No Prince Charming

by J. C. Daniels

  “If I want you,” he muttered. “Fuck, I’ll always want you. But are you sure?”

  “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this.” That much was true.

  “And will you regret it in the morning?”

  As I pondered the answer to that, I stared at Michael. The only way I’d regret it would be if it caused problems with the two of us. And, as he smiled down at me, I had my answer there.

  It wouldn’t.

  He loved me.

  I loved him. It was a love that had withstood three hundred years of separation. A night of fantasy wasn’t going to derail that.

  I looked at Ren over my shoulder. “No…I won’t. But, Ren, it’s just tonight. Only tonight.”

  “Then we’ll make the most of it,” he muttered.

  As I bent over Michael, Ren bent over me. I could feel his lips brushing the bare skin exposed by the lacing of bodice. As I took Michael in my mouth, Ren rocked his hips against my butt. The skirt wasn’t long enough to cover me and the thong wasn’t exactly designed for modesty. With the bodice tugged down to expose my nipples and my lower half all but bare, I might as well have been naked between the two men. Michael was still dressed—mostly. And Ren was still wearing those close-fitting sexy leather pants.

  It made it seem even more naughty to be here like this.

  I sucked Michael deep, deep inside, taking him so deep, my throat felt bruised. Then I lifted my head and teased him with the tip of my tongue. He fisted a hand in my hair lightly, easily.

  I could feel his worry. It hovered just below the surface and I knew why he worried.

  But he didn’t need to worry. I shuddered as he guided my head back down, hoping he could feel what it did to me.

  I was so hot, so hungry, I hurt.

  I heard the loud rasp of Ren’s zipper and I shifted, spread my thighs. His breath hissed out between his teeth and then I was the one laboring for breath as he pressed the head of his cock against me. I was wet, aching. Empty.

  He pushed inside me and I cried out around Michael’s cock. The hand on my head eased but I didn’t pull away.

  Harder. Faster.

  Desperate need flooded me and it didn’t take long for it to overtake the men as well, especially since my shields were fracturing and I couldn’t keep anything contained. Ren rode me hard, pushing me to a brutal, quick climax and Michael’s hands gripped my head, holding me steady as he fucked my mouth.

  Another climax rose up, threatening to swamp me, but I didn’t want to go alone. Not this time. I growled around Michael’s thick cock when he tried to tug my head back up, taking him deeper than I had before, swallowing.

  He shouted out my name.

  At the same time, I clenched down around Ren, milking him with my inner muscles.

  He grunted and swore. Slipping his hand around, he stroked my clit, using firm, quick circles.

  He did it again.

  I took Michael deep, swallowed. The need for air burned inside my lungs, but the need for him—for this, all of this—was greater, and even though black dots swarmed in my vision, I lifted only enough to take one breath and then I took him deep again.

  All the while, I milked Ren’s pulsating, hard length with the inner muscles of my pussy.

  He came first, and the feel of his climax had me hurtling faster towards mine. As I came, it pushed Michael closer to his.

  One triggered the other, and when it was finally over the three of us were left gasping for breath. I was on my knees with my head in Michael’s lap and Ren was slumped against me, his heart racing so hard I could feel the echo of it inside me.

  Or was that my heart?

  I didn’t know.

  Michael stroked a hand down my hair and muttered, “If I were prone to such things, I think I could have just had a heart attack.”

  “I think I might be having one now,” Ren rasped.

  I couldn’t say anything.

  But I was smiling. Turning my head towards Michael, I pressed a kiss to his belly.

  “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

  I lifted my head and met his eyes. I couldn’t speak. My throat was sore, and although it was fading with every second, I didn’t see the point in trying to talk yet.

  Instead, I just grinned at him.

  Yeah, I was okay.

  Hell, I was more than okay.

  If any ghost of fear had lingered inside me before this, I think it was safe to say I had killed it.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It’s a good thing we have a quick recovery time.

  It had barely been three minutes when Michael felt her.

  He sensed her presence first and the second he sensed her, I knew.

  It was a cold splash of water in my face and I came to my feet, smoothing my dress down to cover myself, as much as possible anyway. I tugged the bodice back into place and met Michael’s eyes.

  I was nervous, I realized.

  We needed this over fast, and the only way to make it very fast was to either kill her the second she stepped inside the room, or immobilize her—entirely. Could Michael use mind control on a demon as strong as this one? Queens were very strong. They had to be if they wanted to keep their drones in line.

  Ren’s gift wasn’t going to be as much use in here—attracted too much attention. But his fighting skills would certainly prove handy. A down-and-dirty street fighter was always a good ally to have at your back.

  I felt her outside the door now, felt her wary hunger and her caution.

  She expected to feel something…else.

  Our quick recovery period wasn’t proving a good thing just then either. We lost some of the element of surprise as the queen swiped her keycard and opened the door.

  She’d thought she’d find us still heady and dazed from the aftermath and there I was, standing up and dressed—mostly. Ren was still sprawled on the floor, but the lazy pose didn’t fool me.

  The door opened more and her gaze swept over us, and I decided she wasn’t fooled.

  Her gaze lingered on Ren, then moved to Michael, glancing over me entirely.

  Idiot.

  She slipped inside like she owned the fucking place, Michael noted.

  He casually adjusted his clothes, making sure his medallion was still out of sight under his shirt before he met her gaze. “I thought these rooms were private.”

  She smiled at him.

  A blast of heavy, heady sensuality struck him. His body reacted as expected, his heart kicking up a few beats and his cock surging to full erectness.

  A strong succubus was a living, breathing pheromone. They could exude sex appeal whenever they chose and Michael wasn’t immune to it any more than any other soul would be. Even Elle was affected—he sensed her reaction, felt her recoil inside even as she stared at the succubus.

  “Who in the hell are you? What are you doing in here?” Elle demanded. The stress and shock in her voice sounded real, felt real.

  “You’ve got nice toys, honey. I just wanted to play too.”

  Elle wrapped her arms around her middle. “I don’t think so.”

  The door shut at the queen’s back and she leaned against it, still smiling. “Oh, sweet baby girl. You don’t have a choice.” She touched her tongue to her lips and murmured, “Now where do I start? With you? With one of them?”

  Her eyes landed on Ren and he came to his feet. The smile on that man’s face was diabolical, and if Michael hadn’t had faith in his kind he might have gotten very nervous just then.

  “Oh, start with me…pretty please,” Ren purred. He stalked towards her and, as she pushed away from the door, he circled around her, passing close enough that their bodies touched.

  He stopped behind her. She swayed towards him and he brought up his hands and rested them on her shoulders.

  Bad mistake.

  Michael realized it the same moment the queen did.

  Her gaze landed on Ren’s leather cuff…on the silver medallion set inside it.

  Her eyes, large an
d dark, widened and an inhuman shriek escaped her.

  Ren moved, wrapping a strong arm around her neck and jerking tight, silencing her in mid-scream.

  But it was too late.

  She’d already alerted her drones.

  Mere seconds passed before a furious pounding began at the door. It shuddered in its frame. The queen struggled against Ren, driving an elbow into his gut, raking her nails across his bare arms. With an impassive face, Ren tightened his hold and wrenched her neck.

  There was a crack as her neck snapped, severing her spinal cord.

  Her eyes went lifeless and the human body died.

  But the queen didn’t.

  Michael couldn’t see it, but he felt it. The ripple of her energy spreading through the room, seeking out a body.

  She couldn’t take one of them and she had no time to seduce another human into taking her inside.

  Maybe—

  I swallowed and whispered, “Too late.”

  She’d already taken a host and she did it by snuffing the life out of one of her drones.

  “Open the door,” I said, kicking out of my shoes. We were going to have to fight.

  The queen’s new body wouldn’t be accustomed to her presence yet and she’d force the host to flee. We had to get her before she ran, and that meant fighting through the rest of her drones.

  Ren shot me a narrow look. “Open the door?”

  He dropped her lifeless body and stepped over it, staring at me with skeptical eyes.

  “She took another body—one of her drones.” I flexed my hands and wished I could have gotten my hands on a weapon. “We have to get her before she gets away.”

  The fighting at the door had fallen silent and I rushed into the hall, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor. Off to my left, I could feel their presence, withdrawing, faster and faster. Not wasting any time.

  Ren and Michael drew even with me and I swore as we followed the demons and the possessed out into the back parking lot. Not exactly the privacy we’d prefer.

  But there was nothing to be done for it.

  This queen had already proven to be damn strong and resourceful. Keeping enough of her drones in a weakened state so she could readily seize a body when the need arose. Surrounding herself with enough of them to provide her with protection.

  And humans. So many humans. We’d try to avoid hurting the mortals and the queen knew that.

  Bitch.

  I was fast, but both Ren and Michael were taller, their legs longer. And they had the added benefit of shoes. Fast healer or not, running in bare feet on pavement is going to slow a girl down.

  By the time I caught up with them, they’d already killed two hosts. Michael had two more under his control. Judging by how easily he held them, they weren’t so far gone we wouldn’t be able to save them. If we could kill the queen.

  Ahead, I heard furious hisses, barks and growls coming from an alley. As I ran past it, I glanced inside, not in the least bit surprised to see Ren.

  He was surrounded by dogs and cats, some of them strays, others looking rather well-kept. Birds flew over his head, everything from sparrows and starlings to owls and hawks.

  Just before I moved out of sight, I had a glimpse of an owl and a hawk making a dive-bomb for one of the human hosts.

  I heard a strangled scream come from the alley.

  I could see three remaining demons ahead. Stronger drones…and the queen.

  Or maybe she was a king now? She had the body of a young male and his movements were jerky enough that I knew he was still fighting her presence. Dear God. The poor kid.

  One of her drones spun to face me and I launched myself upward, driving into him with a sidekick that sent him crashing back into the brick wall. He hit it so hard, I heard bone crack, but it didn’t slow him down. It would—once his human body processed the injury, but right now the drone was in control.

  He shoved upright and swung out with a wicked right hook. I ducked, felt it pass just over my head. Shifting to the side, I drove my left fist into the unprotected, vulnerable area just under his right arm. Ribs cracked.

  His next punch was off-balance and, when he went for a third strike, he ended up tripping over his feet. He was dead before he hit the pavement. Whether it was from the heart strike I’d delivered to his body, or the head injury, I didn’t know.

  I felt the barest whisper of a human’s soul pass over me, overshadowed by the demon’s presence. The drone fought and hissed—no human ears would have heard it. Of course, there were no bodies around either. Except mine, Ren’s and Michael’s and it couldn’t touch us.

  It didn’t keep him from trying. I felt the force of his essence slam into me and I staggered even as I laughed at him. “You’re pounding against a locked door, you fool. You can’t come inside me without an invitation and you won’t get it.”

  I heard Michael behind me and I glanced at him. He was alone. I didn’t know where he’d left the possessed humans he had been dealing with, but I was damn glad to see him alone. In another few seconds, the demon’s essence lost the struggle for survival and he faded, either dead or sucked back into the netherplains. It would depend on how much of his strength he’d invested in his host. If he’d invested a lot, then he’d died—his life force would have been tied to his host and unless he was as strong as a queen, he wouldn’t be strong enough to survive it.

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t.

  We didn’t need another strong-ass, sex-starved demon emerging anywhere near here. Not right now. We were going to have to get the hell out of town after tonight. If we hadn’t already caught the wrong attention, it was coming and we couldn’t be here.

  “The queen.”

  I jerked my head in the direction I’d seen them running.

  Ren came jogging up and the three of us took off down the street. We must have made one hell of a sight, Michael still looking perfectly presentable, me in my little harlot’s dress and barefoot, my hair falling down from the chignon, and Ren, shirtless and splattered with blood, all his animals trailing along behind us.

  Michael scowled as a German shepherd nosed in between us.

  “Where did the animals come from?” he asked.

  “Ask Ren.”

  Ren smirked. “I’m an animal lover, what can I say?”

  Up ahead, I could make out the glitter of streetlights and I swore. Damn it, don’t let her go running out there. The back alleys were bad enough, but if she headed for the street…

  I was so focused on that I almost missed the faint, lingering trail of her essence as we passed by a building. The side door was closed, but I stopped in mid-stride and stared at it.

  “She’s gone in there,” I said softly.

  “Then that’s where we’re going.”

  It was a lush little luxury condo and, as we drew closer to the door, I caught sight of the little red light flashing. “Fuck. There’s an alarm system.”

  Ren smiled and bent down, reached inside his boot. He withdrew a little leather pouch. “I’ll handle it.”

  “There are cameras,” Michael said.

  I cocked my head and listened, heard the faint hum of the electronics.

  “I’ll deal with them.” Ren stroked a hand down my back and then looked at Michael. “Take care of her.”

  Michael took my hand. “I will.”

  I didn’t bother pointing out that I wasn’t exactly a damsel in distress.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  We found the queen upstairs. It was weird to look at her—she was most certainly a succubus. Her essence was clearly female, and even though the young man she’d possessed had rather strong, masculine features, with her lodged inside him there was a sinuous, sleek female sexuality hovering in the air around him.

  “Grimm.”

  I smiled. “You know, it wasn’t wise for you to stop. You should have just kept running and running…”

  “Why? So you could call more of your brethren to join you? No. My best chance of survival is to ki
ll the three of you. Then I’ll run.”

  She stroked a hand down the back of her remaining drone, pouting. The expression sat strangely on the face of the male host—too strangely. “You killed my drones, Grimm. I’d worked a long time to find all of them and you took them from me. I’ll kill you for that…after I’m done.”

  Michael said softly, “Are you so sure you can kill us?”

  “I have no other option.” The queen smiled. “I’m not ready to return to the netherplains.”

  “It’s not just the netherplains you fear.” I stared at her. “You put too much of your energy into your last host. It weakened you when she died. The body you have now, the host is fighting you. You don’t have the strength to survive if you lose to us.”

  “The odds are not in your favor.”

  The queen smiled as Michael spoke. The look in her eyes was pure, malicious evil. Vile and serpentine. “You could be right. But then again, you could be wrong.”

  I sensed it then. The presence of others. More drones. A lot more. They weren’t physically close yet, but they would be soon.

  Shit.

  Oh, shit.

  Ren… Where in the hell is Ren?

  Her eyes met mine, and even though I kept my face expressionless I knew she saw my fear. She saw it and it amused the hell out of her. With a pleased smirk on her face, the queen looked at her drone. “Kill them.”

  He moved—fast, so fast—too fast for a mortal. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. Hell. That wasn’t a gun—it was a hand-held cannon, and while it wasn’t easy to kill either of us using a bullet, it could be done. Especially with a gun that had the firepower to sever the spinal column with a couple of bullets. It would take good aim, but I wasn’t going to count on this bastard having lousy aim.

  I dove for the queen.

  Off to my side, Michael had lunged for the drone and was fighting for control of the gun.

  The queen might not have complete control over the new body, but she was strong and determined. I took her down, but she didn’t stay down. She fought with the strength of the demonic and the desperation of the damned.