A DANGEROUS BARGAIN (The Sentinel Demons)

by J. S. Scott

  He was someone she respected as her client and he wasn’t even a tiny bit similar to the disgusting trolls that usually tormented her. Before she could think about it, she blurted out, “You’re a demon, here to take me away?”

  He answered carefully, “I am indeed a demon here to take you. Are you coming with me willingly?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Kat saw every naughty fantasy she’d ever had about Zachary Winston fly out the window as he stared intensely at her, the question hanging ominously in the air.

  “Yes.” She could barely get the reply out of her mouth as her throat tightened with fear. What choice did she really have? If she wanted her nephew to live, there was really nothing else to say, no other way to respond.

  “Then come.” He held his hand out to her. “We have a bargain to make.”

  His voice was kind, yet firm, and she shivered as she prepared to leave her apartment. She lifted her suitcase and pulled the door closed. Her hands trembled as she tried to lock it, her mind whirling with confusion, still stunned that a man whose image she had admired from afar was actually a demon in disguise.

  Zach took the keys calmly from her hand and dropped them casually into his pocket. She heard the deadbolt engage without him even touching the lock.

  Crap. This was starting to really freak her out. Not that the previous demons hadn’t had her wondering if her sanity was slipping away from her…but Zachary Winston? The man looked a hell of a lot more like a wet dream than a nightmare.

  Zach grinned as he held his hand out again and as she went to take it nervously, the hallway suddenly filled with a sense of danger that sent a chill down her spine and temporarily paralyzed her body, causing her to drop the suitcase to the floor. It was a reaction she had experienced before, and it was completely unnerving, her mind panicking as her body stayed incapacitated.

  The two evil creatures she had dealt with previously appeared at her side.

  Them…she recognized!

  Kat had no idea what their real names were, or if they even had any, but she called them Dwarf and Goblin in her mind. Both of them were repulsive and they radiated an evil that made her break out in a cold sweat. They were actually both fairly small with spiky black hair, but what they lacked in height, they made up for in strength and malice. With gleaming red eyes and sunken features, they would never be mistaken for a human or anything else except for what they were-evil demons.

  Dwarf pulled her hand roughly to her side, twisting her wrist as he held it against her hip. “You are already promised to us.” Dwarf barely reached her shoulder in height, but for such a small man-or maybe she should say a small demon?-his grip was like iron. Kat flinched at the tight hold that could easily snap her bones.

  Zach stepped forward, grabbing the clawed fist Dwarf was using to confine her arm, removing it from Kat’s wrist. “If she had given her final agreement to a bargain…you would already be gone,” he informed them in a low, growling voice as he twisted the offender’s wrist until the bone cracked, before releasing it.

  The small demon let out a howl that sent a chill down Kat’s spine and cradled its arm against his chest as Goblin stepped forward. “She will agree. She was waiting for us.”

  Run, Kat. Run.

  Kat’s instinct was to flee as her mind commanded. Confusion clouded her brain and she tried desperately to understand what was happening. She couldn’t escape. Not only was she being held inert by some sort of supernatural power, but Stevie’s life was at stake. If only she understood Zachary Winston’s motives, why he was here.

  They’re lying. They have no power over your nephew’s disease. They’re trying to coerce you into the demon realm to destroy your soul. Come with me. Don’t let them take you.

  Zachary Winston’s urgent baritone drifted into her mind softly, but as she met his eyes…they were glowing more amber than brown. It was a rather eerie feature in an otherwise gorgeous face. His powerful gaze beckoned her and she hesitated for just a moment in indecision.

  Two disgusting little demons that reek of corruption and bad intentions…or Zachary Winston?

  She already knew Dwarf and Goblin were pure evil. She had no idea what to make of Zachary Winston. Was one demon different from another?

  Yes. I’m here to help you. They’re here to destroy you.

  She wanted to believe Zachary Winston’s matter-of-fact answer that she heard only in her mind, the soothing, deep baritone strangely comforting as it flowed through her head.

  Goblin grunted, “Give us your agreement. Now.” His voice was demanding, but he didn’t touch her. He kept shooting side glances at his buddy, Dwarf. Fear of retaliation from Zachary Winston probably kept the evil demon from roughing her up.

  Promise me something…anything…so that I can take you out of here. There has to be a demon bargain to put you under our protection and take you away. Believe me…these bastards will do nothing but hurt you.

  Kat’s eyes darted back and forth between the rich, handsome executive and the irate demons, knowing that she needed to make a choice. Really, the choice shouldn’t be all that difficult. But these two vile demons had been particularly prominent in her nightmares, showing her horrible scenarios of what could happen to her nephew.

  Goblin loomed closer and she could smell the rancid odor of his body. “Do it now, bitch. Come with us or you know what could happen.”

  She shot a terrified look at Zachary, afraid that if she made the wrong choice it could cost her nephew his life.

  They can do nothing to interfere with your nephew’s disease. Come with me now. I can protect you. Promise me something. Anything. Make a demon’s bargain with me so I can get you the hell out of here. I’d love to dust both of these little bastards, but I can’t unless they give me a reason.

  She looked from Goblin to Zachary…and her decision was made, half gut instinct, half common sense. Goblin was completely dark; Zachary’s intentions were still a mystery.

  Kat would rather take her chances with the unknown than with the malodorous, evil demons that were certain to cause her harm. At least with Zachary Winston, there was a possibility of survival. If she had to believe either one or the other, instinct was telling her to go with Zachary.

  A demon’s bargain? What did you promise a demon? Zachary Winston didn’t need money and she didn’t have any to give him anyway.

  Promise to do anything I want for a week. Give me the same time bargain as you made with them. Spend one week with me.

  Kat jerked visibly as his suggestion sounded loud and clear in her mind. Was he joking? Why would he want her for a week? It made no sense.

  Just do it.

  Zachary’s tone was demanding. As Goblin got bolder and started crowding her, she panicked. “Yes. Yes. I’ll do it. I’ll go with you for a week and do anything you want.” Her voice was trembling but audible as the statement flew out of her mouth on the wings of anxiety.

  “Done.” Zach spoke aloud immediately after her agreement, grabbing her hand.

  Kat’s head swam as Zach pulled her into his hard, solid body and everything faded to black.

  Chapter Three

  “What the fuck have I done?” Zach murmured aloud as he observed the fiery-haired woman still resting unconscious on his black silk sheets. He had to clench his fingers, digging his nails into his palms to resist the urge to sit on the side of the bed and bury his hands in that long, curly hair to feel its silky texture. Just seeing the contrast of the color against the black sheets and imagining the curls of the same shade between her thighs was making his cock as hard as diamonds.

  She belongs to me.

  Zach had known almost immediately that Kat was his radiant, and every possessive male instinct in his body had sprung to life, emotions he had never even known he could feel. A spark of light had ignited in his shadowy soul the moment she had opened the door. Kat was capable of lightening his soul, relieving the darkness of his demon existence. It would be ecstasy for him after two hundred years of dark
ness, but it would mean a sacrifice for her. Who wanted to spend eternity with a demon? Unfortunately, it didn’t stop him from wanting her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire existence.

  Kat moaned as she started to awaken and his cock ached for release from the jeans that he had changed into after his hasty transport home. In his eagerness to remove her from danger, he had teleported them too quickly, faster than her human body could manage without falling into the black abyss of unconsciousness to protect itself from harm.

  He gave up his internal battle and seated himself on the bed, waiting anxiously to see her jade-green eyes open. Her eyelids fluttered before she looked up at him, dazed and disoriented.

  “Where am I?” she asked hesitantly, her voice husky and confused. Zach watched Kat slowly focus, her gaze flitting nervously around the room, finally landing on his face. “Mr. Winston? Oh, God, I was hoping that what I remembered was a nightmare,” she finished with a small groan as she sat up, rubbing her face with her palm.

  A rueful smile formed on his face as he wondered if he should be offended at being remembered as part of a nightmare. Damn. I thought I was a wet dream. He had liked that errant thought when he had heard it in her mind. “It was real, Kat. You’re at my home and you need to remain here until the week we bargained for is over. You’ll then be completely under our protection.”

  I’ll go with you for a week and do anything you want.

  Her agreement fluttered through his mind and Zach’s gut clenched. What the hell had prompted him to suggest that asinine bargain? He could have accepted anything…but he knew the suggestion had popped forward because it was his soul and his body’s greatest desire. He’d been a selfish bastard, a demon demanding his radiant, and now they would both pay for his stupidity. He found her so incredibly attractive that he knew he’d end up spending the whole week in a constant state of arousal. What he wanted was her beneath him, moaning his name as he claimed her. In fact, he was fucking obsessed by the thought.

  Kat, being under the influence of a demon’s bargain, would feel compelled to satisfy anything he wanted-to the point of pain if she didn’t heed the compulsion. Demon bargains were very literal. He’d have to block his wants and his compulsions from her, which would be pretty damn difficult because, at the moment, his demon instincts were clamoring loudly for the voluptuous woman in his bed.

  Zach couldn’t leave Kat unprotected. He had already tried to contact Kristoff, but the Sentinel demon king had claimed that Zach needed to complete the bargain he had made so that Kat could remain under their protection. Kristoff had replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. The asshole. Somehow, Kristoff knew this was going to be torture for Zach. And the twisted bastard is enjoying the fact that I’m uncomfortable.

  Kat’s face fell as she looked at him in horror. “The bargain. Was that for real?”

  Zach shifted uncomfortably as he answered in a husky voice, “Yes.”

  “Why? Why would you suggest that?” Kat looked at him anxiously, her face flushing.

  Zach shrugged as his eyes met her startled expression. “I guess I suggested it without really thinking.” His hand reached out with a will of its own to thread through her auburn mass of curls. He nearly groaned at the silky softness. “I may be your rescuer…but I’m still a demon.”

  Zach admitted to himself that the dark, wicked side of him had wanted her locked into the bargain. She was so beautiful to him that he hadn’t been able to resist. He hadn’t wanted to resist. The man in him knew it was unfair and struggled with the ethics of his actions, but his demon side was screaming to possess her and didn’t give a damn how he got her. He’d never really had a major struggle between the demon he was and the humanity he’d developed, but he had a bad feeling both were about to go to war…big time.

  Kat rubbed her palms against the worn denim of her jeans before crossing her arms over her ample breasts. “No offense, but I think you are way past due for an eye exam, Mr. Winston. I’m a plain, overly curvy redhead with very few physically attractive features. Not exactly a woman who would make any man feel consumed with lust. I think we’re pretty safe.”

  “You’re the most tempting woman I’ve ever met. I’ll keep you from any physical harm, but you’re far from safe with me, Kat.” His voice was low and tortured, as though he couldn’t stop the flow of words from his mouth. He pulled his hand from her hair reluctantly as he finished, “Call me Zach.” Mr. Winston applied to all of his brothers, and Zach craved intimacy with Kat desperately. He wanted her to know exactly who she was with at all times.

  Zach stared at Kat’s ripe, full lips as her tongue darted out to moisten them, his mind wandering to carnal ideas of where he’d like to have those lips and that tongue right now. His internal struggle prompted him to move away, but she reached for him as he was about to rise. Her arms snaked around his neck and she drew his mouth toward hers before he could move. As her warm, welcoming lips met his, satisfying one of his many longings that were associated with this woman…moving wasn’t even a consideration. His desires were flowing into her mind, and she was consumed by the need to do anything he wanted.

  I need her. Just one kiss. One intimate act to pacify my desire to possess her.

  All thoughts of humanity fled as their lips met, and his darker instincts took control.

  *****

  Kat groaned as she slid her tongue into Zach’s willing warm mouth, shivering at the intensity of their hot, passionate embrace. He rolled on the bed, sprawling his naked torso on top of hers as his arms wrapped around her in a powerful hold.

  Her hands explored his shirtless muscled back and chest, unable to get enough of his heated naked skin as he took control. He nibbled and nipped at her bottom lip, and then teased it with his tongue before devouring her mouth again…and again.

  Kat was breathless, whimpering into his mouth as she squirmed beneath him, her body and mind not accustomed to being devoured with this sort of passion. He wants me, really desires me. She could feel his hard shaft pressing against the confines of his jeans, engorged and begging for release.

  She ground up against him, needing to satiate his body. She could see crystal-clear flashes of scenarios in her mind.

  Her…on her knees, sucking him to completion.

  Him…his mouth between her thighs, licking her into a state of complete ecstasy.

  Both of them…straining together as his cock slammed into her over and over again, their bodies meeting in an all-consuming frenzy.

  Kat broke her mouth away from his to pant, “Please, Zach.” What did he want? Any of them? All of them? “Let me satisfy you. You want it. I want it.”

  Her whole body was on fire with need-his needs, his visions-yet her senses were responding with a desire just as strong, just as devastating.

  “Shit,” he cursed as he wrenched away from her. He shot off the bed and stood beside it, panting as if he had run a marathon. “I’m sorry, Kat. You’re feeling my wants. It’s the damn bargain.”

  His eyes were glowing amber, throwing flickering sparks in the darkening room that reminded her of fireflies lighting up a dark night.

  Without another word, he strode to the bathroom and closed the door.

  Kat felt her eyes mist with tears, her urge to follow him almost irresistible. What in the hell was happening to her? Two separate sets of needs were bombarding her, both with the same goal. She felt the compulsion to fulfill his sexual urges, but that passionate interlude on the bed had conjured a few of her own. How could it not? Zach was so hot that she could almost climax just from looking at him, feeling the testosterone that hummed through his body and into the air around them as he was devouring her. Having him come on to her with that much passion was overwhelming, and his withdrawal had left her cold and empty. She knew it was just an illusion, but for that short period of time, she had felt-complete.

  It was just a kiss. It didn’t mean anything.

  Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering with e
motion. A month ago, she had been just an average twenty-seven-year old woman, struggling to survive in a world where there wasn’t much opportunity for a college dropout. She had left college after only a year when her sister Nora had given birth to Stevie. He’d been unwanted by his father, and she and her sister had worked together to take care of him. Kat had started her business caring for plants to accommodate her sister’s hours as a secretary. Daycare was expensive and Kat was able to switch her jobs around to care for Stevie when Nora was working.

  Their parents had both died in a car accident only days before Kat and Nora had graduated from high school, leaving the twins very little to survive on. Nora had been all she had. When Stevie came along, Kat had thrown herself into the task of helping them all survive until very recently.

  Nora had married three months ago, luckily to a man who loved both her and Stevie. Kat had been happy when her twin had finally settled and found her happiness…but now, part of her felt lost. She still saw her nephew and sister often, but they didn’t need her anymore, weren’t part of her life every day, and Kat now realized how much her whole world had revolved around them.

  Sometimes she felt so incredibly alone. For so many years, she hadn’t had time to think about relationships, Nora and Stevie being her primary concern and companionship. Caring for her nephew had been demanding because he had been a sick little boy and there hadn’t been time to think about what she wanted for herself. She didn’t regret one moment of those years. Kat loved her sister and Stevie with all of her heart, but now that they didn’t live with her anymore and weren’t constantly around…she wasn’t quite sure where she belonged or what she wanted to do. She was basically drifting, her whole purpose in life ripped away from her, leaving her suddenly bereft for the first time in her adult life. The madness, the endless cycle of work and fighting for Stevie’s survival were suddenly gone, leaving her wandering and restless.

  She had to go back to college. Kat had decided that almost immediately, but saving up the money was a challenge.