by Kiersten Fay
Raka offered a crafty smile. “I’m headed that way now. I’ll let you know how she does. By the way, have you met our newest arrival?”
Sonya tilted her head.
“The Serakian,” Raka elaborated. “Her name is Portia and she calls herself a witching—a witch in training, or some such. I met her briefly this morning. She seems nice enough, though a little on the small side.”
Sonya smiled at that. To Raka, with her towering physique, nearly everyone measured tiny.
“I’m sure I’ll meet her soon enough.”
As Sonya entered the salon, Marik greeted her with a smile so bright she almost lost her footing.
Marik never smiled!
A bit of Sonya’s worry for him eased away. He must truly be happy with his little redheaded mate.
“Nice to see you out and about,” he called through the long serving window that separated the galley from the salon. “I’ll make you something special.”
“Thanks,” she replied, grateful that he didn’t inquire about her health. Though he wasn’t related to her by blood, he could catch a lie from her better than either of her two brothers.
Moments later, he offered her a plate of thick noodles, well-seasoned and covered in sauce. It was mouthwatering just to look at. She claimed an empty seat and dug in, reveling in the rich taste.
Maybe things would finally get back to normal.
* * *
“Jade,” Ethan chided from across the tavern as he set a drink on the table in front of Raka. “Get out from behind the bar. You know you’re not allowed back there.”
“What are you grumbling about? Didn’t Sonya inform you?” Jade tossed her sleek hair back with the swipe of her hand.
“Inform me of what?”
“I’m taking over her shifts.”
Ethan stilled. “I don’t believe it.” Sonya wouldn’t hire a replacement without so much as informing him. Or would she?
He’d suspected she’d been unnerved after what had transpired between them, but was she so distressed that she would allow someone as careless as Jade total access to her beloved tavern?
Raka took a sip of her beverage before responding. “It’s true. That’s what Sonya told me just a moment ago.”
Ethan turned to Raka. “You saw her?”
“Yes. I do believe she is feeling better. She was on her way to the salon.”
Ethan watched as Jade explored behind the bar. She picked up a dirty cloth from the wash bin and held it between her thumb and forefinger. Looking appalled, she dropped it back in its place and searched for something clean to wipe her fingers on.
Without another word, Ethan rushed out of the room, heading for the salon. Once there, he spotted Sonya by herself at a table. He knew she caught sight of him too because he felt her unmistakable desire to get away. A desire he would not allow her to fulfill. She’d spent enough time avoiding him, and now they were going to have a real damn conversation.
She stood, pretending not to notice him by brushing imaginary crumbs from her skirt. That brought his already burning temper to a boiling point.
“What the fuck, Sonya!” Fury coated his words.
She gathered a facade of nonchalance. “Morning, Ethan.” She proceeded past him to the door. He followed her into the hall, his infuriated gaze burning into her back. “How is Jade getting along?” she added, without even glancing at him.
Frustrating female!
He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to curb his anger. “Jade is standing behind my bar, thinking she’s a new employee.”
“It’s my bar, Ethan,” Sonya shot back at him. “And Jade is a new employee. I hired her yesterday. I need some time off.” She turned a corner and picked up her pace.
“That’s crap, and you know it. You’re using her to avoid me.”
She feigned an outraged laugh. “I have no reason to avoid you.”
“We need to talk about what happened.”
“There’s—nothing—to—say,” she insisted through gritted teeth.
“I have plenty to say.”
She rounded on him, crossing her arms. “Go ahead then.”
He slanted a look down the length of the corridor. “Well, not here in the hall.”
As if on cue, a small group of children barreled past.
Sonya started walking again. “Look, Ethan, what happened between us meant nothing. Okay?” As if needing to reaffirm the point to herself, she repeated, “Nothing. You did nothing wrong, and I’m not mad at you.”
Ethan growled back, “No, I’m mad at you.”
Sonya snorted. “Oh, really? What possible reason could you—”
“You know why.”
Sonya stopped again, her tail flicking. As her horns darkened with rage, he couldn’t help but smile, ready to sort this out, one way or the other.
“You have the audacity to be angry with me! When you are the one…” She paused. “Just get back to work, pirate.”
He clenched his jaw and ground out, “Stop calling me that.”
She leaned with a sneer. “Pirate.”
He hadn’t even realized he’d moved until he had Sonya pinned to the wall, her wrists locked beside her head.
Her eyes went wide, but then stubborn indignation overrode her surprise. Even before she repeated the taunt, he sensed a shift in her.
Wild desire smashed into him.
Every inch of his body went stiff, focused. They were supposed to talk, but the vixen was distracting him from his purpose. His shaft swelled, aching to punish her in the most delicious way. The thought alone siphoned away the last of his control.
“Demon witch.” Unable to restrain himself, he took her lips with rough abandon, pressing her harder into the wall at her back.
A betraying whimper escaped her, and his nostrils caught the intoxicating flare of her scent. He deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue out and demanding entrance. After an agonizing moment, she yielded. Their tongues met, searing and hot, trapped in a sensual dance of submission and domination. Neither wanted to relent.
He groaned, engulfed under a flood of unbridled need that bordered on mindlessness. When she let out an urgent sound that announced she was drowning alongside him, he laced one of his arms around her waist and pressed his body tighter against hers. He undulated his hips so she could feel how much he wanted her. How much he needed her. Her palm wrapped around the back of his neck, holding him in place as her nails lightly scored his skin.
Voices echoed down the hall. It took Ethan a moment to realize whom the deep timbres belonged to, but Sonya had already tensed at the sound of Aidan and Sebastian’s approach.
Ethan tore away from her, both of them panting. Something in him thrilled to see she was so overcome with passion that she needed the support of the wall.
The thrill was snuffed out when he caught sight of her tiny fangs peeking from below her glossy upper lip. Icy dread drained the blood from his face.
Can’t be.
She noted the direction of his gaze, and the tip of her tongue darted out to lick along one fang as if needing confirmation that it was truly there. Then she gasped and covered her mouth with both hands before taking off down the hall, blasting past Sebastian and Aidan.
“Hey, Sunny,” Sebastian said in a surprised greeting.
She pushed off the wall and sprinted past him, not responding.
“Is everything alright?” he called after her, but she was already gone. Sebastian focused on Ethan. “Is she alright? She looked about to vomit.”
It had never taken Ethan so much effort to school his features into a blank mask as it did now. “I was just thinking the same thing.” With a bit of quick thinking, he added, “Jade’s taking on her shifts at the pub for the time being.”
Sebastian’s brows shot up, and he let out a hearty laugh. “Jade? That ought to be entertaining. Look, if you’re heading by sickbay, can you have Oshwald pay Sonya a visit? She can be stubborn, and I know she won’t go see him voluntarily.”
Ethan bit back a snort at his comment. “Sure thing.”
As he walked away, his mind reeled over what had just occurred.
He didn’t bother with the doctor. Sonya wasn’t ill, at least not in a way that would require a healer.
Chapter 19
Sonya woke from a dead sleep.
The ship shuddered under an onslaught of what sounded like exterior explosions. She threw the covers off her and scrambled from the bed. Marada was nearing the archaic planet called Earth, but Sonya had been under the impression that the space around it was virtually a dead zone—vacant of both travelers and ports—and therefore safe to cross. Who would be attacking them in this deserted section of the universe?
Anxiety spiked as she recalled Ethan suggesting the Kayadon were close to discovering Kyra’s location. Were those fiends already on Earth? Had they gotten to her before Cale?
She quickly dressed in an easy wrap-around skirt and a loose-fitting top. In the hall, two crew members rushed by.
“What’s happening?” she called after them.
“We’re under attack,” one yelled back.
“No kidding. By whom?” she asked, but the crew members had already disappeared around a corner.
She raced for the bridge. The moment the doors swooshed open for her, she heard Sebastian barking out orders as another blast made contact with the ship. He acknowledged her with a tight nod.
“Ah,” Aidan said, staring at his console. He sounded pleased. “That’s got it. Bay doors are locked down, Captain.”
“Good. Prepare the ship for warp.” Sebastian turned to Sonya. “Cale’s arrived with two females and may be in need of medical attention. Escort Oshwald to the docking bay and assist him if he needs. And for gods’ sake don’t attack anyone.”
Sonya offered an unamused look before hurrying to retrieve Doctor Oshwald. As they headed to the docking bay, the lights flickered and Sonya felt Marada’s warp drive engage.
Anya and Marik were already waiting at the bay door. Sonya gave them a quizzical look.
“I sensed them coming,” Anya explained with a grin, then she pointed through the window pane. “Look, there they are.”
Sonya spotted Cale’s familiar spiky blond head as he emerged from the craft along with two females. It was instantly clear which one was Anya’s sister. Kyra’s features boasted a striking family resemblance with rich light copper-colored hair. The other girl boasted dark hair and looked sickly pale, ready to lose the contents of her stomach.
The access hatch slid open, and the doctor stepped in first. Cale directed him to the pale one.
Sonya was still angry that Cale had left without her, but having him safely back on board greatly reduced her ire. She pulled him in for a tight hug. “Bastian’s pissed at you for leaving without me.”
Cale gave her an arrogant grin. “I didn’t need my little sister tagging along.”
She rolled her eyes.
Anya threw her arms around Cale’s neck in greeting before turning to Kyra. They had not seen each other for nearly four hundred years. Sonya could practically feel Anya’s blast of emotion as they moved to embrace each other.
Nadua rushed into the room, tears brimming and screeching with excitement as she joined her family.
Cale did a double take and then scowled at the redhead. His scowl turned to disbelief, and he shot Marik an incredulous look. Marik exploded with laughter. Sonya smiled at Cale’s dumfounded expression over Marik’s mated status—something all demons could innately sense.
Humor took a rapid plummet into pity as Cale glanced towards Kyra, his gaze filled with such longing that Sonya’s stomach tightened to the point of pain. That look alone, fleeting as it was, held an endless chasm of wishes that could never be.
She averted her gaze so that Cale wouldn’t catch the pity in her eyes.
Sebastian arrived then, with Rex following behind.
Cale diverted his attention to the new demon. “Who’s this?”
“This is Rex,” Sebastian replied. “A new trainee. You’ve missed a lot.”
“I gathered.” Cale proceeded to introduce the two females: Kyra, and the Earth native, Zoey. “We didn’t intend for Zoey to tag along, but the Kayadon were all over us, and we couldn’t leave her.”
Kyra appeared to be translating the conversation to the Earthling. When Cale spoke of the possibility of somehow getting her back on her planet, Zoey offered a sound of protest. She and Kyra then proceeded to argue in what was probably the Earthling’s native language.
“We can’t go back anyway,” Sebastian informed them. “It’s too dangerous with the Kayadon behind us. If they have warp capabilities of their own, they could be following us even now.”
Cale stretched his arms. “I don’t know about any of you, but after a landing like that, I think a drink is in order.” He canted his head at Sonya. “Is the pub closed?”
She hesitated. “It’s open. Ethan and Jade are working tonight.”
Cale raised a dubious brow. “What else has changed? Don’t tell me you’re mated as well.”
She barely stifled a nervous laugh. “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous.” Her tail flicked with her irritation, drawing the awed expressions of Kyra and Zoey.
“Pity,” Cale replied. “I could have used a new target in the training room.”
Exactly why she was glad to be free of a matebond. Any male of hers would endure a never-ending diatribe by her brothers—not to mention continual assaults—and she would be forced to defend him. Moreover, if he were the wrong kind of male—a known reprobate, for instance—a permanent rift could form between her and her family.
She pushed the ridiculous notion from her mind, then dropped parallel to the floor and swiped Cale’s feed out from under him with her leg. He landed on his back with a grunt.
She grinned. “That’s what you have me for.”
Sebastian let out a begrudging sigh as Cale jumped up to retaliate. Sonya tried to slip past him, but Cale caught hold of her waist and heaved her upper half over his shoulder, trapping her legs against his torso with iron tight arms.
“Cale!” Her legs flailed uselessly.
“Now you’ll be buying me a drink, little sister.”
Sonya tensed as Cale hauled her in the direction of the pub. “No, Cale. I don’t want to go to The Demon’s Punchbowl.”
“Too bad.”
* * *
“Jade, less flirting, more working.”
Jade responded to Ethan’s chide with a withered stare, then turned away from her newest infatuation to engage the impatient crew member waiting at the other end of the bar.
A ruckus near the entrance drew Ethan’s attention. Cale lumbered in with Sonya thrashing over his shoulder. Her skirt hem rode up on her thighs as her legs kicked. Behind them, a large entourage chortled.
Cale set her on her feet, and she turned grudgingly toward the bar, her hips swishing seductively as though to torture Ethan alone.
Ethan tempered the lust in his gaze as she approached. Not that it would have mattered. He could have stood there drooling over the floor for all she cared. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
Fine with him if that was how she wanted to play it. Their last encounter had been nothing if not a warning. Somehow, even though she clearly detested him in every way, he was inspiring a matebond between them.
How it was even possible, he didn’t know.
What he did know, however, was that he would never entertain the idea of becoming a demon’s mate. The very notion was abhorrent. Insulting. At the very least ridiculous.
“Pirate!” Cale greeted, crossing to stand by the bar.
“Demon,” he responded with a smile, happy that Cale had made it back unharmed. “Just had to arrive with a bang, didn’t you.”
“I’ve never been one for subtlety. Brought you a present too.” He jerked his thumb behind him.
Ethan turned back to where the rest of the group converged around a large table and caught K
yra’s gaze. Relief flooded him.
Kyra’s expression turned bright as recognition lit her eyes.
“Princess Kyralyn!” He stepped around the bar and offered a low bow.
“Please don’t bow, Ethan. And you can call me Kyra now.”
“See,” Anya chided, reminding him of the countless times she’d scolded him for addressing her by her title. Nadua too shunned the distinction. He supposed after so long, they no longer related to the ancient ways.
“Apologies. An old habit, I guess,” Ethan replied.
“Very old, indeed.” Kyra laughed, yet the sound was melancholic.
He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Apparently another very old habit he would have to rid himself of because she blushed furiously.
His lips twisted with amusement. Now that everyone was assembled, Ethan was sure the book would reveal more of its secrets. Surely the king had envisioned a plan of attack. Ethan could practically taste victory.
Cale dropped a load of drinks on the table, and Kyra jumped. Sonya appeared next with two full pitchers and a set of glasses. By their deep frowns, it was clear the demon’s moods had taken a nosedive. What had he missed?
After settling in at the table, Kyra started, “So, Ethan, tell me what happened after I left Evlon.”
He blinked up at her. “Starting out a little thick.”
Her steady greenish-blue eyes revealed the tenacious young princess he once knew. “Starting at the beginning. I’ve been in the dark for a long, long time, and now I want some answers.”
Ethan let out a breath. “We were all taken by surprise by the attack. None of our seers, not even your father, anticipated it. It was suggested later that the Kayadon had some sort of cloaking magic, but we can’t be sure.” He let out a slow breath. “I sent you off in that little ship, expecting to see it blasted to a million pieces, but others had started evacuating the planet as well. The Kayadon were distracted enough, and you got through.”
He paused, letting his words sink in as the others sat quietly and sipped their drinks. That last day on Evlon was the only time he had ever contemplated disobeying the king’s orders. But in the end, he had sent Kyra alone through the atmosphere that had become a chaotic war zone, fearing for her life.