Claimed by the Demon Hunter

by Harley James

  She wriggled again, trying to get away, and all that squirming made her can-can skirt hike up around her waist. The whole raunchy episode instigated intriguing consequences for the lower half of his body. His arms pinned her to him as he shifted his swollen cock to the cleft of ass, and just like that, she froze.

  He smiled.

  “What does sanctorum mean, and why is that room so special?”

  He groaned. Her busy mind was going to kill them both. “Alright, how about one piece of clothing per question. When you’re out of clothing, you’re out of questions.”

  He began working on the rest of the stays of her bustier, but she stopped his hands and flipped around to face him, her hair a coiling, silken curtain around them in the softly lit room. Her lips parted on a beguiling indrawn breath when she shifted her legs apart and her lower body settled around his erection. His hands slid down the gentle slope of her back.

  “You’ve already taken off two pieces of my clothing, so get talking.”

  His fingers trekked southward, pushing through the layers of the infernal skirt and her underwear to find her bare ass cheeks. “Sanctorum is short for sanctum sanctorum, which is Latin for holy of holies. In other words, the most holy place. And I’m not telling what’s special about it because it would put you in greater danger.”

  She pursed her lips. “Because I’m a weak human female.”

  “No, because you have my scent and that makes you more of a target. If the demons are able to get close enough, they’ll torture you for information. The less you know, the more likely they are to leave you alone because they have this uncanny knack of knowing when people are lying.” Which was true, but they’d still probably try to take her to lure him. And it would work. But she didn’t need to know that.

  “You marked me?”

  “It’s a side effect when we have sex with mortals. It usually goes away after a couple of days if we have no further contact with them, but we still shadow them to make sure they aren’t targeted until it wears off.”

  “So this will go away a few days.”

  He pulled the satin ribbon out of her stays. “You should be naked by now with all these questions.”

  Her eyes glinted, the slight rocking of her body making him start to sweat. “I think not. My last several responses were statements, not questions,” she said.

  He had to laugh. “Okay, well you’d better get asking because I’m not going to be able to concentrate much longer.” His gaze was glued to her chest where her cleavage inspired fantasies involving lube. Lots of lube.

  “Up here, Nate. Your scent goes away if we don’t have sex for a few days?”

  His gaze shifted back to her face. “Normally, yes.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “A week isn’t going to be enough for me, Jess.”

  “Well here’s a news flash, boss man, we signed an agreement.”

  “This isn’t about the agreement anymore. Not when you healed my death scar.”

  “Are you saying you aren’t going to honor it?”

  “I’ll do everything I promised in the agreement.” I just won’t let you leave. “That’s at least two more pieces of clothing.” He rolled to the side, laid her down, scooted up to his knees, and removed her black bustier and single remaining shoe. Now, she was down to her peasant blouse, can-can skirt, thong, and one stocking. “Still too many clothes. Ask another question.” His voice was gruff.

  “You’re eying that stocking like it’s your last meal.” Her voice wasn’t exactly steady either. She cleared her throat. “If you’re able to leap tall buildings with a single bound—don’t tell me you can’t because José told me he saw two of your partners vanish into thin air—why do we have to stay here? Why can’t we go somewhere else? Somewhere safe from the demons—like another city?”

  “I have to stay because I have a responsibility to the sanctorum.” Or more specifically, what it housed. “Moving it is impossible at this point because there are more powerful safeguards in place here than I could possibly set up with a horde of demons chasing me elsewhere. You’re staying because I don’t trust your safety to anyone else. The demons that your uncle let in are much more powerful than ones we usually tangle with.” He pushed her blouse up and rubbed his cheek against the smooth skin of her belly before pulling her arms up to slide the shirt over her head. A strapless bra clasp nestled between her breasts. He sprang it open and groaned as her full warmth filled his palms, then his mouth as he pushed her deep into the mattress.

  She arched her back, tunneling her hands through his hair. The creamy deliciousness of her skin was perfection. Her pink nipples, puckered and tight. His breathed her in for long moments before he realized she was yanking on his hair, pulling him away.

  And talking?

  He lifted his head to try to focus because more questions meant less clothes.

  “W-why is it easier for the weaker demons to get to Earth than the more powerful ones? Why does it take such a big event to bring the archdemons?”

  Her breaths were coming hard and fast. He had to feel those flushed breasts against his skin. He sat up and stripped off his shirt. The slight cooling cleared his head somewhat. “The ancient demons are usually locked out because there is some justice in the Seam separating the realms.”

  He slid down the bed, parked his mouth between her thighs, and licked until she quivered, then used his teeth to slowly peel her paper-thin white stocking down her leg.

  Gooseflesh spread across her skin. “Meaning the big chess master in all this prevents the really Big Bads from preying on humans unless someone royally screws up, and then you guys are here for clean up duty?”

  Nate smiled at her terminology, his fingers curling into the toned muscles of her thighs. That was two more questions. “Pretty much, but we’re always on clean up. Unfortunately, even the lesser demons can do some damage. If one of them preys on enough human souls, they can become almost as powerful as the much older demons.” He paused. “You ready to get naked, Jessica?”

  She pulled the can-can skirt up over her belly button. “One more question and you can turn off the lights.”

  Blood pounded in his ears, and he yanked the skirt down again. “Who was the bloody bastard who made you feel like you need to fuck in the dark?” He’d find the scrote, dismember him, and feed his parts to a demon.

  “We aren’t talking about this right now!”

  “The hell, we aren’t!”

  “Stop being a jerk.” She sat up, pulled a pillow across her chest, and glared at him.

  He shot to his feet. “When some limp dick scoundrel has made my woman feel ashamed about her worship-worthy body, I’m justified in being a asshole! Fuck that makes me furious!”

  Breathe. Talk about a bloody bastard. He was yelling at her when all he wanted to do was make her see how beautiful she was.

  “We shouldn’t even be messing around. The demons could come back at any time. I have to get to my grandparents and Scourge.”

  He shook his head and pushed down on her shoulders when she would have sprung out of bed. “Your grandparents are safe. Demons—even the ancient ones—won’t be out in daylight. We have hours.”

  “What are they, vampires?”

  If only. “No, but they burn when exposed to sunlight like a vampire.” Unless they were juiced up with a stolen relic, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Trust me, we have plenty of time.”

  “Then you should be using it to plan your defense. And how we’re going to protect everyone,” she said.

  “You think you’re responsible for the three and a half million people in the metro area?”

  “Well…there has to be something we can do.” She looked around the room. “Any chance you have a spare t-shirt and some sweats around here?”

  He sat back down on the bed. “I will give you whatever you need to make you happy, Jessie. I will take care of your schooling expenses, your grandparents, hell, if your uncle is still alive, I’ll even take respo
nsibility for keeping the duffer out of trouble, but I won’t give you up.”

  He won’t give me up. What did that even mean to someone who wasn’t a human? Jessie looked down at her hands pressing the pillow to her nakedness. “I don’t understand why there are beings like you.”

  Nate scrubbed his hands across his stubbled chin. “Bottom line is, we’re here for a second chance. We were people who made bad choices on purpose while we were alive. We lived selfishly, but at the moment of our deaths, we made the decision to save another life. Because of that one selfless act, we were given the option to become Guardians. If we succeed as Guardians, we’ll avoid the damnation we originally deserved, and instead, go on to paradise.”

  Okay, now they were getting somewhere. “So basically, this is your Purgatory.”

  That smile of his was dangerous long before she knew he was more than just the guy next door. “Yes, though our version of Purgatory is more than a cleansing, it’s an actual test.”

  “How long’s the test?”

  His hand came up to stroke her messy hair. She loved it when he got that soft look in his eyes. It made her body go all silky and elastic.

  “Until the End Days,” he replied quietly.

  “Which is when?” Did she really want to know?

  “No one knows.”

  She relaxed slightly. “So you may be in this for a long haul to redeem yourself.”

  His eyes darkened as they held hers. “Hell is a very bad place, Jessie.”

  How would he know? “Have you been there?”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Finally he said, “Yes and no.”

  “Wow, thanks for the non-answer.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  And that right there was what she couldn’t understand. “I don’t know why this is happening with us.”

  He brought her chin up, his eyes slightly hooded. “Because you healed me, Jess. Ever since I first saw you, you’ve brought vibrant color to my world. Literally. Before you, I saw colors, sure, but it’s like they were behind an opaque screen. Muted and pale. Now everything is bright and beautiful and loud.” His thumb brushed across her lip. “Even my ability to feel emotion had started to decline.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “So I’m your temporary girlfriend.” Come on, how many had he already had since the first World War? The thought kinda ticked her off.

  “No, Jessie. Only a soul mate can heal a Guardian’s death scar.”

  She was finding it difficult to draw a full breath. “The idea of a soul mate obliterates the whole free will thing.”

  “No, it doesn’t because Guardians have more than one potential soul mate in the world. The choices we make take us down different paths. If we’re lucky, those decisions lead us toward unity with one of those soul mates. Stop and think. Or better yet, feel.” He took her hand and laid it on his chest. His heart beat slow and strong, the warmth of his skin making her fingers restless to explore more of him. “You can’t deny this. I know you feel drawn to me unlike any other attraction you’ve ever had.”

  Yes. Unequivocally so. “Your arrogance knows no bounds.”

  He blinked slowly, and she noticed the dark purple smudges under his eyes for the first time all night. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

  It sort of was, but being naked with him in bed was not a good time to be having such a life-altering conversation. “This notion of a soul mate still doesn’t jive with free will. Maybe you put some kind of sex spell on me like Lachlan did.”

  He smiled. “A Guardian doesn’t need to resort to an incubus’s tricks. Though, I must say, it’s nice to know you struggle to resist my sexual prowess.” His eyes closed briefly. “It only reinforces what I’ve been saying all along.”

  Oh, but he was cocky! “Still no free will anywhere in sight.”

  “The Guardians may have a variety of pre-destined soul mates, but the bonding itself is completely free will.”

  “Nate!” She snapped a finger in his face. When his eyes opened, she prompted, “Bonding?”

  He swayed slightly on the bed, then jerked upright, his eyes instantly scanning the room. “The ceremony that happens when each person accepts the other as his or her mate.”

  “Sounds like a bunch of New Age, woo-woo business.” Wait. “Or…marriage.”

  “Whatever name you want to give it—whatever helps you understand it—is fine. But Guardian bonding cannot be undone by an expensive lawyer and some papers crossing a judge’s desk.”

  “Do you actually want this?” Do I? She held her breath waiting for his answer.

  He yawned again, stretching his arms to the ceiling, his muscles rippling in his chest, abs, shoulders, and arms. “I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. But as this week has passed, I’ve experienced an intensifying, disorderly, inexplicable, almost violent need to bond with you…Jess…” He laid flat, perpendicular across the foot of the bed, and closed his eyes.

  “You’re exhausted.” It surprised her. She’d seen him go over and beyond bulletproof. How could one such as him need something so human as sleep?

  He cracked his eyes and gave her a wan smile. “Guardian energy eventually depletes. Especially when we’re wounded. We regenerate with food, sleep, meditation, and sex. Sex is like a power-shake for us.” He winked, then closed his eyes once more. “But since you’d rather yammer all bleeding day than let me slide between your honeyed thighs, I just…need…to…”

  Jessie bent forward, setting her pillow aside. “Nate?”

  Nothing. Didn’t even look like he was freaking breathing. God, please. She laid her head on his chest and the spasm of worry in her gut unwound to hear his heart beat strong, though extremely slow. She sprawled on her belly on the bed, coming up on her elbows to softly brush her fingers over the features that looked so much less dangerous in sleep than when he was full-on passion, mischief, and dominance.

  She’d never seen him sleep, but several times she’d woken in the bed they’d shared to find him watching her. Most times he’d be lying beside her, looking into her eyes intently as she greeted the day. Once, he’d been draped across a chair, his hair falling carelessly across his forehead like a Greek god, his eyes riveted on her as he’d drained half a bottle of 1904 Vintage Armagnac.

  He’d come out of the chair with an animal grace, stalked to the bed, then made love to her, over and over, with a desperation she didn’t understand but tried to match, until she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Afterwards, he’d tenderly cleaned her body and sank down into a soothing bath with her in his arms.

  Whole oceans rolled inside him.

  He was a beautiful force of nature. Domineering. Witty. Unrelentingly confident—how she admired that!—protective, driven, sexy…

  So sexy.

  Her fingertips glided over his cheekbones, the black wings of his eyelashes so rich in contrast against the uncharacteristic paleness of his skin. How long would he need to sleep? It was a deep slumber. Like he’d sunk worlds away. Would he hear if she called to him?

  Perhaps she’d been selfish with all her questions, but—

  No.

  She deserved to know what was going on.

  Still, if he’d only told her he needed her.

  Needed her.

  Even if it was just her body for his healing…

  She would have relented emphatically.

  Instantly.

  Her throat ached. She missed him already. An unfamiliar cocktail grenade of emotions under pressure, waiting for the right blend of circumstances to detonate inside her. What the hell was happening anyway? Nate had said this wasn’t the end of the world, but she’d seen the ruins of the metro as the clubbers had taken their leave. She’d stood trembling by the door, fighting off her need to tell them to be good.

  Make good choices. Otherwise the evil would find them.

  They thought it was only an earthquake.

  She should call the dynamic pastor she’d met tailgating at the last
Gophers home game. Maybe Nate would let him in on what had happened and together they could plan an epic Jesus-loves-you convention or something. Get the club cleaned up and hold the meetings here. Anything to keep people on the straight and narrow. Anything to keep them from being possessed.

  Jessie pressed her lips to Nate’s, and he didn’t even move. She wouldn’t leave his side until he woke. Then she’d give him a power boost he’d never forget.

  She kissed Nate’s neck, and it felt so good she eased down to caress, then kiss, his gorgeous, inked chest. His belly with the dark line of hair arrowing down into his pants that made her go all tight and gooey at the same time. She should stop touching him, let him power up in peace, but…could he really be hers? This wasn’t as simple as he seemed to think. She was a human while he was supposedly immortal.

  That sucked. Especially for him. Unless he’d find his next soul mate when she died.

  The thought painted jagged black and blue streaks across a picturesque postcard of her future.

  She leaned away from Nate, coming up on her knees. She needed to get some emotional distance from all this. She was a logical thinker. Her mother had fallen headlong in and out of love so many times the rumor rags could have put her on the cover every other week.

  Another side of her wanted to stay with him. Get on with this bonding thing, whatever that entailed, while the monsters crouched in back alley shadows, waiting for daylight to fade. She had one foot on the floor, her blouse clutched to her breasts when Nate’s eyes sprang open and two of the candles in the room extinguished in a rush of air. Her lips parted, but her mouth was too dry for words.

  He sat up slowly and stretched a hand to her. “I felt you leaving.”

  The purple smudges under his eyes hadn’t abated. She forced herself to stand when all she wanted to do was melt down into the warmth of him. “I…you need your rest, and I was disturbing you.”

  He scooted to the edge of the bed and grasped her about the waist, pulling her forward until his chin pressed in the valley between her breasts. “Stay with me. Give me solace with your body.”

  The need was stamped on his features. It pulled at her. Strings deep inside her, out of tune until the moment his fingertips played the right chords. She placed her hands on his cheeks and bent to kiss him, long, hungry, slow. Her tongue swept into his mouth, seeking his flavor, his heat and spice. Her fingers fisted in his hair, her heart rate soared. An energy swirled about him, tugging at the bindings of her inner restraint until they gave way.