He led the boy through a twisted maze of blockades and came up behind Zoe. Amos pointed at himself, then Zoe, as he tiptoed toward the woman. Micah nodded, understanding his son wanted to take her out without his aid.
“Hey, Zoe,” Amos said as he neared the woman. She spun about, but the child plugged her before she could raise her weapon.
“Shit!” She fingered the wet pain on her gut. “First Nix, now you. That means I’m out.”
“Hey, sexy Sherlock,” Micah heard Madison say and he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of her voice.
Madison pegged Phoenix in the heart. The Ark crooked his finger at Madison. “That stings, baby.”
Going into the other man’s arms, she kissed him, her left hand diving under his shirt to cop a feel exactly where she’d plugged him with a paintball. “Sorry I killed you.”
“Worth it for that reward.” Phoenix kissed her forehead. “Good luck, baby.” The other man swatted her ass as she went low and took off in the opposite direction.
In his estimation, she had more skill than luck. Maybe he should thank the immortal for preparing his family, because they were both proficient with a weapon.
“Alessa is this way, Daddy.”
“She’s your kill this time.”
With ease, they hunted and assassinated Alessa for the second time. That left only Madison, and Amos grew excited by hunting his Momma. But she proved a hard target to take down. They stalked her, and then she’d pursue them. The ever-changing landscape made it impossible to track her. She always seemed to relocate them until he began to suspect she never lost them but played with them like a good demon might real prey.
They split up to try and box her in. That tactic failed, or he’d thought so until she stepped from behind a tree and double-tapped him in the chest…straight over his heart on the right side.
She sauntered toward him, hips rolling and not wearing a single shot. He took pride that no one had managed to maim her, not even once, in their paintball war. When he thought she couldn’t get any more exotic, she did. And he wanted her desperately. More than he’d coveted anything in his existence.
“Twice I’ve killed you, Micah.”
“Gloat much, kitten?”
A twisted grin. “When I can.”
Eyes bright at taking him down, he decided cockiness looked really fucking good on her. “Since I’m down, that leaves only Amos, Gage, and Elias.” He hadn’t seen his twin since the game started.
“I took Gage out first and nailed Elias by surprise. He seemed irrationally displeased by his quick demise.” Madison grinned, a twinkle in her eyes. She gloried in his brother’s defeat. Eliel was a piteous loser, so Micah could imagine how poorly he reacted. “Those two took five minutes tops, then I went for the dragons.”
He elevated an eyebrow, wanting to claim a death kiss the way Phoenix had. “You’ve taken this much too seriously, kitten.”
“Nah. I toyed with you and Amos. Got bored of the chase and led you here.” She nodded at his painted chest.
“You always had us in your sights?”
She nodded, confirming his previous suspicions. “I can see through your magical landscape.”
“A little like cheating.”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I stayed within the parameters of your design. I never retreated when you came close but held my ground.”
A good demon would’ve cheated and bragged just to taunt its victim.
A blond head emerged from behind a magical boulder. By the gleam in Amos’s eyes he could tell their son anticipated claiming Madison as a conquest.
“Did you shoot any of your victims in the back?” A subtle hint to guard hers as Amos tiptoed closer.
“No.” She ignored his tip-off and wedged the gun in the waistband of her pants. “No challenge.”
A slight pop and their son tagged Madison from behind. He cackled and executed a victory dance.
No flinch from Madison when he shot her, just a slight smile tilting the edges of her mouth.
You knew he was behind you? Micah sent the thought telepathically.
Yep, she responded in like fashion. Knew before you hinted. Palming her weapon, she spun and nailed the boy with a paintball.
Jaw dropping and eyes rounding, Amos smeared the bright pink paint on his chest with a finger. “Aw…man!” He stomped his foot.
He chuckled at his son’s meager sportsmanship-like conduct.
“Chin up, angel. That was the first chance anyone had to shoot me. Remember, when your enemy is down, it might be a ruse.”
“That was fun, Daddy. Can we do it again?”
“Let’s select a different entertainment this go-round. Something that might loosen up your momma and she won’t take too seriously. Any ideas?”
“Muddin’ on four-wheelers?” Amos jumped up and down, his grin so big it threatened to fragment his face.
Madison laughed and drawled in her Southern twang, “Because wearing mud is so much more entertaining than shooting y’all.”
Micah wanted her wearing him. Yet the idea of her getting muddy in a bathing suit appealed to him greatly. Too bad she didn’t have on a bikini.
***
Mudding ended up being more fun than Madison expected. Covered in dirt from head-to-toe, their clothes were ruined, but hearing Amos’s genuine laughter was all that mattered. The light-hearted memories he’d have from this day were priceless. Future birthday parties would pale in comparison. Just what she needed, Micah elevated to sainthood by their impressionable son.
Nix snickered when her back wheels became stuck in the sludge. “First lesson: boys are better at everything, baby.”
Knowing he joked, she shook her finger at him. “Nix Birmingham, you’ll pay for that.”
“Promises…promises.” He chuckled, flooring his four-wheeler. The tires spun, slinging grime everywhere before he lurched forward. “Impressed, huh?”
He winked as he circled her, randomly revving the engine.
In a lot of ways he captivated her, but not because of his ATV skills. Madison clambered off her stuck vehicle and tackled him off his…straight into the bog.
“Girls are better at getting even.” She squirmed all over him, dumping handfuls of grime wherever she could during their minor struggle.
Using his body weight, he rolled them and positioned himself between her legs. “You want a congratulatory kiss for toppling me off my ATV, baby?”
“Well….” She copped a feel of his ass. Too bad his jeans separated their flesh. “I do deserve one for my tackling ability.”
He snagged the back of her knee with a finger and hooked it over his hip, his pelvis hard against her crotch. “No offense, but you’re a tad dirty and I prefer my gals clean.”
Nix wrinkled his nose as if she stunk.
“That’s rude!” Madison poked him in the ribs and shoved him hard, following him over so she could straddle his hips. She bent and placed her lips to his ear. “I was going to let you bathe away the muck—imagine your hands all over my wet, wet skin.” She would’ve run her tongue along the shell of his ear if not for the dirt. “Too bad you lost the privilege with your rudeness.”
A breath hissed from his lungs. Madison grinned.
Amos executed a catcall whistle to snag their attention. Astride his four-wheeler and grinning, he did a little wiggle on his seat. “Nix, you’re so lame. You got beat by a gurl.”
Oh, that does it!
Let’s get him, Lynx cackled hard, enjoying their antics as much as Madison. Scrambling off Nix, she went for her child. He emitted a high-pitched squeal, attempted to gun his ATV, and instead flooded his engine. The stall left him a sitting duck.
“No, Momma!” He held his palm toward her in a stop fashion, but he couldn’t cease giggling. “Let’s talk about this like adults before you—”
“Who’s scared of the gurl now?” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and yanked him off the four-wheeler.
He shrieked with laug
hter as he landed in the grime. “No fair, Momma! You’re stronger than me.”
“Sore loser.” Madison slugged him in the belly with a handful of mud. Amos’s laughter amplified until he gasped through his chuckles. Nix got involved and they ganged up on her. That wasn’t fair!
Recognizing defeat, she tried to escape their attack. A twist in the muck to escape sent her face down in the filth, thanks to her submerged ankle.
“I got your back, kitten.” Micah whipped his four-wheeler about and floored it, dousing Amos and Nix with the thick stuff.
Amos shrieked and Nix bellowed. They were both spitting dirt out of their mouths when Micah stopped. The distasteful looks on their faces sent Madison into a fit of giggles.
Her son yakked. “Yuck!” He threw a handful of grime toward his father, but missed by at least a yard. “Daddy, you’re a cheater.”
Madison laughed so hard her belly hurt, and tears ran down her cheeks. “The…expressions on…your fa—faces”—she rolled from side to side, clasping her arms around her tummy—“fan-freakin’-tastic.”
“That’s more like it.” With no idea Micah had departed his four-wheeler, she peered up at him between dying chuckles as he halted beside her, feet braced wide. “Way too serious. Everyone here needed some fun.”
Madison couldn’t argue with that.
As if vacuum-packed, the mud clung to her foot. Through a series of wiggles and tugs, she finally freed her ankle and sat up. She extended her hand for him to assist her to her feet.
Their hands clasped. Who knew Micah was so gullible? She yanked hard and he went sailing face first into the grime beside her. The peal of their son’s laughter startled her, but not long enough to halt her reaction.
Madison scrambled onto her husband’s back, but in her haste she almost overshot her perch and toppled into the mud on his other side. Snagging his shoulder with one hand was all that saved her from ruining her attack. Righting her position, she buried her hands in the sludge on either side of his head. “Gotcha!”
She dumped gobs of the grime on his head.
Amos cheered her on. “Get him, Momma! Go, Momma, go!”
Unable to see her son, she wouldn’t have been surprised had he jumped up and down.
As she went to deposit two more handfuls on his head, his body rolled beneath her. Squealing at his unexpected movement, she grabbed his shirt to halt her plummet to his side. Another buck and she lost her hold, sprawling on the ground beside him. He whipped his head about to snag her in his gaze. Only the artic blue of his eyes was visible in his mud-covered face.
“Oh, crap!” She squealed and attempted to flee. Like quicksand, the filth had other plans for her…or was that blue magic that waylaid her escape? Another flare of blue about her—the cheater did use magic! The grime thickened, derailing her getaway.
On his hands and knees, Micah crawled easily toward her, a self-satisfied smile twisting his lips.
“Cheater!” She made a half-hearted kick at him, but he snagged her ankle.
“All is fair in war, kitten.”
“Give me your hand.” She looked up into Nix’s smiling face and trusted him by placing her hand in his. He pulled, and Micah’s grasp on her ankle was dislodged. Dirt went down her jeans and the back of her shirt, Nix’s feet making a sucking sound as he trudged through the mire.
Her son’s high-pitched giggles should’ve forewarned them of his attack, but Madison’s hero vanished when he leapt onto Nix’s back. With his grip lost on her hand, they went down to Amos’s victory holler. The Sherlock’s baritone laughter threaded through her, affecting her in a low area.
The clomping sound of mud alerted her to Micah’s approach. Madison craned her head around. He came straight for her, determination glinting in his eyes. Rolling over, she tried a backward crab crawl, but the sludge was too thick. Her husband was on her before she moved three inches. A year ago she’d never have believed she’d be lying in the mud laughing with the man who’d abandoned her.
Hands on her wrists, Micah flattened her arms in the grime on either side of her head. Straddling her hips, his weight settled on her and he leaned over her, belly to belly, chest to breasts…gawd, it felt divine.
“Got you this time.” His voice buzzed across her most sensitive flesh.
“So you did.”
What you going to do to us now that you have us? was Lynx’s sultry purr. Good thing her demon rarely controlled her vocal chords.
Gazes locked, she watched as his head lowered. She had time to turn her face aside, but the thought didn’t cross her mind. In this moment, a kiss from Micah seemed like the normal thing to do.
His lips touched hers. Electricity sparked, like static and she gasped, eyes going wide. His eyes smiled at her response. Smooth operator that he was, he took the opportunity to delve his tongue into her mouth.
His fingers laced with hers. The hard length of him pressed against her pelvis, proving she affected him the same way he did her.
“Go, Daddy, go,” their son cheered.
Startled, Madison jerked her head to the side. What was wrong with her? Caught up in his embrace, she’d forgotten anyone else existed. She had to get control of her succubus. Immediately. Because the way she reacted to Micah would give Amos the wrong impression.
What was wrong with Amos wanting them together?
Every child wants their parents to be together, her demon said with much pragmatism.
A smug smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Worried over Nix’s reaction to her failure to resist her husband, Madison jerked her hands free of his intimate hold. “Get off me.”
“This time.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips to her ear, she shivered at the contact of his breath and mouth. “Next time I’m in this position, I won’t budge.”
Micah leapt off her. Madison would’ve run her hands down her face if not for all the mud. Nix pulled her to her feet.
Their eyes connected. “Nix, I—”
“Shut up and kiss me.” He drew her into his arms.
Confused by his understanding, Madison kissed him, but moments later Kur cooled them off with a blast of the water hose.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elias contemplated the immortal across the room. Zennyo Ryuo could not be trusted, regardless of what his goody-two-shoes sister-in-law believed. Goddamn, Madison was naïve. Drove him nuts. Her gullibility should’ve made her malleable for the Kings’ common goal. In theory, that should be true. Hell’s newest royalty had proven once too often she wasn’t as acquiescent as any of them preferred. To make matters worse, he speculated Micah enjoyed her rebellion.
The initial plan of action had been to eliminate her if she failed to work out—like they had the other Genesis children. Then his twin had covenanted his life with hers and fucked up their kingly plans. That deception had infuriated even Lucifer, but then he’d grown mysteriously quiet on the entire project and displayed unconventional patience for a King. That virtue frustrated him almost as much as Madison’s unwillingness to join their cause. His other sibling, Raguel, grew irritated by the delay. Elias couldn’t blame him, since he was just as agitated.
Not that Madison could avoid becoming the Queen of Hell. The status came to her the moment Micah claimed her at fifteen. She’d fully anchored herself to Hell—thank fucking Hell for that small victory.
The prudish princess had responded to his brother at the party today. There, for a second, he’d thought his twin would bang her in the magical mud pit.
A sudden, unexpected shiver scuttled down his spine and gooseflesh puckered his skin. Suspicious of any physical reaction, especially when it pinged his supernatural radar, he rose from his seat and plucked the curtain aside. As he peered out the windows into the darkness, nothing noticeable skulked about, but kin of some sort prowled near. If the killer came for his family now, they were disorganized, too unprepared for an attack. Sure, they had a few safeguards in motion, but the immortal refused to lower the Locks, which endangered th
em all by keeping them trapped in one area. Easy pickings for a troop of warriors.
Hopefully, it’s nothing more significant than the dragons.
“I sense something.” Petra moved from a chair to sit on the edge of the bed beside his nephew, going into protective mode without any instruction. He’d always been fond of his niece, her instincts sharper than most demons.
“I’ll check it out with a cigarette.”
His hand had just touched the door when Zennyo Ryuo spoke. “I can go about unnoticed.”
“Funny thing, immortal. I don’t trust you to report accurately.”
“Your logic is unsound.” Zennyo Ryuo’s silver eyes pinned him in his spot. “If I wanted either of them dead, they’d already be dead.”
Trapped in the Locks and unable to escape danger might as well be a death sentence for his family. The immortal claimed the Angel Lock remained to hinder their ability to transport Madison and Amos without his permission. The King called bull-fucking-shit, because if he wanted someone dead, he wouldn’t allow the Locks to drop either, if he already had them trapped. His best guess, they were Zennyo Ryuo’s fail-safe plan to ambush his family with an early demise.
“Shouldn’t we tell Daddy there’s an unknown presence?” Elias glanced at Petra over his shoulder. Her irises had gone demonic, an eerie twisting shade of violet and blue.
“I’ve got him on telepathic speed-dial.” He neglected the door and exited the room through a direct portal to the front porch.
Outside, even the crickets were silent. Clouds hid all but the glow of the moon. He wasted little time opening and closing supernatural doorways about the house. Nothing. The creepy presence of kinfolk wouldn’t abate.
A cigarette entered his hand when he called for one. He lit the tip with hellfire from his fingertip and took a heavy drag. Only when the nicotine burned his lungs did he release the smoke in a gray stream.
Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) Page 20