“Sister Madeline.”
“The nun?”
“She’s one of our strongest psychics. Stronger than you. She said the feeling she got from you was of desperation and this needy, breathless sensation, like you wanted to escape but had to stay. She said it was wonderful and terrible at the same time. She thought you’d been drugged.”
“Why did you leave me in my room and just take Desi?”
“You looked so peaceful, and the team doctor said you were physically fine.” Dana paused, tapping her fingers together. “I know it’s hard for you to get a good night’s rest, so we just let you sleep.” With a small smile that let him know she was aware of the psi’s problems, she continued. “One of the tech wizards undid the cuffs. She fought until she figured out that you were all right.”
“I see.” He didn’t but it sounded good to him. “So, what’s up with Big Red?”
“He’s come to take her back to Hell.” This from Aphrodite, who paced back and forth in front of the mirror, with the demon making every step she did on the other side.
“Why?” Lucian asked.
“Because you’re a big baby.” Andre threw his hands in the air. “And to top it off, you squealed to the paranormal po po that she tried to kill you!”
“That’s not what this note says.” He pointed to the paper. “I was,” Lucian’s face heated, “having a moment.”
Aphrodite grinned. “A moment?”
“Yeah, a nice moment.” He refused to elaborate.
Dana snorted and started for the door. “God save me from idiots.”
“That doesn’t get rid of the monster.”
“You said it was a nice moment.” Dana stopped in her tracks.
Lucian pointed. “I meant that big scary guy.”
“Oh.” She paused. “Well, since she’s a succubus, he was summoned automatically once we put her in the room. He’s like a cop.”
Aphrodite cleared her throat. “Desdemona Arnez is under my protection.”
“She’s a succubus. That’s not your jurisdiction,” Dana insisted with a snort.
The sex queen took a deep breath using up most of the oxygen in the room and gifted the werewolf with a bright smile. “She was given to me after a particularly wild party.”
Dana curled her lip. “Ew!”
“Yes, well, I was bored.” Aphrodite shrugged. “His parties are to die for because the bar is open.” She turned to stare at the mirror. “She was one of the servers. I couldn’t help but notice her. She was as beautiful then as she is now and as sad. So, after our little,” she smiled and wiggled her brows, “fun time, he offered me a gift. I asked for Desi. She’s been working for me at various jobs since. Turn Me On is the latest and one of our most lucrative joint ventures.”
Dana shook her head and laughed. “Only you’d ask the devil for a succubus as a parting gift.”
Aphrodite giggled and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Only I’d get one.” The smile fell off her face and the goddess of love became something very different. “The point is that Desi is mine, and what’s mine, I protect.”
With that, Aphrodite simply walked through the mirror. Lucian refused to be left out, but he had to do it the hard way. He picked up one of the chairs and threw it at the glass with a satisfying, shattering crash. As he leapt over the sill and landed at the demon’s big, shiny black hooves, he remembered something. Unlike Aphrodite, he was all too mortal.
“Um, hi.” He wiggled his fingers at Big Red.
“Human, dare you to interfere?” The demon leaned down and picked him up like he weighed nothing.
Ah, crap, this was gonna hurt so bad. “Yeah, I guess.”
“No!” Desi leapt on the demon’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Don’t you hurt him!”
The demon laughed before ramming Lucian into the wall. Where in the hell was the goddess? She needed to do some divine damage and she needed to do it quick.
“Kick his ass!” Andre yelled from the safety of the interrogation room. Lucian had a second to wonder if Andre was talking to him or the demon before he hurtled through the air and crashed into the wall. He slid to the floor in a heap of pain. Maybe if he just lay there, he’d be ignored.
Desi screeched, vetoing that idea, so he pushed himself up and staggered back towards the fight. The demon’s massive red fist came at him. He ducked. Demon boy’s knuckles grazed his temple and everything went gray and wavy. Dammit, he couldn’t beat this big freak with brawn, so he needed to use his brains.
Lucian concentrated, not an easy feat when there was a heavy metal concert going on in his frontal lobe. However, the spark of weird that had been with him for almost twenty years grew into a flame that burned cold. His lips stretched into a smile as the power flowed to the tips of his fingers.
The demon plucked Desi off his back and threw her toward the broken window. Shards of mirrored glass still edged the opening like so many teeth. Lucian pushed with his mind. The pulse of energy nudged her just enough so wasn’t impaled on the glass, instead flying over the edge to land safely on the other side.
However, while he was distracted, the demon was on him, his hands on his throat. His breath smelled of sulfur and rotted meat. His eyes now glowed red and sparks of yellow pulsed in them. “Since you’re wanting her so much, I’ll take you both back with me.”
Lucian kicked at him futilely. He only had a small reserve of power left. He narrowed it down to a small point, shaping it in his mind to a razor sharpness. Then, he grinned. “Yo, Big Red!” The demon leaned closer, baring his fangs and the inside of his black mouth.
At that moment, he shoved the mental spear into the roof of the demon’s mouth up into his brain, visualizing it going out the top of his head. With a roar, the demon released him, grabbing his head.
Lucian scrambled away on his hands and knees, choking at the mist of blood and sulfur that came out of the demon.
The room shook and thunder boomed all around him. He curled up into a ball in the corner, waiting for it to be over. After what seemed to be an eternity, it died down except for the applause.
Wait. Applause? He lifted his head and stared at Aphrodite slowly fading into sight.
“Well done, Lucian.”
He growled in frustration. “Where in the hell were you?”
She smiled and winked. “Good guess.”
Dana leaned over the sill of the broken mirror, taking in the smoke-filled room and the dead demon on the floor. “Who’s going to pay for all this?”
“Oh, pish. You’re such a spoilsport.” Aphrodite, from whom Desi had apparently learned to curse, snapped her fingers and everything was back the way it was. The mess, including the mirror and Desi, simply disappeared. Then the goddess turned to Lucian and handed him a card with her name and number on it. “You’ve been a wonderful hero so far. Call me when you’re alone.” With that, she vanished.
Lucian stood and brushed himself off and waited for Dana to let him out of the line up room. When she did, he limped out of the office, ignoring the stares of his coworkers.
By the time he reached the elevators, he was running. He hit the button and patted his jeans pockets. “Thank God!” He pulled his phone out and called the number on the card. “Hello, this is Lucian Ballantine from Paranormal…” With a long sigh he gave in. “Yeah, I’m with PMS. Look, what do I need to do?” He listened then leaned against the wall and sighed.
~*~
Desi, packed methodically, laying her clothes neatly in her bag. If she concentrated hard enough, she’d be able to block out the humiliation of her stupidity. Out of all the men in the world, she’d visited a psychic, and not just once.
She hadn’t recognized him because Lucian shielded himself even in his dreams. All she’d seen was a dark shadow of a man who’d been very lonely. She’d been drawn to the energy he’d offered, and of course, he’d been drawn to the dream sex she’d given him.
Everything had been fine until he’d sent that psychic blast shoving
her out of his head and knocking her out. She’d been unconscious long enough for his associates at PMS to get inside the room and grab her. She’d been so scared that she’d hurt Lucian until the doctor had muttered he was fine, just in a deep sleep. He’d said that no psychic got to that point of sleep. He’d then looked at Lucian with something like envy and gave her a once over that made her feel naked despite the fact that Lucian’s shirt covered her to the knees.
He’d told those people she’d tried to kill him. She hadn’t; she’d just been so hungry. Desi paused with a pair of boots in her hand, remembering his fingers in her hair as he pulled her close. His voice calling her name. He’d needed her as desperately as she’d needed him.
She dropped the boots and sat down on the bed. He had come to save her, along with her boss Aphrodite and Andre, another of her oh so willing victims. Although she’d cheated and started him up before leaving the satyr to his own devices. He’d done fine on his own. She’d been doing that more often over the years, siphoning off only the energy she needed to get by with the least amount of contact.
With Lucian, it had been different from the first time she’d happened upon his lonely sleeping call. She’d broken her rule and come back, not once but three different times. Meeting him in reality had been, ironically enough, a dream come true. When he’d asked for Desi and not the blonde or redheaded women that were part of her usual stable of fantasy faces, she’d been pleasantly shocked.
Who was she kidding? He knew exactly what she was now. She’d heard him call her a monster, and that had been with a gigantic enforcer demon in the room. “Damn.”
She had to leave before she saw him again and did something stupid like cry. With that in mind, she started packing again, this time just throwing her things into the bag.
With one last look to make sure she had everything, she grabbed her bags and walked out the door, wishing she could leave behind the bad memories.
~*~
The plane was on time for once, for which Desi was thankful. At least she’d get some rest on the way home to New York. She closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh, falling asleep almost instantly, waking only when the plane landed. She waited for five minutes longer than eternity before she was able to claim her luggage. After that, she took a taxi to her small apartment that seemed less like home than ever.
She changed into a long, straight dress that always reminded her of Greece with its soft flowing lines and the dark blue material that whispered against her bare legs as she walked. Humming, she went into her kitchen to make some tea. Just as the put the kettle on, the doorbell rang.
Thinking it was Aphrodite come to check on her, or at least fuss about her leaving the rest of Turn Me On’s stock back in Vegas, she opened the door and started back to the kitchen. “Come on in. If you’re hear to bitch, I’d rather have a drink first, if you don’t mind.” When her boss didn’t say anything, she turned and almost fell down at the sight of Lucian.
He looked too damn good, shirtless, wearing just his jeans. He stood in the doorway with one hand in his pocket and the other behind his back. When she just kept staring at him, he smiled and brought out a bouquet of dark red roses.
She reached out and automatically took them, still staring at him. “Do you like them?” She managed a nod. “They remind me of your perfume.”
“Oh.” Oh? What was wrong with her?
“Can I come in, Desi?”
She managed another nod and stepped back, allowing him inside. He looked around the room, his gaze homing in on the suitcases. “Why did you leave? The Expo isn’t over for another few days.”
She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I thought it best that I just go quietly.”
“I didn’t.” He walked in and took the flowers out of her hands, laying them on the little table by the door.
She had trouble following his words when he kept staring at her like someone on a diet looking at a piece of chocolate cake. It didn’t help matters that he put his hands on her shoulders, stroking the skin of her neck. He made matters worse when he leaned down and brushed his mouth across hers, barely touching her lips. Before she could respond, he pulled back.
She put her fingers to his lips, running them across his jaw, the stubble of his whiskers tickling her. “Why did you come here?”
He kissed her palm before she could move her hand, and she closed her eyes and shuddered. “To convince you come back.” His voice vibrated up her arm straight to her heart.
“You said I was a monster.” She tried to get her hand free of his but he refused to let go.
He looked shocked. “I said the demon was a monster. Desi, I was so scared when I saw you in there with that thing. If anything had happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself.”
She wanted to believe him, but there were other things that didn’t add up. “Why did you call for help?”
The tips of his ears turned red. “Well, you know when you were sucking my um…” He stopped and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. “It happened when you and I were together and I promise I didn’t mean to let anyone hear me.”
She clapped her hands over her mouth to smother her laugh, but it burst free anyway. “Oh, no! Do you mean all your psycho friends heard us having sex?”
He gritted his teeth. “That’s psychic, Desi, and we didn’t have sex, I did.”
Waving her hand around airily, she walked into the kitchen to turn off the kettle. “Same thing.”
“No, it’s not,” he grumbled, following her into the kitchen. “That’s part of the reason I’m here. We’ve got unfinished business.”
“You want me to come back to Vegas for that?” She turned away from the stove and put her hand on her hip.
With an apologetic smile, he answered, “Actually, honey, you’re still in Vegas.”
Panic clawed up Desi’s throat, threatening to choke her. It must have shown on her face, because he stepped towards her. “It’s okay. I just needed to stall you so I could have time to catch up. I couldn’t let you leave.” He put his hands up when she backed away. “Don’t be scared of me.”
“How are you doing this?” She gazed at her surroundings for a clue that hinted they weren’t real, but they were flawless. It looked exactly like her tiny apartment in New York.
“Friends in high places?” His mouth twisted. “Well, I don’t have any, but you do.”
She narrowed her eyes, her thoughts running around in her head; finally, it dawned on her who he meant. “Aphrodite.”
“Smart and beautiful.” He gave her a heart-stopping grin. “Yeah, your boss set the whole thing up, from the tip that got me to watch you, sent through Harry, the snotty werewolf, down to this little dream episode.”
She refused to listen to any more. Instead she ran past him to the door, pulling on it. Of course, it wouldn’t open. “What do I have to do to get out of here?”
He spread his arms wide and grinned. “Me.”
“Ooh!” When she screeched, he grabbed her arms, turning her around to face him. “Desi, I’m joking. I just wanted you to listen.”
“To what? You just want sex, like all the others.”
“Well, yeah. But I want something else.”
“What’s that?”
“I want you, the real you. Not some fantasy fix or even some Desi clone that you throw at me to keep me at a distance.” His words hit her and she stopped struggling to get away. “What did you want from me those times you visited?”
“Energy.”
“Why me and not some other lucky dreamer?”
“You were,” she may as well admit it, “lonely, like me.”
“Well, there you go.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “Wake up, Desi.”
~*~
She opened her eyes and found herself back in her hotel room, with Lucian lying beside her on the bed. His lashes fluttered open and he pinned her with that bright green gaze. “I like dreaming, but this will be better.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. “I haven’t been with a real person in a long time.”
“Me either. It’s hard to when you can read her mind.” He shrugged as if it didn’t bother him, but she knew it did so she snuggled close.
For a few long seconds, he just lay there looking at her. “Close your eyes.” She did and he swirled his fingers around on her forehead her cheeks, and finally her lips. She opened her mouth, nipped his fingers, and he laughed.
His hands skimmed over her body until he reached the hem of the dress she’d chosen to wear on the plane. Inch by inch he pulled it up. She wiggled around, helping him get it over her head. His fast intake of breath made her grin.
Wherever his hands went, fire followed until her body burned with it, ached. She opened her thighs, cradling him against her and her legs moved restlessly and she pulled his head down to hers, urging him to either take action or let her lead.
He stroked once, twice between her legs, his fingers burning her through her panties. Desi shuddered against his hand, a cry escaping her lips. She opened her eyes to meet his amused ones. “I wanted you to keep your eyes closed.” But she couldn’t tear her gaze away as he cupped first one breast, then the other.
She caught her breath when his palms slid back and forth over her nipples making them harden almost painfully. Finally, he took them in his hands, squeezing them, and she moaned, arching her back. He licked one hard peak with his tongue, then sucked it into his mouth, swirling and nibbling.
Suddenly, he stopped and pressed a kiss on her chest, his breath harsh and fast against her skin. When he looked up, she arched one brow impatiently. “What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?”
He seemed to change into something darker then. With a growl, he pulled his shirt over his head and undid the buttons on his jeans. He didn’t speak, just moved to lie beside her on the bed. He skimmed his hand down her bare stomach and just that contact that made her pussy clench.
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