a little about me.”
“Yeah, a little, but it’s not even all about the demon blood thing,” he admitted. “I prefer bagged blood.”
“Maddox says it doesn’t taste as good as fresh blood,” she remarked.
“That’s true, but feeding from someone is very intimate, and I’m not entirely comfortable with it,” he explained. “Zane was able to talk me into it, but I’m not sure he could have if I hadn’t been so close to losing control. I’ve taken his blood since then in the hopes it won’t happen again.”
“What happened?” she asked.
There were still shifters around them, but they were all trying to pretend they couldn’t hear. Shifters were good at that. Abram and his vampires had headed off to bathe in a nearby stream, so Mitchell didn’t need to worry about him overhearing. “I was angry and frustrated with Abram. My emotions don’t often run that high. I guess it triggered something.”
She nodded as if she understood his situation, which he supposed she did. Kish’s strong emotions had caused her demon magic to get out of control before.
“It must be a demon thing,” he muttered.
“What’s a demon thing?” she asked.
“Emotions make it hard to control our power,” he explained. “At first, I thought it might be a Fae problem when I had the flare-up, but the magic felt demon.”
“Flare-up?” she asked. “You make it sound like you had pain from an old wound. What you had was magic trying to explode out of your body. You probably felt like you were being torn into a million pieces.”
“More like I was going to burst into flames,” he explained.
She nodded. “Demon magic is always too hot. I’ve heard Fae magic can also be that way in some. It must be hard when both combine.”
“It’s better when Vexx touches me,” he explained. “I guess witches have a soothing effect. Without her, I couldn’t get my magic to combine with Winter’s at all.”
Kish looked uneasy at the mention of Winter and quickly changed the subject. “Why are you avoiding Abram?”
Mitchell sighed and ran his hands through his hair before responding. “Part of it has to do with me being afraid of getting that angry again, but I’m also tired of the Yo-Yo crap.”
Kish looked confused. “Yo-Yo?”
“It’s a kid’s toy. My dad made one for me when I was about five,” he explained. “My human dad, that is. It goes up and down on a string. The phrase means that Abram pulls me close and then pushes me away.”
She nodded. “I don’t think he means to do that.”
“I know he doesn’t mean to do it,” Mitchell replied. “He’s got a lot of issues, and the most annoying of them is that he somehow thinks I’m too good for him.”
“You are too good for him,” Kish insisted. “Everyone thinks you’re too good for him.”
He saw Abram step out of the copse of trees but didn’t acknowledge his presence.
“I don’t think that,” Mitchell argued. “And it’s irritating as fuck to be put up on a pedestal all the time.” His gaze locked with Abram’s for a heartbeat as anger and frustration washed over him. He quickly turned his back on Abram.
His eyes must have started turning red again because he felt arms slip around him from behind. Abram’s head rested against his back. “It’s okay.”
Mitchell took several deep breaths, wondering why his demon magic was suddenly giving him such a hard time. He’d been in much more emotionally charged situations. A blast of demon magic might have been helpful in a few of them, but it wasn’t helping him now. The heat built in his veins, and a soft hiss slipped past his lips.
Abram pulled away and caught his arm. “Come with me.”
“Maybe I should help him,” Zane offered as he approached with Lexi by his side.
Mitchell turned to Abram and found him glaring at Zane. “I’ve got this,” he growled.
“It’s okay,” Mitchell told Zane before following Abram away from their campsite. Abram’s hand remained on Mitchell’s arm as they walked.
“I thought you went to bathe,” he told Abram.
“I wanted to talk to you first,” Abram replied in a gruff tone. “It’s probably a good thing I came back.”
“Since you tend to cause this reaction in me, I’m going to have to disagree,” Mitchell argued.
Abram didn’t respond, he stopped walking, framed Mitchell’s face with his hands, and kissed him. Mitchell’s gasp of surprise gave Abram the opening he needed. His tongue plunged into Mitchell’s mouth. Unlike his previous kisses with Abram, Mitchell wasn’t in the mood to submit. He gripped the back of Abram’s hair and took control of the kiss.
Abram moaned
and surrendered. Mitchell channeled all the rage that had been fueling his demon side into the kiss as Abram’s hands slipped under his shirt gliding along his back. When Abram broke the kiss, he rasped out, “I want to taste you. Let me taste you.”
Mitchell nodded and watched as Abram dropped to his knees in front of him. Abram’s hands shook slightly as he unfastened Mitchell’s belt and pants. Once he freed Mitchell’s already hard dick, he gripped it and squeezed.
Mitchell’s head dropped back on a groan as Abram continued to stroke his cock. Abram’s tongue ran around the tip, teasing the underside as he continued to stroke and squeeze with his hand.
“So good,” Mitchell praised. His magic still vibrated along the surface, but he no longer felt like he was in danger of burning alive from the rage. Abram sucked Mitchell’s dick into his mouth.
“Fuck,” Mitchell said on a groan as Abram continued to suck and lick.
It had been months since Mitchell had been with anyone, and he wasn’t sure how long he could hold off his orgasm. His balls tightened, and he threaded his fingers through Abram’s hair, guiding his movements as Abram continued to pleasure him.
Mitchell came hard as he struggled to keep his voice down so the others wouldn’t hear. Moaning around his dick, Abram drank in his release, continuing to suck gently until Mitchell was utterly spent.
Abram stood and cupped his cheek. “Do you feel better?”
“Much better,” Mitchell replied with a weak laugh. “I should do something for you.”
“Not this time,” Abram insisted. “This was for you, and I’m sorry I’ve been such a whiny little bitch about everything. I’m not very confident in myself around you, so I say stupid shit. I’m sorry that stupid shit caused you problems.”
“This helped,” Mitchell said in a sleepy, sated voice. “Not to make this awkward, but where does this leave us?”
Abram smiled and leaned in to brush his lips against Mitchell’s. “It leaves us together,” he whispered against his mouth. “I want to stay here with you longer, but we’d better get back.”
Mitchell nodded. “You’re right. We need to help set up camp, and then we should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to hiking out to a witch coven,” Abram said as he stepped back from Mitchell.
“I’m sorry about acting so weird with you,” Mitchell began. “The thing with my magic freaked me out. I don’t know why it does that.”
“Maybe it’s got something to do with your age,” Abram suggested. “You know how with the shifters they don’t change forms until they reach maturity. Maybe demons come into their magic as they get older. You weren’t able to create those portals before.”
“I never tried,” Mitchell reminded him. “I also don’t know how much of that has to do with my demon side and how much is Fae magic. You might be right about my age. I wonder if Kish knows.”
“It would help if you both had another demon to talk to about all of this,” Abram told him.
“Yeah, but all I have is my cousin, Legion. He pops in to ask for favors, but he never sticks around to offer any advice.”
“Your cousin’s a dick,” Abram replied.
“Yeah, well, you have to remember that he’s a demon who did something so bad that other demons thought he deserved punishment,” Mitchell pointed out.
Abram shrugged. “I don’t know much about Hell. That’s where they live, right?”
“I don’t know,” Mitchell admitted. “You probably know as much about demons as I do.”
“Wherever they live, maybe they aren’t as bad as we think,” Abram suggested. “Just because your dad and uncle are assholes, doesn’t mean they all are.”
“You might be right,” Mitchell told him. He stopped walking just before they reached the camp and turned to Abram with a smile. “Thanks again.”
Abram chuckled. “You’d better stop giving me that fuck me smile, or we’ll have the others bitching at us for bailing on setting up camp.”
“Right,” Mitchell replied as he tried to remember the reason he needed to set up camp when he was already getting turned on again. At least, he wasn’t pissed off anymore.
Chapter 45
Terigin was losing his patience by the time they located the jaguar settlement. A heavily muscled male with wiry black hair and brown eyes stalked toward them, challenge in his eyes.
“The demon bitch is gone,” the male spat out before Terigin could speak. “We have nothing to offer you, demon.” His voice shook slightly near the end of that last sentence.
Terigin regarded him with raised eyebrows. “You know what we are?”
The jaguar shifter did his best to hide his fear. He had to be the leader, meaning he needed to look strong for his followers. Terigin could respect that, even if he planned to kill the bastard for his arrogance. The jaguar swallowed before responding. “I know you’re demons looking for Kishara, but as I said, she’s gone.”
“Tell us about Kishara,” Aglinon commanded.
“She was part of the old leader’s killing team,” the shifter replied. “Few spoke to her. She was just a weapon. Even after the old leader died, we kept our distance.”
“Where did she go?” Terigin demanded. He didn’t give a damn about her past or her relationship with the mangy shifters.
The shifter shrugged. “I don’t know where she went. No one asked since we were glad they took her away.”
“Who took her?” Terigin asked. When the shifter hesitated, Terigin leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Kishara was weak, only a half-demon. Imagine what full-blooded demons can do to your followers. If you don’t answer my questions, I’ll be forced to take drastic measures. I’m hoping you force me to take drastic measures.”
The shifter swallowed several times before he spoke again. “I don’t know who they are. It was the same three who brought her back before, a male and two females. I know one of them used to be a member of our clan, but her mage mother took her away decades ago.”
“A mage?” Terigin asked, wondering why a mage would involve herself. They were solitary creatures. Then again, if she was part jaguar shapeshifter, she might need the company of shifters. “What can you tell me about the other two?”
“One smelled like a cat shifter of some sort, but I’m not sure what kind,” he replied. “The other was a vampire. I saw his fangs, but his scent was strange. He smelled a little like Kishara.”
“Like a jaguar shifter?” Terigin asked.
The shifter shook his head. “No. He must be a demon.”
Terigin had already suspected his bastard son was involved, but he wanted confirmation. All he had to do was narrow down the magical pulses coming from his son, and he’d have Kishara. As a bonus, it seemed they’d get two powerful half-breeds.
“Kill them all,” he called out to the demon guards accompanying them.
“No!” the shifter shouted. “You said if I helped you, you wouldn’t hurt us.”
Terigin laughed at his stupidity. “I never said anything of the sort. You’re a fool for thinking you can trust a demon. Too bad your followers also have to pay the price for your stupidity.”
Chapter 46
Nothing could have shocked Jase more than Vexx crawling into the tent and cuddling up beside him as he was about to doze off.
“Don’t take this as a complaint and leave, but I can’t help wondering what you’re doing here,” Jase whispered. He wrapped an arm around her waist so she wouldn’t leave him.
“I’m too tired to fight this. I just want to be close to you.”
“Are you worried about tomorrow?” he asked. “You seem nervous.”
“I guess I am,” she admitted. “It’s been several years since I’ve seen anyone from the coven, and now I’m going to show up asking for a favor. I’m not sure how that will go over with them.”
“No matter what happens, I’ve got your back,” he promised.
“Are you okay with me being
here tonight?” she asked.
“Of course,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You did tell me you can’t have sex with me because you’ll mark me,” she reminded him.
He chuckled. “Getting closer to the coven must be bringing out more of your witch side.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked.
“We’re shapeshifters,” was his simple reply. “Sleeping together like this isn’t sexual. Of course, I still want you, but I can offer you comfort without seducing you. As long as you don’t try seducing me, you’ll be fine.”
“That’s easier said than done,” she replied, leaving him wondering if she was teasing him. Under other circumstances, he’d hope she was serious. Having her seduce him would be awesome, but she didn’t need the stress of being newly marked on top of everything else worrying her.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he murmured. “I feel more at ease with you in my arms. It feels right having you close to me.”
“There’s this part of me that wants to argue with you,” she said with a laugh.
“It’s become a habit, hasn’t it?” he asked with a grin. “Even when you agree with me, you want to argue with me.”
“I hate to admit it, but it’s true,” she replied. “I’m going to try harder to avoid arguing with you.”
“Are you going to sleep with me after tonight?” he asked. “I want to know if you’re going to be in my bed tomorrow night and every other night from now on.”
Her hesitation made him wonder if she was trying to find a way to tell him it was a one-time deal without starting an argument. Finally, she said the words he’d hoped to hear. “I’ll be in your bed again tomorrow night.”
“And the night after?” he coaxed.
“Yes,” she replied with a sigh. “I’m so tired of fighting what’s between us.”
Jase kissed the top of her head and smiled. “Sweet dreams, Vexx.”
“Sweet dreams, Jase.”
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