Hot Holida Treats

by Sorcha Mowbray, Rachel Kenley, Jocelyn Dex, Sotia Lazu, Leigh Ellwood, Eva Lefoy, Daisy Banks, Sofia Grey

  “No angle, only truth. Let me help you get out of here before it’s too late. The people in there—Bix—they are using you. You’re nothing more than experiment to them.”

  She thrust her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “And?”

  “All you have to say is and?”

  “C’mon. You can do better. There’s no way you think that crap would sway me.”

  “I’m trying to spare you from the shock of the full truth.” He grabbed her shoulders. “They will kill you when you can’t pass all their tests. And you will never be able to resist me until you embrace what you are.”

  “And what am I exactly?”

  “Much more like me than you think.”

  For a moment, she only stood there, a blank stare on her face, then the corners of her lips twitched and she burst out into a full-blown belly laugh. After recovering, she wiped at her eyes. “Wow, that was great.”

  “Delia, this isn’t a joke. I can prove it to you, but I need to be strengthened. I don’t want to force you, but considering the circumstances…”

  “You know what? Either stop with this nonsense and help me forage or give it your best shot. I shut you out yesterday. I can do it again. I can also kick your ass.”

  She sounded so confident, he hated to take that from her. Once she understood, knew the truth, she’d forgive him, he hoped. If not, at least she’d be alive. He was on her in a second. He snatched her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back before kicking her feet out from under her, forcing her face down on the ground. She screeched, wriggled and kicked but she couldn’t dislodge his body weight.

  “Notice that I’m not hurting you. I’m only proving a point. You are a good fighter, very good, but even at my weakest, you are not stronger than me.”

  “Get off me. You caught me off guard. I always kicked your ass in the practice ring.”

  “I let you win. Yes, you got in a few good shots all on your own, but I couldn’t bear hurting you so I took your beatings.”

  “Liar,” she spat, still struggling.

  “I’m sorry for this, but it’s in your best interest.”

  He didn’t wait another second. His cock engorged, her wiggling beneath him intensifying the immediacy of the situation. He wished this was under different circumstances, but...

  He shoved images of him nipping and licking her neck into her mind. Their lips melded together, tongues tangling, bodies writhing. Images of him sucking her nipples into taut peaks, her gasping for breath. Him trailing kissing down her abdomen before spreading her wide and sucking her swollen clit into his mouth. There was no time for finesse. He unleashed the full power of his ability onto her.

  So lost in the projection, he hadn’t realized he’d been rubbing his bulge against her ass and she was no longer fighting him but arching into him. He flipped her over, her eyes drugged with lust. She grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled him in for an abusive, hungry kiss. Her burning lust seeped into him as she spread her legs wide and thrust against him. She tore at his shirt, clawed at his skin, clutched his ass and pulled him against her.

  If only she wanted him so badly without coercion. Gods, how he wanted to free his cock and pump into her. Not just because of the added strength it would bring, but because he’d wanted her since the first time her fist connected with his jaw. She was fiery, sensual, a survivor and he wanted her to be his.

  She ripped her mouth from his. “Fuck me, Argoth. Now.”

  He covered her mouth with his again continuing to feed on her sexual energy. But he needed to shut her up. She’d actually called him by his name and it made him burn hotter. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up granting her request and then, once the projection wore off, she’d hate him with everything inside her.

  He couldn’t believe he was so close to coming and they hadn’t removed a single piece of clothing. Her breath hitched as he ground his hardness against her. Her muscles tensed beneath his hands. He wasn’t the only one on the verge of climax. When she screamed into his mouth, her body shaking, the rush of blinding energy made him dizzy. It was more than a mere human would have energized him. Especially from dry-humping. Fingers crossed, both their heads didn’t explode, as he tore his mind from the sensual female beneath him and flashed them away.

  Chapter Four

  Cordelia had never wanted another being so badly. Her body and mind screamed for him, his touch. If he didn’t fuck her soon, she’d combust. His delicious mouth on hers, his weight pressing between her legs, the soft sheets beneath her… Wait.

  “What?” She blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from her mind as Argoth pushed away from her. When her vision cleared, she saw that Argoth stood over her and she couldn’t miss the bulge straining against his pants. What the hell had she just done? She’d practically begged him—a demon—to fuck her. She’d lost herself to his manipulation before but not to that extent.

  Damn him. Fury speared her veins as she jerked upright and slammed her fist into his stomach. He doubled over but recovered quickly and without a sound.

  “It had to be done. I regret how it had to be done, but…” he shrugged. “I had to get you—us out.”

  “Out?” Wait, where the hell were they? She took in her surroundings. She sat atop a huge bed covered in the softest sheets. She rubbed her palms over the smooth material and had to squelch the urge to strip naked and wrap herself in it. An ornate dresser and wardrobe flanked one side of the room and… Oh my god. They were definitely not in the woods anymore.

  She jumped off the bed and shoved at him. “What have you done? Where the hell am I?”

  “You’re safe now. In my home in Italy.”

  “Italy?” she practically screeched. “How?” She shoved at him again. They’d been in Texas less than a minute ago. She had to get back. Her training, her life—it was all over if she didn’t get back. “This isn’t possible. Why?”

  “Be calm. I’ll need to alert my staff of our arrival, but to keep us within the thirty feet, you’ll need to stay on this,” he indicated with his hand, “side of the room. I’ll return in a few moments.” He snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Delia. Tell me you understand.”

  “Understand? No, I don’t understand.” Her heart slammed in her chest, her stomach churned, the urge to puke consuming her. She grabbed his throat and squeezed—hard. “Take me back now,” she demanded, almost hysterical.

  His expression grim, he easily removed her hand from his throat and held it tight to her side. “Sit. I’ll only be a moment and then you can continue to assault me if it makes you feel better.”

  Deflated, she sank onto the bed. He didn’t wait for her to form another coherent thought before leaving the room. Disobeying and dashing to the other side of the room crossed her mind, but she figured his staff would then make quick work of disposing of her.

  The DEO would never certify her after such a colossal failure. How had he done it? Sex demons couldn’t teleport. Was the demon still messing with her head, her thoughts? Was it another illusion? She pinched herself. It hurt. She pinched herself harder. It hurt worse. Oh no. No. This couldn’t be happening.

  She had to get out of there. He hadn’t locked the door, but she was far from home with no phone, no money, no nothing. Where the hell would she go even if she did escape unnoticed?

  There must be something in the room to help her, to at least protect her. She dashed to the large dresser, jerked open a drawer and rummaged through the contents. Her fingers closed around a fabulously soft item—maybe softer than the bed sheets. When she pulled the item out it was…underwear. Argoth’s underwear, she assumed. Soft, black, shiny.

  She jerked when the door opened. Argoth’s gaze lit on the underwear in her hand. His brows rose, the corners of his lips twitched. “Why, Delia, if you wanted to see my underwear, you only had to ask.”

  Her face flamed as she dropped the offending item back into the drawer.

  “There are no weapons in here.” He eyed her up and down. “Ed
ward is bringing you some clean clothes and the shower is through there.”

  She looked down at her dirt-stained clothing. The reason it was dirt-stained making her heart slam in her chest. “I want nothing from you,” she spat.

  When he stepped toward her, she stepped back. He sighed. “Not even your freedom?”

  Freedom. Even if she believed he’d let her go free, she wouldn’t have anywhere to go. Panic seized her, her stomach roiling. “Take me back. Maybe they don’t realize I’m gone yet. Just take me back and I won’t try to stop you from leaving. I promise.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “We’d have to get the implants removed first. There isn’t time.”

  “But if we hurry, it only takes you a second—”

  “Understand this, I wouldn’t take you back even if there was time. I won’t do that to you. It’s for your own good whether you see it yet or not. Try to relax. I need to attend to one more thing. Remember…this side of the room.”

  She was screwed. Totally, utterly screwed. A prisoner of the very thing she’d trained so hard to capture, kill. The life she’d been working toward, gone in an instant. There had to be a way out of this. Her life wasn’t supposed to end like this. Think, Cordelia. Think.

  A knock at the door pulled her from her depressing thoughts. When she said nothing, a voice called out. “Miss? I’ve brought you clothing. May I enter?”

  Who the hell was that? Another demon? And what kind? She couldn’t deal with anymore at that moment, for fear she’d go insane.

  “Miss?”

  Oh, for craps’ sake. Obviously, he wasn’t going away. “Come in.”

  The door opened. A man in what she’d guess was his fifties stepped inside. He held several hangers of clothing. He made as if to hand them to her, but instinctively, she jumped back. He didn’t miss a beat. “No worries, Miss. I’ll hang these in the wardrobe next to Mister Argoth’s clothing.”

  Once the clothes were hung, he crossed the room to where she stood but didn’t attempt to approach her this time. “I’m Edward. If you require anything else, tell Mister Argoth and he’ll relay the message to me.”

  “Wait,” Cordelia said. “You’re human?” She didn’t know how she knew that for certain. Many demon species looked perfectly human—like Argoth. But, something told her, a deep gut instinct, that he was definitely human.

  “Yes, Miss.”

  “So, you’re a prisoner too? Look, we can help each other—”

  His forehead wrinkled. “No, Miss. I am no prisoner.”

  “But, you’re in a demon’s home.”

  “Yes. Quite willingly, I assure you. Mister Argoth took me in and gave me a job when no one else would.”

  “But he’s a demon.”

  “Given time, I think you’ll find not all demons are cause for alarm. Some are more human than…many humans.”

  With that, he left the room.

  How could a human willingly live and work for a demon? She’d never heard of such a thing. Was the guy crazy? He didn’t seem crazy. Maybe Argoth had somehow messed with his mind—some sort of demon brainwashing, maybe.

  She paced, trying to make sense of her impossible situation, until Argoth returned. That her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, raised her anxiety level.

  “You didn’t find the clothing to your liking?” He surveyed her still disheveled appearance.

  She pointed to the wardrobe. “It’s in there. Couldn’t reach it. Besides, I don’t want your girlfriends’ castoffs.” Deciding to make one last plea, she fisted his shirt. “Argoth, please. You can’t keep me here. Take me back. When the implant is removed, just take me back. I’ll be considered a failure, be assigned a shitty job, but at least I’ll still have a home, a life. Don’t do this to me.”

  He frowned, slowly shaking his head. “No. Don’t ask again.” He strode to the wardrobe, removed the clothing Edward had delivered and laid them on the bed in front of her. “Take a closer look. Not castoffs.”

  He acted as if she hadn’t just pleaded with him. As if she’d asked something as unimportant as what time it was. The urge to break his face battled with the urge to bury her face beneath his fantastically soft sheets and cry. Instead, she did neither. Violence hadn’t worked. Pleading hadn’t worked. The only thing left to do was to play along as best she could, regroup and plan an escape.

  The clothing was foreign to her. Light, feminine dresses—she’d never worn a dress. A pair of jeans, a couple girly-colored T-shirts. Before she knew she was going to do it, she reached out and ran her hand down the sky-blue dress. The fabric wasn’t as soft as Argoth’s sheets or his… Don’t think about his underwear. Jesus, Cordelia. But it was soft, airy and she imaged how it would feel on her skin.

  “I’d love to see you in that,” Argoth’s low, husky voice was like a caress.

  She ignored his comment, but finally saw what he meant when he said they weren’t castoffs. The tags were still on each piece of clothing. “So, they aren’t used but—”

  “But nothing,” he cut in. “They were to be my sister’s.” A wave a sadness entered his tone—his eyes haunted, cold. “You’re similar in size. We can get something else for you soon, but these will have to do for now.”

  “Won’t your sister mind?” Not that she gave a damn, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “No.” He shook his head. “Even if she was here, she wouldn’t mind. She’d be excited to meet you. She’s a kind soul.”

  “Soul?” Cordelia snorted, forgetting her plan to play along. “Demons don’t have souls.”

  Argoth’s glare turned murderous. He’d never bestowed that particular look on her, and she’d never admit it to him, but she was totally intimidated.

  “Never speak harshly of my sister. As a matter of fact, don’t speak of her at all. I am fond of you, but not that fond. Do not test my patience in this area.”

  Um, wow. Sensitive much? But it was obviously some sort of weakness, maybe something she could use against him when the time came. “Where is she? What’s your deal with the subject?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger before looking at her again. “You don’t follow direction very well, do you?” He shook his head and when a knock sounded at the door, she figured that was the end of the conversation, but before he answered the door, he simply said, “The DEO captured her a year ago. I don’t know if she’s still alive or not.”

  Cordelia’s heart sank. She didn’t know why. The DEO captured demons all the time, but she’d never considered someone—family—might actually miss them, might mourn the loss. It’d always been drilled into her head that demons were evil, loveless, that they only cared about personal gain. Argoth’s obvious sadness belied that information and an unwanted pang of sympathy gnawed at her.

  When Argoth opened the door, Edward reported that lunch was in progress and would be ready in thirty minutes. Turning back to her he said, “Clean up, change your clothes. I’ll wait here and then we’ll eat.”

  She considered telling him to shove it, but after the delicious meal he’d cooked her with her limited supplies, she couldn’t wait to see what his staff prepared. And, she rationalized, she needed to keep up her strength if she was going to escape. She wanted to grab the sky blue dress, wanted to see how it’d feel to wear something so feminine, but to spite Argoth, she grabbed the jeans and pink T-shirt before heading to the bathroom.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Cordelia didn’t know how long she’d been in the shower and she didn’t care. She’d never experienced such luxurious accommodations before and if she had to be a prisoner, she might as well enjoy the perks. The bathroom was as big as her entire apartment, the shower bigger than her tiny kitchen area. In addition to a built-in tile bench that was almost as big as her mattress, six shower heads—two above her, two on the right and two on the left—deluged her body. It was heavenly.

  The jeans were snug but stretchy and comfortable. The pink T-shirt was t
hin, light and even though she’d never worn pink in her life, she liked the girliness. Only problem…it was so thin that her nipples showed through. Putting her dirty sports bra on underneath the T-shirt didn’t appeal to her at all, but giving Argoth extra sexual ammunition appealed even less.

  The pile of dirty clothes she’d set on the shelf by the shower was gone. In its place was a box tied with red and green ribbon, a huge metallic red bow in the middle. It looked similar to the Christmas gifts she’d seen in those magazines. Even knowing the gift came from a demon, it didn’t dampen her excitement. Her very first gift ever. Feeling it a shame to make a mess of the beautiful ribbon, she untied it carefully, slowly.

  When she opened the box, part of her wanted to laugh, part of her wanted to roll her eyes and part of her was in awe of the contents. She’d only ever worn cotton sports bras so the delicate, light pink bra made of smooth material with a tiny black bow between the cups and the matching panties seemed a luxury to her.

  She picked the delicate garments up carefully, afraid she might damage them, but then stripped down and put the items on with haste. The bra closure gave her a little trouble at first, but she finally got it. The panties clung to her, but weren’t as awkward as she’d thought they’d be. She’d never felt so…feminine. She’d always had to be hard, to kick ass and she had to admit, this was a nice change.

  “Delia, are you alive?” Argoth’s voice called through the door.

  She wondered if he’d approve of this look on her then chastised herself for being an idiot. “Fine.”

  “Are you certain? You’ve been in there for over an hour. The staff is holding lunch for us.”

  “I said I’m fine,” she snapped and was instantly struck with a pang of guilt. Yes, he was a demon. Yes, she would escape. But regardless of all that, he was thoughtful, nice even.

  When the door flung open, she tried to cover herself with her hands. Argoth’s mouth dropped open, his neck muscles ticked. She’d seen lustful looks from him enough to know he was teetering on the edge and the tingling in her body scared her almost as much as his gaze. She darted toward him and pushed against the door with her full body weight. Surprisingly, it closed. She knew that meant he let her shove it closed on him because he’d proven he was indeed much stronger than she.