by CoraLee June
Scanning the different slot machines, I made my way over, but before I could even sit down at one, I was intercepted by casino staff. “ID?”
I plastered on a smile, even though my insides churned. Shit. I was going to get kicked out before I was here for five minutes. Unless… I looked down at the purse Victor had given me and popped it open. Moving aside the bundle of crisp bills, I plucked the plastic card waiting inside. I glimpsed down at the fake ID with my smiling face on it before passing it over to the man. He studied it, scratching the back and looking like he was reading a novel as he scanned over every inch before passing it back. “Have a good night, Miss.”
“Thanks,” I said brightly, before stuffing the ID back in my purse.
Letting out a relieved sigh, I sat down at the slot machine and tossed in a few bills, feeling a little out of my depth. I’d never been to a casino before, and I had no idea what the demon looked like that I was supposed to lure, so for a few minutes, I simply pressed the buttons, my eyes constantly looking around.
After I’d lost a fair amount of Spector’s money, I determined that this definitely wasn’t working. What had Victor said? He was a risk demon.
Gods, I was being stupid. I’d never pique a risk demon’s interest by sitting at a twenty dollar slot machine. I needed to go big.
My eyes skirted over to a poker table. Aunt Marie and I used to play for fun, but I’d never gambled before. There was a good chance I’d lose all the money Spector had given me, but what else could I do? I got the impression that they were shooting in the dark with this demon, and they couldn’t expect me to lure him in if I couldn’t even find the male.
I got up and straightened my dress, trailing my hands down the smooth fabric. Then I sauntered over to the table and found a seat. “Buy-in is five grand minimum, sweetheart. Go back to your penny slots and let the men play,” a gruff player with scraggly hair and yellow teeth said.
A couple of college kids that looked like they had no idea what they were doing snickered. It was obvious that they were spending their daddy’s money at the poker table.
My spider didn’t like any of them one bit. Neither did I, if I were being honest. But maybe I could use their condescending attitude to my advantage. A lie was a risk, wasn’t it?
“Well, I stole all this money from my cheating bastard of a husband, and I’d really like to lose it in a game. Kind of like he lost his wedding ring at the strip club last night. Ten grand should do the trick, right?” I said in a snarky tone while opening my purse for everyone to see.
The old man blanched and sat up straighter, suddenly very interested in what I had to offer.
“Well, darling. Why don’t you have a seat? I’d be happy to win your husband’s money,” the man said with a raspy cackle. “And if you really want to get back at him, my dick would look great in that sassy mouth of yours.”
I nearly gagged, though my spider was intrigued by this offer. Not because she was attracted to the scrawny sixty-year-old asking for a blow job, but because she wanted to make him pay.
Down, spidey. We need to find the risk demon, first.
An idea struck me. Risk. It was all about risk.
I needed to up the ante. Adrenaline spiked in my blood, pushing me to offer more than I wanted to bargain.
“How about this? If you manage to win all my money, I’ll gladly give you a blow job,” I replied with a sly smile.
He blanched, like that was the last thing he expected me to say. The sniggering college guys had eyes as big as saucers. “Holy shit, are you for real?” one of them asked, giving me a once-over.
“Yep,” I said with a sultry smile.
The one to the right with shaggy blond hair held up a hand. “Wait a minute. You don’t want your mouth anywhere near that ugly fucker,” he said, tipping his head in the man’s direction. The toothy sixty-year-old let out a string of insults that went ignored. “How about we make this deal a little steeper?” he challenged, his brown eyes flashing as he stared at my cleavage.
The beat of my heart kept going faster. “What are the terms, pretty boy?” I asked, not revealing the nerves I felt.
“You beat everyone at this table, and I’ll match your winnings.”
His friend cursed. “What the fuck, Gabe? Your dad will blow a fucking gasket.”
“And if I lose?” I asked.
Blondie shared a look with his friend. “You lose, then you come back to our hotel room and show us a good time.”
Fucking pig.
The odds of me winning were very, very bad. My pulse was going out of control. My palms were slick with nervousness, and I had the feeling I should run.
Which is why I knew I was finally hitting the mark. There was no greater risk than putting myself in this situation. And no greater risk for these humans to be stuck in a room with me.
I smiled and snaked my hand across the table to seal it with a handshake just as the dealer called for buy-ins. “You boys have yourselves a deal.”
I exchanged the entirety of my Spector cash for poker chips and rubbed my palms along my legs, eagerness pumping through my veins as the cards were dealt.
This was it. I was about to play for everything I had—both my money and my body. If I lost, I was losing more than those things, too. I was losing my shot at doing what Belvini wanted from me, and failure meant Aunt Marie’s life was on the line. Everything depended on the cards being shuffled. Everything could go terribly wrong.
The dealer was just about to start passing out cards when a hard hand suddenly wrapped around my arm. Heat embraced the side of my face as deliciously rough stubble scraped against my ear.
“Black Widow, I have to say, this is a nice look for you,” the haunting voice rasped.
My mouth parted as a shaky exhale left my lips, my body frozen. Everyone at the table looked over at the newcomer warily, but excitement flooded my veins. It was him. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did.
Woodsy sulfuric air filled my nose, and I had to force my spider not to spill webs from my fingers. “Sorry, gentlemen,” the smooth voice said as he straightened up behind me, though he kept his hand placed possessively over the nape of my neck. “Your game has one less player. This woman is a hustler and has been banned from the casino for a while now.”
My heart skipped a step, and I noticed the dealer press a button, probably to call over security.
“Bullshit. She made a bet, and I want to cash in,” the older man said, baring his yellow teeth.
Gross.
I still hadn’t seen the demon’s face, but his presence was palpable. My spine was straight as a rod and heavy with tension. Each raspy breath escaping my chest was erratic and harsh. Unease like anything I’d ever expected flooded my system, and suddenly, I wasn’t sure I was up to the task.
The risk was too great. What if I failed? What if my lure didn’t work? What if they hurt Aunt Marie because I couldn’t do this? What if I never saw Crow and Tomb again?
Fucking risk demon. He was winning already, and I hadn’t even seen his face.
When I finally willed myself to turn and meet his gaze, what I saw took my shaky breath away.
His eyes were dark and brimming with a raw, demanding power that had my spider salivating. He had a defined jaw and rough, dark facial hair casting shadows on his chiseled face. There was a timeless appeal about him, and he was utterly gorgeous in a tailored suit, swathed in dominating presence. He stood with the pride of someone that was self-assured, maybe even a bit cocky, but there was a mature aura in his presence that added to his mysterious allure. His style was understated but lavish, like he spent thousands of dollars to look good but blend in all the same.
It was like staring at the face of your sweetest nightmares and begging to never wake up.
“She’s done,” he repeated while moving his hand to pull me up from my seat.
My heel wobbled, and I pitched sideways, but he swiftly turned me to his chest, where my palms braced against him to catch my fall. M
y webs spread like cords of frost along his suit, and he arched a brow at the display.
Unlike how my spider had tucked tail and tried to hide away from Belvini, right now, she was practically purring in this demon’s presence. I had to force her back into the recesses of my mind to avoid more claiming silk from tumbling out across his chest. He didn’t bother to wipe it away.
“She’s not done. We made a deal,” blondie frat boy said while pounding his chest in a purely caveman move that had me rolling my eyes and pitying him. Didn’t he realize that he stood no chance against this man? Couldn’t he feel the waves of dark power?
Ignoring him, the demon trailed his gaze slowly over my face. I could feel his attention like licking flames of fire. He was going to make me burn. I just didn’t know if the fire was going to be punishment or pleasure.
“Shall I get rid of your competitors? They seem to be arguing with me,” he said quietly, though his tone was clear with warning. “I dislike being argued with.”
“No. I will,” I answered quickly.
I knew that the three men at the table could be destroyed in a blink of this demon’s eye if I didn’t handle it—and quickly. They were skeevy, sure, but I had set them up after all. I couldn’t leave their fates on my conscience.
I turned to the collegiate duo. “Sorry, boys. Seems my husband is here to re-claim me, and he’s deathly jealous,” I said with an ominous warning. Reaching across the table, I pushed my chips toward them. “Consider this my recompense.”
Three burly security guards walked up just as I turned to leave. The demon cut them off. “No need for an escort,” he told them before placing his hand on my lower back and leading me away.
It took everything in me to walk evenly at his side as he led me through the casino. As we passed people by, both men and women turned to look before quickly getting out of our way. My heart was slamming against my ribs, my fear bruising me from the inside out. Was Spector watching this right now? I had to get him alone—and fast. I knew my limits. I could only fake this for so long before my façade began to crumble.
“If you wanted to see me, Black Widow, all you had to do was call,” the demon said at my side. The heat of his hand was practically burning through the lace of my dress. The heat felt amazing against my spine, but I didn’t miss what he’d said. He recognized my spider. “Possession is beneath you, beautiful. Though this could be fun,” he added, while trailing a thumb down my arm and making chills scatter over my skin.
I shook my head, trying to control my body’s response to him. I couldn’t decipher between my spider’s fondness of this demon and my own attraction.
“Well, this possession wasn’t consensual for either of us,” I admitted, apparently forgetting that I was supposed to be a seductive machine luring him into Spector’s clutches. For some reason, the fact that he knew my spider from...hell...made me feel this odd sense of hope. I wasn’t prepared to do a trust fall off a building or anything, but a little prodding for information couldn’t hurt.
“Is that so? Interesting,” he replied.
We were getting closer to the exit, and I knew I was running out of time. Looking around, I noticed a hallway that led to the elevators for the hotel portion of the building. I quickly grabbed his arm and walked in that direction, gently leading him. To my surprise, he didn’t try to redirect me. Slowly, I started to let some of my lure power seep from my skin. I knew I needed to be careful. It wasn’t like I had the element of surprise or mystery. He already knew what and who I was.
I was spinning a proverbial web, straddling a thin strand where I wanted to trap him, while also gain whatever answers I could. The strings were precarious, but I had no choice but to weave them.
The closer we got to the hallway, the more lure I put out. When we reached it, I pressed a shaky finger to the button, calling for an elevator. One dinged immediately, and when I walked in, the demon followed.
I backed up, pressing my body against the mirrored wall of the elevator, watching him silently as he stood in front of me, and the doors snicked shut behind him. I had him alone. And it was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. The elevator didn’t move at first, and neither did we. I pushed more lure out, hoping it would daze him enough for me to get my questions answered. “How did you know my demon?” I asked, my voice sultrier than I anticipated.
“We go way back,” he replied dryly, like I was somehow supposed to know the answer. “Now, why don’t you stop using your lure on me so we can have a conversation without the sexual tension, hmm?”
My mouth dropped open in surprise, and then embarrassing naivety filled me up with shame. Of course he would see through my seductive attempts. His cocky smile greeted me, so I pumped out even more pheromones. Maybe I hadn’t used enough?
“Fuck,” he croaked while shaking his head and sending me a dark, hungry look. “You’re really putting this new body of yours to work. What would your mates think?”
At the mention of my mates, I froze, and all my lure evaporated. It was like all the humid tension was sucked from the air, leaving behind the dry reality that this man knew far too much, and he had the answers I desperately needed. I’d learned to accept my spider, but that didn’t necessarily mean I understood her.
“My mates? What do you know about them? Who even are you?” I asked.
He cocked his head suspiciously, as if trying to understand my question. I knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment he hit a button on the elevator that stopped our ascent, causing our metal cage to slam to a screeching halt and shrill alarms to sound.
He shoved me against the wall. “You want introductions? Fine. I’m Risk. Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing here?” he growled with predatory intent, his body pressing against mine, his hips holding me in place.
I moaned. I fucking moaned. What the hell was wrong with me? Maybe I was hungry again? Shit, I thought Byron would’ve satisfied me longer than this. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks, but when I tried to push him off, he didn’t budge an inch. The hand I’d used to shove at his chest lingered, and I had zero excuse for that other than the fact that I wanted to feel him.
“Spector sent me,” I replied without hesitation, though my voice was thick with desire. “They want to bring you in.”
Wow. I wasn’t an expert at this, but I was fairly certain that telling your mark the truth meant you failed. Well, I guess I’d just royally fucked up this mission. I’d chosen a side, and it clearly wasn’t Spector’s. It was like my spider’s trust in him was bleeding into how I responded.
“Why?” he growled.
“Hell if I know,” I snapped, trying very hard to keep my hands from wandering over his chest. “They forced a fucking possession on me, tortured me, and now they’re threatening my family if I fail this mission.”
His eyes zeroed in on the mark on my throat, like he was trying to gauge if I really was the Black Widow. I still didn’t understand how he’d recognized me.
As if being summoned to prove herself, my spider fought through the haze of my consciousness and broke through, bringing her deadly, demonic power to full control. “Hello, Risk,” her dark voice whispered. “Aren’t you going to help an old friend?”
His eyes flashed in recognition, and he stared at my lips as if he could see the haunting words that had escaped them. Lure was pooling out of me without control. I couldn’t even rein in the desire if I wanted to. I was working on my spider’s instincts, allowing her lust to fill the cramped elevator. My panties were soaked. The hunger within me roared with defining determination as webs fell like trailing ribbons from my fingertips. My hands began to graze up his chest of their own volition until they circled around the hot skin of his neck, and I was toying with the black hair at his nape. I wanted to touch him. The need was so pure and intense that I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want to, either.
“How much time do we have?” he finally answered, pinning me with
his dark stare.
I lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m supposed to press my bracelet once I’ve lured you on our own. But they have eyes everywhere,” I whispered while glancing around the cramped elevator, as if expecting to see shadowed faces in the glass.
Those plush serpent lips of his, spilling with cursed chances and risky behaviors, greeted the ridge of my ear. “Then I suppose we should give them something to watch.” He shoved his thigh between my legs, and I gasped when my core settled on top of his hard muscles. His hands moved to grasp my waist, searing into my skin, and I nearly moaned aloud again.
I breathed in, brushing the pebbled peaks of my breasts against his chest, praying for a break in the thick tension. My lure was heady and hot, taking our chance encounter and elevating it to a need I couldn’t grasp. I was thudding. Pulsing. Slipping with slick desire.
I was drawn to Crow and Tomb. I craved them. They were both objects of desire for my spider and me, and they helped me compartmentalize the things that Spector made me do—helped me accept my demon and who I was now. But even more than that, they were mine. My spider had a claim on them before I ever understood what that meant.
But this desire with Risk was different. It felt different, yet familiar. It felt hot and reckless, needy and tempting. Like he was the forbidden fruit I’d always wanted to ensnare. Just being in his presence was sexy. Dangerous. Thrilling. I loved it.
“How do you feel about taking risks, Black Widow?” he asked seductively. The low timber of his voice made my skin tingle.
“It has a certain appeal,” I replied, wanting to stretch onto my tiptoes and skim my lips over his.
“I’m glad you think so,” he murmured. “Because what I’m about to do is incredibly risky.” He grabbed both my wrists and squeezed tightly, the padding of his thumb lining up with my thudding vein. “Hold your breath,” he demanded before a strange popping sensation started to erupt within every fiber of my being.
Every cell. Every muscle. It was like I was being squeezed in a vacuum. Reality blistered with a deafening snap. One second, we were entwined against the wall of the elevator, and the next, I was sucked through the straw of existence. It felt like an eternity, but it could only have lasted a matter of seconds.
