by Bonnie Vanak
A minor demon, sent to watch the place and, as a reward, allowed to help torch the owner. She’d extinguished her energy and needed to refuel. Could have already sent out the alarm. Not as powerful.
“Where’s your master?”
“Please,” she wheezed. “Let me go, I’ll tell you. Can’t breathe…”
The redhead’s lips drew back in a snarl, showing blackened teeth. Her face changed, showing flat holes for nostrils, two glowing pits for eyes and flesh mottled and gray.
Then the features vanished, replaced by the model-good looks.
“I can give you a good time, honey. Real good. You’re handsome, sexy. I scented it on the street.”
Matt’s brain whirled as he thought of a plan. He loosened his grip a little. “Who are you? And why should I trust you won’t burn me?”
“My name’s Alberta. I won’t. Promise. You’re too good to waste. Such muscles…much better than that stringy Fae. He was boring. But not any longer. Now he’s toast.” Her laugh scraped over his nerves like a hot blade.
He seemed to consider. “I’ve heard your kind is irresistible. Incredible in bed. Very hot.”
That laugh again.
“I’ll bet you wrapped him around your fingers.” Playing the part, coaxing out information by stroking her ego, his stomach clenching in revulsion.
The demon skimmed her hands over his buttocks and squeezed. The urge to retch rose in his throat. He fought it down.
“Nothing like you. I’d like to have you between my legs. He was skinny, fumbling. Too fast. But he was a job.”
He nodded at the shop. “That was your work?”
Alberta scowled. “They wouldn’t replenish me after I exhausted my powers. But promised I could watch, when they finished with him.”
Her hand slipped lower, found his crotch. Warmth spread through his groin as she stroked. Matt’s body tightened, his cock growing hard beneath her touch. His mind remained cold and blank.
“You’re smart. I could tell that about you. He couldn’t resist you.”
Red blazed in her eyes as her hands stopped stroking. “Not enough. Stupid Fae, wouldn’t tell where it was. We tried, but he was stubborn. Now he’ll never tell.”
“Talk is cheap,” Matt murmured. “Mouths can be used for other things, much more pleasant.”
The redhead purred, lightly squeezing his erection. “I need energy. I need you, now. Let’s fuck, wolf. You’re hard all over. I promise you, you’ll never feel anything like my lips on your cock, making you come, again and again. Let me show you.”
“What about your master? Won’t he return?” Sweat beaded on his spine, his body turning rigid, his stomach churning with disgust. Had to keep up the ruse.
“Not until later. He saw you earlier.” Alberta giggled. “With that little Fae. She’s so mousy. He figured you’d be back around midnight. We have time. So let’s do it. Right now.”
“Not in my lifetime. Or yours.”
With a sharp twist, he snapped her neck. The surprised look faded from her face, then her body dissolved into ash.
Gray particles swirled in the air like smoke, floated on the wind and drifted away. It was their way. Leave no evidence behind.
Damn it. Matt jammed a hand through his hair. No more answers than before.
Just more threats.
* * *
It wasn’t safe here. No place seemed safe. Sienna couldn’t stop shaking. She sat on the bed in their hotel room, rubbing her damp hair. Even after a hot shower and scrubbing her skin until it pinked, she could still detect the stench of smoke.
And death.
Tim, poor Tim, the betrayal he’d committed was unforgivable, but to be burned by pyro demons. Yet he hadn’t uttered a word, told them the Orb’s location. Matt was firm in this.
“Trust me, if the pyro demons found the Orb, I’d be dead by now.”
The thought made her skin crawl. No more talk of death. Sienna set the towel down and hugged herself.
The bathroom door opened. Steam drifted out and in the cloud, Matt emerged, a towel slung low on his lean hips. Water beaded in the dark hairs on his powerful chest. His limbs were long and muscled, dusted with dark hair, his feet sturdy. Breath caught in her lungs. Gods, he was magnificent. Remembering the sharp pleasure he’d given her, she felt her body grow hot and tight. She’d wanted him so badly. Until that growl…reminding her of his true origins. And then she’d run, scared. Afraid, not because he was Draicon, but scared of her own response to this sexy wolf.
He ran a hand through his damp hair. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Forgot my clothing.”
Everything female cried out in disappointment as he retrieved his jeans and shirt, and vanished back into the bathroom.
When he came out, fully dressed, he joined her. Cleaning his weapon, his jaw taut.
“What does Feau teinl mean?”
She searched her memory. “It’s Old Sidhe. ‘Forever gone.’”
Grunting, he slid a magazine into the pistol.
“Who said that?”
“Tim did. It was written…by his body.”
“He must have written it as parting words about dying. His soul, flying into the Other Side and leaving this plain. They tortured him for information, didn’t they?”
Matt glanced up. “Yes.”
“Won’t the police investigate and find out?”
“No. I got rid of the body and planted misinformation to keep them from suspecting anything. They’ll see a burned store and nothing else.”
He carefully set the pistol down on the nightstand, within reach. Then he turned, all seriousness.
“I’m taking you off this mission. I’ve made a call to my C.O. and he agrees. Fae agreement or not, it’s gotten too heated. What they did to Tim…they won’t hesitate to do to you. I can take care of it myself.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach, then he added, “The conditions still stand. When I recover the Orb, you’ll be allowed to show it to your people. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
To march the Orb in triumph back to her aunt, hear the wild cheers of the celebrating Fae. Once, it was. The thought of victory soured. It was no longer enough.
She had to push on. Because allowing Matt to go solo, knowing something could happen and she wouldn’t be there to help… Sienna swallowed, remembering the burns he’d suffered in the witch’s house.
“You need me.”
His expression softened. “I need you to be safe more. And I can’t guarantee your safety, Sienna. Not if I’m to do my job. Seeing what they did to him…if anything happened to you.”
“He was very brave in the end.”
Matt nodded.
Imaginary screams echoed in her head, the terror of Tim as the demons had sprayed him with fire, trying to make him surrender the Orb’s location. She would tell the Fae of his courage.
After she went running back to the colony, like a coward? And yet, he was right. The stakes were much higher. She could have it all and stay safe, away from creatures that breathed fire and brought pain. The Orb, the acceptance.
Without any of the effort.
Thinking of Tim, she shuddered. A distant memory pricked, teasing like a feather stroked across her mind. The raw stench of burning flesh, the terrified screams…
Fire scared her. Even the friendly, welcoming ones the Fae burned in celebration. She’d always hovered on the fringes, thinking it was her mixed blood.
Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe whatever happened when she was very young was tied into her fear.
For a wild moment, she wanted to race back to her cabin in the woods, shut the door and pull the covers over her head. He was giving her the chance.
Then she looked up at his face and the grim set of his jaw.
The thought of facing a pyro demon, smelling her own flesh charring, feeling the hot pain, made her stomach clench. But leaving Matt alone, to bravely search out the Orb and possibly die…
Scared her more. I can do this, she told herse
lf.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Parker. I signed up for this assignment and I’m not the type to back off when things get a little hot. Or a few hundred degrees Fahrenheit, to be more precise. I’m sticking with you. Got it?”
His expression didn’t change, but she sensed a subtle shift in him. As if their relationship had crossed an important threshold. “That’s Lieutenant Parker to you.”
At his teasing tone, Sienna lifted her chin. “Aye, aye, Lassie.”
“Hey, quit it with the dog jokes.” Then he grew serious again. “Fire terrifies you. I can’t promise it won’t happen again. Because now the demons will be even more infuriated. They’ll see us as their only lead to finding the Orb. Don’t make such a quick decision, pixie. I want you to feel free to leave, if you want, because it’s not going to be easy. So if you feel the need to pull out, just say the word.”
“I have two words. I’m. Staying.”
He gave a small smile. “Okay. Get packed. I want to move out ASAP.”
Not moving, she waited a moment, wanting to feel him next to her, feel the heat radiating from his big body. Wanting to touch him for reassurance. But if she did, it would lead to other things.
And she couldn’t explore those options. Brave SEAL that he was, he was Draicon and very dangerous. Logic dictated that wolves could hurt Fae like her.
Yet in the distant memory that tugged, she caught a shimmering thread of something nasty and terrifying. Whoever had hurt her, threatened her with fire, wasn’t wolf.
But something else.
Chapter 7
The Denver airport bustled with travelers. Matt stretched out his long legs, watching the humans mingling with paranorms. A pasty-faced Mage herded his family out of a nearby store and into the throng. The youngest child, barely four, cried out as the crowd cut him off from his family.
The Mage’s lips moved and the crowd parted like water. He scurried forward, lifting the child into his arms.
If humans, and paranorms, knew the danger posed by the pyro demons… Matt’s guts squeezed like a vise. It was his job to keep them safe, and ignorant.
But not Sienna’s.
Head resting against the seat, she watched him with those incredibly green eyes. It was like falling into a refreshing pool. So lovely, the soft curve of her cheek, the full, pink mouth he’d enjoyed tasting. Jeans molded to the curves of her calves and strong thighs. He thought about how smooth those legs would feel as he settled between them, lowering himself atop her….
Matt bit back a groan. Around Sienna, with her sweet scent and curvy body, all he could think about was sex.
He concentrated on the mission instead. They had bought a little time in evading the enemy.
They’d driven from New Mexico to Denver, taking back roads to avoid detection. Sienna had thrown up a very effective glamour for the journey. A grizzled, elderly outdoorsman driving north in a beat-up white van.
So far, it was working.
But for this next stage of the game… His entire body went taut. Why was facing a pyro demon easier than facing his beloved family?
Because a demon just wants to kill you, not marry you off, he thought with sour amusement.
“I know we had to leave New Mexico. But why are we headed to New Orleans?”
Glancing around, he saw no one within earshot. He lowered his voice.
“We need a detour.” His expression hardened. “It’s about time I had a little talk with my brother-in-law, Étienne, about the Orb.”
“How would he know anything about the Orb?”
“Because, pixie, he’s the one who last saw its twin, the Astra Orb. And destroyed it.”
* * *
The flight from Denver was quiet. Matt was grim and silent the entire time. She didn’t question him. Caught up in her own internal anxiety, Sienna tried to fend off an ominous feeling.
They were headed straight into the thick of wolf territory.
When they reached New Orleans, he hustled her into a taxi and gave crisp directions. As they sped west on the interstate, he stared out the window in brooding silence. The taxi dropped them off in the French Quarter near Jackson Square. Matt picked up her suitcase and slung his duffel bag over one shoulder. He placed a firm hand on the small of her back, guiding her to a parking lot across the street from the cathedral.
A sleek, black pickup truck pulled up. The driver parked at an angle, jumped down. Tall, with a shock of brown hair, he ambled toward them. Wearing a light jacket, blue jeans, a polo shirt and a wide smile, he looked like an average American.
And then she caught the unmistakable scent of maleness, magick and wolf.
Draicon.
Anxiety churned in her stomach. The man reached Matt, engulfed him in a bear hug. “Hell, Matt, been too damn long. When Cindy found out you were coming here, she was overjoyed.” He grinned and pounded him on the back, then lifted the corner of Matt’s leather jacket with a questioning look.
“You’re carrying.” Warmth left his voice. “This isn’t a family visit.”
“No.” He turned, introduced Sienna. “This is my brother-in-law, Étienne Robichaux. Étienne, this is Sienna McClare.”
“Miss McClare.” Étienne’s handshake was brisk, but warmth filled his blue eyes. “Wish I could say it was a pleasure, but judging from the look of both of you, I doubt you’re here for a social call.”
Against her will, she liked him. He was honest and direct, and though he seemed friendly, she sensed the same hard edge that threaded through Matt.
“I need to talk with you. I’d have called, but the situation calls for discretion. And you don’t have a secure line,” Matt told the other Draicon.
As Étienne slung their luggage into the truck bed, Matt caught her questioning look. “Étienne’s an ex-SEAL.” He helped her into the cab, sliding in next to her. “He encouraged me to join the navy.”
“Encouraged him, but never realized he’d abandon his family for the teams.” Étienne started the truck and tossed her a conspiratorial wink.
“I didn’t abandon anyone,” Matt bit out. “You, more than anyone, know what the life is like.”
“Which is why I left, and settled down with your sister. I knew my responsibilities to my people.”
The slightly accusing note made Matt bristle. “You’re the eldest, next to take over. I’m not the oldest in my family. I have plenty of time to find a mate.”
“Tell that to your sister. She keeps wondering if her brother will ever give her a niece or a nephew to spoil. Cousins for our kids to play with before they grow too old. Though at this rate—” he winked at Sienna again “—they’ll be gray and in rocking chairs by the time Matt becomes a father.”
Sandwiched between the two tall men with their tensile strength, she felt petite and frail. They left the city behind and headed down a small road, flanked on both sides by murky water. Gray moss dangled from ghostly trees in the swamp.
Sienna folded her hands in her lap. She sensed Matt’s hurt, his inner frustration at Étienne’s minor jabs.
“Don’t you admire what Matt’s doing for his country?”
Étienne gave her a startled look. “’Course I do, chérie. I just want what’s best for him. And being gone from his family so long, it’s not good for him.”
“But it’s his life. Maybe you should let him make the decision about what’s good for him instead of judging him for the choices and the sacrifices he’s made.”
The Draicon looked over her head and grinned at Matt. “Found yourself a real wildcat of a wolf, huh?”
Sienna clenched her jaw. Wolf. He probably meant it as a compliment, but it stung her. “I’m not a Draicon. I’m Fae. As for the wildcat…”
The image flashed through her mind, bursting out in a fiery flash. Sienna felt a power surge and surrendered to it.
The change came fast. Bones lengthened and fur covered her skin. Sitting on the seat, she uttered a low, barking grunt at Étienne and raked a hand over the dashboa
rd.
“Holy merde,” he yelled.
Étienne slammed on the brakes, and the truck fishtailed. She cried out and Matt yelled, “Watch the road!”
Étienne barked out a rich curse and yanked the wheel toward the spin, expertly controlling the big vehicle. The truck slid close to the embankment, and stopped. Rubber burned her nostrils. For a moment the trio sat, engine running, the truck filled with the sound of their rapid breaths.
Sienna glanced down and froze.
She’d shifted into a black jaguar. Deep gouges scarred the leather dashboard from raking her claws over it. Glamour didn’t do that. Glamour was an illusion.
Shivering, she groped for reality, and just as quickly shifted back into her human form, clothing and all.
“Sweet mercy,” Matt said mildly. “I never knew you could do that.”
Sienna stared at her outstretched hands. “Me, either.”
“Damn it, wish one of you would have warned me. Can we stop with the Fae theatrics until we get home?” Étienne backed up onto the road.
“Fae don’t shift into jaguars. Not Seelie Sidhe. They can only glamour, not shape-shift into something corporeal.” Matt touched the gouges. “These are real.”
Too badly shaken, Sienna said nothing. She kept staring at her hands, dread curling down her spine.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was another type of magick. But you’re Fae so that’s impossible,” Étienne said.
Oh, the irony of those words. She and Matt exchanged glances.
“Maybe,” Matt said softly. “But I’m starting to believe nothing is impossible.”
* * *
Matt’s sister was pretty, with a fall of rich blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Cindy greeted Matt with affection and another tight hug. A pack of young children surrounded him with happy squeals.
After politely refusing a glass of lemonade, Sienna quietly went outside to the back porch, allowing Matt private time for the family reunion. She didn’t belong here in this crowd of Draicon. She sat in a rocking chair, studying her hands, envisioning them turning into jaguar claws.