by Mina Carter
“There’s nothing you can do. Rafe is being the shithead he always is.” Roark was the oldest, Remington the youngest, and Rafe the middle child. The problem-making middle child. Always had been, probably always would be.
“Or, maybe, he’s got the right idea. Maybe it’s time we took back our lives.”
For a moment, Roark’s heart skipped a beat, thinking about how it could be. What last night had been… he didn’t have words to describe what he’d felt in Kayley’s arms. He just knew he could never have it again. And that made him damn angry. “It is what it is.”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t tell me you’re buying into all this nonsense Rafe has been spouting.”
Upon his return from a mission a few months ago, Rafe had acted more withdrawn than usual. Finally, he’d told his brothers what he’d discovered the last time he was up top. The soul he’d recaptured had been a librarian in the late 1800s. Upon his escape, the man had made his way back to the library he’d overseen in merry ole England, only to discover it had been turned into condos. It hadn’t taken Rafe long to find him. It should have been an easy bounty. Or would have been, if the man hadn’t promised Rafe he could help him break the family curse — for a price. He would help Rafe if he allowed him to spend a month in the human realm, catching up on his reading. He didn’t sound like a soul who should have been condemned to hell. Killing his family had earned him that sentence. He wasn’t a threat to other humans so Rafe had agreed. Another bounty hunter had been sent after the man, leaving Rafe back at square one. To be honest, Roark had been expecting a move like this on Rafe’s part. His brother was the stubborn one of the bunch.
He told Remington as much.
“You can’t tell me you don’t see some merit to his research now.” Remington nodded to the woman still sleeping on the bed. Roark wasn’t surprised she hadn’t awakened yet. Last night had been epic, and that was saying something coming from a demon.
And that was something he could never forget. He was a demon. A demon damned to the depths of hell for eternity.
He couldn’t have a woman. He loved his mother, but he’d never subject his wife to the hardship his parents had endured. No, it was better if he ended this now. He got up and conjured a pair of jeans. He motioned Remington out of the room. They needed a plan.
Kayley startled awake, momentarily disoriented when she heard two male voices. Immediately, she recognized Roark’s. She checked the bedside clock. Three o’clock in the morning. She sat up, grimacing as her formerly unused muscles protested. What was the saying, wrung out and put up wet? That’s how she felt this morning — or rather the middle of the night.
Well-worn and definitely still wet.
She realized the men were standing outside the hotel room. The door was slightly cracked but she could only hear the low rumble of their voices, not what they were actually saying. She pushed the hair out of her eyes, knowing she must look beautiful this morning. Not. Not only had she gone to bed with damp hair, she’d been twisted and turned every which way during the night.
Pulling the sheet up to her neck, she started to panic. This morning-after thing could go one of two ways. He’d simply ignore her and never refer to what had happened last night, or, he’d insist they do it again.
Her body liked the last idea. It was safe to say she’d experienced the most pussy-clenching, heart-wrenching, beautiful sex in her life. She wasn’t very experienced, but it didn’t take a fallen woman to know when the man in her bed was good. Damn good. She shifted as her body picked up the throbbing rhythm of last night just thinking of Roark’s skill set. She wanted him again. No surprise there, but how to handle it?
Keeping one eye on the door, she scooted off the bed with the sheet wrapped halfway around her torso. She did a fast two-step to the bathroom, sighing in relief when she made it without them hearing her.
“Kayley?”
She jumped at the sound of her name, especially when it was spoken in the higher octave of a woman.
“Mom?” She looked around the room. Nothing. “Where are you?” As far she knew, no one in her family had mastered the art of teleportation.
“Down here.”
Kayley looked down. There wasn’t any water or any other device her mother could have used to contact her. Except…
“Gross,” she said as she took a step forward. There in the toilet was her mother’s smiling face.
“Mom! How could you?” This was more than embarrassing. What if her mother had tried to scry when Roark had been taking a shower? Or worse?
“Kayley Angela Anderson, don’t take that tone with me. You are the one in trouble.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Didn’t Wanda tell you what happened?”
“Yes, she did. She said you were kidnapped by a demon.”
“Yep. That about sums it up.” Her face broke into a wide smile. No way was what had happened so easily explained away. Especially not what had happened between her and Roark last night. She couldn’t exactly use the L word yet, but she was close. Very, very close.
“You’re lucky I managed to talk your father out of forming a search party and coming after you.”
Oh, she was a lucky witch all right but not because of that. She was lucky because she’d had the pleasure of Roark in her bed. She shivered thinking of him between her legs, his wide shoulders holding her open for his touch. The man had some serious oral talent.
“But you weren’t worried?”
“Of course I was, darling, but Hayley assured me you were safe.”
Her younger sister was usually discrete in what she shared about her visions. She figured Hayley hadn’t told her family too much since her father wasn’t here, knocking down the hotel door.
She heard the door close. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll be home tonight.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“If you don’t, I’m sending your father after you. No matter how handsome your demon is.” Her mother smiled before blowing her a kiss. “Have fun, Kayley.”
Kayley's eyes opened wide. Her little sister had a lot to answer for if she’d told their mother about Roark. She flushed the toilet, watching as her mother’s image swirled out of sight.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door, making her jump again. Damn it, couldn’t a girl get a moment of privacy? Before she could answer, the door opened and Roark was in front of her. He had on a pair of jeans this morning, but no vest. The sight of his bare chest was enough to get a girl’s juices flowing. In an instant, she was more than wet, willing, and able to continue where they had left off last night.
Roark opened the bathroom door cautiously. He wasn’t sure what he expected, maybe Kayley dressed and ready to go. That was the usual sequence of events of one-night stands. Fuck, fuck again, and say goodbye. With Kayley, he need to add a couple thousand more fucks — and heaven help him, he had no desire to say goodbye. He certainly didn’t expect the curvy goddess to be wrapped in a bed sheet, with her long, auburn hair falling in a sexy disarray across her face and over her shoulder. Damn, she looked good enough to eat.
Licking his lips, he sought the lingering flavor of her pussy. His body craved her sweet honey again.
But he couldn’t.
Could he?
No. No. No. No. The word pounded over and over again in his head.
The night before meant nothing more to him than a thousand other nights before. He’d been having casual sex since he figured out how to put rod A into slot B. Casual. No commitments. Pleasure for the sake of pleasure.
He had to tell her. Their getting together hadn’t been a mistake exactly…
Just not something to be repeated.
His dick hardened behind the zipper of the jeans. The sharp pinch of pain penetrated his confused mind.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked.
One of her hands pushed the mass of hair out of her eyes. The movement caused the sheet she clutched to pull across her chest. Her nipples stood at
attention, straining against the thin fabric. The action demanded his cock take notice.
“My brother. He’s tracing after Rafe.”
“Oh.”
Yeah, a big fat oh. That meant he no longer needed her. His heart stopped beating for a split second at the thought. But what else could he do? His brother was on the case now.
“Why didn’t he go after him before? From the beginning?”
“He was on assignment. He just got back last night. Rafe’s escape is the talk of the town down there.”
“I would imagine so.”
“He’s the first demon to try to break a contract.”
She tilted her head, looking at him. “I take it you don’t believe it can be done.”
“No. We are who we are. Under the curse of a witch.”
Her head fell forward as if in defeat. “I’m sorry, Roark.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing anyone can do about it. Get dressed and I’ll take you home.”
They rode across town in the stolen truck. She tugged at the hem of the shorts he’d conjured for her this morning after they’d had ‘the talk’. The one where lovers said good-bye. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a body hugging t-shirt. She missed the leather. “Won’t you get in trouble conjuring all this stuff for me? For us?”
He turned his head to look at her and just as quickly turned his attention back to the road. “No. Why do you ask? Do you need something else?” For a moment, the desire to please her seemed to flash through his dark eyes.
“Umm, no. It’s just that witches… sometimes if a witch uses her power for personal gain, it has a way of backfiring.”
Her words made him smile. “Is that what happens to you? Was trying to calm me down for personal gain?”
She ignored his question, her cheeks flushing. “No, it’s more for things like new clothing or jewelry or a new car.”
“Well, that explains the tin can on wheels you call a car.”
“I’ll have you know I paid for that car all by myself.”
“I wasn’t doubting that for a moment, sweetheart.” He stretched his arm across the back of the seat as they fell into an uneasy silence. After a moment, the tips of his fingers found the loose strands of her hair falling around her shoulders and he rubbed them between his fingers. Kayley grew still, wondering if he’d take it any further. Like touching her. Or kissing her.
“Here we are.” The sudden jar of him braking crashed through her daydream. He’d driven her back to the grocery store parking lot.
“So we are.” She placed her hand on the door handle and turned slightly in her seat to face him. The move pulled her hair from his grip. “Well, I guess I better go.”
He leaned forward, his face just inches away. “You’re a very beautiful witch, Kayley. Even if you can’t cast a spell worth a damn.” Then his lips covered hers in a hard, hungry kiss that was over far sooner than she wanted. He pulled back, leaving his taste lingering on her lips.
Heavens above, how was she going to survive her broken heart?
“Goodbye, Roark. I hope you find Rafe soon.” And I hope you come back for me. She didn’t say it, but she wanted to. Wanted to say it with all her heart.
“Goodbye, Kayley.”
Roark stood on top of the mountain overlooking a small town. He and Remington had finally tracked Rafe down in the middle of fucking nowhere. Rafe stood at his side, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his worn jeans. Reluctantly, Roark had to admit this was pleasant. The fresh air, green grass. He’d gotten used to the temperatures in hell but the cool breeze rolling off the mountain was amazing. As a big badass demon was he even allowed to think that?
“You can’t tell me you don’t feel it too?”
“Feel what? The breeze? Yes, it does feel good, but then throwing water on lava rocks in hell feels good too. What’s your point?”
Rafe sighed and gave Roark a look that said it all — in his mind, Roark was a dumb fuck.
“It doesn’t matter; you have to go back.”
The witch who had cursed the first Conroy demon hadn’t been very creative. The curse was simple, straightforward. If a male from the lineage spent too much time in another realm, they would die. He and his brothers were the products of a demon and angel union. When they were younger, the family had spent its time, literally, divided between heaven and hell. Now, their parents lived apart most of the time because staying too long in hell was also an early death sentence for supernaturals who shouldn’t be there. Angels certainly weren’t meant to live in hell.
Neither were witches. Immediately, his thoughts flew to Kayley and her delicious curves. He hadn’t gotten enough of her. He didn’t know if an eternity would be enough to satisfy his hunger for her.
“I think I found the answer.”
For a brief moment, hope flared in Roark’s chest, making his heart race. Would it be possible to stay with Kayley, take her as a mate, and start a new life, here?
No, he couldn’t hope and the pain made him lash out at his brother. “Don’t you think someone in our family would have discovered an out by now? What makes you think you’re so smart?”
“Do you want to know what I discovered?”
“Sure, why the hell not?” Fuck, he couldn’t be more depressed if he tried. He picked up a rock and threw it into the air. It fell back down to the earth, rolling down the ridge into the naturally formed valley between the two mountains on which they stood.
“Our curse can be broken when a demon finds true love.”
Roark snorted. “I dare you to say that to Mom.” While Roark was not a proponent of true love — he only believed in lust at first sight — he knew his parents had something special. Something, if he were honest, he envied. Then, envy was one of the original seven sins.
Rafe laughed. Both brothers knew you didn’t say shit like that to their mother, especially tell her she and her mate weren’t really in love.
“No, thank you. I like my balls too much.” While their mother was truly an angel, their father was a demon of the highest rank. And nothing and no one upset his mate. “There are a couple of catches to unlocking the curse.”
“Naturally.” Roark picked up another rock, heavier this time, but he slung it the same distance. This time he listened to it as it tumbled down. It was a lonely sound.
“The demon has to fall in love with a witch.”
Roark’s body stilled and then vibrated as an emotional twister tore through his soul. Was he in love with Kayley? Could he be the one to break the curse? Just as he was about to ask, his brother spoke again.
“Of course, the real catch is… the witch has to love him back.”
Refusing to show any sign of weakness, Kayley stepped confidently through the portal her father had opened. She paused, looking back at her family. Her father hugged her mother to his side, worry on both their faces. Her sisters smiled, calm and collected. Rafe gave her two thumbs up and winked. She wanted to turn him into a toad — or something. When he’d come to her house, explaining what he’d discovered about the Conroy family curse, she hadn’t hesitated in declaring her undying love for Roark. It wasn’t until he’d revealed she’d have to confront Luke, or Lucifer as he was better known as, that she’d become a tad upset. She had cast a spell and was pleased to say he now sported a purple stripe of hair down the side of his head. She didn’t know how long it would take to fade. She hoped it was a long, long time.
Taking a deep breath, she tried not to choke on the sulfur smell that rose to greet her. She put her arm over her nose and mouth and breathed into the pocket of air made by the bend of her elbow.
A few steps and she was no longer in the human realm. She was in hell.
She jumped when the portal closed behind her with a hiss that sounded suspiciously like a snake. Two men appeared in front of her, dressed as Egyptian guards. A swath of material wrapped around their man parts and they sported headdresses made of gold and rubies. Their skin shone in the flames — yes, the wal
ls were on fire — burnishing them in a golden glow. She wondered what sin they had committed to end up as the doormen to hell.
“Come.” They motioned for her to follow. Apparently, she’d been expected. Besides the man hunk guards and flaming walls, which surprisingly did not give off any heat, hell was much as she expected. The floors were made of cooled lava and the air smelled of fire and brimstone. The humidity was stifling and soon her clothes were soaked as if she’d been out in the rain. The guards guided her through a maze of caverns. She quickly realized she would never remember the way back out. Her father had given her an amulet that would boost her power and allow her to open a portal should she fail to get Roark released and they had to make a run for it.
Soon, the three of them came to a set of double red doors that towered some twenty feet in height. The guards opened them and Kayley heard another hiss. Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward and then another. As soon as she cleared the doors, they slammed shut behind her, making her jump. In the middle of the room stood a large man, taller even than Roark. His back was to her but she could see he was dressed in a silk smoking jacket, reminiscent of Hugh Heffner in the 1980s. Her lips curled halfway into a smile. The room would have looked right at home in the Playboy Mansion. It was a large room with richly polished wood covering the walls and ceiling. Large fur rugs lay against the planked wooden floor. She shivered, wondering if those were the skins of animals or shifters.
“Kayley, how nice of you to join me.”
Yeah, like she had a choice.
He turned around and she almost lost her breath he was so handsome. And when he smiled… no wonder women sinned. For a moment, she almost forgot why she was here.
“You seem a little surprised by your surroundings, darling. Hell not what you expected?”
