Marked (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)
Page 10
It stirred.
His skin prickled, and the beast settled into his chest, deepening his hold.
A darkness entered his veins, blood fused with a new life. Heavy as stone, his limbs were difficult to flex until he felt the strength enter the cellular level of his muscles. His fingers lengthened into talons. Bones broke and stretched into new shapes. A set of powerful wings grew out his backbone. He couldn’t see himself in a mirror, but somehow he knew he looked more beast than man now.
The beast and he became one.
“What did you do?” Lilith seemed puzzled as the knife shattered against his skin.
He pulled away from the stone alter, snapping the chains as if they were strips of licorice. He held her up by the neck, and her legs bicycled helplessly in the air. The spells she used to bar Tyler from her palace stopped her from using magic as well. She could take her natural form and fight him physically, but she couldn’t use her power against him. It was best to try to stop her before she realized how inexperienced he was at this.
His voice was deeper, louder, and more powerful, coming out more like a growl than anything human. “Enough talking, bitch.”
He tossed her like a rag doll against the wall twenty feet away.
Then he ran like hell. It was awkward trying to use that body, he ambled along, unused to the weight or the way his tail drug on the ground behind him, and he soon began to throw out his front feet and run on all fours more like a dog. His wings spread out like a fan and caught the air, gliding between strokes. He was nearly to the door. He leapt into the air and felt the full force of a body come up behind him, slamming into him. Together they broke the massive pair of hand carved doors down.
She bit him, and he let out a yelp of pain.
Joshua shook her off, and scrambled to his paws. She tried to regain her footing for another attack, and he swept her legs out from under her with his large, scaled tail.
Lilith morphed out of her human form and became a fully fledged demon. Black snakelike skin was covered in scales that shimmered in the light. Her black, feathered wings unfolded and took up the space inside the cave.
Lilith retained her feminine curves, but her demon form lacked emotion as Tyler still had. It was like she had plastic surgery with her taut red skin and it shone in the low light as if someone had just rubbed baby oil all over it. Still very slim and young looking, but with horns, a tail, folded wings on her back, she looked like a mythical beast out of a Greek legend. Something Jason and the Argonauts might have tried to avoid on their journey. She was a siren, sexy and compelling yet with an edge of danger, and she had an I want to kill you look on her face right now.
Joshua could try to fight her, but he knew he was no match for her fighting skills. Lilith had become used to her form over centuries, and was at least as old as Tyler. One day he would have to ask how old Tyler was.
If he lived.
He did the only logical thing left to him. Joshua ran.
He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, as if his life depended on it, because it did. He didn’t stop to sightsee. The palace grounds were large, and he followed the colored marble floors until he found the green tiles leading to the portal out. The energy ball shimmered, its power drawing him in. Tyler waited on the other side. It was his freedom that waited on the other side of the portal. He pushed himself harder to run faster. He panted. Each breath causing great pain, curling around his chest, and while his body did seem to have some limitations, he couldn’t listen to it. It wanted to rest, but he wouldn’t let it. Not with Lilith right behind him. Not with freedom being so close.
He jumped into the ring of energy. A black shadow engulfed him, coldness surrounded him. He couldn’t breathe at all, and ice crystals formed on his skin, encasing him in a thin sheen of frost. The sensation made him panic, and he shook the ice free, causing the little shards of ice to fall to the ground. This was a place he didn’t need to breathe. It was a doorway to the other dimension.
Joshua forced himself to remain calm. His beast didn’t seem alarmed, so neither should he be.
A long hallway of mirrors to other dimensions met him. Tyler said he would be at the third door, waiting to be let in. He counted, one, two, three, and a silver door met him. He paused only long enough to turn the handle, and his heart stopped when he saw the love of his life waiting for him. He opened his arms, and Joshua ran to him. His talons dug into Tyler’s back and then he felt safe enough the beast retreated inside of him once more. He felt himself shift back to something resembling more human and the inky drawing settle on his stomach once more.
Strong arms surrounded him, making him feel safe and secure.
A power ball of energy shot behind him to stop Lilith from following. The mirrors shattered, exploding into dangerous crystal shards that sliced through the air. A few landed on his lover, and Joshua winced when he felt his pain.
The walls shimmered and flashed. Joshua felt oddly light-headed and slightly dizzy, and then the strange feeling was gone. Immediately the environment changed to the exact opposite of this prison where there was neither sun nor moon, but a constant dreariness. The light emanated from the walls.
Suddenly it was as if someone hit a giant remote control. It was no longer cold, but a bright summer day, the sun high on the horizon. It was the hottest of the year, and they stood on a white sandy beach at the water’s edge.
Joshua felt like he was going to throw up. His stomach knotted in snakes of pain. He felt his lover touch his back in concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it will be better in just a minute.” He could already feel the strange feelings begin to pass. “I’m just glad to be out of there.”
“You and me both. Now that I have you back, I may never let you leave.” Tyler ran his hand lovingly along Joshua’s cheek.
“Lilith won’t bother us again. The tattoo is more a part of me than before. She knows I can defend myself now.” Joshua felt the bond now, that beast was inside of him and became a part of him when it changed his physical shape. He would have to ask Tyler more about what that meant when things weren’t quite as crazy.
“No, but I can’t risk losing you.”
“Where are we?” The beach seemed to glitter like it was made of diamonds, and it held an eerie calm. The waves didn’t crash hard like the beaches Joshua had been to. The sound of the ocean seemed muted. Something played in the waves, but it looked more like a dragon than dolphins. “I would hazard a guess we aren’t in Kansas anymore.”
“We’re in the land of Fae. Time doesn’t exist like you know it on the Earthly plane.”
“So we have time for sex and can still go out to lunch with my brother?”
“There is always time for sex. Not so sure about this brother.” Tyler ended the sentence with a possessive growl.
“I want you to meet him. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him, but he will always be my brother and I love him. I promised him I would take you to lunch with us after the graduation.”
“If he means that much to you, we’ll go. He won’t even know you were missing.”
Tyler kissed his neck, raking his sharp fangs along the pulsing vein. Joshua felt his dick throb in anticipation.
“Wait, how are things going to change for me? I want to be a cop.”
“Bad guys won’t stand a chance against you.” Tyler smiled. “You’ll be the best damn cop in Texas.”
“I don’t know about that. Will I become that thing every time I open myself to my powers?”
“Only if you want to scare the crap out of every criminal in the city.” Tyler smiled, revealing two white fangs on either side of his mouth. “Which works to fight crime.”
“I can’t imagine more fun”—Joshua laughed a deep throaty laugh straight from his heart—“except living happily ever after with my demon lover.” He was no longer afraid of his future, or his mate. Tyler would protect him, love him unconditionally, and there was no one he would rather spend the rest of his life with. He al
ways ran from words of commitment in his life, but with this man, he wanted nothing but a forever. “I love you, Tyler.”
Tyler sighed happily. “I love you more, Joshua.”
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Missy Lyons was one of four girls born in Santa Maria, California. She grew up along the beach and back in the country, catching lizards and climbing trees. No one knew she would grow up to have such a romantic heart from the tomboy she was as a child. She is currently trying to be a city girl living with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. She has a very full house, with a sheep in the front yard, two very active border collies, two chickens, and one slightly spastic cat, who lives up to his namesake, Spaz, on a daily basis.
Missy loves to write romance almost as much as she loves to read it. She is a multi-genre author ranging from contemporary romance to fantasy. Her favorite genre to write is paranormal romance. From dragons to international terrorists, her work is inspired by fairy tales and daydreams taken over by yummy alpha men.
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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