Tall, Dark and Paranormal: 10 Thrilling Tales of Sexy Alpha Bad Boys

by Opal Carew

  “Oh I think I do.” Kai tilted her chin defiantly and gritted her teeth against the surge of lust that fired through her, as her nipples brushed along the rough fabric his shirt. “Given the fact that you have repeatedly pushed me away, I’d say that I’m an annoying pain in the ass who frustrates you and the faster we can get you this stupid ring, the better off we’ll be both be. Then I’ll be free to go find a guy who won’t find me so…frustrating.”

  “You do frustrate me but not for the reasons you’re thinking.” His voice, low and seductive, curled around her. It mixed with the lavender scent and Kai grew dizzy with need. He trailed one finger along the soapy flesh of her arm as he spoke, and Kai gasped when his other hand slipped along her waist and down the curve of her hip. “How could you possibly think that I don’t want you? What I feel for you goes far beyond wanting. It is my own personal Hell to be near you and not touch you, and even though I know I could be hurting you, I can’t seem to stop myself. It’s selfish… and it’s wrong.”

  Asmodeus brushed his lips across her forehead as one strong hand curled around the back of her neck. Kai’s eyes fluttered closed, his gentle, but insistent touch making her weak with wanting.

  “And if you mention the mere notion of being with another man,” Asmodeus pulled back, his heavy lidded gaze locking with hers as his fingers pressed against the flesh along the nape of her neck, “I can’t be held responsible for what I would do to any fool who would make the egregious error of trying to touch you.”

  “Oh really?” Kai cocked one eyebrow as her hands found their way to the edge of his t-shirt. “That’s a pretty bold statement, not too mention chauvinistic and possessive. What on earth makes you think you have the right to feel that way?”

  “I don’t,” he rasped. Asmodeus’ left hand cupped Kai’s ass before sliding along the slick flesh of her thigh and hoisting her leg over his hip. He tugged her against the steely evidence of his desire and growled, “But you were right, Kai…you were made to be mine and only mine.”

  In a blur, his mouth crashed onto hers and any ounce of self-control either of them had evaporated like steam on the mirror. His tongue, hot and demanding, tangled with hers as Kai lifted his shirt, exposing the defined muscles of his chest. He broke the kiss briefly as he took it off and tossed the offending garment aside.

  Kai let out a shuddering breath, her breasts crushing against the firm planes of Asmodeus’ chest. Capturing his lips with hers, Kai reached between them and fumbled with the button of his jeans before unzipping his fly and releasing him. Kai moaned as he licked and suckled her lips while the hot, heavy weight of his engorged cock settled into her eager hand.

  Asmodeus let out a growl as Kai worked the smooth, heated flesh in the palm of her hand. He kicked off his boots, stepped out of his jeans before making a sound of pure pleasure. Wrapping his arms around Kai, he held her naked body against his like he would never let her go.

  It was tempting and forbidden to finally succumb to the lust that burned between them ever since the moment they set eyes on one another. But in that instant it wasn’t just about sex. It was about reveling in the exquisite pleasure of skin rushing against skin and one soul touching another. Kai didn’t care what Asmodeus said. He had a soul and she saw it every time she looked in his eyes.

  “This can’t be wrong,” Kai whispered as she trailed kisses down his throat and tightened her grip on his steely shaft. Asmodeus threw his head back while she ran her hand up and down the hot length of his erection.

  Dropping to her knees, her hands settled over his narrow waist and her thumbs brushed over the enticing v-shaped muscles that led to a dark nest of curls. Kai peered up at Asmodeus as he tangled one hand in her long hair. He peered at her through glowing, red eyes and trailed one finger along the curve of her cheek. Holding his gaze, Kai ran her tongue over the rigid length of his cock before wrapping her lips around the swollen head.

  He swore as Kai held the base and took him deeper with each long, slow stroke of her mouth. His entire frame was taut with restrained need and with every pass, she sensed him creeping closer to the edge. Her own body throbbed with desire and as the aching between her legs grew, she knew there was only one thing that would satisfy her.

  Asmodeus, knowing exactly what she needed, linked his arms around her biceps and pulled her to her feet before kissing her deeply. He tasted like pure, unadulterated lust and Kai couldn’t get enough. He tilted her head, rushing his tongue along hers before trailing hot, wet kisses down her throat as he cradled her head lovingly. Kai gripped his broad shoulders with both hands as he slid his hand between their naked bodies and backed her up against the edge of the sink.

  Kai moaned when Asmodeus’ talented fingers found her most sensitive spot and began to move. As he rubbed the tiny nub in slow, deliberate circles, Asmodeus lifted his head and captured Kai’s gaze with his. Moaning, she bit her lower lip as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through her and brought her to the edge. A cocky grin cracked Asmodeus’ face as he slid two fingers inside her hot, wet channel in a slow, deliberate pass.

  Kai gasped when he took his time and applied sweet, torturous pressure in all the right spots. Grabbing the edge of the counter, Kai threw her head back as he held her hip with one hand and massaged her pussy with the other. As the beginning of an orgasm coiled deep inside her, the glow around their bodies bloomed and in that moment she knew what they both needed.

  “Fuck me,” Kai gasped. Sitting up, she took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. “I want you inside me when I come,” she murmured against his lips.

  Asmodeus’ strong hands cupped her hips as Kai wrapped her legs around him. With his intense blue eyes locked on hers, Kai reached between them and positioned the head of his cock against her swollen entrance. Kai guided the engorged length of him inside and as he filled her inch, by wickedly delicious inch, the light around them throbbed in pulsing strobes.

  Gripping his shoulders their bodies joined, Kai trailed her tongue along his lower lip as Asmodeus pumped his hips with one, long, deep pass after another. Muscles straining, his tempo increased and he pounded into her time and again, rubbing against her clit with each quick, deliberate stroke. Kai’s fingernails dug into his back and as the sweet, torturous orgasm crested, they cried out in unison as the world around them erupted with a flash of light.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It went without saying that Asmodeus had lots of sex in his day, but all of it paled in comparison to what he’d shared with Kai. He’d pleasured women before and had been pleasured in return, but it was limited to the flesh. What happened with Kai could only be described as soul stirring and considering he didn’t have a soul that was saying something.

  Making love to Kai had gone beyond a physical exchange. Looking at his hands, Asmodeus swore quietly as the glow of Kai’s aura still flowed over his body. It had been two hours since he’d made love to her but so far, Asmodeus had continued to retain her light. As he stared out the window of the dining room, looking for any signs of the Brotherhood, he couldn’t help but worry.

  Asmodeus glanced over his shoulder at her. Sitting at the dining room table, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, Kai looked more like a Fae than she ever had. Her aura glowed in a deeper shade of yellow, and the look of concentration as she scoured the pages of the spell book was nothing short of fierce. Asmodeus hoped Kai was right and that by taking her light he wasn’t destroying her but everything he ever knew told him he was.

  “Asmodeus.” Her brown eyes flicked up and she smirked as she caught him studying her. “You’re staring at me again.”

  “Yes.” He nodded and turned back to the window. “That’s something you should grow accustomed to.”

  Kai seemed totally unscathed by their encounter and her light still glowed… but for how long? How long until it went out and she…

  “I’m fine, Asmodeus,” Kai whispered as she linked her arms around his waist and nuzzled against his back. Kissing his shoulder, s
he murmured, “In fact, I’m better than fine.”

  “We should leave now.” He held her hands against his stomach and squeezed. “You wanted some time to rest and you got it.”

  “Rest?” Kai bit his arm playfully and slipped around so that she was standing in front of him. She hooked her thumbs through the belt loops on his jeans and wiggled her eyebrows at him. “I’d say we didn’t do much resting in the bathroom and then when you carried me to bed…well…we didn’t rest much there either.”

  “I didn’t hear any complaints,” he murmured. Asmodeus dipped his head low and brushed his mouth over hers as memories of their lovemaking filled his head. However, darkness edged in when he recalled the threat that their enemies continued to pose. “My apologies, Ms. Kelly. I would love nothing more than to rest with you time and again but we do have to leave before the Fae, or my brothers, find us.”

  “Okay, then where do you plan on taking me?” Kai cocked her head and gave him that challenging look that he adored before linking her arms around his waist. “Because the spell that’s hiding us is going to wear off in an hour or so and when it does we’ll be sitting ducks, so to speak.”

  Asmodeus opened his mouth to respond but Kai popped up on her toes and kissed him. As her sweet lips melded with his, and he held her in his arms, any thought to argue was driven from him and all he could think about was being inside her again. She smelled like lavender and summertime and innocence. Everything he wasn’t.

  Kai broke the kiss and settled her hands on his chest, pushing him gently away. Asmodeus growled when she tried to wiggle out of his embrace but he kept one arm linked around her waist, holding her to him.

  “Just listen to me for a minute, okay?” Kai pressed one finger to his lips and shook her head. “Shut it and listen. Before you came upstairs and distracted me so deliciously, I was thinking a lot about the Fae and Ben.”

  “What about them?” His expression darkened and his hold on her tightened. “I despise the idea of you spending any time thinking about that fairy man.”

  “Oh please. I wasn’t thinking about him like that.” Kai rolled her eyes. “I propose that Ben was acting on his own, and not on behalf of the Fae Queen. Think about it for a second, Asmodeus. Why haven’t any other Fae come after us? If they can travel using beams of light, or whatever, wouldn’t a whole army of them have attacked me that night in the barn? And why haven’t any others come after us since then? What if Ben wants the ring so he can use the Brotherhood to overthrow Zemi and rule the Fae?”

  “I…,” Asmodeus’ brow furrowed as he thought about what Kai suggested. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Ben was acting on his own but as Kai laid it all out in front of him, it began to make sense. “I suppose your theory holds some merit but even if what you’re suggesting is true, what do you---” Kai’s smile broadened and Asmodeus scoffed audibly as he realized what she was suggesting. “Are you implying that we should approach the Fae Queen for assistance the way we did with the Witches Council?”

  “Yup.” Kai grinned and smacked Asmodeus on his ass before going back to the spell book. “You bet I am. The witches helped me find my way to this spell book, so who knows what kind of info I could get from the Fae. Right?”

  “Not a chance.” Hands on his hips he turned and looked at her with nothing less than total incredulity. “Even if what you’re saying is true--and I highly doubt that it is--there’s no way that Zemi would help us. She hates the Brotherhood, Lucifer most of all.”

  “Well, maybe she does but I still say we keep it on the table as a last resort.” Kai picked up the spell book and went to the front door. “I also vote that we stay right here. Running away isn’t going to solve anything.”

  “So you just want to wait here, like a sitting duck?

  “No. We’ll be proactive.” Kai tilted her chin as that steely look in her eye returned. “I’m going to go back up to my grandmother’s altar in the barn to see what else I can find. Then I’m going to try to commit a few of these charms to memory. Besides, this place is isolated and I can practice using my magic without worrying about any regular people seeing me, not to mention, if we venture into the general public, who knows what minions could be lurking around the corner. Right?”

  Before he could answer her, Kai pushed open the screen door and bounced down the steps toward the barn. Asmodeus laughed and shook his head as he realized she was absolutely right. Running would solve nothing. As he followed her outside, Asmodeus surveyed the expansive property and knew the battle would be fought here.

  ***

  Over the past couple of hours, Kai had managed to memorize two charms and was relatively confident she’d remember them when she had to. One was supposed to turn the subject to ice or make them freeze like ice, Kai wasn’t sure which it was and the other was supposed to render her opponent blind. Whether or not they were going to work was another story entirely.

  She’d scoured the rest of the second story of the barn for any other item that might be able to tell her more about her grandmother or the family line, but no such luck. However, by all accounts, this space seemed to have gone untouched since her grandmother died. There was no sign that Kai’s mother had ever been up here, and chances were, she didn’t even know it existed.

  Back at the house, she’d changed into a pair of shorts, a tank top and her purple Converse sneakers because if she was going to fight off crazies, she wanted to feel as normal as possible. However, so far it wasn’t working. Learning how to cast spells and engaging in toe-curling sex with a demon, wasn’t normal…at all.

  Kai’s gaze settled on Asmodeus. He hovered by the open hay-bale door in his usual battle-ready stance. She hadn’t even noticed that door was there before but when they came back upstairs, Asmodeus went right over and pushed it open. Arms at his side, back straight and muscles taut, he looked every bit the demon he’d always been, with one exception.

  Asmodeus now had an aura. It was faint but it was there.

  Kai smiled wistfully because so far she had been right. Asmodeus may have been taking her light but it wasn’t harming her. In fact, she felt more alive and empowered than ever before. Her own aura wasn’t dimmed at all but she did notice the color had changed to a brighter yellow—more like Ben’s light.

  More like a Fae.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, she flipped through the back half of the book and stilled when she came to the very last page. There was a folded piece of paper wedged into the binding. Kai pulled it gently from its resting place, careful not to tear it, and held it between shaking fingers.

  “Holy shit,” Kai whispered.

  “What is it?” He turned toward her but Kai was already up and headed to the altar with the book and the mysterious paper. “What did you find?”

  “There’s a note,” Kai said quietly as she laid the book on the altar.

  “From your grandmother?”

  “I’m not sure.” With shaking fingers, Kai carefully opened the yellowed paper. She read the message that was scrawled across the page and looked at Asmodeus through wide eyes. “It’s not from my grandmother. It’s from my grandfather… Jacob.”

  Asmodeus stood by her side as they read the letter together.

  Kristine,

  I know your stay with me is almost over and soon it will be time for you to leave. As promised, I will take good care of our darling Katherine and I will be sure that she seeks you out when she comes of age, so that she can learn the magic of the Fae. She carries your light and though it still remains to be seen if she’s one of the Chosen Ones, it’s clear to me that she’s as special as you are. I’m still not sure why you picked me but I will always be grateful that you did. You’ve given me a beautiful daughter and a world filled with magic. I will love you forever.

  --Jacob

  “He knew,” Kai whispered. A gust of wind whisked through the large open window, making the paper flutter in her hand. She shook her head in disbelief as she looked at Asmodeus, who seemed equally surprised. “Ja
cob knew that my grandmother was Fae?”

  “She must have been a pureblood,” Asmodeus said evenly. The muscles in his jaw flickered as tension radiated off him. “Your grandmother didn’t die. She left. By the sound of it, she went back to the Fae dimension.”

  “But why? Why would she leave them and why didn’t my mother go find her?” Kai ran her fingertip over the yellow, aged paper as she spoke. Memories of her mother came roaring to life. “She ran away when she was eighteen and married my father. Why didn’t Jacob tell her about the Fae?”

  “Perhaps he did tell her, Kai,” Asmodeus said gently. “Maybe it wasn’t your grandfather that she was running from all these years.”

  “She was running from herself, wasn’t she?” Kai murmured. She lifted one shoulder and looked into Asmodeus’ piercing blue eyes. “I don’t suppose I could blame her. I’ve had the urge to run ever since this crazy shit show started.”

  “It makes sense. You said your mother knew about the light but she didn’t like using it because she was worried about attracting the Dark Ones.” Asmodeus’ voice was edged with sadness. “Perhaps he did tell her but for whatever reason it frightened her. That is probably why Jacob left you this place. Maybe he wanted you to have a chance to find out who you really are?”

  “Damn it. I feel like for every step forward, we take ten steps back and I end up with a hundred more questions.” Kai folded the paper back up and slipped it into the spell book before locking it up again. She put her head in her hands and let out a weary sigh. “You know what this means, don’t you? Now we have to go to the Fae.”