DemonofDesire

by Ari Thatcher

  “I’ve heard that twins have a special bond. I guess it’s the same with other multiples.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” he said. “I was never a single birth.”

  Sin smiled. “So eventually you gave in.”

  Gower nodded. “A virus swept through our village and most families lost at least one member. Before I could get sick, Baen offered his wrist for me to drink.”

  She frowned. “That’s all it takes? Drinking the blood of a vampire?”

  “Well, apparently it takes longer when the person is healthy and filled with blood, rather than weak and almost dead. But after a few tries we noticed the changes begin.”

  It struck her that she had centuries ahead of her, not just the forty or fifty more years she’d always assumed would complete her lifetime. What would she do with herself? She had so few plans as she’d prepared to move. Her web design business was running without her at the moment, and she needed to get up to date there. But she hadn’t thought beyond her work. Eternity was an awfully long time to have no plans.

  She rose from the bed and ran a hand through her hair. “I should get back at it, I suppose.” Crossing to the dresser, she opened a drawer to sort.

  Chapter Five

  Sin pulled on a sweater she hoped looked nice enough to meet people in. The brothers had invited her to dinner at their house, and some friends of theirs would be coming also. Dinner with vampires brought the image to mind of a victim being drained of blood by a group of men in black capes. But they swore Enos was a gourmet cook, and invitations to one of his meals were coveted in Whispering Valley.

  Against her protests, Baen picked her up so that she didn’t have to worry about traveling on icy roads. Enos had told her that due to the high mountains around them, dark fell earlier year round, but especially so in winter. Black ice was a big problem in winter.

  Baen’s eyes flickered in the light from her porch when she opened the door. “You look good enough to eat.”

  She laughed as she locked the door. “I’ll bet you say that to all the women you see. Men, too, I imagine.” She easily could have said the same to him in his tight black jeans.

  “There was a time when we might have,” he agreed. “In London, in the nicer parts where we usually were, there weren’t a lot of rats and stray cats to feed on. Many a pub-goer woke with an extreme hangover, only partially caused by the ale he’d consumed.”

  Baen helped her into the passenger seat of the black SUV before climbing in. Her home was on the outskirts of the town, as her great-grandfather had bought a good portion of the surrounding land. Still, the valley itself was so small they reached the brothers’ house in no time.

  There were more cars on the street and driveway than she could account for with three brothers, so she assumed she was the last to arrive. After taking her coat and hat, Baen led her to a large room with a stone fireplace that took up most of one wall. A fire burned brightly, warming the room. Small table lamps scattered about the room kept the lighting intimate without leaving any of the seating areas in the shadows.

  A beautiful blonde woman who appeared to be in her thirties sat on one side of a loveseat, with a slightly younger, darker-haired woman next to her. A man Sin guessed to be older than her own forty years was thumbing through a book in front of the bookshelves, and Gower stood beside him.

  Baen led her to the two women. “Sin, these ladies are Ana and Sophia Williams. Ana grows herbs and makes homeopathic remedies, if you’re ever in the need. Sophia is a student at Texas A&M, but home on break.”

  Sin nodded her greeting to the two women. The brothers had mentioned Ana to her. She looked forward to talking to both sisters.

  The man with the book walked over to them. “I’m Dean Marrett. I knew your aunt and grandfather.”

  “Oh, yes, I’ve heard your name. One of the guys brought that fetish to you.”

  “That’s right. I was just talking to Gower about it. He had the basic background correct on it.” Marrett wore his short hair combed back, which emphasized his receding hairline. While Sin knew the MacDuirmads were at least a hundred years older than she, standing next to Marrett let her feel like she wasn’t the oldest person in the room. Turning forty hadn’t sat well with her.

  “I admit I don’t really understand how a demon ends up in a fetish.” She accepted the glass of white wine Baen handed her.

  “Usually, they’re cast there,” Marrett said.

  Enos stuck his head in the room. “We can start the first course, if everyone is ready.”

  “First course?” Sin looked at Baen as he motioned toward the door. She followed the other women in, noticing they seemed to know where they were going.

  Ana spoke over her shoulder. “You’re in for a real treat. Enos’ dinners go on all night, just about.”

  Ana wasn’t exaggerating. Two rounds of vegetable appetizers took the edge off her hunger. Then came the salad. Since Sin had been adjusting to drinking blood from the local bank for her meals, her stomach wasn’t prepared for so much food.

  Sin sipped at the gingered carrot soup and listened to the conversation around her. But she couldn’t keep her eyes from straying to the brothers. Gower wore a black pullover sweater that fit his form so snugly, she itched to run her hands over it. Cashmere, she guessed, and she wondered what the soft fabric would feel like on that hard body.

  Baen was more casual in a navy wool shirt with the neck unbuttoned. If she stuck her nose inside the collar, she knew she’d inhale clean shirt and his scent, a heady combination. Enos, in a knit pullover, still had his sleeves pushed up to the elbow after cooking all afternoon. She had never paid attention to the lower arms of a man, but his were muscular, with prominent veins that spoke of strength.

  She held in a sigh. She needed to quit thinking about sex, but how could she when the presence of any of the three ratcheted up her temperature? She was sure her blood pressure, if she had any now, went up just from looking at them. At times she had to concentrate on her breathing to keep from sounding as if she’d just run a lap around the block.

  Ana was looking in her direction, so Sin focused on what she said. “It’s been a few years since an outcomer moved into the valley.”

  “Outcomer?” Sin asked.

  “Someone from outside the valley. We don’t get a lot of visitors.”

  Marrett cleared his throat. “You know who’s responsible for that. Our forefathers.”

  “My fourth-great-grandmother, to be exact,” Ana said. “She cast the spell on the valley, making it hidden from outcomers.”

  “Like Brigadoon?” Sin loved that movie as a child, repeatedly watching the tale of a village in Scotland that only awakened at certain times.

  “Somewhat.” Ana set down her wine glass. “It doesn’t really disappear, or go to sleep. We keep on enjoying our lifestyle, coming and going from other areas. But only those who have business here will see the signs on the highway directing them to Whispering Valley.”

  “Wow, your ancestor was very protective of the village.”

  Marrett spoke after swallowing some salmon. “Our forefathers needed to be. They moved here because of persecution for their spiritual practices, or because they were shifters or demon hunters. Your great-grandfather George learned of Whispering Valley through his collections. He taught me a lot while I was growing up. My family has worked in demon cleansing for centuries.”

  She looked at the different people sitting around the table. “Is everyone related to the original settlers?”

  Sophia, Ana’s sister, shook her head. “No. New people find their way here like your family did. But with a total population of three hundred forty-three, you can see it doesn’t happen very often.”

  Sin had never lived in a small town, and found herself liking the idea that one day soon she’d know everyone. There was a comfort in being a part of a larger whole. For the first time since hearing she’d inherited the old house, she looked at it as beneficial, rather than just a place to escape.
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br />   After sampling all the delicious courses, she sat in the living room with the others, sipping her latte. She was certain she would burst, and hoped her sweater was tight enough to hide the muffin-top the large meal had surely given her. Soon, Marrett and the Williams sisters left and she was alone with the MacDuirmads. Music played softly in the background and Enos sat beside her while his brothers cleaned the kitchen.

  “That meal was exquisite,” she told him.

  “Thanks. If you all enjoyed eating it half as much as I enjoyed cooking it, I’m satisfied.”

  She set her mug on a coaster on the antique Queen Anne side table and pivoted on the loveseat to face Enos. “Did you always love to cook?”

  “No. But each lifetime I live through, I try to learn something new. My existence would get pretty boring otherwise.”

  “I, for one, am grateful you learned it.” She watched his eyes as they moved from her hands upward, finally meeting her gaze. Blue alternating icy and fiery. A few fine smile lines beneath them. His irises were paler than his brothers, one of the few differences between them other than the aging. Gower’s were the deepest blue, Baen’s had a grayish cast, but Enos’ were a rich jewel tone.

  He reached for her hair and wrapped a strand around two fingers. “I love the way your hair curls, so soft.”

  She smiled and let his words, the tone of his voice, filter through her busy thoughts. Would he kiss her? Should she kiss him? Should she even consider starting something with any of the men? If only she could stop over-analyzing every move she made, she might relax enough to just let things happen.

  He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. A soft touch, just the center of his lips brushing her. And it burned as if she were made of ice. She gasped softly and he pressed against her again, fully taking her breath away.

  Clutching the front of his shirt, she leaned into him, unable to stop the desperate desire to taste him. Her tongue battled with his, tasting the sweet coffee that lingered on his breath. All her focus centered on the places their bodies met, their lips, her hands on his chest, his on her arms. The fire that spread from contact. The need his nearness stoked.

  All too soon he backed off, drawing a deep breath. “I knew you would be so passionate.”

  She frowned and looked away. “Sometimes I think the demon is still inside me. Everything I feel when I see you or your brothers is so intense.”

  His grip on her arms loosened, but he didn’t release her. “Did you feel anything when you looked at Marrett tonight?”

  Thinking back, she shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing more than curiosity like with Ana and Sophia.”

  His lips spread and his tongue traced over the lower one, sending sparks to her pussy. “Then it’s not the demon. She would have you attacking any male in your presence, and probably looking to find one if you were alone.”

  Well, that second part certainly fit, but she only sought out the brothers during the few hours she spent alone each day. A slight bit of relief calmed her. She was still over-stimulated and that embarrassed her, but at least she knew it was her own body causing it.

  Or the men causing it and her body acting as any healthy female would when presented with such delicious temptation.

  The other two tempting delights came into the living room as if conjured by her wicked thoughts. She smiled at each of them. They took seats in chairs near the loveseat.

  Baen glanced at her coffee mug. “More latte?”

  “No thank you. I’m really stuffed. Totally sated.” The last she said while looking at Enos, to let him be clear how much she enjoyed the meal. Looking around the cozy room with its dark paneling and British style she asked, “Which one of you is the decorator?”

  Enos raised a hand. Gower commented, “Enos is the more refined among us. Any of the gentle arts is usually his work.”

  “Hey, watch the ‘gentle’ stuff. I can still take you down if I need to.” Enos grinned at his brother.

  Sin laughed. “You guys haven’t outgrown sibling rivalry yet?”

  Baen jumped in. “Don’t hold your breath waiting, either. We’re very competitive.”

  As usual lately, her thoughts went naughty. A competition in the bedroom arts was something she’d happily judge. But she didn’t say so. And hoped the wicked wave stirring within her didn’t reach her eyes.

  She enjoyed her visit, talking with them about anything but demons and fetishes. When Gower walked her to her door, she felt awkward as she hesitated before going inside. She wasn’t ready to ask him inside, and had never mastered the kiss or no kiss routine after a date, if that’s what the night had been.

  Gower seemed to have no such qualms, standing beside her on the front step. He gently took her chin in his hand, lifting her head. His gaze skittered all over her face. Leaning down, he kissed her with all the promise of what he could offer her. Reined fury hid behind his soft lips. He nipped and licked her mouth and neck, burying his hands in her hair.

  Her hands slipped inside his jacket and pulled him closer, felt the tension in his body he held back. Her tingling breasts begged for his touch, but logic still lingered strong enough to keep from dragging him inside and tearing off both their clothes. There were still too many foggy areas regarding relationships for her to let go. Forcing herself, she ended the kiss. “Thank you for dinner. I enjoyed visiting with everyone.”

  “It was our pleasure. We don’t eat full meals often, but the social aspects make it that much more pleasurable.”

  Sin rose on her toes for one last quick peck on his mouth, then went inside.

  * * * * *

  Baen scratched the back of his head as he looked at the remaining unsorted boxes in Sin’s attic. He and his brothers had come over daily for the past week to help determine what was in there and what to do with it all, and had only made it through half of the room.

  Sin used a crowbar to open another crate, coughing when she lifted the top layer of packing paper inside. “So much of this stuff seems to be in the original shipping containers, as if he never looked at the contents.”

  “He might not have,” Gower said. He was rewrapping the china pieces Sin wanted to send to her mother, and packing them in a cardboard box. “From what Marrett has said, I gather George acquired a lot of it just to get it out of circulation. Prevent anyone from accidentally stumbling on the things.”

  “Yet my great-aunt suffered her whole life from what he kept here.”

  Baen put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, hoping to comfort her some. “Sometimes things happen when we stay focused only on the big picture. His intentions were good.”

  “You’re right. Will Marrett be able to keep them safe, the dangerous pieces? And what do we do with the just plain weird stuff?”

  “The Marrett family has been securing artifacts for a long time without problems. And the weird stuff, if we can’t find a museum interested, we might just want to destroy.” Baen pulled another tightly wrapped object from his crate and checked it against the packing slip. In theory, a museum would be thrilled with some of the fetishes and icons, but first Marrett needed to screen them. It was impossible for the untrained individual to tell if a spell had been cast on an object.

  Sin looked like she was wearing down, so he signaled his brothers. “Why don’t we call it a day? After Sin cleans up, she and I can stop by the pub and pick up some pizza to take to the house.”

  Enos nodded. “Sounds good.”

  “Works for me, too,” Gower agreed.

  They sorted anything loose and organized what they could for the next day. Gower and Enos left together in Gower’s car, and Baen went downstairs to the kitchen to clean up their lunch dishes while Sin showered. He didn’t envy her the task of moving into a furnished house. So many rooms still stood as they had when Absinthe had moved to the nursing home.

  He and his brothers, and many in the community, had told Absinthe to contact her grand-niece and let her have the house then, but the old woman insisted it couldn’t happen unt
il she died. Baen still wasn’t certain what her reasoning had been, but wondered if she knew the financial straits Sin’s boyfriend had her in. If Sin took possession of the house and control over the woman’s money while the boyfriend was still under prosecution, some of the money might have been claimed for restitution. It didn’t seem fair, given Sin’s innocence in the scandal, but the man had swindled many people.

  She was so lucky she hadn’t married the man. Even still she had lost almost everything she owned. Possessiveness filled Baen just thinking about anyone hurting her like that. He liked to think that some sort of fate kept her from marrying. He wanted that privilege for himself and his brothers.

  There were a few families in Whispering Valley who had plural marriages, so they wouldn’t be shunned for it. In some breeds of shifter, that was the common lifestyle choice. He and his brothers had a few relationships over the years with a shared woman, but he imagined it would be quite an adjustment for Sin.

  And they planned to do everything they could to help her adjust.

  He heard her softly singing as she came down the steps, and he met her in the living room. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. Her scent filled the air as he kissed her ear. “You smell heavenly. Soft, musky, with a bit of sweet vanilla.”

  She leaned into him. “Thank you. I love how you show your appreciation.”

  Turning her in his arms, he gave in to the urgent need to kiss her. He wanted to do so much more but the brothers had agreed to go slowly with her. He captured her lips, kneading them, his tongue begging for entrance. When she parted her lips he entered slowly, holding back the desire to fuck her with his tongue. He explored, taking the time to learn her taste, dancing slowly with her tongue.

  He grew warmer and harder as he planted flirty pecks across her jaw. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, running the edges of his teeth across it, encouraged by her indrawn breath.