by Lia Davis
“Desiree.”
Ryn’s growl was interrupted by Lex’s laugh. “Dude, there is no use. She’s a female with her mind made up.”
The sound of Lex’s laugh warmed her. It was the first time she’d heard it. From that point, she decided to try and make him laugh more often.
Coming to a stop a few feet from the house, Desiree turned to face the males. “Are we going on foot?” Because she sure didn’t see any form of transportation. “Unless we are teleporting. In that case, I need to look at a map to see where I’m going.”
She could piggyback off Lex and Ryn, but that would expend too much energy.
“We need to conserve our power in case the natives get stupid.” Lex grinned and led the way to a small barn-like building several yards from the house. Inside was a VW Dune Buggy.
“How did you get this here?” Desiree asked, surprised to see a vehicle of any kind on this side. However, the buggy did seem perfect for the dirt roads.
“I brought it over a few pieces at a time so I wouldn’t catch Khan’s attention.” Lex pulled a key from the wall next to the door. “I hope it runs. I haven’t started in a couple of years.”
Desiree removed her pack and set it on the floor behind the passenger seat. “Might need fresh gas, then.”
Nodding, Lex set about draining the fuel and then conjured a few cans with new gas no doubt. Watching him fill the tank, she wondered about what he’d said about conjuring things. “If we can conjure things here, why can’t we teleport out? Why did the spirits attack me when I asked them for help?”
Ryn answered her questions. “The Underworld is a parallel reality to the human world, just like the Afterworld. Both have things like motor vehicles and resources like gas. With the portals closed the way they are, it’s impossible to conjure something from the human world, but we can conjure from within the Underworld. The spirits are angry because they too are stuck here and unable to roam free from realm to realm.”
“I sure hope the oracle can tell us something useful.” Desiree climbed into the buggy and waited.
It would be dumb luck if Khan and Samoan were in the human realm. That thought sent a slice of fear through her. Mom. What if Khan’s army was there too and attacking the covens and…
Lex’s face appeared in her line of sight. His large, warm hands wrapped around her upper arms. “Calm down.”
“What if Khan isn’t here. I need to get home, check on my mom.” A sudden sense of calm fell over her, making it easier for her to breathe.
Meeting Lex’s gaze, she noted how the streaks of crimson in his eyes brightened. He stared at her for a few moments. The ability to reach another magickin’s mind and calm them was something only a magical partner could do.
Lex kissed her forehead, then asked, “Feel better?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She meant it. Although it annoyed her to be reminded that she was destined to mate with the Death Demon.
A complication she didn’t need.
Lex hated how quietly Desiree sat next to him. Since her panic attack before leaving his house, she hadn’t said a word or looked at him. From the way she slouched in the seat, staring out the windshield, he didn’t sense any anger, just a hint of sadness mixed with anxiety. Lex wanted nothing more than to turn around and take her back home and keep her safe. While at the same time, he wanted to destroy Khan and Samoan for everything they’d done.
After about another mile of no noise but the tires on the dirt road, Desiree straightened in her seat. From the corner of his eye, he noted how she turned her body slightly in the seat to face him. “My magic depends on the natural world. It scares me to be so weak.”
Without conscious thought, he rested a hand on hers and gave a gentle squeeze. “You are not weak.”
The sense that she wanted to argue with him drifted along his awareness. Sparing a quick glance to her, he smiled at how she settled back into the slouching position in her seat. If she feared she’d lose her powers, he’d have to reassure her that he wouldn’t let that happen. She was his mate.
His to protect.
His to fall in love with.
Only he was already falling. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to claim her. The question was, could he entrust his heart to her? There was nothing tying her to him after they got out of the Underworld.
He’d have to woo her. But how?
As if reading his mind, Ryn stuck his head between the seats and said, “You two need some alone time. Have sex. Bond. There is so much sexual tension bouncing between you, it makes my head hurt. So, I’m going to do some snooping around.”
In the passenger seat, Desiree tensed. Lex gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. When he glanced to the back seat, Ryn was gone. Teleported to where-the-fuck-ever to do who knew what.
Have sex. Bond.
The demon’s words echoed ones that Lex had thought over and over since meeting the sexy strawberry-blond next to him.
“Maybe he’s right.” Desiree’s voice was barely spoken loud enough to breach the roar of the engine, but Lex heard her loud and clear all the same.
He slammed on the brakes, threw the buggy in park, and turned in his seat to stare at her. “Right about what?”
She returned his gaze with drawn brows and pursed lips. “Sex and bonding. I mean, we are magical partners. Denying that will only add complications to our mission.” She lowered her gaze and sagged in the seat. A hint of sadness flowed from her.
Seeing her unhappy or hurt in any way, broke something inside Lex. The protector within him growled, wanting to shelter her from everything that could bring her harm. But the man knew that would only push her away.
Cupping her chin, he gently lifted her gaze back to his. “Say it.”
She briefly closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “My powers here are weak. I would only drag you down.”
“If we bond, our powers merge.” Lex wanted nothing more than to make her his. “I don’t want to mate for power or convenience.”
Her eyes rounded, and she jerked away from him. “That is not why I offered.” She folded her arms. “Just forget it. I’ll manage.”
There was a hitch in her voice that told him she had been sincere in her proposal to mate. And he’d fucked it up. Way to go, asshole.
He started the car, and they drove in silence for a few miles before coming to a cave he’d used before as camp. Back when he used to do Xara’s bidding.
When he parked the buggy, Desiree glanced around. “What are we doing?”
“We will camp here and head out at first light.”
Reaching the cave entrance, he glanced back at her, still sitting in the car. She didn’t look at him as she said, “I don’t want to mate anymore. I told you to forget it.”
In two long strides, he was at the passenger side of the buggy. He picked her up. “I don’t believe you. And from what I understand, Ayden and Kalissa were miserable during the fifteen years they were apart. I found you, and I’m not letting you go. I will make you mine.”
Chapter Five
Desiree kicked her legs and wiggled until Lex put her on her feet inside the cave. When he released her, she shoved him away. “I never meant it to sound like I was using you for power.”
He stilled and stared at her for several long moments. “I didn’t think that at all.”
“But you said…” She sagged and wrapped her arms around her middle. “The longer I’m down here, the worse I feel. There is so much negative energy and darkness. It’s suffocating.”
In a breath of a moment, he stood in front of her. His fingers gently lifted her chin to gaze into his chocolate eyes with their rivers of crimson. His brows were drawn together. To most, he would appear cold, but not to her. Her Divinity gift to touch one’s soul or spirit allowed her to see what Lex hid from the world.
And he knew he couldn’t hide from her.
No more than she could from him.
“
My own mate betrayed my people and me.” The red in his eyes brightened as he spoke. Out of instinct, she placed a hand on his cotton-covered chest over his heart and opened herself to him. He drew in a slow, long breath, then released it just as slowly.
“I’m done with betraying my kind.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
Lex swiped it away with his thumb. “I want to believe you.”
Her heart hurt. What did she expect? For everything to be forgiven with puppies and rainbows? No. Her future was as bleak as the Underworld.
When she stepped back, he gripped her upper arms and held her in place. Her pulse quickened, and she winced. For a moment, she thought he was going to lash out at her. Instead, he kissed her.
His mouth crushed hers in a hot, raw demand for more. His dark power whirled around them, intensifying her need.
Threading her fingers through his shoulder-length hair, she pulled him closer. She needed this. The closeness, the raw passion he stirred within her. It fueled a hunger deep down that she’d been starving for, for far too long.
He cupped her ass and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around him, fully aware of his hard length behind his jeans. She fought back a groan when he walked toward the cave wall and pressed her back against it.
Belly burning with need, she bit his lip while sending a thought to him. “We will be stronger once bound, but it is your choice.”
He broke the kiss and locked gazes with her. There was a slight curiosity in his features. Normally, she wouldn’t be able to communicate telepathically with him or any of the Divinities. After all, she didn’t share the bond Hecate had placed on them. But Lex was different. They, together, were different.
They were Porters and magical partners.
When she’d opened herself to him earlier, it allowed her to connect with him. But only to communicate. Nothing else. He, however, could reach inside her and strip her of everything.
By the hardened stare he gave her, he knew what she’d done. “You place your trust too freely.”
“No. Not anymore. I gave my trust to you and placed my life in your hands. That way, you know I can’t hurt you.” She cupped his cheek. “You make me want things I’ve never wanted before. Plus, you make me hope for a brighter future.”
He took her hand and placed it on his chest, covering it with his own. Just then, he opened his heart and soul to her. Magic flowed through her, warm and electrifying. “I’m bare to you as you are to me. With the promise to protect and care for you, I open my heart and soul to bond with you as my mate. Do you accept?”
It was the binding of two Porters. She’d researched everything about the race since she was a child. One of the most beautiful things about them was their mating rituals. They were different per couple, but the words were very similar. “I accept, and also promise to protect and care for you until death breaks our bond.”
She gasped as power slammed into her. Dark, warm, and familiar. Lex’s Porter magic was similar to hers, but his Death Demon half made it darker, edgier.
Lex snaked an arm around her waist and hugged her to him, their bodies meshing together as if they belonged. Two halves of a whole finally brought together.
When she met his gaze, desire consumed her. Mine.
She could get lost in his eyes. Crimson swirled in a sea of chocolate.
He claimed her lips harder than he had the first two kisses. A wildfire brewed as he pushed past her lips to enter her mouth. She twined her tongue with his and moaned.
She gasped as coolness from the stone wall seeped through her cotton T-shirt. Lex thrust his hard thigh between her legs, drawing another moan from her. He deepened the kiss in greedy need. The link from the binding magic, forever linking them together, grew stronger by the moment. She relished the roughness of his touch, loving it. It was as if he knew just what she needed. Maybe he did. They were magical mates.
Fisting her hand in his dark hair, she tugged him closer as she thrust her tongue into his mouth to dance with his. He growled, backed up, and ripped her pants from her body, then lifted her, maneuvering her legs to either side of his waist. Anticipation fluttered inside her. Desire burned within and across her flesh. A moment later, he thrust inside her while breaking the kiss.
She sucked in a breath as he pierced her neck with his fangs. Pleasurable pain assailed her, making her cry out as he thrust in and out of her. He slipped his hand beneath her T-shirt and cupped her breast, pinching and rolling her taut nipple between his forefinger and thumb. Sparks of desire skidded over her skin and rushed through her blood, making her scream out in release.
The bond took full hold of them both, connecting them for their long existences.
Lex’s body tensed a moment before he growled out his own orgasm.
He held her to him for several moments before he pulled out and conjured a small towel and a replacement pair of jeans. Handing the items to her, he stepped back.
There was a long silence between them while Desiree cleaned up and dressed. She wasn’t sure what to say. Her body hummed with bliss and the extra power from the bond. His power.
“You are more powerful than you lead everyone to believe.”
His words were soft, but there was a growl in his tone. Understanding washed over her. The mistrust directed at her even after she’d opened up to him was because she hadn’t been honest about her abilities. With a sigh, she sat with her legs folded on the stone floor. “My Porter power is stronger than my Divinity magic. Porters are rumored to be dangerous and extinct. From a very young age, my mother taught me to hide that power, lock it away, and never let anyone know just how powerful I was. I should have told you, but I was scared.”
He muttered a string of curses barely audible, then sat beside her. “What are you afraid of?”
She shrugged. “At first, I was afraid for Matty’s life. Samoan used him to make me do what she wanted. I didn’t want her knowing I was stronger than I pretended to be. She would have used it to hurt my son and my coven.”
“I feel there is something else.”
Desiree closed her eyes briefly, holding back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. After taking a deep breath and releasing it slowing, she hugged her waist and told him her darkest secret. “I lied about Matty’s father. Well, not completely. He was one of the warlocks I told you about from college. But it wasn’t a one-night fling. The three of us became good friends, and I started to fall for them even though neither were my magical partner.”
As if sensing her loss, he scooted closer and drew her into his lap. Warmth and acceptance surrounded her, giving her the courage to continue. “Matty’s father’s name is Stephan, and our third was Daniel. After walking me to my dorm one night, they were attacked by demons and killed. It wasn’t until recently that I found out that Samoan had them killed because Stephan was a Porter.”
“When did you discover this?” Lex kept his tone low, but she felt his trust in her—not that there was much of it to begin with—slipping.
“The day before we came here to rescue Teddy-Bear. Samoan called my cell and left a message, taunting me with how Stephan and Daniel had begged for their lives. And telling me that Mathew looked so much like his father.” The tears fell then while rage surged through her veins. “I want Samoan dead. No one should have to suffer any more of her twisted, evil plans.”
Lex hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “I promise you, Samoan will get what is coming to her.” He sighed and settled back against the cave wall. A moment later, a blanket covered them. “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day on the road. The faster we get to Xara and hopefully get answers, the quicker we can get out of Hell.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. Getting out of Hell was a great plan. She needed to get to her mother and their coven to see if everyone was okay.
Lex squeezed her gently, again. “Shh. Sleep.”
A smile tugged at her lips. It was going to take a lot to ge
t used to having the Death Demon tuned to her emotions. But she wouldn’t hide them from him. She needed him to trust her. Trust that she’d never betray him as his former mate had.
Chapter Six
Samoan fingered the smoky quartz wrapped in silver wire and strung on a black leather cord. Sparks of silver and gold bounced within the stone—the dark magic from the Dark Divine. She’d done it. With Mathew’s help.
The kid didn’t even know what he’d done. She’d asked him to transfer the dark power to the stone, telling him the Dark Divine had volunteered to help them win the war.
He did it with ease, which had surprised Samoan. She’d apparently underestimated his abilities.
Focusing on the stone, she called out to the Dark Divine connected to the demonic version of the Sinew. Within moments, several of the witches appeared, awaiting their orders. A smile lifted her lip, and she filled with pride. Pointing to the four closest to her, she commanded, “Go to the Towncenter and make yourselves known. Use your powers to shake up the humans. I don’t care what you do. Just make it big enough that the Divinities will have to come and shut it down.”
The four nodded and dematerialized. She turned to the others and said, “You will prepare for the grand finale, the end of the Divinities.”
Zach entered Ayden’s office at the Maxville Sheriff’s office when the call came in. Four witches were at the Towncenter, using magic to destroy cars and stores. He and Ayden didn’t waste time jumping in Zach’s car, placing a cloaking spell over it, and teleporting to the large, outdoor mall.
Once they’d materialized behind one of the stores, Zach sent a telepathic message to Lydia and the other Divinities. “Got trouble at the Towncenter.”
Zach himself wasn’t telepathic. He possessed the ability to communicate only with the Divinities he was linked to through Hecate.
Lydia was the first to flash in. A moment later, Khloe and then Jagger materialized. Khloe was the first to ask, “What’s going on?”
Ayden grunted and said, “Dark Divine. But why would they tear up the mall?”
