I smiled. “Too late now.”
Salads in tiny bowls were brought as well as clear onion soups. By the time the crab cakes were polished off, Imari approached the table. She sat next to me in an open chair, the flames of the grill painting her ebony skin orange. Since she was passing for human, her head was bald and polished, not wreathed in flames of her own. She wore a buttoned-up, black pantsuit and a gold chain around her neck. Her black eyes had the faint suggestion of a red sheen to them, like embers about to go out. She was young to be our First Sword, but I’d insisted, knowing she could do the job.
She studied me. “Caine. I see you’re still alive.”
I frowned at her. “Why is everyone surprised about that?”
Julia giggled.
“You wanted to see me?” Imari asked.
“I need someone to open a portal from here to Sacramento to pick up some friends. The Old Man’s not available. Izumi’s out with the were-cats. Do you have someone handy?”
“Sure. Who are you bringing in?” Imari produced a little notebook from her pocket book, opened it, and produced a silver pen. She handed them to me. “I’ll need the address.”
I took the notebook and pen and wrote down the addresses, having looked it up before I left my suite. “Kat and Josh. Kat is a were-cat. She runs the Sacramento territory, and is an ally of ours. Josh is an ex-Texas ranger, ex-fed, and currently a freaking force of unnature.”
Imari lifted both eyebrows at that.
I explained a little more. “He’s a were-liger. He can turn into a mix of tiger and lion, and tops the scales at twenty-five hundred pounds. Not someone to be messed with. They’ll need a room here in the hotel, and it’s on my tab. They’ll be helping me kill a monster in Arizona that’s eating people.”
Red choked on his drink.
Julia said, “Wow!”
Imari looked at her. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Julia smiled. “I’ve been on the dragon homeworld, going to a new school.”
“Interested in being a bridesmaid?” Imari asked.
“Can I?” Julia looked back and forth between Imari and me.
“I don’t see why not,” I said.
Imari frowned at me. The fire demon’s eyes were now glowing red. “Why are we messing with monsters across the state line?”
“It’s all part of this business with Cleo, her mom, and brother. A side benefit is that we’re building ties to the local were-cat prides.”
Imari nodded. “So, it’s clan business after all.”
I smiled. “Eventually, everything will be. We are aiming for world domination as a starting point.”
Imari glanced around the area. “Say, what happened to Colt? I thought he was with you.”
“He’s hanging out with an older woman,” I said.
The chef passed out portions of food, and went on cooking. What he made of our conversation, I didn’t know. Probably thought we were part of a sci-fi/fantasy convention in town.
Imari glared at me. “Please tell me you’re not pimping your son out to some cougar.”
By cougar, she meant an older woman on the prowl for a younger partner.
“Close. She’s a were-cat. Queen of the prides. And it was Colt’s idea to go hang out with her. She’ll be coming tomorrow around noon for a formal meeting with me and the were-kitties. As head of security, I’m giving you a head’s up.”
Imari sighed. “At least it’s not last-second notice.”
“Want to join us for dinner?” I asked.
“Too many things to do.” Standing, she smiled at Julia. “Come look me up tomorrow morning around nine. You can meet the other bridesmaids and we can get your measurements for a dress.”
Stuffing her face with shrimp, Julia simply nodded.
We had a pleasant time, but I excused myself early, getting a parting hug from Julia. I took care of the check on the way out. Soon, I was back on the escalator, riding toward my floor. I noticed that two of my demon clan soldiers were shadowing me. Imari’s work. She took her job of running clan security very seriously. At least the guards didn’t crowd me, staying well back. They followed me all the way to my suite where they relieved the two outside the door.
The guys going off duty paused long enough to fill me in. The storm demon said, “Were-kitties are inside with Izumi.”
The water demon said, “They’ve been drinking. Heavily. You’re going to have your hands full.”
I sighed. “Such is my fate.”
They opened the door for me. I said, “Night, all.”
I went in and closed the door behind me. The big screen was on the MTV channel. Music played loudly. The were-kitties were dancing on the white leather couch, naked. Izumi was crumpled in the armchair, passed out, snoring softly to herself.
Seeing me, the were-kitties leaped over the furniture and swarmed. Clawed fingers helped me out of my clothes. Licked in many interesting and unexpected places, I just went with it. Talking could wait.
I’ve never met an orgy I didn’t like.
FIVE
“Tragedy is delightful, unless it’s
personal. Then it just sucks.”
—Caine Deathwalker
After a while, we moved the party to the bedroom and a good six hours later, we were all pleasantly exhausted. Izumi missed it all. I took time during a lull to put a pillow under her head and to throw a blanket over her, and to kill the TV. I wasn’t the one who’d told her to try and match the shape-shifters drink for drink. That had been her idea even though she didn’t have their heightened metabolism for burning off alcohol. Once she awoke, I knew I’d somehow be blamed for her hangover, and for the fact she’d missed out on all the good sex, assuming she’d have shared me and not kicked the were-kitties out of the suite.
And—hell yes—the sex had been good!
The girls were on the bed, tangled in a relaxed sprawl, purring softly in the afterglow as I went for a quick shower to sluice off the sweat and orgasmic fluids that stained my body. Toweling off, I returned to the bedroom and sat on the foot of the bed. Cleo stared at me, her gold-wire framed glasses back on her face. Lamps on the nightstand burned, making an intimate island of light, leaving the edges of the bedroom in shadow.
Okay,” I said, “pleasure achieved. Now it’s time for business.”
“Business?”
I glared forcefully. “No more secrets. I need the rest of the story. How did you become a shifter, and why run off to L.A. afterwards, abandoning your Mom in Arizona? On a related note: I happened to meet Gemma, the Queen of the Cats today. She thought you were new to her territory, and disrespecting her by not coming forth according to pride custom, to acknowledge her authority.”
Cleo’s eyes got very big. “Oh!”
“Oh, indeed. So, spill.”
“Okay.” There were a couple moments of silence as she gathered her thoughts and the past opened before her eyes. “It goes a few years back to when I was in high school here, about to graduate. I was a geek, and got a lot of attention, not usually the good kind. I met a boy who was older, cooler than anyone else I knew. Rich, a little spoiled, good looking. Good clothes. An expensive car. And he was into me.”
“Good girl falls for bad boy, an old story,” I said.
She sighed. “You don’t know how bad. I didn’t either at the time. He moved with a dancer’s grace, a fighter’s confidence and strength. It was flattering to be chased, to be treated special. He took me to my senior prom, to an after party, and we wound up in the desert, at a bonfire in the middle of nowhere with his friends and their dates. A lot of whiskey passed around. As his friends slunk away with their dates, we sat facing the fire, baking in front, cold in back from the desert wind, the sky above jeweled with stars, a crescent moon slicing its way across the sky.”
She sighed again. “The night had been magical, everything I wanted it to be.” Cleo pulled her legs in, banding them with her arms, setting her head on her knees. “I’d been planning on letting Ja
mison be my first, maybe my only. I was on birth control. I was ready.” She fell silent.
I didn’t prod, waiting with a predator’s patience for truth to emerge so I could pounce on it.
Teri and Dani were less restrained. I thought they were more out of it, but they rolled to face her and pulled themselves up to make a sandwich of her.
Dani squealed, her skin ice pale, her hair like charcoal with a hint of sable brown. “Don’t stop there!”
“You’re right at the good part.” Teri faced away from the lamp closest to her on the nightstand. The back of her head was platinum fire, her face in shadow. I had an up-her-legs view. The clean lines of the vee on her pubic mound indicated she was a natural blonde, though the platinum shade of her mane had come from a box. She touched Cleo’s arm. “Go on, you can do this.”
I wondered how many times over the years Teri and Dani had heard this story.
Cleo said. “When we were alone, we slipped off this log, onto some blankets he’d spread out. His kisses were exquisite fire on my skin. His touch swept away my gown. He knew what to do to melt me like a puddle and leave me gasping for more. His tongue slithered down my body, to my core where he brought me to an earthshaking climax—that was followed by pain as he rose over me and thrust himself inside, brutally. He held me as I got used to his size, his invasion slowly stretching me to accommodate him. Smoke scented the air. The flames crackled. The embers popped. He murmured his love in my ear as he pressed in close.
“I stilled in confusion, coming down from my first rush of release—suddenly aware that his face had changed. His features had coarsened, his nose flattening, his beard thicker, his eyes glowing a soft green. His ears were on top of his head, pointy, fuzzy. His mouth hung open, showing white fangs. My brain shut down from shock, but my hands adored him, sliding down his back, tracing hard muscles. Then my fingers found the base of his spine which sprouted a tail.
“I found enough voice to whisper: ‘What are you?’”
“‘We are the children of Bast,’” he said. “‘The moon is our strength, the night our home. You will get used to being other. I will stay by your side. I will love you. Protect you. And guide you through your first change. You will survive. I know it!’”
“Survive? I thought: What the hell?
And then I heard the other girl’s screaming, and not in a good way. And all I could think was: I’ve got a monster’s cock inside me and I’m going to die.”
The bedroom door burst inward and swung into the wall. The sudden thud made all three were-kitties jounce in place and huddle closer. Cleo gasped in surprise.
I looked over and saw Izumi. She was naked but sheathed with frost, the last bits of her clothing, frozen and shattered by her movements, littering the carpet. Her breath clouded the air, a white mist that hazed her face, stealing her humanity. A silver-blue light from her eyes glowed from the mist. She braced herself in the door’s frame, not looking at all steady on her feet. The usual glamour she wore—the illusion of a Japanese maiden with black hair and eyes—was gone. This was my silver-haired, fey queen in all her unbridled splendor, drunk out of her mind.
Her voice emerged, a weak croak. “Caine?”
“Yes, my love?”
“Come and get me before I fall down. Again.”
“Yes, my love?”
She said, “There’s a possibility I’m going to be sick. Again.”
I hurried over and scooped her up. I didn’t want her barfing all over me so I went slowly from there, to reduce the likelihood of motion sickness. I carried her to the en suite area and let her pray to the god of the porcelain throne. She up-chucked an offering and flushed it away. I helped her to the sink and unwrapped a plastic cup, getting her water so she could rinse out her mouth.
“Thanks.” She gave me back the cup.
I refilled it and returned it to her. “Swallow the water this time. You need to stay hydrated, or you’ll really be hurting by morning.”
She tried to drink, but stopped short, staring into the cup. Without sobriety, her fey power had slipped the leash. The water in the cup was ice. “Damn. Betrayed again.”
“Someone betrayed you, my love?”
She turned to face me and jabbed a long-nailed finger into my bare chest. Around her fingertip, my skin frosted. “You did! You let that woman have your kid. It was supposed to be me!”
“It will be you, in time. Don’t worry about it.”
She wheeled around, grinding her sweet ass into my groin. She faced the wall that hid my bed and the were-kitties occupying it. Still holding the cup with the chunk of ice in it, she extended a finger, pointing. “Those bitches tried to poison me!”
“No, it was the alcohol that tried to poison you, and you were its willing victim. Besides, bitches are female dogs, not cats. They can’t be bitches.”
She turned back to me, leaning into my arms, peering up into my face. It seemed like she was having trouble bringing me into focus. “Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“What are female cats then?”
“Tabbies. Males are called toms.”
Not that tabby is really a gender term. Non-cat people started that reference, getting it wrong, and the were-cats didn’t bother to correct anyone, and now they’re stuck with it. The same way Kung-Fu is really Gung-Fu, with a Gee. Well, at least I can feel superior to everyone by knowing the truth.
She whirled back to the wall, pointing with the cup and a finger again. “Those tabbies tried to poison me!”
“Yeah,” I said, “but you were too tough to die!”
“Damn straight!” she said. “So, are you going to fuck me, or what?”
“Once you sober up. I want you to enjoy the experience and remember it.”
“Awful kind of you—you traitorous bastard—but I want it now!”
“There’s a problem with that. Your fine control over ice magic is shot to hell. You’re likely to freeze my cock solid and break it off.”
“No guts, no glory!” she shouted.
“No cock, no kids!”
“Oh, yeah. It does work like that. “Okay, I’ll give you a pass tonight, but first thing in the morning…!” She turned and rammed a fingertip into my chest again. “You need to violate the hell outta me.” This was followed up by a slump. I caught her as she passed out and draped her over my left shoulder. I carried her through my bedroom, out to the white leather couch, and left her there to recover.
Back in my bedroom, I returned to bed and stretched out across the foot, catching Cleo’s gaze once more. “You were saying?”
“I tried to push him off me, but he was too strong. And he wasn’t done. He said I’d gotten off, and I owed him his turn.”
“Typical guy,” Terri said.
“Evil perv,” Dani added.
I shrugged. It sounded to me like the guy had a good point.
“So, what happened next?” I asked.
Cleo closed her eyes. Her voice roughened as the memories played in her head. “He held me down and he fucked me. Hard. Pounding himself into me over and over. I just lay there and took it until he shuddered and collapsed on top of me. He stayed hard a long time, huffing, then finally softened enough to slip out of me, trailing cum across my thigh.
“He rolled onto his back. I cried. Until he sat up and told me to shut the fuck up. I was his now, claimed, and I’d do whatever he said. He said pride law made me his property and that nobody would care what he did to me, so I needed to concentrate on making him happy.”
“He lied to you,” I said. “Turning humans against their will is a capital offense among most shifter clans. Not a lot of humans survive the infection of the shifter virus.”
“There were three other girls,” Cleo said. “Two of them died by morning. Me and the surviving girl were told if we ever spoke about this, the prides would hunt us down and kill us as a threat to them.”
I nodded. “Your attackers were afraid that if their prides found out, they’d be the ones killed.
It can still happen. There’s no statute of limitation on something like this.”
Cleo opened her eyes, giving me a haunted look. “So, what’s going to happen?”
“You’re going to go with me tomorrow to meet Gemma, Queen of the Cats. I’m going to tell her your story. She’ll probably ask you some questions to determine who all the attackers were. And she might ask you to swear loyalty, pledging yourself to a pride. Shifters like controlling their own kind.”
“And if I don’t want to? Will she kill me?”
“No. You’re not living in her territory, your mother and brother are, and they’re human. Besides, you are part of my household. Being in my harem puts all of you girls under the direct protection of the L.A. demon clan. My people will fight for you, and protect you.”
Cleo slumped, relaxing. “Good. I just want my mother to be safe in her new place—if it ever gets built—and for all the drama to be over.”
“Your part in this will be over tomorrow,” I said, “but there are still a few loose threads I need to unravel. And a monster I need to kill.”
“What kind of monster?” Terri asked.
“Big kind with teeth and claws,” I said.
Dani giggled. “We have teeth and claws.”
“This thing eats people, and not in a good way,” I said.
Cleo came toward me on hands and knees. Her mouth opened and she tongue-lashed my cock a moment. “Is this a good way?”
My cock stiffened under her continued attentions. Soon, he was a bar of steel. With long practice, Cleo swallowed me. Her warm, wet mouth rode me for a while, then she pulled off.
In my head, I heard my cock complain: Hey, finish what you started!
Naked, her breasts swayed before my eyes. Cleo stared at me. “Protection isn’t the only reason I sleep with you. You’re the nicest monster I know.”
“As a dragon,” I said, “it’s my nature and sacred duty to take good care of all my property.”
“So, I’m property after all,” Cleo said.
“Are you complaining?” I asked.
Straddling me, she eased my engorged shaft into her silken depths, sighing with pleasure. “Oh, no, my Lord Monster! Do your worse!”
Moonstone Shifter (Demon Lord Book 8) Page 4