She scrambled backwards in the bed trying to escape him.
“Come to me,” he commanded.
The urge to obey tugged at her. Her hunger, her need, drew her to him even though she was repulsed at the same time.
“Come to me,” he urged.
* * *
Valia’s eyes flew open as she sat straight up in bed.
Oh my holy fucking shit balls. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to sort fact from fiction. The things she’d seen… The images that had flashed before her… Were they real? They felt real. She knew they were, yet she only remembered them in the dream-like reality.
Rydin was right. He had been locked in a cell, and she had taken advantage of him in the worst way. She’d used him—fed from him over and over. She couldn’t comprehend it. She didn’t even know how she’d done it, but now she knew what she’d done to him, and it was worse than he thought
She’d bound his aura to hers. Something she hadn’t even known she knew how to do. Unholy fuck. No wonder she’d been drawn to him in that club. She’d tied him to her, against his will, no less. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t beaten her when she’d brutalized him in his home. Maybe she’d manipulated his aura without even knowing it.
No wonder he wanted revenge on her. Although she still didn’t know what the fifty year thing was about, she’d want revenge if he’d done the same to her. She’d want the kind of revenge that ended in his slow, super-painful death.
But how? She had no real memory of the event until now. How had he gotten there? Wait, he said thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, she’d gone through her transition to full Sempire. That’s a time when Sempires need to feed more than usual. She’d never had any memory of it. Her mother had mentioned her having a difficult time due to her father’s Sensus demon DNA. Apparently, the Sensus demon DNA was tough to conquer, but her mother had never gone into detail, and Valia had never thought it important enough to ask about.
She’d awakened one day and had been ready to embrace the life of a Sempire. It’d been easy for her. Simple. She hungered. She sought. She experienced. She fed. Now that she thought about it, she realized she’d never felt fulfilled. Not until meeting up with Rydin in the club. That must be why she’d been drawn to him and why she felt so complete when he was near. She’d bound his aura to hers. In a sense, their essences were one.
If he thought he was pissed at her now, he’d really be pissed and hate her when he found out what she’d done to him. No wonder she’d always been extra exuberant about her lifestyle, feeding more than necessary. She’d been trying to fill a void she hadn’t understood. She thought it was only her natural Sempire needs, but it was also a need for him.
Had he felt that way too? That longing? That feeling of being incomplete? Always trying to fill a void?
Guilt racked her as she paced back and forth, unsteadily as she weakened more, around Rydin’s home. Her Sensus demon abilities were usually minimal at best, but the aura binding explained why Rydin’s aura was so clear to her. She had to undo it, and she swore she would find a way once he released her. Then maybe they could both find some peace.
She doubled over and clutched her stomach as a pain speared through her. She needed to lie down. What she really needed was to feed, but there was no way to make that happen until Rydin returned. After remembering what she’d done to him, she didn’t even feel right taking nourishment from him, but she either had to talk him into it or talk him into letting her go early.
She was afraid to go back to sleep, afraid of what else her dreams might show her, so she sat in the large, shabby chair beside the bed and tried to get comfy but still keep her eyes open. But she was too tired, and at some point, sleep overtook her.
Rydin sat on a bench outside the pizza joint, Navie’s Pizza. A few other stores sat in a horseshoe-like configuration in the plaza. He sat on a bench that rested in a grassy area at the open end of the horseshoe. The sun shone brightly, and the urge to close his eyes, lean back and relax was overwhelming. Rydin loved the sun, and there was no sun in the demon realm.
He pictured Valia sitting next to him, the sunlight glinting off her red hair, casting an orange glow over her soft skin. Did she love the sun as much as he did? Or did she prefer the light of the moon? Was she snooping through his things, or lying on his scratchy sheets? He frowned at that. She thought him poor and lacking class. Hell, maybe by her standards, he was.
He examined the other shops around the pizza joint. Van’s Linens and Lingerie, Shay Jewels, Perfect Perk, The Donut Hole, Yum Subs. He didn’t know how long he’d be waiting, and he’d only have one more full day with her after tonight. Too bad there wasn’t a grocery store. He’d love to see the look on her face when he brought her fresh kiwi and pineapple.
He shook his head. He didn’t need to be thinking of her. He needed to take care of business, but who knew how long he’d be waiting around for the mystery demon? He didn’t dare port away to a grocery store, but he could at least make use of the linen store. He’d show her he wasn’t poor and classless.
He found himself striding toward the linen store before he realized he’d made up his mind. He stopped at the double glass doors and marked his view of the front of the pizza place. Clear. He stepped inside. There were only a handful of shoppers. Good. He didn’t dare go farther into the store and lose his vantage point.
Shit. What was he doing? It was ridiculous. Just as he was about to leave, a petite sales woman said, “May I help you with something, sir?”
“Sheets. I need sheets,” he said only sparing her a sideways glance before returning his gaze out the door.
“Ok. If you’ll follow me—”
“No. I’m waiting for someone. Pick some out for me. The softest you have.”
“Um, well… I’ll need to know size and if you prefer Egyptian cotton or satin and thread count. There are so many choices.”
“Queen. The best you have.”
“Well, that’d probably be our fifteen hundred count Egyptian cotton. Do you have a color preference?”
“Green,” he said without hesitation. He loved the way she looked in green. “Light green.” He spared a quick glance around the store and at the bewildered sales woman. “And one of those dresses in green.” Without looking, he pointed to the left wall.
“The lingerie?” At his nod, she asked, “What size?”
Hell, he had no clue. Size sexy-as-hell. He glanced at the sales woman again. “Your girth, larger breasts, six inches taller.”
In his peripheral vision, he saw her blush before she walked away. She returned five minutes later. “Sir, will any of these work?”
She held up three items for him. He quickly scanned them and chose the short shiny one. He was shocked when the woman announced the total of his purchase. He was out of his element. Luckily, he always carried plenty of cash with him when on assignment.
With his purchases stowed in a handled, brown bag with “Van’s Linens & Lingerie” printed in curly script, he made his way back to the bench to watch and wait. He supposed the shopping bag helped him blend in. Just another shopper.
A sense of unease crept through him, and he had the almost uncontrollable urge to port to the demon realm to check on Valia. There was no way for him to know if she was in danger, but he would swear he felt her fear, and it ate at his guts. He fought it, tried to stay focused, ignore the tricks his imagination was playing on him, and within ten minutes, the unease lessened. She was safe as long as the rod was in place. His desire to continue his revenge must be making him delusional.
After the sun went down, Rydin entered the pizza place, picked a table that gave him the best view of people coming and going, and ordered a beer and a slice of pizza. He was shocked that all of the employees were demons of various kinds.
Three hours and five beers later, his target walked through the door and headed behind the counter where he greeted employees and disappeared through another door that read ‘office’. The male wasn’t dressed as th
e other employees, and Rydin assumed he must be a manager. Fifteen minutes later, the male had not reappeared and Rydin grew impatient.
He walked to the counter and asked to speak to the manager, hoping his assumption was correct. The mixed-breed demon scooted away to do Rydin’s bidding without question. A moment later, his target appeared.
The demon’s eyes widened as he spotted Rydin. Not an uncommon reaction considering his enormous presence.
“What can I do for you?” he asked cautiously.
“I need a word with you. Privately.”
The demon leaned over the counter and looked from side to side before speaking. “Are you him?”
Not the reaction Rydin expected. “Him who?”
“Give me one minute,” he said and walked back into the office.
What the hell was that about? It wasn’t often that Rydin was surprised on his assignments. The demon obviously had been expecting someone else, and it looked as if it would work in Rydin’s favor.
The demon strode out of the office holding a large envelope, told the employees goodnight, and looked at Rydin while nodding toward the door. Rydin grabbed his bag and followed him out.
Once outside and down the walk away from the shops, he turned to Rydin and handed him the envelope. “I need your help.”
Rydin reached out his hand as if to take the envelope, but instead grabbed the male’s arm and slapped one end of the gold cuffs on him. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not here to help you.”
The cuffs didn’t faze the demon, and he still held out the envelope to Rydin. “Please. There’s fifty thousand dollars in the envelope, and I can get more. It’s yours if you’ll help me rescue my sister. That Incubus has her.”
Okay. Now he knew why the guy looked familiar. He hadn’t put it together when Debol had handed him the picture. “Your sister is a Sempire,” he stated.
The demon nodded his head. “Yes. That bastard has been holding her for six months. Help me get her out.”
Rydin couldn’t imagine Valia being at Debol’s mercy for six days much less six months, and it sickened him. Regardless of what she’d done to him in the past, she didn’t deserve that sort of punishment. For the first time, he sympathized with his mark’s plight, but he would carry out his task regardless. Sympathy changed nothing, but he felt compelled to explain.
“You know she can’t survive without him now. She must be addicted to him.”
The demon scowled, a vein ticking at his temple as he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m aware of her situation, but I won’t leave her there to suffer at the hands of that thing. I’ve been searching for a cure.”
Rydin scoffed. “There is no cure.”
“I have to try. Help me.”
The desperation in the male’s voice would not sway him. “How did you know I was coming for you?” Rydin asked.
“Navine, my sister, told me. Described you. She wanted to warn me. Wanted me to hide.”
Rydin shook his head at that. The Sempire was under Debol’s constant watch, so how the hell could she have gotten a message to her brother in the human realm? Was Debol setting him up? Was there something else in play? “How?”
He shrugged. “Astral projection is my ability. With a twist. My physical body still functions when I project, and I can project to two places at once.”
Rydin had never heard of that, but he definitely saw the benefit and why Debol would want him on his side, but he didn’t see how it would be helpful in freeing his sister from Debol. No, he couldn’t help them. He couldn’t believe he’d even entertained the idea.
“And you thought you could buy my help?”
“I had to try.”
“I cannot help you.”
“I know you can’t harm him because he holds your contract, but you could distract him or something. Work with me,” he pleaded.
Rydin shook his head. “It’s time to go.”
Pain exploded in Rydin’s nose, and the metallic tang of blood coated the back of his throat. Damn it. Nose broken twice within two days. He shook off the punch and grabbed the male by the throat. He was strong, but he was no match for a Ferox demon.
“Do not try that again,” Rydin warned. “I am going to deliver you to Debol. I have twenty years left on my contract. Perhaps, one day…”
“Twenty years?” The demon exclaimed. “We won’t last twenty years.”
“It’s not my problem,” Rydin said harshly and ported to the steps of Debol’s home.
The demon fought him with fervor now that he knew Rydin was a lost cause in his attempt to rescue his sister, but Rydin subdued him and cuffed both hands behind his back and then took him in a choke hold into Debol’s home. A guard collared the struggling demon before they were allowed inside Debol’s office.
Once inside, the Sempire jumped to her feet. “No!” She cried as she ran and threw her arms around her brother. She turned to Rydin, the look of hatred on her face causing a strange sensation to course through him. Guilt? He’d never felt guilty about his jobs before. It was what he had to do and he did it.
Debol sneered at Rydin and said, “Bad timing.” He then stood and called Navine to him while pointing at the floor beside him. “In your place, Sempire,” he said cruelly.
She snarled at him and turned back to her brother. “Baden, are you hurt?”
“No. I’m sorry, Navine.” He looked despondent. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Sempire!” Debol yelled.
She jumped and returned to her knees beside him.
“You will pay for your defiance, Sempire,” Debol promised her.
“I’ll fucking kill you.” Baden spat the words at Debol, then turned his gaze to Rydin. “Both of you.”
Rydin wanted to get away from this scene and get back to Valia. He’d been away for several hours, and he had that sense of her being in danger again. “If I’m done here…”
Debol waved a dismissive hand at him, and he got the hell out of there.
Rydin’s gut clenched as he saw the door to his home standing open. He ran inside making a quick survey of the interior. She wasn’t there. He’d been certain she wouldn’t try to escape knowing she was in the demon realm with no way to port out. Dammit. This realm was too dangerous for a spoiled female like her who knew nothing about it.
He ran back outside searching for her. He had no idea when she’d left and how far she might have gotten. He hoped like hell nothing had found her. The creatures here would show no mercy. She was strong, he knew that firsthand, but she’d be no match for the evil lurking here. The thought of anything happening to her shot panic through his system, the adrenaline electrifying his nerve endings.
He stopped abruptly, sensing her nearby. Hell, he could smell her pineapple scent.
“Valia!” He yelled and started running again. She didn’t turn around, but she didn’t run either. She just kept up a stead-fast, albeit unsteady, gait.
“Valia!” He yelled again. Nothing. He ported the rest of the distance appearing directly behind her.
He grabbed her arm, jerking her around to face him. Her eyes were closed. What the fuck? He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Finally, her eyes popped open but only for a second as she collapsed. He caught her, swung her into his arms, and ported them back to his home where he deposited her onto the chair beside the bed, closed the door, and engaged the rod.
Crouching down in front of her he implored, “Valia, what the hell were you doing?” When she didn’t respond, he gave her cheek a light smack.
Thankfully, her eyes opened. He noticed how pale she looked.
“I’d rather you smacked my ass,” she joked weakly.
He growled. “Answer me.”
“Whatcha mean? Was sleeping.”
“The door was open. You were a mile from here.”
Her eyes widened. “What? I dreamed you were calling me to you. Somewhere with steps and columns.”
Debol. That bastard. He knew of the Incubus ability to
enter dreams. He should have known Debol wouldn’t drop his fascination with her, but he hadn’t expected this.
“You weren’t hurt?”
“No.”
Relief surged through his veins and without thinking about his next action, he hugged her to him.
“Crushing me,” she grunted.
He instantly let her go. Relief he hadn’t lost her, before his time with her was up, flooded him. He assured himself that’s all it was about.
“Sit there,” he commanded. He quickly ripped the scratchy sheets off the bed, grabbed the bag he’d dropped in his panic on finding her missing, and quickly unpackaged and draped the new sheets on the bed.
His excitement at seeing her reaction was cut short when he turned and saw that she had slumped down in the chair, and her eyes were closed again. He scooped her up and laid her on the bed, sitting beside her.
“Sempire,” he said, his voice harsher than intended, “what is your problem?”
Her eyes opened halfway. “Valia sounds much better rolling off that skilled tongue of yours,” she teased half-heartedly.
“You will tell me what’s wrong, now.”
She reached up to pull his head down to hers, but he felt no strength behind her actions. Her pupils dilated and she inhaled deeply. “Fuck me, Rydin. Or let me take you in my mouth.” Her pupils dilated more. “You know what I need.”
She needed to feed. Damn. He had zero intention of feeding her in that manner. He thought Sempires could go for several days without, but she was weak. Undeniably.
“How long since you last fed?”
“Four or five days.”
“Why so long?”
“Been busy.” She gave a weak smile. “Rydin,” she whispered, averting her eyes, “I remember. You in the cell. Me. I didn’t know. I had no memory of it. I still don’t really know how it happened. I get why you don’t wanna feed me, but if you won’t, at least bring me someone who will. Your revenge won’t be much fun if I’m passed out. Unless comatose chicks are your thing.”
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