Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2)

by Kiersten Fay

  “Rex?” The hint of panic in Marik’s voice made Nadua’s heart thump painfully faster.

  “I think I can reach her,” Rex whispered back. “Nadua, I’m going to climb down.”

  His movements caused a river of lose soil to descend on her. She finally coughed as she was forced to breath in more dust.

  A moment later, a strong hand wrapped around her wrist. She mimicked the hold. Quicker than she expected, her body was yanked up to a flat surface. They both scrambled to a more stable location. Nadua turned to see Marik in mid leap, his body slicing through the cloud of particles.

  Landing with a heavy thud, he rushed forward to collect her in his arms, right as the ledge collapsed behind him. Relief swept over her and she held on to him just as tightly as she had the rock face.

  “Thank you,” he said to Rex, who must have only nodded in return.

  “I’ve walked this path over a thousand times,” Rex murmured. “I thought it would be the safest route.” He seemed to be talking to himself more than to either of them.

  Marik put Nadua at arm’s length, looking her over. He studied her palms, which were scratched and bleeding from the sharp rocks. “You’ve lost your furs.”

  “Damn it.” Nadua looked back to the sink hole. If the cave grew cold again, she would be screwed.

  Marik guided her away. “We’ll think of something.”

  “The rest of our supplies are gone too,” Rex reluctantly added. “I had set them down over there.” He pointed to the gaping hole.

  When the shock subsided and they finally began moving again, Nadua couldn’t seem to let go of Marik. She didn’t realize till later that, in her vision, she had watched him fall.

  * * *

  Being captain of the Marada at a time like this was like being a glorified babysitter. There were no merchant deals to be made, no negotiations for contracts. All they were doing was floating in space, waiting to hear from Sebastian. Other than that, to stave off boredom, Sonya wandered the ship and made sure all was well with the crew.

  With the ship idle, she often caught the engineers sitting around, offering tales of past conquests, in anatomical detail. Most everyone had nothing else to do, besides visit the salon or entertainment rooms.

  Sonya had just finished the rounds and was hoping to sit back and have a drink at The Demon’s Punchbowl. After a long warm shower to relax her muscles, she dressed in her regular clothes: short black skirt, black corset with glossy red string woven down the front, and stockings that crawled up to her thighs. Her heels were tall, which she loved because she was shorter than most other female demons. Not that there were any on the ship to compare herself to.

  Sonya made her way to the pub. She shouldn’t have been surprised when she got there. Should have expected as much. But the blasting music, and the sight of two busty crew members, who were allowing her good ale to be poured down the front of their white blouses, was a shock nonetheless.

  The crowd was cheering at the show as she stomped her way to where Ethanule was mixing a drink for one of the inebriated patrons waiting at the bar.

  When Ethanule spotted Sonya, his smile dropped a bit. But then his gaze traveled her body and another expression came over him, nearly freezing her in mid-step. Surely he didn’t find her attractive. His eyes settled on her bodice where, she had to admit, her cleavage was looking damn good.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Her outrage was buried under the blaring music. Ethanule stopped pouring when the glass began to overfill and he set it down as though he’d meant to fill it that full.

  “It looks like I’m serving this fine gentleman,” he said. The man paid for the drink and blindly grabbed for the glass, unable to take his gaze away from the now soaked women who had begun kissing each other. Between the masculine groans and hollers from the crowd, Sonya was contemplating how best to murder Ethanule and make it look like an accident.

  “I am not running a brothel here!”

  “That’s good, because if you were, you’d be dangerously low on employees.”

  Sonya pointed to the sexual display. “Was this your idea?”

  He lifted his thumb and forefinger together. “I may have made a tiny suggestion.”

  Sonya grabbed him by the collar, bringing his face closer to hers so that they were both leaning over the bar. “This is not one of you pirate dens. This pub is my life and I will not have you defiling it.”

  As if unsure where his attention should be, he alternated between looking at her face and ogling her chest, pissing her off further.

  “You’re fired! Get out!”

  “Wait, wait, hold on.” He reached up and gently removed her hands, which had been itching to move around his neck. “Look around for a second.”

  She did so grudgingly, and saw exactly what she did before. Sonya shrugged, waiting for further explanation.

  Ethanule pointed past the melee of overly excited men, surrounding the two females. “Those two are in a committed relationship. They’re just having some fun with the boys, and putting a little spice into their relationship.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Not even a little. They came in during a lovers’ quarrel. I got them to kiss and make up, and they just didn’t want to stop. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

  “And how did you get them to kiss and make up?”

  “The same way you get any two females to kiss. You get them drunk.”

  Sonya almost laughed at that, but she swallowed the urge. Then her gaze slid around the rest of the room. Besides the drunken horde of testosterone, every table was full with not only men, but women too. And many of them were reveling at the show as well.

  A little surprised, Sonya plopped down on a stool, still watching the crowd. The Demon’s Punchbowl hadn’t had a turn out like this in a while.

  The mood on the ship for the last few weeks has been low at best. With the loss of Marik, and nearly losing Anya, the tension was as thick as it had ever been. Anya’s return had given everyone something to cheer for, but now she and Sebastian were out risking their lives to find Marik.

  Aside from all that, there had been little down time until now. They’d gone from double shifts, to almost no shifts at all. The ship was in a constant state of waiting, and the crew was growing antsy.

  Normally, Sebastian would allow Marada to dock at a space city every so often, where the entertainment was a little more extravagant. But no one had been off the ship in months, and Sonya supposed this was the crew’s way of letting off a little steam.

  Flipping around to face Ethanule, Sonya grumbled, “Fine. You’re not fired.”

  Ethanule gave a theatrical bow.

  “Just get me a drink,” she ordered.

  “Of course, my liege.”

  Sonya couldn’t tell if his blatant disrespect of her authority was supposed to be insulting or comical. Then she found herself pondering the fact that Ethanule had been given the opportunity to remove himself from her employment, and hadn’t taken it.

  While his attention was averted, Sonya openly studied him. Ethanule may claim to have put his pirate life behind him, but he still dressed like one. Over his loose white shirt, he wore a tan coat adorned with gold buttons and multiple buckles. A small, thick gold hoop hung from one of his pointed ears. A couple of beaded braids peaked out from under his light blond hair.

  Sonya sneered.

  She sipped her drink, tasting a heavy hand. “Ethanule, you had better not put this much alcohol in everyone’s drinks.”

  “Special for you, my captain.”

  Rolling her eyes, Sonya took a large gulp. The mixture was a bit off regarding flavor, but it wasn’t much different than the way she mixed her own drinks. Demons had a higher tolerance for alcohol than most other races, and they needed more of it to feel its effects. Did Ethanule know that? Or was he just trying to get her drunk?

  She’d often been surprised at Ethanule’s knowledge about demon culture. When Anya had mated Sebastia
n, he’d acted as though he knew what that meant. Most races outside her culture had no idea how sacred the mate bond was.

  She gulped the last of her glass and signaled for another. The kissing twits had moved to the makeshift dance floor and were thoroughly ignoring the ring of testosterone that had followed them. Maybe they really were lovers. Who knew?

  Sonya mumbled to herself, “I might as well have a little fun while my bar is being used as a nightclub.”

  Dancing had always reminded her of fighting, only slower and with less blood. After downing her second drink, she sashayed onto the dance floor, searching the crowd for a willing partner. She spotted one of the least drunk looking males, and pulled him onto the floor with her. She searched her memory for his name. Rick, or Rok maybe.

  Rick/Rok wasn’t bad looking, a little taller than her, not a load of muscle, but not really scrawny, either. He was a technician, and didn’t often hang out at her pub, which supported her theory about the crew needing a little excitement. She wasn’t about to admit that to Ethanule, but her desire to punish him was waning.

  It became clear that Rick/Rok was just this side of wasted, because as they danced he was blatantly staring at her body every chance he got. Usually—due to her family ties—men tended to shy away from her. Especially when it came to anything sexual. It dawned on her, that with her brothers off the ship, she might actually get to have a little fun. For once.

  His appraisal was flattering, but she was rather shocked when his arm came around her waist. So much so, she almost stopped dancing. Then he actually dipped her, and the move was surprisingly smooth.

  She laughed when he brought her back up, and teased, “You’d better watch out, you might be mistaken as suave.”

  Rick/Rok just gave her a crooked grin and pulled her against him. Then he began moving one hand down the curve of her back as they danced.

  Just when he was about to reach his destination, Ethanule appeared behind him. The next thing Sonya knew, Ethan had decked him so hard that he slumped to the floor.

  “What the fuck!” She pushed Ethanule away to examine the unconscious man’s swelling face. There was no reaction from him when she touched the fresh cut on his cheek. “Why did you do that?”

  “He was groping you!”

  “No kidding! If I had wanted him to stop I would have hit him myself! Heal him!” she demanded.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, my power isn’t working at the moment.”

  A small crowd had gathered around them. Sonya pointed to two almost sober looking males. “Take him to sickbay. Now.” She dragged Ethanule behind the bar and into the storage room. “What the fuck, Ethan! Why did you hit him?”

  The expression on Ethanule’s face was a mixture of astonishment and bewilderment. “I don’t know why I did that. I just didn’t think you wanted him touching you.”

  “You deduced that from the smile on my face?”

  Head shaking, Ethanule threw his arms out to the side. His voice was confounded. “I just didn’t like it.”

  A suspicion arose. “Did Sebastian order you to keep an eye on me? Keep guys away from me?”

  He just looked at her.

  “It is none of Sebastian’s business if I decide to—”

  Ethanule pushed her back into the door, and before she could protest, his lips were on hers.

  The abruptness of it had her frozen in place. The feeling of his body pressed against hers caused a tingling sensation that traveled through her stomach and took control of her mind. His kiss was nearly punishing with its forcefulness, and when his tongue demanded entry, she surrendered, taking him in her mouth.

  She’d kissed guys before, but she’d never experienced anything like this. This was like a claiming of her lips. They belonged to Ethanule as long as he wanted them. His hand found its way to her backside. She gasped when he pulled her lower half into his and she felt his stiff groin. He rolled his hips, pressing her harder against the door as his grip tightened from behind.

  Images of the wicked things they could do in this position assaulted her mind. She flipped him around to take control, but he wouldn’t have that. With speed and skill that rivaled her own, he twirled her body and had her front heading for the wall. She put her hands up to stop herself from slamming into it. With him at her back, he quickly pulled down her bodice and covered her breast with his hands.

  His aggressiveness was furthering her arousal. She pressed her ass against his crotch. A satisfying sound ripped from deep within him.

  “Ah, fuck,” he groaned. Once again he flipped her, taking her lips again and rubbing a thumb over her hardened nipple.

  A cold button of his coat pressed into her flesh and she made the mistake of reminding herself who was kissing her so deeply. She was bombarded by the memory her younger self, peeking through a crack as those men slashed her father to death.

  It was like fire and ice collided in her body.

  Pushing him away, she straightened her outfit, and wiped her mouth in disgust. Ethanule grew cold at the sight.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” she warned, in a tone filled with the depth of her loathing.

  She was out of there before he could respond, racing through the halls in a confused fury. Back in her room, she leaned against the wall, vehemently telling herself that she didn’t want to go back.

  Chapter 17

  After what must have been hours, they came upon a sight that made Nadua want to fall to her knees and rejoice.

  The passage opened to a tall cavern, a pool of clear steaming water at its base. She estimated it was waist deep, maybe more. Around it was a naturally made path, wide enough for a single person.

  Kneeling on the edge, Nadua reached out for the water, but paused to give Rex a questioning look. He nodded and she tentatively put her hand in to test the temperature, and groaned. It was warm!

  Exuberant excitement made her giddy. She nearly stripped right then and there, but decided tearing off her clothes in front of two sexually starved demons wasn’t the greatest idea.

  Trying to suppress her excitement, she asked, “Will we be stopping for the night?”

  Rex pointed to a small opening on the opposite wall. “There is a steep climb to a space large enough for us to sleep and make a fire. It also leads to an exit.”

  “Show us,” Marik ordered.

  Nadua got the sense that Marik didn’t fully trust Rex. She wondered if he ever trusted anyone.

  She may have had her suspicions about Rex before, but after seeing how easily that ledge had crumbled, she knew he had risked his life to save her.

  The fissure was narrow, even for her, but easy to climb. As she slowly ascended, the air transformed into the familiar crisp chill of Undewla. The change was so drastic she could almost believe she’d walked through a portal.

  At the end of the tunnel, a massive room came into view. Rex motioned toward a long corridor to his left. “That’s the exit.”

  It must have been a straight shot because Nadua could see a dim light in the distance.

  “I’ll go start gathering wood for our fire.” He handed the lantern to Marik, then crossed to pull something from behind a pile of stones. “Here are some supplies. Cloth, soap, razor. Feel free to use them.”

  Marik nodded in thanks.

  Back in the blissfully warm cavern, Nadua eagerly turned to take the lantern and supplies from Marik. “I’ll go first and come up for you when I’m done.”

  He lifted it out of reach. “I’m not leaving you alone down here.”

  She gaped at him as his words sank in. “You don’t expect me to bathe in front of you?”

  “If you want to wash, then yes. I do expect that.”

  “You can’t be in here while I bathe, it’s...you just can’t.”

  He smirked. “Shy? After what we did before? I’d say that was more intimate than a bath.”

  Nadua flushed and made a frustrated sound. “That was different.” Well, it wasn’t that different. “Our clothes were on, and you s
urprised me.”

  He shrugged.

  The idea of being naked in front of this aggressive male was as frightening as it was titillating.

  “Marik, this isn’t funny. Are you prepared to strip in front of me?” she challenged.

  Marik reached to remove his shirt and Nadua got a glimpse of tightly corded abs and a rock solid chest with light scars rippling over each muscle. Cheeks heating, she flipped around, yet was imaging licking every inch of that flesh.

  She heard his soft chuckle. “You really are shy.”

  “I haven’t been naked in front of a man since Evlon,” she admitted. She never used to be shy about things like sex. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was now.

  “What about back in the prison tent? You weren’t shy then.”

  “If my face had been uncovered you would have seen how nervous I was. Besides, you were restrained.”

  “Not as well as you thought. If I had wanted you, I could have had you.”

  Nadua wasn’t sure how to respond. Did that mean he hadn’t wanted her? And why was that the first thing she thought, rather than how dangerous a situation she had put herself in?

  “Look, I don’t want to push you,” he continued. “Although now, I can think of nothing but your wet naked body before me.” He let out the slightest groan, as if he couldn’t help it.

  She could imagine it too. And it excited her.

  His voice lowered to a more serious tone. “I don’t know this place, and I nearly lost you before. There are so many scents in here that I can’t pick yours out. So there is no way I’m leaving you alone, even for a second. Either accept that or go without a bath.”

  Grumbling, Nadua snapped back around, keeping her eyes mostly on his face. “You are not to come in with me.” She shivered at the idea. Was that what she wanted?

  “I’ll stay right here,” he agreed.

  She raised a brow. “And you can’t watch.”

  His lips thinned. “Fine.”

  “You really won’t look?”