Sighing out a long breath that felt like my last, I closed my eyes. I’d expected the demon to rise up with glee at the thought of freedom, but I already felt cold and dead inside. With the blackest pit of hell looming before me, I made one concession for the man who’d given me at least a few years of something other than death and violence. In the dark lonely hours, I treasured each and every moment I’d spent in his care. “It wasn’t my modesty that I feared, Liam, but yours.”
“Catherine,” he drew my name out like a low blissful prayer. “There is a way. But I’m afraid you’ll refuse.”
Something tickled my nose, a sweet incandescent spark of luscious sin. I opened my eyes.
Father MacRae held a small wooden bowl—the one he always used to mix the dye and holy water for the ritual. But this time, he held his thumb over the edge. His bleeding thumb.
My demon went rigid with awareness, vibrating with intense hunger at the promise of that blood.
“Instead of violence, feed on me.”
I shuddered, squeezing my eyes shut and clenching my hands into fists. “Absolutely not!”
“Use me, Catherine. I’m more than willing.”
“The risk,” I ground out, averting my face. I swore he’d stepped closer, for the warm inviting scent of his blood wafted beneath my nose. My mouth watered so badly I was probably frothing at the mouth, and it was a damned good thing I still wore jeans to conceal how wet I’d become. He couldn’t know what sort of creature he was dealing with or he wouldn’t taunt me with his blood. “I won’t stop at blood, Father.”
“Too late,” he whispered, his voice a gentle croon, like I was a wild thing that would dart away for the forest. “You’ve crossed the line to Liam. You can’t go back now.”
Maybe he did know how much I wanted him, because he touched my upper thigh, just a gentle, deliberate amble of his fingers where he’d never dared go before.
My knees fell open and I writhed before I could stop myself. Panting, I opened my eyes, searching his face that hovered so close, tempting me with those full, firm lips. “Your oaths…”
“When I accepted the invitation to join our secret sect, I surrendered my oath of chastity.”
Stunned, I fought for words. “But…that was years ago.”
“Nearly ten to be exact, and I’ve been counting every single day, Catherine. Did you know they asked me three times to join the Brotherhood because of my artistic ability? I refused until I met you.”
My throat ached, whether from holding back tears or rage I couldn’t say. All these years, I’d been denying myself, punishing us both, and for what? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re half succubus, so I foolishly assumed an intimate relationship would be inevitable. But I didn’t want you to think that was the only reason I surrendered my oaths. I feared that someday you’d begin to doubt my choice and my motivation. I wanted you to come to me not just for help but for comfort and safety and yes, love, of your own volition. I never expected you to be quite so mindful of vows that no longer bind me, or I would have told you long ago.”
He lowered his bleeding thumb toward my mouth, slowly enough that I could refuse. But I didn’t want to refuse. I’d been fighting his siren call for years.
I clamped my mouth around his thumb. His blood filled my mouth like a melting chocolate truffle, a forbidden decadence in which I’d refused to indulge. The demon raked claws down my spine, ripping my stomach to shreds with its frenzied lust. Gasping in pain, I suddenly remembered another reason to avoid sexual contact with anyone, let alone someone I cared about. I risked draining him dry through countless orgasms and then ripping his belly open to bathe in his blood.
I jerked my mouth free and scrambled backward, desperate to save him from the creature howling inside me. My nails sharpened into claws, my teeth aching to sink into his throat, even while I took him inside me. Horrified, I pressed against the corner and hissed at him to keep his distance.
“There are risks,” he said in that annoyingly gentle voice that made me want to screech my nails down the wall until he covered his ears. “A ritual like this will make us both vulnerable. But if you feed on me, I can strengthen the bonds to control your demon side.”
“Control?” My voice rasped like metal on metal, more demonic than I’d ever heard. My mind whirled like frantic little birds trapped in a hurricane. What choice did I have? How much control would he have…over me, not just the demon?
“The bond can be abused.” He admitted, settling on the edge of the bed to face me. Hands folded in his lap, calm and serene, he was Father MacRae again. “You must have absolute trust and faith in me for this to work, Catherine. I despise the thought of watching helplessly while you slip into darkness. I want to put my fist through the wall at the thought of requesting an assassin to put you down to end a mindless killing spree. But I can’t bear to become the warden of your imprisonment, either. The last thing I want is your hatred.”
“I’m not going to stop killing,” I said as bluntly as possible to see his reaction. “I’m a murderer for the Church and always will be.”
“I know what you do. Your orders will come from the bishop as they always have. My job will still be assisting you in any way I can.”
“You gave up the priesthood.” Tears burned my eyes. He’d devoted his entire life to the Church. That was a big hole to fill. “What do you get in exchange? What do you want?”
“You, safe and sound.” He smiled and in that moment, I swear he transformed into an angel, his eyes shining with pure, sweet light. “I want you to be in control of your demon, because it’s well fed and yet well contained at the same time.”
As if I’d slammed back a few shots of whiskey, heat burned in the pit of my stomach. His blood. The thought of tasting more made my stomach cramp with hunger. Out of control and desperate in sexual release, I could only imagine what I’d do to him. My fingers…claws…burned to sink into him and drag him closer. Heaven waited, shining in his eyes, yet hell loomed beneath my feet if I hurt him.
“I trust you, Liam.”
Relieved, he gave me a wicked, saucy grin I’d never seen before and leaned closer, but I halted his advance by throwing my hand up.
“But I’m going to need you to chain me down first.”
Blinking sweat from my eyes, I twisted against the chains pinning me flat on the bed. My tattoos glowed so brightly I doubted he needed the overhead light to work his magic. His low chant rose and fell like the tides, a gentle rolling crescendo that kept me hovering on the edge of release.
He leaned over my lower stomach, so close his breath became a caress. I barely felt the needle pushing ink—laden with his blood—into my skin. The spell lit an inferno in me, melting my bones until I feared the demon would simply split me open and crawl out to devour him whole.
“Last letter,” he whispered, daring to brush his mouth against my belly.
“Hurry, please.” My voice was so thick with lust that I feared he wouldn’t be able to understand me. The demon purred and rubbed inside me, eager for every sensation he offered. Whether the sting of a needle, the softness of his lips, or the gentle glide of those elegant fingers between my thighs.
My breath flew out in a rush and I arched against his palm. I climaxed so hard and long that I wasn’t sure if I lost consciousness or not. I soaked him in, reveling in sensation that left the demon twitching as ripples of pleasure pooled inside me.
“You shouldn’t have asked for something so long.” He chuckled, a dark sound of masculine amusement that made my toes curl. “If you’d told me to ink ‘Liam’ I could have finished in minutes.”
The letters emblazoned on my stomach, my motto and nickname: Dirty Deeds.
He unlatched my right wrist, jerking my attention to him. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
The tattoos glowed brighter than ever, gleaming like molten lava in the night. Settling against me, he freed my other wrist. “You’ve been trying to feed a succubus with violence. Do you
feel like you want to commit violence on me right now?”
Braced for bloodthirsty lust, I listened to my demon. Rumbling with pleasure, it was certainly eager to attack…but not with violence. Smiling, I buried my hands in his thick curly hair and tugged his mouth down toward me. “I confess it’s not violence I’ve been longing to commit, Father MacRae.”
He drew back with a stern look that did little to bank the heat in his eyes. “How long has it been since your last confession?”
“A very, very long time.” To give him a taste of my inhuman strength, I threw him over on his back. Taking him into my body was like coming home. “I expect a confession every night from now on.”
“Yes, my lady.”
About the Authors
Ada Maria Soto is an expat Mexican American Californian currently hanging out in the South Pacific. She has directed, produced and written for stage and screen under various names with various degrees of success and has recently decided to turn her hand to prose. Her longterm goal is to introduce short form cricket to the United States.
To learn more about Ada, visit
AdaMariaSoto.livejournal.com
Rachel Maria Gallagher is a stay-at-home mom of three obsessed with reading. She writes when she can get away with daydreaming instead of doing the dishes. Her family has nicknamed her “the good idea factory”, a title she has embraced. Her dream is to write stories you can get lost in even when you are busy living life without a book at hand.
Debra Anastasia started writing a decent handful of years ago when along with the dogs, cat, kids, and husband, the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra’s ear. She grew up in New York and got a bachelor’s degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. At the start of her marriage, she moved to southern Maryland with her husband. Her favorite hobbies include knitting, painting furniture and wall murals, and slapping clowns. Earlier this year Omnific Publishing published her debut novel, Crushed Seraphim, and she’s currently pounding out the sequel to angel Emma’s adventures. Poughkeepsie, her novel about daring to love, will be released 11.22.11. You can find her on twitter @Debra_Anastasia.
To learn more about Debra, visit DebraAnastasia.com
Prior published works include:
Crushed Seraphim, Omnific Publishing
Ana Hart, unable to boast of any dazzling achievements or literary awards, simply enjoys writing...as well as devouring any book that happens to cross her path. With a special love for spinning tales of erotic and romantic encounters, Ana dreams of the day when she will finally finish that elusive debut novel.
To learn more about Ana, visit AnaHart03.blogspot.com
Sarah Gilman started her first novel in third grade. She never finished that story, but never gave up the dream. Her fascination with wings also began at that age, when images of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis captured her imagination and never let go. Now a paranormal romance writer, she employs her love of writing to bring the allure of winged creatures to the pages of her novels. Sarah lives in Vermont with her supportive husband and two spoiled cats.
To learn more about Sarah, visit SarahGilmanBooks.com
Prior published works include:
Out in Blue, Entangled Publishing
Alessia Brio is the sexy, energetic alter ego of a tired Appalachian soccer mom. She is fiercely independent and was one of the first authors to abandon her small press contracts in favor of self-publishing. Alessia writes all colors and flavors of erotica, from heterosexual to menage to same sex, and from twisted to humorous to deeply touching. This story marks her entry into the young adult genre. The Internet is both her office and her playground. She can be found online at:
alessiabrio.com
twitter.com/Alessia_Brio
facebook.com/alessia.brio
Brio’s work has earned her critical acclaim in the form of a 2007 EPIC eBook Award for Best Erotica (fine flickering hungers), a 2010 EPIC eBook Award for Best Erotica Anthology (Coming Together: Against the Odds), a 2011 EPIC eBook Award for Best Erotica Anthology (Coming Together: Into the Light), a Romantic Times Top Pick (Coming Together: For the Cure), and two Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Best Erotica (Coming Together: For the Cure in 2008 and Squeeze Play in 2009 with partner, Will Belegon). Alessia is also the driving force behind the Coming Together erotic cocktail series. Each publication in this series benefits a specific charity. It’s erotic altruism at its finest!
eroticanthology.com
facebook.com/erotic.anthology
To learn more about Alessia, visit PurpleProsaic.com
Prior published works include:
Mirror Geography, Purple Prosaic
Butterfly, Purple Prosaic
ArtiFactual: Tales of the Erotique Mystique, Purple Prosaic
Squeeze Play, Purple Prosaic
Coming Together: Against the Odds, Coming Together
Coming Together: For the Cure, Coming Together
Coming Together: Into the Light, Coming Together
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been writing for forty years and has published 14 novels & 7 short stories since 1984 with Zebra, Leisure, Avalon, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press in the horror, romantic paranormal, suspense and murder mystery genres.
To learn more about Kathryn, visit
facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486
Prior published works include:
Scraps of Paper, Avalon Books Murder Mystery 2003
All Things Slip Away, Avalon Books Murder Mystery 2006
The Nameless One, Zebra’s Anthology Dark Seductions 1993
Evil Stalks the Night, Leisure 1984; Damnation Books 2012
The Heart of the Rose, Leisure1985; Eternal Press 2010
Blood Forge, Leisure1989; Damnation Books 2012
Vampire Blood, Zebra 1991; Damnation Books 2011
The Last Vampire, Zebra 1992; Damnation Books 2010
Witches, Zebra 1993; Damnation Books 2011
The Calling, Zebra 1994; Damnation 2011
Egyptian Heart, Eternal Press
Winter’s Journey, Eternal Press
The Ice Bridge, Eternal Press
Don’t Look Back, Agnes 2, Eternal Press 2012
Before the End: A Time of Demons, Damnation Books
The Woman in Crimson, Damnation Books
Allie Ritch spends her time wandering around in her own little world in the Southeastern United States. She has an active imagination and loves fantastical elements, including those found in sci-fi, paranormal, and fantasy works. Allie enjoys entertaining others through storytelling and has fun spicing things up in erotic romance. When she’s not working, she’s appreciating the ocean and sunshine and keeping the company of a toy poodle who tries to French kiss everyone he meets.
To learn more about Allie, visit AllieRitch.wordpress.com
Prior published works include:
Switching Positions, Loose Id
Juliet Cardin began her writing career at an early age, creating her first stories as soon as she could hold a pencil. She began writing novels while raising her two sons as a stay-at-home mom for eight years. When her youngest son began first grade, Juliet returned to work, spending six years at the Red Hill Library in Hamilton, Ontario, which reinforced her love of books. Juliet has dedicated a lot of her time to reading about and researching the paranormal and medieval history, her favorite era, and developing her own stories that combine her two interests. She sold her first short story in November 2009, followed by several contest wins and more contracts.
Juliet lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her husband, two teenage sons and three cats. You can find Juliet on Facebook. She loves to connect with her readers.
To learn more about Juliet, visit
JulietCardinWebsite.yolasite.com
Prior published works include:
Nature of the Beast, Whispers Publishing
Trapped in Time, Whispers Publishing
The Tulpa Knight, Whispers Publishing
The Wise Woman, Breathless Press
Cave of Desire, Breathless Press
Just This Night, Breathless Press
Ann Hinnenkamp is the author of the award winning paranormal romance series, The Dyad Chronicles. She started writing at a young age, convinced she was starring in a movie that needed a better script. Decades later, her love for all things paranormal led her to write the Dyad books. Besides writing, she freelances as an actor and director in Minneapolis where she’s played everything from Eleanor of Aquitaine, to the third extra on the right with the gap in her front teeth.
To learn more about Ann, visit AnnHinnenkamp.com
Prior published works include:
Book 1: Dyad Dreams, Ellora’s Cave-Blush
Book 2: Dyad Quest, Ellora’ Cave-Blush
Melisse Aires is what you get when you take a shy, chubby, Catholic schoolgirl bookworm from Montana. Hand her a stack of her much older brother’ sci fi and fantasy novels, James Bond books and horror comics. Later, introduce Barbara Cartland and the world of romance fiction. Get her a teaching job or two in authentic, one room Montana schools, ala Laura Ingels Wilder. Marry her off to a great guy, move her to a big city in Tornado Alley, then pop three daughters out of her in twenty two months (one set of identical twins). Then, make her a jinx—every great genre TV show she loves gets the ax—Beauty and the Beast, Dark Angel, and Buffy and Spike NEVER have a happy ending! She gets upset about no romance in the world, and fires up to write her own stories with happy endings. Throw this all together into a small house in Wyoming, along with a small bouncy dog named Baxter and too many cats, shake constantly and pour it out onto a computer keyboard. There! You have Melisse Aires.
Just One Bite Volume 4 Page 11