by Lara Adrian
Just as he was about to take his first step on the odd road, something roared past him so quickly it sent him stumbling backward. His gaze followed the object glowing red.
That’s when Canaan saw the lights down the hill. A city of some sort. And the perfect place to...reenergize himself.
~ ~ ~
Rayna Averell was reaching for a bottle of vodka when she felt the heat slide over her. It was sensual, erotic. Like little charges of electricity gliding over her, making her flesh rise with bumps of...anticipation.
She didn’t need to look in the long mirror before her to know that an Incubus had just walked into the bar. There was no mistaking the stimulation of her body that a sex demon could evoke.
Rayna swallowed, knowing every other woman in the bar was feeling it as well. The difference was that Rayna knew exactly what caused it. She also knew the last thing she wanted was to be near one of the creatures.
Her hand shook as she wrapped her fingers around the neck of the vodka bottle. In her mind flashed an image of herself, naked and crying out in breathless pleasure as her body was brought to a fever pitch.
She nearly dropped the bottle when the electrical charges increased and her sex throbbed. Rayna turned the vodka upside down to fill three shot glasses while trying to ignore the sweat now covering her skin.
“Rayna, is everything all right?” Leo asked.
She forced a smile and looked into the hazel eyes of her handsome co-worker and owner of the bar, Leo Anderson. “I just need a bit of air.”
His eyes held a wealth of concern as he gazed at her. More than once he had made it clear he wanted to be something other than friends, but Rayna hadn’t wanted to take that next step. Especially since she would eventually have to explain just what she was. There were no easy words to tell someone she was a Nephilim—half human, half angel.
“Of course,” Leo said. “Take all the time you need.”
She had to put her hands on the bar in front of her to keep her balance as her knees grew weak from the tide of desire that swallowed her. The Incubus had noticed her. His gaze bore into her, as if daring her to face him.
Which she wouldn’t do.
“Thank you,” she mumbled and pushed past Leo.
She hastily walked out of the bar through the storeroom door. Even as the door closed behind her, she could still feel the heat of the Incubus’s gaze, the promise of pleasure she could only dream about.
With her breaths coming in great gasps she pushed through the stack of boxes in the storeroom and banged open the door that led to the alley outside.
As soon as the night air hit her, she stumbled to the side against the outside wall. She bent over, her hands on her legs, and dragged in mouthfuls of air.
She jerked when the door slammed shut. How long would the Incubus stay in the bar before he found a human female and left? How long would she have to remain in the alley hiding from him?
A shiver raced over her bare arms. She rubbed her hands over her arms as she stood upright. Rayna concentrated on drawing breath into her body and slowly letting it out. Eventually she could feel the calm once more fill her.
She gave a shake of her head, not quite believing the odds of an Incubus showing up in the small town bar hours away from New York City and her powerful Nephilim family.
Since her birth she had been raised to believe that lying with an Incubus was not just her birthright, but her destiny. It had been a constant lesson she and her twin, Anya, had heard daily.
Except it had been Anya chosen by the Three.
Chosen. She wasn’t even sure how the three Nephilim priestesses came up with the names of the women chosen to go to the Harem to have at least one child with an Incubus.
After Rayna watched her sister leave, she swore then and there never to have sex with an Incubus. Moving away from the city and her family had helped. There were few Incubi in the suburbs. They tended to congregate in the cities, especially when one of the powerful Incubi Houses ruled it.
Which was the case with New York City. The very ancient and powerful House of Romerac ruled not just New York but the entire United States with an iron fist. Or at least they used to, based on what she had learned growing up.
Rayna closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. It had been eight years since she had seen an Incubus. And frankly, she wanted to go the rest of her life without seeing another.
It was the sensual heat, the foreshadowing of mind-boggling, world-altering sex a second before the heart-stopping voice reached her that sent off a mental alarm.
“Do you fear me, Nephilim?”
Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look.
But oh, did she ever want to see the Incubus. Was he fair-haired and blue eyed? Or was he as dark as his seductive voice?
Her body trembled. Not because she knew what it was to have sex with an Incubus, but because at that moment, she was ready to get on her knees and beg him to have his way with her.
Anya.
Rayna needed to remember that her sister had been taken from the family. She was in the Harem, a palace in Morocco that was considered neutral ground. How many children had her sister birthed and been forced to give up?
To think that at one time she had wanted to be the one to lie with an Incubus. That was until she learned just what it meant to be chosen and taken away from the family.
“Are you ill?”
Rayna bit back a gasp. He was standing in front of her, probably close enough to touch. He moved without making a sound. And the closer he got, the more her body trembled for his touch.
It wasn’t fair that an Incubus could affect her this way. If he could do this with his nearness and his sexy voice, what would he do to her when she finally looked at him?
Rayna didn’t want to find out.
“Yes,” she said, still refusing to open her eyes. “I’m ill. You should leave before I get sick all over you.”
There was a pause. “Your skin is flushed, but not from illness.”
Conceited prick. Of course a sex demon would know when she was aroused. “I know you won’t force me, and I’m not interested. So go away.”
She waited for his response, waited to hear the charm and seduction she knew was coming. Except there was nothing. Rayna counted to fifty before she opened her eyes.
And promptly gasped when she found herself staring into eyes of blue-green as fathomless as the sea.
Rayna tried to look away, but only managed to move her eyes to his chiseled chin and jaw that sported a shadow of a beard, making him even sexier. If that was possible.
She caught a glimpse of coal black hair against his shoulder and saw it hung loose, the waves begging her to slide her fingers into the thickness. A lock of that hair fell over his wide forehead to fall against the corner of his eye.
Once more she was caught in his gaze. A woman could drown in such brilliance. Between the brightness of his eyes, the long black lashes, his midnight hair, and his olive skin, he wasn’t just handsome. He was striking, breathtaking.
Magnificent.
“Not interested?” he said, a hint of a smile upon wide, full lips. Lips that no doubt kissed as heavenly as he looked.
Rayna had to try twice to get enough wetness in her mouth to swallow. Even then her voice wouldn’t work so she shook her head.
He leaned forward and ran his index finger softly down the side of her face before pushing her hair over her shoulder. “Say it again.”
Was he insane? Didn’t he realize she was barely holding it together? Or perhaps that was the point. He did realize exactly what kind of precarious situation she was in.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known pleasure. She’d had her share of lovers, but not a single one of them had heated her blood like the Incubi before her. And he hadn’t even kissed her.
Victory shone in the Incubus’s beautiful eyes, and the resulting anger was enough that she could remember just why she didn’t want him. She refused to be a pawn in the game pla
yed between the Nephilim and the Incubi.
“I don’t want you,” she said. It might be a hoarse whisper, but the words had come.
To make her point even more clear, she shoved past him. It was a mistake as soon as her hand landed on his chest. The resulting heat, the primal need that thrummed through her veins, halted her.
He moved behind her, his warm breath fanning her neck. Unable to stop herself, her eyes closed and her head fell to the side. Soft lips touched the place where her neck met her shoulders. It barely registered before his hot, wet tongue flicked over her skin.
“You’re correct, Nephilim. I won’t force you,” he whispered into her ear. “Your kind is normally so willing to couple with us. What makes you so different?”
Rayna turned to face him, wondering if she was a masochist. Why else would she willingly face someone so damned gorgeous again?
“I walked away from that world. I want nothing to do with it.”
Before she could get in another word, his lips were on hers. There was nothing soft or romantic about the kiss. It was all heat and desire, need and passion.
Lust and longing.
It sent her world spinning. Her body was scorched from the intensity of the kiss.
As suddenly as it began, the kiss ended. Rayna blinked up at him, unsure why he stopped. She licked her lips, liking the taste of him altogether too much.
“Farewell,” he said and disappeared into the night before she could utter a single syllable in response.
CHAPTER THREE
It took less than a day for Canaan to realize he had to get accustomed to the world much more than he had comprehended. It had taken a lot for him to walk away from the beautiful Rayna, but walk away he had.
He might be a sex demon, but no was no. The next block over he found just the woman he needed to feed off of and restore some of his strength.
As usual, people were eager to share useless information, but he did manage to glean facts he did need. Like the name of the town - Traders Hollow – and that New York City was five hours away by car.
Canaan had expected the human race to make advancements, but he hadn’t expected such bold leaps as the computer, cell phones, and weaponry. Then again, the humans were rather gifted in killing themselves.
As the day faded to night, Canaan knew he couldn’t leave Traders Hollow just yet, even though he was more than ready to begin his trail of revenge.
If the human world had changed so much, what of the Incubi and Nephilim? He needed to know every detail before he set out for the city. There would be no mistakes, no oversights. No missteps.
Few would see him coming.
Fewer still would know what ended their lives.
But in the end, he would right the wrong done to him.
Canaan glanced down at the black boots he wore. It had felt good to bathe and change clothes. He felt more himself, but there was no denying his soul was gone.
The Sovereign feared him enough to throw him in the Oubliette. Canaan was going to give the bastard something to fear. Right before he ripped the Sovereign’s head from his body.
Canaan could feel his anger grow, and he quickly tamped it down as he reached the door to The White Sail Bar. Thankfully, with the town being small, he had learned quite a bit about Rayna.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. His eyes found her instantly. Once more she was behind the bar, except this time she didn’t have her back to him.
She was talking with a customer, but Canaan saw her flinch, the not-so-subtle tightening of her body. Her dark brown locks were pulled up, showcasing her long, slender neck.
He let his gaze take in the sight of her. In all his centuries as an Incubus, he couldn’t remember a woman – human or Nephilim - that had ever remained in his mind after meeting them.
Her oval face was flawless, her skin smooth as cream. She had high cheekbones, a stubborn chin, and lips that could bring even an Incubus to his knees.
He had savored those luscious lips, had sampled a taste of her, and only craved more.
Canaan flexed his hands as he recalled how her lithe body had felt against his, how her hands had splayed upon his chest before her arms wound around his neck. She claimed not to want him, but their kiss had proven otherwise.
It was too bad his mission at the bar that night was for information and not to woo the lovely Rayna.
When her walnut-colored eyes finally lifted to him, Canaan walked to a table and sat. She didn’t try to hide her sigh as she came around the bar toward him.
“I thought you were gone,” she said sharply.
Canaan merely smiled. She was peeved, but was it at the fact he was still around, or that she wanted him? If only he had the time to find out. “I was hoping you could share some information.”
“On?”
He raised a brow, waiting for her to comprehend what he asked.
“Ah,” she said with a knowing nod. “I thought your kind knew all there was to know about my kind.”
“I’ve been...gone...for awhile. I want to get my bearings before I leave.” Canaan hoped his explanation would suffice. The fewer people that knew who he was, the better.
Rayna licked her lips. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Whatever,” he said, uninterested in anything but the woman before him.
“How about your name, then?”
“Canaan.”
They stared in each other’s eyes, the heat between them growing, expanding until it was an undercurrent, charged and waiting. Desire licked at his skin, urging him to pull her against him for another kiss.
He knew it would take the slightest push to send her over the edge and accept him. Yet Canaan refused to do that no matter how much he longed to slide into her body. She didn’t want him, and there were other willing females.
Still...how he yearned to have her skin to skin against him, to hear her sighs, to see her peak in his arms.
“I’ll get you your drink. My break is in twenty minutes. You’ll have to wait until then,” Rayna said in a rush before she spun around and all but ran to the bar.
Canaan leaned back in the chair and looked around. There were crowds of younger humans milling in groups by the pool tables and dartboard. Some were seated at tables, laughing and carrying on as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
He had been like that at one time. It had been a short period, but while it lasted it had been the closest thing to paradise that he had known.
Then his father died and he became the Master of Romerac House centuries before he had expected it. He didn’t just take on the role as Master of his House, but as more father than brother to his two younger siblings.
It hadn’t gone easy with Teman since they were merely days apart in age, but Levi was a full century younger. Canaan had filled the role of father to Levi as best he could.
The days of fun and play had ceased in a split second. Canaan might have chafed at the responsibility placed upon him at the time, but it was his by right.
And it would be returned.
Rayna placed a mug of amber liquid in front of him and hurried away before he could respond. Canaan took a drink and realized it was beer. While he sipped the beer, he found his mind drifting back to the night he had been yanked from the bed of some human he had found.
Canaan had fought them, but he hadn’t been able to stop them from killing the female. He had been shot with silver bullets multiple times, weakening him enough that the group had subdued him. When he next awoke, he was in the Oubliette.
That’s when the real nightmare had begun.
He was setting his mug down when Canaan heard the door of the bar open. A glance at the entrance showed three men, all wearing black leather jackets. And all Incubi.
Canaan went on instant alert. He wasn’t surprised when their gazes turned to him. Instead of approaching him, the group took a seat at the bar.
Rayna, for her part, kept away from them, letting the other bartender, a male, take their
order. A ripple of unease ran through the bar as others took notice of the three Incubi.
Conversation lagged, laughter ceased until nothing but the sound of the music filled the room. Canaan didn’t think it was a coincidence that Incubi just happened to stroll into the very bar he was in.
Had Rayna told someone about him? That was the only explanation. As far as he had learned, there were few Incubi in the area, and none living in town.
If they wanted a fight, he would gladly give it to them. Canaan rose, the sound of his chair scooting back on the floor so loud that it drew everyone’s attention.
Good. He wanted the men to see him leave so he didn’t have to wait around for them. Just as Canaan started for the door his gaze skimmed over Rayna at the cash register.
Was the furrow of her brow because she felt bad that she had spoken about him to others? Or was she concerned with the humans being injured?
Canaan supposed it was the latter. He didn’t much care who got hurt, but it was better for him if few witnessed what he was about to do. He had the advantage. A driving revenge often did that. Besides, Canaan had nothing else to lose.
He leaned back against the outside of the bar in the alley with one leg bent, his foot propped against the bricks. As he predicted, the three didn’t take long to follow him.
“I suppose you’re here for me,” Canaan said. “I’ll give you one chance to walk away. Alive. Forget you even came here.”
One of the Incubi in the back with bleached blond hair laughed. “Do you know who we are?”
The fact was he didn’t, but he could guess. There had been rumors swirling before he was betrayed about a group of Incubi akin to the mob. Canaan had learned firsthand just how true those rumors had been.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
The leader rolled a toothpick in his mouth. “There were reports of an Incubus in Traders Hollow. We came to move you along.”
Interesting. Why would the Incubi want to keep other Incubi out of the town? The answer came to Canaan like a blow – Rayna. “I’ll be leaving soon.”