Passion Unleashed d-3

by Larissa Ione

  “The first one. Any others were all yours.”

  The urge to slap him made her hand tingle, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she said quietly, “You’re a bastard.”

  He shoved both hands through his hair and left them there, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I’m a demon, Serena. It’s what I do.”

  She supposed that was true enough. Didn’t make her feel much better, though. Especially because it was also true that he was much more than just a demon to her, no matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise.

  “So what happened? After you learned to use your gift?”

  “My mother lost interest in me. One day she came into my cage to kill me. I killed her instead. Escaped. Ran until her clan caught up with me in Chicago. They strung me up in a warehouse and tortured the fuck out of me for two days. Maybe more. I don’t know. After the first day, they gouged out my eyes.”

  Oh… Jesus. Sweet Jesus God Almighty. Black spots swam before Serena’s eyes and she felt herself start to go over. Wraith caught her, and she was too weak to fight him. Plus, it felt good to be in his arms again. Her body was a traitor. So much so that when he lay her on the bed, she clung to him, pulled him down beside her.

  “I don’t think I want to hear any more,” she said in a voice so shaky she barely understood herself. “But how… how did you survive?”

  “My brothers found me.” He petted her hair with loving, comforting strokes. “They killed the vamps. Kept one alive to give me back my sight.”

  She almost asked why they hadn’t used a dead vamp as an eye donor, but duh, they had a tendency to flame to ash when they were killed.

  “And then?”

  “I went with them to New York, where I spent the next few decades wasting my life. I was worthless. Lived like a rat in sewers, eating junkies and drunks, losing myself in any way I could. Then E and Shade started the hospital. I didn’t want to learn how to save lives, but they didn’t give me a choice. Taught me to read and write. Got me straightened out. Mostly.”

  “Dear… God.” His life had been a waking nightmare.

  He snorted. “God abandoned me a long time ago.” Gripping her hand, he squeezed gently. “Look, Serena, by human standards, I’m a bastard. Hell, even by some demon standards I’m that. I’ve always been selfish, not giving a shit about anyone or anything but myself. I knew what losing the charm would do to you, and if I could give it back, I would. I know you don’t believe this, but… I love you.”

  Her eyes stung, and her stupid heart responded with several stuttered beats, because it believed him. “You don’t need to lie to me anymore.”

  “I’m not. Never again.”

  “Easy to say when I’ve only got hours left to live.”

  He made a sound low in his throat. “Don’t say that.”

  “It’s time to stop denying it.” Strangely, it felt liberating to say it.

  His hard swallow was audible, his voice strained. “I know.”

  She propped herself up on her elbow so she could see directly into his eyes. “I hate you.”

  “I know,” he whispered.

  “Kiss me.”

  He didn’t hesitate. His mouth met hers in a bruising kiss. For the first time, he opened up and let her explore with her tongue, let her feel the sharp points of his teeth. Now she knew why he’d always led the way with his kisses, why he’d pulled away when she’d made aggressive moves. Even now, he reared back a little, but she grabbed the back of his head and forced him to stay still. This was for her, not him. He owed her, and she was going to take what she wanted.

  His groan rolled through her, caressing all her erogenous zones and waking up nerve endings. Her lungs hurt and her gut cramped, but pleasure began to override the discomfort and pain.

  Greedily, she reached between them and palmed his erection. She squeezed him through his pants, and he made a raw, male noise. “Were you lying when you said you couldn’t come like this?”

  “No.” His tongue swept over her bottom lip. “My kind can only achieve release inside a female.”

  “Then get inside me.” God, she couldn’t believe she wanted him this badly, but with such little time left, the insanity of all of this seemed so distant and unimportant.

  His eyes shot open, and she drew in a startled breath at the beautiful gold color they’d gone. “Are you sure?”

  His concern pissed her off. He had no right to worry about her after what he’d done. “Just do it,” she snapped. “Now.”

  Hurt flashed in his eyes, but then he was tearing open his jeans, shoving her shirt up, and ripping off her shorts, and in an instant, he was inside her. She cried out at the invasion, the incredible sensations that shot up her spine.

  “Gods,” he growled into her ear, “I can smell your need. It’s taking me over the edge.” His tongue dragged over her throat, and for a moment she thought he was going to bite her. Some dark, wicked part of her wanted him to bite her. “Mmm. You taste oddly… salty.”

  “Its the disease,” she whispered. “It causes salty skin.”

  He stiffened, and a small sound of pain broke from his lips. “I—”

  “Stop.” She grasped his face, used her thumb to trace the markings on the right side of his face. “Don’t ruin this for me.” She was being selfish, but she shoved aside the tiny bit of guilt she felt.

  A shudder wracked his body, but he closed his eyes and nodded. He began a slow, grinding pump with his hips, and little sparks popped all over her skin. She raked her nails across his back, and though he hissed, he hissed, “Harder.”

  Pleasure cascaded across her mind as he grew more aggressive, until he was hammering her into the mattress while whispering sexy, raw things into her ear. The things he wanted to do to her flipped like erotic pictures through her head, propelling her to a white-hot climax that wouldn’t end.

  She cried out, calling his name. His real name.

  “No.” He nipped at her lobe. “Call me Josh.”

  “Yes… Josh!”

  He roared in his own release, filling her with a hot splash that triggered another orgasm, and another. Her body felt out of control, a lightning strike of sensual energy that wrapped around them both and locked them into an electrifying series of climaxes.

  Gradually, the storm of pleasure dissipated, and she’d never been so exhausted.

  It was a long time before she had the strength to speak. When she did, her voice was raspy, her breathing wheezy. “On the train…” She had to pause, swallow, work some moisture into her mouth. “You said someone slipped an aphrodisiac into my drink. It wasn’t a stranger, was it?”

  “No.” He rolled off her but kept his strong arms around her, gathering her close. His biceps bunched up hard, his skin was coated with a fine sheen of sweat. “It was my semen. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  She wracked her brain to bring that night back to the surface of her hazy mind. She’d been crazed with lust, begging him to have sex with her. “You could have taken my virginity then, but you didn’t. Why not?”

  “I couldn’t.” He buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply, and a soft purring noise rumbled up from deep in his chest. “That’s why I was leaving. I changed my mind about everything, Serena. Even though my decision would have killed my brothers, too… I couldn’t betray you like that.”

  “Your… brothers?”

  “They were dying too. My illness and theirs were connected.”

  Time slowed as she digested what he’d just said. She knew how much he loved his brothers, and yet, when it came down to a choice between their lives and hers, he’d chosen hers.

  He’d just turned everything she’d ever learned about demons—from the nuns she’d grown up with and from Val and his monstrous library of books—upside down and inside out.

  He checked his watch. “I wish I could stay, but I don’t have much time. Byzamoth plans to start the war of wars in a few hours.” He smoothed her hair away from her face, his touch
light and tender. “I’m going to get your necklace back. I’ll stop him, Serena. If it’s the last thing I do, I will stop him.”

  “But… you’re a demon.”

  “So why would I want to stop him?” At her nod, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Most demons living among humans like things the way they are. Imagine your worst apocalyptic scenario, multiply it by a hundred, add a lot of chaos, gore, disease, and demons, and you’ve got Sheoul. The idea that everything could become like that? Freaks a lot of us out. There are going to be a lot of demons fighting on the side of good in this battle.”

  “And you’re fighting on the side of good.”

  He flicked his tongue over a fang, one corner of his mouth turned up in just a hint of a cocky grin. “Well, historically, good can’t fight for shit. Really, they need me.”

  Damn him for charming her and turning her on at the same time—while she was on her deathbed.

  A commotion outside the door had Josh leaping out of the bed and yanking the covers up around her. The sounds of angry shouts, running footsteps, and flesh striking flesh came through the thin walls as if they were made of paper.

  “Serena!”

  “Val?”

  Josh cursed as Val threw open the door, flanked by Eidolon. Shade was struggling with David and another man in the hallway, and if the more distant sounds were any indication, there was a battle going on elsewhere in the house.

  “What the hell is going on?” Val looked between Serena and Josh, who was buttoning his pants. “Jesus effing Christ, Serena! He’s a demon!” He stalked into the room, glaring pure murder at Josh.

  Serena sat up in bed, tugging the sheet up even though her top covered her. “Calm down, Val. I know he’s a demon—”

  His hand clenched reflexively at his hip, and she wondered if he had a weapon concealed beneath his bulky shirt. “Do not tell me this is the bastard you gave your charm to.”

  “Then don’t ask.”

  He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Oh, Serena. How could you have been so stu—”

  “Finish that sentence,” Josh said flatly, “and it’ll be your last.”

  Val turned purple with rage. For a moment, she thought he’d blow, but David laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Let it go, Dad.”

  Shade moved fully inside to stand near Josh, and suddenly the room filled with people. Total strangers. And here she was, wearing nothing but a tank top and in a bed where it was pretty obvious she’d just had sex. With a demon.

  “Everyone needs to just calm down.” Eidolon crossed to Josh and Shade.

  “Fuck you,” David said. “We don’t take orders from demons.”

  Josh bared his fangs. “Yeah, you do. Because right now, I’m your best hope to defeat Byzamoth. So if you don’t want to spend eternity bent over and holding your ankles for him, you’ll back the fuck off.”

  Ky, Gem, Tay, Shade, and E all crammed into the bedroom, followed by six local Aegis Guardians and six members of the Sigil. Luc, Reaver, and several local Aegi made for a tense party in the other rooms of the house, and there were more agents patrolling outside

  And that asshole Lore was tied up in the hall. What the hell was up with that? Ky had no idea.

  Kynan’s hand hovered over his stang, fingers itching to draw down. The house was filled to the gills with mortal enemies, and the Guardians were loaded for werebear.

  Powder. Keg. One spark and the place would blow.

  Val reached for Serena, his Sigil ring glinting in the light from the overhead. “I’m taking you home.”

  And… that was the spark.

  A god-awful roar vibrated the house. Wraith moved so fast Ky didn’t track him until he followed the nasty growl to the bed, where Wraith was on all fours, crouched protectively over Serena.

  Christ, his eyes burned the orange-gold of a jet’s afterburners and his fangs had elongated into daggers. With his blond mane falling around his face, he looked like a fucking lion guarding his pride.

  The familiar, ominous sound of weapons clearing their housings cut through the tension. The Guardians and Elders closed ranks at the same moment that E, Shade, and Gem stepped in front of the bed to stand with Wraith.

  In a coordinated move that reminded Ky of how well he and Tay had fought together in the past, they placed themselves between the demons and the Guardians.

  “I am taking Serena home, where she belongs,” Val repeated, his Romanian accent so thick Kynan barely understood him.

  Wraith’s voice scraped gravel. “If you touch her, I’ll drop all your buddies, and then I’ll take you apart, piece by piece.”

  “You,” Val bellowed, “have no say in this. She’s dying because of you!”

  The Guardians shifted, bracing for battle, and Wraith’s eyes went crimson. This was going to end very, very badly.

  “Shade,” Ky said quietly, “bring Wraith down.” He turned to Val, whose dark gaze promised as much blood as Wraith’s. “You’d best back off. We need him to get the amulet from Byzamoth. And you know you can’t hurt him. Trying would be suicide.” Suicide, even if Wraith wasn’t in possession of the charm.

  Serena placed a restraining hand on Wraith’s, and though he still looked like he was mentally fitting Val for a coffin, he’d stopped growling.

  “Val, please,” she said calmly, as if she didn’t have over two hundred pounds of enraged demon vampire crouched over her. “The most important thing here is to stop Byzamoth. We all need to work together.”

  “We agreed to work with the charmed one,” David said, “but we didn’t know he was a demon. We’re not working with them. No way.”

  “Then lube up and prepare to call Byzamoth daddy,” Wraith said, not helping the situation at all.

  One of the Elders, Juan, cleared his throat. “Kynan. Tayla. As Regent and former Regent, surely you recognize the problems inherent in Guardians working with demons?”

  “I know firsthand.” Tayla morphed into her hybrid Soulshredder form, her veiny wings scraping the wall. Gasps filled the air. “Because I’m half demon.” She shifted back, rolled her shoulders. “Don’t make me do that again. It stings and makes me very cranky.”

  David turned on her, his glower twisting his handsome face into something hideous. “You traitorous—”

  “Be very careful what you say, human.” Eidolon’s eyes had gone as red as Wraith’s, and he now looked every inch the demon he was.

  A long, tense silence had Kynan twitching. Finally, Val turned to him, though he shot wary glances at Tayla. “Did you know about her? Did you know she was a demon when you recommended her for the Regent position?”

  “Yes.”

  “Jesus, Kynan. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking,” Kynan said, “that she’s a warrior with damned good instincts. She can think on her feet. She knows the difference between good demons and bad ones—”

  “There are no good demons,” Val bit out.

  “Right now none of that matters,” Kynan said, because they didn’t have time to argue. “What matters is stopping Byzamoth. And trust me, you need Wraith to do that.”

  Muffled grumbles rose up in the Aegis ranks. Val held up his hand; everyone went silent. “He’s right. We need to concentrate on the situation at hand.”

  Kynan swore the house breathed a sigh of relief. Still, the room was way too crowded with mortal enemies. And Serena didn’t look comfortable in bed, where the state of the sheets and the discarded clothes on the floor told an X-rated story.

  “Let’s clear out,” Kynan said. “We only need a few players in here.”

  There was some discussion between the Elders and Guardians, and then most of them filed out, leaving only Val and his son, David. Gem and Tayla left to keep an eye on things outside. Reaver had come in, stood at the end of the bed, watching Serena with sad eyes.

  Calmer now, Wraith sat on the edge of the bed, holding Serena’s hand. Still, he locked gazes with Val, who cleared his throat imperiously.

/>   “The city of Jerusalem is being evacuated. Hundreds of Aegis and military teams will be in place at the Temple Mount in a matter of hours,” Val said to Wraith. “I assume you’ll use a Harrowgate to make it on time?”

  “Duh.”

  Shade sighed, and Eidolon rubbed his temples.

  “You will distract Byzamoth so The Aegis can retrieve the amulet. Should you gain possession of it, you will immediately hand it over to a Guardian.”

  Kynan winced as Wraith came to his feet. “Blow me. This isn’t your show, and I don’t take orders from slayers.”

  “Josh. Val.” Serena’s thin voice drew everyone’s attention. The dark circles beneath her eyes seemed to have grown ten times worse in the last few minutes. “Just… get the necklace. Don’t fight.”

  Wraith nodded and took her hand, and was it Ky’s imagination, or did her arm look thinner, more fragile? “Sorry.” He slid Val a covert glare, as if upsetting Serena had been entirely the human’s fault.

  The room fell silent except for the sound of her raspy breaths, until Reaver spoke up. “I’m going with you.”

  E cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you couldn’t help.”

  “Fuck that.”

  “How can you help, angel?” Wraith asked, and both Val and David gaped.

  “Angel?” David echoed.

  “Fallen. Don’t get excited.” Reaver shook his head. “I can fight him, but I can’t do it alone. He’s stronger than I am. He’s drawing on the power of evil. I, on the other hand, can’t claim the power of the Heavens or Hell.”

  Wraith tucked Serena against him and ran his palm up and down her arm. “So we tag team him.”

  “We tag team him,” Reaver agreed.

  E clapped Wraith on the back. “I’m going with you. Tay, Luc, and Ky are coming with us. There’ll be a lot of casualties.”

  They’d decided not to send Shade, because his medical gift would be needed here to care for Serena, and Gem was staying behind to help. All of the Guardians would remain in what was now Central Command. They would be responsible for calling in reinforcements, providing situation reports to Aegis cells worldwide, and basically, acting as the second line of defense should Wraith fail.