Lucinda, Dangerously

by Sunny

  Ruric was not gentle in his feeding. He took the man’s blood roughly, savagely, drinking down the human’s pain along with his lifeblood as the man screamed silently in terror, locked inside his body by Ruric’s strong mental will. And well he should be afraid. Were it not for Lucinda’s clear injunction not to harm the humans here, Ruric would have taken the man outside and ripped out his tongue, his eyes, and torn off his offending arm for daring to try to touch Mare!

  You will not remember me or this encounter. And you will avoid the girl outside—who is blind by the way, you fool—and her blond-haired sister. You will feel anxious and uncomfortable anytime you come upon them and wish to immediately leave their presence.

  Ruric took one final, deep pull of blood and grudgingly released healing agent into the wound, watching as the torn skin of the neck knit back together. Not all demons could heal bite wounds, but that was one of Ruric’s gifts, and he grudgingly used it, watching the traumatic redness fade away, leaving behind no evidence of the less than gentle feeding that had just taken place. He left the man slumped against the wall with the command to sit there for the next five minutes, and stepped out of the men’s bathroom no more than twelve seconds after entering it.

  Mare was still there. Ruric had been acutely aware of her presence just outside the door while he had taken that quick moment to feed, and to punish.

  “Your sister should not have let you wander off by yourself,” Ruric said tersely, and watched her eyes turn his way.

  Mary felt a deep wave of heat rise up her neck and flush her face as the fear she had felt—fear that had turned to profound relief—now switched to an anger so intense, so blistering hot, that she lifted her hands and for the first time in her life deliberately pushed another person. Shoved him hard.

  He felt like a rock, a boulder, and didn’t move a damn inch. Which infuriated her even more.

  “Oh!” She smacked his hard chest, so hard her hand stung. And this, of course, only added to her ire. “I am not a stray dog! And I do not wander.”

  Another smack that landed across a broad and heavy shoulder.

  “I’m legally blind, not a child! What independence I have earned has been hard fought for and well earned by me.”

  He just stood there and let her pound on him, and Mary suddenly felt like an idiot, stunned by what she had just done—hit another person. Beat on him. Misery hit her in a swamping wave, but not quite remorse, not yet anyhow. Body trembling, breath coming fast and hard, she swayed in bewildered anger and shock, wondering what shrewish creature had suddenly possessed her usual calm and serene self.

  She felt the fleeting touch of his palm against her back as he steadied her. Heard the concern in his voice as he asked, “Are you all right?”

  She laughed. An abrupt, unhappy sound. “No, I’m frightened and scared, and so angry at you.”

  A brief, stilted silence.

  “It was not my desire to frighten you. I would leave you,” he said, quietly distant, as if he had walled himself up. “But I cannot leave you here alone. You must be the one to depart.”

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “I’m not frightened of you. The other man . . . he scared me. You, I am totally, completely angry at. What did you do to him, by the way?”

  “I warned him to stay away from you. He will not come near you again,” he said, his voice suddenly hard and brutal sounding.

  “Did you beat him up?” she asked in a smaller, quieter voice.

  “No.”

  “Did you . . . you didn’t kill him, did you?”

  “No, although I was tempted to,” he confessed to her.

  She felt relief at his words and then wondered at herself, at him, that she could so easily ask if he had killed another man, and believe him capable of such a thing, and yet not be afraid of him. Mary shook her head, more at herself than at him. If she were wise, she would do as he said and walk away from him, but . . . she couldn’t. Some foolish, imprudent part of herself didn’t want to sever that tenuous connection—a moment filled with violence, danger, and a strange intimacy.

  “Did you injure your hands?” he asked.

  She laughed abruptly. “Yes. You’re as hard as a blasted rock.”

  “That is what my name means.” A slight hesitation. “Ruric. What is your name?”

  “Mary,” she answered.

  And suddenly what her sister called her made better sense to Ruric. She was not named after a horse. Mare was simply a shortening of her name, Mary.

  “Can you see me?” he asked quietly.

  “No. No, I cannot see you at all.”

  “What about other people? Can you see them?”

  Mary shook her head. “No one else either. I see movement mostly, sometimes color. It’s been that way all my life.”

  “But you walk so assuredly. Seem so aware of other people and objects that cross your path.”

  “Movement again, and I can sense them somehow—people, objects.”

  “But not me,” he said puzzled.

  “No. You, I seem to be truly blind to. I can’t sense you at all for some reason. I didn’t hurt you, did I? I . . . shouldn’t have hit you like that.”

  A low sound rumbled up from his chest—a sound Mary belatedly realized was a chuckle.

  “Next time you wish to hit me, little one, use something other than your hand. You injured yourself unnecessarily.”

  Mary sniffed, then smiled slightly, her humor getting the better of her. “You, sir, are arrogant. Conceited.”

  Her accusation surprised Ruric. He had viewed Hari as being that way, not himself. Then again, many things were in disorder tonight. It had been he who had found Lucinda’s restraining injunctive necessary, not Hari.

  “But,” she added softly, “you are also kind. Thanks for helping me. I’d better go. Before my sister starts to worry.”

  Ruric watched her leave. Watched her return safely to her sister. Then he moved with quick, blurring speed back to where he belonged. To the room filled with other dangerous demons like himself.

  TEN

  NICO NOTED RURIC’S silent return, as with a smooth thrust of the cue he sent a four ball into the right corner pocket. The faint scent of blood told him that Ruric had fed, much more quickly than Nico had expected.

  Being here in this place felt almost like home—what it had been to Nico for several weeks after he had fled his Queen. As if Nico’s thoughts had conjured him, the owner of this quaint bar-restaurant stepped into the room.

  Jim Banion, the proprietor of Smoky Jim’s, took in the billiard room’s mixed occupants with a single, shrewd, encompassing glance.

  “Nicky,” Jim exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with pleasure as they landed upon Nico. Striding over, he gripped Nico’s arms in warm embrace. “You just up and left with a pretty lady one night, and never returned. Some of us were worried. Others, though, were real envious of you,” he said, winking.

  Nico threw back his head and laughed. “Let me introduce you to that pretty lady. My Lucy,” he said, presenting her to his friend. Lucinda’s brow creased dangerously at the casual shortening of her name. “This is Jim Banion, the owner of this fine establishment, and my good friend.”

  “Thank you, Nicky,” Lucinda said with dry, subtle emphasis on his own nickname. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” she said, greeting the proprietor.

  “Believe me, ma’am, the pleasure is all mine. I’m surprised all the males here in this establishment haven’t swamped you yet. Then again . . .” His glance flicked to Ruric. “Maybe the dumb louts are smarter than I gave ’em credit for.”

  Lucinda laughed as Nico continued the introductions. Ruric became Ralph—the big demon didn’t even blink at that—Stefan was altered to Steven, and Talon became Allen. Jonnie’s name remained unchanged.

  “I’m living with Lucy now,” Nico told his friend.

  “Are you, lad?” Jim sighed. He was a man in his late forties, not much taller than Nico, shrewd and tough, but honest and fair. �
��A loss for me. I was hoping you’d come back—I still have your stuff. But I’m happy for you,” he said, slapping Nico on the back.

  “Thanks, Jim, for everything you did, taking me in like that. Giving me a place to stay.”

  Jim waved it away. “You kept my place trouble-free. There’s been two brawls since you’ve been gone. And your, ah, friends.” The subtle change in Jim’s voice told Nico he was speaking about the three beautiful human women he had kept very pleasurable company with. “They’ve missed you sorely, lad. Been moping around, asking if I’ve seen you or heard from you.”

  “You can tell them that I’m back in the area but no longer free to spend time with them.”

  “Will do.” Jim nodded—message received. “Well. You probably want to collect your stuff then.”

  “Sure.” He caught the keys to the car Lucinda tossed to him. “I’ll come with you now and take it off your hands.”

  Exiting out the kitchen, the two of them made their way up the back flight of stairs that led to the small attic space that had been converted into living quarters.

  “Your buddies,” Jim said, opening the door to a small studio apartment, “an odd group of friends you found yourself there.”

  “They certainly are,” Nico said, grinning. Even more than Jim knew.

  “Two of those fellows I wouldn’t want to tangle with.”

  “You have nothing to worry about, Jim. If anything, they’re like me, more apt to keep the peace than stir up trouble.”

  “That’s good to hear. That big brute especially, I’d hate to come up against.”

  “Who, Ralph?”

  “Yeah. I was keeping an eye on him from behind the bar. I see him one moment. In the next blink, he’s gone. He moves real fast for a fella that big.”

  You have no idea, Nico thought. His words to Jim, though, were much more reassuring. “Ralph might look big and scary, but he’s an honorable man.” Well, an honorable demon, at least, he hoped. “You don’t have to worry about any trouble from him.”

  “We lost a lot of the lady customers after you left,” Jim said regretfully.

  “Ah, so it isn’t really the peacekeeping I did for you that you miss, but the increased female clientele I drew in.”

  “Both talents were good for business. But seriously, lad, you’ve always got a room here should you ever need it.”

  “Thanks, Jim,” Nico said, touched by the kind offer. “But I’ve got a home now, people I belong with.”

  “I’m glad for you, then,” Jim sincerely said. “Well, be sure to lock up when you’re done. At least you’re back in the area. Feel free to drop by anytime, you and your pretty friends. See if we can’t draw back some of those ladies.”

  Nico grinned widely. “You can count on it.”

  Jim left. A moment later Nico felt Lucinda behind him, a soundless demon, but one he felt now. Was totally aware of the silent beat of a second heart.

  “There’s no need to give up your lady friends,” she said in a soft murmur.

  Grabbing an empty garbage bag, Nico began stuffing the few things he had into it—some shirts, pants, a few sweaters, a jacket. Gifts, mostly, from the same lady friends currently under discussion.

  “You are my lady now,” he replied diplomatically.

  “You sound quite happy about that.”

  “I am,” Nico said, turning to look at her.

  “It wasn’t your choice, what happened. Our binding. It was an accident. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Inside you, you mean?” Nico asked with a wicked smile. He’d been buried deep inside her luscious heat when the bond between the three of them had unexpectedly snapped into place.

  To his delight, she blushed.

  “I’ve already trapped you into something not of your choosing,” she told him. “I won’t try to curtail your freedom in any other way.”

  He dropped the bag. Gently brought his hands up to cup her face. “Lucinda, I wasn’t trapped into anything. I’m exactly where I want to be—with whom I want to be. I’m happy . . . very happy,” he assured her, smoothing his thumbs over the soft, tender skin of her jaw. “I know that Stefan is dear to your heart in a way that no other male is. But so am I—special to you in a way that no other person can be, not even him. Trust me, I don’t regret my situation. I belong to you. And you belong to me and Talon. And I pray with every fiber in my being that our bond is irrevocable, unbreakable, because for the first time in my life I have a home—people I care about, who care about me. Don’t waste a single moment feeling guilty,” he said, and kissed her.

  It was a light kiss at first. Simple and sweet.

  Then it changed with one word. “Darling,” she murmured against his lips.

  It inflamed him, that word. Like dry tinder violently taking spark. He had been no one’s darling until he had met Lucinda.

  “Careful, love,” Nico said unsteadily. “You know what a dangerous word that is to use around me.” Oh yes, he saw as he looked into her eyes, she knew exactly how potently that word affected him.

  With a faint shimmer of energy, Lucinda snapped a cone of silence around them.

  “My sound barrier is only good for us now,” she murmured in sultry invitation.

  “Then by all means, let us put it to some good use.” With a fierce, bright smile, he brought his mouth back down on hers.

  She met him with hungry passion, her lips sliding over his, her tongue darting out to lick and taste him.

  “Darling,” Lucinda whispered, stroking the flame of his desire higher with that incendiary word. “Take off our shirts,” she commanded softly.

  “As my lady wishes.” The tops quickly came off them both. “No, leave the gloves on,” she said when he reached for them. Then forgot about them a second later as she licked and nibbled her way down his chest.

  “Wait,” he said, “let me lock the door.” Practical matters and concerns were about to go flying out the window. And then they did, his eyes nearly crossing as she licked playfully over his nipple.

  Lucinda gave a husky, purring laugh, blowing air over the wet, perked flesh. “Ruric is on guard outside. He won’t let anyone enter.”

  “Ah, well, in that case.” He spun her around and tossed her onto the bed. And felt her sound barrier slip over him, leaving him standing outside the shielding. Lucinda wasn’t aware yet of what had happened, he realized, as she opened her mouth, making a remark he couldn’t hear. A few seconds passed and he felt nothing: no cutting weakness that brought him down to his knees, no lessening in strength. She was looking at him with a puzzled smile, no doubt wondering why he was just standing there, staring at her with such an odd, arrested look on his face.

  “I’m okay,” he said, and watched horrified realization slide across her face as the sound of his voice was blocked from her.

  The sound cone abruptly dissipated.

  “Nico!” she cried.

  “No, stay there. I’m fine,” he said with growing delight, deep amazement. “I didn’t feel weak at all when I was cut off from you just now. Try it again. Raise your sound barrier and keep it up until I signal otherwise.”

  She did so reluctantly, perching nervously on the edge of the bed, watching him carefully.

  A minute ticked slowly by, then another and another while Nico stood there grinning broadly, monitoring his watch. After nine long minutes had passed, she’d had enough. The barrier dissolved as she walked to him.

  “I wasn’t affected at all. You could have held it longer,” Nico said, excitement and jubilation bubbling up in him. He unleashed some of it in a hard, smacking kiss, a skillful swivel of his hips, rubbing his hardness against her.

  She sank against him, her body melting into his, and cradled his erection for a moment. Reluctantly she pulled away and retrieved her shirt, covering her delectable breasts from his sight. “No more time for that,” she said sighing. “The others are waiting for us.”

  Nico snorted. “I’m highly offended.
You were only going to allot us nine minutes for a quickie?”

  “Not a quickie. I don’t do quickies,” Lucinda said, her eyes growing heavy-lidded, slumberous. “Ten minutes of intense, deeply satisfying sex.”

  “Oh. Actually for intense, deeply satisfying sex with you, I would have only needed five minutes,” he said tongue-in-cheek.

  “Rascal,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not,” Nico said, all joking aside. “I can be cut off from you and not grow weak. I’ve gotten stronger.”

  “You have. We’ll have to test the limits more later; see how long we can be safely separated.”

  “After giving me five minutes of intense, deeply satisfying sex first, of course.”

  His lady laughed, and gave him a smile filled with such wicked, hot promise that he nigh almost spurted in release.

  “If you’re up for it then, lover,” she purred, walking to the door.

  “I’m up for it now,” Nico muttered plaintively as he locked up and followed her down the steps, his bag of belongings in hand.

  He heard the little witch give a low laugh.

  The rest of their group, Hari included, looking quite satiated, were waiting for them at the bottom.

  “All done, children?” Nico asked lightly.

  “More done than you are, little man,” Hari said with a sharp smile.

  “Let’s go home then,” Lucinda said, ignoring their bladed banter.

  The drive back was much more relaxed with Hari’s hungry edge gone, and the subtle tension between him and Talon eased, like releasing a breath you hadn’t realized you had been holding.

  Back at the house, they settled into domestic life, carrying in the groceries.

  Nico set his two bags on the kitchen countertop and removed a cluster of bananas from one of the bags. He recognized the fruit, but didn’t know where or how it should be stored. “Um . . .” he said, holding up the yellow bundle, “where do the bananas go?”

  “Jonnie and I will put everything away,” Stefan said, taking the bananas from him and waving him out of the kitchen. Nico left the two of them to organize things.

  “Where’s Ruric?” Nico asked, going out onto the front porch. Only Lucinda and Hari were there, sitting comfortably in the shadows.