She caught a flash of oily black fur from the corner of her eye, a second before the hound sank its fangs into her hip.
Mayah screamed as her flesh tore, venom seeping in from the hound’s bite. White-hot agony rampaged over her hip, down her thigh, up her ribs.
The claws sinking deeper into her arms were a minor annoyance compared to this pain.
She continued to struggle to get free. The cat continued to growl and hiss, to snap.
The hound released her, knowing its venom was at work. A sudden light appeared in its eyes, as if realizing she was the one to be captured, not killed.
It spun, heading for Sean.
“Look out!” she screamed hoarsely.
Already her leg was going numb. Gathering her strength, she shoved against the cat.
Finally she found release.
Before it could pounce once more, Mayah flung another ball of energy. The cat disappeared in the blue light.
Mayah turned, surveying the scene. Blood drenched the snowy, muddy ground. Two demons lay in puddles of crimson.
The hound circled Sean, keeping just out of reach of his katanas.
Mayah searched for the two spider-things, but they’d hidden themselves. It filled her with trepidation, not knowing where the enemy lay, waiting for the right time to spring their traps.
The hound growled, darting in and trying to bite Sean. He plunged one of his blades into the creature’s shoulder, but it barely faltered.
His pants ripped from teeth and claws.
Mayah called deep inside for her connection to the hell fire of her home realm once more. It came, but weakly. Struggling. Between the magic she’d already used, and the numbing venom sweeping through her, she was faltering.
Had to take care of this quick.
Blue fire lit the air.
The hound bayed.
As if the sound was a signal, the spiders scuttled forward out of the storm, chittering. Their fangs dripped deadly venom as they circled Sean.
He lunged at the hound, sinking his blades deep once more. This time, the demon squealed in pain. Black blood flowed. It jumped back, but sluggishly.
The spiders chittered louder, the sound setting Mayah’s teeth on edge, as they scuttled to the hound’s side.
She drew the last drop of power she could find, then hurled it at the creatures.
Three pairs of eyes watched the magic heading toward them. Knowledge flashed, turning into desperation. Orders might be to capture her, but in those deadly gazes, she read their intent to survive at all costs.
Even if that meant killing her.
One of the spiders jumped from the path of blue fire. The other wasn’t so lucky.
Flames enveloped the creature. Like a boiling egg left on too long, its body exploded in a mass of stinking green ichor.
The fire continued to flow. The hound, though injured, managed to turn.
Magic hit its hindquarters and it howled as the flames ate at its back legs. In a frenzy of blinding agony, it spun, snapping and clawing at Sean.
The remaining spider slammed into Mayah, throwing her back onto the cold, hard ground. She scrambled to get away, cursing herself for not seeing it coming.
Her eyes widened in shock—but not surprise—when she called to her well of magic and found it empty.
Though her body was quickly descending into numbness from the hound’s bite, she managed to rake the thorns on the back of her gloves across the spider’s exposed throat.
Too late, she saw the fangs descending toward her shoulder.
Then her skin was ablaze as it bit deep, pumping sickness into her veins.
With a scream, she pushed her last bit of strength into a double punch at the spider’s head.
It squealed as her spikes drove deep into its eyes. The fangs slid out of her skin, the creature tumbling away.
Blind, but not yet dead, it rose on unsteady legs and scuttled toward her once more.
Mayah tried to raise her fists, but the weakness was gaining.
Biting her tongue hard enough to draw blood, she refused to go down before this demon died.
* * *
Sean blocked the hound’s next bite with one of his katanas, then spun, slicing the creature’s haunches.
Its back legs, blackened and burned, finally gave out. It continued to growl, but nearly silent.
Sean drew back, and ended the beast.
Behind him, Mayah screamed.
He swung around, heart leaping. Waning strength rushed back at the sight of her on the ground, struggling against the massive spider standing over her.
Racing toward them, Sean held his blades ready once more.
The spider heard him coming and swung its head his way.
Mayah screamed again, swinging her fists at the spider’s throat. Blood rained over her face and chest as she decimated the creature’s neck.
It wobbled, mouth opening as if to scream. No sound emerged.
Sean speared his katana in the thing’s side, then jerked it off Mayah. Bringing his other blade down, he cut the demon in two.
“Are there more?” he asked, breathing heavy.
“I don’t… think so,” Mayah replied.
Her voice was weak. Too weak for his comfort.
Sean hurried to her side and tried lifting her up to sit. She pushed at his hands, but her movements were no stronger than butterfly wings.
“It bit you,” he said, the fact making him light-headed. Something inside him began to scream in denial.
“The spider and the hound, both. The venom is taking its toll.”
He growled, deep in his chest, pushing back pain and fear. Exhaustion swept through him, but he shoved it away as well.
She needed him right now.
Sweeping her in his arms, he hurried to the tent, slipping her inside and onto her sleeping bag. Ripping a waterproof cloth from one of the bags, he quickly patched the hole in the side of the tent hoping to recapture some warmth inside.
Back at Mayah’s side, he shoved anything wet out of the way, making sure she was surrounded by dry warmth.
“Tell me what to do,” he demanded.
Her closed eyes fluttered but didn’t open. Her lips moved as if she tried to speak.
Nothing.
Her skin, usually pale, now looked nearly transparent.
He ripped the shoulder of her shirt open, his gaze falling on the punctures from the spider bite. The wounds were ragged, a reddish-black. Deadly color snaked down her arm, up her throat.
Poison spreading through her.
He didn’t fucking know how to stop it.
Her breathing hitched.
Skipped.
Panic hit him, full blown and unavoidable. He couldn’t keep his head clear, couldn’t think.
Instinct kicked in.
With a cry, he grabbed her, pulling her to his chest. Trying to will the venom killing her to leave her body.
Somewhere deep in his heart, warmth flickered. Grew. Spread.
The door holding his demon magic constrained slammed open. Terror filled him, but he would try anything to save Mayah. She couldn’t die.
His vision dimmed from the powerful force sweeping through his body. His soul.
Magic overflowed, somehow pouring from his hands into Mayah.
He couldn’t see it, could only feel its path. As his fear increased, so did the power inside him. So he pushed harder. Wanting, needing, to fill her with the strong essence.
From the never-ending pit, it kept coming. Hot, hotter. As if he was about to spontaneously combust.
The dark lines snaking over her skin began to dim. Whatever was happening was healing her.
It was working.
He ignored the fear, the pain filling him along with the blindingly hot magic and continued to push it into Mayah.
His.
Keep safe.
Refuse to let go, no matter the cost.
* * *
Mayah gasped as Sean’s healing energy swept throug
h her, hurdling her from the brink of death back to the land of the living.
Sean hovered above her, hands pressed to her shoulder. As her heart thumped strong and loud, he sat back on his heels, breathing heavily. His eyes had bled to pure black from pushing himself so far magically.
Though he was part Fey, with a very old kind of earth magic, only demon magic could heal another demon.
He’d not even stopped to consider the ramifications of his power getting out of control. Had just jumped straight into the fires of hell… to save her.
Leaning closer, he trailed his hand down her cheek. “How you feeling?”
“Alive.” The whisper came out hoarsely.
And she did feel alive. More so than ever before. Power coursed through her, setting her nerves on edge as if it refused to be contained within her body. But above that, was a burning need.
She’d hovered on the brink of death.
Without Sean’s actions, she would have died.
Though she hadn’t foreseen this, she knew what was coming in the next day or two when they faced Brüs.
She feared that time. Sean wouldn’t be able to save her again.
He lowered his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes. His breath caressed her lips.
And one thought coursed through her mind.
How much regret she would face if she died without ever giving in to the emotions he had awoken inside her? All the things he made her feel for the first time in her life.
She was alive.
For a little while longer.
And she vowed she would not pass up this chance, this warmth. This… love she could feel burning deep in her soul. If she died tomorrow, her powers would mean nothing. So why stop? She could no longer answer that question.
Hesitantly, she reached up and traced the back of his neck.
Sean stiffened, his eyes flashing the normal mix of gray and red and black. He started to pull away, but she cupped his head, holding him close.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice full of confusion warring with desire.
“Refusing to regret,” she whispered back, raising her head to press her lips to his.
He jerked away, staring at her as if she’d suddenly become a stranger. Which, she supposed, was understandable.
“Your powers—”
“Right now, I don’t care.” She still couldn’t bring herself to tell him of her vision of Brüs. “Do you?”
“I should.”
“Ah, yes. Your clan.” She sat up and turned away, reminded once more of her only use to others.
His hand clamped on her arm and he spun her back to face him. “I should care.” He swallowed, cupping her cheeks in his hands and leaning in, brushing his warm, smooth lips over hers. “I should. But I don’t.”
Chapter Fifteen
She took a shaky breath, her eyes closing as some strangeness swept through her. Flames. Burning. As if cleansing a dark thing she’d carried as far back as she could remember, yet had never known was within her.
Her heart felt as if would explode with emotion.
He didn’t give her a chance to think any further as he kissed her, exploring her mouth thoroughly with his own.
She leaned into his touch, letting her hands rest on his hard chest. His breath came rapidly, his heartbeat drummed beneath her palms.
Unsure what to do, she let him take the lead. Hesitantly, she licked his lips as he’d done to her.
He groaned, a satisfied sound, making her bolder.
She nipped his lower lip, drawing it between her teeth, then sucking it into her mouth.
His spicy scent, the warmth he always radiated, surrounded her. Wrapping her tight. Safe.
Wanted. Nay, needed.
He needed her right now, as badly as she needed him to show her the pleasures of the world where she was alive… for a little while longer.
Where she was cared for.
He rose to his knees and she followed, matching his movements. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pressed her breasts against his chest. Her nipples hardened, tingling and throbbing against her bra which suddenly seemed much too confining.
His kiss grew harder, almost bruising to her tender lips. She liked it. Wanted more.
Sean nibbled along her jaw, licked her neck. As his hands fumbled for her shirt, she drew back, allowing him to tug it over her head.
The cold air should have chilled her, but the hot desire in his eyes kept her warm.
His gaze was reverent as he reached to cup her breasts over her lacy red bra. “I never would have guessed,” he said, looking up with a quirk of a smile.
She shrugged. “I enjoy sexy things.”
“Baby,” he whispered huskily, his thumbs flicking over her pebbled nipples. “So do I.”
Heat blossomed over her face, realizing he was talking about her.
Suddenly, she felt unaccustomedly shy. Sure, she knew all about sex. She’d seen Brüs’s men copulating many times in his debauchery-filled castles.
But this was different. Not just the first time a man had ever seen her anywhere near naked, but the first time a man had ever looked at her like this. Not with lust, though that was there in his eyes.
But it was tempered by softness. By emotion.
He bent down, kissing the valley between her breasts. The scruff on his cheeks tickled her skin. When he took one lace-covered, engorged nipple between his teeth and tugged, desire blazed a trail through her.
She whimpered in pleasure, the sound refusing to be contained.
“I see my hell cat likes that.”
“Mmm.” She couldn’t form words as he continued to tease her.
He trailed his hands down her sides to her hips, then up her back to the clasp of the bra. With a quick flick of his fingers, the bra sprung loose. Sean eased the straps over her shoulders, then tugged them down her arms.
All the while, his mouth teased and tantalized her nipples.
He took the lace between his teeth and drew back, pulling it off with his mouth.
Startled, she couldn’t stop the flush of excitement rushing through her at what should have been such a silly thing.
He dropped it to the ground, his gaze locked on her bare breasts. “Beautiful.”
Heat rose to her cheeks once more. A bit embarrassed, she slid his shirt up over his taut abs, his smooth chest, over his head.
His tanned skin, velvety to the touch over such hard strength beneath, beckoned.
Once more copying him, she scooted closer, licking first one dark nipple, then the other. They tightened, springing up into hard little nubs.
He hissed a breath and she glanced up. His jaw was tight, but he seemed to like it. She licked him gently again, following with a nibble, and drew out another hiss. She grinned, nipping his taut skin up to his neck and pressed her naked breasts against his heated skin.
With a groan, Sean grabbed her tight, devouring her mouth. His hardness pressed between her thighs, sending heady sensations flying along her nerves. She’d heard of a toe curling kiss, but had never believed such a thing to be real.
Now she knew it did exist.
She traced her nails down his back, then grabbed his ass.
* * *
This woman was driving him crazy. Each touch made him all the hotter. His every instinct was screaming to rip the rest of their clothes off, push her down and bury himself deep within her wet heat. His blood burned from the fact he was allowed to touch, to taste.
His, whispered inside him.
He drew back, staring into her blue-green eyes. His chest swelled with every emotion that had been dancing around his heart the past days.
At the thought of how close she’d been to death, he swore to himself it would never happen again. He would protect this woman better next time, protect her with his life.
His.
He needed to take it slower, get his rampaging hormones—and instincts—under control. Drawing her to her feet above him, he nuzzled her belly.
She giggled.
“You’re ticklish?” he asked, finding it adorable.
He nuzzled her again, grinning at her laugh. Slowly, he unbuttoned her jeans, and pulled them down her slim hips. She wore red lace panties that matched the bra. This time, he wasn’t surprised at the sight, though it still spurred something inside him.
Unexpected layers, though he’d known there were many—were still many—he hadn’t seen.
Her nails dug into his shoulders as she lifted each foot. He tossed her jeans to the side, staring reverently up her long, shapely legs, her generous hips covered by the scrap of lace.
He met her gaze. No longer wearing her protective mask, her face was full of expression. Her eyes blazed with emotion.
Trust.
Desire.
And, dare he hope, something softer from her heart?
She took his breath away. Everything she was, inside and out. Her determination, once she made up her mind to do something, to give fully to whatever the cause might be.
And though he knew that with his actions, he might be losing the key his clan needed, he didn’t care.
Let them call him a failure.
Let them say they’d known a half-breed couldn’t accomplish such an important mission.
Staring up at Mayah, Sean knew that bringing her magic to help the clan wasn’t why Jezamine, why the Fates, had sent him.
It was to claim her heart. To give her his own.
The love overflowing his soul for this woman—slowly helping him come to terms with himself, to feel like a complete man for the first time in his life—was what Fate had meant for him.
He refused to deny it.
She was his, now and forever.
He nibbled her inner thigh, trailing his hands up her legs to cup her ass, just as he’d dreamt of since waking days ago. She fit perfectly against his palm. When he kissed her lace-covered wetness, she gasped, hips jerking toward him as if begging for more.
* * *
Mayah couldn’t believe the sensations spiraling through her from Sean’s touch. The scenes she’d seen while with Brüs were nothing like the gentle, loving way this man touched her. As if she was a banquet and he was starved, yet, at the same time, he needed to savor every bite.
The scruff on his chin rasped deliciously over her sensitive skin once more. He nibbled her flesh through her panties, as he’d done with her breasts. The friction of his teeth and the lace sent shockwaves down her legs, making her knees weak.
Demonstorm: Heart of a Vampire #6 Page 11
