His brothers dipped their chins.
The beast’s heads swayed on its long necks, the movement snakelike as it turned to face them.
They braced.
The beast roared with so much force the ground shook and launched at the closest target. Gunner’s battle cry rang out, sword gripped in both hands. Zenon and Chaos ran toward their brother, but the creature was fast. Faster than it looked.
It beared down on Gunner, jaws wide open. Gunner raised his sword.
But instead of reaching Gun, it collided with an invisible barrier, it’s huge body hitting it like a brick wall before flying back.
Someone or something had stopped it.
The Hell beast screamed, loud and piercing, lifting goose bumps all over Chaos’s skin, then turned and fled.
They took off after it.
It ran past cars, people on the sidewalk. No one paid it any attention. The beast bumped a car, sending it a meter from its original position, a store window smashing when it’s tail whipped around. People stopped in their tracks, someone screamed, but they weren’t seeing the beast, just the destruction it left in its wake.
The creature was still being cloaked.
They took flight, going after it, but somehow it vanished into the shadows.
Chaos turned to Zenon on his right, the wind whipping his hair, snatching the fury in his voice. “Where would it go?”
“It’s full, and the summoning would have drained it of energy. Somewhere it can hide and rest.”
“How long?”
“After feeding like that? A couple days at least.”
They had some time. Not much, but it was something. “I want you to go after the fucker who did this, see if you can sense his power, he can’t have gone far.” Chaos turned to Gunner. “Try to find the beast. Don’t engage it. If you can, lead it away from downtown. We don’t want any humans stumbling across it. Whatever’s making it invisible might only be temporary.”
Gunner caught his gaze. “What will you be doing?”
Chaos cursed. They needed more eyes on the ground, more manpower to help find and contain the beast. They couldn’t do it alone. “Getting some help.”
Chapter 9
Laney poked her head around the door. "Vince wants you out front."
Grace looked up from lacing her boots. "I'm due on stage."
"We're swapping apparently. Oden’s here again.”
Great. He'd been here the night before as well, and he’d insisted on having her sit with him the entire evening. Despite her best efforts, she hadn’t been able to get him to talk, and the creep hadn't left the club until 3 a.m.
Worse, he'd brought her a bracelet that she'd refused, but Vince had all but begged her with his eyes from across the room to accept it. Vince was definitely in some kind of trouble, but he wasn’t talking. As much as she wanted to shake the shit out of him, he was family, and she owed him her life.
He'd provided her with protection and a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go. Had given her a way to make good money when she'd lost her family and had shown up with nothing but the clothes on her back.
Which was why she'd stayed at Oden’s side, why she’d laughed at his jokes and stroked his ego. Oden was a man used to getting what he wanted. She’d talked to a few of her people, and heard more sick and twisted rumors. Like what happened to business associates who didn’t let him have his way.
She needed to find out what Vince had gotten himself into.
He told her he had it under control, but she didn’t believe him. So unfortunately, for now, that meant cozying up to Oden.
She shuddered. Having his revolting hands on her was an exercise in restraint. Because the urge to bust the creep’s nose whenever he touched her was getting harder and harder to resist.
Ever since Chaos had come to her gym, since he’d kissed her, the idea of touching or being touched by anyone else had become almost unbearable.
She curled her fingers at her side and straightened. Every time she saw the knight, spent time with him, it grew stronger. She had to overcome this, work at strengthening her block, so she could resist the pull their bond was having on her.
The faces of her family—her parents, her brother—filled her head and guilt swamped her, along with an even stronger dose of self-loathing.
Christ, the fates had really screwed her over with this shit. First, the whole idea of mates, of being cosmically matched to some random guy, was supremely messed up. But making two random strangers meet and instantly want to fuck was totally twisted. And second, matching her with Chaos, of all males, was just plain evil.
The sheer power of the bond she was now fighting almost constantly, a bond she would happily fire a bolt at and smile while it twitched and bled to death at her feet, astonished her. Terrified her.
Since that kiss, she’d had to fight harder than she ever had before to keep her block up, to keep who she was to him, from him. She curled her fingers into a tight fist. After he’d swaggered out the door, a part of her, a large part, had actually wanted to go after him, to bring him back and finish what they’d started. God, since then she’d barely thought of anything else.
Goose bumps lifted all over her skin. Her body had no trouble remembering the way his weight had felt on top of her. His mouth on hers. The way he’d held her tight.
Stop it.
Pushing all thoughts of the pain-in-the-ass knight from her mind, she headed out into the club.
Oden wasn't alone this time; he had two other males with him. Vince was hovering beside them looking flustered. Oden glanced up as she approached, his dark gaze traveling over her in a way that made his feelings more than clear.
He wanted her.
And he wasn't a man used to hearing no.
This was a game for him right now, but she knew he wouldn't play nice when he decided he'd had enough of the chase.
“Oden, this is a nice surprise. Gentlemen." She smiled at his companions and rested her hip against his chair.
Vince smiled at her, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "See, here she is. I told you she wouldn't be long.” The males with him took her in, assessing, unnerving.
"I was just about to go on stage," Grace said, resting her hand on Oden’s shoulder, willing to do anything, even touch the bastard if it would help Vince. They’d be having a serious conversation after her shift, though, this couldn't go on. She did not pimp herself out, not for anyone.
Oden’s gaze turned cold, and he pulled her toward his lap, like he had the right to touch her, like she belonged to him. She resisted, but his fingers dug into her waist, holding her too tight. “I think you can spare me a few minutes of your time?”
"Of course." She refused to climb into his lap, though, and instead draped her arm over the back of his chair and forced herself to relax when what she really wanted was to scratch his damned eyes out.
His hand roamed while the males talked business, barely avoiding her no-go zones, skimming the underside of her breasts, fingers brushing low across the tops of her thighs. She did her best to ignore it, to listen to the conversation. She was a decoration, the blond bimbo, too stupid to understand what they were talking about. But Oden’s friends kept glancing her way. Whatever. It wasn't the first time someone underestimated her, and it wouldn't be the last.
As time ticked by it became obvious they were talking in some kind of code, but no matter how hard she tried to decipher it, she couldn’t work it out. Her spidey senses were on high alert, and by the time Laney’s dance had come to an end, she was ready to tear his wandering hands off his wrists and choke him with them. "I better head backstage. I'm up next."
She turned to walk away, but Oden grabbed her wrist, stopping her and tugged her back. He slipped his hand around her waist, just above her ass, and pulled her in close to his side. “Wear this." He stood and turned her to face the bar, lifting a necklace over her head. "I want to see you in nothing but my diamonds.”
She lifted her gaze, and whatever
she was about to say seized in her throat. Chaos stood leaning against the bar, pose relaxed to the casual observer. But she knew better. Behind his midnight gaze, rage burned, and when Oden gripped her hips roughly and dragged his nose along her throat, every muscle in his body went rigid.
She knew little about the instincts of knights and the females they were meant to mate with, but she wasn't stupid enough to think his reaction was anything more than that. Chaos may not know she was meant to be his, but he had to feel something, even if it was watered down through her shields.
Chaos was not a male to lose control easily, but right then she thought he was as close to it as she'd ever seen him, and that was saying something, considering she'd seen him brutally kill demon after demon with single-minded focus. It was confirmation that on some level he sensed their connection, there was no other reason for what she saw in his eyes.
Wrapping her hands around Oden's wrists, she moved out of his hold. "Thank you, it's beautiful."
"Go dance for me,” he said roughly against her ear.
She chanced another glance over at the bar, but Chaos was gone. Scanning the place, she breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing. She wasn’t ready to deal with him right then.
She hurried backstage and waited to be announced.
“Welcome to the stage, Miss Gigi Fury!”
The crowd cheered as she strode out with a set of large, pale-blue, feathered fans. The music started slow, a low throbbing beat, and she took her time moving across the stage. The lights were bright, and she couldn't see the audience very well. And like every time she danced, she blocked them from her mind and let the music move through her.
The song slowly changed, getting heavier, moodier. Using the feathers for cover, she removed several items of clothing to the music and after turning away from her audience, she bent low, placing the fans on the floor.
As the song changed tempo, the beat faster, she crawled across the stage on her hands and knees.
Rolling, she arched up onto her hands, head back, hair trailing on the floor behind her, thighs spread wide in only her underwear, stockings, garter, and bra. She lifted her head and did a little shimmy before undoing the delicate fabric supporting her breasts. She cupped herself, holding the fabric to her chest, and spun before lying back once more. After another sexy shimmy, she flung her bra away, giving the crowd her yeah-I'm-so-hot-I'm-writhing-here-all-by-myself treatment.
Jesus, men were easy.
Finally, she got to her feet, this time with her back to the crowed, moving with the music while the song came to an end.
The lights dipped, darkening the area round her, and the crowd cheered.
She took a couple of steps, about to walk off the stage—
Chaos stood a few feet away, legs braced apart, fists clenched at his sides, and an expression she had no hope of reading but made her heart pound and her pussy clench with need.
Quickly walked off, slipped on a robe, and headed to the dressing room. She didn’t need to have the power to see through walls to know he’d be waiting for her.
When she pushed the door open, he stood there, arms crossed over his monster chest, volatile energy rolling off him in furious waves.
Neither of them spoke as he moved toward her, closing the space between them like a stalking panther. The room was empty, and with a glance at the door by Chaos, it flew shut, the lock sliding into place behind her all on its own.
His fingers curled around the necklace Oden had put on her. “Diamonds, huh? Never thought you’d fall for that shit.”
“He wants to waste his money on me, who am I to argue?” she said, pretending that she didn’t want to toss the stones in the trash, that having him put it around her neck like some kind of ownership had made her sick to her stomach.
“You’re fucking him.”
It took a moment for his words to reach past her haze of lust.
“No.” She hated that she felt the need to explain herself but was powerless to stop. "I'm doing it for Vince...something’s not—”
“I get it, Grace.” His face twisted into a sneer, even as his hand lifted and his fingers gently, so incredibly gently, slid across her cheek and along her jaw. “No need to say another word.”
But he didn't get it. He thought she'd fuck that bastard, that she’d sell herself for the diamonds around her neck. She could see it written all over his face.
Why the hell did she care? He could think what he liked. Honestly, it would be easier if he hated her—for a lot of reasons.
Crossing her arms, she straightened her spine. “Why are you here?”
His jaw tightened and his eyes grew even harder, so much ice she actually shivered. “Something happened tonight, something…unexpected. Things have changed.”
Grace went on full alert. “What things?”
“A demon, he summoned a beast from Hell. Someone protected him, blocked us from getting to him.” His entire body went rock solid. “We couldn’t stop him.”
She attempted to wrap her mind around what he’d just told her, the fact that he’d chosen to tell her. “There is some kind of…Hell beast loose in the city?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. “At the moment, it’s invisible to humans. I don’t know if it’s the same for demi. We need manpower, people on the ground searching for it. We need to contain it before it wakes.”
Grace had to be hearing things. “You’re asking for my help?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
“But you said—”
“I didn’t want to involve demi in this war. How could I want that when I was created to protect you?” He gritted his teeth. “But we need help with this. We can’t do it alone.”
I was created to protect you.
Freudian slip? If he knew she was his mate, that’s exactly what he’d want to do.
But that had to cost him, asking her for help. And honestly, she never thought he ever would. She’d truly believed he would rather lose this war than ask anyone for help. He’d surprised her.
“I think you and your people could be an asset to our fight if you would listen to what I’ve been trying to tell you instead of killing indiscriminately.”
Then again, this wasn’t the first time he’d surprised her. When he’d visited her at her gym, he’d almost admitted that he needed them then. She hadn’t been willing to bend, to meet him halfway. Hating him was easier than thinking there was more to him than she first thought.
“You want our help to find this beast?” she said, voice huskier than she would have liked.
His eyes narrowed, gaze dropping to her mouth. “Yes,” he said, again without hesitation.
“Did that hurt?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking. They’d been fighting against each other for months, and now here he was asking for help. It was almost unbelievable.
He took another step closer, so close now she could feel the heat radiating from his rock-hard, tightly coiled body. “You hate me. I don’t blame you. My intention was only to protect you and your people. But I see now we can’t do this alone, not anymore. I may not always agree with you, Grace, but I respect you.” He ran a hand over the ink on the side of his head. “Will you help us?”
She’d dreamed of this moment, many times, but torturing him, making him beg—like she always imagined she would if he ever came to her—didn’t appeal quite so much anymore. This was probably all some act, some kind of manipulation. She definitely wasn’t going to drop her guard around this male. But there was only one answer. “Yes.”
He dipped his chin, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down his strong throat. “If you find the creature, you are not to engage. This beast won’t be killed easily, or maybe at all. It regenerates lost limbs quickly, is without vital organs, our best bet is to contain it somehow.”
He gave her the location of their last sighting, then held out his hand. “Phone.”
She gave it to him and watched as he programmed numbers into it.
“My n
umber. I’ve put Gunner’s in there as well. He’s still searching. Contact him when you’re downtown, and do whatever he says.”
“I’ll gather my people and head out now.”
“This thing will be looking for somewhere quiet and dark to rest. There could be demons guarding it. Follow any you see in the area. We’ll question them at the compound.”
“We can do that,” she said, her belly feeling weird, skin prickling restlessly.
He said no more, just stood there, dark eyes locked on her. She had no idea what he was thinking, but it was hard not to squirm under that heavy stare. He leaned forward.
She swallowed, her body heating, recognizing who he was to her, and responding, betraying her. A pulse between her thighs started beating low and deep, and her heart gave a mighty thump. “I’ll get changed and send out the bat signal.”
He blinked like he was shaking off some kind of fog. “Yes, of course.” He took a step back.
“Will you be joining the search?” she asked for some unknown reason. She refused to believe it was because she wanted to fight alongside him, that she wanted to see him in action again.
“Yeah, but first I need information on this creature that could help us fight it, if there is any.”
“Good plan.”
He dipped his chin again and took another step back, then finally turned and headed for the door. He opened it and was about to walk out, but instead turned back to her. “And, Grace?”
The way he said her name, dipped low, kind of gritty, had her fighting a shiver. “Yes?”
“Be careful.”
Then he was gone.
Chapter 10
Chaos walked out of Grace’s dressing room, through the bar and growled when he spotted Oden still sitting at a table. He carried on out onto the street, refusing to look back.
Seeing Grace with that male, watching him put his fucking hands on her and drape diamonds around her slender throat had pissed him off; his demon sure as shit hadn’t liked it, either. The monster inside him had twisted and clawed, trying to get free. When Grace had looked up, her mahogany eyes locking on his, everything inside him had seized, then lurched forward, as if trying to drag him forward, to get closer…to her.
Knight's Dominion (Knights of Hell Book 4) Page 8