Touched by a Sprite
Page 1

Demons in Love 3
Touched by a Sprite
Baylee had never known true comfort in his skin or real love until he met Kirkyn. Kirkyn stole his heart and made him believe in happily ever after until Baylee found out Kirkyn was a demon. Wanting out, he realized Kirkyn was a demon who didn’t know how to break up.
Baylee fakes his death and goes on the run and finally finds a safe place where he thinks he can start to live again. Then, Kirkyn shows up to catch a demon, but that’s not his only mission. He wants Baylee back at all costs and is willing to kill everyone Baylee loves before killing Baylee himself.
Consequently, Baylee suggests Kirkyn try to win his heart again, but Kirkyn is interested only in vengeance. So, it is up to Baylee to decide what he wants and either win the demon’s heart or kill him. However, how can he take the life of the only man he’s ever truly loved?
Genres: Alternative, Contemporary, Fantasy
Length: 52,142
TOUCHED BY A SPRITE
Demons in Love 3
E.A. Reynolds

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
Touched by a Sprite
Copyright © 2018 by E.A. Reynolds
ISBN: 978-1-64243-560-3
First Publication: December 2018
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2018 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’m a daydreamer with a love of reading and writing romance peppered with the paranormal especially extreme psychic skills.
I love to take walks in the park and listen to music but reading is my favorite way to spend my free time when I’m not listening to music. When I’m not writing or reading, I’m spending time with my family.
For all titles by E.A. Reynolds, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/ea-reynolds
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOUCHED BY A SPRITE
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
TOUCHED BY A SPRITE
Demons in Love 3
E.A. REYNOLDS
Copyright © 2018
Prologue
Billy Mason-Pitts struggled to get the window up. The footsteps on the stairs were a foreboding warning that his time had run out. How had he gotten so careless?
He’d known better than to use his credit card, but he’d needed to eat. He’d certainly needed those supplies, but what he really needed most was to vanish into thin air.
The window wouldn’t budge, so Billy hurried to the bedside table and grabbed the lamp. He used it to shatter the glass before picking up a shard to cut the screen. Once he’d done so, he climbed out, and a jagged shard sliced through his jacket to cut flesh.
Ignoring the pain, Billy jumped, almost unconcerned with whether he lived or died. He just had to get away from the maniac before it was too late.
Hell, it was probably already too late, but he had to try.
He landed lightly on his feet and took off like a shot, his eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness stretching out before him like a net.
“Billy!”
The bellow made him shiver. There was no rage in it, only heart-wrenching anguish.
“I’m going to kill you this time, baby. I swear it.”
Billy headed toward the boat dock hoping the boat was still moored there. If it wasn’t, he’d just jump in and swim until his arms got tired and he sank, but he couldn’t stay here if he wanted to live.
He rounded a tree and vanished into the woods at the back of the property leading down to the lake.
Quiet, he ordered himself. Don’t breathe. Don’t think.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t do either of those things, because the demon could smell the blood. His senses were razor sharp, and his eyesight was keen, slicing through the night with perfect clarity.
Billy ducked a branch, keeping his breathing modulated despite the fact that he was running. He’d learned to be quiet but knew in the end it wouldn’t do much good. The demon would always find him.
No fear.
He couldn’t allow himself to be afraid even though he was drowning in fear. The stink of it would alert the demon to his exact location.
Billy, I don’t really like that name, sweetie. I’ll never utter it again once I catch you, and I’m closer than you think. I’m always closer than you think, lover.
He almost screamed but clamped a hand over his mouth. The soft words were in his head, not right behind him. The man was a master manipulator, a clever beast who knew just how to get to him.
And he was a telepath. They were linked together by an unbreakable bond that Billy had managed to turn off for long periods as long as he didn’t think the demon’s name.
Mine.
The word was a caress in his head that slithered through him. Parts of Billy reacted as memory activated to remind him just how much he’d loved the sound of the voice, the touch of the man. But that was past tense. He wasn’t in love now. He was in terror, in fear for his life.
You can never escape me. I will hunt you till the day I find you. Then, I’ll kill you.
Leaves rustled on the ground to his right, but Billy didn’t stop. He pushed himself, lungs screaming and legs burning in protest.
A jagged bolt of electricity danced before him, and he changed directions as the power thrown by the demon severed a tree branch.
He slipped and rolled and got caught in something that pulled him up off the ground.
It was a net, and sharp spikes of energy bit into his back and legs.
“Billy. Have you found the net?”
Billy focused his power, concentrating on the strength of water. The power lock released and Billy let out a scream as electricity burned his back and ass.
“Damn you,” he cried softly. Shaking he hit the ground knowing going into the water with a demon whose abilities included controlling electricity was a risk.
The asshole could electrocute him, but h
e wouldn’t.
No.
He took off like a shot ignoring the snapping to his right. He ran hard because he was close to the dock. His one chance at escape.
He could smell the water, feel the power of it.
He was a sprite, the water was his domain, but he’d never use it to hurt the man chasing him. He couldn’t bring himself to harm him no matter what.
“Billy.”
The whisper took him by complete surprise, and he glanced over his shoulder, heart in his throat.
A blur of blue drew close, and he put on a burst of speed knowing he wouldn’t make it. He couldn’t outrun the demon.
According to his meager research on the Demons Among Us website, the gray spade incubus demons in the throes of heat couldn’t be stopped when in pursuit of his mate.
He was like the Energizer Bunny, he just kept on going or coming.
With a scream, Billy woke, body slicked with sweat, shirt plastered to him, heart thudding. He put his hand on his wrist, on which he wore the charm the old siren had told him would keep the demon out of his mind.
So, small gris-gris bag she’d made for him to carry with him at all times was working.
He’d put the bag into a charm bracelet, one of the kinds with the watch-like face for essential oils with the link chain band for charms. He’d added an anchor to the bracelet just two days ago, because it felt like his life was really his own again.
Meeting that demon and falling for him had turned into a nightmare when he’d decided to leave. Now, three years and many aliases later, he was back to part of his real name, Baylee Kayson.
Baylee knew he was taking a chance because the demon was clever. He might seize upon any small thing that came across his path by chance and use it to lead him straight to his mate.
He’d read someplace the demons were developing a unique council that would provide protection to humans against demons and other supernatural creatures.
The Council of Ways was supposed to be a first line of defense for those in need of protection, and Baylee wondered if his particular problem fell within their jurisdiction.
Either way, he was out of the loop and felt it best he made no attempts to keep up with that organization in case…
Baylee Kayson jerked upright as a dog’s bark startled a cry from Baylee’s lips. His stomach was already in knots, and his hands shook. Dogs had always warned him when it was time to move. Somehow, Baylee had a feeling he should get going now while he still could, but there was no way he could have been tracked here.
He had been careful to erase all signs of himself—he’d even faked his death and had plastic surgery. He hadn’t changed his hair, because it had started changing on its own from the sandy-gold to the black it was now.
However, the demon couldn’t still be looking for him. And Baylee prayed he wasn’t after what he’d learned about the gray spade shadow demon from that site.
They went into a rage when their mates left them. They hunted them, imprisoned them, or attempted to kill them. If the demon couldn’t find the mate, then he killed everyone who might know where the mate was hiding.
It was the break up from hell. Baylee didn’t need that kind of darkness infiltrating and destroying his family and new life.
He got to his feet and went to look out the window at his view of the lake and sprawling grounds of the hotel from his room on the third floor.
He sighed raggedly, breath fogging the pane. He was safe.
Chapter One
“Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice,” Kirkyn Madinoff said quietly. He’d been traveling for several days and was just flat out tired. He’d had sightings of the demons he was hunting but no concrete evidence that they were in this city.
He was only here meeting with Ennis Wayfaire as a courtesy. Agents of the Council of Ways flew under the radar as they hunted demonic criminals and weren’t under any obligations to inform or work with the local territory leaders.
The Council of Ways was only a year old and had become a necessity with the number of demons mingling with humans. Demons weren’t the only beings causing problems though.
The gnomes were becoming pesky irritations. The sirens were becoming quite the problem worldwide. Kirkyn was just glad he didn’t have to deal with them himself.
Sirens especially could be dangerous to demons, and they knew it. Kirkyn was certain that was why the Council had begun taking an active interest in them
“How can I help you, Madinoff?” Ennis asked coolly.
Next to him was a golden-skinned male with cool eyes that Kirkyn knew was part of Wayfaire’s family unit, Trinity McCallan. Trinity watched him curiously as if he knew a secret about him.
“I’m here on assignment along with a team of three men and one woman,” Kirkyn informed him.
Ennis studied him for a moment. “I’m not going to allow you to interfere in how I handle affairs in this city.”
Kirkyn sighed, tired of the territorial bullshit. It was the same every time he had to haul his ass to a new city. That was why he was getting out after this job.
His uncle counseled against it, considering the time he’d have on his hands and the thoughts that would crop up with no place to channel that energy.
“My job is to hunt demonic and other supernatural threats to humankind, not play footsies with you,” Kirkyn told him coldly. “I don’t have time to sit around here and fight with you when I have work to do.”
“Ennis,” the man called Bale said gently.
The other man was a black heart demon. They were a gentle breed, always attached to a powerful family as servants.
“We’ve got no real dog in this fight, so why not let him do what he has to?” Bale said. “It’ll prevent us from being spread too thin trying to deal with his mess.”
Ennis shook his head, his lips thinned.
“I won’t interfere in your business, Mr. Wayfaire, as long as you give me no reason to,” Kirkyn told him. “I’m not here to take over your territory, just to catch a demon of pestilence and war named Bancoo who’s looking for a new home for him and his friends.”
“Friends?” Bale demanded.
“Bancoo is likely not traveling alone anymore. I expect there to be at least two other alpha demons with him. I haven’t come up against them, but I have hints that he’s not acting alone.”
“Could his helpers just be demons from this realm?” Ennis quizzed.
“No. They wouldn’t trust us,” Kirkyn replied.
“And they want to put down roots here?” Trinity asked.
“Yes, they have no real choice if they want to survive. However, they’re going to have to depose a leader close to their targeted area,” Kirkyn said.
“Son of a bitch,” Ennis murmured. “Do you know what their targeted area is, and what they’ll gain by destroying it?” Ennis asked curiously.
“These guys aren’t after ruling politicians, just about attempting to destroy this realm to make it more inhabitable for their kind. They need more rocky areas, soil that’s more conducive to the crops they grow in their realm, a small place called Darth.”
“I always thought there was only one demon realm,” Ennis murmured.
“Most of us do, but there are four demon worlds, and Darth, Bancoo’s home, is dying.”
“Why don’t they just settle in one of the other realms?” Ennis asked with a frown.
“Darth had six rulers, each one ruled a section of the realm. Each had a portion of the guard,” Kirkyn began. “Then, the leader picked a fight with a leader from another realm, which lost Darth their most powerful alpha.”
“Leaving them with five?”
“Five demons who fought off the enemy, but they’ve never lived peacefully with any of the other realms. No one would welcome them,” Kirkyn said.
“The sixth won’t come into play?” Bale asked.
“Probably not, but there is no way to be certain,” Kirkyn replied.
“So that leaves us,” Trinity
murmured.
“They’ll start with one demon lord controlling one portion of the country. Then, the other four will disperse, each taking an area of this region.”
“Are you kidding?” Trinity demanded, something like curiosity and distaste in his eyes.
“No two alphas can inhabit the same state for very long. They’d do nothing but create an environment rife with discord and death.”
“Damn,” Trinity said, his face a grim mask. “So, why did they choose—”
“Bossier,” Kirkyn told him. “I’m not sure. I need to do some recon before I can learn what special features the dark gnomes—they are little demons, not actually fey—can use to corrupt the area into becoming like their own.”
“How will they corrupt the area?” Trinity asked.
“They have an affinity with plant life, rocks, and soil. They are farmers in their own realm and know how to create conditions that will make this area inhospitable to humans and demons.”
“What other kinds of creatures can we look forward to moving in?” Ennis demanded, and Kirkyn saw the determination in his eyes.
That was why he’d told him what he had about no two alphas being able to inhabit the same state. He knew the man would get the point.
“Selkies, much darker and with more power than those of the Feyland,” Kirkyn told him. “Ghost demons. They aren’t ghosts just assassins and infiltrators, but some of them can possess humans as well as some demon breeds, which is a skill these demons don’t have.”
“So, you’re talking about warrior demons?” Ennis asked.
“Exactly, and some of them can become invisible under the right conditions or appear to be,” Kirkyn told him. “Is there a leader in Bossier?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how easy he’ll be to overthrow. He’s recently expanded is territory to include a nearby town,” Ennis replied. “He owns a farm out there. He has a club in the city, but he won’t be easy to reason with.”