by Nadine Mutas
“I think you broke me.” Her voice was sex wrapped in velvet.
“Good thing we heal fast.”
He crawled up her body, leaving kisses in his wake, though not with the intent to excite her any more. He was petting her down, his touch soothing, relaxing. From the looks of it, she really was done for the day.
Her sleepy look traveled down from his face to his chest, to his rock-hard cock pushing against his boxer briefs. She half-heartedly reached out, but he grabbed her hand, kissed it, and tucked it next to her head as he lay down beside her.
Lily looked at him and raised an eyebrow, even that small movement filled with exhaustion. “What about you?”
“Not this time.” She was half asleep already.
“You’re a strange male,” she murmured.
He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, feeling a small smile start in his heart and take over his face. “Because I’d rather enjoy sex with fully conscious females?”
“Hm.” She closed her eyes and settled deeper into the pillow, her voice drowsy. “But I didn’t even get to play with your dick.”
He chuckled. “You’ll get your chance.”
“I better,” she whispered, and then she was out like a light.
Chapter 14
“I really don’t know nothing about it!”
Lily watched the alp struggle against Alek’s hold. He held the tiny nightmare-inducing demon pressed to the wall of the tunnel, one of many that apparently ran underneath Portland, used to travel hidden from witch eyes. To say she’d been surprised when Alek led her down into the vast system of underground passageways was an understatement. All this time, she and her family and friends had patrolled the city for demons, and they’d been right under their feet.
As a requirement for taking her along, Alek had made her vow to keep the passageways a secret from the other witches—a binding oath of power. As much as it grated on her to be unable to tell her mom or Merle about these tunnels, she understood why Alek insisted on her silence. Many of his friends or family were demon, and, given the current climate among witches, if knowledge like this leaked to Juneau and her followers, it could be used to devastating effect against all demons—whether they were evil or not.
“Let’s try this again,” Alek said, and brought the lemon he was holding in his other hand closer to the alp’s face. “I’ve got a few more of these in that bag over there, and unless you want me to shove them all into your mouth, you’re going to talk.”
The alp’s black eyes widened in panic, and it whimpered. “Please, no, not the lemons! Anything but the lemons!”
Lily couldn’t help snorting a laugh. She’d known alps didn’t like the citrus fruit, but she had no idea they were actually terrified. Apparently, as Alek had explained, when you shoved a lemon in their mouths, they went limp and paralyzed. And spraying a little bit of lemon juice on their skin prevented the little demon creatures from changing shape. If Alek hadn’t squirted some of the lemon juice on the alp, it would have already shifted from its standard form of a dwarf-like humanoid being—an ugly-ass one, if she were honest—to a moth or a snake.
Alek wiggled the citrus fruit suggestively. “Talk.”
“All right, all right,” the alp sputtered. “I seen him, okay?”
“Where?”
“Over in the harbor quarter. Where the ships dock. He supposed to live there, in one of them empty containers.”
Alek glanced at her, then back at the alp. He let the little demon go, but raised the lemon in warning. “Good. Now, if I find out you told me shit, I’ll be back with a whole tub full of lemon juice and dunk you in it.”
The alp shuddered and scurried away.
“Well,” she said, fighting a grin at Alek’s unique interrogation method, “let’s hit the harbor.”
It had taken some careful asking around among Alek’s contacts—he’d been careful to be specific enough to get good answers but not enough to arouse suspicion—until they found someone who knew someone who might have more information about a certain duhokrad they were looking for. Even after Lily remembered more details about the guy, like he had short, dark hair and a scar over his left eye, it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
The duhokrad community apparently wasn’t all that big, but it lacked any kind of organization, so individual duhokrads didn’t necessarily know every other member of their species who lived in the area. Alek didn’t recognize the guy from her description, and he was careful not to ask around other duhokrads too directly, in case the demon he probed for information was friends with the one they were looking for and would warn him.
So, after spending the better part of the available hours until midnight cautiously tapping non-duhokrad sources of information, they’d finally been pointed to the alp. According to their source, someone saw him hanging out with a duhokrad who fit their description. Unfortunately, even the alp didn’t know the demon’s name.
Using the tunnels as much as possible to avoid being spotted by witches, Alek and Lily went to the harbor quarter of Portland. They spent the next hour checking every container for signs of habitation. Other than a few rat nests, a family of raccoons, a very pissed pixie colony, and a demon couple—not duhokrad—busy having a fuck-fest, they found nothing, not even a scrap that hinted at the possibility the duhokrad had recently lived here.
With a groan of frustration, Lily leaned against the wall of the last container they’d just opened. “That was a bust.”
Alek pressed his lips in a grim line. “I’ll have to pay that alp a lemon visit after all.”
“That tiny bastard.” She straightened. “So, we’re back to square one. Any other ideas where to look?”
He checked his phone. “Not right now. I’ll have to be at work soon.” Pocketing the cell again, he looked at her. “Tell you what, while I’m at my post, I’ll text some of my contacts in Arawn’s network. Someone has to know something.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, frustration and anxiety tensing her muscles. “I don’t like the idea of sitting around idly for the rest of the night. I need to find this jerkface.”
Merle had called her earlier with the news that she and Lily’s mom had analyzed the serum in the dart as thoroughly as possible, and their findings corroborated what Alek had read in her demon tattoo—whatever the exact spell, the magic was a mix of demon and witch. How that was possible, they didn’t know, and it was one reason Lily still needed to catch the duhokrad who shot her. The information her mom and Merle had gleaned from the serum was enough for them to start looking for a reversal spell, but the more info they had on the exact nature of the power used, the better.
Magic was such a finicky, ambiguous force. One detail could radically alter the makeup of a spell, and thus the counter-magic necessary to reverse it. If they didn’t learn what exactly had been done to create the serum, they might find a spell to turn Lily back, but it could very well have undesirable side effects.
Yeah, she was so not keen on that.
Alek stepped up to her, cupped her face with his hand, the silver in his eyes swirling. “I know you’re antsy to get him, but you can’t go out on your own. It’s too risky.”
She narrowed her eyes, raised her chin. “I could use the tunnels.”
“Nope. For two reasons.” He held up one finger. “You don’t know the tunnel system, which means you could easily get lost.” He raised a second finger. “There’s actual, real demon traffic going on down there.”
She couldn’t help it—she snickered.
He groaned and rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on.”
“What?” she asked, the snicker turning into full laughter that had her belly aching. “Demon traffic? Down there?” She gestured. “Have you met my mind? How can it not go there?”
He pressed his lips together, a muscle feathering in his cheek. He was so obviously trying to appear stern, but the sparkle in his eyes and the flicker in his aura gave him away. And it only took a couple of seconds for the
amusement to take over. A gorgeous grin broke across his face, lighting up his eyes, bringing out his crinkling laugh lines—and a small dimple in one cheek.
How had she not noticed that dimple before? Good gods, that alone could have stolen her heart.
Sizzling heat replaced the laughter in his eyes, and his aura pulsed with sexual intent. The next second, he had her shoved against the container wall, his thigh between her legs, his mouth on hers. His powerful body pressed against hers, all hard planes and virile strength.
“When you look at me like that,” he muttered when he broke his bruising kiss, “all I can think about is how fast I can get you naked with your legs wrapped around me.”
Desire blooming in her core, she slid her hands down and under his shirt, stroked over the taut muscles of his abdomen. “I wouldn’t mind some of that demon traffic about now.” To emphasize her point, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his jeans and tugged.
His aura blazed into a storm that scorched her own energy. Red and black bled into his eyes, glowing in the dark as he gave her a look that was making her sweat in the best of ways.
A loud clang startled them both. Somewhere over in the next row of containers, the trip-trip of small feet on wet concrete sounded, moving away. She caught sight of a rat-sized creature scurrying from one shadow to the next.
Alek stepped back, regret set in the lines of his face. “Not here, Lilichka. And not right now.”
She puffed out a breath. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
They’re looking for me.
Drake watched the hellrat he’d stirred up from its slumber scuttle past the container he’d climbed—past Lily and the duhokrad male she was with.
Damn him. He balled his hand into a fist, his claws slicing out and into the flesh of his palm until blood dripped down onto the container roof. That male…the son of a bitch had dared lay a hand on Lily. His Lily.
As far as he could tell, she wasn’t mated yet, but it was only a matter of time. The way she reacted to that fucking bastard… He gritted his teeth hard enough to pop a muscle in his jaw. He had to get her back before the other male claimed her as his mate. Drake hadn’t risked his hide stealing that vial of serum and shooting Lily with it, only to have her snatched away from right under his nose by another duhokrad.
The thought of her with another male made his blood boil. Ever since he saw her while she was out on patrol one night a couple weeks back, he hadn’t been able to shake the desire for her. She made him yearn like no other female had ever done before, and he’d come to understand it was because she was meant for him. She had to be. Why else would she incite this kind of need in him, when she hadn’t even been born a duhokrad? Well, he’d taken care of that little obstacle.
She was his, and he’d make sure to stake his claim. Once he mated with her, no one would be able to take her away from him, the mating bond tying her to him beyond the reach of anyone else, demon or witch. And he’d make Lily see that no other male could compare. One night with him, and she wouldn’t even look at another duhokrad.
He carefully climbed back down the container once Lily and his rival were out of earshot, and followed them from a safe distance, taking care to stay downwind. If Lily were alone, he’d have jumped her already, but he couldn’t fight both her and the male. He’d have to tail them and wait for his chance, maybe see where they stayed. It wasn’t her family’s home, that was for sure. He’d staked out that one for the past two nights, but had caught no sign of Lily returning home. Checking on her friend’s house—that ginger-haired witch with the bluotezzer mate—had been a waste of time, too.
He’d begun to fear he’d lost her to the maze of the city, had come here to grab the last of his stuff from the boat where he’d been living for the past weeks—it was time to move again—when she showed up, just like that. His own personal miracle.
And didn’t she look heavenly tonight? A vision of bliss wrapped in sin. This was the first time he’d seen her after her transformation, and her new demon aura sent a thrill down to his balls. He couldn’t wait to get her alone, to see her eyes flare with red and black when she looked at him. She might fight him at first, but that was fine. It was part of the mating dance, and, if he was honest, the idea excited him. It would make it so much sweeter when she finally submitted.
Lily and the duhokrad approached the hidden entrance to the underground tunnel system, and his heart rate spiked. It would be tricky to follow them in there without being noticed.
The male scanned the area, then opened the secret door to the derelict, boarded-up shed. After sniffing the air inside, he nodded at Lily and waved her in.
Anxiety vibrated down Drake’s spine. He tensed, ready to run out of his hiding spot behind the fence, and around the container compound, to follow them underground. His cell phone rang, and his heart stuttered. He flattened his back to the fence and pushed the button to mute the call. Shit. He should have remembered to turn it off. A glance at the caller ID had his stomach roiling with trepidation.
Seth.
He knew what the other duhokrad wanted. Drake had ignored several calls from him already, as well as a text demanding he pay Seth a visit ASAP. Sweat beaded on his brow. He couldn’t face Seth yet, not before he’d mated with Lily.
Pocketing the muted phone again, he peered around the fence. The door to the shed was closed…no sign of Lily or the male. He made his way over to the entrance and followed them inside. The trap door flickered into view under his hand, the concealment spell recognizing his demon nature and releasing its hold.
Making sure the coast was clear, he lowered himself into the tunnel. Sniffing the air, he tracked the route Lily and the male had taken, until he came to a T-junction in the tunnel. The faint trace he’d been following dissipated in the breeze of another creature’s scent. Someone else had come through the tunnel here after Lily and the duhokrad, and the astringent smell overpowered any other note in the air.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He’d lost them.
Chapter 15
Alek made it back home just as the blue-gray of predawn gave way to the rose blush of impending morning. He quickly walked Grant around the block, eying the daylight crawling closer and closer.
Once back inside, he pulled the shutters down and locked them. He expelled a breath of relief. That had been close. Not that the daylight would have burned him to a crisp in seconds, but he’d rather not lose any more duh.
Speaking of which…
“Lilichka,” he said, catching her attention as she put away her cereal bowl. “I’d like to show you something.”
A saucy grin quirked up one corner of her mouth, and she wiggled her brows while she sauntered over. “Is it biiiiiiiiiig? Will it shock my delicate female sensibilities and make me gasp and clutch my pearls?”
She slid her arms around his waist, her hands stroking over his ass and up to the front, where she started unbuckling his belt. His pulse kicked up and a bolt of desire shot to his groin, blood rushing unerringly south. Down, boy.
“As much as I appreciate your straightforward willingness to get me naked,” he muttered, plucking her deft hands off his belt, “this is not what I meant.”
Her lips pulled into a pout, and it was the cutest damn thing he’d ever seen. “You promised I could play with your cock.”
Hot damn. That mouth of hers… A new wave of lust flooded his body, her dirty talk making the part she’d mentioned stand at expectant attention.
“Later.” As much as he wanted to get her in his bed again—or on any other available surface, really—and as much as he could tell she needed the outlet, evident in the humming tension in her body and the hints of frustration in her aura, showing her how to preserve her duh would also help balance her mind and body and calm her down like nothing else.
She sighed. “You keep dangling that carrot in front of me, but I never get to taste it.”
He choked on a laugh. “You’ll get the carrot, tsvetochek. After I show you
how to extend your life force so you won’t have to take duh quite so soon again.”
That sobered her a bit. Her eyes lost the glint of humor, and she stepped back from him. “Oh? Do tell.”
“In a nutshell, it’s a method of controlling the flow of your breath with the aim of keeping more of your duh inside your body.”
He sat cross-legged on the rug in front of the couch and gestured for her to join him. Still looking rather skeptical, Lily lowered herself to sit across from him.
“Okay,” he began, “so you already know we need to absorb someone else’s life force regularly to replenish our own. Here’s why—breath carries duh, so every time we exhale, we lose a bit of it. And this is where breathing techniques come in. By controlling the flow of the breath in and out of the body, you can control the flow of duh as well. With practice, you can get to the point where regular sessions of breath retention and deep, slow breathing will reduce the amount of duh that gets lost with an exhale.”
“But only during a breathing control session, right?”
“Nope. That’s the beauty of it. Do this regularly, and you’ll lower the loss of duh in general. Without this, you’d have to make a kill every other night or so, depending on your activity level. With breathing control, you’ll be able to gradually increase the time between feedings to several days, if not weeks. You’re recalibrating your body, in a way.” He tilted his head. “As long as you still keep up regular breathing control practice, that is.”
She nodded. “Got it.”
“Good. To start, center yourself and focus on your breathing. It helps if you close your eyes.”
“I’ve done a little yoga and meditation before.”
“Perfect. Then you know the basics. Direct your awareness to your breath, feel how it leaves your body, focus on the sensations of it. How it flows through your throat, how it tickles your nose.”