Sin Eaters: Devotion Book One

by Kai Leakes

  Amit glanced up and wanted to smile, but he wasn’t feeling it today. He felt it might be a long time before he felt the rush of flirting again. He just ran a tired hand through his jet-black hair and licked his chapped lips.

  “Amit. I was taken two months ago, and I managed to escape because they wanted to hunt me for sport.”

  Kali raised an eyebrow studying him. He was cute. Very cute. But damn if she didn’t feel sorry for him. She noticed Sanna and Kyo looking back and forth as they listened in confusion.

  “Two months? And you seemed to not be turning. Hmm. We’ll talk shortly,” she quietly responded.

  “Hey. I had a life before I was taken. I was in school. I know my family is wondering where the hell I’m at. I need to contact them as soon as possible,” Amit demanded.

  “That will happen soon. You know the protocol. We have to inspect you and clear you for safe return into Society.”

  The hell with all the questions, Amit inwardly scoffed. He tucked the wax piece of paper his former Initiate trainer Winter had given him in his waistband and waited. Whatever it was, he figured, he’d find out later, but in the meantime his hands felt like they were on fire, and his body like it was hit by a semi-truck. He ran a hand over his hair and exhaled with a quick glance toward Sanna and Kyo.

  “Since cousin Kali isn’t talking, what is a Nephilim, Amit?” Kyo calmly asked, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  Sanna shook her head and glanced at Amit. His tired eyes slowly scanned her again. She felt that tug of concern and exhaled slowly. The screeching and hissing of approaching demons roared around her. People screamed. Cars flew and blew up, yet everything seemed to go into slow mode as she read the answers to the question and couldn’t believe it.

  Gently touching Sanna’s shoulder, Kyo whispered, “You okay, sis? You kind of zoned ou”—As Kyo rested her hand against Sanna, she saw that Sanna’s dilated eyes had expanded. That touch let her instantly see what Sanna had gleaned from Amit. That pain and that reality sparked fresh tears in both of their eyes and made Sanna back away in rage.

  Kyo couldn’t believe it. “No damn way. This is a joke?”

  “I’m thinking not so much.” Extending a hand, Sanna looked around and shook her head.

  Amit dropped his steel pipe and moved to get out of the car. “They have to protect you. It is the way Society works. You are a living legend,” he said.

  Sanna tilted her head to the side and followed Amit outside of the car. She stepped back as Kyo placed a hand on her shoulder again. “What do you mean?”

  “He means that you are something called an Oracle-Vessel. I don’t know what it means. I just know daddy told me that I was born and raised to protect you from”—Kyo paused, looking around, ducking before she continued on. “I guess those things out here. He told me that people would come around to help me in protecting you. I guess these are the people.”

  “Whoa. What do you mean, daddy told you, Kyo? You knew something I didn’t know? You’ve been lying to me?”

  Kyo shook her head and she held both hands up. “No, no. I just found out and not by much. I promise.”

  Sanna locked eyes on her best friend, her eyes dilating again, and she sighed, “Okay. I just need to process this. I’m sorry for accusing you of anything.”

  Kali slammed a hand on the steering wheel, jerking everyone’s attention her way. “Got your ass!” She looked up, smiling as she pointed.

  A man built like a wrestler lay smashed under another car.

  Sanna rubbed her temples as blood colored the road like finger-painting.

  “This is crazy,” Kyo muttered.

  Amit nodded his head in agreement. “Sure is. But this team seems to know what they are doing. Never seen one in action ever.”

  Kali scoffed as she adjusted in her seat. “You must be strictly Society bred, huh?”

  Amit tilted his head to the side and flashed a smile. “Actually, no. Came here from Barbados. I was in training to be enrolled in the Chicago team while in college, but . . . shit happens, huh?” He tapped his collar and crossed his arms. He shifted on his feet to stand closer to Sanna as a means to protect her.

  “Really? What are your talents? Disciple.”

  Amit shook his head with a chuckle. “I have some sight and a taste of white light power in the form of healing. That’s it. I’m good with tech shit and weaponry.”

  “Interesting. You sure you are just a Disciple?” Kali yelled, “Amit, block her!” Daggers flew from her hands and out of the open passenger door, connecting with a flying demon as a gunshot took its head off. It fell to the ground and misted.

  “I hate those damn things,” a voice said.

  Kyo, Amit, and Sanna slowly stood up, eyes locked ahead of them. They saw a figure walk through the mists in all-black, combat boots, and a gun pointed at the sky before shifting to strap to his back.

  Blood covered everyone, and Sanna had to keep herself from screaming and crying over it all.

  “Damn good work out there, Sanna . . . and about time.”

  Licking her chapped lips and blinking, she saw Lenox as he smiled. If she had a better sense of mind, she would have commented that he looked damn good in all that black. His curly black hair was pulled back with a grey skullcap to keep it out of his face. He moved through the chaos and nodded. His icy blue eyes almost glowed white. This is crazy, ran in Sanna’s mind again.

  Lenox eyeballed Amit and noticed a small piece of wax paper in the waistband of his pants. “What is this?” he asked as he quickly snatched it and rubbed it between his fingers. As soon as he touched it, the paper turned into a perfumed dust that formed a symbol in the air, and Lenox’s eyes slowly closed.

  “We have an ally. Whoever she is used old Light magic clocked by Cursed magic. Very smart and untraceable, it makes me wonder if it is a setup. Let me see your hands, man.” Lenox grabbed Amit’s hands, flipping them up and down before staring at his palms.

  Sanna studied an exhausted Amit who looked as if he was going to speak up, but fatigue made him sway, causing Sanna to step forward. She moved Amit’s hands out of Lenox’s and dropped them to his side. “Amit will talk with you later about who gave him that. Okay?”

  Lenox just smiled and nodded as Sanna looked around in a circle, noticing everyone who had recently come into her life. She opened her mouth to question everyone, but Kyo took the words out of her mouth.

  “What the hell is this? Underworld and Blade?”

  As Sanna got ready to go into questioning mode again, Lenox moved out of the way and she saw Khamun walk through. Her mind instantly locked up, and her body tensed. She thought she was going to have another seizure. He was the one from her dreams. He stood in the same posture, weapons in his hands, and a look of pure desire in his eyes. The only difference was, he had huge wings that were now folded and a pair of fangs that had her backing up into the Escalade.

  “This has to be a joke,” she muttered.

  Khamun dropped his weapons, walking up to her, and bent down. He snatched the very air from her as his mouth melded with hers.

  The world seemed to tilt sideways and then upside down as a moan escaped her mouth. He made her body light up like a beacon. His mouth was sweet and heady. Everything she had experienced in her dreams and his body was exactly what she’d wanted. She couldn’t keep herself from fisting her hands in his locks as he lifted her, pressing her against his hard frame. She could feel his length pressing into her, demanding her attention. He drew in her lower lip, suckling, before teasing her lips apart and sliding a silky tongue over her own.

  “My damn!” And her world shook as a final seizure overtook her body. Her hands gripped this man as tears spilled down the corners of her eyes and pain sliced through her. She didn’t want to go out like this. She wanted this man all over her, through her and in her. Damn, he smelled so good! And she blacked out.

  In that same moment, she heard his sensually deep voice say, “I’m taking her home.”<
br />
  Chapter 17

  Soft music flowed through her senses while she tried to open her eyes. Her body felt like Hell. A smile slid across her face as she turned her head on the softest cloud feeling pillow she had ever felt in her life. Deciding not to fight her body’s demand to stay where she was, she tried to access where she was as silky smooth sheets kept her comfortable.

  “Just rest and don’t fight it,” a familiar voice poured out, her making her body hum. She knew she could trust that voice. She knew that voice would set everything right and protect her or give her something more. That something more could happen. Something she so wanted but she was too exhausted for.

  “I’ll give you everything you need if you let me, but I need you to rest, beauty.”

  Slovenly nodding, Sanna sighed and let her still shut eyes settle close. She wondered where she was. She remembered being told she was going to be taken home, but where she lay did not in anyway feel like her bed. Actually where she lay felt like . . .Flashes of memories hit her, and everything played in her mind like a movie in reverse. The sights, the sounds, and the crazy. It all hit her hard as she abruptly sat up panting. Her eyes were wide as she hysterically looked around and stopped on the man who sat in front of her.

  He was dressed in black drawstring pants, and his white beater loosely hugged his chiseled chest. His locks were braided back in a knot. He held out a glass of water. “Drink for me please.”

  Sanna frowned and got ready to decline, just to ask where she was but was cut off.

  “Have I ever given you reason to not trust me? Look in my eyes and you know the truth.”

  Something made her comply and she stared, swallowed hard. She quickly felt hot in all the wrong places as she flushed and turned her gaze away, taking the glass and drinking the ice cold water down. Looking around, she saw she was in a nice bedroom. She was in a massive bed, and various works of art hung on the walls.

  “You’re at my private house. You have nothing to worry about here. You can’t be tracked.”

  Slowly sipping, she dared to look up again as she saw a brief flash of fangs. Something in that had her biting her lower lip. Her kitty was purring too hard right now. She wished it would shut up. She needed to know where exactly she was and how to leave if the need arose, though she didn’t feel like it would.

  “Where is my godsister at? Where’s Amit?”

  The man from her dreams and from her restaurant leaned forward on thighs. He took the glass from her, and she swore it disappeared like a magic trick as he reached out and slid a hand through her thick, crinkly afro.

  “Kyo is asleep in the room next to her, and she’ll be up around five p.m. Amit is at the compound and being examined. He was bitten, but somehow his infection was changed in some way. We are trying to figure out in what way, and if he will be a threat or not.”

  That had her shaking her head as she stared at the man she knew as Khamun. “He’s okay. He won’t be a threat. You need him, and he’ll be able to help.”

  A soft smile played at Khamun’s mouth as he studied her. “And how do you know that, San?”

  How he said that, had her feeling like royalty and she tried to shake it off, clearly affected by his presence and scent. He smelled too damn good. But he did ask a damn good question. She didn’t know how she knew Amit would be okay. She just did.

  A memory flashed through her of Amit touching her shoulder, and she clutched her temples.

  “Drink some water and take it slow, San. You’ll ride through it like you always do.” Khamun ran a hand down her back, causing her body to react.

  She looked up fast then reached for him, her mouth capturing his as she almost fell out of the bed, drinking his sweet mouth like she was starving.

  His groan ripped through her body while he adjusted her by gripping her rear, squeezing and pulling her from the bed and unto his lap.

  She felt like her body was ready to break into a thousand pieces if she couldn’t have him against her. For some reason, she knew he felt the same way.

  “Baby, let me talk to you. Let, let me try to—Shit, woman,” escaped his mouth as he broke the kiss. He found her neck, sucking, licking and lightly biting, causing her to arch against his hold.

  She felt his fingers play at the elastic band of her PJ shorts before shifting and sliding down to cup her pulsating mound. She couldn’t keep her hands off of him. She kissed his toffee mahogany skin, licking at his neck and wanting more from his caressing touch. She knew when her hips started pressing and rocking against his eager hand that she was about to lose her sanity. His breathing had her heady, especially as his hand that gripped her ass began massaging.

  “Damn! You are real,” she half-moaned, as his fingertips pushed the fabric of her PJ shorts and underwear to the side to find her drenched nether lips.

  She heard her name break from his searching lips as he stroked then pulled back, eyes closed, fangs getting longer. “Sanna . . . ”

  She had never been the one to make the first move ever. She had never had a man touch her like this and clearly want her like this. He came to her with no games or lies woven in the mix. She clearly saw this man was in agony. He wanted not just her wet haven but all of her.

  That made her cup his face as she curiously kissed his lips lightly then licked a fang. “Talk to me then,” she cooed, and she smiled on the inside, proud of herself for being bold in this moment.

  Khamun almost couldn’t breathe with the pressure of wanting Sanna so intensely. His shaft was at the point of cussing him out from being so engorged, and all he could do was take this woman and lay her on the bed as he attempted to calm his own desire.

  He knew if he did what he knew they both wanted, he might scare her in his eagerness, so he had to take this slow. He had to talk in order to pace his overdue desire. He also knew he had an obligation to tell her about her history before taking it to the next level. So he inwardly cursed and pulled back, kissing her fingertips, running his hands over her softness. He kissed her belly, his tongue dipping in her cute belly button before resting his forehead on her stomach to talk.

  “I—I’ve wanted you for a long time. But you don’t even understand what I mean by a long time.”

  He thought he was going to die as he felt her undo his locks. She loosened each strain to comb through them slowly and sensually while she spoke to the top of his head, her fingers occasionally caressing his earlobes. “What do you mean, hmm?”

  The lightness and surety in her voice had him clutching the sheets at her side as he heard her smile.

  “Shit! Look, Sanna, I need you to pay attention.” He almost wanted to kick himself for the whine that came out of his mouth. He was the one in control here. He had to honor her and make this right. It was the right thing to do. Before he got his rocks off and truly showed her how lovemaking between the two of them could be in the reality.

  Damn! Her scent was driving him, and the wetness between her legs had him thirsty.

  “I am listening. You want to tell me what this means, and you are hoping I won’t cuss you out and want to run.”

  He shut his eyes tight while he swallowed. The spasm of pleasure that ripped through him made him bite his lower lip as her hands slid down his back. It was as if her nails purposely scraped up and down his back, just to torment him. The way she combed through his locks again had his thighs clenching tight. He’d never had experiences with Oracles except for his mother, so the fact that she knew that much slightly tripped him for a moment.

  “Yeah, San. See, baby, I’ve been watching you since I was nineteen. It would have been birth, with my father watching you while he trained me until maturity, but my mother was having blocked Oracles visions, so yeah, slipped through our hands. Now I know why.”

  Running a hand over his jaw, Sanna cupped his face and tugged for him to slide upward, which he did. Their lips met lightly as both moaned.

  Khamun gripped her hip, lifting her so he could position himself to press his already diamond-ha
rd shaft against her waiting yoni. He tugged on her lower lip, drawing it between his own lips, and he nibbled and nipped, being cautious with his fangs. His eyes almost crossed as her leg slid up over his rear and pressed him against her.

  “And you’ve loved me for a long time, I see.”

  He couldn’t talk anymore. He could only let her stroke him as she read him like a book with just a touch. She blew his mind, and she smiled as he felt their minds lock and he fed her all he wanted to verbally say.

  Her body tensed, and she let go as he pulled back. “They killed my daddy? Then tried to kill my momma, and my brothers? And me?”

  Nodding, Khamun gently cupped her face. He let her read more, and tears slipped down her soft cheeks as she learned her history. He watched her sit up, set her hands on his shoulders to push him back, and he complied, moving to sit back in his chair.

  “Talk then,” she softly said. She studied his face, her arms suddenly cradling herself.

  So he talked and told it all. Talked to her about how brave her father was and how brave her mother still is. Told her about how his cousin had to keep his life a secret in order to protect her normalcy.

  He told her how they were all still trying to understand how her father was able to hide her this long. He then told her how the rules of Society dictated that he never cross the boundaries of being with her and how he broke them. Projecting his hard-to-control desires for her through dreams and fantasies, he explained, was his only way he could have her without full-out breaking guidelines.

  Exhaling, his hands briefly slid down his face. He told her how Society was broken up by different Nephilim houses, and he explained what exactly a Nephilim was. A breed of chosen angels whom adapted through the generations to be what they were now, Hunters of the Cursed, and Protectors of humans and hidden Nephilims, such as herself. He also explained how she was called a Vessel because she was the reincarnate of a Nephilim warrior in their long past, and that one day that spirit would reveal itself to her.