Demons & Dragons

by Gina Kincade

  She could never see this. Never!

  Just as a semblance of control flirted within his reach, he heard her scream. The beast within him leapt up as if for joy at the shrill vibration of terror. Its idea of pleasure followed sick and twisted lines. His head threatened a possible aneurysm as he trapped the evil inside and ran to her aid, hoping, doing something akin to praying, it was only the storm that frightened her. Though the sickness coursing through him knew otherwise, as his demon practically rejoiced. He felt their magick, his magick, before he even got the door open.

  While the coven remained outside, unseen, chaos ensued in the room by the time he got there. The demon granted some dark magick to each man, but when joined together they could control elements to their advantage. Right now, they were playing with them all to scare her. Air currents, rushing at dangerous speeds, lifted her up. The water from the hot tub went from slow flow to furious waves beneath her. Candles burned beyond what was possible, flames several feet tall, hissing with their struggle to stay lit despite the wind and water. Furniture blew to pieces, crumbling to bits around her as they swirled into the wind and water tornado forming with her safe, for the moment, suspended in the middle, in the eye, essentially trapping her within a storm. You could see sparks, hear a thunderous roar, but above it all, he heard her angry scream for them to knock it off.

  He stood there shocked, to say the least, his mouth open. His own demon somehow suddenly satisfied by the mischief, maybe his anger, maybe hers, the place calmed to a pile of rubble. She fell onto the mass with a thump.

  Before he could rush to her aid, in his head he heard all of their voices, their demons speaking to his. Your demon warned us of her. She is a threat. Love is a threat. To you. To the coven. Destroy her or we will.

  "No," he roared, his demon behind his anger as he went to her, scooped her up in his arms, only to find her fighting him, clawing, kicking to get away until he couldn't hold onto her cute, little squirming body.

  "Don't fucking touch me," she said, her tone nothing but a hiss as she stood up, and brushed herself off, to no avail. "I knew this was a bad idea. Why did I lie to myself that it wasn't? Just to touch you again? To fuck you one more time?"

  His own building anger shook his confusion over her reaction off. He stood tense, yet immobile, searching for words safe to say, despite the fact she didn't seem at all surprised by the magickal doings.

  "You're not at all scared. You're pissed. Why?" he bellowed, accusing her of something he couldn't define until she did for him, and therefore demanding those answers.

  His fingers clenched. His demon danced.

  "Why do you think? Your asshole brothers, I assume, are to thank for all of this destruction. Or, maybe your whole coven thought they could scare me with such childish antics? Why would I think that only your father would be threatened by my presence? No one around you wants you with me. Wants you happy, I guess, since you claim to love me. Is that what this is about? You can't have any true feelings for a woman, or what, you might do something she wants instead of what they want? What the fucking hell is that about? Testosterone? Control? Small dick? They just want you obedient to the cause, whatever the hell that cause may be. Money? Status? And who the hell knows what else your kind wants. How am I such a fucking danger to it anyway? I ask nothing of you!"

  "You know?" At that point she could have breathed and knocked him down, but only for a second before the realization turned to a full blown flood of anger. "You know!"

  "Yes, I know about your magick. Your coven."

  She hadn't said demon or beast, but how much she knew took a back seat to finding out how and when she'd found out.

  "Who? How? When?" He grunted out the monosyllables like a caveman.

  "Seriously?"

  "Yes. Fucking seriously. Answer the damn questions!" He raged. His eyes flashed red but he didn't conceal them. With his demon frolicking, he found it easier to control, to remain a man somehow, or at least for the moment. Maybe his desire to know trumped all. Who knew? Who cared? When the demon was happy, he could contain it, apparently. Threaten it, and his control grew iffy at best. Threaten his brothers investment into him, having him under their control, well, apparently, then one got a whole magickal shit show.

  "My mother told me, as for the who. You seriously think that with all she did for your father she didn't know his legacy? Didn't know about the coven he ran, planned to turn over to you? She was as scared as she was loyal to the fuckin' bastard. Not sure what you mean by how, but I can tell you when. Not that you deserve the answers for putting me through this, but I feel the need to keep yelling at you, so I will answer. Right after they broke us up. That's when. My mother hoped the truth would send me packing for sure. For good. Maybe ease my pain, too."

  "And it did."

  "No. It didn't ease any pain, make it any easier. But, I didn't leave for them. I'm stronger than that. I left for you. I left because I knew... I knew what they would do to you if you tried to stay with me. They would kill me to destroy you. And I couldn't hurt you, so I let them hurt us both in another way. Am I wrong? I better not be wrong or I will hate you forever. There would be no other excuse for you not coming after me than if they threatened to kill me. You hinted at it the other night at the party. I think that was what I came for, to know that only for me, for my safety, would you not come after me."

  "I can't believe this. And you kept my secret, all this time?"

  "Only a fool with a death wish would tell. But, regardless of that terrifying fact, I wouldn't hurt you or my mother. But, your family will still hurt me. Obviously," she said gesturing to the rubble that had once been an amazing room. "Guess you have the funds to rebuild. Just an inconvenience to have to. I should be going."

  "No. You won't. I'm not done with you."

  "Oh, sweetheart, I don't think you have a choice. Still!"

  "Sweetheart. Really? That's what I called you when I was pissed."

  "Yes, obviously I remember. Come on. Snap out of it. I know your secret, and this date, if it could ever be called that, is over."

  "My magick. The coven. That is all you know?"

  "All? That isn't enough? If it isn't don't tell me. I would rather not know. I have to go, Ciaran. I'd love to say it's been fun, but you know, being tossed around by a magick storm isn't really my idea of a good time. Before that, though... That brief moment in time was good." She spat out each word, the anger dripping from each one.

  He could see her hands shaking with her rage. He stiffened more, if that was even possible, as she walked to him. Her wild, multi-colored curls wet, dirty, and tangled but he hoped not singed, absorbed his interest. Her face, softening slightly now, dirty, too, he found too much to bear.

  "In a different life maybe," she said, her tone suddenly light, her timbre low. "In a different life, maybe we could've been soul mates instead of star-crossed lovers. But, it isn't to be. I do love you, though. You must always know that. They can't take that painful reality away from us."

  He looked up into her eyes as her voice cracked over the words. Tears had formed in her eyes, and were now creating clean streaks down her face. He shook his head, raised his hand, then clenched his fingers into a fist, deciding it best not to touch her.

  "Yes," she continued. "I will always love you. Sadly, maybe only you. But, if it's to be my fate, to be alone and in love with a man I can never have, I've long ago accepted it. We know we can't see each other again, no matter how much we want it. I just needed to tell you that I loved you, too, and to say goodbye. So, goodbye, farewell, Ciaran Byrne."

  She moved against him, then. Both still only in bathing suits, she pressed her body against his, reached up to trail her fingers through his hair, grabbed and pulled his mouth down toward hers, as she lifted up onto her toes. Her hard nipples scorched his chest. She kissed him, then, as if her life depended on it. Her mouth opened for him, for his tongue, letting him taste her as she swallowed back a sob.

  "No," he said with his lips agai
nst hers, the sound of the word muffled within her mouth.

  "Yes. We just can't be. Don't make it harder than it has to be. Let me go knowing that I love you. Still. Always."

  "This can't end on some sappy line that sounds like it came from some damn romance book."

  "It will. It has to."

  She made the fatal mistake of groaning, low in her throat, as he gripped her harder. Their mouths came together again, fiercely. Their bodies pressed against each other until his rapidly growing erection strained to press through the two thin layers of fabric separating him from her. His stomach tightened as he grabbed her ass, lifting her up. Pleasure enveloped him like a warm blanket as she jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. He ignored the demon. Cursed it actually, wanting to only be a man against her for a moment, rather than an evil entity thanks to the plague of some malignant spirit.

  This time, she groaned, "No."

  "Yes. If I'm going to say goodbye, I'm going to have you first. I'm going to make this one last memory one we can live off of forever."

  "You know. That isn't. How that works. You will just. Want more. Make it harder." She'd gotten out a few words in between his savage kisses. "Besides, they won't allow it."

  He wouldn't hear of her protests. Instead, he carried her into his bathroom, sliding them into his shower, one large enough to accommodate them both and then some. He hit a button as they passed through the door, and water poured down from a large round spout in the middle of the ceiling, creating a basic small rain shower just for them.

  He pushed her against a wall, his demon taking pleasure in the way her lungs released a large amount of air when her back hit the stone. He'd been quiet a moment, as quiet as it could be. The savage beast soothed, if you could use such a term in accordance with such a thing, by Ciaran's savage lust for this woman. He took off her bathing suit with a deft sweep of his hands, pulling the straps off her shoulders and down her body so the rest of the material followed. She stepped out as if automatic, her eyes wide, oddly unblinking, as he removed his own in the same fashion.

  "We can't," she managed, on almost a sob, which damaged his heart like a sharp arrow while his demon laughed.

  They would have her.

  In fact, his demon demanded of the others to leave them alone. They'd know what for, and of that they wouldn't deny him. He'd been warned. They'd assume it a goodbye screw. As long as he kept the sex rough enough to keep the demon happy, no one would bother them again for a bit. They'd stay, though, ensuring the fuck short and sweet. A lecture he'd have after on the dangers of love.

  He tugged on her hands, and she moved with only a hint of resistance as he walked them under the water. The warm mass of drops moved over him, doing nothing to relax him as his body, his mind, his demon poised to take her. A moment of fear made him hesitate. The beast slithering inside him, infecting him, felt unstable. He'd no idea its reaction to making love to the woman he loved rather than having savage sex with a stranger. Would it call for the coven again, or just enjoy? Would it tempt him into losing his mind, and making that one final shift no man could return from?

  You won't hurt her, he growled inside his head, as he watched her head roll back with a moan. She'd relented, and he found himself incapable of holding back, trying to focus on the lust rather than the love. He did, however, gather up his last ounce of restraint, wanting to savor her body, not just take it. He'd make fierce love to her on his bed. Hope it would appease the savage beast. But first, he'd worship her, taste her here under the water.

  His best laid plans, of course, went awry in seconds as he fought for dominance, in a way to appease the demon, but hoped she'd see as foreplay. As he grabbed her wrists, moved to push her against the wall again, trap her with his body, she fought back, hands on his chest, using her entire body to try to move his. No match for him, she used shock tactics, jumping up and wrapping her thighs, small and strong, around his waist. His erection bumped her ass, and he found himself done for.

  Carrying her to his bed, he threw her down, plunged in to her warm, wet center. She gasped and moaned, welcomed him instead of fighting him, her thighs wrapped around him so tightly he could feel her feet on his ass. They moved together as if made for each other, one heart, one soul. He closed his eyes when they flashed red, when his demon got some idea, some inkling of taking the woman. While Ciaran understood the intention, he couldn't figure out the means. Nor did he continue to think on it as he felt her tremble beneath him, her arching more dramatic, her breathing more pronounced.

  She came with her whole body. He remembered it well. He wanted to see the pleasure on her face, her heavy lids, her open mouth, but he dared not open his eyes. Lust. Love. They merged together and his demon grew confused. Sadistic rage. Evil glee. The electricity of the change came swift, fierce. Before his creature emerged, he pushed away from her hard enough to hear the breath whoosh from her lungs. He couldn't look. He couldn't talk. He stepped back, disappearing from the room, locking himself in the bathroom as the change came.

  Chapter Four

  She grabbed her dress from where she'd hung it over a chair in his room when changing into the suit before. Each nerve ending still alive, recalling each touch, wanting more, she gave herself a tongue lashing, started a good, never ending lecture as she ripped the dress over her head. For spite, as she shook, she kept her fear in check.

  Whatever reason he'd pushed her away, she wouldn't stick around to argue. He'd locked himself away from her again. So, she grabbed at her clothes, and refocused on something else. A new lecture about how she would walk out of his home without crying, and never look back, she pushed to the forefront of her mind. She'd allowed this to happen. Allowed herself to be taken, to be ravaged by his mouth and hands. For what? To increase the heartache later, making the memory of being with him fresh, updated? Will it really matter? Could anything make the loss of him, again, worse or better? That is what had made her stay, kept her pliant to his every whim, made her take all she could from his muscle bound body, indulge in every whim of such a dominant lover.

  He knew how to please a woman, how to be rough yet gentle, to go slow, to torture, in fact, until she had begged for release with him even all those years ago, and he'd only laughed, rather evilly, in fact, before using his tongue between her folds in ways that brought her up to the precipice and over the edge, again and again until she had begged him for mercy. And what had that mercy been? He'd took her hard, even back then, first from behind, then flipping her over, until she let him pound into her, wanting it, all of him. They'd once been ambitious lovers. Her body, wanting more of him, remembered it so clearly now. The memories came in flashes. This time, what they'd managed was quick lust, one orgasm, hers, and him leaving. She knew why, and pushed the thought back. Tonight, she'd closed her eyes tight after the first flash of iridescent red blazed through his.

  Closing her eyes again, swaying as she attempted to put a foot into her panties, she fell against the wall. Pressing her fingers against it, she gave herself over to the memories of them together. She needed them. Obviously more than life, as who knew what raged on the other side of that bathroom door. Beast. Or. Man. Maybe a death wish of sorts formed, and she let a memory erase the desperation, the loss.

  In her mind, she witnessed the way she'd risen to climax one special night, hidden away in his room. She'd shattered all around him as she had tonight. Only tonight, it all had felt so different, so beyond anything she'd experienced before. He had magic after all. She knew this fact going in. Still, she'd taken her chances, continued on like a woman starved, without thinking through the possible consequences. And, just when she thought it couldn't get any better, that she could never come harder or longer, he'd changed, just like that.

  Crying out, her body aching, her skin tingling for him, she went back again to another flash of memory. He'd rubbed his hands gently down her body, from neck to thighs, then pulled her into a breath robbing hug before he took her slow, lovingly, each touch putting her on the ver
ge of tears and climax, which then came with slow build ups and powerfully slow crescendos.

  Him, the other night at her party, interrupted her revelries of the time they'd spent together so long ago. He'd showed the threat of tears in his own eyes at one point, when she'd pushed away from him then, yet something about him looked like he was about to get ill because of it.

  In the now, she looked away from the door, a ridiculous thing to do since he wasn't there, not wanting him to see her own burn of tears. She loved this man with all of her being, and yet all she had to show for a few hours together was fading red marks on her wrists where he'd held her down, and an ache still in her tightening gut that couldn't be subdued.

  'I'm going to find a way for us to be together. I promise.' He'd said years ago, a lifetime ago, when they'd snuck to say goodbye before she shipped off for college.

  She remembered his face buried in her hair, his breath warm on her shoulder.

  'Don't make promises you can't keep,' she'd managed, her voice cracking, unable to hold back the tears once she gave voice to her tragic thoughts.

  'No. I will. I swear it...'

  Her memory was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening.

  As he stepped into the room, a naked man, he stated, coldly, "It had been my mission before, to find a way out of my coven, to release my... uh, magick, then to find you and take you away with me. I've been hiding money away so I can take us far away from here, make us disappear, together. I've even secured a few places for us to hide away together. And, now, after tonight, I want that even more if possible. I will make it happen for us."