by Mila Young
This cemented the reality of the demonic mud pit I’d fallen into and now my pulse was on overdrive, and I couldn’t stop trembling. How long had it been watching me, planning my downfall? Why not just swoop in for the kill?
Knox drew me toward him and scooped me into his embrace. I wrapped myself around him, tucking my face into the side of his neck, inhaling his manliness mingled with a woody scent.
His arms strung over my back like ropes, and his breath skipped across my shoulder. “I’ll protect you, Sephy. Whatever it takes. I’ll keep you safe and if that means facing off with Satan himself, I’m ready to go into warrior mode.”
I loved to see Knox as a warrior. I’d watched him fight when we’d been young and he didn’t back down, even when the odds were stacked against him.
“Thanks. But what if you’re marked too?”
Knox held me, and sue me, but I adored our closeness. The heat of his chest. Everything in my life was a spinning top, out of control and going at a hundred miles an hour. But Knox always brought me back to Earth.
He broke our embrace. Still, he held me near and his breath fluttered across my cheeks. We were eye level, and his hands fell to my hips.
“I made you a promise at the foster home, remember? I swore to protect you like a knight in shining armor.”
I smiled, and warmth flooded every inch of me. “Yeah, I recall. Means the world, and you know I’m always there for you too.”
He nodded and stared with the intensity he always expressed when we got too close. Our attraction was the white elephant in the room, but no one could bring it up. Besides, I was fucking terrified I’d ruin our current relationship if I pushed the topic. If he wanted more, he wouldn’t be a priest-in-training, but would have picked a different career like landscaping or some other shit.
His path of celibacy fucking stung. It reminded me every time we were together we’d never be more than friends. That reality was a chisel chipping at my heart. Knox broke me unknowingly while Ryder shattered me consciously. Yep, I was fucked up inside.
His fingers dug into my hips, as if he struggled to push me away. I buzzed all over and kept picturing myself leaning in, tasting his lips, finally telling him how much I craved him. How wet I got each time we touched. How I hungered to have him fuck me until my throat was raw from screaming out his name. But they were my fantasies, and nothing more would come of teasing myself.
“Anyway.” I untangled myself from his embrace and shyly looked away. “I’m here for some holy water as I’m meet the guys from yesterday’s exorcism at Howling Wolf tonight at eight. Figured I’d do a bit of cleansing and confirm who is marked. You’re good to attend?” My cheeks burned, and I turned my back to him because he was way too observant. And I didn’t need him seeing me torn apart. “Figured it’s a good place to tell everyone what’s going on.”
It occurred to me that the spirit must have lain dormant in me most of the time. Maybe that would change with time. Actually, I hoped it wouldn’t.
I dropped my gaze to my boots, noting how dusty they’d gotten. Yep, long overdue for a polish.
“I’ll be there and bring holy water as I don’t have any here.”
“I better leave. I want to make sure Ryder got a hold of the detective. I have no idea how he’ll receive the news.”
“He’ll take it in stride. Dean’s a good guy and open-minded. Couple of weeks ago, I caught up with him at Hick’s Eat Place over a few tamales. So no problem. I’ll help him understand.”
“Didn’t realize you were two were close.” I recalled my chat with Dean, and how he’d attended another possession job with Knox. Seemed all the guys I drooled over knew each other. Did that mean I had a type of guy I was attracted to?
“Okay, I’ll let you get back to sleep then.” I strolled toward the door, figuring the only way I’d keep my sanity was to walk away and focus on the catch-up tonight. Guess once everyone had the facts, we’d come up with an action plan. That was as far as I could think right now.
As I reached for the door, Knox clasped my forearm and wrenched me around to face him so fast, my head spun. I stumbled and my back hit the wall. Knox was there, his body covering mine, the heat of his body warming me, arousing me. Strong hands claimed my wrists and pinned them to the wall over my shoulders.
I gasped and trembled beneath his touch, aware of where this was going, yet I couldn’t move. I’d dreamed of this day for years, and now I’d lost all ability to react. Without a word, he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. He kissed hard, like all his pent-up passion exploded at once and poured out of him.
Our mouths clashed, tongues swirling, and he lowered a hand to the back of my head. He clenched my hair in his fists and tilted my head back. I moaned and snaked my fingers across his chest, adoring how his muscles shifted beneath my palm.
His groans were fucking sexy, reminding me of a starved wolf. A fiery embrace tingled between my legs, stroking me to a heightened pleasure.
The hardness in his jeans cradled against my stomach, and I yearned for him to take me every which way. Yet surprise still rattled me to the core because it still hadn’t sunk in that Knox had actually kissed me.
I snaked an arm around his neck, drawing him closer, and kissed him with hunger.
“Fuck, Knox,” I breathed in his mouth, and his devilish grin had me squeezing my thighs tight. One touch there, and I’d burst with the lingering orgasm.
A knock at his door had me flinching.
Knox didn’t budge but continued licking my lips, and I shivered, forgetting about every single problem.
“Have always wanted to kiss you,” was all he said. To him it was a kiss, but to me, I’d devoured the most sought-after chocolate in the world. And now, I might die if I never ate it again.
When the knock came again, his brow marred. “Yes?” he bellowed, never taking his ravenous eyes off me.
“Knox, it’s Father Christian. Have you got a moment?”
He sighed, and my stomach turned to stone. Fuck. What was I doing?
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” I whispered.
“Give me a sec to get rid of him.” He stalked to the rack of clothes and plucked out a long hoodie. He dragged it over his head, needing to conceal his erection.
Gah, stop staring. He wasn’t available.
Guilt chewed on my conscience. Knox had promised to be faithful to the church, and I’d come between him and his passion. I was going to Hell for sure now. What was wrong with me? I never should have kissed him back. He was having a moment of weakness, and I’d encouraged him.
Regardless, I couldn’t stomach hurting Knox, so I turned and opened the door. A priest stood in my way, hand in the air, mid-knock.
“Afternoon, Father.”
He bowed his head and stepped side.
“Sephy, wait a second,” Knox called out.
But I tucked my chin against my chest and marched down the dimly-lit hallway to the stairwell. I couldn’t stand there waiting for the elevator when my eyes burned with tears.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I’d let my desire blindside me into driving Knox to temptation, and I hated myself for putting him in that position.
12
Moonlight poured in through the window of my apartment, painting everything in its silvery strokes. I’d just climbed out of the shower and toweled my hair dry in the living room. I checked my phone on the table for any messages from Knox, but there was nothing. My stomach did that queasy thing that came with guilt. I never should have kissed him. I dropped the towel on the back of a chair and fastened my onyx necklace around my neck, its beads cold against my skin. Time to get dressed and head down to the Howling Wolf bar. Knox said he’d turn up with holy water, and maybe after telling the men they might be marked, I’d speak with Knox about our kiss. I didn’t want that coming between our friendship.
Raven was with another client who’d hired her for the night. That girl had three loyal customers, though she wasn’t stupid and had worked out each w
as married and used her as their escape fantasy. Fine by her, she insisted, because at the end of the day, they were a means to make money and she created conversation and showed interest to keep them around. She once told me she had men figured better than a shrink. Guys were simple, she insisted. They wanted to feel adored, self-important, and have the girl fawn over them. Selfish bastards.
Was that why Ryder had cheated on me? We’d had a few too many arguments and it was easier for him to go elsewhere than work on our relationship? And yet my thoughts swung right back to Knox. Our kiss. The guilt. For years we’d danced around each other, the sexual tension keeping me awake too many nights. I cherished everything about him, and I couldn’t bear to lose him from my life. Sure, he’d made the first move, but would he now experience remorse and keep his distance? That scared me more than anything.
“Okay, enough sentimental shit.”
As I moved, my head spun and I gripped the table for steadiness. Got to eat something, or I’ll pass out. Worst yet, if I ordered a few drinks at the bar, I’ll get smashed on an empty stomach. Not a bad way to spend the night after my crappy few days, but as divine as that sounded, that wasn’t the plan. Speak with all four guys bitten and tell them they’d been marked. Meaning if they felt anything unusual happening to them to not ignore it. Hell knew how a demonic mark impacted its host. And once tonight was over, I’d spend time speaking researching it, speaking to a sorcerer I knew. But first, I had to deal with the current shit.
I turned toward the pantry, and again the room rotated around me. I stumbled and grasped for the handle but missed. My knees kissed the tiled flooring. On all fours, I couldn’t stop the twirling. Low sugar had made me pass out before, but I didn’t need this now.
With my eyes closed, I focused on my breathing. In and out. Slow and steady. Stop the spinning. I imagined myself engulfed by the moon’s glow, flooding me with each inhale to ground me.
The knots in my muscles eased, and a loud exhale poured from my mouth. I crawled out of the kitchen, figuring I might call Knox or Ryder before I passed out. It’d never been this bad before.
For those few moments, my mind flipped between me fallen over in the kitchen and a vision of me strolling in a forest. Both so vivid and real.
Warmth stroked the length of my spine, and I rubbed my eyes as the images flicked back and forth so fast, my stomach stirred with bile. Panic sat in my chest, constricting my lungs. What was happening?
Laughter boomed in my head, and I knew at once the spirit was at the forefront of my mind. Something nudged my insides, and a rush of air blast past. A prickly sensation spread through my torso, arms and legs.
I kicked and punched the air, as terror squeezed my lungs. “Fuck off. You can’t have my body.”
The chuckling grew louder, deafening.
Then at once, silence hit, and a peacefulness engulfed me. I opened my eyes to a darkened forest with the path lit up by the moon. Something about the place felt secure like I’d been here before. And for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what I’d just been doing and thinking. It felt important, yet I couldn’t remember when or why I’d walked in the woods at night. Everything but the present sat just out of reach in my mind.
I strolled alone and naked. Safe and at peace. The fresh air filled my lungs, and I scanned around for anyone else, but not even the animals stirred. There was only a light wind and the trees rustling. Maybe I’d find someone to guide me.
My beads swayed across my chest with each step, gliding over my breasts. A light breeze brushed past.
Branches from the oak trees swayed and whooshed.
“Hello?” Where was I? I stopped, except a feathery touch sliding along my stomach had me looking down. My necklace was growing in length. The jewelry reached my thighs now, and my skin tingled where it touched.
The same way Knox and Ryder and Dean had made me feel, hot and bothered. I could never get enough of them.
My onyx beads traced my stomach and chest, each ball sliding across my breasts. I gasped as they stroked me, unable to get enough air into my lungs. One by one, they tugged against my puckered nipples, sliding over my skin like a lover’s caress. And I couldn’t move, my brain threatening to shut down as I trembled with the wave of bliss surging through me.
Still the chain swayed across my body, but part of it also curled around my neck like a serpent. In a sudden jerk, it pulled taut across my throat.
I gasped, and my knees buckled out from under me, and I was flung backward to the ground. My heart pounded in my chest, and the beads kept riding over my boobs. Taunting them, flicking them. An exhilarated fear owned me as the necklace snaked down my arms and curled around my wrist, bracing them outward. I lay on my back, held down. My breaths were short and raspy, but the earlier fog kept dancing in my head and I didn’t want to move. Couldn’t. I ached for the release inside me.
A section of the necklace curled around my breasts, tweaking across my nipples. A few of the orbs crept over my chin and into my mouth. I ground them between my teeth as they wheeled across my tongue. I tasted Knox, and then Ryder, inhaling their muskiness as if they kissed me in unison, fondled me, built me up toward an orgasm.
I writhed, imagining them touching me.
Beads planed across my stomach, dipping ever-so-slightly down my body. I moaned, my hips wriggling. Part of the necklace slid lower still. Every cell in my body soared, and my libido pulsed. I spread my legs, desperate for a touch, and the cool breeze did little to cool the inferno.
They skimmed over my curls and dipped in between my inner lips. I arched my back, groaning. Cold, icy beads rolled over my already hot and swollen clit. I mewled, rocking my hips.
The jewelry around my neck and wrists kept me pinned down, but I thrashed with pleasure, widening my thighs. I trembled with excitement as a tidal wave of attentive fingers stroked me without pause. My pussy throbbed, and my stomach tingled.
Link after link, the chilled balls glided over my folds, faster, rubbing me raw. I couldn’t catch my breath, and euphoria crashed through me.
I convulsed against my restraints, swaying my hips. Fire burned through me as the friction on my clit set me off, and I came all over the onyx beads caught between my clasped thighs. I wanted nothing more than to remain in this world of pleasure. Each moan shuddered through me, and I lay there, spent. Exhausted and smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Told ya I’d make you my bitch.
At hearing the familiar voice, a sickness rose through me, and I quickly scrambled up, but I was still in the forest. I screamed with pure terror, my voice echoing around me. Darkness crowded the edges of my vision, clawing at my sight as the moon faded.
Fear swallowed me with a feeling of being smothered by an invisible straitjacket. My heart pounded loudly, echoing my ears. A sinking sensation of my body draining into a pit of blackness hit me.
13
I flipped my eyes open to a white ceiling. I lay flat on my back on the rug in the apartment and propped myself up, smiling because I was finally free and in control.
Night smeared the city outside the apartment, and fuck me lucky, but I felt like a newborn child. Refreshed and ready to take on the world. I stretched my arms in the air, my bones cracking as a breeze from the window curled around me. Goosebumps coated my skin, puckering my nipples.
“You babies will take me places.” I rubbed my palms over them, and already a rippled excitement coursed through me. My hand dipped down my stomach when a ding sounded, and I looked up to the phone flashing on the counter. So I strutted over and grabbed it, tapping the message from Ryder.
Sephy, get your ass down to Howling Wolf. We’re waiting!
I smirked as I pictured my guys waiting at the bar, and a thrill coiled in my gut. First, clothes. I marched into Raven’s bedroom and opened her closet. That girl had style and if I intended to impress anyone tonight, lame-ass T-shirts weren’t cutting it. What had I been thinking with that shit all these years, anyway? A complete train-crash decision. I pulled
out outfit after outfit, but most sucked.
Red skirt had potential, except it was too long. “Show flesh to get action. That’s officially my new motto.”
After dumping half the clothes onto the bed and floor, I stared at the black number in my hands. “Oh baby, you will do.” I stepped into the strapless, silky dress and glided the fabric up my body. I tugged the zipper from my waist to my armpit with a struggle. My tits were about to burst out of this dress. Perfect. And with the tight skirt falling to just below my butt, this was definitely the right outfit.
Rummaging through Raven’s drawers, I selected the laciest and tiniest thong I found and stepped into it. And to top everything off, I grabbed the leather knee-length boots at the back of the closet. “Oh, Raven, you have incredible taste.”
I twirled in the mirror attached to the bathroom door. An hourglass figure, toned legs, and a bouncy cleavage. Ink curled around my arms and across my collarbone. “Now, this is me going out in style. No wonder I had man-troubles before.”
A quick ruffle of my hair, and I applied a striking red lipstick, and baby, I was ready to paint the night in blood. Everyone else’s of course.
“Fuckety crappy hipster joint. What’s up with the shit music?” I stood at the entrance to the Howling Wolf bar as an Elvis tune played through the speakers. A group of girls from a nearby table turned my way, glaring like I’d hurt their feelings. Ha!
Black and white photos of random people riddled the walls. As I strolled past the gawking girls studying me head to toe, I leaned in close to the brunette in a hoodie.
“Girls, a bit of advice. You ain’t gonna ever find a man dressed like a slob and why the hell are you playing Jenga in a bar instead of focusing on your appearance? Show flesh to get action.”