Demon's Mercy, page 25
She exhaled slowly, visibly relaxing. “Okay. So finally we’re on the same page here. We need to mate.”
The idea roared the blood through Logan’s body, but he forced his mind to take over. Oh, the sweetheart. She was more frightened than she let on. He tightened his hold on her delicate hands. “You don’t have to mate me to be safe. I can kill him for you.” In fact, he should’ve already done so.
“No.” She planted both hands on her face and then dropped them. “Listen to me. You need to mate before you go through the ritual. Niall is planning something, and he’s the best at teleporting. He probably has abilities I haven’t even realized, and you’ll need even a small amount of my teleporting skills to even have a chance.”
His chin lifted and his chest warmed. She wanted to protect him. It was sweet but unnecessary. One Fae king who, so far, had only dared to attack a female wasn’t a threat to him. “I can handle Niall and anything he’s got.”
“Your arrogance is not your most appealing quality.” She rolled her eyes, panic still widening her pupils. “You have to listen to me. God, you’re stubborn. Just mate me, damn it.”
He wasn’t being clear. “Oh, I am mating you, baby. But it isn’t because I need your skills. It’s because you’re my fucking mate.” A fact he’d known with absolute certainty the second she’d teleported away from him.
She blinked and faltered. Her hands wiped down her jeans. “Now wait a minute.”
“But first we’re going to have a nice chat about you just teleporting out of here a couple of hours ago.” He wasn’t happy with her, and he had no problem letting her know that one simple fact now that he’d reassured her. It was time she took him seriously. She couldn’t just go zipping around with people who wanted to hurt her.
“Now, listen—” she started, her head snapping back.
“No. You listen.” He lowered his chin. “We’ve been dancing around this for too long. It’s a done deal, Mercy. You know it, I know it, and it’s time to stop fucking around.”
She tapped her foot. “I’m the one who showed up here saying we should mate.”
Her temper was prodding his, and he struggled to remain reasonable. “I know, but mating comes with some understanding. One, for sure, is that you stay in the same damn dimension as I am.” His growl went low and hot. She’d purposely rescued an asshole who wanted to hurt her. That could never happen again. “I will do everything in my power to help your people, but your loyalty is to me. Period.”
Sam cleared his throat from near the counter. “Do you two, ah, want some privacy?”
Logan had forgotten the others were even in the room. “Yes. We do.” He dipped his nose toward his errant mate’s. “Can you teleport us to my cabin? The one by the river?”
She swallowed, her throat moving. “Yes. I can picture it, but if you gave me the location, it’d be easier.”
“Priest River, Idaho,” he said. They needed privacy for the rest of this discussion. He’d allowed her too much freedom, and she’d teleported away from him and into danger.
“We’ll be in contact,” Garrett said quietly.
Logan nodded, slipping his phone into Mercy’s back pocket, his fingers sliding along her pert backside. Arousal flared inside him from the one little touch. It was a good thing the Fae could transport metal and other objects. Then he looked at Garrett, determined to focus. “Call me when the Seven are prepared for the ritual. Tell them I’m ready.” He grasped Mercy’s arms.
She looked like she was going to argue, caught sight of the other two males, and then closed her eyes.
The world spun away, darkness surrounding him with the softest of touches. A second later, he stood near the fireplace in his secluded cabin, the sound of thunder rolling high overhead. It was the most comfortable teleporting experience he’d ever had.
She released his arms and took several steps away. Rain poured down outside in the darkness. Yet another nighttime in another time zone. “I think we’re going to have to get some things straight, Logan Kyllwood.”
“Agreed,” he said, the predator inside him stretching wide awake. The rain battered against the solid cabin he’d built, providing a cocoon of intimacy tinged with a dangerous tension.
She faltered. “Um, okay. So. We’re mating because we like each other and you need to teleport.”
God, she was cute. “Actually, I don’t like you very much right now, and I’ll gain the skill to teleport on my own at some point.” Most demons didn’t teleport until they’d lived a hundred years or so. He crossed his arms. “What else?”
“What do you mean you don’t like me?” Her eyes opened wide, and her jaw assumed such a stubborn line that he wanted to take a bite.
The woman could be dense. “Do you have any clue why I’d be irritated?” He had to suck down said irritation to keep his voice level.
“No.” She tapped her foot again, a sure sign of impatience.
God help him. She’d drive him crazy through the centuries. The female had to acknowledge just a couple of simple facts before he lost his damn mind. He clenched his jaw and spoke through gritted teeth. “You do not teleport out with the enemy. With somebody I just beat up. With somebody who might harm you. Ever.”
“Oh, you do not tell me what to do.” Her head jerked, and all of that glorious hair tumbled around. “Ever.”
“That’s not how this is going to work,” he said, rather gently if he did say so. When it came to her safety, his will was absolute. He’d rather not have to fight her as well as her enemies, but if she required that, so be it. His phone buzzed behind her backside.
Without looking, she yanked it from her pocket and chucked it at him. He caught it midair, the edge of violence pricking his temper. Oh, she was pushing him too far now. He pressed the screen. “What?”
“Tomorrow. Seven in the morning. I’m sending coordinates,” Benny said. “Say your good-byes.” The phone went silent.
Fuck, Benny was nuts. Logan settled the phone in his pocket. “So.”
“So.” She visually shook herself, loosening up. “You can be a bossy jackass tomorrow. We’d better get to the mating.”
Chapter 35
Tingles raced down Mercy’s body as she pretty much offered herself to the sexiest male she’d ever imagined. She’d told Niall the truth about falling for Logan. The demon had intrigued her from the first picture she’d studied, and the moment he’d finally touched her, she’d felt whole. But now, she had to protect him the same way he’d already saved her—whether he liked it or not.
He watched her like a predator, his eyes a molten green in the darkened room. “I’d love to take the night, but we’re not mating.” His voice had gone demon low.
“What?” Her head bobbed with the exclamation. Was it really possible the immortal was that stubborn and arrogant? “Have you suffered a head injury?” He made less sense than marshmallow pudding.
“Probably,” he muttered. “We’ll mate after the Seven ritual, Mercy. Not before.”
“But the whole purpose of mating is to save your ass,” she snapped, fury bubbling through her like an evil champagne.
He tucked his thumbs in his faded jeans, an implacable force in a rioting world. “Ah, baby. The purpose of mating is forever. You and me. Fun and sex and fights and family. That happens after I survive the ritual.”
His sweet words rocked her, even through her anger. “You’ll be stronger if we mate,” she said.
“You won’t.” Even across the room, his energy pulsed. Strong and powerful. Primal. Drawing her in a way she could barely comprehend. “Mating a demon takes a toll on a female. And if I don’t survive the ritual…”
He didn’t want to leave her a widow. A mate without a mate for eternity. Just when she wanted to kick him in the head, he had to go and say something endearing.
But this wouldn’t do. “Oh, Logan,” she murmured. She could almost feel sorry for the guy. If he had any idea how many hours, days, or even weeks she had spent studying him. Truly fascinated by everything about him. His relationships with family, with friends, with foes. His fighting ability and what drove him.
Even what made him.
She knew what lurked at the core of him. The predator he only let loose in times of war to protect his family. A demon-vampire hybrid was the most dangerous creature in a world brimming with deadly beings, and even he, with his calm intelligence, couldn’t overcome his true nature.
Not if they were truly meant to be mates.
He tilted his head toward the bedroom. “We do have this night.”
A shiver took her, dancing along her spine. An entire night with Logan Kyllwood in a big bed. Very tempting. But she wanted more than a night of great sex. She was going to save him even if it killed them both. There was one way to do it, and it wasn’t pretty. Even so, her blood started to burn with anticipation. “No.”
His eyebrows shot up. “No?”
“No.” She licked her lips. “I’m at a crossroads, Logan. If I mate you and give you powers, you might be able to save the world. Or I could mate Niall and follow his path. Either way, the universe is both threatened and possibly saved. But I’m finished wondering, and I’m finished waiting. It happens tonight.”
His indulgent smile barely masked the anger her words created. But it was there glowing in his eternal eyes and undulating in his hard-cut muscles. “You’re mating me. On my terms and in my time.”
“Well.” She threw challenge into her eyes and settled into her plan, no matter the cost. How well did she really understand the demon? She was about to find out. So she gathered as much power from the atmosphere as she could seize, going for the jugular. “I guess it’s Niall, then.” The air shimmered, and she forced herself into a teleport.
“No!” Logan lunged, grasping her ankles in the nick of time, his grip unbreakable.
But she’d expected him and only jumped outside and across the rushing river, within eyesight of the cabin. His hold on her would’ve prevented her from going any farther, so she didn’t try. They landed in the wet weeds and rolled, rain beating down on them.
She came up onto her feet, already panting, warning ticking through her. Wet weeds dropped from her shirt to the dirt. Water slid over her face and into her hair, not cooling her determination in the slightest.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He rose to his full height, his bellow startling wildlife into flight through the darkness.
She gulped, her jeans and shoes covered in wet grass. “Teleporting to Niall. You’ve given me no choice.” Her knees wobbled, but she met his gaze directly. It was the only way this could possibly work. She couldn’t back down. If she showed one ounce of fear, one tiny sliver of doubt, he’d go into protector mode.
She wanted the predator.
He grabbed her hand and turned toward the river, his gaze seeking. The moon glowed slightly through the cloud cover, barely diminishing the darkness. “There are a series of rocks that cross the water nearby.”
She jerked away and shoved wet hair off her face. The rain chilled her skin down to her bones. “I am not going with you.”
The muscles in his back, clearly defined beneath the wet cotton, bunched and knotted. “Stop this, Mercy. Now.”
It was too late. Way too late. “No.” Waiting until he turned to face her again, she kicked up with her full strength, striking him beneath the chin. Her one signature move. The sharp crack of his head going back nearly made her rethink her strategy.
Then his chin lowered, and his eyes glowed. Really glowed. His human façade disappeared, leaving only the primal creature at his core.
She turned and ran.
Even though this had been her plan, instinct took over, and she fled as fast as she could. Through weeds, over branches and bushes, she ran as if the devil pursued her.
Because he did.
No predator on Earth—or any other dimension—would allow prey to attack and then flee. It went against their very nature. She knew Logan would have no choice but to pursue her. With his neck hurting and his anger scorching. But what he’d do with her if he caught her was all Logan. A furious demon-vampire hybrid that she’d challenged in the most fundamental of ways. She quickened her pace.
She panted and tried to quiet her breathing. She tripped over a rock and went flying through the rain, her arms windmilling. Somehow, he was in front of her, catching her before her face impacted an ancient cedar tree. Protecting her, even now.
Her momentum made him swing her around, and he set her down, his mouth dragging across hers. “I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work.” Even so, his hand fisted in her hair, and he jerked her head back. Tingles exploded along her scalp, and her nipples pebbled so fast and hard they hurt. “You want to play? I’ll play. But you’re not going to like the results,” he rumbled.
Desire slammed to her core. Edged with a craving she hadn’t expected and barely understood. She twisted and caught his knee with her foot, forcing him back. He released her, and she turned to run again. Because he let her.
A trail wound around rocks and branches, barely there, soaked by the rain. She followed it, her head down. The river rushed to one side, and the forest sprawled to the other. Dark laughter and hard footsteps pounded behind her.
Sexy trembles skittered down her back. She was smaller and more agile than he was, and she had challenged the beast. The taste of danger sweetened the rainy air around her. She beelined between a sharp outcropping of rocks, keeping close to the river.
The night smelled of him. Cedar and pine and spicy intent.
She sensed him before she saw him, right on her heels. Yelping, she turned and leaped over a downed tree, barreling into the forest. She ducked and dodged, lifting a branch and letting it snap behind her. It hit him with a crack, and she laughed, wild and free.
“You’ll pay for that,” he said, his voice riding the storm.
She turned again and caught sight of him—a hunter stalking prey. How did such a robust demon move with such grace? Her plan to slow down and let him catch her burned away with the need to test him. Truly challenge him. Just how good was he?
The game slid away. This was real. Fundamentally so. If he wanted her, really wanted her, he’d have to catch her.
The trail dipped, and she followed it, running full-out. Her heart pounded so hard it drowned out any sounds behind her. She couldn’t sense exactly where he was any longer. He was close—she could feel him. But where? In which direction?
She grasped the edge of a rock and boomeranged around it, trying to give herself more speed. Shelter. She needed to duck and hide, at least to regain her breath. Had she thought this out well enough?
What would he do when he caught her?
If he caught her.
A series of rock ledges led down to the river. If she could cross, she could get free. Or wait. She could teleport. The thought hadn’t occurred to her because she’d needed him to catch her for this plan to work.
But now? Forget the plan. Now she wanted to win. Wanted to show him she could. At an even more primal level, she needed to know that he could catch her. That he was that good. She took a deep breath, drew in moisture-laden air, and started to teleport midstride.
Something hit her from behind. Strong arms anchored around her waist, and he lifted her straight off her feet, halting her dimensional jump cold. The universe receded and her power sputtered out.
“Cheaters never win.” He took her down to the grass, placing her on her back none too gently.
She struggled with his hands, angry he’d captured her so easily the second she’d tried to leave. Had he just been playing with her the entire time? The damn male wasn’t even out of breath.
He dropped to his knees, straddling her and yanking her torso up toward him. Then his mouth devoured hers.
Chapter 36
Logan fought the beast inside him, straddling his female, having caught her. “You shouldn’t have challenged me.” His hands curled over her slim shoulders.
Her smile was pure sass. “You call that a challenge?”
His gaze tracked over the light flush across her face, the hard nipples beneath her wet shirt, and the tremors cascading through her slim thighs. The scent of her arousal, sweet and pure, dropped his fangs to his lip.
He retracted them. “Yeah. I call that a challenge.”
Her eyes glittered, one blue and one green. “So who won?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? The marking on his palm burned hotter than before, the K in the center hungry for her flesh. She belonged to him. Always would. She deserved an answer. “I won, Mercy. Will every time. Feel free to make me prove it.”
“So prove it.” Her wild red hair spread out on the wet grass, darkening in the rain.
He ripped her shirt in half, enjoying her sharp gasp. Arousal clamped on him with sharp claws. The rain washed over her smooth skin, turning her bra translucent. A flick of his fingers, and he tore it in two.
God, she was beautiful. Headstrong and too ready to leap into danger, but stunning as she did it. The wildness in her called to him as much as her serious side. But one would get her killed, and that he wouldn’t allow. She already held his heart, perhaps his soul. For the remainder of his life, no matter how long he had, it would be Mercy he craved.
He palmed her breasts, her pretty pink nipples brushing his flesh. She arched into his hold, her lips curving in a half smile.
Then she dug her nails into his shirt, biting past the cotton to his skin. The slight pain drove him higher.
Defiance clearly in her eyes, she gathered the energy around them. Challenging him.
He felt the universe tug on her, and he pushed it back, keeping her in place. “I fully intend to survive the ritual tomorrow, but if the worst happens, I’d rather not spend our last night together teaching you a lesson.” His voice dropped to a hoarse growl.
