by Jacey Ward
“We could order room service.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t even a realistic thought and the last thing on Circe’s mind was food.
She wasn’t sure who made the first move but suddenly, they were enveloped in a lip lock, intense and ignited by two days of anticipation.
Kalen’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her toward his solid body and Circe could feel that he was as muscular as she had expected from the first moment she had seen him.
Beneath his blue button-down, she could feel every tendon pressed to her slender form and she reached up to yank on his thick hair. Their lips meshed, parting to permit their tongues to play and jolts of electricity slid through her spine as she closed her eyes.
“Oh yeah,” Kalen murmured, his mouth falling against her cheek as they moved back, her back meeting the wall near the mounted television. “I knew you would taste just like this.”
Circe’s temperature spiked, her lean hips jutting outward to grind against his crotch and she sighed, realizing that her own assessment had been just as accurate. The bulge in his pants was thinly masked through their clothes.
Kalen’s hands inched down toward the hem of her skirt and Circe raised her legs to enable the cloth to shimmy up her smooth thighs. Warmth flooded through her center and she moved his head lower to explore the skin at the crook of her neck.
“Gods, you smell as good as you taste,” he growled, his words only enhancing her arousal. Kalen nipped at her creamy, olive skin and Circe moaned, her calf rising as his palm skimmed upwards, his fingers dancing near her wet opening. Her hips quivered, wanting him to inch closer, to slide his digits over her throbbing nub. She closed her fingers along his tresses, yanking his head back as he tried to dip his lips over the rigid flesh of her nipples.
Their gazes locked intently, breaths escaping in short, excited bursts.
“Who are you?” she demanded. But the glitter in his eyes told her he was about to disclose nothing, at least not in that moment.
Instead, he dropped his face back into her cleavage, inhaling her deeply, pulling her leg higher against him.
Circe released his head, allowing his lips to close against her swollen breast as she reached for his zipper. The need to feel his skin against hers was too much to bear.
We’ve wasted enough time, she thought grimly, aggressively removing his thick, engorged member from his pants. They fell around his ankles and Circe pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, Kalen’s mouth still firmly against her nipple as he sucked roughly, causing streaks of pleasure to course through her body.
Their centers touched and Circe felt her knees buckle, Kalen’s fingers finally dipping inside her to touch the drenched core.
She mewled once, both surprised but expecting the motion.
“Oh Gods…” she groaned, his fingers working deep and long inside her as his rock-hard shaft teased over her pulsating button.
His lips created an erotic suction against the nerves of her breasts, his teeth nipping at her deliciously, the painful pleasure radiating straight to her clit. She bucked outward but he had her pinioned to the wall, his breaths uneven as the tip of his cock found her entrance.
Oh man, I don’t think he’s going to fit, she panicked slightly. The size of him was shocking, but Circe didn’t have time to brace herself as he replaced his talented fingers with his cock.
She screamed out, her core gripping him tightly, her surreal amber eyes widening with the streaks of pleasure pain spiralling through her body at the force of his plunge.
“Fuck…you’re tight,” he rasped out, gripping her ass to pound her against the wall. “Damn…so fucking beautiful…”
Circe was already dizzy, beads of sweat forming at her brow as a feeling of headiness overcame all else. Kalen’s fingers bruised her delicate skin and Circe dug her long fingernails into his ripped shoulders, feeling the impact of his six pack against her flat stomach as he plowed into her.
One finger laced the cleft between her cheeks and abruptly, he snatched up her other leg, gaining full control of her body.
“Christ!” she whimpered. “You were worth the wait.”
“Prove it,” Kalen demanded, his hair growing wet with the vigorous effort and Circe closed her eyes, permitting the mounting orgasm to overcome her. They were both hanging on by a thread and she could see he wouldn’t let go until she did.
Inhaling sharply, heat exploded from within her, smothering his cock with her juices. He threw back his head as she clawed at his skin, drawing blood as her body spasmed, her cries filling the room.
“Again,” he ordered but Circe had not finished with the first one, her slender frame bucking wildly against him. Kalen didn’t slow, his own moans growing louder and together, they climaxed, Circe for the second earth shattering round.
Or was that still the first one? One never-ending, blinding orgasm.
She couldn’t tell for certain, her mind hazy as if she was floating above, watching herself drowning in ecstasy. Kalen grunted, slamming her roughly into the wall and she felt the searing streams of his ejaculate spilling into her like rivers of lava.
With a final, deep thrust, he fell forward onto her, burying his face in the damp crevice of her neck and she shivered at the feel of his breath against her sensitized skin.
“Christ,” she mumbled. “Demon sex is best.”
Kalen snorted with laughter, pulling his head back as he stared at her.
“Is it now?”
“I would say so,” she replied, still breathing heavily as he slowly withdrew from her, placing her tenderly on her feet. There were scuff marks on the wall, and she realized she was still wearing her white pumps. She swallowed a smile at their contribution to the suite.
Circe studied his face pensively as he pulled his pants up casually. He almost seemed regretful of their violent tryst, but of course that was ridiculous; he was a demon.
“What happened to you last night?”
The question surfaced without warning and Circe wished she could withdraw it the moment it escaped. But of course, it was far too late for that.
I sound like some jealous shrew and I don’t even know this guy.
She hurried to correct her gaffe before Kalen could answer.
“Never mind,” she offered as he opened his mouth to respond. “I’m drunk off hot sex.”
He snickered and shook his head, watching Circe as she lowered her eyes in embarrassment, pretending to get herself together.
“As I told you at dinner, I am from Europe,” Kalen explained. “I have come here on business and unfortunately, it took precedent over our date last night. I wish it had not, but…”
He trailed off and Circe forced a smile.
“You don’t have to tell me about the demands of the job,” she replied lightly. “But I am glad I got a chance to see you before I left.”
He didn’t respond and Circe turned to look at him.
“Why do I feel like the feeling isn’t mutual?” she asked, trying to sound joking but her heart was thudding nervously.
“The feeling is more than mutual,” he assured her intensely. “But what if you didn’t leave?”
The question hung in the air like stale cigarette smoke and Circe blinked, uncomprehendingly.
“I have to go,” she explained. “It’s Fashion Week and I have contractual commitments.”
The words sounded empty when she explained it. She somehow inherently understood that he was asking for something much more than for her to stay and romp about between the sheets.
“What if I have a job for you here?” he said smoothly, his eyes fixated on her, trying to gage her reaction.
“I have a job,” she reminded him, her heart pounding.
He’s not offering me a modeling gig. And dammit, I was right. He didn’t chance upon me by accident.
“Yes,” Kalen agreed. “But I’m offering you the chance to do something…good. For Deviants.”
“What is this about?” Circe dem
anded accusingly, folding her arms under her chest as her pulse quickened. She was suddenly feeling betrayed by this demon. As if the last forty-eight hours had been a giant lie.
I thought he and I had something, but he’s just been headhunting.
She bit back her anger and waited to see what he wanted from her.
“I’ve come here looking for a common enemy of ours,” he explained and suddenly it was clear.
“Uvall.”
“Yes,” Kalen replied, slightly startled that she had guessed correctly. “Uvall.”
She stared at him for a long moment, overcome by memories of everything that the rogue demon had done to Arya and Dante. Her loathing for Uvall was almost palpable, overwhelming her commitments to Analeigh.
“What do you want with him?” Circe finally asked, unsure of what to make of the emotions flooding through her.
She was being used as a pawn by a demon, but was that a surprise? They were all evil incarnate. They would do whatever necessary to achieve what they wanted, sacrifice anyone who got in their way.
Did I imagine our connection? He didn’t need to seduce me to ask for my help. The confusing and contradictory arguments raced through her mind.
“I want him brought to justice,” Kalen replied. “And I know you want the same, Circe.”
She nodded slowly. No matter what the reason for Kalen pursuing her, he was right. Finding Uvall would make her sleep better at night, knowing that he was no longer a threat to any of them.
“Will you assist me in my search?” Kalen asked, drawing closer to her. She didn’t resist as he cupped her face and stared into her eyes.
“Why do you need me? You’re a demon. He’s a demon. I can’t overpower him,” she wondered aloud.
“He is hiding with a sorceress, one who is versed in misdirection and deception. You have the ability to shift and get into places where they have been known to be. Last night…”
He stopped speaking abruptly but Circe nodded understandingly. He had been on Uvall’s trail last night.
“You didn’t find him.”
Kalen shook his head and sighed.
“I had tracked him to a warehouse but I couldn’t get close enough to see if he was there. You could have.”
No, she decided. He didn’t seduce me. We have a bond, just like Arya and Dante. He’s asking me this as a last resort, not because he came seeking me out.
“Circe?”
She made her decision, the light in Kalen’s strange irises guiding her.
“I can offer you three days,” she replied. “But then I have to be in Milan.”
He placed a soft kiss on her parted lips.
“I’ll take it,” he replied and Circe exhaled.
Now she had to deal with Analeigh.
Chapter 6
Without telling anyone, both Circe and Kalen left their respective hotels and checked into The Towers at Lotte Place.
Evander called him incessantly, demanding to know where he had moved and why, but Kalen disclosed nothing. He was not ready to introduce Circe to his shady circle of friends unless absolutely necessary.
“If you get another lead as to Uvall’s whereabouts,” Kalen told the immortal. “Tell me where he went and I will go after him – alone.”
“Alone or with the Valkyrie?” Evander demanded, his voice a low growl of disapproval. “This is a bad idea, Kalen. You need me to make this work and if you let personal feelings get in the way, if you - “
“You work for me!” Kalen snarled, cutting him off midsentence. “And so far, you are failing miserably at your task. I have given you three days and we are now on the third day. Where the hell is he?”
Silence met Kalen’s inquiry but the demon didn’t need a response. He knew that Evander was no closer to learning Uvall’s whereabouts than he had been.
“Kalen, be reasonable. If you don’t return to the Corpus soon, you’re going to lose control of the masses.”
Fury seeped through Kalen’s veins and he almost hurled his cell phone clear across the room. He was grateful that Circe had gone out for food because he could not hide his displeasure in that moment.
“Are you telling me how to run my crew?” Kalen asked, his voice dangerously low. “You? What the fuck do you know about running the Corpus? I command their respect because I get shit done. What do you do?”
“Kalen, you know I didn’t mean – “
“I am sick of hearing you speak. Find Uvall. Don’t call me again until you have information about his whereabouts.”
He disconnected the call and no sooner had he done it did than Circe appeared, juggling a series of paper bags. It had only been a short time since she had stepped out, but nonetheless, the sight of her took his breath away.
Fuck, he was in trouble.
Kalen stepped forward to help her.
“Sorry it took so long,” she said. “The line up was huge! Don’t people in this city work? It’s a Wednesday afternoon for Christ’s sake.”
“I imagine they were wondering the same thing about you,” he replied, grinning. “Although anyone with eyes can see you’re too beautiful to work.”
“You don’t need to flatter me anymore, Kalen. You already got me into bed.”
He frowned.
“Oh. Well, I wish you’d told me that before.”
She smirked at him, the two laying the Italian food onto the glass table as she dug into the packages for the cutlery.
“Any word on Uvall?” she asked and Kalen felt his fists clench at the memory of the conversation with Evander.
“Not yet. But there will be.”
Circe didn’t respond but he saw a concerned crease fall over her brow.
“Is something wrong?”
She shook her shiny curls but didn’t meet his eyes.
“No,” she replied, slipping onto a chair with a plastic fork in hand. “I was just thinking.”
“There’s not much we can do but wait for word,” Kalen told her. “We have every Deviant in the city looking for him and the priestess.”
“Rowan,” Circe spat bitterly. “I might want to kill her even more than I’d like to destroy Uvall.”
“She’ll get her due justice too,” Kalen assured her, but he felt a slight twinge of guilt as he said it. Rowan didn’t owe money to the Corpus and he had no business with her – except for the fact that she was abetting the most sought-after demon on the planet.
“Maybe you can give me a few minutes alone with her first,” Circe replied hopefully, jabbing at her salad almost viciously with a fork. “My niece almost died because of her.”
“I know,” Kalen replied. “And maybe I can arrange for that.”
Circe’s head jerked up and she peered at him with interest.
“Yeah? You would do that?”
“It depends,” he said slowly. “What would you do to her?”
“Hmm…”
The model chewed on her salad thoughtfully.
“With only five minutes?” she asked and Kalen could see she was actually considering how she could inflict the most pain in the shortest amount of time. The sorceress would definitely suffer if Circe ever got her hands on her.
“Purgatory would be too good for her,” Circe sighed. “I would want to disfigure her horribly and send her to live among the trolls.”
Kalen tensed.
“Is that the cruellest fate you can imagine for her?”
“For that holier-than-thou bitch? I would say so.”
Kalen’s jaw clenched stiffly, his mind whirling.
“Are there many trolls in the Americas?” he asked and she shook her head.
“Thank gods, no. Most of them were driven out during the Industrial Revolution. They were living underground and were forced to the surface, scrambling like rats for safety. Last I heard, they had settled in northern Europe.”
“You wouldn’t know a troll if you saw one, would you?”
Circe snickered.
“It’s been a while,” she agreed
. “But I would know one of their hideous faces anywhere.”
Kalen focussed his attention on his meal, willing himself to stay silent.
“Anyway, I’m trying to eat. No more talk about trolls, please,” Circe sighed. “I have enough on my mind without losing my appetite.”
“Agreed. What’s on your mind? Surely this can’t be the first time anyone has spoken to you about Uvall. Hasn’t Dante asked you for help seeking him out?”
Circe laughed in disbelief.
“Me?” she choked. “I’m a Valkyrie. He’s the Lord of the Underworld in these parts. What could I possibly offer him that he doesn’t already have at his fingertips?”
“Is he still looking?”
Circe’s head shot up and her eyes narrowed as she shoved her salad aside.
“Did you ask me to help you because you think I have an in with Dante?” she demanded, understanding flooding her face.
“Of course not!” he growled. “I know many Deviants who are well acquainted with Dante. If I wanted an audience with him, I have only to ask.”
Circe’s lips pursed together and she stared at him so intensely, it made Kalen nervous.
“I have to admit, not a lot of this makes sense to me,” she told him, sitting back in her chair. “What business do you have with Uvall?”
“I already explained that,” Kalen said. “I want to see him brought to justice in the old world. He left a lot of us high and dry when he came this way.”
“You were part of his legion?” Circe asked, her tanned face waning at the idea.
“Not exactly. He borrowed a lot of money from me and disappeared. I am simply looking to collect.”
Circe seemed slightly relieved but she chuckled mirthlessly.
“I have a feeling that Uvall isn’t exactly rolling in the cash these days.”
“There are other ways to collect when someone defaults on a loan.”
The menace in his voice startled her for a moment, but inherently she knew that Kalen was a very dangerous being indeed. She returned to her salad, continuing to chew but the shadow over her eyes didn’t pass.
“Circe is something else on your mind?”
“No.”
He sighed and moved his chair closer to her, reaching out to take her hand.
