by Katie Reus
Whoever had dared to take her was going to die. Slowly.
* * *
A heavy hand swatted Nyx’s butt as she punched against the solid mass. “Let me go!” Her fists stung from hitting the man’s back—this guy was like a rock.
“Calm down, you will be safe soon.” The male’s voice was deep and raspy with the hint of an accent.
She snarled in outrage even as fear ricocheted through her. But she wasn’t doing herself or Bo any good by thrashing around like a maniac when this male was unmovable. She couldn’t even see what kind of creature he was with the hood covering his head and body. She’d have to wait until he put her down.
She forced herself to remain still, to save her energy when all she wanted to do was scream and beat at this guy. The last thing she’d seen after a blur of hands had scooped her up was Bo lying on his back, fighting those freaky beasts.
Fear seized her throat, but she told herself he would be okay. He’d have to be okay. She refused to accept anything less. If he wasn’t, she was going to bring this entire realm down to rubble. Then raze it to nothing.
She was aware that this was probably an overreaction of violence but the thought of Bo hurt or worse made something dark flare to life inside her. Something she hadn’t known existed inside her. She might still be mad at him, but the male was honorable. He’d literally thrown himself over her body to protect her when they’d fallen into this realm. He’d wrapped himself around her tight to keep her safe. Then he’d done everything in his power to get them free from those weird animals.
“You’re safe now,” the male holding her said, his speed slowing from frighteningly fast to mere sprinting. The ground flew by under her at epic speed, making her wonder what kind of being this was. He was moving as fast as Bo had.
She was sure she’d find out soon enough. While she wasn’t a warrior by any stretch of the imagination and her powers were erratic on the best of days, she was going to go down swinging no matter what. If she couldn’t take this male in hand-to-hand combat—and that was doubtful considering she didn’t know how to fight—she’d try to use her powers to at least stun him and then run.
She had to get back to Bo.
His enraged roar still echoed in her mind. What if he was hurt? She swallowed hard, shelving those feelings. Breaking down wouldn’t do him any good. She just needed to get free and save him. Bo was strong. He would be okay—he had to be. Of course she needed to figure out what direction he’d taken her so she could find her way back to Bo.
The male slowed even more, his grip on her loosening just a fraction. His arm was like a titanium band over the back of her legs. Still not the time to attempt to break free. Soon though.
When he bounded up a set of steps, another burst of panic surged through her. Before she could figure out where they were a heavy door slammed shut and she found herself being placed on her feet—in a huge domed foyer with marble flooring.
She immediately stepped back a few feet, putting distance between herself and the hooded male figure.
He lifted his blue hands, palm up, before shoving his hood back to reveal amber eyes very similar to Bo’s. “I wish you no harm.”
The sound of hurried footsteps brought up another swell of worry. They weren’t alone. And she didn’t believe that this guy didn’t want to harm her. Not for a second. Even if it was weird that he was the same coloring and size as Bo.
Another male who had to be at least seven feet with smooth blue skin, no shirt and harem-style pants strode out from a hallway. His eyes widened as he looked at her, then at the male still half covered with his black cloak.
“Who the fuck is this?” His voice wasn’t as raspy, but he was clearly annoyed. He had a similar accent as his friend. Irish or Scottish maybe. She couldn’t tell and didn’t care much.
“We haven’t gotten that far in the introductions.”
“I don’t care who she is, get rid of her. We can’t have some…fae female here.” He looked at her again, derision written on the harsh planes of his face.
These two males looked so much like Bo it stunned her. The one with the bare chest even had similar tattoos covering his body and arms, the symbols seeming to swirl over his skin. But his eyes were a mossy green.
“I’m only half-fae,” she snapped, even though that wasn’t remotely the point. It just annoyed her that they were judging her heritage. A nearby vase exploded under the force of her emotions. She inwardly cringed when the two males looked at her now with more than just curiosity.
“What are you?” the second male asked.
“None of your business. Now let me go. I have to get back to my friend.” Even if deep down she thought of Bo than more than just a friend. Way more.
“The male who kidnapped you?”
“He didn’t kidnap me, you idiot!”
His amber eyes widened.
“Such language,” the other one with the smoother voice muttered, his sarcasm clear.
“You know what, you two can suck…” Her brain short circuited as the two watched her curiously.
“Suck?” The bare-chested one lifted an eyebrow, almost suggestively.
“A bag of dicks!” The words were out before she could stop herself. As soon as she said it, embarrassment welled inside her. She’d heard Cynara say it to a jerk customer before, but the insult was foreign on Nyx’s lips.
The one on the left laughed uproariously, as if what she’d said was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
She took a small step for the door. They weren’t directly in front of it and if she could just get out, she was going to make a run for it.
A crack split the air, sending the door flying back as Bo stormed in, his razor sharp talons unleashed as deadly weapons.
Completely naked, covered in blood and ash, his eyes glowed like a supernova. Unless she’d completely lost her mind, he looked even bigger than he had in the ruins. When he looked at her briefly, sweeping her from head to toe, she saw the relief in his eyes before he turned to the other two males.
He snarled, baring teeth as he took a menacing step toward the two males. He didn’t say a word, but the intent written in every line of his body was clear.
He was going to kill these two males.
Chapter 6
“Bo, wait!” Nyx raced toward him as the other two males tensed, clearly anticipating a fight. When it was evident that none of them were going to listen to her—and an all-out battle to the death was about to take place, she did the only thing she could think of.
Vases and mirrors in the huge entryway all exploded at once, sending shards flying inward. She didn’t bother ducking, knowing the slivers wouldn’t touch her, not when she’d created the chaos. Belatedly she realized that she’d actually targeted her powers onto specific items, but she couldn’t focus on that now.
All three males froze, looking at her—and all the glass and ceramic froze midair as well.
She had to talk fast. “Bo, they didn’t hurt me. I don’t think they were going to, either. And…look.” Motioning to the tattoos on the one on the left, she took a step closer to Bo, but he held a hand out, blocking her from moving past him.
He turned to the males though, and she could see the awareness register as he saw the tattoos on the male with the bare chest. They were definitely the same as his own.
The one who’d taken her held up his palms in a peaceful gesture. “First, I’m going to put all the glass back in place,” he said even as everything shifted back together.
She’d thought Bo had been the one to freeze everything, but apparently not.
“Second, I’m slowly going to remove my cloak.”
Bo’s body was pulled taut, totally rigid as if he would attack without warning. The other male who was shirtless had the same stance but there was a healthy dose of curiosity on his face as he watched Bo.
When the amber-eyed male took off his hood he had on the same harem-style pants as the other male—and the same swirling tattoos. “I’m pu
tting this down and I’m not going to attack. Neither of us are,” he added, shooting a glare at the green-eyed male.
To Nyx’s surprise the other male straightened, dropping his intimidating warrior stance. Bo didn’t move an inch, not that she was surprised.
“We’re leaving,” Bo said. “And you two aren’t going to stop us.”
The one with the amber eyes flicked a glance at the broken door and doorway. “You’re both free to go. I saw you two in the woods and thought you’d kidnapped her. When you were attacked, I used the distraction to grab her. I just brought her here to keep her safe. Nightfall will be coming soon. You can go, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving until morning. She is…too innocent for this place. At night she’ll be a beacon for everything. Those wings are too bright. The things that come out at night here…” He flicked a glance at her, his expression so similar to Bo’s it stunned her. And he was definitely worried for her.
She placed a gentle hand on Bo’s forearm. “We’re not leaving.” Not yet anyway. Because inside here she felt somewhat safe. And there weren’t any creepy scorpion/dog creatures trying to kill her. “And I think we need to talk about the fact that you all have the same tattoos. Is that normal for…your kind?” She didn’t know much about Bo’s demon heritage because he’d never talked about it. She knew he hated his father and had a half-sister he loved.
Bo’s jaw tightened. “It means we all have the same sperm donor.”
“Fucking bastard is what he is,” amber-eyes spat out as the other one made a snarling, disgusted sound.
Everything in Bo relaxed at that and while he didn’t exactly smile, he didn’t look ready to rip off their heads either. “Agreed. I’m Bo.”
“Ian,” raspy-voiced, amber-eyed said.
“Rory,” said green eyes.
Easy enough to remember. Nyx gave a tentative smile. She couldn’t believe Bo had half-brothers he hadn’t known about. “And I’m—”
“Mine.” Bo answered.
Ian smothered a smile as Rory said, “Yeah, we gathered that.”
She wasn’t going to correct Bo in front of anyone but she nudged him in the side with her elbow. She wasn’t anyone’s possession. “I’m Nyx.”
They both looked at her with more curiosity until Bo growled menacingly. “You keep twenty feet from her at all times.”
“Bo!”
He still didn’t look at her. And the other two males didn’t seem to think it was a weird command.
“Agreed,” Ian said. “You’re both welcome to stay here. I…we, have questions about who you are and how you came to be here.”
Bo nodded. “Thank you. My female is hungry and I need to clean her wounds.”
She was going to go back to the whole “my female” comment later, but glanced down at herself. She hadn’t even realized she’d been cut but she had a few shallow slashes over her upper arm and her jeans had been ripped in a few places. Now that she saw the wound on her arm, a faint ache registered but she’d been so pumped up on adrenaline nothing else had mattered. “I’m fine and I’ll be healed in the next hour. You’re the one who needs tending to.” She traced a finger down his arm and forearm, not caring that he was dirty. He was still covered in blood and she wasn’t sure how much of it was his. She couldn’t see any wounds but that didn’t mean anything. The blood could be hiding them. “And you need a shower.” And sweet Lord he needed clothes because even with all the blood and ash on him she couldn’t stop staring. It made her feel like the biggest perv on the planet. Or realm.
Ian, clearly the speaker of the two, motioned to a set of stairs. “This place is spelled and protected. No one fucks with us anyway.” The dark gleam in his eyes told her that was likely because he and his brother had created a well-deserved reputation for themselves. “I can’t guarantee we won’t be attacked here if word of her presence has spread, but we can offer shelter, food and clean clothes. We have a guest room you’re free to use to shower and clean up. Unless you’re hungry now?” he asked, looking at her.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” Nyx still wasn’t sure why Bo had told them she was hungry. It was as if he was in complete caveman mode. None of that mattered though, she just wanted to make sure he was truly okay.
“I’ll show you to our guest room.”
“And I’ll replace this door.” Rory’s voice and expression were dry as he moved to pick up the split pieces.
She could already see that darkness was coming quickly outside and hoped he fixed it soon. Nyx so didn’t want to see what horrifying creatures came out at night. Because the ones in the daytime were freaky enough.
Bo seemed more at ease and nodded, following Ian up the stairs, his hand firmly on her elbow as they moved. The place was cold and a little sterile. It reminded her of one of her mother’s homes. All polished, gleaming surfaces, expensive-looking paintings hanging on the walls and no soul.
Ian stopped in front of a door and opened it. “I have extra clothes you can wear. We don’t have clothes small enough to fit her but I’ll see if I can scrounge something up.”
Bo stood half in front of Nyx, keeping his arm out to block her from Ian. “Thank you.”
“Whenever you’re done we’ll be downstairs. Just turn down the first hallway at the bottom of the stairs, it leads right to the kitchen.”
Bo waited until Ian was down the stairs before looking at her. “You’re sure you’re all right?” His fierce face was terrifyingly beautiful. Everything about him was. Even in this form—especially in this form.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to look like but he was a pure warrior right now. Tall and huge, sleek muscular lines defined his entire body. He was very much humanoid looking, even with the blue skin. Which made sense, she thought. Demons were fallen angels so if they’d mated with other beings it stood to reason their offspring would have the same characteristics. Regardless, Bo was stunning. “I’m okay but I want to check you out. For wounds,” she rushed on when his eyes did that supernova thing again.
His jaw clenched tight and she knew he was annoyed, likely because he wanted to take care of her pathetic little cuts first. Well that wasn’t happening. Not giving him the chance to argue she stalked into the room and headed straight for the bathroom.
He was right on her heels, actually growling at her as he threw out an arm to stop her again. “I need to check in here first.”
“We’re going to have to talk about this crazy behavior,” she said as he moved into the bathroom like a predator hunting its prey.
He flipped on the light and since there was a clear shower door it was pretty obvious no one was waiting to attack. “Nothing is wrong with my behavior,” he said as he rummaged in one of the cabinets under the counter and sink.
Well, that was up for debate. “We’ll go back to that later, but…aren’t you surprised you have half-siblings?”
“No. My father wants to pro-create as much as he can. I’m sure I have even more brothers and sisters.” His words were monotone, but she knew he had to be affected. How couldn’t he be?
“Are you going to tell them about Cyn—”
“No. They don’t need to know about her until I know more about them. I don’t want to talk about my relatives. Right now I just want to get us cleaned up and figure out a plan of action. Just because they’re my blood doesn’t mean I trust them.” His voice had taken on that savage quality as he pulled out towels but nothing else.
She wasn’t sure she trusted them either but it was better than being stuck outside after darkness fell. And she didn’t blame him for not wanting to tell them about their half-sister. Sighing, Nyx eyed the towels. “They don’t have like, first aid or something?”
He snorted then shut and locked the bathroom door. “Doubtful. I’ll rinse off and show you that I’m fine. This is not my blood.” But there was something in his eyes that said he might be lying. “Then we’re looking at your wounds.”
She nodded, tried not to stare at the way his ass flexed as
he strode to the glass door. When he stepped inside she turned to the sink and started washing her arms. Her wounds were already healing and there was no blood, just thin red welts now. There was nothing to be done about this. Feeling his gaze on her, she looked up to find him watching her intently as he washed himself.
His hands were soapy as he rubbed them over his chest and arms. Her heart beat in her ears, almost louder than the rushing water, as she tracked his movements. She shouldn’t stare.
She really, really shouldn’t. All the blood and other stuff had washed away, leaving smooth blue skin. His body was positively sinful. Truly godlike. He was all cut lines and striations of muscular perfection. She wished she was the one running her hands all over him.
When his hand strayed down to wash his thick cock, warmth flooded her cheeks. He was half-hard and already huge. She’d noticed it when they’d landed in those ruins but that definitely hadn’t been the time to check him out. Now wasn’t really appropriate either, but…her mouth watered at the sight of him.
A rush of warmth spread between her legs as she imagined what it would feel like to have a male as powerful as Bo claim her.
He let out a low growl and she realized she was blatantly staring at his growing cock. Her gaze snapped to his but just as quickly she looked away, unable to hold the contact. Not when he was looking at her as if he could take her right on the floor. Part of her really, really wanted him to.
Yep, she was definitely a coward. She should just go after what she wanted, but after the way he’d rejected her last night she was feeling way too raw. Males were too confusing and she was too embarrassed to ask what she’d done wrong, what she’d done to make him turn away from her. She cleared her throat and turned to face him. There was nowhere else to look but at him so she forced herself to keep her eyes above his chest.
“So, you have two more half-brothers. That’s pretty cool.” It didn’t matter that he’d already said he didn’t want to talk about them, she was nervous. And when she was nervous, she made small talk.