The Deviants Complete series Box Set

by Jacey Ward

  “Christ, Cassie, she’s our agent, not our warden. If I want to go on a date, I don’t have to clear it with Analeigh.”

  “Yeah I know but – “

  “But nothing,” Circe interrupted firmly. “Go call your lawyer.”

  Her words were laced with finality and Cassie nodded slowly.

  “Thanks, Circe,” she breathed, turning to leave. “You’re a good friend. Just…be careful, okay?”

  But Circe could still hear the uncertainty in her tone and she knew Cassie was suddenly worried for her.

  Cassie wasn’t wrong; if her agent found out that Circe was going out on an unsanctioned date, there would be hell to pay. Analeigh had their lives scripted from dawn to midnight, whether or not they were on the clock.

  Goddamn Analeigh. She’s worse than a fucking warden. One day, someone is going to have to put an end to her tyranny. But today is not that day. Tonight, I have a date and I’m going to have raunchy, wild sex with Kalen Connor. Tomorrow I’ll deal with the menace that is Analeigh Bowman.

  With Cassie’s unexpected visit, Circe suddenly couldn’t wait to see Kalen – as if the sight of him would alleviate the extra tension she was feeling in her neck and shoulders.

  A good romp in the hay is exactly what the doctor ordered, she thought excitedly, her core tingling as she planned her seduction.

  She had never bedded a demon before and if Arya was to be believed, there was nothing quite like it.

  “It’s an out of body experience on a whole other level,” Arya whispered. “You really should do it, if only once.”

  It had been a secret fantasy of hers to sleep with a demon, especially after Arya had hooked up with Dante.

  Cassie disappeared into the hallway and Circe followed, again checking to see if Kalen was en route. But as Cassie entered her suite at the end of the hall, she saw no sign of him.

  She retreated into the room and closed the door, glancing at the clock over the entranceway.

  And now he’s late, she thought, her eyes darting toward her cell phone on the counter. Had he called when she was dealing with Cassie? Possibly even before. She couldn’t remember the last time she had checked the annoying device.

  She picked up the phone and scanned the screen. There were four texts and Circe read them with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

  The first one read:

 

  It was followed by two more, explaining he was still running late. He had been texting for over an hour.

  The last one confirmed what she already knew; he wasn’t coming.

  Circe sank onto an island stool and stared the cell, typing back a response, filled with anger and spite but before she could send it, she stopped herself and deleted.

  she messaged, staring at the phone hopefully.

  In seconds, the device chimed.

 

  Circe eyed the device, unsure of what to make of his messages.

  She didn’t know him well enough to know if he was playing games with her or if he was sincerely detained. For all she knew, he could be in New York on business and she had no right to be upset.

  Even if he’s not here on business and he’s out banging every prostitute in Hooker Hell, I really have no right to be upset.

  But she was, and as her shoulders sank in regret, she placed the phone face down on the countertop without responding.

  From somewhere so deep, she could barely feel it, there may have been a tiny bit of relief.

  After all, if Analeigh caught her on a date with a foreigner, who knew what would happen? Circe didn’t really want to find out.

  On the other hand, her body, which had been primed for some fun with a demon, was threatening to go on strike now.

  Chapter 4

  Kalen glanced at his cell again and punched the steering wheel in fury.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he demanded, his patience exhausted. “Where the hell is he?”

  “My source says he’s here,” Evander insisted, his eyes trained out the driver’s side window as he stared toward the dilapidated building in the Bowery. “And you said you wanted to be here for this.”

  Kalen scowled at the reminder.

  “Of course I want to be here to catch him! But if he’s not fucking here, Evander, there’s really no point in me being here either, is there?”

  “Kalen, the best I can do is tell you where he is. He’s too powerful for me to take on alone.”

  “I know that!” the demon exploded. “How much longer are we going to wait here? I told you I was meeting the Valkyrie tonight.”

  “Have her come meet us. We can use her,” Evander suggested. Kalen felt his jaw clench.

  “No,” he said flatly. “I haven’t told her anything yet, remember?”

  “Well, we can fill her in. She’s not going to refuse if you tell her to come.” His cock twitched at the unintended innuendo in the vampire’s words.

  For fuck sakes, get a hold of yourself, he told his cock scathingly. This is business.

  Everything Evander said was fact; they could use Circe’s help, especially if the high priestess was indeed inside the abandoned building, warding them off. And there was no reason they couldn’t explain what they wanted from her if she was just to meet them at this location. The problem was, Kalen didn’t want Circe anywhere near Evander or Anderly.

  There would be no hiding his secrets with the troll and vampire in tow, and he wasn’t ready to tell Circe about himself. Not yet.

  Not until after we’ve had sex, he told himself, as if trying to justify his actions. He would be lying if he thought there wasn’t something much deeper which kept him from telling Circe the truth.

  “No,” he said again. “Let’s just get this over and done with.”

  “At least if we get him,” Evander reasoned, still watching the structure for movement. “You won’t have to worry about recruiting her.”

  Kalen wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He decided to fight this battle and then he’d deal with that issue later.

  “I’m going in,” he announced, reaching for the car door, but Evander stopped him.

  “You can’t. If he’s not there and he comes back, he’ll take off. If he is there and sees you coming, you’re going to be purgatory bound before you can blink. We have to know where he is and catch him off guard, not the other way around.”

  Kalen stifled the urge to scream, knowing that Evander was right.

  Fuck. This is torture!

  The anticipation of seeing Circe had been building to a point where he had been semi-hard all day, the desire to see her beginning to take over his thoughts.

  He had already decided that when she answered her door, his hands would be on her before she could blink. He didn’t want to give her the chance to question him or where he had been, so he figured distraction was his best bet. And with the fiery attraction that was obvious between them, he knew he could use that to take her mind off all else.

  He needed to hear that needy little moan that had played out in his dream the night before. Did it sound that sinful in real life? Was her scent really so intoxicating that it made him picture laying her out naked on the nearest surface every time he smelled her? Was her hair actually silky enough to trap his fingers in as he fisted it, using it to tug her head back so he could take over her mouth?

  These were the images he had been fighting to block out of his mind all day. His dick was slowly taking over his mind and Kalen had to do something before his plan to make Uvall pay was destroyed by one little slip of a Valkyrie.

  His hand would scoop around her neck and –

  “Someone’s coming!”

  Fuck!

  He had an erection; again.

  They ducked down as headlights shone through the almost black alleyway, illuminated only by a single, dim bulb near a dumpster of the unclaimed warehouse.

  After the lights passed, they peered up over th
e dashboard, examining the white van which had arrived.

  Two men jumped out, donning dark blue uniforms and Kalen leaned forward to read the lettering from over a hundred feet away.

  “Duke Disposal Services,” he muttered. “They’re here for the garbage.”

  “In a van?” Evander asked skeptically, his binoculars trained on the two joking workers. They opened the back of the van and began to hoist junk from the dumpster into the vehicle.

  “Aren’t they worried about typhoid?” Evander mumbled, disgusted, but Kalen tensed suddenly.

  “Stop watching them! Watch the building,” he urged. “If Uvall is in there, he’ll be scared off by the movement.”

  Evander whipped his eyes around to survey the building but Kalen had a feeling they were too late. If Uvall had been there, he was gone…wasn’t he?

  He could just as easily have looked out the window and realized that the workers were no threat to him, Kalen reasoned, his frustration mounting. There was nothing they could do but continue to wait.

  “How reliable is this source?” Kalen muttered. “What is he?”

  “She,” Evander corrected. “She’s a pixie and she’s the one who tracked him to New York in the first place. I trust her.”

  “You shouldn’t trust anybody,” Kalen chided. “You’ll only end up disappointed.”

  Evander didn’t respond and soon, the disposal men finished loading, leaving the vampire and demon to watch the night again.

  “Christ, this is excruciating!” Kalen complained. “Did you at least bring snacks?”

  Evander glanced at him, embarrassed.

  “I can call for a pizza if you want.”

  “A pizza to our car?” Kalen asked, his ethereal eyes widening with interest.

  “This is New York. You can get anything.”

  Kalen found himself oddly impressed.

  “Yes, order a pizza,” he agreed.

  I have reservations at the Gramercy Tavern with every man’s wet dream. A pizza is not going to scratch the itch I have, but hopefully it can take the edge off?

  He was in the Americas for one reason; to find Uvall and bring him back to the Corpus where he would pay his debts one way or another. If he had to sit in a stuffy town car with a surprisingly likable vampire all night, so be it. At least there would be snacks.

  A part of him hoped that nothing would materialize from that night’s stakeout. If it did, he would be forced to bring Uvall home to Switzerland. There would be little, if any, time to see Circe.

  He reasoned that once Uvall was dealt with, he could return, but by then, he might have missed his chance.

  You didn’t come here to meet women, he told himself sternly. Your job is to tie up loose ends and keep the Corpus above board. Uvall stole millions before fleeing the scene to try to take down Dante – unsuccessfully. And now he’s on the run with the Corpus’ money.

  “Fuck,” he sighed, his curse unintentionally aloud. But to his credit, Evander didn’t comment, perhaps because he felt the same way.

  They sat in silence for a long while, Kalen playing with his cell as he debated his next move.

  I should call her here and explain everything, he thought, biting on his lower lip. Just get it all out in the open. If she accepts it, great. If not, then…think of another way to get her.

  But no self-respecting Deviant would ever accept who he was; a hybrid demon who ruled the Deviant mafia in the Underworld.

  And certainly not a supermodel with Circe Lancaster’s grace and beauty.

  She may help me if she had to, not because she wanted to.

  “Hey look!” Evander said with cheer, causing Kalen to shove aside any notion of coming clean with Circe. “Pizza’s here!”

  Indeed, a car pulled cautiously into the alleyway and the demon was again filled with a begrudging awe as he watched the driver emerge with a thermal bag, emblazoned with King’s Pizza on it.

  He eyed the duo warily as Evander rolled down the window and tossed him a hundred-dollar bill.

  The delivery boy’s face exploded into a wide smile as he realized that Evander had given him a major tip.

  “Gotta love New York,” the vampire commented, handing Kalen the box.

  “I’m starting to,” the demon agreed, but he knew that had much less to do with the pizza and everything to do with the tall, sexy model, hoping he would materialize that night.

  I’m trying my best, he told her silently. Don’t give up on me.

  But if Circe waited for him, she would be the first. His whole life, he had never known anyone to be at his side through anything.

  Why should Circe Lancaster be any different?

  Chapter 5

  Stupid.

  It was the one word which kept playing in Circe’s head as she packed her suitcases that morning, angry with herself.

  She had waited up all night for Kalen to come, his texts dwindling to radio silence by dawn.

  He was just some fan who got off on keeping you waiting around for him, she realized, her ire mounting. She had not slept, even after she was certain he wasn’t coming. And if there was one thing Circe needed to ensure she did not fall into full range bitch mode, it was at least five hours of shut eye.

  She had not managed a wink.

  Slamming her wardrobe into the cases, she harshly shut the lids of the rolling luggage, her beautiful eyes gritty and red.

  I’ll sleep all the way to Milan, she decided. And we have three days before Fashion Week. I’ll catch up by then.

  As she stuffed the last of her belongings aside, Circe fell onto the bed backward and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to shake the feeling of foolishness which had overcome her.

  Screw him. And screw you for feeling like such an ass. It could have been worse. You could have slept with him, she told herself. But the pep talk didn’t work. Her mood was still black.

  A sound in the front room caused her to sit up abruptly.

  “Hello?” she called, the hairs of the back of her neck rising as she sensed she was not alone in the suite. Instantly she was on her feet, padding toward the sitting area.

  “Oh!” the maid called, her face growing white as she realized Circe was still in the room. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I knocked…”

  “It’s all right,” Circe told her quickly, sensing her discomfort as she backed away. “I’m checking out in a couple hours.”

  “Of course,” the woman replied. “Please, forgive me for the intrusion.”

  Circe stared at the apologetic woman as she backed into the hallway and chewed on the insides of her cheeks.

  She reminded Circe of her own mother, cleaning rooms for the mortals who had treated her like shit her entire life. She had finally turned to drowning her sorrows in a bottle like most overaged Valkyries.

  It was difficult to go from being a young, vibrant goddess to the unloved, the unworthy and the dishonored.

  “Hey!” Circe called after her, hurrying toward her purse. The housekeeper cautiously poked her head back inside and Circe presented her with a hundred-dollar bill.

  “Just in case I forget to leave it for you when I check out.”

  The woman’s face lit up, a combination of confusion and gratitude sweeping over her wrinkled features.

  “Oh, thank you, ma’am,” she whispered, accepting the money with trembling hands and as they touched, Circe realized that she was a Brownie.

  They exchanged a long look, the maid’s face contorting in confusion. But Circe raised a finger to her full lips, shaking her head softly.

  “Have a nice day,” Circe told her, but the woman had already hurried away, no doubt terrified that she would be outed as a Deviant.

  What a life the lesser Deviants lead, Circe thought with some regret. The demons live high on the food chain while the pixies and sorceresses hide themselves away, cleaning toilets and stealing to survive.

  Again, she was filled with anger at Kalen, despite her determination to forget his name.

&n
bsp; Whirling back toward the bedroom, she stared blankly at the area, feeling inexplicably lost.

  This is so stupid, she chided herself. You had one dinner with the man. Not even a kiss. How can he be affecting you like this?

  Circe was beginning to convince herself that her ego was bruised that she had been brushed off, almost ghosted. But if she was being honest with herself, she knew it went much deeper than that.

  It was as if Kalen had woken all the sleeping insecurities she had buried since she was nothing more than a dirty, skinny girl, scrounging for food on the Sapphire Strip.

  You can take the Valkyrie out of South Park, I guess –

  “Hello, Circe.”

  She spun, shocked at the sound of yet another being in the room, especially since she had not sensed the arrival as she had the maid.

  “Kalen!” she gasped, her eyes widening as he approached. “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged nonchalantly.

  “I told you I would make it,” he told her, shifting his eyes toward her face and offering her a sheepish smile.

  Circe wanted to maintain the scowl which had been etched on her face for hours but she found it impossible as he watched her, his multi-colored eyes swirling hypnotically. She could read the apology in them and she found herself relenting, in spite of herself.

  “So you did,” she agreed, folding her arms under her chest. “And here you are.”

  “I snuck in when the maid wasn’t looking,” he confessed and Circe was amused by his need to surprise her.

  “You could have just called,” she replied but she admitted to herself that she was pleased he had not. She definitely would have brushed him off in her irritation.

  Or would she?

  They studied each other for a silent moment and Circe felt her heart speed up as she realized the attraction had not diminished in the least. Even her annoyance had dissipated and she found herself stepping toward him as if gently pushed.

  “I’m leaving for Milan in a few hours,” she told him finally, wondering if he had only come to say goodbye. “But I might have time for breakfast.”

  Kalen covered the space between them, the desire on his face evident.