CHAPTER X
Kyla stood before Balthazar with her mouth wide open in shock. “But I thought you loved her?”
Balthazar squirmed under her glaring gaze. “I did,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s my guilt over her death that weighs heavily on my mind. I can’t forgive myself for it.”
Kyla felt a slight softening in the centre of her chest. “It was over four hundred years ago. Surely you, with all your…natural tendencies, could have gotten over it in the blink of an eye?”
“We may be evil at heart, Kyla, but we are still capable of having positive feelings now and again.”
“Well that’s comforting.”
“We are able to feel love…there is a curse on us which states that we can return to mortals if a woman loves us for all that we are, including our evil. I thought Alice was my one shot at getting out of Hell.”
Kyla snorted. “So really this is about you missing out on being human again?”
Balthazar opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.
“You don’t feel guilty about Alice at all. You just feel bad you fucked up your own life.”
“It’s not like that—”
“Yes. Yes, it is. You’re a selfish, shallow bastard, and I hope you rot in Hell. In a tonne of sea salt.” With a sharp turn on her heels, she stomped out of the door before realising she was miles from home.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Azazel’s husky voice slipped through the air towards the irritated and angry Kyla.
She spun around and fixed him with a murderous stare. “What do you want?”
“Well,” he said, licking his lips as he looked her up and down. “Would the answer ‘you’ suffice?”
“You have got to be kidding me, right?”
Azazel flashed his best smile—the one that always fluttered the hearts of any female within sight—but only further irritated Kyla. His green eyes were skipping with mischief.
“You’re a sleazy pig.”
“Care for a lift home?”
“I’m not going home.” She brushed past him and continued walking.
Azazel reappeared in front of her scowling face. “Care for some company?”
She shot him a withering look before turning her back on him and calling for a taxi on her mobile phone.
“I’ll see you later then, sexy?” Azazel asked, his confidence shining through his tone of voice.
Kyla snorted, not even bothering to glance his way. “I don’t think so. I actually want to have a good night out, thank you.”
“Oh, I can show you a good night darlin’, don’t you worry about that.”
“That is exactly what I am worried about.” Whisking her high heels from her sore feet, Kyla marched down to the pub and awaited her taxi.
***
Half an hour later, she stood inside The Black Iris, downing a shot of vodka with her best friend, Sam, who was currently filling Kyla in on her previous night’s adventures.
“He was so hot,” she said. “His eyes, Kyla, oh his eyes.” She gazed off into the distance as she remembered her frantic rumble of lust from the night before.
“That’s lovely,” Kyla replied, shoving another shot Sam’s way. “Drink.”
As she moved her way over to the dance floor, Sam following closely behind, Kyla caught sight of a familiar shadow from the corner of her eye. She turned, squinting to see better, but it slipped back into the dark corners, leaving her wondering.
The dance music pounded away at the overcrowded bar and it didn’t take long before both women felt hands snaking around their womanly curves, whisking them away from each other as they began gyrating against their mysterious handlers.
The alcohol oozing its way through Kyla’s body made her really not care about whose hands were on her—she needed a relief tonight and she was going to get it one way or another. She felt her bare middle finger and smiled as she thought of her mystical ring, tucked inside her bag, its magick not working tonight.
She arched her back and purposefully pushed her pert behind into the man’s groin, her hips grinding their own rhythm against his tightening trousers. Wearing a skintight black dress, his wandering hands had the perfect feel of her wriggling body. He pulled his lips into a thin line as he closed his eyes and revelled in her movements.
Kyla turned around and met her unknown man as the music changed. Her eyes lit up as she saw the familiar face of her ex boyfriend’s best friend, Marcus. Marcus was well built, being a marine. He was tall, broad and perfectly muscled with dark hair and sprinklings of stubble.
“Hello, Marcus.” She winked, her tongue running over her lips as she gazed upon his smooth chest peeking through his partially opened shirt.
“Hello, Kyla.” He moved his hands into the curve of her waist, moving her hips more dramatically against him.
After a mere few seconds, their lips met in an explosion of unanswered questions and wondering lust. Kyla’s head began swimming as her closed eyes heightened her senses. With the music banging through her foggy head and her swaying body disorientating her footing, Marcus’ tongue massaging hers coasted her into a world of serene pleasure.
“Shall we go somewhere a little quieter?” Marcus whispered in her ear as he pulled away, his lips lingering next to her ear.
Kyla nodded in her eagerness, thoughts of what he could do to her overwhelming her drink infused body.
He led them outside, around the back of the club, which was a notorious spot for horny clubbers. The fresh air hit Kyla like a brick wall, snapping her back to the reality of what she was about to do. “Marcus, I’m not so sure this is a good idea…”
“Oh come on, baby,” he said. He stopped and turned, backing her up against the cold brick wall. “I know you wanted me when you were with Tony.”
Kyla smiled at his words—he was right, she had always wondered about him. Throwing all caution to the wind as she usually did, she grabbed Marcus’ head and glued her mouth to his. Engaged in furious kissing, her hands wandered across his broad chest. He hitched up her dress, his abrasive fingers enjoying the smoothness of her toned thighs as he crept towards his target. He shifted his attention to her neck, kissing his way down to her breasts. One hand wrapped her against his body as the other began stroking the rising dampness inside her underwear.
She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. His kisses trailed goose bumps along her hot flesh, the tingling driving her mad in anticipation of what was to come. A moan escaped her throat as his fingers found their way inside her, his well-rehearsed exploring sending shivers and throbs all over her body.
He glided his fingers out, the slow trail teasing her more as he slid along her tight walls. His kissing ceased for a moment as she shuddered from the feelings washing over her.
“Are you trying to tease me?” she asked. Her eyes were still closed as she bathed herself in the surges of pleasure he was giving her. She was just about to open her eyes when his plump lips fell to her neck. Two fingers burrowed their way back inside her, a grateful moan escaping her body.
He moved in and out of her with purpose this time, touching her inner spot with each stroke. He circled his thumb over her excited little bud in an agonisingly expert manner. Her breaths came short and shallow as he drove her closer to the edge. His touch was definitively different to the touch she’d felt only moments ago…
She opened her eyes to compliment him but gasped and stilled in shock when a beaming grin stared back at her—held by none other than Azazel.
CHAPTER XI
Shoving with all her might to push the gorgeous demon off her, Kyla fumed with anger. “What the hell are you doing?”
Azazel grinned. “I was just taking over from his piss poor attempt.”
“That’s rape,” Kyla said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Azazel burst out into laughter. “With my fingers? Seriously?” He continued to laugh, much to her annoyance, only stopping when he realised she really wasn’t seeing the f
unny side of this. “You’re really pissed off, aren’t you?”
“Bravo, detective!”
“Oh come on, gorgeous. We both know you enjoyed my touch far more than his, and I can guarantee you would have preferred something else of mine over his too.”
“You’re disgusting! You’re crude, repulsive, and perverted, and you need to get away from me. Now.”
“Trust me, sweetheart,” Azazel said, lowering his voice. He leaned in to the tingling flesh on her neck. “His fingers were the biggest thing on his body. I did you a favour.”
Kyla’s cheeks flushed crimson as she let his words rattle around her drink and pleasure soaked mind. “Where is he?”
Azazel stepped to the side and held his arm out to the dead body laid a few feet behind him. A pool of dark red blood seeped across the cold pavement from the open wound on his neck.
Kyla gasped as she took in the horrific scene. After a few seconds of processing the grim end of Marcus, she found herself filling with morbid curiosity. She looked at Azazel. Her gaze flickered over his handsome face as her brain flooded with unanswered questions.
“Can I…?”
Azazel grinned, his pearly white teeth glinting in the darkness. “Be my guest.” He motioned his hand over the still warm body.
She walked to Marcus, her steps slow and steady as she hesitated over her next move. Part of her screamed for her to run away, call the cops, anything but approach the lifeless man before her.
But the dead human and the masses of hot, sticky liquid pouring from the gaping hole in his neck intrigued the other part of her. His brown eyes had glazed over with the onset of death, his stare cold and bleak as his life essence drained from him.
She bent down, slowly tracing her index finger down his warm cheek and around the edges of the ball sized chunk missing from his neck.
Faltering for a second, she allowed her inquisitive side to win over. She slid her finger through the thick red river flowing down his neck. Lifting her blood-covered finger up, she traced her other fingers over it, her eyes glued to the red liquid now smeared all over her fingertips.
“Did you see it?” she asked.
“See what?”
“His life? Did you see his life when you drank his blood?” She stood up and walked the few feet back to Azazel, her fingertips still stroking each other with the silky fluid spread across them.
“Not much, no.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t in it for the movie.”
She frowned. “What were you ‘in it’ for then?”
He shuffled from foot to foot as he looked down at the floor. Kyla’s probing question made him uncomfortable at admitting to feelings he’d long lost sight of. “I…I was getting rid of the competition.” He squared his shoulders as he looked up, returning to the cocky Azazel everyone was always treated to.
Kyla registered his response but didn’t acknowledge it—her mind was already wandering elsewhere. “Alice...” Her eyes trailed off into the distance as she thought back to the little movie Balthazar had shown her. “Alice was a witch…”
“Yes, you have abilities too,” Azazel said, sighing. He was impatient already for where this was leading.
Kyla’s bright azure eyes lit up with excitement. “Balthazar said I didn’t.”
“Balthazar is a liar, sweetie. He’s a demon. That’s what we do.”
“So how do I know you’re not lying?”
“Why would I? There is no gain for me in lying to you about your own natural talents.”
She frowned. “But what gain did he have by telling me I had none?”
“He gained not having this headache to deal with.”
She scowled for a moment before allowing her mind to lead her down dark paths. In a matter of seconds, her cat-like curiosity won over any angelic means she may have once had.
“Can I…?”
Azazel raised one of his fair-haired eyebrows, a knowing smirk playing across his arrogant features. “Can you what?”
“Can I see it?” she asked, guilt rushing through her as she spoke.
“You want to see what we see? When we drink blood?”
She took a few seconds before nodding her confirmation. A massive grin spread across Azazel’s face.
“If that’s what the lady wants.”
His smile barely hid his sheer joy at her curiosity. He began to hope he had unlocked something in her—something he could finally relate to in someone.
Moving before she changed her mind, he brought his left wrist to his mouth and slit it with his sharpening canines. His purple veins began to bulge their way through his smooth skin.
“Drink,” he said, holding his bleeding wrist out to her. Kyla froze in horror at the sight of his blood dripping down his open wrist. “Before it heals up,” he said, tapping his foot. “Quickly.”
On instinct, she moved and placed her mouth over his bleeding wound, allowing his tangled life essence to ease its way down her throat. Her hands found their way to his muscled forearm, steadying herself against him as she lapped up every last drop of the surprisingly sweet tasting liquid.
“Here,” Azazel said. He held up Marcus’ dead body. The head lolled back, revealing nothing but torn flesh and clotting blood. “Drink from him.”
“What?” The thought of putting her mouth and tongue around the mangled mess made her feel ill.
“You want to see it—drink.”
Kyla wrinkled her nose up in disgust. Uncertainty flickered through her eyes as she looked back and forth between Azazel and Marcus.
After a few agonising, silent moments, she finally moved forwards and grabbed either side of Marcus’ head.
With a final glimpse at Azazel, she smiled. He nodded his head in encouragement. Glancing back down at the deceased marine, she took a deep breath before clamping her mouth down around the fleshy hole.
CHAPTER XII
Kyla was completely entranced by the movie memories flashing through her mind as she lapped at Marcus’ blood. All thoughts of the squishy mess around her cherry lips vanished into nothing.
She ignored the jagged torn flesh tickling her tongue as she sought out more blood, needing to see more of his memories. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the images speeding by her darkened eyelids.
She saw Tony laughing with Marcus as they stood inside the local bar, chatting about women and cars. Then, a group of marines inside an armoured vehicle, rattling down the streets of Afghanistan before a massive explosion sent bits of charred flesh flying through the air. A dozen men began shouting orders and running for cover, aiming their guns at the enemy shooters picking off the survivors. She saw Marcus fall to the ground over a body, a body whose lower half was completely missing.
The images changed to a pretty, young blonde girl who trailed her long nails up and down Marcus’ bare chest, laughing at his jokes as he pulled her close and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Next, flashes of a funeral and a headstone for his brother who died on tour. Finally, she saw herself, kissing him on the dance floor only moments ago. It was then that she stopped, pulling herself away from his mangled neck with a horrified gasp.
“You didn’t get the arterial blood,” Azazel said, tossing the body onto the ground with no care whatsoever. “You would have got more than a year’s worth if you had.”
Kyla looked up at the handsome demon, her mouth and chin covered in congealed blood. “That was…fascinating.” As she stood up and wiped her mouth clean, she revelled in the dark delight she had just been treated to.
“Quite addictive, hmmm?” Azazel grinned, watching her succumb to her shadowy thoughts.
Kyla nodded, still numb from the shock of the entire evening’s events. “I…”
“Need to do that again?”
She hesitated before she answered with a brief nod. “Is that wrong? I feel wrong…”
Azazel chuckled with glee, his eyes dancing with joy. “It’s not wrong, sweetheart. If you want something, you do it. If you need something, you do
it. Don’t deny yourself anything—life is far too short.”
Kyla let his words tumble around her mind as she stared into the distance, focusing on the blinking stars in the clear night sky. “This isn’t me,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “Why am I thinking things like this? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you,” he said, stepping over Marcus’ body and grabbing her shoulders. “You have simply…discovered a side of yourself that has been hidden—until now.”
“What did you do to me?” she asked. She pushed him away from her and scuttled backwards.
“I did what you asked…”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You did something to me…you made me think I wanted to drink his blood. You made me do it. What have you done to me?” Her voice was rising in panic as she started to take in her actions over the past few minutes. “My ring,” she muttered, scrambling around on the floor for her handbag. “I need my ring. Where is my ring?”
“Bravo, brother, bravo.” A distinct clapping sound tore through the eerie air as Balthazar appeared from the darkness, his fine looking face hardened with anger.
Kyla stopped and stood up, taking in Balthazar’s sudden appearance along with his words. She opened her mouth to say something but her voice box refused to give her volume as her mind struggled to process everything.
“How did I know you would appear?” Azazel sighed, rolling his eyes as his brother sauntered towards him. “What are you? Her bodyguard or something?”
Balthazar laughed as he stood a few feet away from his sly sibling, crossing his muscled arms over his broad chest. “I’m much better looking than Kevin Costner, Azazel. Give me some credit.”
Azazel chuckled before his eyes flashed with darkness. “Except he was much better at his job.”
Balthazar’s face fell into a series of angry creases as he eyed his brother up, debating how far to take this. “You need to leave her alone, Azazel.”
“Make me.”
Sex, Lies & Demon Ties (Dark Desires #1) Page 6