Captive By Night: A Dardanos, Co. Taken Collection

by Calle J. Brookes

  He flashed a beam of hell-light from his fingers, setting the orb to floating around the small cave. It allowed him to see his captive fully for the first time. She was as he’d left. He knelt beside her, barely aware of the bedding and blanket hovering just behind him. His fingers trailed over her exposed cheek, then ghosted over the softness of her lips. He wanted a taste.

  Chapter Three

  He rolled her onto her back and leaned closer as her breath sighed out. He captured it with his lips as surely as he’d captured her. His lips covered hers and his tongue darted inside to finally get the taste he’d so wanted.

  He hadn’t touched a corporeal female in decades, had been forced to be content with mere brushes against Rand’s sisters and cousins.

  She tasted like the finest of Roman wines, tart and rich. He couldn’t resist taking more than one taste. At her lack of response, he pulled back slightly before running small kisses over her face, tasting her cheek, her brow, her pointed little chin. He could command her to respond to him, and he would if that’s what was necessary. But for some reason, he was in no rush. He just wanted to enjoy.

  He pulled her into a seated position, propping her against the cave wall while he arranged their bed for the day. He scooped her up and settled her on the pine, before removing her wrist bindings and rubbing the chafed skin. Her wrists were small in his hands and he frowned at how easily he could break her. He’d have to be gentle, and for a moment he worried he couldn’t. This demon wanted a taste of an angel very, very badly.

  He brushed her mind with his, searching for who she was, what she wanted in that deep secret place every woman had.

  All he found was a deep sense of sadness, of fatigue far greater than any he’d ever found.

  ****

  Kindara woke with burning pain in her shoulders and burning questions in her mind. Where was she? Where was her daughter? Had it been a nightmare? Gods knew she’d had more than her fair share of those through the decades.

  The bed she lay on was prickly and smelled strongly of pine. The blanket covering her caused her skin to itch. There was a chill in the air, air that smelled slightly musty.

  There was a warm body beside her and hands running along the edge of her tunic. Hot hands, large hands. Male hands.

  Her eyes widened in the darkness.

  No man had touched her with that kind of intent since her mate’s death thirty years ago. A gasp escaped and she arched, trying to dislodge the hands.

  A masculine laugh was her only reward. A laugh she remembered from the edge of the highway. The hands slipped beneath her tunic. “Who are you?”

  “Rathan.”

  “What are you?” He wasn’t human and he wasn’t Dardaptoan or Lupoiux werewolf.

  “Demon.”

  Kindara cringed. Demons were soulless, amoral, conscienceless beasts from another dimension that preyed on all humanesque creatures, including Dardaptoan. She’d been fortunate in her four hundred plus years of living to only have crossed paths with a handful of demons and never while alone. But her brother had told her much about them. Cormac was a Predatoi, a demon hunter of notable skill, and he’d killed hundreds through the years. Kindara didn’t doubt this demon would be Cormac’s next kill.

  “Why did you do this? Where’s Jierra?” The last thing Kindara remembered was her daughter’s scream. She bucked, tried to kick the demon away from her when his hands tried to untie the green sash she wore to denote her family line.

  “Relax, your friend will not be hurt.” The demon ran his hands over her ribs, his fingers counting each one.

  “My daughter. She’s my daughter, and she’s only a baby.” Kindara’s words came out in a sob of anger as one knee connected with the demon’s thigh. It did little damage, he was large and solid. “Where is she?”

  ****

  Rathan felt the desperation pouring off the woman and it had him withdrawing his hands slowly. Desperation never tasted good to him. “She is safe. The Lupoiux has no plans to hurt her.”

  “Then why did he take her?”

  “Vengeance.”

  “For what? Ji hasn’t hurt anyone!”

  “No, but your king and his advisers have.” That had his own anger returning as he thought of Rand’s young sister, Mickey, with her sweet ways and shy smile. She was the youngest of the four murdered women, at barely twenty-five years of age. “They must be forced to pay.”

  “What did they do?” She tried again to escape his hands. He’d retied her wrists, this time above her head and around a small stalagmite. The bondage arched her chest perfectly. He untied the green sash and removed it. An expert finger began unhooking the tiny fastenings of her top. It parted to expose creamy unblemished skin that glowed in the low light. “Stop!”

  “Why?” Rathan dipped a finger into her navel before trailing over her now exposed ribs. “Do you stop when your human prey begs it of you?”

  “I don’t feed from humans! I haven’t in thirty years!” Chills had risen over her flesh and he smiled.

  “Then what do you eat, my pet?” Rathan didn’t believe her; Dardaptoans needed human blood and the women even more so. They were so weak otherwise. What male would let one not feed properly?

  “Bagged blood. My daughter does the same.”

  She wore a bra, a plain cotton bit of nothingness that covered her breasts—for the moment. Rathan knew it wouldn’t for much longer.

  “Still. It is human, is it not?”

  “Yes. But freely given, donated to those who need it.”

  “Under false pretenses.” Rathan truly didn’t care what she ate or didn’t. He’d feed from her the entirety of the time he possessed her, as was fitting for his species. Could he blame her for doing the same when she needed? “I’m hungry, little one. You will feed me now.”

  ****

  Kindara shivered under his hands as they ran around the elastic of her bra. Feed him? Demons didn’t take blood; Cormac had told her that. “What type of demon are you?”

  “You haven’t figured it out yet?” He had a wicked grin and he flashed it at her, causing his black eyes to glow red. “I am of the family of Lothan and Lilith.”

  She knew the legends of the first demon and his third wife, knew of the hundreds of thousands of creatures they’d spawned who needed to feed sexually from the humanesque. And Lilith had become the mother of all Succubae, which made this creature...Oh three hells! “Incubus.”

  “Exactly. And I’ve not fed fully in nearly a decade. Do you know what that means?” He put his face against her stomach, breathed deeply of her skin. His forked tongue flicked against her navel and she gasped at the sensation.

  She shook her head even though she knew the answer. “No...you can’t.”

  “Of course I can.” He looked at her with an affronted expression. “Your people feed from humans, why can’t I feed from you?”

  “Because I don’t want...” To have sex with him. She never wanted to have sex again, not with anyone other than Iavius. He had been her mate, no other creature could compare to what they’d shared. “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  The finality of his answer scared her. “I need to find my daughter. You don’t understand how terrified she’ll be. A friend of hers was nearly ripped apart by Lupoiux wolves just last week. And she’s never been away from home, from me. I need to get to her.”

  She heard the almost begging in her words, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting to Jierra.

  “Enough. Your daughter will be fine with this Lupoiux.” He nipped her neck and Kindara bit back a moan. The neck of a Dardaptoan was ten times more sensitive than that of any other being—especially for a female, who was often fed from during sex with her Rajni. He knew that he had to. “We have matters to tend to. I am too hungry to wait.”

  She brought her knees up, putting them between them as a barrier. He shot her an irritated look before pushing them down again.

  “You have two choices, pet.” He stretched out over he
r, his leg draping her thighs to hold her in place. One hand cupped her breast, massaged. “Either you feed me with this delectable body, or I put you to sleep and feast on your fantasies. Either way, I will get what I want.”

  ****

  His face was mere inches from her own, his eyes bright and hot. He wanted her, he was going to have her. Whether she consented or not. To him, it wouldn’t be rape, to him it was as natural as blood-drinking was for her people, a way of survival. Never before had she felt what the humans she used to feed on felt.

  “And if I choose neither?” She needed to stall him, give herself time to think.

  “Do you really have to ask?” He waved a hand to the horns half hidden by the long black hair that waved around his head. The horns were small and silver and proclaimed him for exactly what he was. “With one touch of these I can have you doing my bidding for hours. And it would be so pleasurable.”

  Horror filled her. If she became a mindless slave, how was she to find Jierra? “I don’t want you in my head.”

  “At all? So it is to be physical dining this morning?” He grinned again, eyes filled with boyish anticipation and lust. “Excellent.”

  His mouth dropped dangerously close to a nipple still hidden beneath her bra. She tried to pull away. “Wait!”

  “What now?”

  “What will I get out of this?” “Besides pleasure?”

  Arrogant asshole. Still, he was a damned Incubus, she probably would enjoy being with him. “Besides that.”

  “What do you want out of it?” His tongue slipped beneath the top of her bra, bathing her flesh and making her shiver yet again.

  “If I give you what you want, you take me to my daughter.” Kindara drew in a shaky breath, wishing her hands were free so she could fight him. Somehow. Remembered sensations skirted over her body, reminding her of the times with her Rajni. But these hands and lips weren’t those of Iavius and never would be.

  “It’s a three day hike to where he’s taking her.”

  “So I’ll...feed...you for those three days, until I have my daughter back.” She’d sleep with the devil himself to get her child back safely. This creature wasn’t the devil, but close enough. And Cormac had told many stories of how demons loved to bargain.

  ****

  Rathan wanted to laugh at how easy she was. “Three days, you give me exactly what I want, and I take you to your daughter?”

  “Yes.” Determination had her little chin firmed, and her body taut against his. “Anything.” “Deal.” He’d have her cooperation, at a price he’d already planned to pay.

  “But you need to untie me.”

  Was she planning something? It would surprise him if she wasn’t. Still, he could so easily overpower her, and she had to be uncomfortable. He wanted her very, very comfortable for what he planned to do to her. His hands slipped to hers, and a small spell had the bindings dissolving. She lowered her arms to her sides, her face tightening at the movement.

  He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and massaged, feeling the delicacy of her. Once again, he reminded himself of the care that must be taken with her. He slid fingers beneath the unhooked tunic and pushed it aside. The white bra and linen pants glowed in the low light, a sharp contrast to the black clothing covering him. Clothing he was aching to remove. He pulled his shirt over his head and flung it across the small cave.

  He returned to her. He pressed her back into the pine needles with his weight, his chest to hers. “Wrap your arms around me, pet.”

  His lips covered hers and he began to feed.

  ****

  Kindara did as he bid, wrapping her arms around the demon’s shoulders. They were broad, and the feel of him dwarfing her made her feel smaller, even more vulnerable beneath him. His chest was completely hairless and without fat. Not surprising, Incubi were legendary in their physical perfection. They were supposed to be every woman’s fantasy personified. What woman of any species wouldn’t dream of a strong male with a perfect body doing the things she feared this demon was about to do to her?

  She didn’t dream of it, she’d had it before. Had it and lost it and as the demon pressed his lips to hers, that thought was foremost in her mind. This was not Iavius. He never would be.

  But if she was to do this, couldn’t she pretend it was? Would it really matter to this Incubus, as long as he got what he wanted?

  Her Rajni’s face appeared in her mind—warm citrine eyes that always laughed, a mouth that quirked with the slightest hint of humor. Dimples that always made her smile in response. Gods, she missed him, missed his touch, his laugh. Missed this. They’d had two hundred years together to touch and taste and enjoy each other. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed the physical aspect of their union. Until now.

  Her mouth softened beneath the demon’s, her arms relaxed their tension and she brought him closer. Her lips opened and he slipped in. He tasted of spice and male and Kindara sighed.

  “Good girl,” he said after pulling back for air. Kindara kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the demon’s face instead of her mate’s. He tugged at the waist of her pants. “Let’s take these off, shall we?”

  She opened her eyes and saw the heat in his. The base hunger. If she was going to do this, decision time was now. She nodded and arched her hips, letting him slide the material down. He slipped the pants off her feet and tossed them in the same direction as his shirt. She trembled before him, clad only in the white bra and panties that hid so little.

  His hands dropped to the waistband of his trousers. Kindara held up one hand. “Wait!” “Hmm?” His pants and shorts were then gone, and he knelt beside her unselfconsciously. “I need your word. An oath.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now. Before we finish this.”

  “What?”

  “You take me to my daughter and guarantee we are safe and going home as soon as possible.” She blocked the insistent hands reaching for her. “Swear it.”

  “I swear it.”

  “Say it all.” Kindara knew that once a demon uttered an oath, they had no choice but to keep it.

  “You have my oath that I will take you to your daughter and ensure both of you are safe, always. I swear you will be home as soon as it is possible, as deemed by me, Rathan.” He wrapped long fingers around her wrists and pulled her arms over her head. “Leave your arms there. I want easy access to all of you, understand?”

  She nodded, then tucked her hands beneath her head. For Jierra, she reminded herself as he pulled the bra free then yanked it over her wrists. This was strictly to get to her daughter.

  She replaced her hands, closing her eyes as his rose to cup her breasts. Demonic fingers teased her nipples, causing warmth to flood her body. A mouth replaced one hand, then his teeth nipped her flesh and had her gasping. His tongue, with its peculiar demonic fork in the center, circled her nipple as if it was the finest of Dardaptoan candies. He suckled hungrily. She arched closer, seeking more.

  His knee slipped between hers, then pressed against the warmth she was ashamed she’d exuded.

  Damn him, for making her feel this way.

  Once she had her daughter back, she’d see to it that this demon paid the price for what he’d done to her.

  ****

  By all Lilith’s children, he was starved. He hadn’t realized how much until he’d had the angel naked beneath him, cooperating as he fed from her.

  Her body was perfection in itself though at first he’d thought her too slim, too delicate, to withstand the rigors of his type of feeding. But they were just getting started.

  Her eyes were twin fires, glowing from the lust he’d induced within her. It had been so long for him, he actually thought he would lose control of himself. Finish before her. For an Incubus, especially the king, to leave a partner unsatisfied was an abomination. Rathan would not fail her.

  His knee was wet where it pressed against her, telling him he was at least successful in raising a hunger within her. His angel wanted him thoug
h her mind was resistant to the idea. He lowered his hand from one of the most perfect breasts he’d seen in hundreds of years to test the source of that wetness.

  She was ready for him, but he wanted to be doubly sure. He slid a finger inside to test.

  For a woman who’d had a child, her body was tight. Tighter than he expected. He eased a second finger in, thrusting both fingers rhythmically, listening to the breath catching in her throat. She arched against him.

  Yes, though she fought her body’s natural inclination, she wanted him.

  The time had come to give her what she wanted. He pulled her legs further apart. His fingers clenched on the muscles of her hips, pulling her up and toward him. Her heat teased his skin.

  He pulled back, looked at her face. “Look at me, pet. I want your eyes on mine the entire time.

  Understand?”

  She looked up at him, a strange vulnerability on her face. She nodded. “I understand.”

  Her heat began to be too much temptation for him and he eased into her, mindful of the unexpected tightness of her body. They both froze once he was seated deep within.

  Rathan had forgotten what a woman felt like on the physical plane. Had they always felt like this? This hot? This good?

  He couldn’t remember. He pulled back, experimented by thrusting back in. Her eyes remained trained on his face and she arched up to meet him. He moved faster, deeper until her eyes began to cloud and the trembling of her body grew ever so much stronger. She was close.

  He couldn’t finish feeding from her lust until she reached the end of her own journey. He wouldn’t. “That’s it, pet. Come with me, come for me. You want to, and you know it will be good.”

  He dropped his mouth to hers, kissing her in a heated mimic of their more elemental dance. Feminine fingers tangled in his hair, something he’d never permitted from a woman before. A fingertip brushed against the base of his left horn as he felt her break apart beneath him. The brush against one of the most erogenous places on his body had him following quickly after her.