Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Lindsey R. Loucks

  It was comparable to weaving colors with your mind, or in this case, unweaving, and the stronger your emotions at the time, the easier and faster the process worked. That explained why she’d been able to manipulate the auras of Debol’s guards. She’d been out of her mind with anger and worry when they attacked Rydin.

  Aidor actually offered to stay and work for Valia. Said he’d rather live here than return to the demon realm. Valia wasn’t really interested but had taken him to her mother knowing Talith would find something for him to do. He was a cutie too. If she could get Rydin out of her head, she might invite him into her bed next time she needed a feed. She sighed. The idea held no appeal to her. What the hell had that Ferox done to her?

  Rydin returned in exactly twenty-four hours. He’d burst into her bedroom from the balcony door and promptly startled the crap out of her.

  “Rydin!” she gasped. “You really need to get with the twenty-first century and get a cell phone. Warn a lady you’re about to burst into her room.” She still saw the fury in his eyes and in his aura. Twenty-four hours hadn’t tamed it at all. She wanted desperately to lighten his mood, to see his eyes shine with desire for her again. He glared at her, standing there looking all yummy, even in his anger.

  “You are no lady, and I already warned you I’d be back in twenty-four hours.”

  Ouch. Well, it was true, no one ever accused her of being a lady, but damn, it kinda bugged her coming from him. She didn’t let it show and continued trying to defuse his anger. “True, just didn’t expect…” she shrugged. “Whatevs, so whatcha gonna do with all your free time now? You must be excited.”

  “I’m not here for small talk. Unbind me. Now.”

  She gave him her best pout. “Well, you don’t have to be such a grouchy-pants about it. I told you I didn’t even know I’d done it. Geez.” She huffed.

  He closed the distance between them and gripped her shoulders painfully. “You’ve caused me nothing but trouble. You cost me years of my life. You bound me to you and forced me to feel things,” he shook his head, “to do things. If my pants are grouchy, it’s your fault. Do you understand, female? Do you understand that what I want to do—what I should do—is snap your neck?”

  Valia’s skin heated beneath his painful grip, his touch awakening her want for him. Even in his fury, in his obvious hatred of her, she wanted him still. It scared her, this wanting, and she hoped to hell the unbinding diminished it. It had to because she didn’t think she could stand to continue wanting him so much and not being able to act on it.

  “I tried to make up for it. Ya know, by helping you to eliminate your contract. Remember that? Huh?” she taunted.

  His eyes closed. She sensed him trying to rein in his tempter. When his lids rose, his grip on her shoulders relaxed a little. “Why did you do that?”

  “I told you. I felt guilty after remembering and I wanted to help you.”

  He huffed. “More likely you wanted your Ferox toy to yourself.”

  She reached out her hand to rub across his cock. “Well you do have an awesome toy.”

  He shoved her away. “No more games.”

  She walked up to him, frustration getting the better of her, and poked him in the chest. “You’re a party pooper and kind of dick. You know that? Hello, big scary Ferox demon. If I was playing games with you, I’d just manipulate your aura right now. But I’m not. Maybe I should. Whatcha gonna do then?” she said defiantly, poking him one more time. She knew she probably shouldn’t instigate more nasty feelings in him, but he was pissing her off. They had some fun together, shared a connection, and he was acting like an ass.

  His hands clenched at his sides, and a vein throbbed erratically at his temple. “Do not push me, female. Unbind me now.”

  “Fine!” She yelled.

  Her anger and annoyance at him made his aura shine brighter, the strands and spots of color illuminating the weave of their bond. It was beautiful—shades of reds, blues, yellows, purples, and grays twined together in a delicate but definitive pattern. It seemed a shame to undo it, to unravel something so extraordinary.

  She called on her lessons with the Sensus demon, and mentally manipulated the colors, unweaving the reds from the yellows, the yellows from the blues, the purples from the grays, rearranging them—freeing them from the weave—letting him go. With each strand she released, a cold void took its place, weighing her down, making her feel hollow.

  They both gasped and staggered as she plucked away the last strand and the bond broke. The sense of loss and emptiness threatened to consume her. Holy shit. It was as if a chunk of her soul had been ripped from her body and an insane need to cry bubbled inside her.

  Rydin shook his head as his hand flew to his heart. “Fuck” was all he said.

  “Yeah, fuck,” she agreed.

  They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, and then Rydin disappeared without another word.

  Free. Rydin no longer had that contract keeping him a prisoner, was no longer stuck in the demon realm, and he could feel the sunshine on his face any damn time he pleased. He could stay in his home on one of the Rock Islands of Palau. No more Incubus, no more Sempire. A new life awaited him, and he couldn’t wait to start living it.

  He’d saved a lot of money while working for Debol, his main mission having a home of his own in the human realm. It was a simple two-story bungalow on his very own private oasis. He’d built it himself, and it had taken a damn long time because he was only able to work on it for very short periods because of the restrictions of his former bond to Debol.

  He walked through the front door and fell into the huge chair he’d custom made from wood he’d collected from the demon realm. The extra thick cushion was wrapped in a leather-like fabric. One gold pillow sat atop the cushion. He’d bought it on a whim while buying sheets for his bed and waiting the twenty four hours he’d allotted Valia. The gold reminded him of her eyes.

  He jumped off the chair, frustrated, when his mind treated him to an image of how Valia would look spread out on the chair, wearing nothing but…nothing. Her blazing red hair splayed over the arm, her wicked smile as she gazed at him, her supple tits begging to be licked, her delicious pussy wet and ready for him.

  He took the stairs up to the second level through the bedroom and stepped out the door onto the wood-railed balcony. Thick trees surrounded the bungalow, some hosting coconuts, some sea grapes, but through the trees he had a view of the sun, sand, and crystal clear water. He inhaled the salty air and sighed. Free. He could hardly believe it.

  Free in more ways than one. He was finally free of the Sempire too, no longer bound and feeling that incompleteness, that void he’d never understood. He could live the life he wanted now, and maybe he’d even find a female or three to keep him company. His lips tugged downward when that image failed to inspire him.

  Rydin gritted his teeth. He was lying to himself because he did feel it, worse now than before. He didn’t know if it was after effects of the unbinding, but he still felt incomplete. When she had broken the bond, he’d experienced intense loss from deep within, and it still hadn’t subsided. He’d wanted to grab her and hold her to him, fill that void with her essence.

  Damn. Stop thinking of her. He walked back into the bedroom trying to distract himself by looking around, making mental notes of items he needed to buy. He’d built the extra-large bed that was custom made from the same wood as the chair downstairs, but it still sported the same type of sheets that he’d had in his home in the demon realm. Scratchy sheets. Because of Valia, he’d learned the luxury of expensive sheets. He ripped them from the bed and put on the new, gold ones, rubbing his hand across the softness. An image of Valia, tangled in them after he’d thoroughly sexed her up, heated his blood.

  Fuck. It was no use. He saw her everywhere he looked. How would she decorate the place? Would she choose items as bold and fiery as her personality, or would she choose soft, feminine items? Would this home be good enough for her? He shook his head,
trying to stop the incessant thoughts.

  Damn her to hell. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted, but all he could think about was her.

  He wanted to port back to her, cuff her, port her back to his home, and lock her up. Keep her for himself. Forever. But it was only the damn bond she’d forced on him and he’d forced her to remove. It had to be. It was the only explanation for all the feelings coursing through him, the sickly feeling of losing a part of himself. It would subside. It had to. But when?

  To hell with it. If he had to feel this way until the after effects wore off, she could damn well ease him through it. Before he had a chance to talk himself out of it, he ported to the veil.

  Valia lay on the balcony outside her bedroom on an oversized chaise lounge, pretending she felt fantastic. Okay, trying to pretend but failing. She’d considered spiffing herself up and hitting a club—it was midnight somewhere—but she couldn’t muster up the motivation. If smokin’ hot sex with yumalicous males failed to perk her up, she knew she was in trouble.

  A long sigh escaped her as she forced herself up from the chaise. She yelped at the sight that greeted her.

  Anger distorted Rydin’s handsome face as he once again slapped a pair of cuffs on her.

  “Rydin! What the hell?”

  “I warned you I knew where you lived.”

  Oh crap, did he still want to snap her neck? “But I did what you asked.”

  He growled and flashed them off her balcony.

  They landed in a mostly barren but cozy house. She caught a glimpse of black tile counter tops in the kitchen with a shiny black and smoky-gray glass tile backsplash. A curved stair case, set with a hand rail that looked as if made from de-barked tree trunks, led to a second story. It reminded her of a bungalow she’d stayed in on a tropical island once, only without all the bold, colorful accents.

  What did you do to me?” he asked, sounding furious.

  “Do? Nothing. Are you high?”

  “You left me with a…hole. You will stay until you fix it.”

  “A hole? What the fuck’s that mean?”

  His brows drew together. “I don’t know, but you will fix it.”

  He grabbed her wrist and dragged her along behind him up the stairs. She went wet between her legs when she saw the enormous bed. Did he mean to have his way with her? She couldn’t deny she wanted it.

  He’d only been away for a few hours, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop wanting him, couldn’t stop missing him. Valia had never experienced such confusion, irritation, and such a wide range of other emotions due to a male before. She’d never needed or wanted anyone so desperately, and it scared the crap out of her.

  He cuffed her to the bed as he’d done in the demon realm. She didn’t bother fighting him. Was that where they were now? No, couldn’t be. She could see sunlight streaming through the open wooden shutters on the windows and door and saw palm trees swaying in the breeze. She noticed the sheets beneath her. They were similar to the ones he’d put on his bed in that yucky shack except these were gold. The ones he bought to make her more comfortable even though he’d denied that was the reason.

  “Where am I?”

  “My home.”

  “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “It’s my home on one of the Rock Islands. I bought the land many years ago but could only come here when on assignment. It took a long time to build.”

  “Wow. You built it? By yourself?” She was impressed.

  What the hell was he doing? He wanted to be rid of her, rid of her hold on him, and what did he do? He fucking brought her to his home. Again.

  “Do you like it?” He growled at himself. Why had he asked her if she liked it? Why did he care?

  She gave him an odd look. “How the hell should I know? Didn’t exactly get a tour.” She looked around the bedroom and then back to him. “Pretty sparse but the bed’s awesome.”

  She looked so fuckable lying in his bed, but he didn’t just want to fuck her, he wanted to devour her, drink in her very essence and keep it locked inside him to fill the void. The void he knew only she could fill.

  “Uh, Rydie, what’s the deal? You can’t keep abducting me.” She looked at her handcuffed wrist and a snorting laugh escaped her. “Well, obviously you can.”

  He’d love to laugh with her, but this was serious.

  “I’m…” he started and paused, trying to think of what to say, “not finished with you. You still owe me. Damn you.”

  “Damn me?” She laughed. “You’re seriously unstable.”

  “You didn’t unbind me,” he accused her.

  Her gold eyes sparkled as she yelled, “I did!”

  That’s what he feared most, that she truly had unbound him, meaning these feelings were all his. He hoped she was lying to him, that way there was a chance to undo it, to fix what ailed him, what ate at his insides. But he knew she spoke the truth.

  “Then why can’t I stop thinking about you? Why does it feel as if a part of my gut has been gouged out? Why, even though I hate you, do I desire to shove up your skirt and sink into you? Lose myself in you and only you? Why do I want you to bind me again? Why Valia? What have you done to me?”

  She blinked and swallowed hard but said nothing.

  “Please,” he forced out through gritted teeth, his voice strained to his own ears. “Release me from this torture or…”

  “Or what?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

  He sat on the bed beside her, head in his hands. “Or stay. Stay and be mine.” He couldn’t believe he’d just said that and had sounded so pathetic. It angered him, but he meant it. He wanted this pain in the ass female for his own. Forever. He didn’t think he could ever get enough of her body or her fiery spirit.

  “Um, are you saying-are you… Whatcha saying?”

  Her gold eyes were wide, and she looked scared. Was the idea of being his so terrible? He turned to her and caressed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. Soft and cuddly didn’t come naturally to him, but he gave it his best shot. “You’ve bewitched me. I thought the feelings I had for you were because of the aura binding, that they weren’t real. But when you released the bond, I felt…” he searched his mind for a fitting word, “desolate. I wanted to commanded you then and there to bind me again.”

  Feeling ridiculous because of his declaration, he sobered, hardened. “You will stay until I convince you to be mine. If I have to keep you cuffed to my bed for fifty years, so be it. You will be mine.”

  She stared at him with an unreadable expression for a long time, and then she laughed. Why was this female always laughing at him? It should anger him, but her face lit up as though she was an angel glowing in the sunshine when she laughed, and the sound soothed a little of the frustration inside him.

  She sobered and said, “So bossy. Relationships aren’t really my thing.”

  Rydin’s gut clenched, she couldn’t turn him down, not after he’d declared himself. No. He wouldn’t allow it, wouldn’t allow her to say no. He‘d meant what he’d said, he would keep her locked up in his home until he changed her mind.

  He stood abruptly and looked down at her. “You will stay. I will change your mind.”

  “Wait, I was…” Valia started, but he flashed away before she finished. Once again, he’d left her handcuffed to a bed while he disappeared, but she didn’t care because all she could think about was that he’d said he wanted her to be his. Sparks of excitement and happiness had speared throughout her body when he’d said those words. She’d heard declarations of love from other suitors, but they’d just been crushing on her mad sex skills. It hadn’t been sincere, and she wouldn’t have been interested even if it had been.

  But for Rydin to admit that she’d bewitched him, that he wanted her to bind him again… She felt the same, as if he’d bewitched her. He was everything she wanted in a male, and she couldn’t imagine desiring another as long as she had him.

  Chapter Nine

  Two hours later, V
alia had to pee, and she was restless. She’d hoped Rydin wouldn’t be gone much longer. She was all for being cuffed to his huge bed but only if he was there with her making her body sing with his.

  She tensed as heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs and exhaled in relief when his handsome face rounded the corner.

  “Where ya been? A girl’s gotta pee sometimes.” Did his face actually redden at her announcement?

  He rushed over and released the cuff from the bed. “I didn’t mean to be gone so long. Come,” he said, and reached a hand toward her.

  She grinned at him, accepting his hand as he pulled her up from the bed. “Love to but gotta pee.”

  His eyes darkened with desire at her joke. Obviously, he’d also like to come.

  He showed her to the facilities and reluctantly let her close the door behind her. Hello, I can’t flash with these damn cuffs on. Where the hell did he think she’d go? When she finished, he was standing right outside the door. He grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  Her eyes bugged at the massive spread on the counter. There were platters of sliced kiwi and pineapple piled high with more than she could eat in a week. There were two brown grocery bags with all types of other fruits peeking out the tops. She grabbed a chunk of pineapple and slipped it into her mouth, then a piece of kiwi, both perfectly ripe, a combination of tangy and sweet.

  She spied two more bags on the floor. Not groceries. She peered at Rydin questioningly, and he motioned for her to look.

  She dug through the first bag. It was filled with different shades of green bikinis and sarongs. Her throat constricted, and she couldn’t form words. Instead she peered at him with what she figured was a dumbfounded look on her face.

  “Look in the other,” he demanded.

  She dug into it excitedly and let out a little squeal as she pulled out silky green and gold lingerie.