by Lynn Hagen
“Great save,” Drake said as he chuckled.
Casey clucked his tongue, feigning ignorance of the conversation. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Then I’ll show you.” Drake unsnapped Casey’s jeans, pulling the zipper down so slowly that Casey was becoming impatient. Drake knew Casey had no control for slow, and the man tortured him with the leisurely moves every chance he could.
“I’m going to be old and withered by the time you pull my cock free, Drake.”
A slow, seductive, and equally evil smile tipped Drake’s lips up. “No, you won’t, sweetie.”
Casey felt his heart race when Drake rubbed his cheek on Casey’s jean-encased thigh as his fingers slid sensually over Casey’s bare arm. Drake knew how to ignite a fever of need inside Casey to a fevered pitch. The man had many years of practice.
When Drake’s smoldering brown eyes rose up to look at Casey, he knew he would rope the moon and hand it over to Drake without hesitation. Fire, passion, and intense sexual arousal burned in Drake’s eyes as he leaned forward and released Casey’s cock, freeing it from its confines.
Drake brushed his fingers over Casey’s shaft, his lips parting slightly as he glanced up at Casey. “I’ll never tire of seeing you like this,” he said darkly, moving, edging closer to Casey’s body.
Casey licked his lips, panting hard as he gazed down at his mate. He prayed Drake never tired of him. He planned on having as many years as the gods gave him with Drake. Languidly, Casey ran his fingers over Drake’s sensual lips. He gave a slight gasp and then a low growl when Drake sucked the fingers into his mouth, nursing on them with small, tight pulls. His cock pulsed with the sensual rhythm.
“You’re sucking the wrong body part,” Casey teased as he eased his now-wet fingers from Drake’s mouth.
“I’ll suck every damn inch of you,” Drake seductively threatened, but those words onlysent a jolt of pleasure throughout Casey’s body and inflamed his needs. He curled his wet fingers around the base of his cock, directing the weeping head toward Drake’s parted lips.
Drake gave Casey a wickedly sexy grin before moving swiftly and engulfing Casey’s straining cock. Casey moaned low with pleasure as his legs spread further apart. Having his jeans still on was a hindrance, but he wasn’t going to pull Drake away long enough to remove them.
Hot, with gentle abrasions that had Casey panting, Drake rasped his tongue at the head. He was struggling to breathe as the pleasure continued building, increasing, tightening his body, and then Drake tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the pre-cum that had spilled for his mate. Desire and need roared through Casey’s veins as his hands curled into Drake’s soft hair. He tugged Drake’s head closer, his breath stuttering at the feral way Drake was devouring Casey’s length.
His body damp with perspiration, and fighting for breath, Casey snapped his hips toward Drake’s wonderful mouth. He arched his body, pumping furiously as he fought to find his release. Gods, this was like visiting heaven when Drake pleasured him. Casey reached down and pulled his sac free, tugging on his balls and giving himself that extra edge.
The searing hot pleasure wrapped around Casey like tiny fingers of paradise and pulled him under as his body erupted. Casey shouted, his release so strong that he saw spots dancing in front of his eyes. He pushed from the chair and knocked Drake to his back, fumbling to get his mate’s cock into his mouth.
Drake shoved at his jeans, helping Casey pull them down, and then his mate’s long, hard length was in his mouth. The taste of precum exploded on his tongue as his mate cried out and writhed beneath Casey. The sound sent shivers through Casey as he swallowed the erection to the root, holding Drake’s hips down, uncaring of the bruising force he used.
“Make me come, Casey. Make me come.” Drake’s rough whisper sounded tortured.
Casey sucked hard and fast, giving Drake no recovery time. He was damned and determined to do just that. He formed a tight suction around Drake’s cock and bobbed his head, reaching for his mate’s balls, twisting them in his hand as Drake shouted, his hot cum erupting down Casey’s throat.
Drake’s movements became jerky, and then he settled, panting loudly. Casey allowed the spent cock to slip gently from his mouth as he pushed back to his knees, smiling down at the picture Drake painted for him. The man was a mess, his breathing labored and his eyes telling Casey that he had given his mate exactly what he demanded.
“Now that was a good morning.”
Drake chuckled. “The best.” And then he yawned. Casey knew that if he didn’t get Drake up, the man would fall asleep right where he was lying.
He grabbed Drake’s hand and pulled his mate to his feet, both straightening their clothes with silly grins on their faces.
If Panahasi didn’t want to claim them, Casey still had Drake, and that thought kept the dark and depressing feelings at bay.
* * * * “So, you’ re Panahasi’s mates?” Deandre asked as he sat back on the sofa, tossing his arm over the back. They didn’t look like much. Somehow Deandre had pictured the leader’s mates resembling warriors, not two pencil-thin men who looked like they were more trouble than they were worth.
The brown-eyed one, Drake, was the one Deandre knew he had to watch out for. He had that mischievous gleam in his eyes that said he would give any of the warriors a run for their money.
On the other hand, Casey looked so sweet and innocent that Deandre knew it was a deceptive appearance. The man was just as much trouble as Drake. He didn’t trust those smiling blue eyes. They reminded him of a sprite…right before it attacked with razor-sharp teeth.
“We are,” Drake said.
“And where did you come from?” Deandre asked.
“The stork,” Casey said sarcastically.
Deandre groaned. Why was he the one who had been chosen to
keep an eye on the two shifters? He had been perfectly content chasing down soul-sucking demons. They were less of a hassle than these two.
Deandre rubbed his forehead with his hand, wondering if he could talk Hondo or Wayland into taking his place. He wasn’t into awkward silence, and these two just kept staring at him as if he were the odd man out here. He strummed his fingers on the back of the couch, staring out of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, although he could feel both men still staring at him.
“So,” Casey began as he rested his elbows on his knees, placing his chin in his hands. “You’re a demon warrior?”
Deandre nodded. “Yep.”
He checked his watch and groaned. Panahasi had wanted Deandre to watch the two men for a few hours. It had only been five minutes since he walked through the door.
“Aside from soul-sucking, kidnapping, or certain death, what’s there to do around here?” Drake asked.
There was no way in hell Deandre was taking these two men anywhere. Hell no, not happening. He had heard about Malcor’s. Panahasi was not going to turn Deandre into a eunuch because he let his mates get poisoned or kidnapped. “Chilling in the penthouse.”
“Boring,” Casey said as he blew a tuft of hair from his eyes. “We’ve been doing that for three days. We can only fuck so many times before my ass screams for a break.”
Deandre sat there in stunned disbelief. Worse, he couldn’t even think of a comeback. What Casey had said was so unexpected that Deandre was speechless. He looked uneasily at Drake, almost begging with his eyes for a subject change.
“He takes some getting used to.”
That bit of advice hadn’t helped.
Now he knew he would rather be fighting Crypt, an ancient creature who had escaped from the underworld and who required every single demon warrior to recapture him. The uneasy feeling these men elicited was something Deandre tried to steer clear of, but around these two, he had a feeling he would drown in the emotion.
“I’m going to get something to drink,” he said as he pushed from the couch, but paused in the hallway. “Don’t even think about sneaking out.”
“Scout’s
honor,” Casey replied with a warm smile that told Deandre the man was the spawn of Satan.
“Somehow I have a feeling you were never a scout.”
Casey grinned at him, and Deandre felt his nuts crawl inside of him. This had suicide mission written all over it. Maybe he should call for backup.
Seven or eight warriors should do the trick.
* * * * Panahasi rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down his hallway, heading toward his bedroom. Hunting down Sexton’s brother had been harder than he thought. The guy was a chameleon shifter, and damn good at hiding. Panahasi had no doubts the man was very capable of dodging Marino. He had dodged Panahasi with no problems. And that was something. Panahasi was usually an excellent tracker, but lately he wasn’t too sure about anything. The solitude inside him had been growing over the past few years, and was starting to turn him jaded against the entire world.
When Panahasi had finally found the guy, the chameleon shifter was imitating a disgruntled post office employee. The only reason Panahasi had been able to track Salino down was because the man had begun yapping about his brother Sexton, and had mentioned Panahasi’s name.
Idiot.
Once Panahasi had a long talk with the shifter, Salino agreed to never mention not only his brother’s name, but any person’s name from the demon realm. Of course, Salino had asked about Sexton, and Panahasi had reassured the man that the reporter was fine.
One brother down. One more to go.
It would probably help if Panahasi knew Keegan’s brother’s name. Keegan was Marino’s little boy toy, and not by Keegan’s choice. Marino was holding the man’s brother somewhere to make Keegan comply. Panahasi had promised the elf that he would locate his brother, but at the time, Panahasi had been so preoccupied with fighting Crypt and stopping Serenity City from turning into total chaos that he hadn’t thought to askthe brother’s name.
So, as tired of hunting down brothers as he was, Panahasi knew he would be paying Keegan a visit and getting some information on the family tree. Until then, he was going to rest his weary bones.
Listening to the keeper talk in riddles and chasing down a chameleon shifter was tiring. He had no idea that doing something other than fighting could be so exhausting. But as he walked down the hallway, the weariness began to kick in.
As Panahasi passed the guest room, he slowed. Once again a profound loneliness began to fill him. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of despair. Placing his hand on the wall, he rubbed his sternum as he stared at the closed door. Trying to avoid the two shifters hadn’t been easy, but Panahasi had left the penthouse before either woke and come home after they had gone to bed.
His fear that Jaden would destroy his mates kept Panahasi away. But as he was talking with the keeper, he was reminded that his attempts were futile since Jaden already knew who Casey and Drake were.
Whether Panahasi claimed them or not, there was a large target painted on both their backs. The keeper pointed out that Panahasi might as well claim them. The enemies already knew, and nothing was going to save them if it was their destiny to leave this world.
Those words hadn’t sat well with Panahasi.
The only person who would leave this world would be Jaden. But the downside to that promise was that if Jaden died, so did Panahasi. That was why he never understood Jaden and his lust for trying to kill Panahasi. Did the creature have a death wish? Was Jaden so unhappy that he didn’t care if he died while killing the leader of the demon warriors?
Panahasi had to admit, if to no one but himself, he had been out to kill Jaden earlier in the underworld. He was tired of the fight, tired of protecting those who had no idea exactly what he and the warriors had sacrificed for their luxury to live a crime-free life.
There were those who were grateful, but lately they were few and far between. He wasn’t in this for the glory or gratitude, but a thankyou once in a fucking while never hurt.
But as he stared at the guest room door, Panahasi knew he could cure one ill by sleeping with the two gorgeous men. It wasn’t a hardship, not by any stretch of the imagination. Those two got his blood pumping so hot that Panahasi had felt like he was going to combust standing near them.
No, claiming them would be the easy and pleasurable part. It was afterward that frightened him most.
“Can I go now?” Deandre asked as he stepped into the hallway. Panahasi had forgotten about the warrior watching over the two men. He had been so lost in thought with all of his troubles that the warrior had come up on him without warning.
Another impossibility in one night. They were starting to add up. If Panahasi wasn’t careful, the next person to catch him unawares just might kill him.
“Thank you for watching them. Did they give you any trouble?” he asked, knowing his mates could be a handful. They were mischievous as hell, and Panahasi hated to put that burden on any of his warriors. But he had business to attend to, and taking the two along was out of the question.
“No troubles. Call me if you need me again.”
Panahasi nodded but felt a grin trying to show itself. “I highly doubt you are volunteering to come guard them again.”
Deandre had the decency to blush. “For you, I would watch a T- Rex. But just so you know, my answer would be no if left with a choice. You have your hands full. I’ll give you that. You’re one brave son of a bitch to take those two on.”
Just exactly what had happened? “Just like your mate will be most unfortunate to come across your hairy ass.”
Deandre chuckled. “I suppose so.”
Panahasi watched as the warrior let himself out. He was glad his mates were in one piece. He thought he was going to have a coronary a few days ago when Drake had been drugged. He still hadn’t found out who had done it. And Panahasi was chomping at the bit to find out.
One thing was for certain, keeping the two shifters safe was turning into a full-time job, and a hazardous one at that.
Chapter Five
Casey stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, pressing one hand on the tempered glass as he stared at the city below. It was teeming with life, even in the darkness. He could see creatures walking by the apartment building, and see men across the street shooting hoops. Except for the constant lack of sunlight, it all looked so normal.
He remembered a time not so long ago when he and Drake had wandered similar streets and wondered if the two of them would be here for much longer. It wasn’t looking hopeful. He hadn’t seen the leader since the meeting a few nights ago.
“It is a beautiful sight.” Panahasi’s deep voice slid over Casey like the sun on a hot summer’s day.
Casey nodded, holding his breath as Panahasi walked to the window, standing next to him. The man was imposing, standing so much taller than Casey and seeming so far away that touching the man seemed impossible.
“I have lived here my entire existence,” the man said as he clasped his hands behind his back. Casey chanced a stolen glimpse and saw that faraway look enter Panahasi’s dark eyes once more. He wasn’t sure where his mate went when he stood in silence, staring off into the unknown, but he wished that the leader would let Casey follow, would allow him to see what troubled his mate so much.
The man was quiet, a thinker. Casey could tell just from Panahasi’s mannerism that he didn’t let anyone in. Casey wanted in. He wanted in desperately, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that would let Panahasi know that Casey could be trusted with the man’s burdens and darkest secrets. Casey wouldn’t judge. He had no room to judge. There were times living on the streets that he had to do things he wasn’t proud of to survive.
He had never sold his body or anything like that. But Casey had stolen to eat. He felt like shit for doing it, but it was either steal to eat or starve. Drake had done the same, and Casey knew in his heart that Drake had hated it just as much as Casey had.
Casey pushed the memories aside, hating to think about what he had to do on the streets, and brought himself back to the here and now.
/> “I like this place,” Casey admitted as he turned back to face the glass, afraid of Panahasi walking away and leaving him to stand here alone once more.
“I remember a time when it wasn’t so beautiful, when chaos reigned and people lived in fear. Those times were truly dark days for all of us who called this realm home,” Panahasi said as if he were revisiting painful old memories as well.
“What happened?” Casey asked, praying the man gave him some small piece of himself. He was tired of not knowing the man standing beside him—aside from the fact that he was a demon leader and his and Drake’s mate.
“The demon warriors were born. They fought to bring peace back to a place that held so much evil, so much…sadness.” The man stood next to him, looking so alone, lost in solitude. Casey had felt that way a time or two in his life. He didn’t know Panahasi’s life, but he knew that feeling of desolation.
“I’d love for you to show me around.”
Panahasi nodded, but didn’t say a word. They stood there for a long time, both silent, both staring off into the city, lost in their own thoughts.
Panahasi finally broke the silence. “I am afraid.”
Casey’s heart began to beat faster. He knew those three words had probably never been uttered by this fierce warrior before. His mate was slicing off a piece of his worries and handing it to Casey. He prayed he did the right thing with it.
“What scares you?”
Panahasi didn’t answer for a long moment. Casey could see the throat muscles on his mate’s neck flexing and swallowing. He wasn’t sure what to do, or how to comfort the man, so he stood there in silence and allowed Panahasi his time.
“Not being able to protect my mates. Watching as their lives are taken from them, from me.”
Casey bumped his shoulder into Panahasi’s arm, giving him a warm smile. “You can’t keep worrying about everything. If you do, you’ll always be miserable. You have to let go and try to be happy every once in a while.”
“And this is coming from experience?” Panahasi turned, leaning his shoulder against the window, a little twinkle playing in the dark depths of his eyes. Now that was the look Casey was going for. It wasn’t a smile, but it was a start.