Demon Untamed (Shadow Quest Book 4)

by Kiersten Fay

  When Ethan pulled back, she was ready to shove him into the nearest private compartment.

  “Is that clear enough for you?” His tone was deliciously rough, yet his face had gone cold. He pulled out of her embrace, leaving cool air in his place as he trudged away.

  Sonya glanced to her left. Bastian and the mercenaries stood at the far end of the hall, staring. Had they watched the whole scene? The sympathy in Bastian’s eyes irked her. He probably imagined this was just a little hiccup between a demon and her non-demon mate, just as it had been difficult between him and Anya. But her relationship with Ethan was nothing like theirs. And it never would be.

  The sad truth brought fury back. “Dammit, Ethan! You don’t get to just twist everything upside down and walk away.”

  He offered his profile without stopping. “Then you’d better come along.”

  For the umpteenth time, he bewildered her. His tone had been teasing.

  Ethan had found it nearly impossible to stop kissing her, especially when she had so thoroughly and eagerly softened for him. But there had been an audience and the things he wanted to say to her—to do to her—were things best done in private.

  He didn’t know what he would have done had she not followed him back to his quarters.

  “What was that about?” she said, after the door to his room slid closed behind her. Ethan entered the wash room and splashed his face with water. He couldn’t tell if she was being obtuse or truly couldn’t fathom his feelings for her.

  When he reentered the room, he found her standing awkwardly in the center looking more than a bit rattled, her expression perplexed and disconcerted. Outside in the hall, he had felt her ready to break if off with him entirely, and it had nearly dropped him to his knees.

  “You make me lose my mind,” he ground out.

  “Clearly.”

  Her brusque comment made him crack a smile. But he let the humor die. “I didn’t like hearing you suggest that I’d rejoice at your demise. That’s the furthest thing from truth.”

  One delicate shoulder lifted in response. “Okay, but that’s not really what I meant.”

  He held up his palm. “You assume I’ll throw you off for Kyra, but I have no intention of pursuing her.”

  Her eyes flared.

  “And I don’t want this to end.” He gestured between the two of them. Then, for some reason, he added, “Just yet.” He wasn’t sure why exactly. Perhaps it was the sudden trepidation rolling off her. He got the impression she was ready to run.

  Instead, she tilted her head at him. “What about my, um…” She indicated her fangs.

  “You don’t frighten me.”

  She averted her gaze, and that’s when he felt it—that same urge to hide. Only this time it wasn’t from desire. He frightened her a great deal.

  They stood in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say next.

  Finally, he stepped forward, swiped his forefinger over the muck on her shoulder, and held it up. “You could use a washing.”

  She gave a half smile. “And a change of clothes.”

  “Nah, we don’t need that.”

  She rolled her eyes, but her amused smile lifted his heart.

  Chapter 29

  Sebastian entered the pub, catching a deep blush on Sonya’s face as she shoved Ethan’s paws away from her with a giggle. Normally, that kind of scene would result in Ethan being dragged over the bar by his neck, but he tamped down the wayward urge.

  Sonya’s declaration that both he and Cale had frightened away anyone who tried to get near her had speared him with guilt.

  While he and Cale were off bedding females without a care, she’d been here—alone—battling a natural demon urge. If he’d been in that predicament, he might have gone insane. Now he had a new-found admiration for her strength and control…and stubborn will.

  Rex and Zoey strode in behind him—yet another set of newly acquainted lovers. However, Sebastian got the impression that it wasn’t serious on Rex’s part. Then again, he hadn’t anticipated Sonya and Ethan’s unlikely relationship, so who was to say?

  When Sonya spotted them, blood leached from her face, and she slapped Ethan away more vigorously. Ethan frowned. Following her gaze, he noticed their approach and smiled once more. No fear of the burly older brother, eh?

  The new mercenaries Sonya and Ethan had recruited sat at the far end of the bar, drinking and talking among themselves. In no way did Sebastian trust them, but Ethan vouched for the group, which was good enough for now.

  Other brutish newcomers meandered through the pub, gathering in tight-knit groups. Militants, mercenaries, soldiers without a cause. All taking up space on his ship, all either bribed or bored enough to take up a fight they had no vested stake in. As long as they all played nice, he’d let them be a rowdy as they wanted.

  “Hey Sebastian, where’s Anya?” Sonya chirped.

  With all the new roughneck recruits, Sebastian was hard-pressed to leave his mate unattended, even if she was turning out to be more powerful than he could have ever imagined. “She’s with her sisters, practicing in the Sanctuary.”

  That seemed to pique Ethan’s interest. To Sonya, he said, “If you’ve got things covered here, I think I’ll go help them with that.”

  Sonya waved her approval. Then Ethan drew her close and whispered a few oaths into her ear that Sebastian tried very hard not to hear…very, very hard! The last word, vietta, sounded foreign, and made Zoey chuckle.

  Sonya zeroed in on the Earthling. Zoey went pale and lost her smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” It was still a surprise to hear the Earthling speak their native language.

  “What did he say just then?” Sonya inquired sternly.

  Zoey looked confused for a moment. Ethan smirked and nodded his head at her. She answered, “He called you a little temptress.”

  Sonya’s jaw dropped, and she faced Ethan. “Why did you tell me it meant rotten female?”

  “You’d have had me by the balls otherwise,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  She grinned, looking ready to offer a lewd retort, but her eyes slid to Sebastian, and she seemed to think better of it.

  “You can finish that thought later,” Ethan muttered suggestively.

  Sebastian couldn’t help curling his hands into tight fists. Sonya shot him a death-stare, letting him know she would knock the ever-living shit out of him if he tried anything. He just shrugged and replied, “It’s a hard habit to break.”

  As though sensing it was time to cut out, Ethan gave Sonya a quick peck on the lips before heading toward the Sanctuary. Sebastian had to admire his fearlessness, especially in present company. He was an acceptable male.

  “We’re closing in on Evlon,” Sebastian informed Sonya, taking a seat at the bar. “Ivan has guaranteed more than fifty ships, but I’ve seen no sign of them yet.”

  Sonya nodded her head in response, barely listening to Sebastian. She was still holding in her shock over learning the meaning of Ethan’s favorite endearment. She realized he had been calling her little temptress nearly from the start.

  She glanced at the mercenaries, out of hearing range. “I guess all we can do is hope Ivan’s not full of shit. Ethan seems to trust him.” She set to mixing Sebastian a strong drink.

  “Aye,” Sebastian replied, sounding unconvinced. “Anyway, Portia is working on a cloaking spell to use on the ship when we arrive. There’s bound to be some Kayadon crafts lying in wait.”

  “Doesn’t the book detail stuff like that?” She put the finished drink in front of Sebastian.

  He wrapped his palm around it. “It outlines patrolling schedules, but it’s so old, I fear the information might be out of date.”

  “Ethan believes his king would have taken that into account and adjusted for future events.”

  “It has also been said that this king’s visions cannot be fully relied upon,” Sebastian countered.

  True enough, Sonya thought. “Portia’s only a witch in training. Do you
believe she’ll do an adequate job?”

  Both of them jumped at the soft female voice. “I am confident in this spell.” As she often liked to do, Portia had popped in, appearing as if from nowhere upon the empty stool next to Sebastian.

  Sebastian bristled. “Ach, girl. You must stop doing that.”

  Ignoring his chagrin, Portia continued, “I’ve worked this spell many-a-time. We’ll be as if invisible.” She snapped her fingers.

  On the opposite side of Sebastian, Zoey nodded at Portia seeming utterly convinced of the witch’s prowess. Rex’s face remained impassive.

  “Where’s the enthusiasm?” Sonya asked him. “For all intents and purposes, we’re about to face down some Kayadon scum.” He should be as eager as any of them for vengeance.

  He gave her a blank expression. “This is me excited.”

  Zoey burst into laughter, but the demon was so stoic all the time, Sonya didn’t think he was kidding. Sonya hadn’t seen him smile once since she’d met him, but with Zoey gazing up at him all dreamy-like, she suspected the Earthling might have.

  To Rex, Sonya said, “You’d better take it up a notch once we get there.”

  “If we get there.” He took a swig of his ale.

  Sonya had nothing to counter that with, so instead, she traipsed to the other end of the bar, toward the mercenaries. “Ivan, you fellas alright down here?”

  Ivan jiggled his empty bottle. “Could use a refill, lun feist.” Sweet fire. That was what Ivan liked to refer to her as. His sweet fire. It was better than rotten female, though not so good as little temptress.

  “Tell me, Ivan,” she said as she retrieved a fresh bottle of liquor and popped the lid for him. “What is the debt you owe Ethan?”

  “He’s not told you?”

  Sonya shook her head.

  “Well, it’s no secret. That rake had to go and save my skin. Won’t let me forget it either.” Though the words sounded disgruntled, the corners of his lips quirked.

  “How did he save you?”

  “Dead as a fleck in space, I was. Well, not quite, but getting there. Before my blood ran cold, Ethan…” Lost for words, Ivan put his palms up and wiggled his fingers.

  “Oh,” Sonya said, understanding. Ethan had used his gift to heal Ivan.

  “Even before that, we’d been watching each other’s arses. Seemed we were alike back then, at least when it came to wrong place wrong time scenarios. Brothers in bad luck, as it were.” He shrugged. “We’d been swindled onto a ship and forced to work under a tyrant’s rule. Bastard got what was coming to him, though. Unfortunately, I caught the overflow. Bad day, that.”

  “Pirates almost killed you,” Sonya said, remembering Ethan’s story.

  “Ah, so he did mention me. Been squeezing favors out of me ever since.” Ivan took a long gulp. “Better believe this is the last one.”

  “I couldn’t care less if it’s the last, as long as you’re fully invested in this one. What of the ships you promised?”

  “Don’t you worry, lun feist. On their way.”

  * * *

  Ethan relaxed on the soft tuft of grass where he’d been sitting for the past hour.

  The Sanctuary was teeming with magic as Anya sent out tendrils of energy, purposefully messing with the bright overhead lights.

  Kyra lay back next to Ethan, unable to call her gift for fear of losing control of it—which, from what Ethan could discern, would most assuredly mean death to anyone close by, perhaps even the entire ship. But she remained attentive to Ethan’s teachings.

  Nadua sat with her legs crossed, still looking shaken after the recent influx of power that had bombarded her the other day. Ethan imagined the experience had been harrowing for her. As a result, doubt in her own abilities ran rampant in her mind. She wasn’t putting in the effort that she should.

  “Try again,” he encouraged, facing her. “It took me a long time to learn to block my power so as not to become overwhelmed. Now I can pick out an individual intent without calling to mind every single one in the vicinity.”

  Nadua pursed her lips. “I don’t want that kind of pain again. It felt like my brain was turning to mush.”

  “Too much information can do that. Next time it happens, choose one thought—or image—something solid and dear to your heart, to keep an anchor in reality.”

  “And let the magic flow through me,” she muttered, reciting one of the ancient teachings. Then she shared a look with Kyra.

  “Precisely,” Ethan replied. “Now, try again.” For the last few hours, Nadua had been attempting to pick through the deluge of future and past events to single out one for study. Specifically, one of Ethan’s memories.

  To make it harder, he’d challenged her to seek out a specific one—the moment he’d finally held the book in his hands. For Nadua, it would be like walking through a forest in search of a single tree among millions, but if her gift was anywhere near as powerful as her father’s, Ethan was confident she could manage.

  Nadua closed her eyes and settled deeper into her seated position. After a long while of nothing, her head canted. “I see…” Her brows furrowed. “Lost it, hold on.”

  Ethan scanned her intentions, finding determination. He waited patiently.

  When she spoke again, her voice came out even and smooth, as though she had entered a trance. “There are people in a room, angry…focused on you.” Her head turned as if witnessing something from behind her closed lids. “Violet eyes, no, red, coming at you with furry. My gods, she is going to kill you.”

  “Take everything in. Where are you?” Ethan said.

  “Large room…inside of a cave.”

  His asteroid base. She was very close to their goal. He debated telling her to move forward in time, but she was doing so well, he was afraid to interrupt her again.

  “She’s down now. She looks ill or something. You can’t stop looking at her eyes. They’re so…beautiful. You’re saying something to her, but she looks to have fallen asleep. Vietta Anu.”

  Ethan stilled. Little temptress of my heart. He hadn’t recalled saying that. He did recall how long he’d indulged in staring at her before reluctantly shutting her in the cell with the others.

  “Move forward, Nadua. Find the book.”

  Her head tilted again. “There’s a box…on a desk. I feel your excitement as you open it. There’s a code to unlocking it.” Nadua smiled. “The combination of our birth years: Mother’s, Kyra’s, mine, and Anya’s. You retrieve the book from within, and…relief is extensive.” Nadua’s eyes flashed open, and she clapped her hands together. “I did it!”

  Anya and Kyra both offered excited congratulations.

  “Very good, Nadua,” Ethan said. “Now try again.”

  Her expression fell, but after a moment, she let out a slow breath and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  A squeal of laughter burst out of Sonya as Ethan tossed her to the bed. Her hair was wild, spread over his pillow like rays of a dark sun.

  How had this female enchanted him so thoroughly?

  She watched him, heavy lidded, as he crawled over her. Just before dipping his head for a sensuous kiss, he caught a glimmer of her little fangs. A beautiful snake, waiting to strike. So then why was he drawn to her? Every day he wanted more.

  Worse, every time he envisioned her fangs sinking into his flesh, he found himself unconsciously nipping at her…actually encouraging her. What not too long ago he had considered a barbaric act, was now the most erotic idea imaginable.

  Some part of him realized what was happening—Vietta Anu—but he wasn’t ready to admit it aloud. There were things between them that needed resolving. And even though they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other over the last few days, Sonya was still as tight lipped as ever.

  He pulled back to look at her. Undisguised desire pooled behind her hooded lids. A single fang nibbled at her bottom lip, mesmerizing him for an instant.

  He moved in to claim her lips once more, maybe brush a fan
g with his tongue, but she turned her head. “Don’t. I…I need a minute.”

  Her breath heaved, and he was drawn to the rise and fall of her breasts under the tight bodice, its loosened strings dangling haphazardly over her chest.

  Pulling at them, he finished undoing the knots, freeing her from the garment. When he bent to take one taut peak between his lips, she moaned softly, arching for him, but the change in her mood finally penetrated the haze of his mind.

  He positioned himself by her side and pulled her into the line of his body. “What is it?”

  Again she nibbled her lip, looking far too sexy and…guilty?

  Then it hit him. “Ah, you want to put those pretty fangs in me.”

  Her eyes flared wide, but she didn’t deny it. Just as she’d done many times before, she asked him to confirm that wasn’t what he wanted—and he did, even though he secretly wasn’t sure. He feared how she would react if he put it on the table. Would she finally push him away for good?

  She hid her fangs behind tight lips.

  “Tell me about your home,” he asked, hoping to get her mind off whatever was causing her anxiety.

  It didn’t work.

  She frowned and rolled off the bed.

  His eyes followed her movement, but he remained on the bed as she glowered at him.

  She knew he wasn’t interested her home world. Not really. It had been obvious, ever since Cale’s outburst, that his curiosity festered. Every now and again, he would pick for information she wasn’t ready to give. She had caught him speaking with Sebastian just the other day, inquiring about their family’s history. He hadn’t known she’d been listening from inside the stock room.

  Sebastian hadn’t revealed much. In truth, he didn’t have much to reveal. She hadn’t discussed that night with her brothers. Not fully. All they knew was that Sebastian had come home to find their father’s bloodied, lifeless body on the floor; her, huddled in a compartment under a set of window seats, frozen in shock.