Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

“How do you know?”

  “I don’t smell him on you.” A demon’s sense of smell wasn’t as strong as a shifter’s but it got the job done. She smelled of flowers and something else he was still trying to figure out.

  “Oh.”

  He smiled to himself. That shut her up.

  By the time they got to the park where Rafe was hiding, Kayley was beginning to enjoy herself. Opening the door, she hopped down as gracefully as she could from the high cab of the truck. Apparently, chivalry was not a nicety taught in hell. The demon stood on the other side of the truck, looking out over the park and the wooded land surrounding it.

  Playground equipment dotted the neatly cut grass. Swing sets, slides, a merry-go-round. Kayley smiled, remembering playing here when she was small. She’d brought her nephews here just last week and had to talk them down from the top of the jungle gym, reminding them they were wolves, not monkeys.

  She stole a glance at Roark across the hood of the truck. She thought about how handsome his sons would be. Staunch, miniature demons. He was way too uptight, even for a demon. “He’s probably in there.” She pointed to the thick forest on the west side of the park.

  “Get back in the truck.”

  “What?”

  “Get back in the truck and wait for me.”

  He was ordering her to stay back now? She thought he wanted her with him to help find his brother. “Wait, you’re gonna need me.”

  “Why, so you can scry for which tree he’s hiding behind?” Sarcasm coated his deep voice and one of his dark brows rose.

  Okay, so maybe he didn’t need her, but why had he kidnapped her if he didn’t want her around now?

  When she didn’t move fast enough, he was there, forcing her back inside the cab of the truck. His large hand on her ass. Again. “Now give me your phone.”

  “Why?”

  “So you can’t make a call while I’m gone.”

  Kayley looked at Roark as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. Why else had he kidnapped a witch?

  Because she’s yours.

  Roark’s demon side whispered the words, enticing him to make that thought come true. He watched as she dug into the pocket of her jeans. The move pulled the denim tight against her body and his eyes fell to the V of her legs. Damn, he could see her mound, all plump and pretty. Beneath it would be her sweet, spicy slit, just waiting for him to lap up all that womanly nectar.

  His cock hardened. The pressure against his zipper made him want to rub himself. He held out his hand for the phone.

  “I don’t have all day,” he barked. He really needed to get away from her before he did something stupid like bend her over the hood of the stolen truck and fuck her until they both collapsed.

  With great reluctance, she handed it to him. “What if I need to call for help?”

  “You won’t get into trouble; you’ll be locked inside the truck.”

  “I wasn’t talking about me, I was thinking about you.” Her look said it was just a matter of time before he did something foolish. Maybe she was right. He’d had a bad feeling about this from the time he’d stepped out of the portal and seen her standing there, surprise and shock written all over her pretty face.

  It didn’t take much effort to break her phone, making it inoperable. He handed it back to her.

  Kayley’s full, red mouth gaped open. “What did you do that for? I thought you were just going to take it with you.”

  He didn’t answer, just ordered her to stay in the truck.

  “I’m not a dog!” she yelled as he took off across the park. She knew he could hear her even behind the closed window. “I’m a witch.” The last she mumbled to herself as she crossed her arms and fumed at the arrogance of the entire male species.

  Once Roark left, Kayley quickly grew bored. She looked at the clothes she wore and sighed. Of course, she’d have to dress in a pair of tight-fitting jeans that made her rolls have rolls on the day she was kidnapped by a red-hot demon. The faded sweater she’d thrown on wasn’t helping either. She’d seen buttoned-up and buttoned-down librarians dressed better, for heaven’s sake. Nothing sexy or seductive about her outfit at all. Of course, conjuring clothing to seduce a demon would be very self-serving.

  Her lack of seductive clothing hadn’t stop her body from responding to the sexual pheromones Roark emitted. Her nipples still made a distinct impression against the fabric of her blouse. Thankfully, the sweater had hidden most of her body’s telltale signs of arousal. Warmth heated her cheeks as she thought about Roark noticing her body’s reaction to his nearness.

  It was a damn fine time for her latent succubus side to kick into high gear. She probably needed to talk to her mother about that. She looked at the smashed piece of plastic that was now her cell phone. If he thought she was just going to sit here and wait for him to meander back, he was one crazy demon. She pulled on the door handle, but it didn’t move. She’d been so distracted by his presence, she hadn’t realized he’d attached some kind of spell to the door. Pushing back the sleeves of her sweater, she placed her hands on the door. Concentrating, she felt the magic holding it shut. After several moments, she saw the silver outline of the spell. Magic was simple really, if you could find the pattern of the spell. Kayley wasn’t good at puzzles, hence her difficulty at times. Her grandmother, her mother’s mother, had always said she needed an anchor to bring her powers into focus.

  Unfortunately, her grandmother had never told her what the anchor was, or where she could find it before she passed away. Anger for the demon seemed to be helping this time. After a moment, she was able to break the spell. Just because he’d busted her cell phone — which he was so paying for — didn’t mean she was without resources to contact her family.

  Letting herself out of the truck, she made her way to a water fountain next to the picnic tables. Most public parks didn’t have those anymore and she was grateful this one did. Digging through the garbage, she found a plastic cup and filled it with water. A container made of glass would have been better but she’d take what she could get. She ran her fingers around the rim. The movement of her finger on glass would have generated the necessary resonance. Now she had to hum to produce the sound. The water turned cloudy, then slowly cleared, revealing her house. She concentrated harder until her living room appeared. No one was there. Humming louder, she thought of her mother. The water turned bright as if lit from the bottom of the cup. Suddenly, she saw her mother and father’s bedroom. She started to speak when she realized exactly what her parents were doing.

  “Eww,” she squealed and quickly dumped the water on the ground.

  At times, she forgot her parents were still sexual beings. Seeing them in the middle of it… well, some images could never be unseen.

  She debated trying to contact her sisters, but knowing her luck, she’d catch them in the middle of doing the horizontal limbo too.

  Deciding there was only one thing to do, she set off after Roark.

  CHAPTER THREE

  IT FIGURED RAFE would run to a place rich with trees and foliage. His brother had always loved the forest, preferring to hunt the demons hiding high in the mountains and away from civilization. But a damn park? Roark shook his head, wondering when his brother would come to his senses.

  He moved deeper and deeper into the trees. He covered the ground in an easy lope, senses flaring outward, noting and cataloguing everything about him. There were no sounds that shouldn’t be here. He heard the rumbling of an engine as a car passed by on the road just out of sight, and the sounds of birds calling to each other in warning. Catching the faint whiff of brimstone, he changed direction again. The scent grew fainter as Rafe continued to heal from his injuries.

  As Roark ran through the trees, he thought of what his brother had done. And why. Rafe was a bounty hunter like himself. All three brothers were. That was part of the family curse for their ancestor’s transgression, bound in servitude to hell. After his last mission, Rafe had come back different. Their mother swore he was in lo
ve and Rafe hadn’t exactly denied it.

  Roark and their other brother, Remington, didn’t know what to think. They’d seen the hardship the curse had caused their parents and wanted nothing to do with finding a woman. With love.

  Immediately, his thoughts went to the witch he’d locked in the cab of the truck.

  Kayley knew she should have stayed in the stolen truck, but she hadn’t. Surprise, surprise. When was the last time she’d obeyed anyone?

  Picking up a large stick, she recited a small chant and immediately fireflies gathered on the end. She held up the makeshift torch and continued further into the dense trees where Roark had disappeared. It was dark and she didn’t have the night vision of a shifter or a demon. She followed the obvious path he’d made through the thick undergrowth. She thought they were trying to sneak up on the demon. Roark, however, was striding through the forest like Bigfoot on steroids, leaving broken branches in his wake.

  She knew she should have just left when she had the chance. She could have despite the other safeguards he’d put in place. Somehow, he’d spelled the keys and engine without her knowing it. Thinking of his cleverness, she realized there was more to him than his pretty face and rock hard body.

  Catching her foot on an exposed root, she almost went down. She regained her balance and continued on, into the dark. Finally, she caught sight of him, just up ahead. She kept what she hoped was enough distance between them that he couldn’t hear or sense her. She didn’t want Roark’s anger for her to influence him when he dealt with his brother. She grudgingly admitted she liked the other man. Even if he had thrown her into Roark’s arms. Or, maybe that’s why she did like him.

  His eyes had held a look of resignation that had appealed to Kayley’s soft heart. As if he’d known his actions were futile, but he had to try anyway. She didn’t know why he had risked so much to come to this realm, but she was determined to do what she could for him despite her growing attraction to Roark. Damn, the man had a body too perfect for words. Where did men like him come from?

  Oh, wait, yeah. They came from hell. Straight from the bowels of temptation itself.

  She shook her head at her foolishness. No way would he go for a klutzy, curvy witch like herself. Not even for a one-night fling. Or one hour. Yep, she’d settle for an hour in the man’s arms at this point. Her body ached to have him.

  She tripped on another exposed root, this time placing a header in the damp leaves covering the forest floor. She dropped her makeshift torch and the fireflies took off, swarming toward Roark. She looked up from her prone position and cursed softly, “Damn it.” Flicking her hand at the runaway bugs, she tried to shoo them away from him.

  It didn’t work.

  “What the fuck?” Roark stopped and swiped the air in front of him, making the fireflies scatter. She stayed perfectly still, bending her head so he couldn’t see her face. Maybe she could blend in with the forest floor. Hopefully, her hair would look like a pile of fallen leaves. The sound of footsteps gave her hope that he was leaving — until she saw a pair of black shitkickers in front of her.

  Speaking of shit. It was about to hit the fan. Roark was not the type of man — human or otherwise — that one disobeyed. She mentally straightened her spine. The big, bad demon didn’t scare her. Much.

  “What are you doing, little witch?”

  The sound of that pet name on his lips made her feel so good inside. For once, she really didn’t feel her size. Next to him, she was little. She’d never seen anyone so damn big. Casting a look beneath her lashes, her gaze focused on the tight fit of his pants over his crotch and she licked her lips. Yep, he was big all over.

  She looked up at him, her eyes as wide and innocent-looking as she could make them. Over the years, she and her sisters had learned various ways to get around their half-incubus father. “Thought I’d take a nap.”

  “Very amusing.” Before she could stop him, he dragged her to her feet. He pulled a little too hard and she ended up slammed against his broad chest. Feeling the swell of his cock, she thought maybe the move hadn’t been accidental. It took all her willpower not to slide her hands around his neck and pull his mouth down for another of his womb-throbbing kisses.

  He dropped his arms and turned around. “Stay behind me,” he growled.

  Kayley was getting used to his growls and grunts and didn’t argue as she followed him. She’d also learned from her father when to poke at a demon and when it was best to leave him alone. The chilled air wrapped around her and the scent of pine trees and impending frost teased at her nose.

  When she stumbled across another root, his hand took hers. A silly smile crossed her face at the gesture. They could be a normal couple on their first date, not a bounty hunter and his kidnapped witch chasing an escaped demon through a dark forest.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a vague movement. That was all the warning they had before the entire forest erupted around them. Leaves swirled into the air, the mass taking on a tornadic effect as it sucked in deadfall from the forest floor. As the wind gathered strength, larger branches snapped off from the surrounding trees.

  Kayley screamed and ducked against Roark even as his arms closed around her and his body hunched over to protect her.

  “Stop it!” His voice could be heard over the roar of the wind.

  He pushed her to her knees, covering her with his body and shielding her from the worst of the storm. Still, she cried out as rocks and twigs connected with her back, causing red-hot needles of pain to slice through her. She knew she’d be covered in cuts and bruises when it was over. Her mouth was pressed against the column of his brown throat and she moved until she could talk in his ear. “Let me up.”

  Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, if only for a moment, she could cast a protection spell. She knew he cowered on the ground only because he was trying to protect her. Otherwise, she was pretty sure he’d be on his feet, kicking his brother’s ass. She wiggled against him.

  “Stay still, damn it.”

  “No.” Escaping Roark’s hold was more difficult than freeing herself from quicksand — and yes, she had been trapped in quicksand before. She finally managed to work one arm around his next, exposing her hand. Breathing in the fragrance of his skin, she cast her spell.

  The quiet that fell was almost as jarring as the sudden eruption. The wind stopped and the branches dropped to the ground with dull thuds. The leaves floated down around them. Roark was on his feet in an instant, pushing her behind him as he faced the demon that had caused the disturbance.

  “Damn it, Rafe, you could have hurt her.”

  Kayley peeked around Roark’s massive shoulder. The other man stood about a hundred yards away. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, no doubt stolen from some unsuspecting housewife’s clothesline as he’d made his way through town.

  “I’m not going back, Roark.” His brother’s voice was firm and insistent.

  “You can’t just run away.”

  “Do you want to live in the pit of hell for the rest of your life?”

  “We were born in that pit.” No, Roark didn’t like living down below. He wanted to breathe the fresh air, mingle with the humans and other supernatural beings. But, it wasn’t meant to be. They were demons born under the curse of a witch who had long since passed away, leaving them no chance to escape their destinies.

  Rafe wasn’t buying it. “I am not giving up. We don’t deserve this just because some witch acted like she had a broomstick up her ass when our great-great-great-whatever-grandfather dumped her.”

  “Hey.” Kayley protested the slam to her heritage. “Not all witches are evil.”

  “She wasn’t evil, baby; she was just a woman scorned.” Roark’s brother smiled at her in apology.

  “Still, you can’t condemn all witches because of one woman’s act.”

  “Oh, and you don’t bunch all demons together into one hellish ball of evil?” Roark replied to her statement.

  “No, I don’t
.” Maybe it was time to come clean about her lineage.

  “Right.” Roark snorted. Or at least tried to. The sound ended on a sharp intake of breath and for the first time, Kayley realized he was hurt. His leather vest was ripped on the side and she could see blood seeping from a large wound, soaking the waistband of his pants. She wished Marley was here. She could have healed him with a wave of her hand. As far as powers went, Kayley was the most useless of the Anderson witches. Tears filled her eyes in frustration and fear.

  Stripping out of her light sweater, she folded it into a large square. Before he could protest, she pulled up the edge of his vest and pressed it against his wound. He growled at the pain, but she refused to move away.

  “I’m going to find a way out, Roark. For all of us.”

  Roark’s attention snapped back to his brother. Kayley knew her ministrations had distracted him and the demon could have escaped in that moment. Demons were lightning fast. Her gaze caught his and he winked at her again. Dang, but he was cute. Too bad both of her sisters were happily married. She would have set him up with one of them in a heartbeat.

  The low snarl Roark gave startled her and she turned her attention quickly back to his wound. “Did I hurt you?”

  “Stop flirting with her, Rafe. We’ve got bigger problems. Remington sent me a text and said Luke found out about your unauthorized visit up top. Mine, too.”

  Rafe’s laugh held no humor. “You mean my escape.”

  “I can’t protect you anymore.”

  Kayley heard the soft note of sadness in Roark’s voice. Maybe her big bad demon wasn’t so bad after all.

  “Don’t give me that bullshit, brother. You’ll protect me with your life.”

  Now that she saw them side-by-side, with Rafe’s skin back in place, there was no doubt the two men were brothers. Roark’s demeanor was darker than Rafe’s but they were both still very intense men. They were similar in height and build, Roark being a tad taller and broader. Rafe’s hair was cut close to his head while Roark’s flowed almost girly-like to his shoulders. A smile crossed her lips thinking how he would react if he knew she thought something about him was girly.