Koivu (Demons After Dark Book Three)

by Laurie Olerich

  “Fire investigators?” Benn guessed.

  “Probably,” Koivu agreed, as he squinted at the blown out windows, looking for answers to jump out at him.

  He and Benn stood in comfortable silence while they waited for the men to leave. Koivu rubbed idly at his scruffy jaw and put together his theories. After a few minutes, he asked, “Why would someone want to burn down an animal shelter? It was a shitty old building.”

  Benn stared at him for a second and prompted, “And it was full of live, helpless animals too?”

  “Well, yeah. What’s your point?”

  Benn draped his arm around his shoulders and tsked him with a condescending smile. “You’re not completely human, are you? Real, normal humans would be outraged by the intentional slaughter of a bunch of helpless animals, but your first thought is property damage.” He gave Koivu’s good shoulder a pat and added, “I’ve got work to do with you, my friend. You’ll never blend with those priorities. People will think you’re a psychopath.”

  “You’re really not funny.” He shrugged off Benn’s hand and said, “I’m not trying to blend. I’m going back to Hell when we clear our names. I’m not staying topside. I don’t belong here.” And he didn’t—at all. Up here, he was no one. He was just a bodyguard at a security company that only existed to act as a central gathering point for the Trinity demons until they could go home. Back in Hell he was important. He had purpose. He was in charge of the entire security team that controlled the SuperMax prison. He was the Hell’s Fury middleweight champion—three years in a fucking row. He was the last demon in his father’s bloodline. That little factoid alone made him more important down below than up here. He was nothing on the human plane. Staying wasn’t an option.

  “You really believe you’re going home?”

  “Yeah, I do. Now, stop trying to play doctor with me and let’s figure out why some asshole would try to barbeque a bunch of spotted dogs.”

  Benn gave him a long, measured look, but didn’t press the issue. Instead, he turned his attention back to the blackened building and offered up a stupid theory. “Maybe they were after your doctor friend.”

  “Micki? Nah, I can’t believe that.” He put his hand under his nipple and said, “The tiny little thing is only this tall. She’s like a friggin’ fairy. Have you seen her eyes? Innocent as hell. What could she possibly have done to deserve that?” He led Benn around the other side of the convenience store so they could get a good look at the back of the structure. “The accelerant wasn’t sophisticated. The fire department got here pretty quick. We had time to get all of the dogs out; seems like if someone wanted to kill her specifically, they would’ve shot her in the head instead of setting the shelter on fire.” He absently rotated his shoulder as far as it would go and considered the facts again. Could she have been the target? Anything was possible, but the idea didn’t feel right in his gut. After a few more minutes, he finally said, “Let’s go talk to Micki. She’s supposed to be home resting. I need to see what she wants to do about the dogs anyway.”

  Benn tossed him a curious glance and asked, “Why are you getting involved? This isn’t your business.”

  “Don’t get any ideas. She’s my doctor. I need her head in the game so she can get my shoulder working again. That’s my only interest.”

  Benn burst out laughing. “Uh-huh. Sure. I hear you. This has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a pretty little redhead and you have a weakness for gingers.”

  “Shut up. You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Still laughing, Benn ticked names off of his fingers, “Mari, Simone, Jeneka, oh, and who can forget the lovely Taili. Wasn’t she Karma’s sister?”

  “Taili’s hair wasn’t red. It was blond. Most of the time.”

  “Blond until you pissed her off and then it was hellfire red. I actually liked that one. She could actually run roofs and keep up with us. She was a badass athlete. What ever happened to her?”

  “The same thing that happened to the others. She wanted more than I did.”

  Benn’s laugh faded. “You cut her loose.” He pursed his lips, and then said carefully, the words soft in tone but brutal when they hit home, “You know, this exile might be good for you. It’s a chance for you to reinvent yourself; a chance to leave ancient history behind. No one knows you or your family. You can be whoever you want. You could learn to love up here. Love with the right person isn’t so bad. Maybe you should let yourself feel with more than your dick.”

  “I like feeling with my dick,” he snorted, flatly discarding Benn’s lame attempt to psychoanalyze him again. “Man, look, my family’s so dysfunctional that I have no clue what a functioning relationship is. If it wasn’t for Aunt Mai, I wouldn’t have any idea what a family’s supposed to be like. This whole convo is pointless anyway. I’m only killing time while we wait to get home. I’ve got no interest in settling down like you and Lainey have. No offense, but you’ve always wanted a wife and babies. That’s never been my thing.”

  Benn caught Koivu’s wrist and pressed the issue. “I’m telling you as a friend. You need to get past this idea that you’re going home. You’re not—we’re not. It’s not possible.”

  “Fuck that! It’s possible! I know it is. Raphael’s got something up his sleeve. I can feel it. When we save Lucifer’s ass, Raphael’s going to get us cleared, and we’ll go back to Hell a bunch of heroes.”

  Benn shook his head, his mouth and tone hardening. “I’m telling you it’s not going to happen. You’re setting yourself up for a huge disappointment.”

  Jerking out of Benn’s grasp, he snapped, “Yeah, well, that’s my problem, isn’t it? I’ve gotta go. I need to get to Micki’s so we can get these damn animals situated before Nash kills me. He wasn’t exactly thrilled when we brought them in last night.”

  “I’ll go back to Expat and walk a couple of them while you’re gone. I like dogs. They’re actually kind of cool.”

  “Cool? For fuck’s sake, Benn, they’re demon dogs! They’re bred to hate us. I’m surprised they let us carry them out of the fire.”

  Benn blinked at him and said sarcastically, “Do you think that’s because, oh, I don’t know . . . we’re not demons anymore?!”

  Micki’s phone smelled like smoke. Her hair still smelled like smoke. She bent over her hand and sniffed. Her stomach gurgled with queasy protest. The odor was beyond gross, even after her midnight shower. How long would it take to fade completely? She gave her phone one last glare and left it on the dresser. Jake had stopped texting after she ignored the fifteen messages he sent yesterday. Guess he finally got the hint. Feeling beat after spending half the night in the ER and the other half tossing with nightmares, she stood under the shower until the water ran cold. That helped perk her up a little, but she was still dragging. Her head ached. Her throat was raw. Her chest felt like an elephant had sat on it. Thank goodness she had today off. She wasn’t sure she could be patient with patients today. She felt as brittle as the ends of her hair.

  She looked like death warmed over. The mirror didn’t lie, but she barely had the energy to care. Her green eyes were bloodshot and swollen; her ivory skin was flaming red and overly tight; the ends of her hair were singed and curling. She needed a hair rescue ASAP, but right now, she needed to get her head together and get dressed. There were nine dogs that needed to be moved from Koivu’s garage to somewhere more permanent. She had no idea where to take them, but she had to figure something out. She threw on some moisturizer, dried her hair into a mass of fluffy strawberry blond curls, and tossed on some jeans and a sweater. No need to dress up. The dogs didn’t care and she wasn’t trying to impress Koivu.

  The doorbell chimed as she was finishing up. Thinking it was her brother Danny stopping by to check on her, she pulled open the door with a tired smile.

  Three years earlier:

  Propped against red silk pillows, Micki’s sleepy eyes devoured Jake as he slung a fluffy towel around his hips. The white material divided th
e sparkling wet happy trail that led to the part of him he controlled her with. She loved the man, but she was undeniably obsessed with how he made her feel. Words couldn’t describe how she felt when he made love to her. Their bodies were two parts of a whole; they fit together perfectly. She tried to make sense of the obsession but came up blank. She needed him in ways she couldn’t explain. He said he needed her as much.

  His golden eyes glittered with lust as he raked them over her naked skin. “You’re beautiful, Micki. I’m so hard for you. It’s been too long.”

  She licked her lips and complained lightly, “Two months. It’s been two endless months.” She let her fingers trail over her breasts and across her belly. His eyes darkened with hunger; his mouth tightened. Her thighs fell open revealing her freshly-shaved pussy.

  “That’s new.”

  “Surprise,” she breathed with a naughty stroke of her fingers. “Like it?”

  “Come here.”

  She nearly leapt from the bed, untying the towel and wrapping her arms around his neck. Gloriously thick, his erection bounced against her stomach and nestled its way between her legs as he fell backwards onto the bed. Wet and ravenous, she angled her hips to draw him more deeply inside and gazed at him through lowered eyes. God, he was beautiful. Like a statue come to life, he was all hard, smooth muscle. His Italian genes provided the flawless olive skin that stretched perfectly across all that deliciousness. She could look at him forever.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered in her ear. His breath floated over her delicate skin as he shifted his weight to press her further into the mattress.

  “I love you,” she whispered back.

  His response was a tight, pained grimace and a low growl of pleasure. He closed his eyes and clutched the sheets, filling her with long, slow strokes that kept her desperate and edgy. Her body was flushed with fire he quenched so well. She heard a deep moan leave her throat. It was quickly joined by another. When she couldn’t take the torment any longer, she reached between them to rub her clit in the rhythm that would get her off.

  “You want to come, baby?”

  “Oh, yeah . . .” she breathed as her belly tightened and a delicious shiver crawled over her skin.

  “Hold on.” His eyes caught hers, daring her to look away. The fiery possessiveness shook her to the core. She fell into those eyes, letting them consume her as the hunger took over. Beyond speech now, she held on for the ride, loving the sleek caress of his skin on hers. Sweat glistened on his forehead; the thick muscles in his neck corded with strain as his hips circled to drive her insane. She squirmed beneath him, trying to adjust her position, her immobility maddening, her pussy throbbing with every stroke.

  Still gazing into her eyes, he clutched her to his chest and brought her to the brink over and over until she arched up, crying out with release. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes; emotion swelling in her chest. Blinking them away, she dragged kisses over his bunching shoulders, luxuriating in his power, his taste.

  Long minutes later, he smoothed his lips over her chin and jaw. His velvety tongue traced the curves until he reached her ear. Whispering between kisses, he breathed, “God, I love you, Micki. You’re my world.”

  Biting her lower lip, she made a decision that was a long time coming. “If I’m your world, do something about it.”

  The kissing stopped. He sat back, putting distance between them, considering her with hooded eyes. “There’s time, baby. No need to rush.”

  “It’s been five years. Five years.”

  The contented light in his eyes dimmed and he rolled out of bed. Naked and boldly masculine, he was mouthwatering. Thick and long, his cock jutted as he moved. He gave it a casual stroke and switched on his smile. “Are you talking about marriage?”

  It was her turn to leave the bed. Padding across the room, she faced him and said with a sinking heart, “Of course I am. You made it clear that’s where we were heading. It’s been two years since we had that conversation. You wanted to get the business going. I respected that. Well, The Underground’s doing fine now. There’s no reason to keep waiting. I’ve been patient, Jake.”

  “Let’s talk about this.” The devastating smile flashed on again.

  That’s when she realized he wielded it like a weapon. His smile was as phony as his promises of marriage. She’d felt it in her gut for a while, but like an addict with an endless supply of her favorite drug, she’d chosen to enjoy him and ignore the warning signs. It was easy to disregard the red flags because he was everything she’d always wanted. He was the fairy tale prince; the happily-ever-after man. He said all the right things—touched her in all the right ways—gave her just enough attention and amazing sex to keep her devotion.

  “We are talking about it, but this isn’t how I imagined our conversation going.”

  His smile vanished. It was suddenly so obvious, and yet, somehow, she’d managed to not see the truth. He had no intention of marrying her. It was clear from the shadow that crossed his expression; by the hint of dishonesty in his eyes that she just now noticed. How had she been so blind?

  “Baby, don’t cry.” His hands reached out to cup her shoulders and draw her into a wicked kiss that normally would’ve destroyed her objections. His mouth curled into a satisfied smile as his head angled towards her mouth.

  She pushed him back and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Standing her ground, she wiped his kiss away and declared flatly, “I’ve waited for five years. I’m not waiting any longer. You need to make a decision. Either you’re all in or I’m all out.”

  His eyes flared with sudden anger. “Don’t do this, Micki. Don’t give me an ultimatum.”

  Fighting tears, she choked, “It’s all I’ve got. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live my life at your beck and call. This long distance thing isn’t working for me anymore. You know I’m willing to move to Vegas—or you can move back here—I don’t care which. But you need to man up. What’s it going to be?”

  “Don’t back me into a corner. You won’t like the result.”

  He took a step forward and she stepped back with her arms crossed over her breasts. “What’s it going to be, Jake?”

  “Micki, come on. Don’t do this.” Ignoring her crossed arms, he cupped her ass in both hands and drew her naked body against his chest. The soft flesh of his cock stiffened against her. “We’re so good together, baby. Don’t mess it up.”

  Her damn traitorous body softened at his touch. Her belly coiled in anticipation; her nipples stiffened to demanding little nubs. It would be so easy to let go . . . to let him take control of her body and make love to her again and again. He brought her to heights of passion that left her stunned and so sated she couldn’t move. Lost in his taste, she’d forget all about the massive void that existed when he was gone. Curling his hot tongue around her ear, he wedged his clever fingers between her legs, stroking her exactly the right way. She couldn’t help the moan that slipped out. His answering chuckle was the last straw.

  Jumping away, she cried, “Stop! Just stop it, Jake! This isn’t what I want. Seeing you every few months . . . when it’s convenient for you . . .” She whirled around to avoid his eyes, her voice dropping to a teary whisper. “This isn’t enough for me anymore. I deserve more from you.”

  She was spun around by an iron grip on her wrist. His face was contorted with an anger she hadn’t seen before. “We’re done then. Have a nice life.”

  She stared at him in astonishment. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Shocked that he would end things this way, she could only say, “Wait. Are you just going to walk away? That’s it?”

  The room closed in around her, the air thick and stale. Determined to keep what was left of her dignity, she swallowed the lump in her throat and studied the wallpaper above Jake’s head. The silence stretched until she thought she would snap from the tension. Moving to the other side of the room, she shoved her arms into her sweater and her legs into her jeans. She dragged out the process so s
he could get some kind of grip on her emotions. They stood on opposite sides of the bedroom. Both wary, both stiff with anger. It was a sad way to end five years of passion.

  “Micki.” There was a glimmer of light shining in his eyes as he swept them over her in a lazy caress. They lingered on her face for a long minute before he dropped them to the floor. “I’m never going to marry you.”

  His words slammed into her with the force of a bullet. It took a second to find her voice, and when she did it was thready with hurt. “Why not?”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he looked at her with naked regret.

  “You said you loved me. For the past five years.”

  Refusing to meet her eyes now, he offered an uncomfortable shrug. “I do love you. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone.”

  “But you can’t marry me.” The words scalded her tongue.

  “No.”

  She’d known this would happen. She’d known someplace deep in her heart, and still, still, she’d played his game, waiting for him to be ready. In the back of her mind, she’d known he’d never be ready, but still she’d waited, hoped, prayed. If she was good enough, he’d keep his promises. She was an idiot!

  When she didn’t say anything else, he searched her face with bleak eyes, and then said tonelessly, “I’m marrying Sophia. I promised her marriage and I can’t back out.”

  “What?” Instant fury blew heartache away. “You proposed to her in high school! You haven’t seen her for six years! You don’t owe her marriage. You haven’t even—” His quick change of expression couldn’t hide the flash of guilt. “Oh, god, no. You’ve been seeing her all this time?” And that’s when her heart broke.

  “We agreed to wait until she finished college to get married. She’s graduating next month and she’ll be moving in with me in Vegas. She’s already got the wedding planned and her parents have paid for everything.” He moved towards her, hands out, voice desperate. “I don’t want this, but I can’t get out of it. My parents . . . her parents . . . She’s done nothing wrong. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with you. I can’t back out now. It would crush her.”