Longed-For Hunger

by Marisa Chenery

  Denger bit back a groan when she kneaded his ass with her fingers. “Ah…I don’t, but I have a commitment I have to keep. Something I do every night.”

  She inched closer to the edge of the bed and rubbed her cheek against Denger’s abs.

  “Are you sure I can’t convince you not to do whatever it is you have to do tomorrow night. It’s only for one night.”

  “I’m positive. By the gods, Nyx, if you don’t stop touching me like that I won’t be able to leave.”

  Nyx lifted her head to look at him. “I said you didn’t have to leave. I’m sure we can find lots of things to do to pass the time.”

  Denger gently pried her hands off him and took a step back. His chest rapidly rose and fell and there was an impressive bulge in his jeans. He shook his head while his heated gaze ran over her naked body. “With you sitting there like that, I’m tempted to say the hell with it and stay, but I really can’t.”

  “I can’t even tempt you stay just for an hour longer?” She locked her gaze with his.

  “I don’t think once was enough.”

  His hands fisted at his sides and a muscle jumped along his jaw. “I can’t. If I touch you again, I would want you for longer than an hour. I’d make love to you until neither one of us could move. So that being the case, I’m going to leave while I still can.” He pulled a cell phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. “Give me your phone number. I’ll call you tomorrow before I pick you up for lunch.”

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  Nyx sighed as she admitted defeat. She rattled off her phone number and Denger programmed it into his cell. “I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow then.”

  “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” He swooped down, kissed her until she was breathless before he pulled away again. “Don’t get up. I’ll let myself out.”

  From the high vantage point of her balcony-styled bedroom, Nyx watched Denger walk out the door. A wide smile spread across her face as she let herself drop back down onto the bed. Making love with Denger had been as intense as she’d thought it would be. He’d given her two mind-blowing orgasms. The man knew how to use his hands, lips and tongue. She hated to admit it, but sex with her late husband hadn’t been nearly as satisfying. Derek had been more of a sweet, gentle lover. Not like Denger, who took as good as he gave.

  Stretching her arms up toward the headboard, Nyx then lowered them so the back of her hands rested on either side of her head on the pillow. She rubbed them back and forth against the material. Her baby finger ended up getting snagged on a small hole. She sat up and pulled the pillow onto her lap. Her small apartment-sized washer and dryer were getting up there in age. She hoped the washer hadn’t decided to eat pieces of her laundry the last time she used it.

  Upon closer inspection, Nyx noticed there wasn’t one hole but two equally spaced apart. Strange. They were perfect small circles. Even stranger, when she pulled the pillowcase off, she saw the exact same holes. Whatever had made the holes in the pillowcase had gone right through.

  Nyx used her thumb and index finger to measure the space between the holes. They were two clean puncture marks. To her fanciful thinking, they looked as if a vampire had taken a bite out of her pillow. She smiled and shook her head at her overactive imagination. First she pictures Denger as the vampire hero in the book she was reading and now this. As if a vampire snuck in her room while she and Denger were in bed and tested his fangs on her pillow. Yeah, sure. And she doubted Denger went all dental on it either. Aside from the time when they had first bumped into each other and she 57

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  thought she saw fangs peeking between his lips, she hadn’t seen any indication of him having any. And from the amount of kissing they’d done, she would have noticed. Not that she really expected Denger to have fangs. Vampires were only real in books and in movies.

  She put the pillowcase back on before she returned the pillow to the bed. Looking over at her bedside clock, Nyx saw it was late afternoon. She gathered up her discarded clothes and carried them down the stairs to the bathroom. Since Janet had known about her lunch date with Denger, she’d wrestled a promise out of Nyx to call her as soon as the date was over. Deciding she needed to talk to her friend about what had happened with Denger, Nyx dressed and then settled on the couch to have a long conversation with her friend.

  * * * * *

  The demon Sek watched his undead warriors train deep inside his lair. Mot, the other demon Apep, the demon god, had unleashed on the mortal world stood at his side. Ever since Ra’s Chosen warriors had almost destroyed Sek the month before, Mot had been dogging his heels. It wasn’t out of any concern on the demon’s part. No, Mot was looking for any weakness to use against him.

  “We need more undead warriors,” Mot said without looking at him.

  “I’m adding to their numbers.”

  Unlike the regular undead, the warrior kind were harder to create. For a mortal to be turned into an undead warrior, certain parts of his soul had to remain. It was a delicate task and one only Sek or Mot could accomplish. Then there was the training each one had to go through to learn how to master a sword. It all took time and couldn’t be rushed.

  Mot bared his fangs. “You must work faster. The number of your undead warriors doesn’t match mine.” The demon turned his head to look at Sek. “If your run-in with 58

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  the sun god’s warriors has left you too weak for the task, I’ll gladly take over doing all the turning.”

  Sek bared his own fangs and hissed. “Apep fully restored me.”

  There was no way he was going to let Mot amass the majority of their undead warriors. Whoever turned them was ultimately their master, who they obeyed without question. If he didn’t keep Mot in check, the chances of Sek finding himself on the receiving end of an undead warrior attack were great. It was something he wasn’t about to let happen.

  Mot gave him a stare that said he didn’t believe him. “Time will tell. I’ll leave you now. Night will fall soon. When it does, I’ll leave to my own lair, but I’ll return tomorrow night to see if you have put this one to good use.”

  Once the other demon left the training chamber, Sek went back to watching his warriors. The pressure Mot was putting on him he blamed fully on Ra’s warriors. And one in particular—Denger. It was that particular warrior who had staked him with a long dagger, pinning him to the ground to burn in the sun. If not for Apep telling Mot where to find Sek, he would have been destroyed. Mot took great relish in reminding him how the sun god’s Chosen had bested him to the point where it almost cost him his life. The only reason Mot had saved him was because Apep had demanded he do so.

  “If only I could get my hands on Denger. I’d make him pay for what he did to me,”

  Sek grumbled quietly. The undead warrior he’d sent to infiltrate their headquarters had been destroyed before he could tell Set where they were actually located. And what exactly would you do to that warrior? Apep asked him. Sek gasped in pain. The sound of Apep’s voice filling his head was just as grating as if someone ran their fingernails down a blackboard, only more painful. “I would take Denger’s head and mount it on a pole.”

  If I was to give you that opportunity, would you truly be up to the task?

  Sek clutched his head as blood dripped out of his nose. “I would be, master. That warrior is no match for me.”

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  You have failed me twice now, Sek. I have begun to think you are starting to wear out your usefulness.

  “I would not fail in this. I want the revenge I deserve. I will only settle for Denger taking his last breath.”

  Then prove yourself worthy. The place I send you, go there tonight and every night until you have learned all that you need to know to defeat your enemy. If you are patient, all will be revealed to you.

  Sek then sank to the floor gasping in pain as Apep sent the address of the place he was sending him directly in
to his brain. It felt as if someone was taking a meat grinder to it. Once Apep’s presence receded, Sek wiped the blood from his nose and his ears and stood. He now knew what he had to do. The address the demon god had given him wasn’t too far from the place Ra’s Chosen had almost taken him down permanently. He would do as bidden and patiently wait to see his revenge realized.

  * * * * *

  Denger stepped into Ra’s Chosen’s headquarters and found Desiree standing in the hall. Suspiciously, it suspiciously looked as if she’d been waiting there a while, near he door that joined the docking bay to the main headquarters, by the way she’d been leaning against the wall.

  Seeing him, she straightened with a smile. Then she just about deafened him when she yelled almost at the top of her lungs, “Blythe, Denger’s back!”

  Blythe came rushing out of the kitchen and hurried over to him and Desiree, who now stood in front of him blocking his way. “Well? How did your second date with Nyx go?”

  “It went well,” he said. Denger tried to walk around the two women, not really wanting to get into the intimate details of his date with Nyx, but they both moved so he couldn’t.

  “Just well? Not spectacular?” Blythe asked.

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  “She made us subs for lunch. They were really good subs.”

  “Come on, Denger,” Desiree said. “We want the juicy details. And what she made you to eat is not one of them.” She leaned in toward him. “I think you got some. What do you think, Blythe? Are those little strain lines on his face? As if his blood hunger is starting to claw at his guts? I don’t think they were there before he left for his date.”

  Blythe gave his face a closer inspection. “You know what, Desiree? I think you’re right. Those are new.”

  Denger rolled his eyes. “You two can assume whatever you want. I’m not going to give you the intimate details of my sex life.”

  He pushed past them and started to walk down the hall toward his private quarters. Blythe and Desiree were obviously not done with him yet, because they fell into step on either side of him.

  “Ah ha,” Desiree said rather loudly. “You said your sex life. You did sleep with Nyx. And the strained look must mean you managed to do it without feeding from her. I guess the countdown has begun.”

  They had just reached the door to Kysen’s quarters. He must have heard them talking, because he stuck his head out into the hall and laughed. “Giving you the third degree, are they? Poor Denger. I’d offer you some advice on claiming your mate, but I think Blythe and Desiree will have that covered better than I would.”

  Without stopping, Denger flipped Kysen off. The sound of the other warrior bellowing with laughter followed him down the hall. It was bad enough he had to put up with the women bothering him. He didn’t need Kysen yanking his chain on top of it all.

  Reaching his door, he opened it and stepped through. Blythe and Desiree would have followed him inside if he hadn’t turned and braced his arms across the opening.

  “Enough of the twenty questions already.” When they made no move to leave, he sighed. “I take it you two aren’t going to leave until I at least tell you something.”

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  Both women gave him large smiles, giving him a good view of their fangs. “Nope,”

  Blythe said. “We aren’t going to let you get off that easily.”

  He gave a pained sigh. “All right. I slept with her, and no, I didn’t bite her. I haven’t told her what I am yet. I’m going to see her again tomorrow for lunch.”

  Desiree narrowed her eyes. “For someone who slept with the woman who more than likely is his mate and didn’t feed from her, you look awfully, how should I put this?, not agitated. The first time Set and I slept together and he didn’t get to sink his fangs into me right afterward, he barely managed to keep himself in check.”

  He groaned. “Please, I do not need to hear about you and Set in bed. And it was hard. Okay? Especially since I had to keep it hidden from Nyx. I ended up giving one of her pillows a new set of holes. Now go away. And Blythe, don’t you need to start cooking dinner?”

  Blythe chuckled. “Fine, I’ll take the hint. We’ll leave you alone. Just remember, if you need any advice, or if Nyx has a hard time understanding all this once you tell her what you are, Desiree and I are here for you.”

  “I’ll remember.”

  Once he closed his door, Denger leaned back against it and took a deep breath. He hoped to hell he wouldn’t have to run that gantlet every time he returned from a date with Nyx. Those two would drive him crazy if they pounced on him every time he came home. He knew they meant well, but damn, a man could only take so much before they started to drive him insane with their well-intentioned questions. Denger pushed off the door and chuckled to himself. He could just picture what it would be like once Nyx moved into the headquarters. With three women living under the same roof, they would more than likely take strength in numbers and try to keep all the warriors in line. Of course the males of the place wouldn’t stand a chance against them, most especially their mates. After so long living without women among them, having them here was like a breath of fresh air. Denger couldn’t wait to add Nyx to the mix.

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  Chapter Eight

  Denger followed the prickling of his skin to the side alley of an empty store that had a large “for lease” sign in the front window. This would be his third undead he’d encountered that night. Rounding the corner to the back of the building, he looked right and left, searching the dark shadows as the prickling grew stronger. The undead was close. Damn close.

  He’d just drawn his sword when a solid mass slammed into his side and bodychecked him into the brick wall closest to him. Grunting when his shoulder connected with the immovable building, he quickly recovered and kicked the undead away before he could sink his fangs into his neck.

  The thing hissed and bared his fangs as he circled around him. Denger shook his head. “Is that all you got?”

  The undead hissed again and tried to take him down in another body check. Denger easily sidestepped out of the way. The undead pulled up short and in a flash, changed direction for another run that Denger easily avoided.

  “What do you think you are? A football player?” he taunted. “To take down one of Ra’s Chosen you have to be a lot quicker than what you are.”

  That didn’t seem to stop the undead from making another attempt. Growing bored with it all, Denger lifted his sword and struck out so the blade caught the undead across the stomach as he ran by. Stepping back, waving the stench of decomposing flesh out of his face, he watched the undead turn to dust.

  That one taken care of, he headed back around the building to the front. It was late, only a few hours before dawn. The time had come to call it a night. The undead would soon be returning to their lairs where they literally slept like the dead during the daylight hours. Once the sun broke over the horizon, they dropped into their unnatural 63

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  sleep wherever they happened to be, which was the reason why the undead hid themselves away well before dawn.

  Before returning to the headquarters to catch a few hours of shut eye, he drove to Nyx’s apartment building. Denger pulled over to the curb and parked his Mustang before he got out. He stood out on the sidewalk outside and looked up. No lights shone from her windows. He could picture her lying in her bed soft and warm in sleep. Her lips would be slightly parted as she breathed, just as they had been that afternoon. He’d watched her sleep in his arms for an hour, just content to hold her. A surge of longing washed through him. He didn’t want to go back to his quarters and get into his cold, empty bed. Denger wanted to flash himself, Ra had gifted all his warriors with the ability to bend time and space, into Nyx’s apartment and slip into bed with her. He’d pull her close, so he could feel her heart beat against his chest. On the verge of doing just that, Denger quickly reined himsel
f back. He had a feeling Nyx wouldn’t be unhappy to have him back in her bed, but he didn’t think he could come up with a plausible enough excuse as to how he managed to get into her locked apartment. And it wasn’t as if he could say he climbed the outside fire escape and jimmied a window open since the converted warehouse didn’t have one. Giving Nyx’s floor one last look of longing, Denger turned and headed back to his car. He couldn’t stand out here all night mooning over her. He needed to get some sleep before he saw her again. Until he told her what he was, he needed to keep his wits about him or he’d slip up. He wanted to do this right.

  * * * * *

  Stepping out of the shadows, Sek watched Denger’s black Mustang pull away from the curb and drive off. Once it disappeared around the corner, he turned back to the converted warehouse the warrior had been standing in front of for so long. It was the address to this building Apep had given him. After hours of watching but seeing nothing but mortals come and go, Sek had thought Apep had purposely sent 64

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  him on a wild-goose chase. He’d been about ready to return to his lair for the night. Cursing all the time he’d wasted when he could have been using it to create more undead warriors, the roar of Denger’s Mustang reached his ears. The sight of the warrior had definitely perked up Sek.

  Looking up at the building just as Denger had done, Sek now had to figure out exactly what the warrior had found so interesting about it. Now that he knew Apep had indeed given him some useful information, all that was left to do was watch and learn as the demon god had commanded him to do. No matter how many nights it took, Sek felt sure all would be revealed to him soon. He just had to be patient and when the opportunity presented itself, he’d get his revenge and Denger would learn what happened when you fucked with a demon.

  * * * * *

  Nyx stood in front of the mirror above her dresser and looked at herself. She gave her hair another swipe with the brush, making sure the ends fell to her chin just so to frame her face to her liking. Satisfied with her hair, she put the brush on the dresser and swept her gaze down her body. Not sure where Denger was going to take her for lunch, she’d opted for a pair of black jeans and a cream-colored silk, short-sleeved blouse. And since she felt positively short around him, she was wearing a pair of black high-heeled sandals. A few squirts of perfume, and she was done.