“Mm, you can do whatever you want with me, baby.” I kissed back, she was damn sexy when riled up.
She slapped me hard across the face, then kissed me again. “I missed you, too.”
I lifted her up against me, pulling her legs around my waist. “I should have shot you sooner,” I murmured.
She slapped me again before continuing the kiss. “Shut up, you idiot.”
I reached to stroke her hair. “No, we haven’t talked for a week. I want to tell you how much I want you with me. How badly I need it,” I purred, my hands moving round to cup her ass.
“I’ll give you nothing,” she snarled.
“You’ll give me everything I want,” I grinned, kissing her possessively. Then I pressed her against the wall.
“You arrogant ass.”
The girl sure knew her dirty talk. This was going to be fun.
* * *
Nevaeh -
My phone started ringing, waking me up, but a heartbeat later the sound was replaced by the sound of it smashing against the wall. “Tim!” I growled, sitting up.
“They can’t have you, you’re mine!” He shifted, moving to pin me beneath him.
I glared up at him. “People could be dying.”
“And why, exactly, is that your problem?”
“Because I’m not a selfish asshole!”
“Is that what you think of me?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s how you’re acting.”
He bared his teeth at me. “I’ve got news for you, babe, I’m a demon and I like to get what I want,” he snarled, grabbing my wrists and holding them down on either side of my head.
I squirmed. “Well, I’m a Hellhound and I’m not inclined to put up with your shit!”
He pulled back. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying this codependent thing we’ve got going on is not healthy. I think maybe you need to back off.”
He studied my expression carefully. “No.”
“No?” I asked.
“No, I’m not giving you space, we’re not going to take a break and you are not leaving me!” he was almost shouting by the end of the sentence.
“And how exactly do you plan on stopping me?”
He drew back his fist and everything went black.
* * *
Timothy -
“You bastard,” murmured Nevaeh, her voice rough.
“I acknowledge that this may have been a slight overreaction on my part,” I said reasonably.
“Slight? You’ve chained me up to the basement wall!”
“I’m sorry. Let’s talk about this, babe.” I moved closer, my voice low and seductive.
She moved as close as the chain would let her and nuzzled my cheek. “There’s a lot going on right now.” She paused to kiss my jaw. “How about you maybe start coming with me when I go out? Then we can be together.” She kissed my lips. “And I won’t go out as much;, they don’t always need me.”
I kissed back, tasting her tongue. “That would be great. I would really appreciate that.” I cupped her face with one hand while the other came down to pull her closer. “But don’t think for a moment that I can’t tell you’re saying what I want to hear just so I’ll let you go,” I murmured against her lips.
She shoved me away and growled in frustration. “Of course I am, you psycho!”
I backed off but didn’t go far. “I’m sure we can come to some kind of resolution that we’ll both be happy with.”
“Great, unlock these and we can do just that.”
“I’m no fool, baby, I know exactly how you think. You’ll say anything, do anything to get free.”
“Bet your ass I would, so what’ll it be?”
“We’ll just stay down here and hang out until you see sense,” I murmured, reaching to stroke her hair.
“I hate you,” she growled.
I leant closer and kissed her possessively. “You love me,” I said and my words were supported by the fact that she didn’t immediately pull away. “I’ll get you something to eat,” I said, kissing her again briefly.
I felt her eyes boring into my back as I walked away.
* * *
Nevaeh -
“It’s been three days; let me go, you bastard!”
He stroked my hair. “I like having you where you are,” he murmured, his thumb brushing my cheek.
“This isn’t the way to get what you want,” I informed him.
“Do you propose an alternative method?”
You could always use logic, back me into a corner, make me think the same way you do.”
“I’m not quite as good with words as you are. I think seduction would be my best bet.” He leant down to kiss me.
“It won’t work, I’m immune to your charms,” I murmured but my lips were pliant beneath his.
His lips moved to my neck, kissing a sensitive spot there. “Who are you trying to fool? You want me as much as I want you. Admit it.”
“No, you’re an evil man with a pretty face. I could never want you.”
“Liar. We’ve shared a bed for over a year now., I know just how to make you want me,” he purred, his hand moving down to do a thing that made me moan softly.
“Stop it, I’m not in the mood,” I growled, pressing my eyes shut.
He rubbed his cheek against mine. “Alright, I’ll let you off. Are you hungry? Let me get you something to drink.” He kissed my jaw.
* * *
Upon his return, I glanced fiercely at him. He placed a glass to my lips and reached to rub his fingers through my hair. I sipped obediently. “You’re an ass.”
He sighed softly. “Are you bored with me?” he asked seriously.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not bored with you, I’m angry.”
“I don’t understand you. Would you really rather be off fighting with your friends than here with me, getting anything you want? Do I displease you so much?”
I glared at him. “It’s not that.” I sighed heavily, “If you were more human you’d understand,” I said, frustrated.
He pulled back like I’d struck him. “So that’s it. You’ve had enough of the demon, so you’d rather play with a human?”
“Oh, my God! No. Go away, I have had enough of you, you ass.”
He growled. “Fine, finish drinking, then I’ll give you a break,” he said sadly, holding the glass to me again.
I drank and, once I was done, I lay back against the cold floor. He leant down to kiss me softly. He looked confused and dismayed but I had no pity for the bastard.
* * *
Timothy -
“Have you tried holding her family hostage?” suggested Terra.
I gave her a look. “You and I both know if I did she’d gut me like a fish, just on principle.”
She smiled, clearly amused by my marital dispute. “Yeah, so I’d say you’re pretty much screwed.”
I growled in frustration and leant down to bang my head against the counter. “Seriously, what can I do to make her forgive me? And want me?”
“For a start, you could try unchaining her.”
“But then she’ll just leave.”
“This is her home, I doubt she’d actually leave for long. More likely, she’d kick you out for a few weeks.”
I glanced at her, pursing my lips sceptically. “You really think she’d stay?”
“Personally, I don’t understand why she’s put up with you this long, but seeing as she has, I doubt she’d give up on you now.”
“Okay, so I unlock her, then what?”
“Maybe let her get a few blows in. She was raised as a human; she sometimes feels guilty about that kind of thing. Although considering you shot her and chained her up in the basement, that’s probably not going to happen.”
“That’s the best you’ve got, let her hit me?” I asked.
“For some reason I can’t fathom, she likes you. She even enjoys being married to you, and she’s not the type of person to throw that away so easily. She’
ll punish you, most likely let you suffer, but then she’ll get over it.”
I groaned. I was not a patient demon. “I want her to get over it now.”
“You poor little infant. However will you survive having your wife annoyed with you for two whole minutes?” she said condescendingly.
I glared at her. “Screw you.”
She smirked.
25
25 - Marital Dispute, Part 2
Nevaeh -
“I’m sorry, babe, let’s get you out of here,” said Tim, sounding depressed as he pulled out the key to the chains. They unlocked with a click and the metal clanked to the ground.
Wasting no time, I punched him in the face—hard. Then I kicked him square in the gut. I also clawed a hand across his chest, leaving four shallow gashes. Then, grabbing him by the hair, I yanked his head down, raising my knee to meet it forcefully. There was a satisfying crunch.
“Shit, you broke my nose,” he murmured, holding up both hands in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“I should break your spine!” I snarled.
He squeezed the bridge of his nose and there was a small click as he pressed the bone back into place. “Ah,” he murmured and the bleeding began to slow. “Babe, calm down. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t cover it!”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he stated.
“You leashed me like a dog!” And there would be hell to pay now that I was free.
He groaned. “The only reason I did that was because if I’d used wrist cuffs you probably would have cut off your thumb to get out.”
“I would have cut off my whole hand to get away from you,” I growled, shoving him out of the way as I headed to the stairs.
He growled in frustration. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to shower, unless you plan on knocking me out and chaining me up again,” I said bitterly.
“I’d much rather join you,” he teased weakly as he followed me up the stairs.
“Try it, and I really will snap your neck.” I needed a moment to calm my rage before I did something reckless. When I truly wanted to wreck something, I intended to be calculating about it. I would break it down piece by piece, until there was nothing left.
* * *
Timothy -
Wisely, I didn’t follow her to the bathroom. Instead, I dropped onto the bed to mope. I pulled off my bloody shirt and used it to wipe the blood from my face and chest. My hellhound was a fierce little creature, but I knew that if she didn’t feel something for me she probably would have torn my heart out, literally.
This was more of a love tap as far as I was concerned. I reached to touch my abdomen, and carefully pushed a rib back into place. I pressed against a couple more ribs but concluded that they were in the right place.
Pete appeared at my feet, suddenly, and snarled at me.
I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes at the dog. To my knowledge, the dog had never snarled at anyone, a fact which often dismayed Nevaeh. She would have liked a companion as fierce as she was, but Pete was typically the kindest, dumbest dog on the planet.
It was hard to connect that dog to the predator that stood before me now. I bared my own teeth back at the dog, but at that moment, the door to the bathroom opened. I glanced over to see Nevaeh, her hair damp and cheeks flushed slightly from the heat.
I turned my attention back to the dog but the beast had moved. He was now laying in the corner, stretched out on his back with his tongue lolling out and his tail wagging. His expression was once again one of blissful ignorance.
I frowned and glanced back at Nevaeh, but she showed no indication of having seen anything amiss with the beast. My frown deepened. “Babe, what can I do to make this up to you?”
She glared at me. “Rot in Hell.”
“Would if I could, babe, but that’s not in the cards.” My corpse was probably still rotting in the ground over in West Sussex.
Pete bounded over and rubbed himself against his mistress’s leg. Now that I knew the mutt was more in tune with Nevaeh’s emotions than he let on, I’d have to pay closer attention to the beast.
I followed the dog’s example and walked over to nuzzle my wife, wrapping my arms around her from behind. She closed her eyes and I knew that she wanted to be held. I glanced down at Pete, who was looking back with an expression that was almost smug.
“You can break my nose again,” I offered softly.
She smiled a little.
“You can break anything you want.” I kissed the corner of her jaw.
“Do you ever think we made a mistake?” she asked seriously, turning her face from me.
“Never.”
“I’m serious. We didn’t know each other when we got married. Every time we’re together, you make me more of a demon.”
“You are a demon,” I said, reaching to turn her face my way so I could meet her gaze.
“But I’m not. My parents were human; I was raised human. I should have lived a human life, but instead, I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into Hell. After I got out of Hell I could have made an effort to become more human. I could have tried, but I didn’t because I was tired… and then because I had you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with who you are, babe,” I murmured, kissing her neck.
“What if there is? You’ve got to admit that our relationship isn’t exactly healthy. I probably wouldn’t be such a sociopath without your influence.”
I remembered what she’d done to the minions of a certain debt collector, then did my best to dismiss the thought. Getting turned on right now wouldn’t earn me any brownie points. “I have never made you anything that you weren’t,” I said, slightly offended that she would even think such a thing. Even when she was furious, she was kind of magnificent.
“No, but you did feed the darkness inside me. You let me get away with shit I shouldn’t, and I do the same for you. It’s why we’re so out of control when we’re together.”
I frowned. “I’m perfectly in control.”
“You shot me and chained me in the basement! Then I broke your nose, tore up your chest… and you didn’t bat an eyelash.” She turned to face me.
“I’m a demon, Nevaeh. Breaking my nose was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. No worse than clipping a human behind the ear. And I deserved far worse.” I reached up to touch her face.
“I won’t argue with that,” she murmured, pressing into my touch.
“Is this about what that fucking cupid said?” I demanded.
She sighed softly. “You’ve got to admit the guy had a point. If we keep this up we’ll end up killing each other.”
I kissed her nose, amused at how much it seemed to rankle her to admit that the cupid might have been right. Of course, he wasn’t. “We may, on occasion, get carried away, but you know I’d never seriously harm you, don’t you?”
“I know you wouldn’t mean to,” she said, but her expression was hard.
I rubbed my cheek against hers. Hellhounds are big on tactile comfort, though I knew if I ever said so she’d snap at me and say she wasn’t a dog who needed petting. She was pretty touchy about being compared to a pet, which was how most demons viewed hellhounds.
Of course, this didn’t stop her from actually enjoying being petted. “Do you want me to leave?” I asked softly.
“I don’t know what I want, or what I need.”
“Well…” I kissed her cheek, “why don’t we binge watch crappy TV until you figure it out?”
She licked my upper lip. I braced myself for her to bite me, but she didn’t. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
I silently let out a relieved breath. Maybe I’d survive another day.
26
26 - Study Group
Nevaeh -
“Okay, what is going on?” Zo asked when she tried picking up a pen and picked up the notepad which was beneath it too.
Dee grimaced. “Sorry, my power has been going a little haywire.”
/> One of the disadvantages of being friends with people who had ‘superpowers’ was that there really wasn’t any sort of instruction guide for this sort of thing. At least, not one that I’d found. So, there wasn’t really much to be done when their powers flared up.
Given that I’d been trapped in Hell shortly after discovering my powers, I’d had to learn control in order to survive. Hell did not suffer fools. But not everyone got a trial by fire. Poor sods. “Don’t feel bad, it’s just like that time I accidentally set that building on fire.”
“You did that on purpose,” Terra reminded me.
“Oh yeah… In my defence, it wouldn’t have been so easy if the place had been up to code.” I’d probably done someone a favour. Maybe. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll get a handle on it,” I told Dee.
“Thanks, but are we going to need to circle back to the fact you set a building on fire?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
I shrugged. “I don’t see how it could be relevant.” I reached for a Dorito from the open bag in the middle of the table and, when I brought my hand back, my phone was stuck to my forearm.
I glanced at the phone, then at Dee.
“How… You didn’t even touch it.”
She glanced away uncomfortably. “I told you; haywire.”
I tossed the Dorito into my mouth, then I tugged gently at the phone. It wasn’t coming off easily. I guess this was one way to ensure I didn’t lose it. And the screen was facing away from my skin, so I could still use it. Really, the only downside would be if I needed to shower. Then again, this phone was supposed to be waterproof.
Overall, I didn’t think my quality of life would be affected by the fact I was attached to a phone.
“Oh crap,” Zo muttered, glancing over at a group of people who were headed our way. Apparently, I was the only one contemplating the ramifications of being stuck to an inanimate object.
Heroes and a Hellhound: Book One Page 14
