Shit.
Keon’s yellow eyes gleamed in the gloom as he pushed me up against the wall and pinned me in. He leaned in so his body was so close it might as well have been pressed against mine. His hand went to my neck, thumb on my jaw as he forced my chin up. Heat rushed from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
“You tried to sacrifice yourself,” he said.
Oh, crap. Mal must have told him.
“Asked that thing to end you…” His voice was a lethal purr.
The kind of voice you expected a villain to have just before he shoved a dagger in your gut, and the fact it was making me wet was a testament to my obvious insanity.
I kept my breathing shallow, not wanting my breasts to swell too much and brush against his pectorals, because any more contact and I would lose control.
“I did what I had to do, and Lilith is fine because I’m fine, okay?”
His eyes narrowed. “You think I’m worried about Lilith?”
His pupils dilated, huge, dark, and hungry, and then he kissed me. I gasped into his mouth and arched into him on reflex. His tongue was long and thick, and his kiss was a punishing rasp against my sensitive mouth. He kissed me like he was licking me out, and before I could stop myself, I was hooking a leg around his waist, sliding my hands up through his long locks and gripping his horns.
He growled into my mouth, and his chest began to vibrate. I held on as his hips began to move against me, his arousal at the perfect angle to drive me crazy. Pleasure was a wave rolling through me and setting me ablaze with yearning. His hands slid over my body, expertly kneading and squeezing to send lances of desire through me.
But just as suddenly as he’d attacked me with his mouth, he released me and backed away. His chest heaved, and there was no ignoring the huge tent in his pants. His hand went to it, massaging it even as he kept his gaze fixed on my face.
My stomach flipped hard, and I took an involuntary step toward him, but he bolted, leaving me standing in the storage cupboard alone, like a creepy fool.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I didn’t need another man in my life. I had three…four if you counted Hunter, although, with Hunter, it was going to take time to build the trust that I had in my other relationships.
Uri’s face filled my vision. He was coming home soon…Home.
The guys would accept him, but Keon…I knew in my gut they wouldn’t.
Guilt twisted in my chest.
I would be honest about what had happened with Keon just now.
I’d have to tell them how I felt.
What was the worst that could happen?
“What. The. Fuck?” Mal’s jaw was tight, and his eyes were dark with anger.
I looked down at his hands curled into fists at his sides. “Mal…I…”
“No.” He breathed in and out through his nose and closed his eyes. “I’m going to kill him. Who the fuck does he think he is?”
He turned away, and I grabbed his arm. “Don’t. Wait. Listen to me.”
Mal’s chest heaved. “What is it? You feel sorry for him? What?”
“I—”
“It doesn’t even matter. He doesn’t touch you again. You stay away from him, and whatever you do, don’t mention this encounter to Az. You get me?”
My face grew hot. “But—”
“The kiss in Limbo…” He caught his bottom lip between his teeth. “I thought that was just you doing whatever it took to save Keon’s ass, but this…” He shook his head, emerald eyes sharp and cutting as they landed on me. “No. You need to put a cap on it. Now.”
My heart was pounding way too hard against my ribs, part indignation, part shame, and that sparked my anger. “I thought you guys wanted me to be honest?”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck, Fee, of course we do, but this is Keon we’re talking about. He’s a fucking monster.”
My nape grew warm as the rising anger pinched my throat. “He’s not a monster. Just because he looks different—”
“Whoa.” Mal gripped my shoulders, his brows pinching. “This is not about the fact he’s a daemon. This is about the fact that he works for Lilith. He will kill you if she asks him to.”
He didn’t know the side of Keon I’d come to know. He hadn’t looked deep into the daemon’s eyes.
I bit the insides of my cheeks. “I don’t think he will.”
Mal’s face contorted in pity. “Fee…You don’t understand. He won’t have a choice. If she orders him to kill you, he will be compelled to do it. Keon is dangerous because he isn’t his own person. He’s a possession, and he already belongs to someone else.”
Oh, God…Keon… I hadn’t realized the extent of the chains that bound him. My chest ached for him. No wonder he’d bolted earlier.
“This isn’t fair.”
Mal’s smile was wry. “Life isn’t fair, Fee. Az, Grayson, and I swore to keep you happy, and all Keon can bring you is pain. Trust me. Don’t go there. He can’t be one of us because he can never put you first.”
I sucked in a breath and nodded. He was right. This was for the best, for me and for Keon.
I smiled, shutting down the feelings that were threatening to bloom for the beautiful blue daemon. “So, where are we going?”
He studied me for a long beat and then pulled me into a hug. “Come on. Let’s get the fuck out of here and grab some carbs.”
“I could kill for a cinnamon swirl.”
“I’ll buy you a whole fucking box.”
I should be happy. The Beyond was safe, which meant our world was safe. I wanted to be happy, to enjoy this time with my guys before they left for the Underealm, but there was a worm of dread in the pit of my stomach that told me there was something on the horizon. Not the war with Mammon. Not the search for Hunter or the super vamps or even the hooded figures. Something…else.
Something that lurked at the back of my mind.
Something that wouldn’t be beaten back so easily.
Chapter Eighteen
Cora
The small office space looks like it’s been disinfected and scrubbed. It’s so clean I could probably eat my dinner off the floor.
“This is a waste of time,” Jasper says from behind me.
I ignore him and carry on scoping out the place. It’s a rental. The company who owns it says that it was leased for a month, but it looks like it’s been empty forever.
The name and details the company have for the renters are duds. Ursula confirmed it twenty minutes ago, so I’m looking for clues. Anything that can tell me what the fuck happened to the humans that went missing.
“There is nothing here,” Jasper says. “Except the stench of your desperation.”
I want to tell him to shove it, but talking to him means acknowledging his presence, and I don’t want to do that. I want him to piss off and leave me alone.
This is my fourth stop today. Four alarm locations, and all clean of any clues. Too clean, which suggests foul play. The human police have no idea about these locations, they think there’s some kind of cult recruiting acolytes. I mean, this many people can’t go missing without some kind of trace. There are no dead bodies, no sign of struggle or foul play, and then we have to consider the numbers—forty humans missing in two weeks. It’s strange, and they have their people working on it.
But they won’t solve it. Not without Magiguard help, and that’s where I come in, except I don’t have shit.
“You don’t have shit,” Jasper says, annoyingly echoing my thoughts.
I whirl to face him, angry words hovering on the tip of my tongue, and lose my train of thought because for a moment, I don’t recognize him. He’s wearing a black V-neck, long-sleeved top and black skinny jeans, paired with hiking boots, and his hair…He’s gone and cut his hair, and now every angle and plane of his beautifully ruthless face are on display. His cruel mouth lifts in a thin smile.
“What’s the matter, Cora? Cat got your tongue?”
Like hell. He can dress like us, walk a
nd talk like us, but he will never be one of us. He’s something else, something evil, and he’s my curse.
“What are you doing here, Jasper? I didn’t call for you.”
His lip curls as he advances toward me. “I’m not a pet that needs to wait to be summoned.”
I hold my ground, keeping my gaze locked with his cold one. “You don’t intimidate me.”
“No?” He reaches out to run his icy finger down the curve of my neck. “No, I don’t suppose I do.” My breath hitches at his touch. He leans in closer, crowding me with his taut body. “I excite you.”
I clench my teeth to staunch the quiver in my chest and control the surge of heat in my blood and smile at him coldly. “You’re a good fuck, Jasper, I’ll give you that. But that’s all you are.”
I turn my back on him and close my eyes, expecting him to attack at any moment. Expecting his hand on my arm, waiting for the aggression that is his prelude to sex.
But it doesn’t come.
He’s still here, though. Still behind me. Watching me. What am I doing? Why am I even entertaining this fucked-up dance?
I turn to face him again. “What do you want, Jasper? Why are you here?” I’m not mad anymore. Just tired, and it bleeds into my tone.
The harsh lines of his face soften a fraction. “You’re upset. Agitated. I came to check on you.”
Check on me, my ass. He just wants to make sure his anchor to this world is safe. I’m just a possession to him, and why does that bother me?
“Yeah? Well, I’m fine. I’ll be even better when you piss off.”
He shrugs. “I’ll see you tonight then.” His eyes gleam, and desire shoots through me.
“Wear the blue panties and bra,” he says. “I want you on all fours.”
My body responds to his words by sending pulses to the apex of my thighs.
Urgh. I close my eyes. “Please leave.”
When I open them, he’s gone.
I take a moment to allow my heartbeat to slow to resting pace and then survey the room one final time.
Jasper is right. This is a waste of time.
Fuck, I hope Grayson’s having more luck with his search for Hunter.
Grayson
“This is the place,” Bobby says from the passenger seat of the van.
I kill the engine and look across the street at the small American-style diner. Our search for Hunter has led us here, a half-hour drive from the pack house in Regency Pack territory. His credit card was used at a hotel a few minutes away, and according to the owner of the bed and breakfast Hunter stayed at, he’d come here.
“He stayed close,” Bobby says.
“Yeah, he did.”
The mating. Fee. He can’t help himself. I get that. I don’t like it, but I understand.
“Thank you for bringing me with you,” Bobby says for the third time.
He thinks I’m doing him a favor. I sigh. “You’re here because you’re smart and you’re diplomatic, and Hunter won’t be threatened by you.”
He nods. “I know. I’m still grateful for the opportunity.”
It hits me that maybe I need to look at Bobby’s role at the pack house. He’d been brought in as a grunt, but that was before…before Fee opened my eyes to the wrongness of it. Bobby is bright, and intelligence is a powerful weapon.
I pop the lock on the door and climb out of the van. The diner looks empty, but then breakfast has just finished, and it’s a weekday; most humans will be at work.
There are posters stuck to the windows advertising rental space and screaming that help is wanted. My gaze slides over a call for blood donations. The logo is strange—a snake eating its own tail.
The bell above the door rings as we step through. It smells of bacon, coffee, and muffins. There’s a waitress wiping tables and another behind the counter. They both stop to stare, and then they exchange glances and the one wiping tables beams at me and strolls over, hips swaying.
I stifle a sigh because I recognize flirty when I see it, and I’m in no mood, but I need information, and I’ve been told my smile has magical properties.
I relax my facial muscles and show her my pearly whites. “`Hi, I was hoping you could help me.”
“Of course, anything.” She doesn’t even look at Bobby.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine. I believe he came here a few days ago.”
She makes an O with her mouth. “We get a lot of customers.”
“Oh, you’d recall this one,” Bobby says. “Tall, dark hair, intense dark eyes, and Adonis vibe, dripping with sex appeal…”
What the fuck? I stare at Bobby. Who is this person?
The waitress tears her gaze from me and focuses on Bobby with a grin. “Oh, yes, I remember him. Sweet guy.”
Sweet?
“He sat in booth four. He tipped well. He had three teens with him.” She winces. “They looked rough, like they’d been sleeping on the streets. He bought them breakfast, and I heard him call a shelter on their behalf.”
“Do you know which one?” Bobby asks.
She looks sheepish. “I think I may have heard him say Finley Street. It’s a couple of blocks from here.”
Thank goodness for nosy waitstaff. “Did he leave with the teens?”
“No, he left first. The teens left afterward, but they spent a while reading the posters on the window. I had to ask them to move on, they were blocking the door, you know.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you some coffee?” She beams up at me. “I’m on break in five minutes…”
It’s an invitation, and I allow my smile to drop. “No, thank you.”
“But thanks for the help,” Bobby says as I head for the exit.
“Excuse me,” the woman behind the counter says.
I look over my shoulder.
She smiles tentatively, her gaze flicking to the waitress before coming back to me as if she’s nervous about speaking.
“Yes?”
“They did leave with your friend. The teens did.”
“No, they didn’t, Mimi. He left first.” The waitress rolls her eyes.
Mimi ignores her, in what I sense is a small act of defiance, and focuses on me. “Your friend left first, but he was by his car across the street on his phone, and when Lisa asked the teens to move, they wandered over to him. They talked, and then he let them get in his car, and they left.”
“Thank you.” I smile at her, and she ducks her head, blushing.
“No problem. Glad to help.”
Back at the van, Bobby runs a search for the shelter’s contact details. I tap my fingers on the steering wheel as he dials. Agitation runs through my limbs. The search for my twin and the absence of Fee, both grate on me.
She’s back.
She came back yesterday, but she’s with them.
I close my eyes and exhale. No, I won’t let the jealousy, the possessive urge take control. She doesn’t belong to me. She doesn’t belong to anyone. Her heart is free to give to whomever she wishes. It’s what Az, Mal, and I agreed, and I need to remember that.
Fuck, why didn’t she come home?
“Thank you.” Bobby hangs up the phone.
I realize that he’s been having a conversation with the shelter that I’ve completely missed. “What did they say?”
“The guy who runs the shelter knows Hunter. He said he spoke to Hunter, who told him three teens would be dropping in. He made space for them, but they never showed.”
“And Hunter?”
“He hasn’t seen him.”
This is the last spot Hunter was seen, and he left with the teens. Teens who may also be missing.
It has to be more than a coincidence.
It’s also the end of our breadcrumb trail.
What the fuck do we do now?
Chapter Nineteen
I was insatiable when it came to Azazel. His touch evoked a hungry fire in my blood, the rumble of his voice teased a storm of emotions to life in my chest—longing, d
esire, and the undeniable urge to become lost in him, to become one with him. He made love to me like it was our first time, exploratory and deliciously slow, but also like it was our last time, with a searing passion that spoke of no tomorrow.
When we were alone together like this, limbs entwined, bodies slick with perspiration as we moved together, it was as if we’d been born for each other. Our soul bond flared and consumed us, pulling us into each other’s heads, shattering the shields and melding our minds so that his emotions washed over me, his craven hunger became mine, and my desperate need to crawl under his skin became his. The connection throbbed and ached between us, heightening every sensation so I was putty in his hands.
His mouth slanted over mine, hips thrusting to meet mine over and over, slow, leisurely, and delicious. He swallowed my moans, one hand on my hip to hold me steady as he picked up the tempo, angling me so he was hitting the spot that undid me. I clung to him, desperate for more, for everything, for every inch, and when the world shattered we coasted the stars together, mouths inches apart, breath mingling.
We lay tangled together afterward, pulses thudding hard as the world melted back into place.
I stroked his chest, lingering over his abs and down to the V that held so much promise. He sucked in a breath and laughed.
“You are insatiable.”
“You love it.”
“I do.” He pulled me close. “I love you.”
I would never tire of hearing him say those words. I propped myself up and looked down into his face. “I love you more.” I would never tire of saying them either.
“How was your day with Mal?” he asked.
I grinned at him. “Oh, now you ask?”
He gave me his upside-down smile. “I’m feeling magnanimous now.”
I traced patterns on his chest. “It was good. We went ice skating, and we got some food, and then we came home.”
I left out the part about the shower sex. That part of our relationships remained private to each guy. They were happy to share me, but we had our own individual dynamic.
There was a knock at the door, and Azazel frowned. “What the fuck?”
Reaper Unhinged (Deadside Reapers Book 6) Page 11