Viola Grace - Saguinary Seduction, page 27
“I will always be your hooker bunny.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve…I’ve seen into the future and I see us loving each other no matter what. I know we will always be like this.”
The two men on screen panted and moaned and I wanted my husband’s tongue back on my ass.
“You know what else I see?”
I stroked his magnificent face, glad to see the tattoos next to eye had finally stopped seeping. “What, baby?”
“Caramel ice cream all over our sheets.”
“Is that from the baby waiting for us, or what we do when we put him to bed and finish things off with a hot ice cream fuck?”
Kimo threw his head back and laughed. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out. Now, would you like me to show you what bunny rapers do to the men they most cherish?”
“Yeah, yeah.” I was practically humping his face when he finally, mercifully put his mouth back on me. And I wished midnight would last forever in that red room at Morning’s.
244
The Reluctant Incubus
Stephani Hecht
hren figured there were two ways he could get killed in the Tnext few minutes and neither one of them were particularly neither macho nor heroic. The incubus quickened his steps as he sized up the first threat, a pair of Hounds from Hell stalking him from the shadows. The second threat was a few feet behind Lucifer’s poodles and a whole lot more mysterious.
Small and agile the enigma was enveloped head to toe in a dark cloak and carrying a long bo-staff. While whoever it was, wasn’t making any threatening moves, somehow Thren didn’t think they were stalking him down the alley to discuss the latest hockey game.
Thren tried to reach out with his heightened incubus senses to determine who or what the second thing was only to be blocked by the fury and anger from the hound. No that it mattered in the end, he had enemies of both angel and demon kind. A snarl accompanied with a poof of bad breath told him the Hounds were right behind him, so it looked like he would have to deal with them first.
“You little fuckers just couldn’t stay away could you?” He cursed softly under his breath as he reached beneath his dark coat to grab the short word he kept there. He whipped it out just as one of the doom doggies launched itself at his back. He spun around and brought the weapon around in a long arch, slicing open the beast’s stomach. It let out a long howl as warm 245
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blood sprayed Thren’s face. The metallic smell sent him further down his dark side, as an incubus he needed to drink blood to stay alive and, while demon’s blood wasn’t as tasty as angel’s, it was a close second.
A growl rumbled his chest and a few words of demon slipped past his lips. He gave a shake of his head and tried to regain control. Fight this, don’t give over to your urges, you can do it.
Despite his inner pep talk, it was hard to tap down the evil bubbling in his heart. The demon in him wanted to prolong the battle and enjoy the Hound’s suffering. It had attacked him first, it had challenged him and for that it deserved to know who the true master was before it drew its last breath. Thren struggled to put a lid on those urges. He had vowed to himself those days were over. Just because he was a demon didn’t mean he was bad.
“There’s another one!” a voice shrieked.
It was the cloaked figure calling out the warning. Thren let out another demon curse. It was an angel, and a female. Why in the hell was this little one out alone, following him of all creations? By her size, she couldn’t be much more than a teen.
He swung his sword around again and sliced the first hound’s neck as the second crouched down to attack. A gunshot rang through the dark night, echoing off the empty Detroit City streets. The second hound let out a howl as it fell to its side. Thren gaped first at the injured demon and then the small angel who was holding a Glock in her outstretched hand.
She stood under a streetlight now and she whipped back the cloak so he could finally see her clearly. He saw his fist assumption about her had been mistaken, she might be tiny, but her luscious curves screamed she was a full-grown adult.
The underlying muscles and warrior’s stance showed she was one who could handle herself in battle, too. Long dark brown hair framed a heart-shaped face and her doe brown eyes were narrowed angrily at the Hound.
“No you don’t, this incubus is mine.” The smile that accompanied her words was just dangerous enough to send a spike of desire through Thren. As a demon, he loved his 246
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females dark and dangerous and this angel here fit that description in spades. He would just love being her incubus.
One Hound launched itself at Thren, the other at the female, he had just enough time to see her catch the demon in the gut with her staff before he turned in time to take on his own foe. Since he wanted to solve the mystery of the female warrior, he didn’t play with his prey, instead he swung his sword around and decapitated the dog. Its body flashed back to hell and a loud popping noise behind him told him the female had managed to finish off her own enemy.
The distant howls told him there was more Hounds one their way and they were pissed. He grabbed the female’s hand.
“We need to move, now.”
“Where are we going?” the angel panted. Her small legs worked double time to keep up with his longer ones, but he didn’t dare stop.
“We need to get your little angel butt out of here before it becomes dog chow.”
“I can handle myself. A few demons don’t scare me.”
He turned around, surprised at her naiveté. “Do you have any idea how vicious Hounds from Hell are? Facing a couple of them are one thing, taking out a pack would be a whole different matter.”
“Since I’ve spent the past five years fighting demons in the gladiator ring, I think I can say I know a thing or two about them.”
Thren winced. Although he’d never attended a match himself, he knew some demons and rogues ran gladiator rings for profit. They were barbaric events that were usually fought to the death and they were gaining in popularity. If she had actually survived that long as a gladiator it would explain how she was able to take out the Hound so quickly.
The pitter-pat of claws behind them told Thren the demons were coming closer so he picked up speed. The angel’s hand felt small in his and the urge to protect her weighed on him heavily, despite the fact she would probably kick his ass if she knew he was thinking that way. “Run,” he commanded in a 247
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tight voice.
“I am running,” she argued.
“Do it faster, my car is less than a block away.”
She gave an irritated grunt, but obeyed him and they made it to his black Dodge Charger. He threw her in and ran around to the driver’s seat. As soon as he put the key in the ignition, one of the Hounds jumped on the hood and snarled at him through the windshield. “Fuck, my paint job,” he protested.
“Do you want me to shoot it?” she raised her weapon.
“And ruin the windshield along with my hood?” He slammed the car in reverse before doing a sharp K-turn. The Hound rolled off the car with a loud yelp. Another one jumped in the middle of the road in their path. Thren accelerated and hit it, wincing when he heard the sound of metal crunching.
“My baby.” He knew he was whining, but he loved his Charger.
“It’s just a car.” Even in the darkness, he could see her roll her eyes.
“Just a car?” he repeated, horrified at her comment. He rubbed a loving hand over the dash. “Don’t listen to the mean angel, baby,” he crooned to the vehicle. “She doesn’t know what she is talking about.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“I’ve heard that before.” He turned onto the main highway, leaving the city lights of Detroit behind them. “Unfortunately for you, this idiot is expecting some answers.”
One delicate shoulder went up in a shrug. “Fine, I have nothing to hide.”
Somehow he doubted that. He may not be an empath angel, but he did know she was hiding tons from him. “Let’s start with your name.”
“Brenna.” She put the gun in her lap and started to fiddle with something around her neck.
“Is that a slave collar?” he asked, dread filled his stomach.
It appeared as if at least the part about her being a slave had been true.
She looked over at him, the streetlights that whipped by 248
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caused harsh shadows on her face, but he could still see the fear etched there. “You’re not going to turn me in are you?”
“No, I won’t turn you in. But you have to tell me why you were following me.”
She studied him closely, clearly weighing her options.
“Cabian sent me.”
At the mention of his long lost friend, Thren almost drove off the road. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Cabian is dead.”
“No Thren, he’s not. He’s alive, at least he was when I last saw him. As soon as he, my brother, Tobin, and I managed to escape, we went separate ways.”
“Cabian was lost in a demon uprising ten years ago.”
“He was captured,” she corrected. “He’s been a gladiator like me ever since.”
Thren felt like someone just sucker punched him. Cabian had been alive and fighting for his survival all this time and none of his old friends had known. Even though there had been no way for him to have known, Thren still felt as if he’d let Cabian down.
She gave a dry chuckle. “Cabian said you would react that way.”
“React what way?”
“He told me you always felt guilty when something didn’t go right. Even if you had no way to stop it. He called you the Reluctant Incubus.”
A smile quirked at the corners of his mouth. That sounded like something his old buddy would say. “What else did the bastard tell you about me?” She laughed and he was shocked to find himself respond to the sweet sound. He had lived a solitary life for years and it was nice to have a conversation with someone that wasn’t a bartender or a black-arms dealer.
He could get used to it if he weren’t careful.
“Cabian had plenty to say about you and most of it was good. He said that you were like him, a demon with regrets.
That as soon as you renounced your angel warrior vows and turned your back of Heaven, you regretted it. He talked about how you had honor and integrity. Most of all he told me to 249
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trust you.”
“Why would you come to a demon at all? Why not go to the angels, your own kind?” God, it hurt to say that.
“I wouldn’t trust an angel as far as I could throw them.”
She tugged viciously at her slave collar. “They were the ones who killed my father and put my brother and I in these.”
Thren gripped the steering wheel tight so he didn’t yell at her for her stupidity. Sure he might look almost normal, the only demon features he had were fangs and his blue eyes that had pupils shaped like a cat’s, but he was still a demon for Lucifer’s sake and she wasn’t going to live long if she turned to just anyone for aide.
“Do you know why I was in that bar?” he all but snarled at her. “I was there to buy angel’s blood because I have to drink it in order to keep sane. Is that someone you want to be alone with?”
She tilted her chin up and pursed her mouth. He couldn’t help but notice how plump and inviting her lips looked.
“Cabian and I have plans for you, so you better get used to having me around.
“What type of plans might those be?”
“Things got really bad for my Tobin and I around two years ago. We had been captives for three years and we’d both given up hope. My brother had already turned demon by that time and I was about ready to follow his path. We had seen so much death in the gladiator ring and we were weary of it. Then Cabian came and brought us hope.”
An unwanted surge of jealously went through him at the loving way she spoke his friend’s name. “So you met Cabian and fell in love with him?”
“Not in the way you think.” She gave a wistful smile, like she was lost in some happy memory. “Cabian is like a brother to me. He developed a special kinship with Tobin because they both regretted they had turned against their angel self and became demon.”
Thren could relate to that. There wasn’t a day he didn’t curse himself for making the same mistake. “You still haven’t 250
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told me where I figure out in this whole thing.”
“The three of us decided we would escape and find a way to help all the other slaves in captivity. We knew we couldn’t do it alone, so we decided to find some allies to help us, other warriors to back us up in battle. Your name was the first one Cabian came up with.” Her full lips curled up in an impish grin. “He thinks the world of you. He wanted to come ask for you help himself, but he’s going to a demon clan that’s in another state to try to recruit them, so he had to send me instead.”
“What makes any of you think I would want to take up a lost cause like this? I have my own life.” Her gaze turned knowing and he squirmed under it.
“You live alone with no friends, no goals, and nothing to look forward to. What kind of life is that? Cabian told me so much about you it is as if I know you personally. You have a driving need to redeem yourself and you would do anything to make up your betrayal to Michael. I’m giving you a chance.
The only question is, are you brave enough to take it?”
Thren internally winced as each of her words hit home.
Wow, she did have him pegged good. He studied the road ahead of him as he dared to entertain her offer. It would be nice to finally do some good again. Although he could never get his life as an angel warrior back, he could rebuild some honor by helping out others.
“I don’t know,” he finally drawled. “I just joined the fruit of the month club and if I leave now, they might not know where to forward the packages.”
She beamed at him and her smile felt like a gift. “So does that mean you’ll come with me.”
Yes, honey I would just love to come with you, the raunchy incubus in him chanted. He held that comment to himself. “Yes, I’m a sucker for hopeless causes.”
“I’m not due to rendezvous with Tobin and Cabian for a few days. We’ll have to stay at your house and lay low until then because those demons we fought were looking for me.
My owner was pissed he lost me and slavers often use Hounds 251
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to hunt down captives who escape. I need to hide out until the heat is off. I hope you don’t mind me intruding, you won’t even know I’m there.”
Not bloody likely. Only death would stop him from being painfully aware of her presence. He knew he would smell her sweet scent no matter where she was in his house. He breathed deep without meaning to. Vanilla, she smelled liked vanilla and it was so nice. How wonderful it would be to nuzzle her neck, inhale that scent before he sank his fangs in to sample her blood.
Get a hold of yourself. She needs your help not your dick. Do this, if for nothing else to prove to yourself that you still have some good in you.
Then maybe, just maybe someday you can redeem yourself some in the eyes of Michael and the other angel warriors. “You can stay with me,” he told her.
“Thank you so much. Like I said, you won’t even know I’m there. I promise.”
He looked grimly at the road. Not know that she was there?
Something told him that was going to be impossible. In the span of an hour, this small slip of a female had managed to get under his skin and reawaken emotions he thought had died with his archangel vows.
* * * *
Brenna looked over at the incubus out of the corner of her eye so he didn’t see her gawking at him. She knew she should restrain herself, but it was hard. She had never seen anyone as attractive as Thren. An ache built up in her as she took in his dark brown hair and finely chiseled jaw line. Even though he was wearing a long leather duster, she could see his body was strong and muscular, made for fighting and sex. A horrible thought occurred to her, she’d heard most incubi kept a harem of succubi to attend to their needs. “Do you live by yourself?” she blurted.
He directed those wickedly exotic eyes her way and his full 252
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lips curled up into a smile. “Why are you having second thoughts about going home with me? Are you worried about what spending the night alone with an incubus would do to your delicate angel reputation?”
“No, I just heard that incubi always had several females around to…you know.” A heat came to her face and she ducked her head down so he wouldn’t see. “I just didn’t want to find myself surrounded by a bunch of unhappy succubi.”
“Since I only know of a couple of other incubi in existence, I don’t think we can really say what is normal behavior for us.”
“But you are a sex demon,” she persisted. “So you must have certain needs.”
He let out a sigh. “How in the hell did we get on this subject? If I have needs I just take care of them myself.”
“Oh.” Another blush came at his blunt statement. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him stroking himself.
She was no longer the same naïve thing she had been before her capture. In the years as a slave she had lived in close quarters with other angels and demons. She knew a lot about sex and sensuality from witnessing it. A wave of desire slammed into her as she studied Thren from under her lashes.
For the first time in her immortal life, she wanted to do more than watch. She wanted to experience the joy of having a male’s hands all over her. She wanted to experience the joy of having his hands all over her.
“Stop it,” Thren whispered. He gripped the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white.
“Stop what?” She licked her lips as she stared at his mouth.
