by TW Knight
"I propose," Idras started slowly. "That we up our relation from frenemies to allies."
"Why?" Dropping the goblet, he moved to another debris pile and reclaimed an ancient scroll, hoping the demons didn't access to his private collection.
"Protection."
"For who?"
"Me, of course." She smoothing the fabric on her gown over her ample breasts, giving them a squeeze. When Lucifer didn't take the bait, she huffed. "Fine. I'm scared. Is that what you want to hear? If Satan could do that to you, just think of what he could and would do to me? You are his favorite. The first of the Heavenly Horde to willingly join him. I would never survive half of what you went through." Her voice never wavered, but fear telegraphed from every word.
Lucifer couldn't believe she revealed a weakness to him. A weakness he could exploit without giving up anything himself. So why did he hear the words, "I agree to your proposal," leave his mouth?
Stranger yet, when Idras smiled and said, "Thank you," Lucifer swore she was sincere.
Why did it make his heart jump?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
She was going to flunk her midterm. No doubt about it. After reading the same page for the fourth time, Bree pushed the laptop to the side and put her head on the desk. Hacker may have wasted the technological magic he pulled on the professor and the online system to get her an extension. She was going to flunk.
Her ability to concentrate vanished when Bass left for his turn on patrol. Every time Hacker's computer beeped or his phone rang, Bree jumped.
She couldn't remember being such an anxious person before meeting Bass. But, other than Sam, there was no one except herself she needed to worry about. And Sam? Well, Sam was her brother, it was a given.
Grumbling, Bree sat up and returned her attention to the laptop. She didn't need to worry about Bass. He could take care of himself.
Right?
Damn him for running off and leaving me.
Bree settled back into studying. Hacker moved around his office space like a hyper cat, cell phone pressed to his ear. Unfortunately, thanks to the new glass, sound-proof privacy wall he'd installed, Bree couldn't hear the conversation. But if she were any judge of facial expressions and hand gestures, it wasn't good. His pacing stopped as he listened and resumed when he yelled.
When he turned and caught her eyes, Bree's heart stopped. Something bad happened. Absently, she rubbed her sternum.
Hacker looked away and tapped something on his desk. A second later, the privacy glass frosted, blocking her out.
Bree stood and took a step toward the office, stopped and returned to her seat. No matter what happened, there was nothing she could do to help.
With a deep breath, she pulled the laptop back in front of her. Same page, fifth time. She rubbed her eyes.
"Can't concentrate?"
Bree jumped. "Oh! Cassidy, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry." She smiled warmly, placing a hand on Bree's shoulder.
"It's okay. You're right, I can't think."
"When's your exam?" Cassidy pulled up a chair and joined Bree at the desk.
"Three days, I think. Hacker managed a one week extension, but I've lost track of time." Other than knowing Bass had been gone four days, six hours, and— glancing at her watch —twenty three minutes.
"But you know how long he's been gone, don't you?"
Bree nearly fell out of her chair. "You can read minds?"
"No." Cassidy laughed. "Facial expressions. Besides, you two have a very strong bond. I wouldn't expect anything less." The humor faded. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"
"No. Why?"
"Good. Then there's nothing to worry about—"
"What do you mean? Is something going to happen to me if we're apart for too long?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Cassidy took her hands. "I got sick when Rail died, so I was afraid—"
"I did kinda felt sick back in Alaska. But not really sick, sick. Know what I mean?"
Cassidy nodded. "Maybe you weren't really connected yet."
Bree thought for a minute. "It's the sex isn't it? The soul-bond gets stronger with sex?"
Cassidy shrugged. "Look, I wouldn't worry. Bass will be back soon and after you finish yelling at him for scaring you, you can test your theory."
Sounded like a plan to her. "Did you come down to check on me?"
"Actually, I finally talked Rail into teaching me how to use a sword. I was wondering if you wanted to take a break and come spar with us?"
"I'd love to, but Bass broke my sword."
"No problem. There are plenty of spares here. I'm sure we can find one for you to use."
"Do you think it matters?"
"What?" Cassidy stood and headed for the door.
"Practicing. It's not like I'm going to be fighting demons anymore." Bree winced, hearing the childish whine coloring her voice.
"Who says?" Cassidy leaned against the desk.
"Bass is never going to let me go on patrol with him."
"Maybe that's true, but what's going to happen if we're attacked here? Most days we're down to just one Knight. I want to be prepared. Don't you?"
"You think Lucifer will make another attempt?" The horror from seeing both her brother and Hogart under the devil's influence still haunted her dreams.
"I think he's going to keep chipping away at our defenses until he figures out how to launch a full on attack. It's just a matter of time."
"The eternal optimist, aren't you?"
"The eternal realist. Besides, I'm an analyst. It's my nature to see all sides of the situation, including the things that could go wrong, even if everything else says there's no chance it will happen."
"Always be prepared." Laughing, Bree executed the Scout salute and joined Cassidy at the door. "Let's go kick Rail's butt."
Chapter Thirty
Each breath burned his lungs. Damn humidity. It was like drowning in air; the heat exhausting. The jungle closed in around him. Another narrow path, more like a game trail, opened up as he shoved the brush aside.
The others better catch up quick. He may be immortal, but his endurance was not unlimited. Another branch smacked him in the head and he cursed. "Damn it, where are you guys?"
The crashing behind him grew louder, and closer, followed by labored grunts.
Bass jerked to the left, then to the right, and took a second to glance over his shoulder. The demon was a few yards behind him. Normally, he would flash ahead, gain some ground, but the idea was to keep the beast interested in him and lead it away from the inhabited area it stalked from the tree line.
Once again Cassidy's computer magic proved its worth. Four missing men in two weeks and reports of a possible man-eating tiger in the area gave the program an orgasm.
Bass' head jerked back, halting his forward momentum and throwing him into a tree. Just his luck, his braid came undone and his hair was tangled in the brush. That's what he got for letting his mind wander. "Fuck, fuck. Fuck." Grasping his hair below the thong he'd used to tie it back, Bass cut himself free and surged forward again.
The sooner this was over, the sooner he could get home and back to Breanna.
He'd only taken a few steps when a tree crashed to the ground directly behind him. The beast stood in the clearing. Another second and he'd be wrestling with something the size of a full grown rhino sporting massive claws.
"Shit." He surged forward.
Something warm and wet struck his arm, engulfing Bass in an ungodly stench. His eyes watered and each breath threatened to bring up everything he'd eaten in the last century. His legs momentarily buckled. He stumbled.
"Fuck this." Bass put on a burst of speed, flashing ahead. There was no need to worry about the demon losing him, the beast had marked him for death.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ocean breezes, perfumed air, and sunshine.
Bass didn't think he'd ever been so happy to return to the island. Not just because he was home and
in one piece.
He materialized in the courtyard with Boomer and Tam in time to see Bree force Rail back with a brutal attack. The warrior stumbled, but didn't go down... until Bree spun and kicked him in the side of the right knee. Rail let go of his sword to catch himself, at which point Cassidy swept in from the left and tackled him. With a tap of her short sword against his neck, she declared him dead.
The growl reverberating across the courtyard was not from a sore loser, but from a proud male.
A feeling Bass mirrored watching Bree take a defensive stance, expecting Rail to jump and attack. A moment later, she turned away, a heated blush coloring her cheeks. Cassidy applied a new approach to subduing her opponent.
"Get a room!" Boomer's voice rang from the villa's front stairs. He swept a giggling Gina into his arms.
Bree turned and caught Bass staring at her. Her blush deepened.
"You looked good out there," Bass called.
"Thanks."
As Bree approached, Bass stepped back. "I don't think you want to get any closer, babe."
Hurt radiated off her in waves. "Excuse me?" Her nose wrinkled and she gagged. She clamped a hand over her nose and mouth. "Oh. My. God! What is that smell?"
"The result of being bait when hunting Tevis demons. I zigged when I should have zagged. Bastard got me good."
"Got you with what, puréed skunk ass?"
"Tevis mark their prey with an oily secretion so that even if it gets away, it doesn't get away for long."
"I’ve never heard of a Tevis demon before."
"Wouldn't think you would have. They're mainly in jungles of India and the rain forests of Pakistan, and almost extinct." He dropped his pack to the ground and laid his sword across it. "Deforestation has helped get rid of them."
"Won't more come up from Hell?"
Bass shrugged.
"What do they look like?"
"Like a stock, oversized praying-mantis with thick legs and a long snout. Why, are you writing a book?" He laughed.
Bree opened her mouth to retort, gagged, and took a step away when the breeze shifted. "Go shower." She shooed him away. "Please."
"Soap and water won't work. Besides, I don't want to stink up the house." He propped his sword against the nearby stone wall, winked, and headed off for the woods. "I'll have to take care of this old school."
***
Not sure what to expect, Bree followed at a distance, in a desperate attempt to avoid the noxious cloud trailing the warrior.
As they walked, she watched Bass collected leaves and flowers from various plants along the path and mashed them in his palms with a grinding twist.
"What are you doing," Bree asked as he added yet another flower to the mix.
"I told you, soap won't get rid of the stink. We came up with this natural solution after a lot of trial and error." He laughed. "Zach cultivated the plants that weren't already here."
"How's it work?"
Bass shrugged, continuing to work the foliage into a squishy ball. "I asked Zach that same question and the only part of the answer I understood was it breaks down the oils holding the stink to you."
Bree nodded, and sent up a silent prayer that the stuff worked— otherwise Bass would sleep outside for a while. Alone. "Oh."
"Unfortunately, I don't remember if it works on clothing. I may have to burn everything." He sighed. "Which means I'll be walking back to the mansion au naturale. Good thing this stuff also works as a bug repellant. No telling where I'd get bit." He waggled his eyebrows.
Bree had to admit, she enjoyed the mental image of a strong primal male stalking through the jungle.
After about a half hour, they exited the trees in a quiet clearing at the base of the North Cliffs. Entranced, Bree stumbled a step. A spring bubbled from a fissure in the cliff side and tumbled down a fall of rounded boulders into a pond. Without further examination, she couldn't tell if it was a natural formation or one that the Knights designed— maybe a bit of both.
The muted roar from breakers added a rolling beat to the island music— singing birds and rustling leaves. A sparse stand of trees to the west framed a section of bright blue sky meeting teal blue water, accented by a few white puffy clouds dancing on the horizon.
"This is beautiful. How—" Her question died on her lips, catching Bass mid striptease. God, he was gorgeous. Muscles rippled under taut flesh. Sunlight created gold highlights in his hair.
She gasped. He' walked so far ahead on the path, she hadn't noticed his hair was a ragged mess and much shorter. Gone was the curtain of silken chocolate falling down his back, instead the strands ended below his shoulders in jagged edges with a slight curl. "Bass, what happened to your hair?"
"I got tangled in some branches while that Tevis was chasing me and had to cut myself free. No worries, it'll grow back." Turning, he faced her, his smile lit up the area like a thousand watt bulb. "Like what you see?" he asked in a voice as thick as honey.
Bree nodded shyly. Did he notice her staring at his growing erection?
Probably.
Heat crept across her cheeks and down her neck; her skin prickled. Bass answered her response with a sexy, rumbling laugh.
Taking a seat on a rock, Bree watched Bass rub the plant mixture over his body, lingering in some places for her enjoyment, she was sure. When he worked the plant mixture into his hair, Bree was once again caught by the image on his back. The ink twisted and writhed over his bunching muscles. The dragon watched her.
With a shudder, Bree looked away. It had to be a trick of the light. A good artist could do that.
"Hey." Bass's voice swept over her like silk on the breeze. "Can you give me a hand?"
"Sure." Giving him a sultry smile, Bree strutted forward. The plants certainly helped. The smell was barely noticeable. "What do you need?"
"Scrub my back?" Bass held out a squishy ball of plant material while, rubbing the rest over his hair, turning it into a tangled mess. "I don't want to risk missing anything."
Bree hesitated.
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry. It's just that..." Bree took the ball of anti-stink from Bass' outstretched hand. "It's your tattoo, okay? Don't get me wrong it's beautiful, but it freaks me out."
A concerned line crossed the warrior's forehead. "Why?"
"It watches me." She closed her eyes and rubbed the plants over the ink. "Why did you ever get this, anyway?"
"I told you—"
"No you didn't. We started arguing. You never told me why you got such an intense tattoo."
Bass turned and circled Bree in his arms, pulling her close. "It wasn't my first choice."
"No?"
"No. A long time ago, I had several sets of ancient spells across my back. Spells for protection, to hide my wings, to enhance my humanity, enhance my strength." His shoulders lifted slightly. "I had to have them redone every few years because my natural healing ability would erase them. One of those times I had a shaman do the work, and this is what I got. A permanent reminder of what lurks just below the surface."
Bree tilted her chin up to search his eyes. "If you didn't choose this, how did your spells get replaced? I thought Zach said the symbols were lost."
"The magic that hides our wings is inherent in each angel. Like flashing from one spot to another. I drew out the symbols for the shaman to copy. I guess they're part of the design. Never thought about it— the tattoo did its job and that's what mattered. I didn't even know the ink he used would be permanent, let alone never fade. Apparently the spirits told this shaman that this image was what I needed. Don't ask me why, he wouldn't tell me even after I threatened to eat him."
Bree startled. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope. I threatened to eat him. He didn't know I would never do that, but he was dealing with the demon side of me while I shouted, so he believed me. All he would say was that the spirits guided his hands. He didn't even know what to call the creature he put on me."
Bree let his words sink in as she moved he
r hands in a slow pattern up and down his back. With her fingers touching the ink, the dragon wasn't so scary. "What about your other tats?" Her hands slipped around his ribs, over his shoulders, and down to the ink circling his biceps in artful loops and swirls had a life of their own. "What about these?"
He chuckled. "They give me strength and keep my sword strikes true. I never miss what I'm aiming at. Not that I need the help."
Bree nodded remembering the skratar he killed in the hanger, resulting in her broken sword. He should have missed the strike, but it landed true. Her right hand drifted over his rippling abdomen to a black flaring star just above his left hip. "This one?"
"That was the place where I received my very first death blow. I wanted to never forget how vulnerable I could be."
The memory of watching him die made her heart skip. Her hand drifted lower. "What about this one?" Bree ran her palm over a wide band of runes circling his left thigh.
"That one" —Bass leaned in, pressing his arousal into her belly— "ensures my virility."
"Please tell me that's a joke." Bree pouted. "I'd hate to think you need help in that department."
Bass growled, burying his hands in her hair and took her mouth in a demanding, heated kiss. When they finally parted, leaving Bree weak and panting, he rasped, "I'm all natural, baby. That tattoo commemorates the first twelve demons I sent back to Hell in pieces."
"Oh."
"If you don't stop rubbing it, I'm going to tear your clothes off and take you hard and fast right here."
Bree placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him back a step. Without a word, she hooked the hem of the shirt with her fingers and pulled the tank top over her head, tossing it to the side. "If you tear them, we'll both have to walk back au naturale," she joked.
"Damn, you're beautiful." Bass tilted forward, trailing kisses from Bree's neck and collar bone down to her breasts. He fumbled with the zipper on her jeans.
Caught between a moan and a giggle, Bree wriggled free from the denim. Wrapping her arms around Bass' neck, she flicked her tongue over his ear and whispered, "Fuck me."