20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

His chin was tipped up and he breathed the sexual energy in from across the room.

  Didn’t matter that he was her father, that it was ten levels of hell wrong to be watching her and this man together. None of that meant shit to him. All he cared about was siphoning the lust pouring off the man as he humped her leg. That’s what Incubus did.

  Enough.

  Jada yanked her hands from the man’s grasp and grabbed his head. Saliva dripped from her fangs. She pushed his head sideways and scraped her teeth across the artery in his neck. The blood vibrated under his skin, calling to her.

  He groaned and lost his rhythm, thrusting at her frantically. “Yeah, baby. I’m close. Bite me. I’m gonna come.”

  She could already taste the edge of his orgasm, hot like the most intense spices. She wanted more.

  The evil inside of her needed more.

  Jada sunk her teeth into his neck and sucked the first drops of blood down like the finest wine.

  “Fuck, oh, fuck. I’m coming. Ahhh.”

  The spicy flavor of his blood and orgasm seeped into her cells. She went from sipping to gulping. Taking everything she could from him.

  “Yes, Jada. Take him. He is so delectable.” Leon crooned his own gratification.

  He was more than delectable. He was life.

  The man’s head lolled to the side, and still she drank. She wasn’t yet satisfied. He could give her more.

  A squawking beep beep beep jumped into the room, invading her consciousness, making her cringe at its assault of her ears. Wisps of acrid smoke circled the air and the scent of burned sugar permeated the room.

  The donuts. She’d forgotten the donuts and burned them.

  Thank god.

  She pulled her teeth from the neck of the man and he slumped in her arms.

  “Hey, hey. Buddy, uh, dude.” Shit, she didn’t even know his name. She slapped his cheek, trying to rouse him. He fell to the floor in a giant heap.

  The muscles in Jada’s chest contracted, pulling tight around her heart.

  No, no, no. How could she have done this? She’d killed him. Killed another one.

  Fuck. She should have known better. She’d never been able to control herself before. What made her think she would be able to this time. Donuts?

  They might be manna from heaven, but she was from hell.

  The man at her feet groaned.

  Holy shit. He was still alive.

  Jada dropped to the floor and patted his chest. His skin was clammy and much too pale. “Hey, guy, hey, wake up.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Jada. It’s too late. Finish him.” Leon towered over her. His skin was flush, in so much contrast to the man near death.

  Leon stretched his arms wide and smiled like he’d woken from a long-needed nap. He’d enjoyed every minute of the act that made Jada now feel sick to her stomach.

  Deeper than that. She felt sick to her soul.

  She couldn’t do this, couldn’t keep on killing. It wasn’t right. She wasn’t right.

  The revulsion at her own self bubbled up, burning the back of her throat, until she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She bolted to the sink and hurled into it.

  Red blood splashed against the shiny steel.

  Never again.

  “Why do you insist on torturing yourself? This is who you are, little girl. This is what you are. Why are you always fighting it? After all these years, I’m growing tired of your antics.”

  Three-hundred years. Countless lives lost so that she could live.

  There had to be something more out there. In the past few months, a change worked inside of her, pulling at tugging at her psyche, pushing away the banal existence she led. It made her want that something more from life, more than death.

  The empty pit in her stomach widened. She could never have whatever it was.

  Without responding to Leon, she rinsed the blood down the drain and walked to the kitchen door.

  “Leave now, and the life you spared will be no more.” Her father’s tone went dark, the demon snarl dominating his statement.

  If she walked away, Leon would kill the man. If she stayed, Leon would kill her. Not directly, not by force, but by coercion.

  Jada saw that now. She would never be able to resist the call of sex and blood, and Leon would never let her. It wasn’t in his nature.

  Pure demon was what he was. No emotion, no compunction about killing innocent humans he lured to their deaths.

  Taking more lives would kill her, but so would not taking them. At least if she left, she could make the choice of who and when and maybe how much.

  If she couldn’t. There was one last life she could take, and end it all.

  Being half human had to have some advantage.

  Guilt clawed at her for leaving the guy to the mercy of Leon and her brothers and sisters. She would regret not leaving more so.

  “I’m talking to you.”

  She didn’t care. Not anymore.

  “You walk away from me, and I won’t be able to protect you.”

  She kept going into the hallway, and up the stairs. Leon followed her all the way to her bedroom door. She tried to slam it in his face, but he caught it, and he was stronger than she was.

  “I don’t need your protection. I’m a big girl vampire now.” She said the taunt in her best snotty little kid voice. Leon loved to play into the façade humans had invented to explain their kind.

  “You have no idea, Jada.”

  Nice threat. She folded her arms and rolled her eyes at him. He always hated that. She was the only one of his offspring that wasn’t in awe of him, who didn’t think he hung the moon. It was one of the only things she still liked about herself.

  He grinned, the evil inside making him look more creepy than happy. “You’re being hunted.”

  Haunted was more like it. She started tapping her foot. The more she annoyed him, the sooner he’d leave her alone.

  “Demon dragons have attacked our coven a dozen times over the past few months, and we’ve kept you in the dark about it, and thus safe.”

  Demon dragons? After her? Why? “What are you talking about?”

  The different factions of demons didn’t generally attack each other. What would be the point?

  He studied her face and pushed at her consciousness to see if her reaction to his news was genuine. “What is bringing this resurgence in your reluctance to connect with the coven? I thought maybe Portia had revealed their relentless pursuit of you. I sent her to the continent to keep her trap shut.”

  Jada wished she had that same ability to tell when someone wasn’t telling her the truth. She’d inherited a lot of Leon’s abilities, but that wasn’t one of them. She’d have to guess. “You’re lying to keep me here.”

  “I’m not, ask your sister when she returns. She’s fought off more of the beasts than anyone else. Leave this house and risk your life.”

  Her life wasn’t worth much anyway. Maybe death by demon dragon was the way to go. Her only regret was leaving Portia behind. She was the only other person in the coven who ever understood.

  Hopefully, her sister would understand her decision to leave too.

  “I think I will.”

  Leon shrugged. “Fine. I’ll be here when you need to come crying back to daddy.”

  Ew.

  Jada shoved some of her favorite clothes into a bag, grabbed the money she’d been hoarding to buy human food, and searched around until she found the courage she’d been lacking for hundreds of years.

  Succubae didn’t survive on their own. That’s why they formed covens under the succubus or incubus who created them.

  The fastest way to kill a succubus wasn’t a stake through the heart, or daylight, or garlic, like in the misinformed legends. It was banishment.

  So, why in the hell had she basically banished herself?

  Shit. Balls.

  Jada hit the street running. Okay, not actually running. That would require moving her muscles more than her jiggly butt was capable of do
ing. Too many donuts. She did hurry along though.

  Not that she had any place to go. Without a coven, she had no place to stay, no place to eat.

  Except the donut shop out by the golf course. It didn’t open for a few more hours. Like eight.

  It would take half that long to walk there anyway.

  “Hey, baby. Where you going? Need a ride?” A convertible filled with horny twenty-somethings pulled up beside her.

  She kept on walking, even though she could live off their combined sexual energy for a week. “No, you need a swift kick in the ass?”

  “Whatever fatty.” The car screeched away, the gaggle of dickheads laughing like they’d told the funniest joke ever.

  Sigh. Jada had ninety-nine problems, but her curves weren’t one.

  That very minute those ninety-nine problems showed up.

  Appearing straight out of the shadows, demon dragons formed into their black slithery snake-like forms all around her.

  “Alone?” one of them hissed at her. The sound of its voice creeped her the hell out.

  Jada backed away, only to find another one right behind her. She held out her hand, like that was going to keep them from killing her. “No, my coven is, uh, meeting me here. So, you’d better get away from me.”

  “No.” The beast in front of her sniffed the air. “No demons here. Only you.”

  Well, shit. She was completely defenseless. The only weapons she’d ever were her teeth and her hypnotic allure. But, it was to attract prey, not keep from being prey.

  Demons didn’t fight with other demons, and humans were food, not threats. She had never needed to defend herself.

  “I know kung fu.” More like kung food. She raised an upright fist in the air and took a Karate Kid stance. Her fangs extended, responding to the adrenaline coursing through her. She might not know anything about self-defense, but she could bite their faces off.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t taste as bad as they looked.

  The demon dragons in front of her snarled and launched into the air coming at her. She ducked and rolled, narrowly missing the outstretched claws.

  There was a tree ten yards up the road. Maybe she could climb it? What, like demon dragons couldn’t climb? She made a mad dash for the tree anyway.

  A quick glance over her shoulder showed them closing in on her. Then a great flame burst out over her head and the demon dragons went up in fire one by one, squealing and dissolving into black smears of ash on the ground.

  “That was a close one, dear. We almost didn’t find you in time.”

  Whoa. A woman, dressed in a white flowing dress straight out of the Renaissance festival sat in the tree above her.

  Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe her. Long flowing dark hair, rosy cheeks, and a mother nature vibe made her absolutely stunning.

  For a moment Jada suspected the woman was a succubus. She was that good-looking, that sensual. But a succubus’s allure didn’t work on one of their own kind.

  Had she burned up the demon dragons? Jada didn’t see a flame thrower anywhere.

  “Uh, thanks? I thought those creepazoids were going to kill me.”

  The woman climbed down out of the tree, in a floating, graceful sort of way. “I’m rather fond of the term, douchecanoe. My husband says I’ve got a potty mouth, but secretly he likes it.”

  No succubus Jada had ever known had a husband. This lady wasn’t a mere human either. Being afraid would probably be the smart thing to do. She wasn’t though.

  An aura of comforting, nurturing, motherly vibes surrounded the woman in white. A sensation Jada hadn’t known for a long time. It hurt.

  God, she was so broken.

  The woman walked around Jada. Actually, she more floated. “I’ve got something for you.”

  “You do? That’s kind of weird.”

  “I’ve been waiting for you to leave that house, those demons, so I could give it to you.”

  Stalker much? See. Should have been scared.

  Jada took several steps back. She was wearing tennies and yoga pants that had never been to yoga, and the woman in white had that voluminous gown on. If she didn’t have to go far, she could outrun her. “Thanks again, but, I’m gonna go now.”

  “Here.” The woman held out her hand and let a necklace with a glowing charm, hang from her fingers.

  Jada couldn’t take her eyes off it. She reached her hand out to touch the shining object, mesmerized by its light.

  “Let me put it on you.”

  Jada nodded, knowing that was the best idea she’d ever heard. She bowed her head and the woman slipped the necklace around her neck, chanting a few words.

  The second the charm hit her skin, Jada’s world exploded into the light of a thousand suns. It blinded her and knocked her on her butt.

  She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t move, only feel. An energy more powerful than sex and blood zipped through her changing her from the inside out.

  It completely overpowered her until darkness crept in around the edges of her consciousness. Damn it all to hell. She was going to pass out, and then who knows what this woman would do to her.

  The woman knelt next to her in the grass. “Don’t worry, Jada. You’ll be fine. Even better when he finds you.”

  Another figure loomed behind the woman. Bigger, with an entirely hungry, masculine, alpha energy. He was going to eat her, she just knew it.

  Instead he spoke. “It had better be soon, love. Kur-jara is on the move.”

  Jada tried to scream or get away or even move her eyes. She couldn’t.

  The woman in white touched Jada’s brow, strengthening the darkness, taking her consciousness. “I know. But, Kaiārahi will come for her. He won’t be able to resist. And this time, I put a little protection spell, so the little white witch won’t connect to it for a while.”

  “I love your cunning mind, my love.” The man picked Jada up like she was a little butterfly. “Come on, let’s get her to Ninshubur before any of those Galla dragons, or the demons she surrounds herself with, stumble upon her.”

  The rest of her kidnapper’s conversation faded along with the light and the remainder of her awareness. She could only pray she woke up again tomorrow.

  The scent of coffee, frosting, and freshly made baked goods permeated her brain, and Jada sat straight up in her bed.

  No, not her bed. Not her room. Not her anything.

  Curtains were drawn across the windows, but sunshine leaked in and spotlighted a tray on the bedside table. A steaming pot of coffee, three donuts, and a note sat there.

  She grabbed a donut, sniffed it, and bit in. Mmm. Sugar. A blessing from the gods. Then she grabbed the note. It had only one line.

  Always be yourself, unless you can be a dragon, then be a dragon.

  Was that supposed to be inspirational?

  Duty Calls

  Ky raced through the water, moving faster than the dolphins, sharks, mermaids, and orcas he loved to play with. He’d stay deep in the ocean all day if he could.

  Today, duty called.

  His brothers needed his help. He would be there for them. Always.

  One of these days he was going to talk the other Wyverns into holding the AllWyr in New Zealand, or on Skype.

  Dragons were slow to adopt new technology. They’d only recently talked Match into getting an iPhone. Which was a giant step up from carrier pigeon.

  Maybe Ky would stop and flirt with the mermaids on the way back. Those dirty girls were some of his favorite trysts. They didn’t have the hang-ups like commitment and marriage the humans were so into.

  Mermaids just want have fun.

  That’s what life was all about. Fun, fucking, and fighting demon dragons. What more could a dragon warrior ask for?

  Kiki, the Maori woman who had been his father’s last companion, was constantly on his back to settle down, make dragon babies.

  Not likely, if he could help it.

  Ky slowed as he cornered the Cape of Good Hope to let the great w
hites chase him and nip at his tail. The little buggers were like puppies chasing a car.

  A moment after he left them behind a pull, like a current, not on his body, but on his soul, tugged him off course. He needed to go north, up the coast of Africa and Europe to get to Amsterdam, but the open Atlantic called to him to cross. Everything in his told him to get to The States as fast as he could.

  He’d felt something like it before, when they’d been hunting for the First Dragon’s relic. The yearning inside opened an emptiness like he’d never felt, or successfully ignored.

  For a flash of a second, he considered telling Cage he couldn’t come to his aid.

  He’d never failed to assist a brother dragon Wyvern, and never would. Whatever was in America, he would investigate after the AllWyr. Afterall, they still hadn’t found that relic. But, Cage’s call for help came first.

  He didn’t even make it halfway up the coast of Africa before half a dozen African mermaids surrounded him, blocking his path.

  “Ky Puru, you must come quickly.” A frantic voice rang through the water, clear as whalesong, and as scared as a Galapagos damsel being hunted to extinction.

  Mami wata weren’t generally so flighty, which set off his alarms. He slowed to talk to them and would send some other blues to help with whatever they needed. “Can’t today, ataahua. Trouble in dragon paradise. Gotta get to the north right quick.”

  Another mami wata touched his arm. “Demons. You have to fight the demons. We are defenseless against them.”

  Ky circled to a stop. Demons. In his waters.

  Aukati.

  He had a duty to his brothers, but his purpose on this earth above all others was to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves against the plague of demons.

  Cage would have to wait. Ky had some demons to kill.

  “Show me.”

  The mami wata led him to a series of underwater caves, the entrance marked with their carvings and mirrors. This was their shelter, their home. Chunks of the cave entrance had been torn from rock walls. A battle had already been fought here.

  What kind of demons could survive in water? He and merfolk around the oceans had never had to worry about the taurekareka in their realm before.

  Ky was a skilled warrior, even with the disadvantage of being on land. He used his power over water and ice to incapacitate the fucking little firebreathers.