"Finish me," she hissed.
He chuckled and nuzzled the side of her face. "Tell me you want me."
She grit her teeth. "You know I do."
"But you don't like it, do you?"
His thumb pressed on her clitoris and she convulsed. "No!"
"Tell me why," he whispered in her ear.
She tried to slide away from his hand. He growled and moved quickly so he was crouched over her. She saw his hand on his pants and breathed a sigh of relief as he positioned himself between her legs. He raised her skirts only high enough to fit himself to her opening and had no trouble sliding in to the hilt. She urged him to lay on top of her, desperate to feel his weight, but he braced himself on his fists and watched her with predator's eyes.
"You like what we have," he murmured as he slowly rotated his hips, making her writhe beneath him. "You crave it."
She turned her head and bit his forearm. She didn't appreciate his chuckle when she was so needy and frustrated.
"What do you want from me?" she snapped.
He finally lowered himself over her and she shuddered in relief. He gripped her hair, forcing her head back. He wasn't a handsome man, not by a long shot. His hair was nearly blinding in the sunlight and his eyes promised ecstasy and pain.
"Promise me," he said as he slowly withdrew.
She lurched up and grasped his hips. "Promise you what?"
"Promise me," he commanded, withholding himself from her.
"Please, I need..."
She let out a tortured sound and tried to roll out from under him. He slammed into her, pinning her in place by impaling her and she sobbed and raked her nails over him. His hand collared her throat and applied pressure.
"Promise me," he hissed.
She looked up at him and grabbed fistfuls of his hair, jerking his head down to hers. She latched her mouth onto his and gave him a pissed off kiss. He tried to pull away, but she used all of her strength and kept their mouth fused together. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and rolled her hips. The warrior cursed and began to thrust. She held him to her with her grip in his hair and held her thighs wide as he pounded her into the earth.
"This isn't over," the warrior growled against her mouth.
Cara woke with her mouth open on a cry of need. Her mouth snapped shut so hard, her teeth ached. She curled into a miserable ball and screamed into a sweater as her body pulsed.
What is it?
She wanted to shout, "Kiss my ass." Instead, she stripped out of her clothes and jumped into the pool. The water soothed some of her need, but she couldn't stop her hand from drifting between her legs.
Come here and eat.
Cara bared her teeth in a silent, feral snarl. How could she finish herself off with Aodhan talking in her head? The warrior with the turquoise eyes haunted her dreams while the dragon was the bane of her waking existence. She didn't understand either of them. She'd seen the warrior bump uglies with legions of women. What the hell did he want her to promise? Did he ever have sex with the same woman or were the dreams she was having the memories of two different women? The first dream was hot. They'd been silent for the most part and now the warrior was trying to extract promises by using sexual blackmail. The bastard! Way to ruin a good sex dream.
She slipped out of the pool and separated her hair into three pieces so she could braid it. She dressed in the most sexless thing she could find and resumed her position against the wall.
You haven't eaten for a whole day.
That wasn't new. She'd never had regular meals until she met Aodhan, the nurse dragon. She wasn't prepared for the talon that reached around the wall. She tried to scramble away, but it caught onto the material of her pants and dragged her out of hiding. She dangled inelegantly from one talon before Aodhan plopped her in front of the rock table. She glared at him defiantly.
Eat before I force you.
She wanted to refuse, but her stomach rumbled and she knew he would force her. She sniffed the bowl of soup and kept her expression bland though she approved of his choice. It calmed her jittery stomach and she wondered if he'd known she couldn't eat anything heavy right now. She chewed on a fresh slice of bread and drank tea.
You're angry with me.
She didn't bother to answer 'Lunkhead.' A growl rumbled in his chest and her body vibrated, but she didn't react to the menacing sound.
I apologize.
"For what?" she asked loftily.
A sharp silence and then, Whatever you're mad about.
Cara threw the bread roll as hard as she could, but it was impossible to reach his head. It bounced off his stomach. She climbed onto the rock so she could get that much closer to his face.
"I call for you when there's an intruder. You arrive in time and take care of that asshole. Everything's dandy, right? No! You have a bitch fit and after bringing me back here, you leave me alone again! You didn't think I'd have a hard time sleeping since I woke up last time with Crouching Tiger standing over me with a knife?"
Who is...?
"I'm trying to get you out of here and you're not making that easy! I'm not at my best because your horny ass demon left a raging hard on inside of me and I can barely sleep. You won't tell me how to reverse the curse and you keep disappearing on me. If you want to kill me, put me out of my misery because this is stressful!" she shouted.
What do you want from me?
"I want you here," she said and stomped her foot.
Right there?
"We need to stick together. We're a team, right?"
A long silence and then, I won't go anywhere without you.
That solemn vow made her weak with relief. "No more temper tantrums."
Turquoise eyes narrowed to slits. You were hurt while under my protection.
"You got there in time. I've had worse."
The dragon snorted and the gust toppled her on her ass. She glared at him and hopped off the rock.
That's unacceptable.
"I'm tougher than I look," she said.
You sound like a warrior. Have you met other demon hunters?
"No. People don't want to believe in evil. It's easier for them to think I'm crazy."
So you hunt demons by yourself.
She heard the disapproval in his voice and ignored it. "I use the guise of a traveling nurse to get close to puppets. Usually a loved one will call for help because they think the possessed is on drugs or something. I come in and I exorcise the demon if I can."
How long have you been doing this?
"Since I was sixteen."
Too young.
"I had no choice. Demons were taking over my town. Luc's planning World War Three. He's manipulating the politics in different countries and murdering leaders to jumpstart the war. Whole cities are being run by demons. No matter what I do, it's never enough."
You said your mom is a witch?
"Yes, she and Sky are healers. Their magic is connected to the earth," she said.
And you didn't inherit this magic?
She ignored the knots in her stomach and kept her voice light. "I did, but I don't have the healing ability that they do."
Do you know who your father is?
"No, but Sky's father was Chief of Police in our town. He was a good man. He protected us as much as he could."
What happened to him?
"Murdered when Sky was a year old." She stared at nothing and forced herself to eat even though she wasn't hungry.
You life has been filled with burden, Aodhan observed.
She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. She knew her eyes shimmered with tears, but she didn't care. "You know what kept me going? My mom told me that one day I'd find someone who could destroy Luc. I've looked all over the globe." She took a deep, bracing breath and continued, "Now that I've found you, I won't leave. You need to fight Luc and the legions of demons walking the earth. I can't do it alone."
Aodhan watched her, but said nothing in response.
"I get that ther
e's a reason why you're not telling me how to reverse the curse. It's not like you want to be down here, right?"
A burst of angry flame was her answer and her heart lightened a little. Something occurred to her and she cocked her head to the side.
"Are you not telling me because you can't?"
Yes.
"Do you think I'll be able to figure out how to reverse it on my own?" she pressed.
Only time will tell.
She rolled her eyes and marched to her hobbit hole. She whipped the comforter and sheets off the mattress and tucked pillows under her arms. She waddled towards Aodhan, snapped out the comforter and folded it for padding before she settled on it. She stretched, pulled the sheet over herself and let out a contented sigh.
What are you doing?
"I need my beauty sleep," she snapped.
You're going to be stiff in the morning.
"At least I'll be alive." She opened one eye and saw his head above hers. "If anyone comes, kill them."
With pleasure.
That promise was said with such relish that her lips curved. Aodhan curled his body around her and he radiated so much heat, she felt as if she was in an incubator and she liked it. She stared at his scales and reached out to run her hands over the smooth surface. Aodhan tensed, but didn't move away. Each scale was the size of a human shield and the edges were sharp enough to slice through metal.
"When you were human, did you have the same eyes?" she asked drowsily.
Yes.
"Were you, like, seven feet tall?"
A slight hesitation and then, I never measured myself, but I estimate I was around that height.
"I've been having the strangest dreams about you," she mumbled and tucked a hand beneath the pillow and yawned.
Bad dreams?
Her legs shifted restlessly beneath the sheet. "No, just, uh, interesting."
She closed her eyes and scooted closer to Aodhan until they were touching. She dropped off less than a minute later.
She was flat on her back in bed. The room around her was dark, but she felt the presence beside her and knew who it was. She was naked and felt soft strands of his hair moving over her skin as he explored. Her hands twisted in the sheets and she swung wildly in the dark and connected with his shoulder.
"So impatient," he chided.
"I won't beg!" she snapped.
"You will." He bit the side of her breast. "You want this as much as I do."
"You're trying to trap me!"
"Is it working?"
"No!" she denied, even though she felt as if she were drowning.
"You think you can escape me," the warrior said as his teeth scraped over her abdomen. "You can't. I'll always find you."
He flipped her onto her stomach and moved her hair from the back of her neck and sucked the sensitive skin there. She pummeled a pillow while he laughed and his hands moved over her ass.
"Yield to me," he said against her neck.
"I am!" she mumbled into the pillow.
"No, you're holding yourself back from me," the warrior said decisively and trailed his tongue down her spine, causing goose bumps to erupt over her skin. "You still think this is temporary. It's not."
She swiveled her hips, wanting his hand or his cock, but he was deliberately holding back.
"Stop playing with me!"
She tried to rise, but he put a hand on the small of her back, pinning her beneath him. His hand slid beneath her restless hips and she eagerly impaled herself on his fingers. A sigh slipped out of her and she began to ride his hand.
"I can give you whatever you want," the warrior said.
"No, you can't," she said without thinking and his hand disappeared.
Cara let out an angry shriek and tried to rise, but his body blanketed hers. He pulled her up on her hands and knees and slid his cock into her core. She moaned and didn't resist when his hand collared her throat and gripped.
"Tell me what's holding you back from me."
"I can't," she gasped. "You won't understand."
"This is forever," he growled against the corner of her lips.
"No, it can't be."
"I won't let you leave me."
"This is enough," she whispered as he began to thrust.
"You need to trust me."
His hand left her throat. He brushed his face through her hair before he braced his hands in front of her. He urged her upper half down and spread her thighs even wider.
"You're mine."
His voice drifted out of the darkness, matching the intensity of his thrusts, which robbed her of breath. He took her hard, rough, declaring that she was his and she was powerless to stop him.
She sat on the same beach, feet still buried in sand. Luc sat beside her. The sound of the waves filled her ears. She inhaled deeply and looked up at the brilliant, blue sky.
"You're a pain in the ass," Luc said. "You got my new protégé killed and I'm not happy about that. He was a serial killer who was just starting to rack up an impressive tally of bodies. With the spells, he should have been in and out of those caves with no problem and brought you to me."
She remembered the puppet that held the knife to her throat and any guilt she may have felt disappeared. "Aodhan tore him to pieces."
Luc's legs stretched out beside her and he crossed one foot over the other. "Isn't this cozy? You purge the demon that leeched onto the Ancient's soul for centuries and now he's killed a demon for you. When's the wedding?"
"What do you want, Luc?"
He leaned over and hot breath fanned her ear. "The world covered in chaos and flames."
"You can't have it."
"You aren't powerful enough to stop me. Only the Ancients can and they've been out of the running for eons. If the Ancients stay cursed, the world will crumble. Their time has passed."
"You're afraid of him," Cara said.
Luc turned her face towards his with a vicious yank. "You should be too. When Aodhan kills you, you'll be sent to hell where I'll make you die a thousand deaths for the trouble you've caused during your human existence."
Her heart thudded dully in her chest. "No."
Luc wouldn't let her look away. "I could kill you so easily."
"Try it," Cara breathed.
A forked tongue protruded from his mouth. "You're weak and you want to set the dragon free even though he's honor bound to kill you. Being soft won't take you far."
"It's the only thing that's kept me alive," Cara countered. "As long as I have breath, I'll fight you. I'll help Aodhan break this curse no matter the price. You won't win."
"Last chance, Cara, love," he said in a singsong voice that grated on her nerves.
"Screw you, Luc."
"You're finally going to be good for something," he whispered in her ear. "Fulfill your destiny. Wake up."
Cara opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in Aodhan's silver scales. She was about to wriggle away when she saw a flash of red. She froze and leaned closer. Her eyes were ringed with scarlet. Even as her heart stopped and she drew in a horrified breath, her mouth curved into an evil smile. Luc laughed like a maniac in her head and she tried to scream, but Luc smothered it.
She'd been possessed by Luc three times in her life. Every time, it happened so quickly that she didn't have time to counteract his presence. He swamped her body with his spirit and her soul shrieked as Luc nestled himself there. Cara tried to fight, but it was as useless as facing Aodhan with a wooden spoon. Luc was a Master Demon, the most powerful demon on earth and he held her bound and gagged within her own body.
A dagger materialized in her hand. She watched her hand twirl the blade artfully between her fingers and then gripped the handle with purpose. With Aodhan curled around her, she was in a prime position to stab him. Her hand moved towards the scales and she knew Luc was trying to find the best place to sink the dagger home. He shifted her body to a kneeling position. She stared at her reflection as she raised the blade. Terror gave her the strength to
combat Luc. She threw every ounce of defiance she could at the hand holding the weapon. Her fist shook uncontrollably as it hovered over Aodhan.
I will enjoy torturing you, Luc hissed.
Don't do this! I'll give you whatever you want! Cara screamed
You have nothing I want.
Luc turned the knife on Cara. She was so busy directing the blade away from Aodhan that she didn't think to protect herself. In a lightning fast movement, Luc stabbed her abdomen. She keeled over as blood splashed over her thighs. Even though she was in agony, she knew the wound wasn't life threatening, yet.
Alerted by the scent of blood, Aodhan turned and saw the dagger in her stomach. Cara tried to warn him, but Luc was ruthless in keeping her in too much pain to utter a warning. Aodhan's talons tilted her face up and her mouth worked soundlessly. Aodhan lifted his scale to pierce himself to heal her and Luc saw his opportunity. He couldn't use Cara's quivering body to complete the job so he materialized in the form of his current puppet, snatched the knife from Cara's shaking hands and plunged it into Aodhan's chest.
Aodhan roared and the sound was bloodcurdling. Luc whispered dark spells over the blade and slashed again before Aodhan grasped the puppet and tore him apart. Red mist erupted from the human and Luc's laughter filled the cavern as he slipped away to find another puppet.
Cara stared with horrified eyes as Aodhan's blood gushed around her. He raised a dripping talon to her mouth.
You need enough blood to make your way out of the tunnel.
She swallowed his blood and once she was healed, leapt to her feet. "Aodhan, I didn't know..."
The effects of my blood will last only as long as I'm alive. Drink it and get out of here.
Her hands fluttered over him. "What can I do? There must be a way!"
Aodhan's head drooped and rested on the ground beside her. You don't have much time.
She stood in front of his face and looked into his eyes. "Tell me how to reverse the curse!"
Too late.
"It's not too late!" she screamed and ran frantic hands over his nose, shredding her hands on his scales. There had to be something she could do. She stroked his jaw as his distinct turquoise eyes clouded. Panic filled her. "How do I reverse the curse? Tell me, damn it!"
Clutch of the Demon (Cursed Ancients Series Book 1) Page 10
