by Nora Ash
He was used to people scurrying away in response to his foul moods, but seeing the woman his instincts clamored to soothe and protect recoil in terror made something in his gut clench painfully.
With a deep breath he forced the despair-filled anger down, locked it deep in the part of his heart where it belonged, rotting away in the darkness. With effort, he carefully smoothed out his facial expression.
“I'm sorry, I … didn't mean to frighten you.” Of its own accord his hand moved to her shoulder in an attempt at offering comfort. She instantly went rigid at his touch, and he caught himself missing the pliable softness her body had responded with the previous night.
He pulled his arm back, letting it fall awkwardly at his side. “I do not desire to take a mate. Ever. What I am referring to is … shall we call it a well-kept secret in our world. There might be a way out for you.”
Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Out? You mean, a way to remove my mark?”
“No. Your mark is permanent. But there are … rumors … of a place that offers sanctuary to Breeders. Somewhere demons can't go.”
Selma's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He couldn't blame her, really; she undoubtedly had very little reason to trust his kind.
“And why would you take me there?” She straightened her back in an effort to look confident and strong, but the confusion and fear had swirled in her otherwise so delicious scent since she entered the kitchen.
He knew she was clinging to her composure with her fingernails, her pheromones betraying her stoic facade. She was a brave little thing, trying to hide how terrified she truly was.
Kain clenched his fist to alleviate the flash of rage conjured by the thought of her beautiful brown eyes dulled like his mother's had been most of the time. Broken.
“Because if I don't, you will die.” He managed to keep his voice calm this time. “You have run away once—you will do so again, until you find yourself in trouble without anyone around to save you. I cannot promise that this place is more than a rumor, but I will give you the option of finding out.”
Her eyes lit up, hope blossoming behind the wall of mistrust, though she looked far from convinced. “And how is it that you know this secret, Kain?”
His name on her lips made a shiver run down his spine and materialize in his ever-straining cock. He hadn't been able to fully get rid of the raging erection he'd woken up with; ever since she sat down next to him it had been standing at more than half attention.
He had been around a few Breeders before, none of whom had invoked such a strong response from his instincts. Perhaps it was that she was the first unmated one he had come across, or that their first contact had been while she was in full heat, but in either case it was annoying as all fuck. Not having a clear head at all times was a somewhat new sensation for him, and he didn't appreciate the experience.
“My mother kept a diary.”
He rose, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to escape the room she’d unwittingly poisoned with her irresistible pheromones. ”Finish your food. I will make some preparations, and then we will leave.”
He could feel her haunting eyes follow his retreat.
* * *
“I appreciate you coming, Thomren. And you, Meredith.”
The sound of Kain's deep voice greeting unknown visitors made Selma pause with the fork halfway lifted to her mouth, her heart rate immediately picking up speed. She’d been alone in the kitchen for the past hour, picking at the food because there was nothing else to do, and hadn't heard a doorbell ringing or a knock on the front door.
Who would he have invited over? Were they here to take her away? Was the promise of a possible way out just a ruse? He had seemed sincere, but he was a demon after all. What little she did know of his kind, it was evident that trickery was in their blood.
As silently as possible, she slid down from the chair and padded on bare feet over the cool parquet flooring to the opening that led to the long hallway from where the voices were coming. When she peeked around the corner she saw another man, tall but smaller than Kain, and a clearly pregnant woman wrapped securely in the stranger's arm farthest away from the Demon Lord.
“I trust you are well, my dear?” Kain said as he turned his gaze to the woman.
“Oh yes, thank you. Though this one has been extraordinarily overprotective since I became pregnant. This is the first time he's let me go farther than the front porch in three months.” She laughed and smiled at the man—her mate, undoubtedly.
“Thomren is very kind to honor my request that you accompany him today. I will remember this.” He nodded at the other man. “She’s in the kitchen.”
Selma scurried back from the doorway when they all turned to make their way to the kitchen. Why had Kain asked another Breeder to come? Probably to try and persuade her into joining their ranks of mindless breeding stock.
“Selma, there's someone I'd like you to meet.” The giant of a man who had taken her in entered the kitchen, followed by the two visitors.
She looked up at him, that unsettling sensation low in her belly setting in again now that he was back in her proximity. It was an odd mix of lust and anxiety, as if her body's need for his touch was warring with her knowledge of what he was. It left her flustered and jumpy, especially when he touched her, and the feelings intensified tenfold.
When he reached out and casually stroked a hand over her shoulder, she shivered involuntarily. Even Marathín hadn't had this strong of an effect on her.
“This is Thomren, my second in command, and his mate, Meredith. She has agreed to look after you while he and I work out a few details.” His hand didn't leave her shoulder, and she got the distinct impression that it was some subconscious way of marking her as off limits to the other male in the room. “Be ready to leave in half an hour.”
She blinked at the brusque command, but behind Kain's broad back the other woman rolled her eyes and sighed demonstratively.
“Then you two better leave us alone so we can get Selma fixed up. Did you even offer the poor girl a toothbrush?” Meredith didn't wait for a reply before squirming out of her mate's possessive grip. “Shoo, the both of you.”
They both obeyed, somewhat to Selma's surprise, and then she was left alone with the other woman, who looked her up and down with a critical expression.
“Damn brutes don't know the first thing about how to treat a lady. That's one thing I'll teach my son—what a human woman needs. Took me forever to train Thomren!” She rubbed her belly with a happy smile and shifted her shoulder bag. “Come on, darling—let's get you into a nice dress.”
* * *
It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being dressed in something other than Kain's oversized shirt, thanks to the clothes Meredith had brought her. However, the sensation of playing dress-up in the demon's bedroom with a nice-but-completely-brainwashed woman who had seemingly accepted their shared fate with a smile, was surreal. She didn't comment on the broken bedpost, ruffled sheets or heavy sex smell in the bedroom, nor did she tout the wonders of being an acclimated Breeder such as Selma had expected her to do.
Instead, she chatted happily about her pregnancy, about recipes she'd been wanting to try and a new TV show that was apparently the hottest trend, though Selma hadn't seen much TV while running and therefore couldn't really share her enthusiasm.
“I'm sorry,” Meredith said, finally catching on to Selma's lack of contribution. “It's just, ever since Thomren found out I was pregnant I haven't been allowed to leave the house, and I’ve missed talking to other women, you know?”
Selma nodded obligingly, and refrained from asking why she was okay with being treated like a commodity. The woman was clearly happy with her situation, lack of smalltalk opportunities aside, and she was pregnant. Being on the run was hard enough without having an unborn demon spawn to deal with.
And it wasn't like she hadn't been tempted to just give in herself, with Dr. Hershey. Perhaps Meredith just hadn't seen the violent, cold-blooded side to them. Perha
ps she never would.
“Thomren said you had a run-in with some of the females?” Meredith wrinkled her round nose in disgust. “Evil creatures. No wonder the guys prefer us.”
Selma opened her mouth to note that the 'guys' weren't exactly saints when it came to the war between them either, from what she'd been told. Then she remembered the cold laughter and mocking taunts that had accompanied her assault, and the urge to defend them in any way died. Yes, they were evil.
“And apparently we also smell like catnip to them,” she said instead, offering the other woman a smile.
It felt almost foreign on her face, but Meredith's responding laughter eased the odd tension as it brushed through her, reawakening something she'd never realized had gone missing during the past month. Her sense of humanity, of being someone who had laughter and happiness inside of her instead of just anger and fear.
“Oh yes, we're demon-nip all right!” Meredith leaned over and fussed a bit with her hair, the smile still playing on her lips. “Or demon-crack. Poor bastards can't help themselves.”
“Bastards, hmm?”
The teasing baritone that reached them from the open door to the bedroom made both women jump and spin around.
Thomren leaned against the door frame, arms folded and a playful smile spread on his lips. Behind him loomed the hulking shape of Kain, whose face showed nothing but what Selma was quickly learning was his standard expression of gloomy doom.
“It’s time,” Kain said, ignoring Meredith's pretty blushing, his severity blanketing the room in dark solemnity. “Come.”
* * *
“What about my things?”
“They are in the trunk. Thomren got them out before dumping your car in the river.”
A small, indignant gasp sounded from the passenger seat next to him. “You dumped my car? I spent a quarter of my savings on that!”
He refrained from mentioning that, according to his underling, that moving pile of junk was better suited for the bottom of the river than transporting anyone around, and kept his eyes on the road. “It was too easy to track. The people following you will have a harder time catching up to us with it gone.”
“How do you know I'm being followed? If even you, as a Lord Protector haven't been notified, I imagine he's kept my escape a secret.”
Kain ground his teeth at the mention of the 'he' who had been in charge of the Breeder's care, yet had exploited her in his own selfish interests. She hadn't provided any details of her escape, but it was fairly obvious to him that the man had tried to keep her for himself. “Oh, you are being followed. There are other channels that bypass the area rulers. Special agents, if you will, who will not stop tracking you until you are in their custody. Why he has chosen this option I can only speculate. How long have you been running?”
“A month.”
He could tell by the breathy note to her voice that his comment had scared her. Could smell it in her ever-present scent, too.
“Who is he? The man you escaped from?”
She hesitated, and Kain had to bite his cheek not to snap at her. He was accustomed to being obeyed without delay, and the girl was sorely testing his already frayed patience. However, the urge to keep her happy and content was stronger than even his bad temper, so instead he clutched at the steering wheel to relieve his frustration.
“Knowing who he is may help me understand what sort of resources he has available,” he explained, hoping that reasoning with her would help matters.
“Oh.” A slight pause while she worked out if his explanation was valid. “Dr. Hershey. Marathín Hershey.”
Kain frowned. He knew that name. “He's the procurer at a looney bin up north, right?”
“Ravenswood House Mental Hospital.” There was more than a speck of frost in her voice, undoubtedly at his reference to the place she must have been kept.
Ravenswood House … “Shit.”
“What?” she said, alarm making its way through her annoyance at his inconsiderate phrasing.
“Marathín is old, well connected and has a reputation for being ruthless. I'm going to need you to be completely honest with me, okay? Did you in any way indicate that you would bond with him?”
Her silence made his stomach drop. “Selma?”
“I … I had to, to get away. I said I was his.”
“Fuck!” He didn't manage to rein in his temper this time, and slapped both hands against the steering wheel so hard the car swerved before he caught it again.
“Why is that so bad”?
The spike of fear in her scent made him take a deep breath before answering.
“Because you tricked a demon who views you as his fucking property. If he gets his hands on you, he will punish you, do you understand?” He glanced at her to see if the severity of the situation had sunk in.
Selma frowned and looked down at her hands. “He said he would never hurt me. That hurting me would be hurting himself. But he killed those people in cold blood ….”
“Oh, he wouldn't hurt you. Do you have family? People, you care about?”
She paled considerably. “My parents. I haven't contacted them since I ran away. I thought that would keep them safe. Oh god, could he have them?”
Kain rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was bad enough that he was breaking one of his kind's strictest laws by trying to help the Breeder disappear; now it turned out that she had promised herself to one of the slick bastards in charge of capturing women. And for what purpose? Just so he could attempt to right a wrong that could never be undone anyway. Saving this little thing would not bring back his mother.
But as he looked at her through the corner of his eye, saw her scared face and smelled her fear at the memory of the man she had run from, he knew he would do it anyway.
Damned hormones!
At least she was smart.
“No, he will likely have them under surveillance to snatch you up if you try to make contact with them. They are not useful to him before he has you in his custody. You've done well staying out of sight for so long,” he said, forcing his hands to stay on the wheel so he didn't give in to the overwhelming urge he had to pull her against him and soothe her until she smelled calm and content.
They sat in silence for a little while, the miles being eaten up by the steady thrum of the car's engine, until she spoke again, calmer this time.
“Why are you helping me?”
Kain scoffed. He hardly knew the answer himself. The swirling inferno of emotions and instincts that had been warring inside of him since she was dumped into his life made clear thinking excruciatingly hard.
“You have no idea the impact your scent has on us, do you?” He was aware that he sounded bitter.
“But Dr. Hershey … all my scent did to him was make him want me. Not help me. Why is it different for you? Are you tricking me?”
His lips twisted in amusement at her question. “If I were, you think asking me would make me tell you?”
She sighed. “No. I just … If you are, please just tell me, okay? It's not like I can get away from you, and I can't bear getting my hopes up if … if you're planning on selling me or something.”
The defeat in her voice made his heart twist uncomfortably.
“I'm not out to trick you, little one. It's a little different for Lords. Most don't realize it, but our reaction to Breeders is stronger.” Kain sighed. “It's not just about sex. It's about providing you with protection and safety. When you are frightened or upset, your scent messes with my brain chemistry until I act to make it better.”
She was silent again for a little while, until finally, she said something that nearly made him crash the car.
“I'm sorry.”
“You're what?” He was almost certain he'd heard her wrong.
“I'm sorry. I know what it's like, to have your mind play tricks on you and force you, and I hate that I'm doing the same to you.” Her small hand found his arm, a little awkwardly, but the feeling of it burned through his coat and shi
rt all the way into his bloodstream.
How could someone that small, that soft, shake him to his very core? And how could someone who'd been put through the kind of abuse she had have any empathy for anyone of his kind?
The chuckle at the absurdity of her apology erupting from his throat made her pull her hand away.
“What?”
He offered her a gentle smile. “Breeders are known to care about others more so than most humans, but you apologizing for how your scent affects me? That is extraordinary, and I appreciate the sentiment, little one. Quite a bit.”
Her responding blush made his blood heat up again, this time more predictably from arousal, and he focused his attention back on the road instead of on the odd little Breeder who made breathing difficult.
* * *
They drove all day and well into the night before the demon finally pulled over at a seedy looking motel off the highway, where he left her in the—locked—car while he sorted out room arrangements. Which turned out to be one small room with twin beds.
“I'm sorry for the standard. We are more likely not to draw attention if we stay off the grid.” He actually looked mildly ashamed as he watched her take in the floral bedding and stained carpet.
Selma snorted. It wasn't the standard of the room she was concerned about—it was sharing it with the big male, who, despite his efforts in helping her and the dirty things they'd spent the previous night doing, was a relative stranger. Of course, if she was being chased by 'special agent demons', she'd much prefer to have the giant of a man close by. There was no arguing that he made a mighty fine shield.
“I spent most of last month sleeping in a car.” She offered him a smile as she flopped on the bed furthest from the door, exhaustion pulling at her eyelids before she even had a chance to remove her shoes. Sluggishly, she kicked them off and then climbed underneath the covers to wiggle out of her dress. “This is practically a luxury suite in comparison.”
Kain grunted in response, and she briefly wondered if his instincts were battling with the standard of the place he'd brought her to. Like some colorful bird trying to impress a female with its nest building skills.