Daemon Grudge

by Stacey Brutger

  She honestly didn’t understand the guy’s antagonism.

  Nikos ignored her and stood, swiveling her chair so she was facing him, then stepped between her knees. He was so damned close she could smell the scent of sun and beaches and barely resisted the urge to lean forward and cuddle against him. His dark eyes were serious as he cupped her face, sliding his hands into her hair, then closing his eyes.

  Heat warmed his hands, and she shut her own eyes.

  And fell into him.

  Felt…him.

  The ache in his body felt heavy, yearning for the unconsciousness of sleep and forgetfulness. A stirring of lust swirled inside him, and he ruthlessly stomped on it…leaving behind a yearning for something he could never possess.

  It twisted so deep it was like someone had carved out her chest, and she gave a murmur of protest.

  Nikos hissed and jerked away, snapping the connection.

  A massive scowl darkened his face as if he suspected what happened, and he avoided looking at her.

  Octavia hugged herself against the desolation left behind, gazing at his back as he walked away.

  “She’s fine, but needs rest.” He jumped over the back of the couch, landed on his back, and disappeared from view.

  As the distance between them grew, the ache lessened enough for her to hear the guys discussing the attack and plotting revenge.

  “You will do nothing.” After taking one last concerned glance in Nikos direction, she swiveled in her chair and faced the rest of the guys. “I’ve been taking care of myself for years. I don’t need you guys to swoop in and rescue me.”

  She gave them a devilish smile. “Anyway, they’ve already been warned by Darren and his men that they better watch themselves. They weren’t very impressed with the trainees.”

  The men straightened, and her smile fell away as the atmosphere became awkward. “I had the impression they were your friends. Was I wrong?”

  Warrick ran a distracted hand over his hair, glancing away from her as if collecting his thoughts, the rest of the guys remaining mute. “Darren and I trained together many years ago. We were part of a team once before we went our separate ways. He was a good man.”

  Suppressed emotions churned in his eyes, and her gut knotted at the way he just shut down. “Was?”

  “Our ambitions took us in different directions.” He turned away, grabbed one of the bags at the door and went to his room. The door snicked shut behind him, but he might as well have slammed it in her face.

  “They lost the rest of their team on an assignment and never got over the loss.” Keegan took the empty seat next to her.

  The hard glint in their eyes made more sense. They lived through hell and came out the other end, but the scars had never fully healed. “They blamed each other?”

  Keegan shook his head, threading his fingers together. “No, but they never forgave themselves.” He pushed up his glasses, studying her as he did, in that awkward way she found sexy as hell.

  She was suddenly dying to know more about the guys, and she made an educated guess. “That’s when he met you.”

  Keegan hummed in amusement, and his lips twitched. “Probing for information?”

  “Who? Me?” She raised her eyebrows at him and batted her eyelashes. “I have no idea what you mean.”

  He let out a huff of laughter, then rested his elbows on the counter behind him. “Very well, I concede defeat. I met Warrick a few years later. Actually, he found each of us and recruited us for his team.”

  “You respect him.” It wasn’t a question.

  Keegan kicked out his legs and crossed them at the ankles, gazing contemplatively at Warrick’s closed door. “I do. He’s earned it. Our lives haven’t been easy, and we’ve had to fight for what we wanted every step of the way. Darren is similar to him in some respects. He built his own team with one goal in mind…to be the best.”

  “And Warrick?”

  “Darren focused on going deeper into the daemon world, while Warrick had one goal…escaping it.” Keegan stood, and she knew the conversation was over.

  Octavia rose and gazed toward Warrick’s room, wishing she’d never involved him in her messy life.

  Keegan took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with the edge of his shirt. She stood riveted by the gap and the delicious patch of skin revealed.

  “Don’t worry about him. We all knew it was a matter of time before we were called back. He’s not one to ignore trouble. He just needed someone like you to pull him out of his funk.”

  She snorted, tearing her eyes away from the glorious Adonis lines of his lower abdomen and peered up at him. “Are you calling me trouble?”

  “Only the best kind.” Before she could dwell on it too much, Keegan leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then gave her shoulder a little nudge. “Go to bed. We’ll discuss it more in the morning. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

  She gaped after him as he walked away, completely dumbfounded by his affectionate behavior. She watched Atticus tidy up the kitchen…until she realized that he was waiting for her to go to bed. She sneaked into the kitchen, watching him wipe down the counter.

  Allowing impulse to take her, she leaned up and kissed his cheek, his beard brushing her chin. He froze at her touch, his chin against his chest, his eyes closed.

  “Thank you for taking care of me today.”

  She dashed back to her room before she did or said anything even more stupid. She closed the ruined door as far as possible, but it still gaped open. She was just about to pull away when she saw the big guy reached up and touched his cheek, a grin taking over his face.

  The knot of anxiety in her gut eased, and she smiled to herself while she got ready for bed. As she pulled the covers up, she marveled at the changes in her life in just a few short days. She was no longer alone, no longer considered a freak.

  They didn’t shy away from the violence of her past, but stood at her side, ready to do battle. She could be herself around them, a freedom she never had before.

  Despite their gruff, slightly psychotic tendencies, she liked them…may the gods help her.

  Nikos flopped on his back, throwing an arm over his eyes, longing for sleep, but every time he tried to rest, she appeared.

  Octavia.

  Sexy, infuriating, fascinating and tempting all rolled up in the perfect package that he wanted to unwrap…slowly…with his teeth, then worship every inch of her with his mouth until she screamed his name.

  He’d hoped exhaustion would allow him to sleep, but he couldn’t shut his brain off. Without the constant edge of danger and the rush of adrenaline, he had trouble sitting still. He’d tried fight rings, racing, women, drugs, drinking, but only one thing calmed his mind…her. The chaos only eased when she was near.

  She somehow quieted the chaos in his brain, and now every atom of his being was so focused on her that nothing else mattered.

  Instead of bursting into tears when he teased her, she gave as good as she got, and he fucking loved it.

  As if his thoughts summoned her, the door to her room cracked open. He jackknifed upright to peer at her over the top of the sofa, his mouth suddenly dry as the object of his thoughts peeked around her door. He patted his chest, smoothing down his shirt, deflating when she didn’t even spare him a glance.

  Of course she wouldn’t.

  He didn’t know how to act around people, especially women. Every time he opened his fucking mouth, chaos spilled out. He gripped the back of the couch, his knuckles white, wondering which lucky fucker she would choose to take to her bed.

  He bet it would be that asshole Atticus.

  It wasn’t fair.

  Atticus got to spend the whole day with her.

  Resentment churned in his chest, but he shrugged it away in defeat. A girl like her had options. It was foolish to think she would ever look at him twice, not when every time he opened his mouth he pissed her off.

  Which was a shame.

  He really liked playing
with her.

  Teasing her was the most fun he’d had in ages.

  He wasn’t born with the same filter as everyone else. He opened his mouth and shit just spilled out. Girls fled from him…the good ones did, anyway. And he wasn’t interested in the psycho bitches that flocked to him. He struggled with his own bullshit enough that he didn’t need to deal with more. Unfortunately, the good girls like her weren’t attracted to his kind beyond a quick fuck or two.

  And he wanted more.

  He watched her hungrily, then straightened abruptly, his curiosity sharpening when he saw her shuffling toward the hall door, not one of the guys’ rooms. He was halfway crawling across the back of the couch to join her and find out what kind of mischief they could stir when he saw the pack on her back.

  He wilted, the strength going out of him, and he froze stretched out over the back of the couch.

  She was leaving him.

  Sneaking out and leaving without a word.

  Anger churned in his gut when the locks on the door opened, and he narrowed his eyes on the girl.

  Unacceptable.

  Not to mention if anyone found her sneaking around on the upper levels, they would either kill her on the spot or throw her in the dungeon, never to see the light of day.

  He rolled off the couch and landed soundlessly on his feet. As he straightened and headed toward the now-empty doorway, Keegan opened his door, rubbing a hand over his tousled hair, a questioning look in his eyes. He wore a tank top and unbuttoned pants.

  “She’s gone.” Nikos slammed his feet into his shoes, stumbling toward the door, yelling over his shoulder, “Get the others.”

  As Nikos dashed into the hallway, he saw Octavia had bypassed the elevator and hurried toward the stairs. His heart settled to a more normal beat when he saw she hadn’t vanished into thin air.

  Disappointment curdled his insides.

  He thought she was different.

  He wanted her to be different, so much so that he was crushed by her rejection.

  Shoving aside his unhappy thoughts, he grabbed her arm and plastered a charming smile on his face. “Octavia, darling, going somewhere?”

  When he pulled her around to face him, he nearly swallowed his tongue…pure power gazed back at him. Her eyes were white, glowing like they were lit from within.

  He quickly dropped his hand and bowed his head. “Pythia.”

  Octavia leaned forward, latching onto his wrists and pulling him toward the door. “We can’t be here. We need to leave. Danger is stalking her every step. If she stays, her fate will be sealed.”

  “We can protect her.” Nikos pulled on his arm. She released him, but didn’t halt her departure.

  When he reached for her again, a blast of energy slammed into his chest and he flew halfway down the hallway. He landed with a thud, then skidded a few feet, stopping short of bowling over the rest of the team.

  He staggered to his feet, his muscles tingling just shy of pain, smoke rising from his clothes. It took him two seconds before he could inhale deeply enough to take in air, and he coughed out a small cloud of smoke.

  He patted himself down, noting he wasn’t on fire and smiled at the guys. “Well, she’s definitely not a mimic…or a daemon for that matter, not with those powers.”

  His smiled faded, and he turned to watch Octavia hurry toward the exit. “That touch felt like pure chaos, only way more intense.”

  Even as she reached the door, the locks disengaged and it swung open on its own, emphasizing his point.

  Panic tightened his chest at the thought of her disappearing, and he charged after her. “We can’t let her leave.”

  “How do you suggest we stop her?” Atticus effortlessly kept pace with him. “If you haven’t noticed, you’re still smoking. You should let one of us get her.”

  Instant denial and possessiveness grabbed him by the throat.

  She was his to guard.

  “No, I can handle it. She didn’t hurt me.” The opposite, in fact. He felt energized, his systems so alert it was almost painful. “She hit me with an electric shock. I’m fine.”

  He gave Atticus a rakish smile. “It’s like that time I set off a smoke bomb in your car. When you finally managed to get out of the car by breaking the windshield and crawling out, you smoked for a good two hours.”

  Atticus snarled, red spearing the green of his eyes. “You welded the fucking doors shut.”

  Nikos saw the clenched fists and resisted the urge to smirk, then focused on what was important—Octavia. His smile faded. “The charge she hit me with was more like a boost of adrenaline.”

  The rest of the guys kept pace with him, and he hit the door to the stairwell first, the others crowding through closely behind him.

  “Could it be the stone?” Warrick nearly bowled him over as they both tried to enter the doorway at the same time.

  Nikos refused to hand over his slight lead.

  He could help her, he knew it.

  He peered down the stairwell and nearly cursed at her speed…if he could catch her.

  “The stone doesn’t imbue a person with powers.” Keegan frowned as he searched the mental vault of his brain for more information. The geek was always doing shit like that, his memory just short of photographic. “The stone only allows a person to see the future, or the demigods would never allow anyone to use it. The power—it’s all her.”

  Nikos let their discussion fall to a murmur at the back of his mind.

  “I have an idea.” Without giving the guys a chance to protest, he leapt over the side of the railing, dropping down one flight of stairs, then another, and another, until he landed a few feet away from Octavia. He danced backwards, giving her a gentle smile when she slowed, her sightless eyes landing on him.

  “I need to leave.” Octavia blinked, appearing slightly confused. It was like she was sleepwalking, seeing and feeling, but not completely aware.

  The rest of the guys charged down the stairs like a herd of elephants.

  Knowing he wouldn’t get another shot at this before they arrived, he blocked the stairwell with his body.

  When she tried to move around him, he grabbed her waist, whirling them until she was pressed up against the wall. Before she could let loose the energy that hovered around her, he threaded his fingers into her hair, cupped the back of her head, and slammed his mouth over hers.

  He wasn’t gentle as he devoured her—he wanted her too badly, especially if this was his only chance to taste her. He eased his tongue in her mouth, pressing himself against her until every inch of her was imprinted on him. The taste of her exploded through him faster than any liquor, leaving him light-headed as the rest of the world dropped away.

  As if his hand had a mind of its own, it slid from her waist to her ass, then lower, hooking behind her knee to haul her leg up over his hip. A guttural groan escaped him when she arched into him, and he nearly swallowed his tongue when it felt like she’d reached into his pants and cupped him. It was all he could do not to explode.

  She felt like she’d been created for him.

  She calmed the chaos inside him by filling the missing parts of his soul.

  With great reluctance, he pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers, struggling to get his breathing under control. He would not take advantage of her.

  When he kissed her again, it would be when she knew it was him.

  It would be because she wanted it.

  When her eyelids fluttered open and her beautiful blue eyes blinked up at him, lust made them almost appear to shimmer.

  He sagged against her, relief stealing his breath, and he leaned down to nuzzle her neck, the scent of her calming him like nothing else. While he’d like nothing better to finish what they started, now was not the time.

  Not while she was in danger.

  He would do everything in his power to protect her, even if it gave him the worst case of blue balls in history. He reluctantly pulled away, feeling like his soul was being torn in half.
r />   But to save her, he would suffer any torture.

  Chapter Twenty

  Octavia felt like she was swimming toward the surface of a raging ocean. She gazed up at Nikos, saw his eyes were almost completely amber, and struggled to remember what happened before he kissed her.

  He kissed her.

  She leaned back against the wall, her legs shaking, and struggled to remember how to breathe. Her lips still tingled, the taste of him lingering, and she couldn’t remember why leaning up and stealing another kiss was such a bad idea.

  “Are you back?” Warrick angled himself between them and cupped her face, tipping her head back.

  She scowled at him, smacking away his hands as the peaceful haze was ripped away. “Yeah.”

  She pushed away from the wall, only vaguely recognizing the stairwell.

  Warrick glowered at her for a second before his expression evened out. “You said you were in danger. Do you know what will happen?”

  Octavia rubbed her fingers between her eyebrows, her head pounding, unable to recall the details. Frustrated, she threw up her hands and shook her head. “No, nothing beyond the sense that if I’m still here tomorrow, we’ll all be in danger.”

  She shoved down the itchy feeling under her skin that urged her to run hard and fast.

  Warrick turned away from her, staring at the blank wall. “Take her upstairs. I want to—”

  A door below them banged open, the clank of metal reverberating up the stairwell. A group of lesser daemons spilled onto the stairs, the excited babble of their voices hushed. She leaned carefully over the railing, angling so she wouldn’t be seen.

  She glanced back at the guys, put a finger to her lips, then trailed after the group of kids as they thundered down the stairs. Nikos and Atticus followed right behind her, and Keegan appeared resigned and trailed after them, as if reconciled to being the adult and keeping them out of mischief. Warrick seemed preoccupied when his gaze landed on hers. As if accepting defeat, he heaved a sigh and slowly stalked down the stairs a pace behind the rest.