by Lynn Hagen
The keeper is watching his cell closely. None of us want Crypt to escape.” Panahasi pushed away from the frame and walked toward the door. “Just keep an eye on Snooke and Dillon.”
“I already plan on doing that.” Kane closed the door behind the leader. He had already turned on every light in the bedroom to dispel any shadows. Kane didn’t want anyone coming into his home and harming the one man that meant the world to him.
He walked around the living room cutting on all the lights.
“Hey, that’s too bright,” Dillon complained.
“Do you want someone creeping in here and killing you in your sleep?”
Dillon jumped up and ran around the room, hitting the light switch and turning on lamps. “Hell no, there’s too many hot guys around here for me to die just yet.”
Kane rolled his eyes as he headed for the bedroom to check on his mate. Snooke was fast asleep.
He closed the door once again, leaning against it as he prayed that he could keep his mate safe until the keeper added another spell to their breach-proof building.
Chapter Nine
Snooke stood in Chris’s backyard, laughing as Hondo fired up the grill. Kane brought the large plate of meat out and sat it by the grill. “Another month already.”
“I love these monthly barbeques,” Chris said as he joined them.
Kane looked longingly at his mate. He had waited so long to find him, and there he stood laughing amongst friends. It was surreal to Kane. To see those indigo eyes light up with merriment. To see the wide smile add beauty to an already gorgeous face.
His Snooke.
Would he ever see a sight more beautiful? Kane grabbed a bottle of beer from the cooler and walked across the lawn to stand next to the white-haired angel. He could see Snooke’s eyes light up as soon as he saw Kane. To have someone in his life that was happy when he was around was thrilling to the warrior.
It didn’t matter to him what Snooke’s intentions were when he started out. He ended up as Kane’s mate. His chest tightened at the sight of Snooke’s flushed skin, knowing his mate was feeling just as aroused as he was.
“I see you’re having a good time.” Kane tipped the bottle back as he stared down at Snooke.
“I am.” Snook’s eyes gazed around the yard, his smile growing brighter as he spotted the neighborhood kids slowly filtering into the backyard. The barbeque was a something they held every month. He could see why Chris was giving Hondo such grief over letting the house go and moving into the apartment building.
To be at the barbeque, having it in Chris’s backyard, was a sense of home, of family. If he were Chris, he wouldn’t want to give that up either.
“You should try the banana pudding. I made it,” Snooke boasted proudly.
“Then I better make sure I get a large bowlful.”
Snooke shook his head, his lips twitching with humor as he glanced up at Kane. “You’re just saying that because I made it.”
Kane liked the playfulness in Snooke lately. His cock seemed to be standing at readiness all the time now, eager to please his mate in such wicked ways. Kane ran his hand down his chest, seeing the teasing way Snooke’s eyes glittered at him.
His thighs tightened at the lustful way Snooke was looking at him. The need to take Snooke now was riding him hard. He glanced around the yard, seeing some engaged in conversation, others playing with the kids. Kane wondered if they would be missed for, oh, twenty minutes while he had his way with Snooke in the bathroom.
Snooke bit his bottom lip and gave Kane a slight nod.
Kane didn’t have to decipher what that nod meant. He placed his hand on Snooke’s lower back as he looked around, guiding the slim demon toward the house.
He did a happy dance in his mind. It didn’t matter how many times he was with Snooke. Kane would never get enough. Kane was well acquainted with his own sexual appetite, his hunger.
Kane was enamored with Snooke and loved the fact that his mate was just as hungry for him.
He slipped into the kitchen, racing Snooke to the bathroom as soon as they cleared the back door. He laughed as his mate swung the door open and ran through.
“I need you.” A soft cry left Snooke’s lips as Kane closed the door and locked it. He reached out and pulled Snooke to him. Adrenaline pulsed hard through him as he pulled Snooke’s slim body against his.
Kane kissed Snooke’s neck before spinning him around to face the mirror. He wanted Snooke to watch him take the smaller demon. He yanked Snooke’s slacks from his waist. Snooke’s eyes darkened as they stared back at Kane.
He reached down and freed his straining cock. Snooke’s eyes watched his every move. Kane picked Snooke up, freeing his demon’s legs from his pants. “Put your hands on the mirror.”
Kane was panting with need. He grabbed the base of his cock and lined it up. “Play with yourself. I want to watch.”
Snooke slowly lowered his hand, trailing his fingers around his navel.
“Tease. Show me.” Kane rested his hands on Snooke’s feet, his eyes locked on Snooke’s hand.
Snooke’s fingers splayed as they traveled down to brush against his erection. Kane growled, wanting to see Snooke bring himself pleasure. He was getting frustrated that Snooke wouldn’t get on with it, but the suspense was about to make him come.
Snooke finally showed him mercy and grabbed his cock, stroking his slowly as his eyelids lowered slightly, his lips parting.
“Damn, you look good.” Kane nudged his cock against Snooke’s hole, testing to see if his mate was ready. Snooke groaned and pushed back.
“You want it?” Kane asked.
“Yes.” Snooke stroked his cock a little faster as he pushed his ass against Kane’s shaft once again. God, Kane needed to connect them in the worst way. His mate splayed out in front of the mirror was an erotic sight that was testing Kane’s control.
He pushed forward, watching the blunt crest of his cock separate the skin as his cock slipped past the ring of muscles. His breath was suspended for a moment as his shaft throbbed inside of Snooke’s body, and then in one long thrust, he was buried balls deep. Kane could feel Snooke’s hole pulsing as Snooke’s head dropped, his breathing ragged, and his hand moving faster over his cock.
Kane pulled back until only the head was in and then drove hard, making Snooke release his cock to grab the mirror. Kane chuckled and began to lay an assault on Snooke’s tight ass.
Snooke laughed as he dropped to his elbows. Thank goodness it was a wide countertop. Kane’s hands skated over Snooke’s cheeks as he watched his mate’s hole swallow his cock. Damn if that wasn’t a pretty sight.
Kane grabbed Snooke’s hips and gave in to his desperate need to come. He hammered Snooke’s tight star. Sweat broke out on his body as Kane pounded the flesh, grunting as his balls drew up. He stiffened, and then his cum exploded into Snooke’s ass. Splinters of lights shattered behind his eyes as his balls were drained.
He shook his head, feeling slightly dizzying as he pulled free and flipped Snooke over, grabbing his mate’s cock and stroking it at lightning speed. Snooke’s back left the counter as his toes curled. Kane reached under Snooke to slide a finger inside his mate. Snooke’s ass clenched around it as he shot out pearly white ropes of seed.
“Holy hell, man,” Snooke breathed.
“I could watch you do that a thousand times.” Kane leaned down and softly kissed Snooke. He laid his hand on Snooke’s abdomen when his mate tried to get up. Grabbing a towel and wetting it, Kane wiped away Snooke’s seed from his mate’s belly and then swiped the towel between Snooke’s legs.
“Good as new.” Kane helped Snooke from the counter as he tucked himself back in.
There was a series of hard knocks on the bathroom door just as Kane zipped his zipper. “What?” he shouted.
“Can you two tear yourselves away from each other so I can pee?” Dillon shouted.
“I swear, just when I think I like him, he acts like himself and proves me wrong.” Kane helped Sno
oke straighten his clothes before unlocking the door. “All yours.”
“Dayem, it smells like straight spunk in here.” Dillon waved his hand in front of his face as his nose scrunched up.
Kane chuckled as Snooke’s face turned a brilliant red. “Let’s go find some food, shorty.”
“Get him something high in protein since he just lost all of his,” Dillon called out before closing the door.
“How the hell did you meet that guy?” Kane asked as he grabbed a large bowl from the cupboard and then pulled the banana pudding from the fridge.
Snooke took a seat at the island. “He was getting beat up in the hallway in our apartment building, and I couldn’t just sit on my couch and do nothing.”
Kane could feel his temper rising. “Who would hit on him?”
“He said it was his brother.”
Just then Dillon came running around the corner, tripped on the throw rug, and went flying. Kane shot his hand out and froze the human right before he hit his head on the corner of the island.
“He needs to be more careful.” Kane walked over and pulled Dillon from midair, setting him on his feet. He snapped his fingers, and Dillon threw his arms out.
“Holy crap, I almost hit the island. Did you do that freezy-thingy again?”
“Lucky for you I did.” Kane grabbed a spoon from the drawer and dug into the dessert.
Snooke sat on the floor between Kane’s legs as he watched the movie playing. Kane was sitting in the chair, and Dillon was spread out on the couch snoring loud enough to wake the dead.
“Can you turn it up before I stuff a sock in his mouth?” Kane lifted his foot up and kicked the couch, disturbing Dillon enough to make him roll over. “Thank goodness.”
Snooke chuckled as he set the remote back down on the floor, enjoying the sensation of Kane’s fingers running through his hair.
He rested his face against Kane’s inner thigh, sighing deeply as Kane’s fingers absently massaged his scalp. Snooke knew Kane did it absently because sitting like this had become a habit along with Kane’s fingers roaming through his hair.
Snooke closed his eyes, wondering how he had managed to live his life up until he met Kane. There wasn’t a morning he woke up that he didn’t fall even more in love with the man until he ached from it.
He reached behind Kane’s leg and let his fingers run down Kane’s calf, thanking his lucky stars that he hadn’t gone through with his uncle’s plan and ruined what he had right now. When his mate’s hand caressed over his ear, Snooke grabbed it and held it in place, needing the contact.
“What’s wrong, shorty?”
What was wrong with him? He was on the verge of tears and hadn’t a clue why. Was this how love was? Were the feelings so powerful that it broke a man down to tears? “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
Kane reached down and pulled Snooke until he was sitting in the warrior’s lap. “You’re crying,” Kane said in amazement. “Why?”
Snooke buried his face in Kane’s chest, embarrassed that he’d been caught. He lay there for a while until he felt his emotions were back under control. “I’m fine,” he said as he pushed away from the muscled chest.
Kane watched him curiously as Snooke walked toward the bedroom. Wow. Never in his life had he experienced such strong emotions like that before.
Snooke grabbed the small blanket at the end of the bed, wanting to lay it over himself once he was back on Kane’s lap.
He jerked when a hand covered his mouth. Raw terror racked his body. It wasn’t Kane’s hand. He knew his mate’s every touch. Snooke fought as the person holding him tight tried to drag him backward. He knew that if they got to the shadowed corner, he’d be dead. Why the hell did he complain about all the lights on? Kane had done it for a reason, and now he was paying for whining about it.
The person was large. Snooke was having a hell of a time stopping the backward progression. He threw his elbow back, hearing a grunt, and then something hit him on the side of his face. Stars burst in his head, but Snooke wasn’t giving up.
He bit the hand over his mouth as he jammed one elbow and then the next, trying desperately to break free. Snooke panicked when the man put both his hands on Snooke’s head. He couldn’t find his voice. It had left him. If the intruder gave one good twist, his neck would be snapped.
Snooke bucked his head back, fighting for his life as the larger opponent lost his grip.
“Kane!” Snooke shouted.
The person let him go, punching Snooke one good time in his face before disappearing. He crumbled to the floor, holding his head as he began to shake uncontrollably.
“Snooke.” Kane raced into the bedroom and dropped next to him. A strange and loud cry left Kane’s lips when he saw the bruise on Snooke’s face. “What happened?” His fingers hovered over Snooke’s face.
He opened his mouth to tell Kane, but a sob came out instead. The realization that he had come that close to death shook him to his very core. His body started shaking out of control as Snooke balled up into himself and cried in earnest.
Kane stretched out on the floor next to him and pulled Snooke into his arms, wrapping the protection around him that Snooke needed. “Please tell me what happened,” Kane begged as he rocked Snooke.
“He, he tried to kill me.” The man had actually tried to break his neck. Snooke’s hands shot to his neck, feeling it to make sure it was still intact. It was a crazy move to make, but he wasn’t thinking too clearly right now.
“Who, baby?”
“I don’t know.” Snooke crawled deeper into Kane’s arms, trying his best to erase what had just happened with his mate’s scent. “Please don’t let me go.”
“I’m right here, shorty. I’m not going anywhere.” He could hear the anger in Kane’s voice. It was strained and low.
“What happened?” Hondo and Rainerio rushed into the bedroom. “Dillon said someone broke in.”
“They tried to kill my mate.”
Hondo knelt down beside them. “Is he okay?”
“No,” Kane growled. “I’m tired of seeing my mate with bruises.” The warrior ran his hands over Snooke’s head, murmuring into his hair as Snooke got his breathing back under control.
“He tried to take me,” Snooke whimpered. “And then when I fought him, he tried to snap my neck.”
“You did good, shorty, real good.” Snooke could feel Kane’s muscles tensing around him. He didn’t protest when Kane lifted him from the floor. “Where are Chris and Dillon?”
“In the living room with Takeo and Phoenyx,” Rainerio answered.
Kane held Snooke close to his chest as he turned all the lights on in the bedroom. Never again would he complain it was too bright. Kane tilted Snooke’s head to the side. “If I find out who did this, I’ll kill him.”
“Does he need me?’ Phoenyx stuck his head into the bedroom.
“No, just some bruising,” Kane replied.
Panahasi slowly walked down to the depths of the detention cells. He looked into each room he passed. The sounds of the damned echoed throughout the chambers. Screaming and shrills a constant. He would never grow accustomed to the sounds of the damned.
Offenders were brought here to be judged by the keeper. If they were found innocent, they were set free. If guilty, they spent the rest of their lives reliving the horrors they had committed on the offended.
He continued his walk as he looked in each and every cell. So far all were accounted for. The keeper would know if anyone was set free, but for Panahasi’s peace of mind, he wanted to see with his own eyes.
He stopped at one particular cell and peered in. The sight before him evoked memories of a battle long ago. A battle he’d nearly lost.
He breathed a sigh of relief to see Crypt was still locked away, reliving every horror he had committed. To most inhabitants locked away in the detention cells, it was a torture beyond compare. But Panahasi had a feeling Crypt was glorifying in it.
“He is still locked away.” The ke
eper, a tall man of unknown age, stepped up to Panahasi’s side. He looked to his right, marveling at the man’s beauty. But it was an illusion. Only Panahasi had seen his true form.
It was something he didn’t care to see again.
“I want a guard put at his door. I don’t trust Marino. He may not know about Crypt, but I do not want to take any chances.”
“I agree.” The keeper elegantly turned and walked away. Within a second, a centaur, standing as tall as eight feet, was guarding Crypt’s door.
Satisfied, Panahasi thought of home and then disappeared.
“I’m fine, damn it.” Snooke knocked Kane’s hand away. He knew it was the fear of almost dying and the embarrassment of crying in front of everyone, so Kane ignored his mate’s outburst.
He had tried to console Snooke, but his mate seemed unreachable. For two days now Snooke snapped and growled at anyone who came near him. Dillon had taken Chris up on his offer to stay at his home while Snooke worked through this. Kane had never felt so helpless in his entire life. His mate was hurting, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Kane sat in the chair, rubbing his fingers across his chin as he stared at Snooke balled up on the couch. He knew that if he approached his mate, Snooke would only push him away.
His pulled his cell phone out when it began to ring, watching Snooke stare blankly at the television which wasn’t even on.
“Yeah?”
“How’s he doing?” Panahasi asked. Kane hated that all the warriors had come to check on Snooke and his mate had snapped at them all. He guessed the leader wanted to avoid that situation by calling instead.
“Same.”
“Let me know if he needs anything.”
“I will.” Kane hung up his phone. He watched his mate carefully as Snooke rose from the couch and walked over, climbing onto Kane’s lap. He held his arms wide until Snooke adjusted himself and then wrapped his arms around his little demon.