by Dakota Brown
"Damn. That sucks."
"Yes," Ezra agreed.
"So, you got lots of little demon spawn running around?"
Ezra shuddered. "I have managed to avoid that predicament so far."
"Yeah, well, might be a bit hypocritical, but while I'm asking you to share me, I'm not interested in sharing you."
The demon took a deep breath and nodded. "You might be surprised to hear this, but that's truly a relief. I can now blame any refusals I have to make on angering you." The last bit he said lightly, but I could tell he meant the part about being relieved.
"Well, you know, if you need me to stake a claim or anything, just give me a shout."
"I will." He pulled me close to him.
"So when I touched your horns?"
"Ahh, yes. That's not something anyone has ever done. At least not like that. It's very intimate, obviously. A female demon would never concern herself with her partner's pleasure, nor would I trust one enough to let them disarm me that thoroughly."
"How many humans have you been with?"
"That knew I was a demon? None. That didn't know? A larger number, though I haven't exactly counted over the years."
It struck me that Ezra had displayed a level of trust and vulnerability I'd never expected from him. Intrigued, I resumed my light play across the smooth ridges of one of his horns.
"Suppose we should clean up then," I said reluctantly.
"We still have a couple of hours," he objected.
"Ahh. If you're up for more…" I teased him.
"Mmm, try me," he rumbled back.
"I just might."
"Good." He moved faster than I anticipated, rolling me onto my stomach and pinning me to the bed.
I yelped in surprise, then melted when he applied his teeth to my shoulder.
"Fuck," I moaned, quivering underneath him.
"Yeah, Mal is definitely getting some credit there," he whispered.
I laughed, though it came out a little strangled as he bit me again. It occurred to me that I was likely now to have two bruises for a few days. Someone else was marking his territory, too.
"You are mine," he declared, voice a little harsh. Ezra grabbed my hands and pulled them over my head. Before I knew it, they were tied together with a leather strap and secured to the headboard. Damn demon tricks.
I pulled. They were tied tight, and a slight thrill of fear ran through me.
"First lesson," he whispered in my ear. "Unbinding."
He jerked me back until my arms were pulled tight, then he pulled my hips up until my ass was in the air. He played his fingers over my hips and I shivered at the contrast of the cool air and his hot hands.
"You possess the ability to untie yourself from nearly any binding, magical or physical. You're stuck with mine," he growled. "So don't even try it. But should anyone else try to bind you in any way, you can undo it."
He dragged his nails down my back and I arched, hissing at the mix of pleasure and pain that worked through me.
"Untie yourself, and I'll give you what you want." His fingers ghosted over my clit.
"What if I want to be tied up while you fuck me," I protested, still a little worried about being restrained. Unlike with Mal, I wasn't sure if Ezra knew the human rules of bondage, and right now I didn't think he was interested in following them.
"Is that what you want?"
"I…"
"Didn't think so. Untie yourself, and I'll make you come so hard you'll see literal stars. If I have to untie you, you're getting a cold shower."
"Fucker," I muttered.
He chuckled. "I gave you the knowledge, look for it and use it." Then he started to tease me. Lightly touching then pulling away, all the places I liked best, but only with the barest hints of pressure.
"You might have to do this while you're afraid. If you can handle it aroused, you can handle it afraid."
I muttered more curses, but he was right. I tugged at the bonds again, and they just tightened. He really hadn't tied bondage knots, he'd tied me up like he really meant it.
Ezra smacked my ass. I yelped.
"Untie yourself. I want to feast on your delicious pussy again, then pound into you…"
"Ezra," I whined, cutting him off. "Can't concentrate."
He chuckled, but quieted though he didn't stop his teasing touches.
I reached inside myself and found a whole new well of knowledge that hadn't been there before. It was strange, as if spells were simply floating in a pool I needed to immerse myself in and then they would truly become mine. Yet, I hesitated. This was demon magic. What would using demon magic do to me?
"You're in deep enough with demons already, Chris, that I don't think this is going to make a difference in the end," Ezra answered my unasked question.
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be. If it makes you feel any better, you're still on the right side."
He gave my clit a much firmer stroke and I shivered at his touch.
"Untie yourself before you lose circulation. I want to fuck you, but I'm not going to let you get hurt trying to learn this."
"Don't want a cold shower?"
Ezra chuckled. "No, that's for you. I'll take a nice warm one. Maybe I'll even make you watch as I pleasure myself."
I groaned.
"Payback is a bitch sometimes, isn't it," he said smugly.
"Fucker. I didn't make you watch."
"No, but it was impossible to ignore."
Grumbling, I sank back down into that well of knowledge. I'd give Ezra one thing, he wasn't trying to sugarcoat what my demon involvement might mean for me in the future. Oh well, I hadn't expected to make it to heaven, anyway. Taking a mental breath, I dove into the pool of demon magic and wrapped it around myself, felt it burn through me, stretch those channels where I pulled magic, and sear them open.
It wasn't completely unpleasant, but it didn't exactly feel good, either. However, it had the desired effect. His gifted knowledge melded into my mind and suddenly I understood how to untie those ropes. I knew the words to speak, and understood the language, though it was one I'd never spoken before.
I whispered the unbinding and the leather fell away from my wrists.
"Good girl," Ezra whispered. Leaning forward, covering my body with his own, as he rubbed the circulation back into my hands and arms. "Now, about that fucking. How do you want it?"
"You can read my mind, mate. Why don't you tell me?"
"Mmm, but I like to hear you say it."
"I…" caught off guard, words failed me for a moment. The combination of tender Ezra combined with demanding Ezra was really tweaking my brain.
"Just like this, then. Eat me, then pound me into the bed."
"As you desire." There his voice went a little submissive again and I just couldn't wrap my brain around it. It was going to take a lot of time to unravel the mystery that was Ezra in bed.
It didn't take long before he'd completely distracted me from my earlier thoughts. And seeing stars was a bit of an understatement when we finally crashed over into oblivion together.
It didn't escape my notice that Ezra held me tightly as we both let sleep drag us under.
Chapter 10
Aaron
"Do you think she's okay?" I watched Mal work through a complicated sword form.
"Yes," Mal said shortly.
I knew he wasn't mad at me, but I still hoped I wasn't bothering him by being here, or with my questions.
The vampire paused mid form and glanced at me. "I'm not angry with you, Aaron and I'm very glad you're here. Teaching you gives me something to do to keep my mind off of things."
"Wait, are you reading minds now, too?"
Mal smiled and shook his head. "No, though I can in some instances. I can, however, sense your tension. You're usually pretty relaxed and I made a few assumptions."
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Thanks for the reassurance. You do think she's okay?"
"Ezra will k
eep her safe. We just have to hope that if he's up to anything nefarious, Chris will be strong enough to resist him. If he's not, well, then I guess I hope he stays on our side."
I nodded. "I'll try to stop thinking about it. So, what else are we up to, today?"
Mal chuckled. "Your eighties education and then I guess we head over to the pizza parlor."
"Wait, that's tonight?"
Mal nodded.
"I'm more of a nineties kid myself."
"So is Chris. She just doesn't want anyone to know."
I laughed. "Okay. So, what did you think of the eighties?"
"I was lost in a particularly deep study of something or another and missed a lot of it. By the time I surfaced in the middle of the eighties phenomena, I was mostly just confused. Took me a few years to get caught up, and by then it was the nineties."
I burst out laughing. "For real?"
Mal nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I had to confess some of that to Chris. Fortunately, she was understanding. Well, she acted understanding, anyway. Maybe she was just distracted with the idea of going to hell."
"Is it impolite to ask how old you are, anyway?"
Mal smirked and for a while I didn't think he was going to answer, but finally he shrugged.
"I think the phrase is old enough to know better, still too young to care?"
I shook my head. "I get the impression you're older than that."
He nodded. "Old enough. I prefer not to dwell too much on the past. It can get a little depressing."
"Gottcha. I'll try not to ask again, but I'm sure you have some fascinating stories."
"Occasionally I get in the right mood and overshare my past," Mal said. "Stick around long enough and you'll get subjected to it."
"I'm sure it's not going to be torture," I countered.
Mal shrugged and I shifted the focus away from him.
"Okay, so, what does my education consist of today?"
"There's a particular movie you have to watch and then I guess we'll just hit the internet for inspiration."
"Movie date with the vampire," I said, winking at him when he glanced at me.
"It's a vampire movie, too."
I laughed. "Even better."
Mal shook his head. "I will try to refrain from pointing out every inaccuracy in the entire film."
"I feel you there. Almost all science-based films get me going."
"I promise, there is no science in this movie." Mal laughed. "But it's Chris' favorite movie, so you should watch it."
"Hopefully soon we'll get to have a movie night with all of us. I know Sabian will be down. Think Ezra likes movies?"
Mal got a calculating look in his eye before he smiled slyly. "Maybe we should make a list of things to subject him to. Could be fun."
"A little hazing to join Chris' harem?" I suggested.
Mal tilted his head. "Harem, I guess that's kind of what this is, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah. Though you might have a very different perspective on the use of that word than I do."
Mal nodded. "Yes, but it's accurate enough."
"Still can't believe you're willing to share her."
Mal shrugged. "If living for as long as I have has taught me one thing, it's that life is short and getting hung up about the way things should be is pointless. Chris has enough affection to go around, and we all want to love and protect her. She's going to need us."
"I don't know, man. I think I want her to protect me."
Mal burst out laughing. "Well, yeah, there is that, too. Mutual protection?"
"Let's go with that."
Mal gestured to the sword. "Show me the form one more time and then we'll go watch a movie."
I took a breath, settled into the stance he had taught me, and let myself flow through the movements. I'd never thought I'd be learning to use a sword, especially from someone who had likely learned to use one as a life necessity instead of simply a hobby. If anyone had told me a few months ago that I'd be hanging with demons and vampires, not to mention a certain exorcist, I'd have laughed at them, but here I was. And I wasn't going to lie, the sword felt good in my hand. Natural. Learning the forms had almost been like learning to speak. I had always known how, I just needed someone to show me how to shape the movements. Mal suspected, and I agreed, that it was probably something to do with my unusual genetics. Some sort of built-in ability that I simply had to hone. I'm sure it didn't hurt that my teacher was a total badass, though.
I focused more deeply on the movements when Mal corrected my stance slightly. Just because it felt natural didn't mean I didn't have to concentrate.
∞ ∞ ∞
"Ready for this?" Mal asked hours later.
"I feel armed with an unusual knowledge base of eighties pop culture, and I have a strange desire to listen to shiny men play sax on the boardwalk. Let's do this."
Mal laughed. "I feel we'll still be completely out of our depth. I get the impression the regulars take this quote war night very seriously."
"I'm more worried about the employee pizza party next week," I said as we got into Mal's hybrid. We'd picked it up from the shop and I squeezed myself into the passenger seat.
Mal glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather we take Chris' beastly car?"
"Um, well, I'd fit better."
He climbed back out of the hybrid and I unfolded myself from the passenger seat.
"Thanks."
"Of course."
Though Mal didn't really like the large vehicle, it was nice not to have my knees up around my ears.
We headed out and Mal gritted his teeth.
"Nervous?"
"Maybe a little. I feel like I'm going to end up the center of attention, and that's something I typically try to avoid."
"You're welcome to throw the attention on me. I'm used to being the tall, awkward dude at parties."
Mal laughed. "I'm glad we're getting some time to spend together, Aaron. I like you."
"Dude, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that because you're one scary S.O.B."
Mal glanced at me before refocusing on the road. "When provoked. Usually, I'm just a mild-mannered occultist."
I snorted. "Okay, Superman."
He laughed.
We rode in silence for the rest of the trip.
Mal pulled us into the pizza parlor parking lot and took the spot Chris had reserved for herself. We headed to the parlor together and Mal winced when we got close. The music was cranked, and the parking lot was already packed.
"How do you deal with the loud music?"
"I just know that I can heal any of the damage it does to me and ignore the pain it causes when I can't avoid it," he replied mildly.
"Makes sense. So, Chris know how much you don't want to do this?"
Mal grinned. "It's not that I don't want to help. I'm simply uncomfortable. Pushing boundaries isn't always a bad thing."
"Gottcha."
"You?"
"Naw, I'm intrigued. This should be fun."
Mal nodded and we went inside.
It did take a minute to assimilate to the loud eighties rock and the laughter from several of the tables.
The hostess, what was her name…Mandy? Yeah, Mandy, smiled when she saw us.
"How's Chris?" she shouted over the chaos.
"Fine," Mal replied.
I hoped he was right. We really had no way of knowing, though it occurred to me that I could text her. She was probably still dealing with the meeting part of her adventure. I decided to wait for now.
"Good. Hey, Billy is in the back. Could you go grab him? He'll get you settled."
"Yes, thank you, Mandy." Mal grinned at her and I thought she might have blushed.
"Charmer," I said quietly, knowing he would hear.
Mal glanced at me, smirking slightly. "Never hurts."
"She the one that is into vampire romances?" I made sure to pitch my voice low enough that only he would hear me.
Mal nearly tripp
ed on a fortunately empty chair.
I put out a hand to steady his shoulder and he laughed. "Touché."
We found Billy moments later and he put us to work. Mostly it was just going around to the various tables and introducing ourselves as the stand ins for Chris and getting to know the patrons a bit. We quickly got a feel for those who were here to play and those who were just in for pizza.
Occasionally we helped fill some drink orders, but so far everything was pretty easy.
After about an hour of that, Billy killed the music and jumped up on a chair, a microphone in his hand.
"Who's ready for quote wars?" he exclaimed.
"We are!" most of the folks in the restaurant shouted.
"Great! I think you've all met Mal and Aaron. Try to be nice to them. They're standing in for Chris tonight while she's off hunting demons." He made an exaggerated wink at the crowd and they all laughed.
Clearly the reason for the theme change had come up a few times and Billy had managed to make something of a joke out of it.
"Or maybe she's just on an actual vacation for once. That's what she's claiming, anyway."
"Sure she is!" someone in the back shouted good naturedly.
"That's what I said," Billy replied. "So, I hear that both Mal and Aaron are novices when it comes to eighties pop culture. Tonight we've got a twist on the game. They need an education, so any of you that manage to pull a quote they actually know, while avoiding the super easy ones, gets a discount. Not as challenging for us, but it should be pretty challenging for them."
I heard Mal sigh, but he had a good-natured expression on his face when Billy came over to us.
"Go circulate," he ordered as the music kicked back in.
"Yes, boss," I said.
He grinned. "Seriously though, is Chris okay?"
"Yes, as far as we know, she's fine."
"Good." Billy grinned and headed off to his next task.