by Ashur Rose
“Wings. Claws. Anything else about you that I need to know?”
“Much more, della.” She didn’t know what the word meant, only that, for some odd reason, she didn’t mind being called it. He shut the fridge and stepped closer to her. She wondered if he realized how large he was. He watched her without any ounce of shame. The intensity of his stare sent a path of heat down her belly. “Fortunately, there is pleasure in learning each other.”
No one had ever looked at her like that before, had ever spoken to her like that. She took a swig of her beer to take the edge off. “I don’t get drunk easily. I’m only letting you know that so you don’t think you have a chance of taking advantage of me.” She chugged half the bottle in one go.
Brows rising in amusement, he raised his bottle to her. “You’re assuming that I need you intoxicated to take advantage of you. And you’re forgetting that I gave you my word.”
Lilith angled her head at him. “That’s supposed to reassure me?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
She bit her lower lip, considering. “There a lock on the bedroom door?”
“Yes.”
Lilith set the bottle down on the island top. Even in the ridiculous, borrowed platforms that raised her more than six feet, she still had to crane up at him. Catching the sight of his tongue passing across his lips, she forced herself to look away. “I’ll settle for that. I’m exhausted,” she said, using her arm to support herself against the counter. And not due to fatigue.
She didn’t even turn to look at him before closing the bedroom door and locking it, Phyrss damn him. He placed his palm flat against the door. Couldn’t she feel the Spectra-burn between them? The sight of her gave him a hard-on that made the stone of his perched body seem like soft clay. And being this close? Iain was sure he was close to splitting the crotch of his jeans.
He downed the rest of his beer in a few swallows, grabbed another and headed for the couch. At least someone was using the expensive bed. Iain had used it a time or two himself. Just not for sleeping.
In silence, he sat, frustrated. Shoes clunked on the floor, catching his ear. His keen hearing picked up the silky motion of her undressing: the subtle stretch of elastic, the rougher caress of lace across skin. He looked over his shoulder at her closed bedroom door and wished like hell he could see through it.
His hand gripped the armrest as he heard little plinks of metal hit the floor and knew from experience that it must be the clasps of her bra. He imagined her breasts swaying slightly as they were freed. The way her nipples…
…could fucking cut glass! Lilith cursed herself, her need. Iain aroused her in a way she’d never felt before. He was right on the other side of the door. If he wasn’t blind and there hadn’t been a wall between them, she might think he was watching her undress.
She pulled one of his too-large shirts back over herself, her face heated. She was heated in other places as well. Iain had said he could see her aura. Could he see her aura do this? She thought, cupping her…
…breasts beneath his hands, feeling the maddening combination of flesh at once soft and warm, his face pressing into the hollow of her shoulder, tongue on her neck, biting lightly. In Iain’s mind, he could hear her quiet moans, urging him lower, lower…
…lower across her flat stomach, the tips of her fingers lightly tickling. Lilith’s body writhed against the satin sheets on the California king. She wanted Iain’s hands on her like this, curling between her thighs, seeking the heat of her…
…wet pussy, hearing her surprised cry, followed by eager pleading. His tongue would be gentler this time, licking and sucking every inch, probing, finding her charged tip of her…
…clit, her index and middle fingers sliding in the familiar, pleasurable motion. She remembered seeing his head between her thighs, the insistent tip of his unforgiving tongue driving her relentlessly toward climax. Lilith panted while driving her fingers deeper. She wanted more. She needed to grab…
…his throbbing cock, springing it free from his jeans. Breathing between his teeth, he fisted the base of the shaft. Through the door, he heard her moan in her sleep. Fuck. It was killing him not to go inside, spread her wide and bury himself inside of her. With steady, slow motions he began to stroke…
…into her, the big cock parting her, the width of it filling her up. Moaning, she pleasured herself, feeling the glow at her core heat up like fire and spread. She wanted Iain to fuck her so bad, she cried out in frustration, in longing, in the grips of her…
…orgasm, his cock spasming, muscles jerking beyond control. Iain gripped the armrest with one hand and groaned as pleasure overtook him. He exploded furiously, finally collapsing back on the couch in exhaustion, his jeans…
…wet and sticky now with her essence. Shivering and panting, Lilith rolled to a dry spot on the bed, barely able to cover herself with the sheets. Before drifting off into a dazed sleep, she wondered if you could throw satin sheets in the…
…laundry basket, hoping he had a clean pair of jeans somewhere. Naked, on shaking legs, Iain hauled himself up the narrow spiral stairs to the roof. He hoped his raging erection would leave him before sunrise. No one wanted to look up at a gargoyle with a hard-on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LILITH
LOOKS LIKE IAIN BAGGED himself a nice little sub.” Shadows surrounded her as Lilith awoke to the last rays of sunlight and silhouettes of hulking men. “Those thighs. This one could go all night.”
She recognized the men from the bar, the ones talking with the demon. Lilith froze, unable to move, to cover herself. Disoriented from sleep, she could neither summon her Speak, nor fade from the room.
The one who spoke, a black man with a Caesar haircut and deep scars on his face, reached a broad hand toward her exposed leg.
“Big-legged women ain’t got no soul, or so they say.” One who looked Asian grinned. “Guess Iain would know. I’ll ask him later.”
Before she could slap the hand away and ask this asshole who the hell he thought he was, the tallest and oldest of the three shook his head. “I wouldn’t, Steele. Not unless you want Iain trying to rip off your head.”
Straightening up, the black man folded his arms. “Be a fool to try.”
“But try he will,” the biggest guy said, angling a head draping dreads toward the door. “He’s got a nice place. Let’s not have him busting it up.”
The three exited the room. Before he left, the black man scowled at her. “Cover yourself, hoe.”
That was the second time in three days someone called her a hoe. She’d have to check the mirror to make sure it wasn’t written on her damn forehead.
As the door latch clicked, Lilith jumped to her feet, gathering yesterday’s clothes and quickly dressing. Calming herself, she prepared to fight or flee—maybe both. Standing close to the door, she listened.
“Iain, where have you been?”
Footsteps crossed the wide space beyond. “Trying to figure out the laundry machines. I need my maid back.”
“Oh, right. Half-naked guest in the bedroom. Gotta look your best, little bro.”
Footfalls again, this time urgent, hurried.
There was a quick knock on the door. “You okay, Lilith?”
No. She was absolutely not okay. She raised her chin, teeth gritted and opened the door. “Who are these assholes?”
Iain closed his eyes, his mouth widening in a wince. “My brothers.”
“Brothers from other mothers.” The Asian guy peeked in.
“Cree,” Iain introduced him. He indicated the African American man and white man in turn. “Steele and Raze. This is Lilith.”
She eyed each of them, giving them the ‘fuck you’ stare before glaring at Iain. She didn’t want to know how they were all related, at least not before she got caffeine in her system. “Tell me you have coffee.”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to check.”
Padding across the football-field-sized space in her bare feet, Lilith ignor
ed the huge men gathered in the seating area and searched the kitchen. The men spoke in low tones.
“The Phyrss will need to know about the key,” Iain said.
Steele grunted. “Be better if we know about the key first.”
“We know the shades are after it, whatever it is,” Iain argued. “If this key can free Zorn, that’s good intel.”
“Even if we don’t know where it is exactly,” Raze mused, “we can let the shades do our work for us, lead us to it.”
She found a coffee maker and a decorative canister of sharp-scented grounds. A little more searching produced filters. Lilith worked, listening in over the running tap.
“Right,” Cree said. “That shit-bag shade said it moves around a lot. If we turn over a shade exodus, we’ll know the key is on the move. If they gather here in town, we’ll know they’ve found it. Simple.”
Steele grunted in grudging agreement. “We can at the very least forewarn the Phyrss. If Zorn is watched closely, even if he’s freed, there won’t be another surprise attack from any gateway he opens.”
“An attack will happen anyway, surprise or not,” Raze said.
Iain angled his head. “Unless we find this key first.”
Raze nodded. “Or Zorn’s son.” He looked around at his brothers. “I’m sure the cowardly bastard has himself secreted down in the Nether.”
“It would be enough to quell an uprising of Zorn’s followers,” Iain said.
Steele frowned. “That would still leave the four of us in exile. And I’m not about to spend all this effort for the Phyrss to fuck us over again.”
“How so?” Cree asked.
“Still plenty of shades in this realm we gotta kill. Best way to stop an army gathering is to kill off all the troops. Makes recruiting more difficult, knowing you’re likely to get killed before signing up. Empyrean has no influence in this realm, save four sad-ass Drygs.” Steele took in each of his brothers in turn.
“Shades know this. That’s why they gather here, safe from the Watchers. Zorn knows this, which is why he launched his attack from here instead of the Nether. He’ll most likely do the same this time around.”
The brothers nodded as Steele went on.
“The Phyrss knows this, which is why She leaves us here in exile.”
Coffee filled the decanter, black and aromatic. Lilith grabbed a mug off a shelf. She had no idea what the four men were discussing. Tense voices gave away the magnitude. Demons—shades, these guys called them—were gathering, searching for a key. The key would open a door during an attack. Beyond that, she was pretty lost.
Faces downcast, the brothers shared a long moment of silence. It was Iain who broke it.
“Regardless, the Phyrss needs to be informed.”
“Ain’t easy to get a message to Empyrean,” Steele said.
Cree shrugged. “Whatever it takes. Say, Lilith, that coffee smells good. Can I get some?”
Iain growled. “Coffee is all you’re getting, Cree.”
Cree held up his hands. “Chill. I’d just like a little caffeine. You know how much I like the stuff.”
Lilith took another mug from the cupboard and filled it for Cree. The big Asian man jumped up to sit on the breakfast bar. He toasted her, a brilliant smile on his face. “Nice to see Iain finally socializing a little.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Iain and Raze joined them in the kitchen, fetching mugs for themselves. Steele remained across the room in the seating area. He gave Lilith a pointed glare before sitting on the couch and ignoring her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
IAIN
THE NEARNESS OF HIS brothers to Lilith set his hairs on edge. Especially Cree. Still, he found no reason to let them know that she was his pure. Not yet. Even though he was positive himself. He scratched his neck, angling his head to let his gaze roam over her form. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder. Over the heady scent of coffee, he caught the fragrance of currant. Even in the crowded kitchen, the nearness of her was enough to press his cock against his jeans.
Damn, this wasn’t the time.
“You kill demons?” Lilith asked.
Cree nodded. “Our job description in a nutshell.”
She looked at all of them over the rim of her mug. “So why were you drinking with one in Serendipity?”
“Oh-ho!” Cree leaned forward with a big, bright smile, Iain imagined. “You can see shades? That’s even more interesting than those muscular legs.”
Iain’s fangs descended slightly, unbidden, a low growl vibrating deep within him.
Cree laughed. “Sorry, E. I can’t help it. I’m a total hound.”
“Put a leash on it, Cree,” Raze said, stepping between his brothers.
Cree waved them away with a laugh. “In all seriousness, the shades are disgusting leaches. On their own, they’re disloyal, opportunistic feeders of souls in chaos. The one we were talking to apparently gets off on sewing chaos among its own,” Cree said.
“It also wants to avoid us killing it,” Raze added.
“Every once in an eon, one of the shades grows in power. He can manipulate his fellow creatures to do his bidding. Of course, his bidding is more of the same—chaos, feeding on souls, et cetera. In order to increase his own power, this shade, Zorn, decided to throw chaos and fear into the most orderly realm. Our home.” Cree shrugged off a flash of sadness, his words catching in his throat. “Chaos is easy on Earth. Even some humans thrive on it. It’s not nearly as big a deal here as it is in Empyrean.”
“So you’re here to stop them?” Lilith asked.
Cree leaned in. “Well, the reason we’re here is a long story. But, in a word, yeah, that’s why we’re here, love.”
Iain moved to Lilith’s side, his instinct to be close to her nearly overriding the promise he’d made not to touch her.
Cree gave both Iain and Lilith a speculative glance.
You should tell him. Raze reached to Iain.
“Right now, we need to set up an audience with the Phyrss,” he answered vocally.
“I can only think of one being in this city who can contact Empyrean,” Raze said.
Cree scratched his brow. “Magnus.”
Raze frowned in agreement. “That means a visit to The Sanctum.”
Lilith lowered her brows at Raze. “On North Halsted? Isn’t that a gay bar?”
“Bar, yes, gay, maybe. It’s neutral ground for those of us who weren’t born in this reality,” Raze said.
“Plus cheap drinks,” Cree said.
Lilith looked down at herself. “Am I dressed for it?”
“You are dressed to kill, love.” Cree smiled.
Iain wanted to throat-punch him. Steele interrupted his fury.
“We’re not taking her with us?”
Raze pursed his lips in thought. “Well, I think it would be a terrible idea to leave her alone.”
“Shit,” Steele said under his breath.
The Sanctum stood on the edge of Boystown, the gay neighborhood in Chicago, a few blocks from Wrigley Field to the west. At the arched door of an unremarkable brick building, an impossibly thin man leaned.
“My, my, here comes the rough trade.” The man raised eyebrows over round-mirrored shades; his cockatiel hair was dyed every color of the rainbow. “You know the rules, boys. No weapons inside.”
“Pat me down—nothing but what the Phyrss gave me,” Cree said, opening his leather trench coat wide.
“Oh, you’d like that too much. Entrez-vous. Enjoy the harmony of The Sanctum—oh, and what have we here?”
Iain bristled as the bouncer peered over his sunglasses at Lilith.
“We don’t get many humans here. Aren’t you a pretty thing?”
Lilith cut her eyes at him, shrugging. She extended her hand. “Uh, hi. Lilith.”
“Please to meet you, Lilith. I’m Lucius, the bouncer. Let me know if you have any trouble inside, won’t you?” Lucius bowed and kissed her hand. “Enjoy yourselves. Two drink minimum. We have
ways of keeping track.”
As they entered, Lilith leaned close to Iain. “That guy’s a bouncer?”
“Light Fae,” he answered. “Nobody messes with them. They’re one of the few superior beings.”
They walked down a marble-tiled foyer to broad, oak doors. “Fae?” Lilith asked. “As in fairy?”
Cree turned, eyebrows over his shades. “Ironic, right?”
Steele stopped at the wide doors. He rolled his eyes at Cree, facing Raze. “I hate this place. What’s the plan?”
“You scope the periphery, see if any shades are here.”
Lilith interrupted. “Demons are allowed inside?”
Steele shot hot eyes at her. “Why would he tell him to check for shades if shades weren’t allowed here?”
Iain moved between Steele and Lilith. “They are—if they can keep the peace. Which means they’re not, really.”
“I’ll take the main bar,” Raze said. “Cree, you take the stage area. We’ll sweep the place for Magnus—but when we find him, let me do the talking.”
Iain stepped closer to Lilith. “I’ll find us a private place to chat.”
Steele shoved through the massive doors to a torch-lit hatcheck. A siren song echoed over the clink of glasses and muted rumble of conversation. When Lilith’s eyes went wide, Iain felt an urge to take her hand. But he’d made a promise.
Cree shot over his shoulder, “Don’t listen too closely to the house band or you’ll end up spending all your money at the bar.”
“No worries,” Lilith said. “I’m broke.”
That was partially Iain’s doing. He would’ve felt a twinge of guilt, but he’d done it for her own good. Or was it for his own good? He shook his head. The lines had blurred now.
His three brothers separated. As they melded into the crowded main level, he nodded at a set of stairs to the left.
On the second level, the siren song had less pull. A smaller bar occupied the back of the room. Between it and the stairs a labyrinth of padded booths, curtained alcoves and cozy niches filled the space. Candlelight from the hanging chandelier cast flickering shadows.