The Price of Possession

by Dakota Brown

  Mal tossed my shirt aside before letting his eyes roam over my inked skin. He traced his fingers up the knotwork on my arms, pausing over the hidden runes, before lightly brushing his hands down my front, exploring the ink.

  Before I could say anything, he turned me so he could see my back.

  I wondered if my art had completely distracted him from our intentions, but then he unclasped my bra. I let that slid off my arms and fall to the ground.

  He finished investigating the exposed tats and returned to caressing my skin with his hands. Mal pulled me backward so my back was pressed against his chest, one hand went to my chest, gently massaging my breast, while the other cupped my chin and tilted my head back, baring my throat.

  My heart skipped a beat when he lowered his lips to my neck, but he only kissed me, lips gentle as he kissed to the curve of my shoulder. I relaxed into his embrace, letting him have my body for the moment. He knew what he wanted, and for once I was happy to surrender control for a time.

  "You are beautiful," he murmured, lips against my skin.

  "Bet you say that to everyone." I jumped when he tweaked my nipple, annoyed at my quip.

  "Only when it's true," he growled back at me, biting at my shoulder.

  "Thank you," I replied, chastised.

  He really was skilled. I hadn't even lost most of my clothing and he already had me far more hot and bothered than just about anyone else I'd ever been with. I was starting to think I'd seriously been missing out.

  Mal's hands wandered lower, tracing across my stomach, before unsnapping my jeans.

  I was about to pull away so I could slide out of my pants when he ran both hands to my hips, hooked my jeans, and slid them off me, sinking down to the ground behind me on his knees.

  Shit, he was smooth. He even carefully lifted my leg with one hand, while supporting my waist with another so I wouldn't stumble. Yay for a man with experience.

  Mal caressed my legs, turning me back toward him and now he was staring straight at my pussy, a pleased smile curling his lips.

  He smoothly rose to his feet and pushed me backward until my legs pressed against my bed. I sat and he gently pushed my shoulders back until I was laying down, legs hanging over the edge, with him standing between my knees. He leaned over me, one hand cupping my breast.

  Then he stopped, tilted his head, and stared at my bedspread. My rainbow colored unicorn bedspread. It was old, but still serviceable.

  "Uh, went through a phase."

  He grinned and turned his attention back to me. "No judgement, remember?"

  Turning my attention away from the remnant of my childhood, I tugged at his shirt and he let me pull it off.

  "For a nerd, you sure do have a lot of muscle." I let my admiration show in my tone.

  His laugh went straight to my core, tightening things that were already aching for attention.

  I traced my fingers down his chest, following the line of a faded scar. If what I'd felt from his back was any indication, he had a few more back there.

  Possibly intentionally, Mal distracted me from questions by dragging his hands down my sides until his hands were on my hips. He knelt between my legs, kissing my thigh as he worked his way closer to my poor, neglected clit. I opened for him, groaning in pleasure as his tongue flicked along my lips.

  I cried out when he focused on my clit, squirming at the intensity, clutching the bedspread. He held me still, hands on my hips, while his extremely skilled tongue worked me to the edge of what promised to be an intense release. My legs trembled, heat pooled in my core, my extremities tingled, I cried out as Malak took me over the edge, seeing stars as my body shattered.

  By the time my vision cleared, and I'd caught my breath a little, Mal had shed his pants. He crawled up the bed over me. I admired his lean muscles, and yeah, he was just as well-endowed as I'd anticipated.

  I licked my lips before meeting his eyes.

  He gave me a questioning look, and I held out my hand inviting him closer. "I've got an implant, but..."

  "Vampire," he said. "No babies, no diseases."

  "Convenient."

  "Mostly," he agreed.

  I pulled him to me, pressing my mouth to his, tasting me on his lips. I'd always enjoyed that. We devoured each other's lips for a time before he pressed himself against my opening.

  "Still okay?" he asked.

  "Yeah, Mal."

  He smiled and slowly pushed into me.

  Moaning, I tilted my hips, enjoying being stretched, taking him as deeply as I could. He slowly slid out of me, then picked up the pace. It didn't take long before I was building toward another orgasm. Mal panted as he thrust into me. I hooked my leg over his back, digging my nails into his shoulder. He rumbled in pleasure.

  It surprised me at how long he lasted after everything we'd already been through that evening, but when he finally did stiffen, he brought me over the edge with him. We crashed through our releases together, and when I came down from that high, I found myself cradled in Mal's arms. It had been so long since anyone had held me after sex, he almost got tears again, but this time I really did fight them off.

  "That was probably some of the best sex I've ever had."

  "Thank you," he murmured, sounding sleepy.

  "Hey, Mal? Do vampires need to breathe?"

  "No, but if I don't breathe during sex, it usually freaks people out, so I taught myself to remember to." Clearly, he had known where I was going with my question. He kissed my neck and I snuggled more firmly against his chest.

  "Any other pressing post sex questions?" He nibbled at my ear.

  "I'm sure I'll think of something eventually."

  "Sabian, how are you feeling?" Mal raised his voice slightly.

  Shit, I'd forgotten about the incubus. Wasn't the first time I'd gotten laid with an audience. I just usually didn't forget they were there.

  "Much better," he purred from where he lay somewhere on the floor out of sight. "Feel free to keep it up, though."

  Mal ran his hand over my hip. "Not a terrible idea."

  Startled, I shifted so I could meet his eyes. "Seriously?"

  "If you want."

  "Hell yes."

  He laughed. "We'll make sure our incubus is quite full before we get our own rest."

  "I think that sounds fantastic."

  His lips met mine again, and I wondered how long he could keep going. Maybe there were a few advantages to fucking a vampire.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  When I woke the next morning, sunlight filtering in through curtains I hadn't remembered to shut, I expected to be alone, not curled up spooned in someone's arms.

  "You know," I said softly, once I was aware enough of my surroundings to be semi-coherent, "if you spoil me too much, you might not be able to get rid of me."

  Mal tightened his arms and kissed my bare shoulder. "I'll take that chance."

  "Okay, pressing vampire question number two. Sunlight?"

  He chuckled. "Only a problem for vampires in movies."

  "Huh."

  "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

  I froze for a moment before I rolled over so I could face him. "Seriously?"

  "I like to cook."

  "Can you eat food?"

  "Not really. Doesn't mean I don't like preparing it."

  "You really are trying to spoil me."

  Mal grinned. "Yes. It's my diabolical plot to get you back in my bed again."

  "Technically it's my bed."

  "Unicorns and all," he teased.

  "Hey, no judging."

  "I'm not. I like unicorns."

  "Really?"

  "They're quite fierce."

  "Wait, are unicorns real?"

  He gave me that enigmatic grin before he kissed my forehead and climbed out of bed.

  I watched while he dressed, enjoying the fluid grace of his movements.

  "Do you want breakfast?" He directed that to the floor.

  I'd forgotten about Sabian again. I wondere
d if he was doing that on purpose or if my defenses were just that low right now. If so, I was far too comfortable with a demon and a vampire sleeping in the same room as me. Though, to be fair, neither of them had hurt me. I rubbed my neck. Mal must have been holding back last night. I hadn't noticed him display any hint of fang the entire time. It almost made me feel bad, but I wasn't sure I was quite ready for that level of connection with him.

  The two of them left my room together, Sabian still naked. He probably didn't care, but I needed to find him a robe, which meant I needed to venture into the time capsule of my parents' bedroom. I was certain dad would have had a robe that would be close enough in size for Sabian to wear, at least until Darius arrived with clothing for the demon.

  I stretched deliciously sore muscles and debated staying in bed until breakfast was ready. No, at some point I was sure Sabian would go outside. I did not need him to be parading around my property starkers.

  Groaning, I rolled out of bed and hit the bathroom to freshen up. I pulled on my normal clothes and stumbled back to the master bedroom. Hand on the doorknob, I hesitated. Did I want to be caffeinated first? It wasn't so much the room itself, and the belongings, that kept me out of my parents' bedroom. It was the memories, the nightmares that followed. Their scent lingered on the air all these years later. The light perfume my mother had worn on special occasions. The spicy aftershave Dad enjoyed. The scents sparked the memories, and the nightmares always chased them. I was in for a rough few nights, but it wasn't anything I hadn't dealt with before.

  Deciding just to rip the band-aid off, I opened the door and stepped inside.

  I tried not to look around at the heavy wood furniture, the southwestern patterned comforter on their bed, now coated in a layer of dust, the comfortable armchair I still debated about dragging out into the living area. It smelled like my dad's aftershave though and I didn't think I could handle that.

  I hurried over to the closet, flipped on the light, and grabbed my father's summer robe out. It was black, fuzzy, and light enough to be comfortable in the warmer parts of the year. Sabian was bigger than my dad had been, but not by a whole lot. It should fit well enough.

  Trying not to bring the robe to my nose so I could smell it more deeply, I flipped off the light, shut the closet door, and hurried out of the room, running from the memories. Friday night movies with my family, walks in the desert, ice cream in the square.

  Shuddering, I made my way back to the kitchen and thrust the robe at Sabian.

  "You don't like the view?" He pouted as he took the clothing from me.

  "Naw, view's great. Just, probably don't need the neighbors ogling you should someone happen to be close enough to see."

  He smirked and slid his arm into the sleeve.

  Something of my mood must have come through, because Mal came over and put his arms around me. I snuggled into him, shock at his consideration warring with my desire not to burden him with my problems.

  Mal seemed to know I didn't want to talk about it, and didn't ask, just held me tightly for a minute before going back to cooking.

  Who did that for a virtual stranger, anyway? Apparently nerdy occultist vampires did. Never would have guessed.

  I hopped onto the barstool at the island, determined to ignore the wash of sadness until it went away. That usually worked. Eventually.

  "What's for breakfast?"

  "Pancakes and bacon. That's about the best I could do with the ingredients you had available." Mal handed me a plate.

  "Pretty damn good since I didn't have mix."

  He gave me a horrified look.

  I grinned.

  Sabian, now clothed, sat next to me and Mal gave him a plate, too.

  "Gods, these are perfect." I moaned, eyes closed in bliss. "You know, I have space, might as well move in, I need this every morning."

  I opened my eyes to see both guys staring at me. Sabian looked enraptured, eyes a little wide, lips parted in ecstasy. Mal's expression was a bit more predatory, but definitely interested.

  Could Sabian feed off of my pleasure just from eating good food? If the expression on his face was any indication, the answer was yes. Guess it was polite to feed my guests.

  At that thought my attention returned to Mal.

  He sipped some coffee, looking pleased.

  Breakfast went quickly, and Sabian offered to clean up. Hoping he somehow knew how a dishwasher worked, I left him alone in the kitchen while Mal and I went to get that picture of the ritual so I could send it to Darius.

  I turned on my phone and followed Mal into the basement where he'd left his book last night.

  "I feel like I should apologize, mate." I twisted my hands nervously.

  "For what?" Mal tucked his book under his arm and glanced at me.

  "Dragging you into all of this."

  His eyes glinted in amusement. "Did you miss the part where I enjoyed myself last night?" He brushed his fingers across my cheek.

  "Uh, no." My face heated slightly. "Just, uh." I shrugged, not able to articulate what I was feeling.

  "I'm glad I came over to check on you." He leaned in and I angled my neck so I could meet his lips. He wrapped his free arm around me, pulling me against him as we kissed. I leaned into him, clutching at his shirt maybe a little desperately.

  He released me after a few minutes, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

  "Let's get this spell sent to your priest."

  "Yeah." I gestured toward the stairs. Light would be better in the living room.

  Once we were upstairs, Mal opened the book to the right page and I snapped a few pics and texted them to Darius.

  He replied with a thumbs up a moment later and a quick question.

  Darius: You okay?

  Me: Fine. Thanks.

  Darius: See you in a few hours with some clothes for your guest.

  I replied with a thumbs up and handed my phone to Mal. "Number?"

  He quickly entered himself into my contacts and handed my phone back. "I should be going. Olivia might get concerned if I don't at least show up for a few minutes today."

  "Olivia?" No, we will not be jealous of women in Malak's life, I told myself. You literally have no claim on him.

  His lips twitched and I thought he might be fighting a grin. "She co-owns the shop. She does most of the work, but I stop in most days and I work the counter on days she wants off."

  "Ahh." See, nothing to be jealous of, I told my stupid brain. "Yeah, I probably should put in an appearance at work at some point, too."

  "Sabian, it was nice to meet you."

  The demon looked up from the sink. Clearly, he hadn't known how to use the dishwasher, but he did know how to do dishes by hand. "Yes. I'll see you soon, Mal." He grinned at the vampire. "Thank you for breakfast."

  I walked Mal to the door.

  He wrapped me in another soul-feeding hug and gave me a relatively chaste kiss. "Call me if you want. I hope to see you again, Chris Price."

  I didn't reply, just watched him leave. He drove a hybrid. Go figure.

  Once Mal had left, I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered, feeling a little empty. That was a weird feeling for me. Usually, I was glad to get a lover gone and get back to my life. Now I felt a little lost. I wandered back to the kitchen.

  "What are we doing today?" Sabian came around the counter and stood next to me.

  "Um, not much until Darius gets here with some clothes for you."

  "I've heard so much from some of the other demons who've come back from being topside. I want to see it all." He bounced on his toes.

  "Okay, great. Rule number one, though. Don't tell anyone you're a demon."

  "Duh."

  My jaw dropped and then I shook my head. Right.

  "I guess I don't have any other rules. I'm not good at following them, anyway. Here, um, let me show you the TV. I need to do a few things around the house. We can head out once you have some clothes."

  His face lit up and I found myself smiling
in return. Maybe not quite as empty as I had thought.

  Chapter 6

  Price

  Darius arrived a few hours later. I was outside, trying not to get sunburnt while at the same time enjoying being in the fresh air.

  "So, how's the demon?" he asked by way of greeting.

  "Does dishes, so I guess he can stay. Currently learning about the world through the TV."

  "Lord help us all," Darius intoned.

  I laughed.

  "And your dungeon master?"

  "Dear God, Darius, seriously?" I sputtered.

  He smiled and crossed his arms.

  "Well, he cooks."

  "By the pleased expression on your face, he does more than cook."

  "You really want the details?" He was going to get an earful if he kept pushing. When he didn't reply right away, I shrugged. "He knows how to take care of a woman."

  "Good."

  "Tell me you brought some clothes for Sabian?"

  "I did my best without him actually there. By the way, are you aware that incubi are shape shifters?"

  I raised my eyebrows. "Oh really?"

  "Yes. In fact, an incubus is merely a lust demon who has taken male form instead of female form."

  "You mean he's a succubus, too?"

  "If he wants to be."

  "Okay, then." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Can't say I knew that. Not my area of expertise. Skipped right over the sex demons and focused on the ones I thought I was more likely to meet."

  Darius chuckled. He grabbed a few bags from his car and followed me into the house.

  "Sabian! Company."

  We met the demon in the living area and Darius held out the bags to him. "I just got some basics. I hope they fit."

  The demon looked in the bags and his eyes lit up. "Thank you, priest."

  Now I was curious what Darius had gotten that made the demon so happy.

  It turned out that Sabian was simply easily pleased. A couple of pair of jeans and some plain T-shirts, underwear, socks, and hiking boots. Darius had done very well guessing the demon's size, or the demon had simply adjusted himself to fit. I didn't want to know at this point.

  He also had zero sense of modesty. After Sabian inspected all of the clothing he shed the robe and dressed in the living room. It wasn't exactly as if we hadn't seen him naked already, it just surprised me. Darius simply shook his head and turned his attention outside while Sabian slid on his new clothing.