by Patti O'Shea
His fireball slammed into the field around the giant with the force of an atom bomb, but as the glow faded, the galghoan was unharmed. The enemy raised his arm and aimed his own shot at them.
Her protection amulet heated where it rested against her skin and then the blow landed against the shield Marax had around them. For an instant, it wobbled and the cabochon gave its all to keep her safe.
Marax steadied their field, but it was too late for her amulet. It sputtered, then died. They couldn’t take many hits like that one.
Chloe moved, working to stay behind Marax as he’d ordered, but it wasn’t easy. He wasn’t standing still and neither was the other demon. The giant seemed to be trying to get an angle to shoot directly at her. Great, that would really kick Marax’s instincts into gear.
Her eyes widened as she realized that was exactly what the demon was trying to do. If he could get Marax to fall into emotion, he could make short work of them.
Another blast rocked the energy field around them. It held, but barely.
Not that they’d last much longer, anyway.
What’s your demon power, Marax had asked and he’d insisted she had one. That meant she should be able to shoot fire like the two males were doing, right?
Except she discovered that she had to hold the energy in order to use it like a weapon and she couldn’t hang on to it. Instead, she scooped it and started directing it toward the shielding around them. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Marax brought down a bolt of lightning. Chloe froze and held her breath, but the giant used his arm to take control of it and direct it into the ground. Her feet tingled.
She could feel her mate’s exhaustion, but the other demon seemed unaffected by the fight. His next shot made Marax grunt. Why would— He’d kept her shield at full strength, but he’d surrounded himself with minimal protection. Conserving resources.
Damn it, she had to do something more than stay behind him and patch the force field. She had to because if she didn’t, they were all going to die tonight and she wasn’t losing either Marax or Olivia.
What if she drew from the demon pool and used it to help amplify his magic? She focused on doing that, on fueling her wizard talent as she streamed the strength toward Marax. It took a moment, but at last she managed to direct a raging flow to him.
Whatever you’re doing, Chloe, stop it now.
Her head came up. What happened?
You’re draining my magic.
Immediately, she dropped the energy. The only thing she’d done differently was add the demon element to her wizard talent—it shouldn’t have done the opposite of what she’d wanted.
Chloe smothered a gasp. “What’s your demon power?” she whispered. What if her demon power was the complement to her wizard power? What if one gave and the other took it away? What if she aimed this at the green demon?
And what if she was wrong? What if she tried this and strengthened the enemy? Marax was shaking with exhaustion; he couldn’t withstand a more potent barrage than he faced already.
The green demon loosed a blow that dropped Marax to his knees. Chloe ran to him, knelt beside him. “What can I do?”
“Help me up.”
She did and kept her arm around his waist until she was sure he could stand. Enough was enough. If she didn’t do something, it would be over in minutes.
Chloe called on the demon energy, mixed it with her wizard talent, and sent it to the giant.
He fired, the orb larger than a melon, but as it traveled, it shrank until it was the size of a pea when it hit the shield around Marax. Everyone froze in surprise, but she got over it first and worked on draining more and more of the other demon’s strength.
Take your best shot, she sent to her mate.
He began to gather the power again, the way he’d done before the first time he’d fired. Chloe held her breath as he raised his arm. The glowing fireball raced across the distance and hit the galghoan.
He fell and stayed down.
Chapter Eleven
Chloe wore one of Marax’s dress shirts, and although she’d put her hair up, the ends had gotten damp in the shower. Her mate’s hair was damp, too, from his own shower, and although they’d used separate bathrooms, she had high hopes for later.
“How do you feel?” she asked as she took the wine glass he handed her.
“I’m tired, but better. By morning I’ll be fine.” He retrieved his own glass and steered her to the couch in the center of his penthouse condo. It faced the blush-marble fireplace, but if she turned her head, she could see the city of LA and all its lights spread out in front of her. The entire outside wall was made of glass and the drapes were open.
He hadn’t been up to her teasing earlier, but since he was improving, she said, “No wonder you were so comfortable at the hotel we stayed at last night.” She raised her glass and made an arc, indicating the room in front of them. “Apparently, you have a head for business.”
“I enjoy the challenge,” he said with such smugness that Chloe had to laugh.
She sobered reluctantly. There were a few things they needed to talk about before they could put tonight behind them and she was ready to do that. She started with the easier of the two subjects. “What will happen to the galghoan once those demons you called get him to the king?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Marax said, putting his glass on the coffee table. He slouched down on the sofa, rested his head on the back, and closed his eyes.
“But you have a suspicion.”
He sighed and said, “He’ll probably be returned to his own kind and they’ll reeducate him.”
“As in he’ll be brainwashed and forced to toe the line?”
“That’s one way to look at it. The other is that they’ll erase his memories since the day he broke rank years ago and he won’t remember being green or that he wants revenge for that. Most importantly, he won’t remember me or you or your sister.”
Yeah, her sister. Chloe took a sip of wine. It was a nervous gesture. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize my mom and stepdad would react like that when we brought Olivia to their home.”
Marax grunted, but didn’t open his eyes.
Her parents had been awful to him. He’d saved her life, he’d saved Olivia’s life, too, and they hadn’t cared. His actions meant nothing to them compared to the fact that he was a demon. “I thought they’d behave politely at least. After all, I’m a quarter demon, so it’s not as if they’ve never met one before. I truly am sorry.” She reached out and put her hand on his denim-clad knee.
His eyes finally opened and he turned his head to look at her. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for and their reaction wasn’t unexpected, so I was braced for it.”
“Not unexpected?”
“You told me about your dad walking out on your mom when you were a baby. Do you think that left her or your stepdad with a love of demons?”
“I’m a demon.”
“You’re their daughter and you were taught to suppress your demon side. That makes a difference. Besides, it doesn’t matter.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because you’re here with me and not safely tucked away in your old bedroom.”
She nearly made a joke about being here for the hot sex, but something stopped her. Instead, she shifted so she could snuggle into his side. Marax put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. There was one more topic they should probably talk about, but she wasn’t sure tonight was the right time. Of course, when was there a right time to discuss where they went from here? He’d told her more than once he didn’t want to be mated and she felt the same. Mostly. And they’d been together such a short time, it wasn’t as if she’d miss him if Marax wasn’t around. Really.
“I’d miss you,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
Chloe stiffened. “You’re eavesdropping! I’ve been blocking you.”
“No, you haven’t.” Marax pressed a kiss on the
top of her head. “You’ve been broadcasting loud and clear for at least five minutes.”
“Well, hell.” She relaxed back into him. “You’d miss me?”
“Like crazy,” he confirmed. “I was planning to wait awhile to talk about this, give you a chance to get to know me better, but maybe we should address this and see where we stand.”
Her stomach knotted and she made extra sure she wouldn’t be sending her thoughts to him. “You don’t want to be mated.”
“I didn’t, but that had nothing to do with you. It was the timing. I’ve been earl just short of a year now and I’m still stumbling around. My brother was the one who spent time with my father learning the ropes—the title was never supposed to come to me. Half the time I feel like I’m making it up as I go along, but some of it is like running a business and that part I can do.”
“And it’s getting easier?”
Marax snorted. “Sometimes I wonder about that, but the thing you need to understand is I have no option about where I live anymore. I have to spend most of my time in the Other World.”
“I see,” Chloe said.
“No, you don’t.” He sat up, untangling himself from her, and turned to meet her gaze. “You have two choices, and the decision is yours. You can stay here and I’ll come to you whenever I can or you can live with me in the demon realm. In case you’re wondering, my vote is option two.”
He’d blocked himself the same way she had, but intensity came off him in waves. Her answer meant something to him and that made her believe that she meant something to him, as well. There was one small problem, though. “Humans are stuck in the demon realm once they enter it, and I’m not sure I’m ready to leave everything behind forever.”
“You’re not human. I keep telling you that.”
“I’m more human than demon.”
“That doesn’t matter. A quarter demon is more than powerful enough to come and go as she pleases.”
Chloe stared at him, trying to let it sink in. Marax wanted her to live with him in the Other World and she wouldn’t be trapped there. She never thought he’d want her around constantly. What did she have holding her here? Her job for the Merlin would be done as soon as her leader found out she was mated to a demon. There was no chance of her staying on, not when demons were regarded warily. Power amplification or not, he couldn’t risk having her around the sensitive information that came through his office every day.
Her parents were angry that she was mated to a demon and she might have burned a few bridges as she’d defended Marax. Things would settle down again, but it would take a little while for the waters to calm. As for Olivia, it wasn’t as if she heard much from her sister unless she was in trouble, and since Chloe had left the rescue business, maybe it would be better if she wasn’t readily available.
“Mates can’t lie to each other,” he said, interrupting her spinning thoughts. “I’m telling you the truth—you’ll be able to return here whenever you want.”
“I wasn’t doubting you,” she said. “I was trying to get over my amazement that you wanted me to live with you. What about your mother, the countess?”
“The dowager countess,” Marax corrected. “The two of you will probably get along fairly well.” He laughed and took her hands in his. “Don’t look so skeptical. Besides, you come with a couple of points in your favor. First, your sister recalled the spell, so you know how to make the antidote to get rid of Agares’s greenness. And secondly, my mother will be able abdicate the job of keeping me in line. Believe me, she’ll be more than happy to hand that off to you.”
Chloe glanced down at their hands, then back at his face. She wanted to stay with him—there was no escaping the fact that she had it bad for Marax. Only one thing held her back. “Maybe I could live with you on a trial basis and see what I think of the demon world. I’ve never been there and I don’t know if I’ll like it.”
He nodded. “Fair enough, but I intend to remind you of the advantages I can give you.”
Marax’s sober expression shifted almost imperceptibly and a glint came into his eyes. She recognized that look. “What advantages are those?”
“I’m excellent at making you come.”
“I never told you that.”
“You didn’t have to. The way you grabbed me and held me to you said it for you. And I happen to know that you love the way I fuck you.”
Chloe pursed her lips. “It’s hard to remember, it’s been so long since the last time you—Marax!” she shrieked as he got on his knees and pulled her to the edge of the couch. She opened her legs, inviting him to move between them. He nipped her inner thigh and kissed his way up. When he ran his tongue through the lips of her sex, she almost melted.
“You’re wet already,” he said, sounding damn pleased. She got another lick that left her breathless. “No panties again. You have a hard time keeping those things on.”
“Only since I met you, so it must be your fault.”
He grinned and Chloe sighed. Those dimples were the sexiest things ever. Marax reached for the snap of his jeans, lowered the zipper, and kicked them off. Okay, the second sexiest thing. His hard cock was too gorgeous not to hold first place.
“This first time is going to be fast. I’ll do you longer once I have you in bed.”
“I’m good with that.”
Without comment, he unbuttoned the shirt she had on, starting at the bottom and working his way up before he helped her get free of the material. “Mine,” Marax said when she was naked, and leaned over her to kiss her.
You’re mine, too, she reminded him.
I know that.
Marax pulled her a bit more forward, adjusting her position and then she felt the head of his cock enter her. Words were beyond her then; there was only sensation as he thrust into her. Chloe gripped his shoulders. He had her close already and they’d hardly started.
“It’s a quickie. That’s how they work,” he said.
He ground against her nub and her eyes fluttered shut. She could feel it, almost on her. Almost on her. And then he pushed her over the edge. Chloe came hard and it lasted forever. His hands tightened on her hips and then he orgasmed, pushing her into a second wave of pleasure.
She was still trying to recover when he said quietly next to her ear, “We did it in front of the windows with the lights on in the condo and the curtains open. I wonder how many people saw us?”
Chloe gasped, but she couldn’t deny the heat had reignited. An instant later, her brain kicked into gear. “None. Those windows are designed so no one can see in.”
Marax chuckled, swung her up into his arms, and strode down the hall. “I felt your reaction to the thought,” he told her. “I’m going to have to work hard to keep up with a wild woman like you, but don’t you worry, firebrand, I’ll give it everything I got.”
About the Author
National bestselling author Patti O’Shea has walked around an island of Papua New Guinea, seen a shark fin break the surface off the coast of Australia, sung songs while driving in the Yukon and watched a soccer match in Kiribati. When she’s not off having an adventure, she’s in Atlanta, Georgia, working in Technical Operations for a major U.S. airline and writing stories filled with action and danger. She enjoys torturing her characters and considers it their karma because of how much they torment her. Patti also likes watching baseball and reading.
ISBN-13: 9781460334072
GAMES OF DESIRE
Copyright © 2014 by Patti J. Olszowka
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