Altered: A Beyond the Brothel Walls Novel

by Ryans, Rae Z.

  Run it was.

  Cain’s brow rose, and lines etched into his forehead. His eyes half-pleaded with me to stay. The other half, I couldn’t read, and I could decipher everyone and their motives. My boots clobbered over the barroom floor, my wide shoulders shoving past the whispering drones, and I stomped out the side door.

  Crisp air greeted me, but I didn’t shiver. The icy breeze did nothing to compose the surge he’d created with his gaze alone. Snow drifted from the sky, and flakes gusted into my eyes. I loved only the thrill of bloodshed and tortured human souls, as Father created me. Far from weak.

  No, I slapped myself. “Get a grip, you shoddy bastard.”

  I stalked toward the street corner and rested against the brick wall, trying to summon strength and resolve that refused to come. In Cain’s presence, everything in life meant nothing, and my limbs trembled at the thought. Without even touching him, he’d ruined me.

  The brim of my hat blew forward, and I palmed my rough face. Belle was right about my appearance, though. If I had known, I would have groomed a little more carefully.

  “What am I saying? When have I ever given a rat’s ass about what others thought?” Impression hadn’t exactly topped the list with anyone before, not even the last man I’d allowed myself to care about. Could I have been wrong all these centuries? Could I be capable of love and compassion beyond sexual release?

  “No. There has to be another motive.” A snort cut through the air, and I eyed my surroundings. The sound had come from me. No. I sighed, peeking around the corner and toward the bar. The same purposely-disheveled hair topped his head, and the wind tousled it. I shivered again. The slight muscled build and lanky legs strolled with purpose. Dressed in skinny jeans and a fitted T-shirt below his open coat… full, pink lips framed by light fuzz and washed on a lily-white canvas. Bugger me, Cain caused a fluttering within my body that no weapon could have combated.

  I had to reign in my obsession and stay away. Bad mojo followed men like him, and I had no time for games. My trembling hands pushed my hat down. This restless soul could not travel that road again. No one but Father controlled me, and I wasn’t about to let some demon try.

  The Horsemen were Archangels and set above the Arch demons, witches, demons, warlocks, and the Elioud living on the shards of the shattered Earth. Not all lived as the fiends of biblical lore. Hard to swallow, but some of the demons weren’t all that evil, either. However, Cain wasn’t human, and I would’ve bet four-hundred incubus souls rotting away in Sheol on the matter. No human could have caused the damage he’d inflicted that day. No humans existed, save for one cursed bastard in vampire custody. Only a Descendent, one of the Seven Princes of Hell, could have broken a Horseman’s bones because they were once Archangels.

  Pushing from my hiding spot, my head angled down, I wandered the whore-infested side streets. Arcadia had laws against brothels, unlike both Delphia and Garland to the south, but the whores were free to sell themselves on the open street in the lower Halifax districts. The sale of flesh brought in top dollar, but I steered clear of cheap release. The Arcadian Council wanted to outlaw the practice, but the streetwalkers revolted the first year.

  No, I didn’t judge them. Not my job. Steps echoed behind me, but I didn’t investigate. My hand rubbed my chest, palming the golem’s key hidden beneath my shirt.

  “Dorian.”

  I stiffened my shoulders, recognizing the breathy shout, and ducked into an alleyway. The passageway served as a shortcut, and I barreled through the frosty mess, heart pounding, before cutting a hard right through two empty backyards. The snow reached my waist, and I cursed at the trail behind me. At least we weren’t in Halifax proper, but I lived inside the city limits and navigated the streets well enough.

  My head didn’t sit straight in Cain’s presence. I ducked into an alcove of an abandoned store. Piss permeated from the space and curled my nose. Footsteps echoed off the slushy streets behind me, but I couldn’t see who made the sounds without giving my location away. My burning lungs recharged with deep breaths. My head leaned against the glass.

  Click, brush, and click: the rhythm distorted; it slowed. Cain moseyed into view and halted, whistling a long forgotten hymn.

  Shadows surrounded me, and I crawled deeper into their welcoming embrace. My breath held tight in my thundering chest. He angled his freckled nose into the air, and he inhaled, glowering as if he had lost my trail.

  What could he have wanted from me? Was I overreacting? Yes, but when another man kicked my ass, I tended to give him a wide berth.

  The tremble and odd body sensations terrified me. I had lived through the turmoil before, and I had vowed never to lose myself again. The pain accompanying past loss proved insufferable, and Sheol’s gates had opened. If not for my brethren, the world would’ve been lost shortly after it had begun. Without losing myself, I couldn’t offer Cain what he deserved: love.

  Cain dragged his satellite phone from his pocket and extended the antenna. How he’d managed to hide it in his tight jeans baffled me. There didn’t seem to be enough room for his rounded ass, let alone a phone. Inching closer, the windblown snow crunched beneath my feet.

  I held my breath, waiting for him to turn around, and counted to ten. Seconds later, my ringer blasted. ”Shite.” How did he get my number? “Hell Belles,” I cursed. This had her written all over it.

  Cain spun around and charged toward me, but I had nowhere to run, except past him. I didn’t want to flee, even though my brain screamed the command. His presence alone held a magnet and I was his metal.

  The black snake tattoo wiggled, he shuddered, and his bangs tickled his forehead. A wind gust ruffled through the corridor, spitting flakes of snow onto his broad shoulders. His full lips twitched, and his hand skimmed over my jacket before sliding along my neck. Breathing hurt, thinking throbbed, and the heat of his hands surged through me. But I stared into his eyes reflecting the innocence of a baby doe about to meet her maker.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re running from me, sweets.”

  His alto drawl drew me in, despite my back plastering against the old store’s door. Nothing sweet about me existed.

  His hand smoothed upward to my rough cheek, and his other squeezed my shoulder. Again, my mouth parched. We stood nose-to-nose, his warm breath brushing my lips in a lethal caress that curled my toes.

  “Well, now that you know what I do, I’d say I’ve been—” I removed his hand from my face and dropped my gaze to Cain’s hand, still clutching my shoulder, before brushing him away “—busy.”

  Whistles emitted from across the street, and a group of hookers strolled by. The urge to roll my eyes reared its head. Cain glanced over his shoulder, and I stole the moment to compose myself. My hand palmed my jacket pocket, searching for my cigarettes, and I withdrew one from my pack.

  “What’d you want?” I lit a smoke and inhaled, wishing the nicotine calmed my shaky hands. Cain’s attentions caressed me inside and out. He faced me again, and I swallowed loud enough the gulp ricocheted from the window glass.

  “Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find you, Dorian.”

  My brow lifted, but the rim of my fedora hid the expression. He’d hunted for me?

  “I searched everywhere after…but here you are.” Strands of light brown hair fell into his eyes.

  My hands itched to fix it, to touch him, but I shoved my hands deep into my pockets instead. A puff of smoke released from my mouth, and the breeze blew it into his face. He grabbed my cigarette from my lips and tossed it over his shoulder. My eyes narrowed, and I reached for another, but he smacked my hand aside.

  “What. Do. You. Want. Cain?”

  “Help.” A wide smile flashed but quickly retreated. His shoulders rolled, rocking with his body. “I need someone located and retrieved.”

  I snorted, ignoring the somber tone. “And?”

  “Why you’re the best of the best, or so the ABDA told me.” His gaze flickered down.


  My cock stirred, rising to greet his stare.

  “In more than one way I’m sure.” Cain’s lips pursed and he hooked a finger into my belt loop. “Shame I don’t mix business…”He stroked my cock through my jeans.

  I gasped.

  “And pleasure.”

  “I… didn’t say…yes…yet.” Words choked from my lips while his assault repeated, my back arching and my hard length pressing into his palm. But I would, on both accounts. I never turned down a case.

  Cain spun me around, plastering my face against the dirty, glass shop door. Blood flooded to my groin, and the spicy, acrid scent of fire flared my nostrils while he ground himself against my ass. He shucked my long duster to the ground.

  “Take that off.” He tugged on my shoulder holsters. “Colt .45’s? Pegged you for a Glock after seeing the size of your cock.” Cain reached around and grabbed my dick as my weapons joined my trench coat. “Don’t forget the other two.” He mumbled, “Hurry,” and ran his hand over my clenched cheeks.

  Hastily, my fingers worked at the straps, holstering guns to my thighs, leaving two more around my ankles. My lip throbbed as I held it between my teeth, halting the moan threatening to escape. No use. Cain yanked my hips toward him and snaked his arms around my chest.

  “You’re fucking beautiful,” he whispered, nibbling on my earlobe. His other hand pulled my belt free, and it clattered against my weapons piled on the ground.

  A horse drawn buggy rattled by as the sunlight filtered behind the trees and reflected off the glass. Anticipation warred with sanity. He drew my zipper down a tooth at a time. And I had thought Cain deserved better than this. Hot breath blew on my neck, and rough lips sizzled over my collar, leaving dimpled flesh in its wake. Why would I even care? Yet, I could not stop the words, my mind backpedaling. “Pleasure before business, then?”

  He cursed and jerked down my trousers. I preferred commando, and his hands slapped my cheeks, alternating sides as I moaned. Fire ignited in my belly; my cock pulsed harder and harder with each smack, and the sparks spread their inferno over my skin. Breath strangled; all thoughts bordered on ceasing.

  Cain twisted me around, and I stumbled forward, tripping over myself and shaking the weariness from my head. As his hands steadied me, his golden eyes captivated me.

  “Whoa there, gorgeous.”

  Gorgeous I was not—not on the inside or out. Ache stabbed through my chest at his compliment. Despite my attempts to halt the emotion, a smile pulled at my lips. But across his handsome face, a retreating frown was dancing.

  “Oh, the hell with it. I’m screwed either way.” Cain used the faintest touch, running his velvety fingertips along my cockhead.

  Change arrived and sank claws into my being. I wrapped my hand in his wavy hair and dragged his lips to mine. Cain’s mouth parted, and I dove in, allowing his fiery flavor to mingle while massaging and sucking on his tongue. Stoked fire in my belly exploded into bright lights, illuminating behind my closed lids. He groaned, and his body vibrated. I held him tighter against me, and his shaking calmed. Noise and friction were almost enough to undo me. My free hand dropped to his crotch, rubbing over his not so hidden package, and popping the button to his pants. My guilt ended, and teasing time was over.

  Without breaking our kiss, I eased us to the concrete floor. Kicking my guns away, my duster served as the single barrier between the frozen ground and my naked ass. Cain slid into my lap, fitting perfectly in the space. My hands slipped under his T-shirt, and my palms rubbed over the hardened ridges of his abs and played in the silky fur covering his chest.

  Fuck, I loved hairy guys.

  The heat of his skin sank into me and rushed through my veins, reminding me of a cozy fire completed by his smoky taste. I wanted to wrap myself around him and never let go, yet the same thought urged me to run. Another curse fought for release. No, I scolded myself.

  Death ran from nothing.

  Tight sexy jeans stood between my prize and me. My hands molded onto those tantalizing thighs. He grasped my hair, jerking me closer, but I wouldn’t run away. Rough denim teased my nails clawing at the restrictive material. Frenzy lit within, like a beacon of pulsating light. Most men could not have pulled off wearing them, but Cain did, despite his muscular thighs.

  He slightly lifted his ass, still not breaking our kiss, and the fabric of his pants rustled free. My hands teased over those legs and relished in the warmth tickling my palms. Damn he was beautiful, like a Seraph; like the most beautiful demon I had ever touched, kissed, and wanted to screw senselessly. Cain smiled against my mouth, and I sucked his tongue again, wishing it were another part of his body.

  Our kiss broke; he trailed soft lips down my jaw and nipped at my neck. Cain ventured farther, kissing over my shirt as I stroked his wavy hair. Anticipation stirred and stiffened my dick more than I thought possible as it jerked against my stomach. Fluid leaked from the tip, and the greedy part of me wanted to watch him taste me. I couldn’t recall ever being this hard.

  By the time his tongue swirled over my cockhead, my internal war hadn’t resolved. My skull slammed into the glass and a groan released from my lips. He inched downward and engulfed my tip. My hands curled tighter into his mop, and I tugged upward, instead of shoving him farther down my shaft.

  I wanted, no needed him, yet this still wasn’t right. People passed by, but no one spared even a peek.

  He increased the pressure of his mouth. Cain showed no signs of relent, and for every noise I made, he retaliated with his mouth, as if he knew the pleasurable sounds urged my release closer.

  “Babe…” Blood tainted my lips as I bit into my own flesh. “Shite.”

  Cain stared directly into my eyes and moaned along my length. My cods tightened in his hands, his fingertips brushing along my sensitive taint, and my release teetered on the edge.

  “Please,” I begged. My fingers coiled into his hair, and my hips rocked against him, but Cain pulled away.

  “Not yet.” A wicked glint shone in his bright eyes. Cain rose. “I’m not done with you.”

  His sculpted cock stood erect, bobbing. Far more superiorly equipped to me. Cain fisted my hair, guiding my salivating mouth to my prize, and I flicked my tongue over his shiny tip.

  “Mmm.” His fiery taste blended with salty splendor, and I moaned, savoring every drop. “More—” I demanded and inched as far down his shaft as possible, gagging. But I relaxed my esophagus and allowed the invasion.

  “Fuck me,” he whispered from his sweet, swollen mouth.

  The tail of his snake tattoo coiled in the sparse hairs, and I swore the beast wiggled in joy. I stared into his eyes and swallowed him to the base. My tongue folded and molded to the underside of his cock, and I willed it to retract, pressing along the sensitive vein. Each curse became a musical blessing keeping in time with the trembling of his strong legs.

  Nothing before had tasted sweeter in my cold world. I shifted to my knees. Cain gasped and dug his nails into my cheeks. My fingers wrapped around my cock, but he kicked my hand away.

  “Enough.” He stepped back, pulled his cock from my mouth, and reached a hand down in front of my face.

  I stared at the long, slender digits, but he only flicked his fingers.

  “What are we doing here?” The words blurted from my lips. A crack of lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a tremor in the Earth. Markos. I stood and shook the lightheadedness Cain had caused away. “A dirty fuck doesn’t suit you.”

  “Screw you. You don’t even know me.” His arms crossed high over his chest. Sweeping his gaze over the ground, his voice heightened. “At least I know what I want.”

  I winced at his tone and rose from the ground. No sound aside from those of the herald angels had ever sliced through my heart. Inching closer, my feet shuffled, and my pants, still hindering my mobility, dragged against the concrete. Cain stepped back. I crept forward. We danced until his back touched the wall, and I pinned him against the bricks. Since he refused to glance at me,
I leaned in and whispered, “Babe, I’m all kinds of wrong for you.”

  Wrong for anyone but me, myself, and I.

  “Don’t care what you think.” He snorted.

  Our cockheads kissed, and I grasped his shaft in my hand.

  “What… what are you doing?” Cain’s sweet breath sucked in, and his teeth smashed, gnawing against the plump surface of his lip. “Please…don’t stop…yes…”

  At his command, my hand pumped faster and I rotated my thumb over his sensitive tip. His cock throbbed and swelled in my hand.

  “Yes…” He turned his head. So close, but he fought against the release. “Can’t… maybe…”

  I didn’t understand and increased my efforts while staring deep into his soulful eyes. “Let go, babe. Just me and you here.”

  “I’m…” Cain shuddered against me before stilling. He lost the battle. Hot jets erupted from him and splashed against him taught stomach.

  The whole scene proved hotter than any porn. A lazy grin flashed across his face, and his heavy lidded gaze met mine. I lifted my coated hand and licked the salty evidence clean. My tongue skimmed his bottom lip, and his wide eyes closed.

  Slowly, I kissed along his neck, following his snake tattoo, and lifted his shirt. Cain caught his breath as I tongue bathed his body clean.

  “You taste so good.” Not a drop wasted; I nibbled over his stomach, following the snake and treasure trail. I ventured lower to mop his cock and balls. No one ever complained about my attentiveness, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to start.

  “Oh shit. Didn’t know… never mind…” He whimpered.

  At the sensation squeezing my heart, I paused until the flutter subsided. More lay beneath his surface. I wanted to rip the layers apart until the source was revealed.

  Cain circled and pushed his round ass into the air. Perfection sculpted into every curve of his body, and my hands grew minds of their own, groping the fleshy mounds. My tongue washed from his sack to his puckered bud, gyrating over the tender nerves. A curse rumbled, kissing the spot, and I plied his cock with gentle tugs. Cries, soft and sweet, filled the recess. Cain thrust his ass toward my face. Those soft noises evolved into heavy breathing and whispers of my name.