Crimes Forbidden (The Forbidden Novellas #2)

by Dove, Raquel

  “What about you?” she asked. The true concern behind her eyes touched Paris deeply. Even after everything he had put her through she still cared about what happened to him. He wondered if other humans were like this. He had never met any that were, so he had assumed humans were just as despicable as demons. Perhaps he had been wrong, about a lot of things.

  “I will be fine,” he said. He moved to wrap his arm around her, but she stopped him. Her shining blue eyes were sparkling up at him and it was more than he could bear. He wanted so much to kiss her again, to taste her sweet lips against his. Just one last time.

  “Zoe,” he said, his voice a steady whisper as he reached for her again. “We must go. I will be fine. I’ve gotten out of worse than this. I will make sure you are protected, and then I must leave.”

  It was a lie and Paris knew it. Sure, he’d had his share of minor infractions, but nothing like this. His words worked to their intended effect though, and Zoe relented, allowing him to put his arm around her. They were back in her apartment before she even had time to blink.

  “Will I ever see you again?” she asked, before she had time to stop herself. She knew the answer, but she just couldn’t let him leave. She wanted more time with him. More time to feel his arms wrapped around her, so strong, so powerful. She didn’t want him to go.

  “I think you know the answer to that,” he said. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as he said it. Not because he was afraid of the pain he would find behind her eyes, but because of the pain he knew was in his own.

  She couldn’t hold back the tears that spilled over her eyelids, leaving a wet trail down her cheek. It had only been a number of days. A number of trouble-filled days, but she had fallen for him. She immediately felt stupid for having such a feeling. He couldn’t possibly feel the same about her. She was just a form of entertainment for him. A way to pass the time that had gotten out of hand. Zoe had seen how beautiful the demonesses were at the palace. There was no way she could ever match up to them. No way she could ever hope to gain his affections the way he had gained hers.

  His hands reached up to her cheek, wiping at the tears. He hated the salty smell of her tears in his sensitive nose, and he would do anything to take them away. She tried to pull away from him, ashamed of herself for crying, but he wouldn’t let her shirk him this time. He grabbed her, wrapping his muscled arms around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. He hugged her tightly, concentrating on the soft amber notes in her natural scent, hoping to block out the smell of her tears.

  “You should not cry for someone like me,” he said, his lips nestled into her hair. He pulled her back, looking into her face. “I do not merit such a thing.”

  “Paris,” she said, looking back up at him. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words that were in her heart. That she didn’t want him to go. That she couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him again. “I…”

  “Zoe,” he stopped her with a throaty whisper. He knew what she wanted of him, and he wanted more than anything to give it to her. He couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He had to have her again. Had to feel the touch of her soft skin against his. He needed her, needed to taste the lips that were quivering with emotion before his eyes. He pulled her back into him, taking her bottom lip in his own. Zoe leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer.

  Paris wanted so much to be gentle with her, afraid that he might harm her mortal body. But his desire was so intense he couldn’t hold back. He couldn’t stop the beast inside him that craved her with such passion. He pushed her roughly against the wall, his hands roaming her body with a vicious hunger, the tips of his claws nicking her slightly here and there. She felt the pulse of desire run through her at his enthusiasm, the suddenly rough treatment adding to her pleasure. His nose picked up the surge of her arousal and he took it as a sign to continue. His claws tore easily through the thin fabric of the shirt she was wearing, revealing two perfect teardrop mounds.

  His fingers wrapped around one breast, squeezing to an almost aching point as his mouth devoured the other. He was different from the first time, much more demanding, more forceful. In an instant Zoe found herself on the floor of her apartment, Paris hovering over her.

  A growl of pleasure ripped through his chest as he unceremoniously plowed into her. The vibration of his vocalization shook through Zoe, bringing her arousal to a new height. He pulled her arms over her head as he continued to push roughly into her. His pace was rapid, untamed. Her hips bucked up against his, trying to match his rhythm, but his strokes were too wild and all she could do was enjoy the ride.

  He lifted himself up, grabbing her hips and pulling her onto him with as much speed and force as his body could gather. Zoe’s mind went blank with the rough assault, able only to feel the delights of the moment. She felt the electricity shooting threw her veins, and she threw her head back, his name escaping her lips as he pushed her over the edge.

  #

  Paris quietly dressed himself as Zoe lie asleep in her bed, thoroughly exhausted from their activities. He was pleasantly surprised at how well she was able to handle him. He had not held back a single bit, and rather than being harmed, she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He once again found himself wishing he could prolong their time together, wishing he could crawl into the bed he had placed her in and be there when she awoke. But his mind was heavy with the thoughts of things to come. He knew what had to be done. They would come for Zoe, and he couldn’t have that. Wouldn’t have that. He may have failed her before, but he wouldn’t this time. This time he would do what he knew was right. He would throw himself on the mercy of the Grand Elder, pleading for Zoe’s life in return for his cooperation.

  Chapter five

  Zoe woke to the rays of morning light beaming into her bedroom window. She shot up in her bed, whipping her head around her. Paris was gone. She sank slowly back into the mattress, realization settling in. He was gone for good. The tears began to trickle down her cheeks, making small wet spots on her pillows. This was right, she knew that. But it felt so wrong, so painful. The thought of a human falling in love with a demon was absolutely preposterous. But she had, and she was beginning to feel the full consequences of her actions. All she wanted to do was curl up with a tub of ice cream and a box of tissues.

  She forced herself out of bed, pushing the thoughts of Paris from her mind. It would do her no good to dwell on things that couldn’t be. She had a fleeting romance with a forbidden lover that she wouldn’t change for anything. She wouldn’t have that marred by a bad ending. He had left her life as quickly as he came into it. She knew the prospect of ever finding him was grim, but she wasn’t going to give up on him so easily.

  Zoe knew there was a good chance that she would die, that she would fail miserably, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to give up on Paris without a fight. He might have broken some silly little law, but there had to be a way to save him. She was going to need some help. Paris might have a lot of enemies, but he had some friends still. Jackson was out of the question. If Paris didn’t trust him, Zoe knew she couldn’t either. That left only one other person she knew of that might offer her some help.

  #

  “So,” Athena said, her fire red eyebrow cocked as she inspected Zoe, “you haven’t quite had your fill of demons?”

  There was a half-cocked smile on her face, as if she knew some secret Zoe didn’t.

  “I need your help,” Zoe said, her round eyes pleading for her sympathy. She could sense the playfulness in Athena that rivaled Paris’, but she could also sense a kindness in her. There was something different about her, the same as there was in Paris. Zoe just knew she could trust her.

  “My help?” Athena said, the surprise clear on her face. “Why would I help you?”

  “You wouldn’t,” Zoe said, her eyes narrowing. She had suspected she would meet with this kind of resistance. And she had planned her argument accordingly. “But you would help Paris.”

/>   “Perhaps,” Athena said, “but why would you want to help him?”

  “I…,” Zoe hesitated to answer, her eyes avoiding the demoness. She knew the answer. She just didn’t know how to say it out loud. It seemed so ludicrous.

  Athena knew exactly why the human wanted to save Paris. She could see it plastered all over her doe eyed face. The human was in love, and although Athena had always had an eye for the handsome demon, she couldn’t be happier about his choice. Not all demons were so against things like this, not all demons felt the old rules should be upheld. This was a pleasant turn of events for Athena’s cause. She was anxious to tell her benefactor of this new found development.

  “It would be a shame to lose such an eligible bachelor,” Athena said as she eyed Zoe. She was rather endearing. Athena could see why Paris was so enthralled with her. She was quite unique.

  “There has to be a way to help him,” Zoe said, sensing the relent in Athena. The demoness would help her. “There has to be a loophole in the rules or something.”

  “I believe there is,” Athena said, “but how far are you willing to go to help him?”

  “As far as I have to,” Zoe said.

  “Good,” Athena said. “Then we should get going.”

  #

  “Where are they?” Ryad demanded, offering Jackson a seat in his office. His voice was calm but Jackson could see the anger behind the Council member’s eyes. Ryad was the second oldest Council member, and the third most powerful demon in existence.

  “Paris will show up sooner or later,” Jackson said, taking a seat and trying to appear confident in the face of the more senior demon. He would only need to tolerate him a little while longer.

  “I hope for your sake you are correct,” Ryad said. “These two have presented a rare opportunity for us. It is important that we find them before the others do.”

  “Paris I can understand,” Jackson said. “but what help could the girl possibly offer us? She is nothing more than a filthy human.”

  Jackson had never liked humans. He tolerated them, seeing them only as a means to an end. They were filthy creatures in his opinion, not worthy of the high status that was bestowed upon them through the old rules. He looked forward to the day those rules were finally abolished in exchange for a new era. An era where demons ruled over humans as was their rightful place as superior beings, instead of conducting business with them as if they were equals.

  “We need them both,” Ryad said, “because we need to utilize the chaos that they have set in motion. The girl is worth more than you think, especially if Paris is as attached to her as you say. He may not want to cooperate.”

  “We go forward as planned,” Ryad continued, rising from his seat from behind the desk.

  “But what about Paris?” Jackson asked.

  “He has made his choice,” Ryad said. “He chose a human woman over his own kind.”

  “But without Paris, we do not have enough power,” Jackson said. In truth, he wasn’t worried about power. He had a secret weapon against the older demon that he had yet to reveal. When the time was right, he would strike, taking what was rightfully his. He wanted Paris to be there by his side. He needed to make him see how wrong this path he was on was.

  “I think we will,” Ryad said, an evil smirk curling on his lips. “Thanks to the untimely death of his daughter, the Grand Elder is in a state of weakness. We will use this to our advantage. And we will deal with Paris when we find him.”

  Chapter six

  “You lied to me,” Paris said, looking with utter disappointment at Jackson, appearing behind him in their store. It was broad daylight, and he was at high risk of being seen by human customers, but he didn’t care. He intended to confront Jackson before he turned himself in. He would get to the bottom of this betrayal.

  “Paris,” Jackson said, turning in surprise. “What are you doing? The Reapers are going to find you.”

  “I know,” Paris said. “I want them to.”

  “What?” Jackson tried to usher him into the backroom of the clothing boutique. The last thing he wanted was for him to get into more trouble. He was falling very quickly off the deep end. “Paris, have you gone mad?”

  “I’m turning myself in,” Paris said.

  “Why would you do such a thing?” Jackson asked, pure astonishment on his face. He hadn’t yet picked up on his friend’s displeasure, despite his smoldering grey eyes.

  “I know,” Paris said, his lips tightening.

  “Know what?” Jackson asked, “What has gotten into you?”

  “I know you lied to me,” Paris said. “I want to know why.”

  “Paris,” Jackson said, trying to cover himself quickly. He intended to tell Paris everything, just not quite yet. “Why would I lie to you?”

  “I don’t know,” Paris said, “but I do know you are not powerful enough to produce a cloak against reapers.”

  Jackson hadn’t been expecting that. He had hoped to cloak Paris from the other demons. He hadn’t expected the Grand Elder to call on the Reapers. This was not good. He had a specific plan, and that plan needed to be followed precisely if he were to succeed in snatching the power from the Council and Grand Elder.

  “Paris,” Jackson began. He could see his friend was upset, but all was not lost. He could still make him see before it was too late. Before he did something stupid like turn himself in. “Listen to me. You don’t have to turn yourself in. There is another way.”

  “This is the only way,” Paris said. His resolve was set. By turning himself in he could have the bargaining power to ensure Zoe was safe. That’s all that was important to him at this point.

  “No,” Jackson said, trying to convince his friend. “We will not be forced to follow the old rules any longer. I can’t say I agree with your choice of a human mate, but I will not hold that against you.”

  “You speak of treason,” Paris said with a disapproving tone. He did not like the way this conversation was going. Sure, he had done something very bad. But what Jackson spoke of was different. What Paris did had consequences against himself. But what Jackson was talking about had dire consequences for the entire demonic society. There is a reason things were the way they were.

  “The old rules were given by a higher power than us,” Paris continued. He had learned first-hand the old rules were best heeded.

  “Don’t tell me you believe that bullshit,” Jackson spat, “Honestly, Paris. You’ve lain with a human and you are going to tell me about rules.”

  “And I am ready to take the punishment for my actions,” Paris said.

  “I hope you will join me,” Jackson said. His voice was bordering on pleading. “That is why I was trying to help you. There is a Council member that feels the same as I.”

  “You are a fool,” Paris said. He knew what was going on here. Jackson could sometimes be so simple minded. He was being used. The Council members were always vying for power over the others, but this was a new low. “What do you think you will gain from this?”

  “Power,” Jackson said, his eyes glazed over with his ambitions.

  “You honestly think that is how this will end?” Paris said.

  “Yes,” Jackson replied. “Of course it would have gone much more smoothly if you had just mated Salem.”

  If there was one thing Paris hated, it was being manipulated. He bared his fangs at Jackson.

  “You tried to manipulate me into mating that creature?” Paris hissed through his clenched jaw.

  “The mating wouldn’t have lasted long,” Jackson said, shrugging off his friends display of anger. “We had every intention of doing away with her as soon as you received the Grand Elder’s blessings, and thus his power.”

  “And the Council?” Paris asked. He wanted nothing more than to rip his friend’s throat out right then and there. The sting of his betrayal ran deep. But Paris knew he had to keep him talking. He needed to know as much as he could about what Jackson was planning to do, and more importantly who he was planning
it with.

  “They will be taken care of,” Jackson said with a crooked smile. “Don’t you see Paris? We will be unstoppable. We could do whatever we want. Even mate a human, if that’s what you desire.”

  Jackson was hoping he could play to his friend’s newfound weakness in the human girl. Jackson didn’t care who he wanted to mate with. The old rules never had much weight with him. He didn’t believe they applied. He had watched the humans around him breaking them, constantly, without a care or consequence. He could see his words had struck a chord with Paris. He could see the contemplation in his eyes.

  “Who is it?” Paris asked.

  “Does it matter?” Jackson said. He was hoping it wouldn’t. Paris had many, many enemies that he had made over the centuries. But none that he hated more than Lord Ryad.

  “It’s Ryad, isn’t it?” Paris said, a growl bubbling in his chest. Jackson, more than anyone should know better. He knew why Paris despised that demon so much.

  “Come on Paris,” Jackson said, throwing his hands in the air. “That was decades ago. He’s gotten over it.”

  “There was nothing for him to get over,” Paris said, his voice was low, dangerous. Jackson was treading on thin ground. He spoke slowly, deliberately. He wanted Jackson to gauge the full extent of his anger. “His slight was against me. You know that.”

  “Paris,” Jackson said, trying to plead some sense into his friend, “he wants to put all that in the past.”

  “One chance,” Paris said, his eyes narrowing on his friend. “I will give you one chance.”

  Jackson sighed. He knew what his friend meant. He had really hoped Paris would be more cooperative than this. Jackson really did enjoy his company. But Paris had apparently made his choice.

  “I’m sorry, Paris,” Jackson said, and then he disappeared.