by Lexi Ostrow
She’d tried to pull some last minute shit there, about it being just sex and it rubbed him the wrong way. Fine if she thought it was a one day thing between them he would let her, for now. But sooner or later he was going to force her to listen to what she meant to him. He wouldn't lose out to some idiot human who left her here. Not a shot in hell, but clearly she wasn't happy with herself for her actions and bringing it up too soon would have his ass flung back into the tacky demon bar.
Satisfied after walking around that nothing was lurking in the bushes and that an assault wasn't coming today, he headed back to the apartment. “I'm coming in and so help me if you're naked...” Grinning he pushed open the door. He couldn't help himself sometimes. Much to his libido's disappointment she was clothed and sitting on the small black couch, TV remote in hand and something he couldn't make out on the screen.
“Sorry to disappoint, not happening and we aren't discussing it. If I wasn't so freaked by what I did, I wouldn't even be having this conversation with you. It's a business talk, the business of keeping my ass safe because I'm not immature enough to think I don't need protection.”
Sitting next to her he raised a brow. “Is your tirade over, sweetheart?”
“It's not a tirade and my name is Ciara, not sweetheart, and so help me if you chuckle at me one more time I'll throw this remote at you.”
His chuckle turned into a snort as he tried to clamp his mouth shut. Didn't work and true to her word, the remote came sailing at his chest, bounced off and landed on the table causing the back to pop off. “Are you certain it's not a tirade?” The smirk still played at his lips. This was supposed to be serious, but she was so damned cute when she was trying to act like it meant nothing to her.
“Just talk. I assume being War's Second you’re fantastic at strategizing.”
His eyes narrowed into slits. “I am more than just that and I'll remind you that you said so yourself just yesterday afternoon, so cut the high and mighty bullshit, sweetheart, or I will prove to you why I'm feared.”
She didn't budge.
Good, she wasn't afraid of him anymore. Progress. “But to address your remark, I am quite good at it. First things first. You killed a man yesterday. I'm not going to pretend like you didn't and you shouldn't either. He was going to do the same to you, so forget about it. There are always casualties in war and he most likely won't be the last. I'll do what I can to protect you from having to do, well whatever it is you did, again. But I don't make promises I can't keep, so all I'll promise is if you don't get your head around it, you're going to get yourself hurt. You'll freeze and won't be able to defend yourself. Understood?”
War was emerging. He could feel it. Normally they could control the summoning of their Horseman, but sometimes it simply came out. The battle shit always made it happen and he was thankful for it, so even now he wouldn't question if it was right to be so blunt with her. Her slow nod of the head was all he needed to continue.
“And just what the fuck did you do? And why was I not told about it beforehand? That little party trick would come in handy if I knew I could use it, or if I can even use it again.”
She scowled this time. “I have no idea. So you didn't know because I didn't know. Tough shit. By the way how do you think I feel about it? One minute I'm trying to hit someone with a rock or something and the next I'm like “hmm let's flick my wrist at him like I'm fucking Spiderman.”
Her voice was shrill, laced with hysteria and he reached out and pulled her to him, she fought at first, but quickly relaxed against his chest. His hand stroked her hair down her back as the tears burst out. It was about time she faced the killing and better to do it when she wasn't alone.
He must have sat there with her like that for about twenty minutes. But it was what she needed and the fact that she'd allowed herself to be held by him, made him certain she was going to accept him as hers. Just a little more time because he was pretty damn sure the minute she realized who was holding her she would freak out.
“Ciara, not to be a jerk, but this kind of breaks your no touching rule.” He offered her a gentle smile and she sat back, snorting snot and wiping at her eyes. He did his best to hide his smile, but was fairly certain she saw it.
“Thank you.” She paused to clear her throat. “I apologize for being rude. To say I'm upset about yesterday as a whole would be a massive understatement.”
He went to comment on that and she raised her hand to stop him.
“No, we aren't going to discuss anything, but my safety. Nothing. I don't know what happened yesterday. I know I'd seen Alcott fight that way more times than once. Rarely did he do it, but he wasn't opposed to that level of violence and pain if he had to.” She sniffled again. “I need to learn how to do it. How do to more of it. If I even can.”
He nodded. The defeat and worry in her voice pierced his heart. He'd always wanted a warrior as his mate. Ciara was damn sure not one, but she had a strength that he couldn't help but admire. “Good. That's not the most reassuring idea, but better that you're aware that it may never happen again. I want you to learn hand to hand defense. I can tell you've never done more than slap or kick someone, it's time to fix that.”
“I agree. I am not saying I plan on killing again, no matter what you say. But I need to learn basic defense.”
She bit her lower lip and rolled it in her teeth and he cursed his cock as it stirred.
“Will you teach me?”
His smile was genuine. Reaching out to him that way was just the key to earning her trust before explaining what she was to him. “I was going to whether you asked or not, sweetheart. Your safety is in my hands and while that coat wearing jerk’s schedule didn't say what the penalty was if you fail, I have a pretty good feeling I won't like it. And that's not all. Since I've gotten here, you've mentioned a few firsts. Like me touching you without your knowledge. If I can do it, you damn well better assume anyone can now, probably always could and you just didn't know. Maybe it's because you're older and things are becoming more real for you.”
She was quiet and if he was reading her body language right, pensive. Good, thinking was how wars were won. Well part of it anyway.
“Then there's the issue of you throwing me back into my world. If you can do that to me, I'd bet money if you could focus enough on one of them, you could do it to them to. We need to sim-”
Her snort cut him off and he raised a brow.
“Oh yes because the safe thing to do while in a life or death scenario is to think it away. Clever.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Brilliant.”
He was going to let that one slide since she was afraid, but his clenched hand was turning white as he tried to control his own annoyance.
“Fine, you don't want to see what you can do that way, it's not my problem. But what about changing worlds? Can you just step through an open door like I can? Can you open them at will?”
“I've never done it before. The world hopping. Normally I just lay down, focus and cross the barrier. But to leave my body here under attack? No thanks. As for opening them, of course I can. How do you think you come and go? I can't really say I do it on purpose, but according to the man in charge that you seem to hate so much, it's me opening them all right.”
He nodded. So she'd let him in the other day. He really needed to get a handle on his smirking. He didn't realize how often he did it until now, when he kept having to hide it to not piss her off. “Good, means you can get away if you need to, or call me easier.”
“No shit. How do you think Alcott got here?”
He just stared blankly at her. Did that mean he went home? Fuck he sure wouldn't ever leave her if she didn't force it.
“Oh wow, you didn't know. It's like an alarm system. Even if I don't try to open it, if I'm in danger it opens somehow.”
Interesting, did the people pulling the strings ever come fully clean?
“No because if you didn't keep throwing my ass back so hard I leave skid marks I
wouldn't leave. But stand up. It's time to play guinea pig. We need to know if you can cross over by stepping through your little shimmering doorway too. So do whatever it is you do to open it.”
She didn't even look as if she was concentrating. She just sat there and then pointed. Through the doorway he could see his home.
“Thinking about my home, huh?”
“Don't flatter yourself, I can only call open places I've seen naturally. I've seen your home and a bar thus far. I'll skip the bar thanks.”
“Keep up that train of thought. The bar’s not bad though, I'll take you there some time. Show you how much of a hero I am.”
She rolled her eyes.
He nodded, sensing the tension rising between them and wanting some of the play back. “How about a cease fire between us again? I rather liked you liking me.” He grinned at her and she laughed. Without a thought, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, gentle and playful this time.
“Mmmm.” She pulled back from him and her eyes were heavy lidded from the lust between them. “I think I like the idea of that. I also think someone owes me the end of a date.”
She was playful again and he definitely liked her that way.
“Sneaky.”
She grinned up at him and he smoothed the hair from in front of her eyes. “I have heard that a time a or two. You can come back tomorrow. Same time and take me to the aquarium.”
“I'm sorry I'm taking you where?”
She snorted at him and walked away to sit on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. “It's a place where fish live and ocean loving humans like me can go and press our faces against the glass.”
“I know what an aquarium is. I'm just not certain why you'd want me to take you out in public where we can't interact.” The fact actually confused the shit out him.
“Welcome to the twenty-first century, mister demon. It is called a blue tooth. A simple slip over my earlobe and no one will suspect a thing. As for the why- because they're my favorite place to be, outside of a library and I should think you'd like to keep me happy.” She winked and sank into the couch further. Clearly pleased with himself.
“On one condition. You are going to try and come through to me via your nice little doorway after.”
She stuck her lip out and he thought she was going to give him some nonsense about being afraid. “Deal. Now go home to your world so that I can go into work!” She stood and playfully pushed him toward the doorway that was still open.
“Alright, gosh I can tell when I'm not wanted.” With a wink he went through and waved once before the shimmering doorway closed between them.
Sticking his hands in his pockets he blew out a breath and called Fasheem. As always his brother picked up on the third ring. “Hey you have a minute?”
“Absolutely. What's up? I can count on my hand the number of times you've called me and there wasn't motive.”
“I want to talk to you about the mate thing. I know Ciara is mine, Fash. I can feel it. Every time she's near me my body feels like it's on fire and struck by lightning all at once. I can hardly suppress the need to throw myself in front of her or toss my jacket down over a puddle for her to walk over or some shit.”
“What about when she's gone?”
He growled without control at the thought. “Empty. Like someone reached in and pulled my damned heart out. On edge, twitchy wanting to put an end to the distance. Plus, War doesn't seem to like the idea of her being alone either. When he popped up earlier, it was more than just the fight calling to him.”
“Yup, you're screwed, brother. Welcome to the club. I'll meet you at the bar in forty-five minutes.” Fasheem ended their call and he ran inside to shower real quick, not all together too annoyed that he had been right about Ciara.
Chapter 14
The only word to describe how she was feeling was giddy. Sliding the post of the silver cluster earrings into her ears, she stood back and looked in the mirror. Her black hair was curled and pulled away from her face with a clip. A purple dress that hung to about her knees and had a lace insert at the top was finished off with a pair of white patent leather pumps. Having worn a dress outside in the cold yesterday she figured she may as well do it again. Especially if things ended the same way.
A shudder of anticipation rolled through her. No matter what she was telling herself, she liked Stryder. He seemed to be a good guy and was clearly intent on protecting her to the best of his ability. Not to mention he could possibly be a God in the sheets, or maybe demon was fitting, when he made her feel.
“Thinking about something, sweetheart?”
His voice startled her at the same time as it wrapped around her. He wasted no time crossing the distance between them and kissing her. Sparks shot through her body and she felt herself pressing into him. When he pulled back all to soon she pouted and he saw and laughed.
“You're early.”
He laughed again and pointed behind him. “Someone opened a doorway. I bet it's anytime you think about my world, or maybe even just when you aren't thinking about locking it.” He wiggled his brows at her and smiled. “You look beautiful by the way.”
She flushed at his implied thought and his compliment. “Thank you. To answer your earlier question, I was thinking how foolish it is of me to even be indulging you in a date. Let alone sex.”
“Ahh mind blowing sex, and a date that you practically begged for. Can't play that game here, sweetheart. My demon can smell your lust.” She paled and he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “But mine matches it, so you're in good hands.”
It took her a moment of swallowing and slow processing to get her thoughts in order. What had she been thinking when she'd agreed the other day to that first date? She should have just sat around in pjs and ate pizza to get to know him better. That's what she and Alcott had done. But no, from the start, as much as she hated him, she'd wanted him. Wanted to be with him and to see his world. But she'd written it off as wanderlust and simply being curious. Now she wasn't so sure she could stop the intense developing feelings for him.
“Well we'd better get going.” She focused on closing off the doorway. Once she'd forgotten to do that and she'd come home from a football game to Alcott's crazy evil mother waiting. Never again.
“Um, how are we getting there if you just closed that off?”
“Duh, we're driving.” She grabbed her keys and tugged on a white wool peacoat for while they were outside. “Long Beach is about an hour from here so we'd better get going.” She turned and noticed he was staring skeptically. “Oh hell no, demon. Get your ass downstairs with me, we are driving.”
“You know, you could just open a portal and walk through, sweetheart.”
“We both know I don't even know if I can do doorways, let alone portals, in my own world. Plus I'm not going to try and step through one until after the date. You promised. You don't want me to think of you as a demon and a liar now do you?”
He grumbled, but followed her down the stairs. “It's not that I don't want you driving. It's the idea of being in a tiny space next to you.” He looked down at his pants and she felt a blossom of heat flood her at the sight of the bulge. “See just a few seconds of contact and I'm more than ready for you.”
She threw her head back and laughed as they got in the car. “Well pretend this is a way for us to learn more about each other.” They buckled themselves in and she pulled out. His hand snaked over the center console and took her right hand off the steering wheel, holding it in his own. His thumb ran circles over her hand and she had a feeling she was about to tell him they could try doorway hopping.
“So there is one question I didn't get to ask yesterday and if you're insistent on this being a sexual relationship, I can't say I'll deny you. But no way are we adding strings. You have your world and I have mine. Whatever this bond is between us just hyper charges things.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
His voice sounded tight, like he wanted to fight her, but ju
st kept his eyes forward on the road. It gave her a moment to really look at him. His strong jawbone was perfectly offset by his dark black hair. From the side his eyes were so clear a blue she could almost not see the color.
“Ciara, drive. Stop staring at me and ask the question.”
Busted. “How many women have you been with. Romantically.” She was hoping to use this as a way to be repulsed by him, to draw the barrier between them.
He snorted and dropped her hand, crossing his arms in his lap.
Fuck.
“Well not that it's any of your business, but I think my bed hopping number is close to as many centuries old as I am- four thousand years old. Don't you dare judge me. I'm practically a god amongst demon kind, and as you've experienced, a definite god in the department of making you scream and come undone.”
Ciara's hand tightened around the steering wheel and she brought her now free right hand up to it and clenched it as well. Her teeth had clenched too and she gave him a terse nod. “Thanks for trying to piss me off. I said romantic. You know- picnics, aquarium trips...” She almost said, calling them “mine”, but stopped herself because she really wasn't sure what she heard two nights ago.
She could see his lopsided grin. “Oh in that case. One, Ciara Miller. One and only one and it will always be that way.”
Unable to resist she turned her head to look at him. A predatory gleam shone from his eyes and they flashed from black to blue when he saw her looking. A shiver passed through her and she forced her eyes back to the road. This was going to be a long day.
Not wanting anymore conversation between them, she pushed the button for the radio. Rascal Flatts filled the car and she was shocked when Stryder sang along. Maybe their worlds weren't so different after all.
Three songs in and he had taken her hand off the wheel again and was holding it in his own. She smiled at him and they sang to whatever came along for the hour drive down. All the while her heart slowly losing on its prejudice to falling for someone for another world, and accepting that it wasn't happening, that she already had.