by Rose Haven
He nibbled on her neck. “Do what?” he flexed his hips just a little. “That?”
“Uh,” she panted. “Yes.”
“You like that spot? It feels so good?”
She couldn’t even answer. Suddenly, he slid all the way out and inside again. As he moved over those two spots, she dug her nails into his skin. “Preston,” she cried out.
It was as if hearing his name on her lips drew him to the point of madness. Desire took over, and he reared back and slammed into her again. Gone was the pretense of gentle. Lust drove them, and Sierra could barely hang on. Never had her body felt such madness, but it came with a beauty that she could not have expected.
She writhed. She panted. She screamed. And just when she thought she’d die, he drove into her one last time. She peaked, and her entire body shuddered with her orgasm. He ground his hips into her as he shouted and emptied himself.
It was long. It was slow. It felt as though it took years for her to float back down to earth, and with it came the crashing realization.
Preston Wellington had just fucked her senseless.
Chapter Five
Sierra slept. She didn’t even know how it was possible. Not only had she slept, but she was curled up in his arms. At first, she felt rage. He’d manipulated her. That was the only explanation, but of course that wasn’t true. She had a clear memory of everything they had done.
Everything she had begged him to do.
God, she couldn’t wake him. She couldn’t face him.
She eased her hand down and scooped out her last sleeping crystal from her bag. Whispering a spell to activate it, she placed it on his chest.
Sierra slipped out of his arms and scrambled to find her clothes. The shirt was beyond ruined. Grimacing, she snagged one of his from the closet, buttoned it up, and raced back home. She had no idea how long a crystal would last on a demon, but she wanted to be as far away as possible when he woke up.
Her supervisor approached her, pale and trembling. “Sierra? Mr. Wellington would like a word with you.”
She swallowed hard. The weekend had been quiet. She poured over the information in the folder and tried to ignore the memories of him inside her, of her legs wrapped around him.
He hadn’t called or broken into her apartment. She could only assume that he’d had bigger issues. But she’d only been at work for ten minutes, so clearly he’d been waiting for her.
As she approached his office, she could see the controlled rage on his face. “Ms. Mason,” he said quietly.
She raised her eyebrows. So they were back to that now? Things were looking bad. “Mr. Wellington,” she shot back.
“I believe you have something that belongs to me,” he said coldly. “I wasn’t aware you wanted something to remember me by.”
He was referring to his shirt. “I had nothing else to wear. And don’t worry, I burned it the first chance I got,” she snapped. “I’ll buy you a new one. Is that all?”
She half rose out of her chair when he put his hand up. “Do you have any idea how much danger you put me in? I have enemies on every corner, and you put me under a sleeping spell,” he hissed.
Sierra flushed. She hadn’t thought of that. “I have no doubt you have other precautions other than a locked door.”
“That’s not the point! You’re not thinking about any of the danger that you’re in. It’s going to get you killed! You need to be near me at all times.”
She laughed hollowly. “Are you out of your mind? Three days ago you told me that you were the reason that my brother and mother were killed. Now you think you’re going to babysit me?”
“They’re dead because I wasn’t watching. I won’t make that same mistake again.”
She leaned over the desk. “Let me be clear about something. I have not decided if I believe you. What happened the other night was nothing more than a release of frustrations, and it will not happen again. If there is a full-blooded demon out there, I very much doubt that it’s looking for a twenty-two year old marketing consultant. I don’t need you.”
As she turned her back and walked to the door, he was in front of her in a blink of an eye. She gasped. She’d forgotten how quick they were.
“Now let me be clear,” he whispered as he pushed her into the desk. “What happened the other night was because you wanted it to happen.” He slid a finger down her arm, and she shivered. “And if I bent you over the desk right now, you would not say no. An attack on your life is imminent, whether you believe it or not, and no, he’s not looking for a twenty-two-year-old marketing consultant. But that’s not what you are, now is it? You’re a demon huntress, and you know the truth.” He leaned in and licked her cheek. “And now you have my scent on you too.”
She snarled and pushed him away. “Go fuck yourself.” He stepped back and let her pass, and she realized that he was right. Demons did leave their scent on others, and even if she didn’t want to be, she was marked.
But of course, she was marked the moment she was born into the Mason family. She was scared, but she didn’t want to show it.
“I’m taking the day off,” she muttered as she shut the door. She needed to learn everything she could about full-blooded demons.
The attack came out of nowhere. She’d just finished closing the final book when the door splintered open.
There was no knock, but of course, she couldn’t really expect a demon to knock. There was just a door, and then there wasn’t a door.
She immediately reached for the blade, but he was on the table and at her throat before she could even react. God, he looked human. His eyes were bright red and his skin a dark ashy grey, but his features were human nonetheless.
Hoping that he had the same nether regions, she lashed out with her foot. He howled in pain as her foot connected with his balls, and she pushed him off her.
He grabbed for her arm, and his nails raked down her skin. She screamed in pain, and before she knew it, he was on top of her again.
And then he wasn’t.
Preston appeared out of nowhere. He had grabbed her blade and was slashing at the demons throat. A dark substance flowed freely from the demons wounds, and it hissed before flying out the door.
She knocked her head against the floor as she fell and gripped her arm. Pain burned inside her, and she writhed.
“Hold on, beautiful,” he muttered. She watched as he cut his own arm with her blade and rubbed his wound on hers. She could see the pain in his eyes, but as soon as his blood made contact with the wound, the burn of her wound lessoned.
“We have to go,” he murmured as he helped her to her feet. “It’s going to be back.”
She couldn’t say anything as he lifted her up and ushered her out of the apartment.
Her mind was blank. She’d been attacked by a full-blooded demon.
And she’d only survived because the half-blood had saved her.
Preston tried to focus on the wound as he wrapped her arm. His senses were in over drive, and he could smell everything about her. Her fear. Her despair. Her frustrations.
Her desire.
Every time he touched her, every time he was near her, she elicited those pheromones that were driving him wild. He’d almost lost her tonight. “I have certain wards up around the house. You should be safe here.”
“They ooze poison,” she muttered. “And they can heal themselves. That’s why your blood could heal my wound.”
“Not heal,” he corrected. “Lessen the wound. If I could heal it completely, I’d be far less worried.”
“Where did you come from?” she whispered. “How did you know he would attack?”
He finished bandaging the wound. “I was watching you,” he admitted.
“Creepy,” she muttered.
Preston smiled. “Well, you refused my protection. What else was I supposed to do?”
She reached up and touched his face. He stilled as she traced the contours of his nose and lips. “I don’t understand. How can you want to prot
ect me if you’re part demon? You’re not supposed to care,” she whispered.
He captured her hand and pressed it to his lips. “We’re half human, Sierra. And humanity has some very dominating traits.”
His lips parted as he traced them over her wrist, and he nearly moaned. God, that woman did amazing things to him. He dropped her arm and took a step back, giving her time to collect herself.
“I read through the books. Demons aren’t allowed to roam topside. How is he here?”
“He’s still tethered to hell, but he has a master. And I’m fairly certain I know who that master is,” he said darkly.
“Who?”
“His name is Cresher. Fifty years ago, he was part of the brotherhood, but he wasn’t there because he was loyal to humans. He was there because it was his birthright. And it meant power. Cresher was a leader.” He looked at her. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. “I want to know who we’re up against.”
We. The word unsettled him. “It soon became apparent that Cresher wasn’t there to do good, but there are certain steps that have to be taken. One isn’t just asked to leave the brotherhood. They’re killed. And killing the leader is a sentence punishable by death. There has to be a unanimous vote from the entire sector of the brotherhood and the leaders of the surrounding brotherhood. It took time, and in that time, he did quite a bit of damage.”
He settled between her legs and smoothed her hair out of her face. “Damien finally took the brotherhood over, but when it came time to dispose of Cresher, he couldn’t do it. Damien is Cresher’s little brother.”
“Oh God.” Sierra swallowed hard. “You have family?”
He smiled. “Of course we have a family. We’re part human. We don’t just sprout one day.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
He leaned down and kissed her. “Don’t be,” he whispered. “Don’t ever be sorry.”
He tasted her slowly, and when he finally raised his head, she was breathless. “Cresher showed his true colors after that. He wants demons to roam the earth again. It’s a process to bring a demon up, and it takes quite a bit of sacrifice, but a demon can call a nest. And once it has a nest of even half demons, it can feed on them and control them. It’s a dangerous situation.”
“How do we stop him?”
He shook his head. “You don’t, beautiful. I stop him. My brothers stop him. We have to break up the nest first, and then we attack the demon. Once Cresher no longer has a bodyguard, we get rid of him once and for all.”
“I want to help,” she muttered.
“I know you do, but this is over your head. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Too late,” she said as she looked at her arm. She met his gaze slowly. “You saved my life.”
He stroked her cheek. “I think I prefer you alive.”
She reached up and kissed him. “And why is that?” she whispered.
“You shouldn’t get more involved in this,” he muttered against her lips. She was intoxicating.
Instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer. He moaned. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you on the bathroom counter.”
“That’s the idea,” she said breathlessly, and he knew he was lost. He leaned her back and carefully slipped her shirt over her head. It was splattered in blood, and he never wanted to see that again. He could see her wince in pain as he pulled her bra down her arm, and he quickly leaned in to lick one of her nipples. He wanted to take away all her pain. He wanted her only to feel pleasure.
He trailed his lips down her abdomen, and he breathed in her scent. He was drunk on the taste of her, and as he licked her pussy, her legs began to shake. “Come for me, Sierra,” he encouraged, and then he stopped being gentle. He used his teeth to pull at her nub, and he shoved three fingers inside of her. She clawed at his shoulder and screamed as her orgasm took her.
Preston didn’t even let her come down. In seconds, he’d ripped off his pants and shoved himself inside of her. She was warm, and wet, and welcoming. She felt like the heaven he was never going to be able to experience.
“Fuck,” she screamed as she pounded her. He gritted his teeth and hissed. He’d had women before. He’d had humans and half-breeds alike, but none of them felt like this. She was different in more ways than one, and if he survived this ordeal, he was going to make sure she was in his arms for good.
“Sierra,” he moaned. “Fuck baby, you feel so good.”
“So close,” she panted. “Don’t stop. Oh God, don’t stop.” Her nails dug into his back, and as she arched, her muscles closed in around him. He howled as his own orgasm joined hers, and he ground himself inside her.
God, he never wanted to leave.
His knees buckled when it was over, and he dragged her off the counter as they both hit the floor. She laughed as she sprawled out on top of him, and he tried to catch his breath.
After a few moments, she propped herself up on her elbows. “I don’t know what this is,” she murmured. “But I don’t want you to go on a suicide mission.”
Preston chuckled. “I think you know exactly what this is, and don’t worry. I’m not going alone.” He trailed his fingers down her back and watched her shudder. “I have plenty of reasons to want to return in one piece.”
She reached down and kissed his neck, and he moaned. He stirred inside her, and her eyes widened. “Again?”
He lifted his hips and watched her eyes darken with desire. “One of the perks of being a half breed,” he whispered.
He lived to hear her moan.
Chapter Six
The twenty brothers gathered around the table. They all felt the vacancy of Ortho, but there wasn’t time to replace him. They were stronger as twenty-one, but they would make do.
“Chances are that demon is still separate from the nest, but that doesn’t mean the half-breeds won’t be strong. If they’re even five years old, they’ve already bonded. We go in, and we strike quickly,” Damien said. He made eye contact with Preston, and Preston nodded.
His brothers murmured in agreement, and Damien took a deep breath. “I made a mistake fifty years ago. If you have a chance to rectify it, take it.” Preston could see the pain in Damien’s face. He didn’t want to lose Cresher, but he knew they had no choice.
They filed out and melted in the shadows. Although he couldn’t see them, he could feel them around him. They were his strength. They were his family.
And they might kill him when they realized he was going to make Sierra his Coyquiha. The brotherhood could take wives. Preston had never married, but some of the brothers were on their second wives. They could marry humans and other half breeds, but the long lasting love of a Coyquiha was sacred. And it was rarely meant for humans.
He pushed the thought of Sierra out of his mind as they approached the nest. It was a modern day home in modern America suburbia. It was almost ironic to think of the kind of evil that lurked there.
The kind of bloodshed that would take place.
He counted the different scents. Thirty. They were outnumbered, and that was cause for concern, but they didn’t back down.
He linked with the others, he tensed, and when they moved, he moved.
They jumped through windows and doors, and the nest was waiting. Preston slaughtered two of them without even thinking before he got through the first room. His body was tense, and he was only thinking about the main goal.
Keep Sierra safe.
A scream pierced the air, and he whirled around. The space around him shimmered in magic, and he froze.
Cresher lounged in the doorway with a knife to Sierra’s throat. He’d spelled her so that he couldn’t smell her. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“Stop,” he shouted, and everyone froze. All eyes were on Cresher.
“So nice of you to join me, brother,” he said as he looked at Damien. “Do you know who this is?”
“Yes. She’s is a huntress. And I’m about to slit her throat.”
“Why should I care?”
Cresher smiled. “Maybe you should ask Preston about that.”
Damien turned to Preston, and Preston knew he could see the raw and naked fear on him. He trembled knowing that Sierra was only inches from death.
“This had nothing to do with her,” Damien said in a controlled voice. “Let her go or kill her. It makes no difference to me. You’ve let a full blooded demon top side, and that has to end.”
Cresher looked around. “You’ve killed my nest.” Preston could see the rage in his eyes. “Now I’m going to watch your own suffer.”
He pulled the dagger up, and Preston moaned. He was going to sit here and watch Sierra die.
But Sierra was smiling. The blade came down, and she twisted at the last minute. It sunk into her shoulder, but she was already whirling around. He watched as she pulled a pin from her hair and sank it into his eye. He howled, and she gripped her shoulder, but she was already chanting.
Chanting?
He looked closer. The pin had a crystal glued to the end. A sleeping crystal.
It wasn’t big enough to drop him, but it was enough to make him stagger. Damien made his move, but a quick movement from the corner caught their attention. The full-blooded demon streaked from the shadows, grabbed his master, and disappeared.
“No,” Damien swore. Preston dove for Sierra as she fell, and he caught her.
“What are you doing here,” he hissed.
“Followed you,” she panted. “Wanted to help. Fuck that blade hurt.”
He gritted his teeth as he slit his wrist again. He knew everyone was watching as he healed her with his own blood, but he didn’t care.
“A sleeping crystal?” he growled.
She smiled. “I have them stashed all around. I usually wear one at all times. Just in case, follow rule number One. Never go anywhere without a weapon.” She suddenly swallowed hard. “Preston?”
