by Zoe Forward
“What did Terek do to you?”
She shrugged. He’d blame himself, if she told him. “Same old stuff he likes to do.”
“Tell me,” he persisted.
“You must promise not to let it make you crazy.”
“Can’t do that.” He closed his eyes and his throat convulsed before he said quietly, “Kira, just tell me.”
She looked out the office window as she continued in a quiet voice. “Okay, I respect your need to know. When I returned home, which, mind you, was as much a miracle as getting in undetected, my mother knew way more about what had happened between us than I told her. She also knew that Terek was coming. I swear to you, she didn’t have any ability see into the future. She had some healing ability, but that’s all. So, to this day, I have no idea how she knew.”
“Why didn’t the two of you leave? Run?”
“She was so sad. Maybe devastated is a better word. She informed me my father had been killed. I couldn’t get her to leave. It was like she’d lost the will to live.”
“What happened when Terek found you?”
“He had a bunch of his guys with him. Fedavis. They were looking for you. Before they broke open the door, my mother demanded I not speak. Actually, she made me swear I wouldn’t mention you to them.” Kira stopped, lost in the memory of her mother who had hugged her and apologized for not running. Told her she loved her more than anything in the world before she had protected her as best she could. “I remember Terek’s maniacal laugh. It didn’t sound like something a creature of this world could possibly make. His pleasure when he burned my mother was revolting. Her skin boiled and bled while he repeatedly asked about you. Then, he burned her hair. The smell…I tried to help her, but Terek threw me into a wall and then he made sure I couldn’t move by fracturing my right leg. He never touched me. Did it all with spells. Just took a flick of his wrist. Then he had his snake guard me. The thing reared up like a cobra ready to strike and threatened me any time I twitched.”
Ashor remained still as stone, yet the sludge in his irises swirled violently.
“Terek chanted some things that made my mother scream for a while. I think he caused internal damage. It seemed to go on for a long time. Then he grabbed me and burned me with dark energy. He asked if I knew anything. I was in shock at that point and couldn’t speak. I think this worked in my favor. He threw me away from him and probably assumed I was too pitiful to have been able to help you. I don’t know why he didn’t kill me.
“At the end, Terek pulled out a dagger. He cut his wrist and then slit my mother’s throat. After mixing his blood and hers, he summoned a daemon. The thing was disgusting. Smelled like sewage. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. How you can face those revolting creatures on a regular basis is beyond me.”
“Did the daemon do anything to you?”
“It touched me with its hand and prepared to kill me, but Terek said something to stop it. That’s it. They left.”
Kira caught the troubled expression on Ashor’s face before he hid it. He probably blamed himself. “I would do it all again, even if I knew what was to come. For what you do to protect us, you’ve more than earned the right to die with dignity and not from torture by some black-magik psycho.”
Ashor inwardly cursed himself. He’d failed to protect her when he should have forced her to go with him.
He pushed out of his chair and turned his back to her, fighting to contain his fury.
Ashor kept his arms crossed in front of his chest. He clenched his fists so hard his nails cut into his palms. The pain helped him push the kem-seki back into its corner.
Kira leaned over the desk to rest her hand on his arm. “Stop this. Nothing was your fault.”
Ashor stiffened at her touch. And so did his cock. Fury was forgotten. Kem-seki gone. Even so, the soothing energy she sent into his body was anything but. Her energy was a bloody aphrodisiac to him.
She pulled her hand away, obviously startled by the very real electrical shocks pulsating from their point of contact. She massaged the hand that had just been on him.
Ashor held his breath, hoping the distracting arousal would pass. It worsened. He fell into the desk chair. She is off limits. Envision her burned alive.
Desire jigged a wicked dance in his body. He visualized throwing her to the floor or bending her over the desk so her ass was in the air or spreading her legs wide as she sprawled across his desk. Then he’d be buried so deep, this need would go away. So not happening.
In a rough voice, Ashor said, “Thank you. For getting me out.”
“Your hand is bleeding. Want me to fix it?”
“No,” he said a little too hastily. Her energy in his body guaranteed sex. He grabbed a sticky note off the desk and wiped away the blood.
“What are we going to do about this thing between us?” she asked.
“You’re the akhrian. That means we can’t be involved. It’s decreed in our ancient text.” He waved in the direction of the leather-bound book.
“Who decreed this? Am I supposed to be like some sort of chaste virgin or something?”
“No. You just can’t do it with a magus.”
“Gods’ rules, right?”
He nodded.
“So, you would be okay with me seeking out other men? Want to watch?”
His face darkened. A spasm worked along his right jaw.
“Not appealing, huh?” She lifted her eyebrows in challenge and asked, “How are you going to stop this apparent shared-dream thing? Should I take drugs that suppress dreams? Of course, then I might start sleepwalking—common side effect—and end up in your room without really meaning to. God knows, I can’t be held accountable for anything I might do then. It would be reality to you, but the dream world to me.” She smiled suggestively.
Ashor’s eyes smoldered. He knew what she was doing. This had always been the intriguing interplay in those dreams. He may be the stronger of the two physically, but she had the power to make him lose control sexually.
A naughty smile tipped her lips upward. “We could use the dreams as an outlet to fulfill our needs. How about we try it right now? I’m game. I’ll limp back upstairs to sleep and you rest here on the sofa. I’m interested to know where my steam room sequence was headed.”
He thought he could suppress this brutal arousal. How wrong he’d been.
****
“She escaped?” Terek hissed. “When I left to meet the sheriff, she was unconscious. You had specific instructions, Theo. Maybe they weren’t simple enough for you. She wasn’t to leave her room until I returned. You were to work with her in there, if she was alert enough.”
“That Langford guy released her.”
“How did he get to the basement without being seen? Why did I pay thousands for this security system? You’re officially fired as head of security.” He tossed Theo across his office. Theo ricocheted off the drywall, leaving a shoulder-sized divot into the plaster.
He turned to Marelena with blacked over eyes. “You sprayed her with the poison? You didn’t just conk her over the head or something? That poison should’ve had her occupied for at least twelve hours once she awoke.”
Kneeling and in a shaky voice she pleaded, “I swear I used the spray. It worked, as expected. I mean, she passed out, but she mustn’t have had the normal effects when she woke up. I did my job and delivered her to Theo. And then the magi showed up. Please—”
“You two are a disgrace. And the bloody mess in this building…what do we train for, if we can’t hold out here against a handful of magi?” Terek asked, spittle spewing from his mouth down his chin. The smell of sulfur permeated the room. Kill them.
Terek stumbled behind his desk. He withdrew a pre-loaded syringe from the side drawer. With a jab, he lodged the large-gauge horse needle deep into the muscle of his lower thigh. A human would flinch from the bite of so large a needle, which was necessary to inject the sludgy solution fast, but he felt nothing. Until liquid lethargy hit seconds lat
er. The need to kill drifted to the recesses of his mind. He peered around to ensure they hadn’t noticed the syringe. Both were too preoccupied with fear.
Theo massaged his head as he stood. “They attacked us in full force to get her back, sir. There must have been at least fifteen of them including Shaitan. They came at us from everywhere. We couldn’t see any of them.”
“Do not use that nickname!” He slapped Theo with a force that whirled him back into the wall. “How many magi are there total, Marelena?” Terek asked softly, knowing there could only be ten. And of those ten, he’d personally made sure one would never see reincarnation. That little episode two centuries ago was a definite highlight.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t like they discussed anything with me. I was only allowed on the property for a few hours a day twice a week. I might’ve seen eight or nine that I could tell were magi, but there could’ve been more.”
“Did you get the girl to reveal anything, Theo?”
Theo groaned and shook his head. “Not really, sir, but she did try to mesmerize me with her eyes. She’s got weird eyes. Otherwise, she acted like a regular doctor when we cut her boyfriend.”
“What use are you, Theo, if you can’t even obtain basic info on her capabilities? You don’t deserve to live.” He flicked his finger in Theo’s direction, releasing a blast of power that threw Theo back against the wall.
Theo grabbed his chest. He gasped out, “It’s possible she’s dead. She had a major knife injury and may have bled out.”
“You should pray she is not. If she is their new healer, then I need her.” Terek stalked to Theo and kicked him in the ribs to help dissipate his frustration. “She will tell them about the amulet. That is assuming she doesn’t already have it stashed somewhere. Markus Langford may be our last link to acquire it. Did you capture him?”
“Can’t breathe…”
Terek flicked his wrist, removing the ensorcelled constriction on Theo’s chest.
“Yes, sir,” Theo choked out.
The sewage odor dissipated as his daemon kill-craze lifted. “With him we may be able to get the amulet and her. Where is he?”
“My men have him. I sent them up to the interrogation unit in South Carolina since we got Shaitan…er, that magus buzzing around us here, but I can direct them to bring him to you.”
“Do that. Go. Marelena, take a seat.”
Marelena rose and sat in the chair Terek indicated while Theo staggered out the door.
“You did well to remain undetected amongst the magi for so long. You still practice the masking exercises I taught you?”
“Yes.” She rested on the edge of the chair with one leg restlessly popping up and down.
“Stop your relationship with Theo. He is not an approved consort for you.”
“Why do you care who I screw?” Rebellion flashed in her eyes.
She gasped and rubbed at the developing red welts coating both her arms. Several burst and blood dribbled. “Please…stop.”
Terek stalked close. “You like the pain Theo inflicts?” He laughed at the shock in her gaze. “Think I don’t know what the two of you have been doing in my ceremonial room when he ties you up? If you allow him into your body again, I guarantee you’ll feel pain unlike anything you can possibly imagine.”
“Why do you care?”
“You were born into the harem and should be grateful for the freedom I granted you. But this Western culture has led you astray. It is reprehensible what they have turned women into. You are dressed like a slut, and it is no surprise that Theo has forgotten your station to treat you like a whore. You want out of the harem, then I have no use for you.” He smiled coldly. “You want to run? Go ahead, little girl. I’ll enjoy the hunt. You will not like the end.”
“What are you?” Marelena whispered.
Terek laughed. “So there is a spark of intelligence in that little head of yours. Dress as becomes your station. Your outside privileges are revoked. You may continue to be bas kadin of the harem. For now. But I am most displeased.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ashor scanned a head-to-chest slow eval. His aura glowed cranberry red.
Yes! She bit her lip to hide the triumphant smile. His self-imposed abstinence was about to end.
He stalked around the desk to lean in front of her, but not touching.
A slight breeze with the warmth and humidity of a breath blew gently just behind her left ear. The breeze tantalized the back of her neck. Her nipples strained and chills spread down her arms and spine, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
“Did you do that?” she whispered as she rubbed her arms.
A shadow of a smile touched his lips as his focus shifted to her chest. The sensation of a warm caress against her breast slammed through her body. She gasped as fire shot a beacon of heat from her breasts to her toes. Maybe they didn’t need the dream world.
The bewitching caresses moved lower. Slowly. A massaging sensation heated across her abdomen. Then it moved to her most sensitive areas, now moist and painfully swollen. One caress, a slight surge of energy, and she gasped. Golden light flared in her mind. She threw her head back and screamed as spasmodic pleasure tore through her body.
Ashor sprang forward. He kissed her exposed neck, fisting his hand in her long, black hair to hold her head back, making a low sound of male approval.
Once done exploring her neck, he yanked her shirt over her head. One of his large hands smoothed over her bare stomach. His teeth scraped a path down her neck, which shot sensation down her spine. Once he reached her collarbones he stopped to lick at the depression at their junction.
She would scream, if she could suck in enough air to do so. Unaware this area had ever been an erogenous zone, she arced against him and dug her nails into his shoulders. This was amazingly better than any dream. She loved the feel of his powerful muscles surrounding her as his lips traveled across her upper chest. She needed this.
He parted her thighs and pressed the thick bulge of his arousal against her. Spasms of effervescent energy pierced into her belly. She moaned.
Easily, he lifted her out of the chair and shifted their positions. She anticipated pain to bend her injured leg to straddle his lap, but there was nothing other than a desperate need to get closer to him.
A laugh escaped her as she realized the power he’d suddenly given her as she gazed down onto his face. She released his black hair from its confinement, entranced by the silky texture on her hands. She murmured, “No steam room sequence then?”
He moved his lips close to her ear. His warm breath tickled as he whispered, “I may have to build you a steam room just to find out where that was going.”
Ashor smiled wickedly.
This was the man she fantasized about. He existed. But her smile faded as she realized he now had easy access to her breasts. He skimmed a calloused finger over the peak of one breast, still confined with her bra.
“So perfect,” he mumbled. Flicking the front clasp and tugging to release the bra’s contents, he lowered his mouth to a pointed nipple. Gently, he bit the sensitized bud, electrifying her body.
“Don’t stop,” she cried and scraped her nails down his spine. The desire to have his flesh against hers prompted her to tug his T-shirt off. His muscles jumped reflexively as her hands traced old tattooed scars zigzaging his chest. She took one of his nipples into her mouth, giving in kind the treatment his teeth had given to her.
He gasped and thrust his erection against her in reaction. Her thighs tightened involuntarily around him. She explored his corrugated abs to his waistband, flipping the button loose. Her teeth nipped at his collarbone.
“Gods,” he moaned.
The desire in Kira’s dilated, blue-green eyes spoke to Ashor’s soul. The kem-seki urged he take. His rational mind screamed NO!
Her hand skimmed beneath his waistband. Fuck. This path into insanity had a big roadblock sign that he was about to bulldoze through.
A familiar evil slithered t
hrough his mind causing him to gasp and grab his head. The daemon was close, which was weird. Felt to be just south of Jacksonville. Perfect goddamn timing.
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Thanks, fuckers.
He grabbed Kira’s hand to halt its downward descent.
“We have to stop.”
“No,” she mumbled as she nibbled his chest.
“I’m more sorry than you can possibly imagine, but I’ve got to go. A new daemon has entered this realm.”
Kira moaned in distress. “Now? Can’t one of the others deal with it?”
“I’ve got to coordinate this. None of the others can detect them when they enter our world. I’ve got Ethan and Christian injured right now. I may have to deal with this one. I’d like you to return to the bedroom upstairs and rest.”
Awkwardly, he helped Kira replace her shirt. As swiftly as possible he pulled on his own as if it was a shield. He wanted to reassure her and wipe the dejection off her face, but couldn’t. On so many levels.
****
Misery and fury surrounded Kira. Against her will a mysterious force pushed her toward a platform on which a restrained man was being beaten with something long, thin, and metal. Far too many deep grooves openly hemorrhaged on the bared muscular back. Chains held the victim’s hands tight above him. Thick metal bands anchored his feet to the floor.
His tormentor smiled in her direction as if showing off. His aura was that of a dark-magik practitioner.
In horror she watched the metal apparatus apply a flesh-separating thwap to the damaged back. As it impacted, pain ricocheted through her as if she was on the receiving end. She screamed and cringed as blood sprayed the platform.
A cry of delight broke from the tormentor followed by a laugh.
No more than a grunt came from the one being tortured when the lash struck.
Sensing her presence, the dark head of the tormented man turned. Too-familiar, dark brown eyes met hers. Eyes she would do anything for. In them was a plea. Not for help. He begged for an end. Death.
“Ashor!” she screamed.