Demonic Power

by Rena Marks

  “You mean we don’t report the kidnapping to the police?”

  “Not that, baby. We don’t tell what happens after you unleash your power.”

  She was still confused. He turned her to see the house. Through the side window, she saw two masculine shadows.

  Entwined.

  “Remember I said demons are never gay? You just gave them the worst punishment in the world. Unleashing your power of lust in a house with no women.”

  When his arms tightened around her, their feet lifted from the ground, and she gasped. Over the rooftops they flew, miles and miles, until she completely lost sight of where she was and which way she had come.

  Eventually they touched down in his backyard. The Valnaeus roots thumped madly in the cage. Crazed pets happy to see them.

  “They try to tempt you to stroke them,” Ace said.

  “You called me your girlfriend,” Holly said numbly.

  “You touched Valnaeus,” he responded gruffly.

  “You never told me not to!” she said, indignant at the implication that the kidnapping was her fault.

  He closed his eyes, exasperated. “Oh, baby, you can’t touch Valnaeus root.”

  “You never mentioned that.”

  “I forget how much you don’t know about our dimension. Valnaeus root is evil, Holly. Like a drug. We wear gloves to cultivate it and cook it. Only once it’s cooked can you touch it. That’s why it’s illegal to grow without gates where it can wander off and crawl into someone’s house at night.”

  He locked the door with a click. Holly looked like she was ready to drop.

  “Let’s go back to bed, Holls. It’ll be morning soon. We can sleep through the sunrise.”

  She allowed him to lead her to his bedroom, where she stood still as he undressed. Then he turned to her and stripped her nightgown from her body.

  It was amazing how comfortable she felt with him. Not once did she flinch from his gaze. Tugging on her hand, he pulled her to bed.

  “So I can’t touch Valnaeus root. What other things should I know? Little things…like the fact that you can fly?”

  Because that little tidbit surely had never been mentioned. Ace brought her head to rest on his chest, his arm around her. “You’re known as my girlfriend here. It brings you protection.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m in the top line of hunters. The best of the trackers. One who’s earned wings. Only those willing to make a sale to Enishka would dare to go up against me, like the two tonight.”

  “Will they come after us?”

  “No. Demons are not able to enter homes of other demons uninvited. They nabbed you outside. Plus they will never come around us again. They’re afraid to give us the authority of sharing their indiscretion with each other.”

  Holly took a deep breath, fighting off the yawn that was looming. “So, let’s see if I got this straight. All demons are straight, or at least none have come out of the closet. All demons are vegetarian. No demons can break into another’s home. Valnaeus root is alive.”

  “Only at night.”

  “All vegetation walks at night. Birds become fish. You’re a prime catch, according to yourself.”

  “It’s the truth,” he growled with a flushed face, making her grin.

  “How long am I to be hidden here?”

  “Baby, I don’t know,” he said seriously.

  She quieted, as it seemed she had to think about that. “Since you fly,” she murmured sleepily, “with those gorgeous wings…does that mean you ate something like a bird or a bat? Oh, no, wait…those would be meat…” her voice wandered off, her breathing was light and even, signaling sleep. Acel stroked a lock of hair.

  He hoped she would be hidden here forever.

  * * * * *

  She was dreaming, she had to be.Lusty, hot dreams of a talented lover. She spread her legs as wide as they would go and moaned when a tongue parted the swollen lips of her labia.

  Sweet bliss! She raised her hips, jerking them high, clenching her buttocks tight with each thrust. The sinful tongue snaked in and out before his mouth clamped on to her clitoris, sucking with moaning pulls as two fingers thrust into her wet sheath.

  She opened her eyes to find Ace holding her to his chest, one hand encasing hers.

  The dream had felt so real. And damn, she was as hot as hell from it.

  Carefully, she eased a hand out from his and lightly caressed his rock-hard chest. His breathing continued, light and even.

  She ran her touch down the ridges of muscle to his groin. She cupped his sleeping cock. His skin was silky soft and she imagined tasting it.

  Her pussy was soaked, the juices already running down her inner thigh. She parted her legs over his, rubbing the swollen lips along his leg. Slowly she slid down his body until she was level with his cock.

  It was as hard as a rock now. Apparently the demon didn’t sleep through her tentative ministrations.

  But he was going to pretend for her.

  Very, very slowly, she inched down his body, nibbling the tender skin of his abs, stretched taut over tight muscles. She licked farther down his sweet body until she arrived at the stiffened erection between his legs.

  She licked up it just once and then opened her mouth over the mushroom-shaped head, tasting the tiniest bit of sweet pre-cum. She closed her lips over the ridge of his cock, exploring the tiny triangle below.

  He was delicious. His breathing had deepened, the rise and fall of his chest quickening.

  “Don’t stop,” he whispered. She looked upward, his eyes focused steadily on her, never wavering.

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  She licked up the underside of his shaft, then engulfed the entire cock with her mouth. She wet it thoroughly, then sucked at the tip. It twitched in her mouth.

  His hand fisted in her hair, pulling her away from his cock. She looked up at him. “I thought you didn’t want me to stop.”

  “It’s so good, I don’t. But I’ll spill. I want to please you first.”

  “This pleases me, Ace. To do what I want, when I want to. You have no idea.”

  She bent her head back to him. Sweet little kisses along the length, tender sucking at the tip then engulfing the whole thing in her mouth.

  He made the most tantalizing moans of pleasure, especially when she wrapped her hand around the base and pumped up and down while she took the top half in.

  A single thrust of his hips signaled his loss of control. Warm, salty sweetness hit the back of her throat and she swallowed.

  When his climax finished, she continued to pump her hand, softer now, but still forceful.

  “You’re going to stay hard,” she said.

  He let her do as she wished, tenderly licking his balls. Desperate now, she crawled up his body. He stared into her eyes, as if daring her to go farther. She impaled herself on him, taking his cock deep into her.

  Instant heat flooded through her. She clenched the walls of her vagina around him, wanting to keep him tight inside her, forever. He was bliss! He felt so good deep inside, hot and hard and wonderful. Slowly she rotated her hips, dancing her body on his. She cupped her own breasts, pinching her nipples delightfully.

  “That’s so sexy,” he whispered, his voice deep and turned-on. “Spread your lips so I can see inside.”

  She obliged, pushing the swollen skin aside so he could see the deep pink inside. His cock hardened deep within her.

  “I can see myself going in and out,” he said. “Your pussy wraps around my cock.”

  “Mmm,” she said. “My pussy doesn’t want to let you go. Ever.”

  But the demon was too wicked for words. Deliberately he sucked on his finger then used the wet fingertip to massage the rim of her anus and before she knew it, stretched her delightfully.

  She pressed herself down onto him, not sure if she wanted the finger deeper or the cock, just knowing there was an insatiable need to be filled. She rocked on him, twisting her hands over his horns.

&nbs
p; “Come for me, pretty lady. Feel my cock in you, tighten around it until you explode.”

  He reached out and squeezed her nipples.

  She gasped, clenching her sheath around him.

  Suddenly Ace bucked, flipping her over onto her back with their bodies still connected. He looked down into her eyes.

  Reaching out, he grasped the iron rungs of the bed. His biceps flexed as he gripped, pulling himself upward to thrust into her body.

  She could feel him deep within her, sparking a flood of liquid heat.

  Holly climaxed, feeling the orgasm blossom out from deep within her and spread throughout her body.

  Chapter Five

  Learning to Live

  The sexy demon brought her breakfast in bed. It was surprisingly like human food, except for the lack of meat. And the fruit was exotic, unidentifiable.

  “It’s holly. Remember? I told you I’d feed you some.”

  Holly smiled then hesitantly cut a small sliver of her namesake. The piece melted on her tongue. Still, it was delicious.

  She took another bite.

  “That normally has a peel and seeds. I removed them for you.”

  She smiled. “Good thing. I wouldn’t have known and would have chomped it, rind and all.”

  Her words made him close his eyes. “Dammit, I have to remember you know nothing about Luciefyiore! The simplest things I could screw up.”

  “Well, it’s not a big deal unless the seeds or peelings are poisonous, right?”

  His silence made her pause in the chewing.

  “Oh, hell, Ace.”

  “I’m sorry, Holls.” He sounded miserable. “It’s my fault you were kidnapped last night. I forgot to mention you can’t leave the house. I forgot to mention you can’t touch raw Valnaeus.”

  His voice sounded so dejected, she looked intently at him before speaking. “It’s fine, Ace. I’m fine. No harm, no foul, right?”

  He gathered up her empty tray without answering. Then, “Why don’t you shower? We have to head over to Court this morning. Natalya wants to meet and do some research to find out why Enishka is after you.”

  Ace heard the shower running and knew she was relaxing sore muscles under the hot spray. Dammit, he’d come so close to losing her. The problem was, even after all this was said and done, why would she choose him? He’d neglected to tell her women had the power to take their choice of mates here. He’d tricked her into calling herself his girlfriend, and in the beginning had triggered her lust twice to sleep with him. But should she know she had the choice…what the hell did he have to offer her? Men outnumbered women two, possibly three to one. She could have her pick. So why would she choose him? What would she see in him?

  Absolutely nothing. The only thing he had depended on was protection. Yet it seemed he couldn’t even keep a fragile half human safe.

  Most women, if they didn’t go for money or looks, depended on good old-fashioned love. Marriage, white picket fence, six kids and a pet tarantula in pink.

  He couldn’t even offer her any of that. She could never belong to him.

  Because he belonged to Enishka.

  “Ace?”

  He set the dish he was drying back on the counter and turned toward Holly, surprised. He hadn’t realized she was done already.

  “You were standing there a long time,” she said softly.

  “Just thinking. Let’s head out. Here,” he said, handing her a mug.

  “What is it?”

  “Remember the root you touched? We can’t eat that one now. It’s spoiled. So I made a tea from it. Not as nutritious as eating the entire root, but it does have some value.”

  She brought the mug tentatively to her lips. The tiniest taste made her eyes pop open. “That’s good!”

  He smiled. “Not many people are smart enough to enjoy tea. They consider it a trait from Hell, er, the Earth realm, I mean. Silly superstitions. People pass up so many health benefits.”

  He gave her his arm. She looped hers through it. “Earth has superstitions too, you know.”

  “Like?”

  “There’s some people who refuse to cremate their dead. They believe it’s too much like burning in Hell.”

  Ace laughed. “That’s ridiculous! If you’re in Hell, your body isn’t with you! That’s why you die, only the shell gets left behind.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “Why do your people believe Earth is Hell?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a concept as old as time. Earth is harsh, full of hatred and prejudice and fighting. It’s evil. We get glimpses of it through foretellings, learning about the way you corrupt your environment…like adding fluoride to your drinking water to prevent cavities! Do you honestly not realize that fluoride is a dangerous poison? Why in the world would you willingly ingest it?”

  “Bureaucracy,” she murmured. “Sometimes we can’t control things.”

  “The landfills. So much waste! Your foods—tell me what nutrition comes from frying animal skin in fat until it crunches. Tell me why you would drink a can of carbonated corn syrup then toss the can into another swollen landfill.”

  “It does seem silly. And it’s called pork rinds and soda.”

  “Your people have completely forgotten the eye-for-an-eye rule. Instead you imprison your criminals and give them more benefits than they ever had before prison. Free meals, free room and board, free education, free exercise. Free entertainment because it’s inhumane to be bored. They have more luxuries than their victims ever had. Here we have fewer prisons. Punishment is the same as what was done to the victim. Death to the murderer. Rape for the rapist.”

  He was on his soapbox today. It was kind of cute, actually. He was probably stressed, blaming himself for losing her last night.

  She actually wasn’t all that scared by the kidnapping. She had known Ace would come for her. In all honesty she had more fear when she lived by herself on Earth…before she knew it was her own power haunting her.

  “So Natalya is the ruler here?”

  “Natalya rules with Jere, for Keara and Caleb, who stay on Earth. Demons fear all four of them because of the knowledge that they’ve survived being to Hell and back. In fact, Jere was raised there. The two women are the strongest demonesses we have, both standing up to Enishka. Natalya is known as the Huntress while Keara is the Punisher. They’re two of the greatest forces ever known. They’re best friends now, but it wasn’t always so. Once they were mortal enemies.”

  “How did they get to be best friends?”

  “They had to pair up against Enishka. There was a prophecy about Keara written. Enishka was going to sway it to be beneficial for him and it ensnared Natalya in the process.”

  Up ahead was a castle. An honest-to-goodness fairy-tale castle, sitting in the middle of smoky drifts and outlined with the pinkish-red hue of the sky.

  “We’re here,” Ace announced.

  “However did I guess?” Holly said drily.

  Two demons stood on either side of them, acknowledging Ace with a slight nod. They were majestic creatures, with a darker skin color and horns like polished midnight. The skin color was deep—a beautiful black. And a lot of it to see, for they dressed in loincloths.

  “What do the women wear?” she whispered.

  “Women? Women can’t be servants, that’s silly.”

  It might have been a comical statement if she wasn’t focused on the tight buttocks next to her. Holly stared, finally tearing her eyes away to pay attention to Ace.

  “They used to be naked,” Ace whispered. “But Jere’s a little more modest, being raised on Earth like you were. He insisted he didn’t want to see jewels dangling.”

  “Curse my luck,” she whispered back with her droll sense of humor.

  It made him smile, then he growled into her ear. “I’ll let you peek at my jewels. Later,” he promised.

  He probably didn’t realize how her mouth watered.

  “Hello, Acel. Holly,” said a sweet voice Holly had heard before, fr
om the angelic looking demoness known as Natalya. Like before, she wore a diamond tiara in her hair.

  “Your highness,” Ace acknowledged.

  “Holly, I don’t believe you know my husband, Jere.”

  Natalya’s husband was another mixed breed. Like she was. Holly tried not to make it too obvious that she stared at him as she tried to figure out if any passerby could tell he was of mixed races.

  Unlike her, he had his horns. He definitely could fit in much better. And obviously he was used to the culture, the rules, the rituals.

  Jere laughed at her obvious perusal. “I understand exactly how you feel. It won’t take long to catch on to the customs here. And change the ones you can’t stand.”

  He eyed a loincloth as another male servant walked by.

  “Looks like she has, my love.” Natalya stared at Holly’s outfit. “I wondered why women in town were suddenly layering clothing. Now it makes sense.”

  “She’s a little fashion trend, that’s for sure,” Ace said. Holly couldn’t help but think he sounded as if he bragged about her.

  “Well, let’s go dig up the books,” Natalya said.

  “What exactly are the books?” Holly asked.

  “Ancient scriptures of foretellings, future, past and present. Enishka is written in several of them, but his fate changes constantly. You see, they never name people, but a person is able to control his destiny, so the prophecies forever shift also.”

  “The books explain about the fate of Enishka? Without naming names? You have no idea whose fate is whose? Then why do you even use them?”

  “They’ve helped us so far in clearing up our destinies. Mine and Keara’s. The third foretelling is yours.”

  “How do you know it’s me? How did you even know the first two were yours?”

  “We have enough information at the time to deduce that the first foretelling was about the Punisher. The Huntress was weaved in, and from that came mine.”

  “I guess I don’t understand why I’m here.”

  “See Holly, there’s more. The foretellings? There’s actually three demonesses. That’s why we sent Ace to find you and why we need to keep you out of the Earth realm.”