He laughed and handed her the strawberry liquid. “Here. Wash you r master.”
She snorted. “Go to hell.”
He caught her beneath her chin and lifted it so that she had to look him in the eyes. He let his features return to his natural appearance, knowing that his eye color had darkened in the process to almost black. “Kai, wash me. Now.”
* * * *
She stared up at him considering whether to tell him where he could stuff the command bullshit. Having never once allowed a man the upper hand, she wasn’t so sure she liked it now or would tolerate it from Donovan. He had a lot of nerve thinking he could tell her what to do or when to do it.
For long moments, they stood there staring into each other’s eyes. She had to consider what he would do to make her obey him. Spank her? Although never having experienced that either, the thought of it from Donovan appealed somewhat. Even his commanding tone, gentle but firm, made her wet between her legs. But at what cost to give into him?
Coming to decision to risk it, she squeezed the soapy pink liquid into her palm and set the bottle down. She rubbed her palms together and dipped them beneath the water to get some suds going and then ran her hands over his broad chest. His muscles contracted and flexed, and his jaw went slack. He darted his tongue out to lick his lips. He had thought to control her with his command, but Kai was an old pro at seducing men. She would bring him to his knees with her touch and with her mouth. She grinned up at him before lowering her eyes to hide her secret.
“Why do I have the feeling I’ve just given up the advantage,” he breathed out.
She shrugged and made a noise of noncommittal.
Trailing her hands down over his taut body, his abs in perfect condition, his cock caught her attention. It stood thick and stiff against his lower belly, extending almost to his navel. She squeezed her legs together and began kissing her way down to meet his member. Opening her mouth, she stuck out her tongue to lap up the precome goodness on his tip. Donovan growled low in his throat. He was hers to command.
“Want me to suck you, Donovan?” She gave him another swipe.
“Yes. Damn it, yes!” He tried to grasp the back of her head, but she moved and shoved his hand away.
“Just let me work you, lover.” She trailed down his cock, giving light nips at intervals. When she reached his balls, she coaxed one into her warm mouth and sucked. Donovan howled. She stroked his hard thighs and reached around behind him to push his ass toward her.
“Ah, Kai, what are you doing to me?” he groaned. “I’m going to come.”
She released his sensitive sack and returned to his shaft. Letting it slide deep into her mouth and down a little into her throat, she thrilled at his groans. His thigh muscles quivered. He pushed his hips forward to pump against her face, and they moved into a slow rhythm.
When Donovan fell forward with his hands on the wall, she knew he’d lost the fight for control. His knees buckled, but she followed him down to the floor of the tub, drawing on his cock until he suddenly filled her mouth with his precious seed. Kai greedily drank it down, sucking for more. When she had drained him, she released him and lifted her head to look into his half-closed eyes.
“Well?” she challenged him.
He didn’t speak, but tugged her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. The water dropped in temperature. Something inside Kai warmed, and steam rose from her skin.
“Woman, you are hot!” Donovan chuckled.
She snorted. “You better believe it!”
Chapter Thirteen
Kai squirted catsup on her fries, slapping the bottle with the palm of one hand while she watched Donovan frown over the map he studied. “Where are we going?”
“Might as well be going to the moon for all the sense I can make of this map,” he grumbled. He tossed the crumpled paper aside and followed her movements instead. “What is that?”
She laughed. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t allow myself to eat this kind of food often, but when I do, it’s heavenly. You can’t tell me you’ve lived in Boise all this time and never had a french fry.”
“I’ve been here a few months.”
She stuffed a few fries in her mouth and slid the plate across to him. “Try them. Where are you from?”
His eyebrow went up. “The underworld, remember?”
“Oh.” She couldn’t imagine anyone choosing to live down there, or wherever it was in relation to the physical world. She’d always felt oppressed when she died and had to check in with her father. Maybe that was why his people wanted out.
She suppressed a laugh as he first smelled the fry and then took a tentative bite. His sexy eyes widened in delight, and then he reached down, took a huge clump and stuffed them all into his mouth. Kai burst out laughing.
“Next best thing to sex, isn’t it?” She giggled.
He winked. “Nothing comes close to what we did in the shower all night long, baby.”
A rush of warm feelings ran over her, and she looked away to hide it from him.
“But yes, it’s incredible. What I have been missing down there is astounding. I never knew.” He muttered to himself, cleaned her plate and raised his hand to order more. “We can’t stay here long. Gethin will be hot on our trail. I need to have you trained before we face him.”
“Is he more powerful than you are?” she wondered aloud.
“Not exactly.” He retrieved the map while he waited for his order and studied it again. “We have different abilities. He wields magic like I said. The spells can slow me down, but not kill me. I am a true immortal just as you are. However, there is someone more powerful than you, someone who can defeat you and cast you into the abyss.” He seemed to hesitate.
“My father?”
He nodded after some time. “I know you don’t want to believe me, but—”
“Oh, it’s not that I don’t want to believe you. I already know what my father is like.” She sighed. “What I find confusing is how you tell me my father is the one that hired you and Gethin to what, control me? But for what purpose? I’m no one. He’s more powerful than I am. And he assigned Bevin to protect me.”
“The weakest of the demons.”
She defended her bodyguard. “He’s good.”
“He’s weak. The fools that have come after you were losers to begin with. They had no real chance of overthrowing Ove’s power even if they did succeed in getting you banished to the abyss. Only a demon could do that, and they should have realized no matter how many times they killed you, you’d only regenerate.” He shook his head. “No, Ove kept you ‘protected’ up until now, the right time.”
She sighed, feeling lost. Somewhere deep inside, she had always hoped that Ove could have some love for her, that they would develop a real father-daughter relationship. Donovan hadn’t given her any proof of her father’s involvement, but she couldn’t rule it out either. “What’s so special about now?”
“Me.”
She smirked. “Confident aren’t you?”
He grinned. “Always.” He reached over the table and stroked a thumb across her lips. Her body had just an hour ago healed of their night’s activities, and she was revved for more. He could meet her need, and she could meet his. She kissed his thumb then drew it in between her lips. Sucking lightly, she was amused at his sharp intake of breath. She’d bet anything he was hard beneath the table.
“Our mission?” she reminded him when she drew back.
He sighed. “Yes, we need to meet with someone, Brenton. He is a demon, cast out of the underworld. Although I can’t imagine anyone preferring to live there. Except the demons, of course. They rule there, are more powerful in that world. Ove cast Brenton out when he ousted him from his position as the most powerful demon centuries ago. I am counting on Brenton to train you to take full possession of your powers.”
“I thought you were going to do that.”
He shook his head. “I can bring them out, but only a demon can teach you to be a de
mon, so to speak.”
She grunted. “I don’t want to be a demon. I’ve only ever wanted to be human, to live a normal life. Sometimes I’ve even resented my mother for ever getting involved with Ove in the first place.”
He grasped her hands in his, and she stared down at them. Her fingers were red. She breathed deeply as he had instructed her before to calm down. If she didn’t, the whole diner they sat in might go up in flames. It seemed the more she made love with Donovan, the more her dark side came out. The night before they’d both been consumed in the fire that she produced naturally while they made love. Nothing in her life had matched it.
She glanced over at him and knew he was remembering the same thing. A fire wren, he’d said he descended from. He was the perfect lover for a half demon.
“Tell me about your parents,” he instructed her.
“I don’t want to—”
“Don’t you?”
She closed her eyes, sucking in several deep breaths. “She met him at one of her functions. You know demons. One of their strengths is to seduce. My mother never had a chance against him. In his way, my father is handsome. I think he chose a human form when he went to her. She fell in love and they married here. But he never once stopped with his lovers. Can you imagine growing up having female demons pop into your home demanding that your mother stay away from her man?” She rolled her eyes. “Drama of the immortal kind.”
Amusement lit his dark eyes. “I can imagine.”
“My mother grew tired of crying over him, and she broke it off with Ove. I remember the day he left our world for good. He had never asked her to live in the underworld with him, had kept us both here. He would come and go. I know now that he only wanted to hide his lifestyle there, how evil he was, how depraved. I ran behind him, begging him to stay.”
Donovan squeezed her fingers. She held on, tamping down the old raw emotions, feelings she’d thought she had dealt with long ago. Foolish of her to love him. That was the human side of her, the side she thanked her mother for.
“He said he had no need of me, that I was hers to keep.” Tears filled Kai’s eyes. A flame ignited at the joining of their hands. Donovan smothered it quickly and gathered their things before guiding her outside the diner.
They strolled along beneath the moonlight, Kai fighting with her emotions. Donovan said nothing, allowing her to work through it before they spoke again. Calmer after several minutes, she continued.
“That all changed a few years ago when I came under attack several times. It was seriously disconcerting to find out that I can regenerate, that my physical body will never die. I do separate from it when I pass to the underworld, but only for a little while until I gain strength. Then I return. Sometimes, I’m afraid of what will happen if someone steals my body and does something to keep me out of it. That’s why I have Mitzi guard it. Anyway, now Ove has assigned me a bodyguard. I don’t know what made him change his mind about me.”
Donovan pulled her close to his side and stroked her hip. She laid her head on his shoulder and then he moved. She stumbled. “Hey!”
His entire body had gone stiff. Following the direction he stared, she spotted someone near a tree on the trail up ahead. Her heart skipped a beat. “Kai, get behind me,” he instructed.” She ignored him.
“Who is that?” She swallowed and took a step in the direction of the stranger. His eyes glowed red in the darkness. “Is it Gethin?”
Donovan shook his head. “No.” He pointed to a spot nearby where they stood. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“What?” She grabbed his arm. “I’m not staying right here. Who is he? What’s going on, Donovan?”
“Trust me, damn it. Kai, wait right here.”
“Trust you!” she screeched. “You’re the one who plotted to seduce me. You were in league with Gethin until you screwed him over. Why should I believe you? You still haven’t proven a thing about what you’ve been telling me!”
He grumbled, looked back at the stranger and then at her. “Fine. Come with me, but keep your mouth shut. There are . . . creatures who if they knew who you are and what Ove wants with you, would stop at nothing to get you as a bargaining chip. I can’t fight off the entire world of immortals to keep you safe.”
She scoffed and shuffled off ahead of him, calling back over her shoulder, “I’ve remained safe all this time without your help. I’m sure I can manage.”
The creature—for she realized that’s exactly what it was when its wings spread—jumped up off the ground, flapped its midnight black wings and then nosedived toward her. Donovan shouted, “Duck, Kai!”
The thing flew into the light for a second, revealing mottled greasy feathers and a black-skinned body before the shadows hid its ugliness. The speed and impact when it hit knocked her off her feet. She hit the ground and rolled, the wind knocked out of her. Something wet her lip, and she tasted the metallic flavor of blood. Her side ached. Unless she missed her guess, that creature had broken a few of her ribs.
Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she bit off a cry of pain. She didn’t want to give Donovan the satisfaction of saying I told you so. Donovan reached her, hooked a hand under her arm and dragged her up to lean against a tree.
“Now stay put like I told you, stubborn woman!” he shouted.
Before he could move, the creature flew up into the air, turned and dove again. Donovan put his hands up to ward off the blow. The creature pounded him, driving his hard body back into hers. This time, she screamed.
“Donovan, do something!”
He reached out and caught the clawed feet before they could attack again. Donovan and the creature wrestled over the ground. Their attacker might have looked scrawny, but even with Donovan’s bulky muscles flexed, he had a time gaining the upper hand.
The creature looked over at her, its eyes narrowing, but it didn’t focus on Kai long as Donovan sent a blow to its jaw, sending it flying backward. “Give her to me,” it demanded when it righted itself. “Give me Ove’s daughter.”
“Not on your fucking life,” Donovan responded.
Kai had sunk to the ground, holding her side. She struggled again to her feet. “What do you want with me?”
“Ove sent me,” it grumbled. “To take you back to hell.”
Kai didn’t miss the look that Donovan gave her. “Now do you believe me?”
She nodded saying nothing. She’d give anything to have Bevin again, but suspected Ove had called him off when she skipped town with Donovan. Ove wanted her captured, although if she had planned this whole situation, she would have used those closest to Kai to get her trust. She watched Donovan as he fought. Could Ove bribe him again? Had Donovan really left Ove’s employ so quickly to protect her? Sex between them was fantastic, but to turn one’s back on one’s family? He had to be getting something out of this other than the obvious.
The creature sent Donovan sliding backward, and he bumped his head hard on the ground. Even from her vantage point, Kai could see he was bleeding. She was helpless to assist him. Glancing around for something to crack over the creature’s head, she spotted a stick and moved to get it.
“Kai, no!” Donovan cried out, his voice weak.
She spun around to find the winged beast limping toward her. Donovan had also done some damage. She backed away. “Donovan, I could use some help,” she squeaked, feeling like she was about to vomit.
He extended a limp hand in her direction. “Feel your power growing, Kai.”
“What?” She didn’t feel a thing beyond fear.
“Feel it!”
She expected a bolt of lightning, something dramatic to come shooting from Donovan’s hands, but no special effects lit up the night. The creature grabbed hold of her arm, and just like that heat suffused her body until her skin was on fire. Her clothes burned off, and she slapped a hand over her naked breasts, but the fire was her covering.
The creature howled when the fire burned his fingers. He shrank back, but didn’t give up. He came at her
again.
“Kill him, Kai!” Donovan shouted.
“I can’t.”
“Do it!”
Chapter Fourteen
Donovan could still hear the hell bird’s screams as Kai burned it alive. He closed his eyes and saw the fire in her eyes, how they glowed red to match her skin. What terrified him most was how she looked too much like she enjoyed what she did. The demon in her was strong.
He glanced down at her sleeping naked on his chest and grew tight feeling her soft breasts pressed against him. They had spent hours locked in each other’s arms, Kai wanting to block from her mind how she had destroyed her enemy. He had told her it was no big deal, that it was self-defense, but he had egged her on. And Ove’s daughter had shown what had been locked inside her for years.
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