Unholy Proposal (Unholy Inc Book 1)

by Misty Dietz

  When she took the drink from his hands, he tossed his back and waited for her to do the same. She did, shivering violently afterwards. She slid the glass on the tabletop. “Ack, that tastes awful. Now spill it.”

  The sooner he told her, the sooner they could get on with the bonding. “You saw the scar on my abdomen.” She nodded slowly, glancing at his t-shirt. “That was my death scar. A flying piece of scrap metal soared through the air as I was running to save a woman after a German Zeppelin dropped a bomb. The metal flew at such velocity it severed her head before it slammed into me.” Her lips parted in sympathy. He took the emotive expression in and wove it round the dark shadows in the cordoned off areas in his brain. “I died. When I re-awoke as a Guardian, all of my physical imperfections were gone except for the death scar.” He paused. She watched him silently, her silver blue eyes like turbulent seas.

  He closed the distance between them and breathed in her scent. His pulse pounded madly in his neck. “Guardians retain their death scar until the first time they make love with a soul mate.”

  There. He’d said it. All secrets were out in the open now. Well, not all of them, but the ones that would matter to her. Jessie blinked up at him, not immediately comprehending. Then…

  “Oh. Oh. So you’re saying…I…it’s me?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

  He nodded slowly. “I assume you recall my own surprised reaction.” Panicked was more like it.

  “But…why me?”

  “Why not you? You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

  Her shy, sexy smile revved his engine into high gear. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

  “Can’t you simply accept it?” He pulled her toward him, plucking the top stays of the bustier that confined her peasant shirt. “Enough talking.”

  She smacked at his fingers. “You promised you’d answer all my questions.”

  He picked her up, walked to the bed, and tossed her upon it. “I lied.”

  Before he could cover her with his body, she shot up with a hand on his chest. “I thought you’re supposed to make good choices.”

  “That’s the theory.” He stripped off one of her shoes and began peeling down her white stocking.

  He loved it when her face was so conflicted. “You’re sick,” she said.

  He heartily agreed. “And yet, you still want to be with me.” She rolled to the edge of the bed, but he caught her around the waist before she could steal away. He rolled back on the bed, pulling her with him so she was laying on top of him, facing the ceiling. The back of her head nestled between his pecs, yet her feet were still a couple inches shy of his. “You’re fun-sized, you know that?”

  She wriggled again, trying to get away, and all that squirming made her can-can skirt hike up around her waist. The whole raunchy episode instigated intriguing consequences for the lower half of his body. His arms pinned her to him as he shifted himself into the cleft of her arse, and just like that, she froze.

  He smiled.

  “What does sanctorum mean, and why is that room so special?”

  He groaned. Her busy mind was going to kill them both. “Alright, how about one piece of clothing per question. When you’re out of clothing, you’re out of questions.”

  He began working on the rest of the stays of her bustier, but she stopped his hands and flipped around to face him, her hair a silken curtain around them in the softly lit room. Her lips parted on a beguiling indrawn breath when she shifted her legs apart and her lower body settled around his erection. His hands slid down the gentle slope of her back.

  “You’ve already taken off two pieces of my clothing, so get talking.”

  His fingers trekked southward, pushing through the layers of the infernal skirt. “Sanctorum is short for sanctum sanctorum, which is Latin for holy of holies. In other words, the most holy place. And I’m not telling what’s special about it because it would put you in greater danger.”

  She pursed her lips. “Because I’m a weak human female.”

  “No, because you have my scent and that makes you more of a target. If the demons are able to get close enough, they’ll torture you for information. The less you know, the more likely they are to leave you alone because they have this uncanny knack of knowing when people are lying.” Which was true, but they’d still probably try to take her to lure him. And it would work. But she didn’t need to know that.

  “You marked me?”

  “It’s a side effect when we have sex with mortals. It usually goes away after a couple of days if we have no further contact with them, but we still shadow them to make sure they aren’t targeted until it wears off.”

  “So this will go away in a few days.”

  He pulled the satin ribbon out of her stays. “You should be naked by now with all these questions.”

  Her eyes glinted, the slight rocking of her body making him start to sweat. “I think not. My last several responses were statements, not questions,” she said.

  He had to laugh. “Okay, well you’d better get asking because I’m not going to be able to concentrate much longer.” His gaze was glued to her chest where her cleavage inspired fantasies involving lube. Lots of lube.

  “Up here, Nate. Your scent goes away if we don’t have sex for a few days?”

  His gaze shifted back to her face. “Normally, yes.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “A week isn’t going to be enough for me, Jess.”

  “Well here’s a news flash, boss man, we signed an agreement.”

  “This isn’t about the agreement anymore. Not when you healed my death scar.”

  “Are you saying you aren’t going to honor it?”

  “I’ll do everything I promised in the agreement.” I just won’t let you leave. “That’s at least two more pieces of clothing.” He rolled to the side, laid her down, scooted up to his knees, and removed her black bustier and single remaining shoe. Now, she was down to her peasant blouse, can-can skirt, thong, and one white stocking. “Still too many clothes. Ask another question.” His voice was gruff.

  “You’re eying that stocking like it’s your next meal.” Her voice wasn’t exactly steady either. She cleared her throat. “If you’re able to leap tall buildings with a single bound—don’t tell me you can’t because José told me he saw two of your partners vanish into thin air—why do we have to stay here? Why can’t we go somewhere else? Somewhere safe from the demons—like another city?”

  “I have to stay because I have a responsibility to the sanctorum.” Or more specifically, what it housed. “Moving it is impossible at this point because there are more powerful safeguards in place here than I could possibly set up with a horde of demons chasing me elsewhere. You’re staying because I don’t trust your safety to anyone else. The demons that your uncle let in are much more powerful than ones we usually tangle with.” He pushed her blouse up and rubbed his cheek against the smooth skin of her belly before pulling her arms up to slide the shirt over her head. A strapless bra clasp nestled between her breasts. He sprang it open and groaned as her full warmth filled his palms, then his mouth as he pushed her deep into the mattress.

  She arched her back, tunneling her hands through his hair. The creamy deliciousness of her skin was perfection. Her pink nipples, puckered and tight. He breathed her in for long moments before he realized she was yanking on his hair, pulling him away.

  And talking?

  He lifted his head to try to focus because more questions meant less clothes.

  He could still have her without the questions, though. That thong would be real easy to shove to the side. He grew wretchedly uncomfortable in his pants.

  “W-why is it easier for the weaker demons to get to Earth than the more powerful ones? Why does it take such a big event to bring the archdemons?”

  Her breaths were coming hard and fast. He had to feel those flushed breasts against his skin. He sat up and stripped off his shirt. The slight cooling sensation cleared his head somewhat. “Th
e ancient demons are usually locked out because there is some justice in the Seam separating the realms.”

  He slid down the bed, parked his mouth between her thighs, and licked until she quivered, then used his teeth to slowly peel her paper-thin white stocking down her leg.

  Gooseflesh spread across her skin. “Meaning the big chess master in all this prevents the really Big Bads from preying on humans unless someone royally screws up, and then you guys are here for clean up duty?”

  Nate smiled at her terminology, his fingers curling into the toned muscles of her thighs. That was two more questions. “Pretty much, but we’re always on clean up. Unfortunately, even the lesser demons can do some damage. If one of them preys on enough human souls, they can become almost as powerful as the much older demons.” He paused. “You ready to get naked, Jessica?”

  She pulled the can-can skirt up over her belly button. “One more question and you can turn off the lights.”

  Blood pounded in his ears, and he yanked the skirt down again. “Who was the bloody bastard who made you feel like you need to fuck in the dark?” He’d find the wanker, dismember him, and feed his parts to a demon.

  “We aren’t talking about this right now!”

  “The fuck, we aren’t!”

  “Stop saying fuck.” She sat up, pulled a pillow across her chest, and glared at him.

  He got so close their noses were nearly touching. “I’ll say whatever the fuck I want, whenever, and wherever I want. Especially when some limp dick butt badger’s made my woman feel so unjustifiably ashamed about her worship-worthy body! Fuck!”

  Breathe. What a bloody bastard. He was yelling at her when all he wanted to do was make her see how beautiful she was. But she didn’t back away. Just blinked those big, silvery blue eyes at him, then cleared her throat.

  “We shouldn’t even be messing around. The demons could come back at any time. I have to get to my grandparents and Scourge!” Her eyes grew wide and bright. That was really something because she hadn’t shown any such fright when he was screaming right in her face.

  He shook his head and pushed down on her shoulders when she would have sprung out of bed. “Your grandparents are safe. Demons—even the ancient ones—rarely go out during the day. We have hours.”

  “What are they, vampires?”

  If only. “No, but they generally have only a fraction of their power during the day. Their strength and abilities resurge at nightfall.” Unless they were juiced up with a stolen relic, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

  “Generally? That means there’s room for exceptions. That’s not reassuring, Nate.”

  “Trust me, we have plenty of time.”

  “Then you should be using it to plan your defense. And how we’re going to protect everyone,” she said.

  “You think you’re responsible for the three and a half million people in the metro area?”

  “Well…there has to be something we can do.” She looked around the room. “Any chance you have a spare t-shirt and some sweats around here?”

  He sat back down on the bed. “I will give you whatever you need to make you happy, Jessie. I will take care of your schooling expenses, your grandparents, hell, if your uncle Mason is still alive, I’ll even take responsibility for keeping the duffer out of trouble, but I won’t give you up.”

  He won’t give me up. What did that even mean to someone who wasn’t a human? Jessie looked down at her hands pressing the pillow to her nakedness. “I don’t understand why there are beings like you.”

  Nate scrubbed his hands across his stubbled chin. “Bottom line is, humans need protection, and we’re here for a second chance. We were people who made bad choices on purpose while we were alive. We lived selfishly, but at the moment of our deaths, we made the decision to save another life. Because of that one selfless act, we were given the option to become Guardians. If we succeed as Guardians, we’ll avoid the damnation we originally deserved, and instead, go on to paradise.”

  Okay, now they were getting somewhere. “So basically, this is your Purgatory.”

  That smile of his was dangerous long before she knew he was more than just the guy next door. “Yes, though our version of Purgatory is more than a cleansing, it’s an actual test.”

  “How long’s the test?”

  His hand came up to stroke her messy hair. She loved it when he got that soft look in his eyes. It made her body go all silky and elastic.

  “Until the End Days,” he replied quietly.

  “Which is when?” Did she really want to know?

  “No one knows.”

  She relaxed slightly. “So you may be in this for a long haul to redeem yourself.”

  His eyes darkened as they held hers. “Hell is a very bad place, Jessie.”

  How would he know? “Have you been there?”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Finally he said, “Yes and no.”

  “Wow, thanks for the non-answer.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  And that right there was what she couldn’t understand. “I don’t know why this is happening with us.”

  He brought her chin up, his eyes slightly hooded. “Because you healed me, Jess. Ever since I met you that first day when I chased down your school papers, you’ve brought vibrant color to my world. Literally. Before you, I saw colors, sure, but it’s like they were behind an opaque screen. Muted and pale. Now everything is bright and beautiful and loud.” His thumb brushed across her lip.

  “So I’m your temporary girlfriend.” Come on, how many had he already had since the first World War? The thought kinda pissed her off.

  “No, Jessie. Only a soul mate can heal a Guardian’s death scar.”

  “The idea of a soul mate obliterates the whole free will thing.”

  “No, it doesn’t because Guardians have more than one potential soul mate in the world. The choices we make take us down different paths. If we’re lucky, those decisions lead us toward unity with one of those soul mates. Stop and think. Or better yet, feel.” He took her hand and laid it on his chest. His heart beat slow and strong, the warmth of his skin making her fingers restless to explore more of him. “You can’t deny this. I know you feel drawn to me unlike any other attraction you’ve ever had.”

  Yes. Unequivocally so. “Your arrogance knows no bounds.”

  He blinked slowly, and she noticed the dark purple smudges under his eyes for the first time all night. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

  It sort of was, but being naked with him in bed was not a good time to be having such a life-altering conversation. “This notion of a soul mate still doesn’t jive with free will. Maybe you put some kind of sex spell on me like Lachlan did.”

  He smiled. “A Guardian doesn’t need to resort to an incubus’s tricks. Though, I must say, it’s nice to know you struggle to resist my sexual prowess.” His eyes closed briefly. “It only reinforces what I’ve been saying all along.”

  Oh, but he was cocky! “Still no free will anywhere in sight.”

  “The Guardians may have pre-destined compars, but the bonding itself is completely free will.”

  “Nate!” She snapped a finger in his face. When his eyes opened, she prompted, “Bonding?”

  He swayed slightly on the bed, then jerked upright, his eyes instantly scanning the room. “The ceremony that happens when each person accepts the other as his or her mate.”

  “Sounds like a bunch of New Age, woo-woo business.” Wait. “Or…marriage.”

  “Whatever name you want to give it—whatever helps you understand it—is fine. But Guardian bonding cannot be undone by an expensive lawyer and some papers crossing a judge’s desk.”

  “Do you actually want this?” Do I? She held her breath waiting for his answer.

  He yawned again, stretching his arms to the ceiling, his muscles rippling in his chest and arms. “I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. But as this week has passed, I’ve experienced an intensifying, di
sorderly, inexplicable, almost violent need to bond with you….Jess…” He laid flat, perpendicular across the foot of the bed, and closed his eyes.

  “You’re exhausted.” It surprised her. She’d seen him go over and beyond bulletproof. How could one such as him need something so human as sleep?

  He cracked his eyes and gave her a wan smile. “Guardian energy eventually depletes. Especially when we’re wounded. We regenerate with food, sleep, meditation, and sex. Sex is like a power-shake for us.” He winked, then closed his eyes once more. “But since you’d rather yammer all bleeding day than let me slide between your honeyed thighs, I just…need…to…”

  Jessie bent forward, setting her pillow aside. “Nate?”

  Nothing. Didn’t even look like he was freaking breathing. God, please. She laid her head on his chest and the spasm of worry in her gut unwound to hear his heart beat strong, though extremely slow. She sprawled on her belly on the bed, coming up on her elbows to softly brush her fingers over the features that looked so much less dangerous in sleep than when he was full-on passion, mischief, and dominance.

  She’d never seen him sleep, but several times she’d woken in the bed they’d shared to find him watching her. Most times he’d be lying beside her, looking into her eyes intently as she greeted the day. Once, he’d been draped across a chair, his hair falling carelessly across his forehead like a Greek god, his eyes riveted on her as he’d drained half a bottle of 1904 Vintage Armagnac.

  He’d come out of the chair with an animal grace, stalked to the bed, then made love to her, over and over, with a desperation she didn’t understand but tried to match, until she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Afterwards, he’d tenderly cleaned her body and sank down into a soothing bath with her in his arms.

  Whole oceans rolled inside him.

  He was a beautiful force of nature. Domineering. Witty. Unrelentingly confident—how she admired that!—protective, driven, sexy…