by Patti O'Shea
Conor appeared thoughtful. “That explains—”
“Explains what?
That odd expression swept his eyes once more. “That explains why he didn’t attack a second time before we made it back inside the house.”
Carefully, McCabe shifted away and lay back on the bed, one hand tucked behind his head. Mika rolled onto her side to watch him, but his gaze was focused on the ceiling. If he was thinking twice about being lax with his safety, that was good, but she doubted that was the case.
Pushing the hair from her face, she tried to figure out how to convince McCabe that he couldn’t take this lightly. After years of dealing with rogue vampires and werewolves, he was too used to being the biggest badass around. But while he could take down other supernatural beings without difficulty, when it came to the Dark Ones, it wouldn’t be easy. And auric assassins were no walk in the park.
Okay, so she didn’t know the extent of his powers. Maybe he did have some incredible talents—but they might not be enough. And she was right to worry.
A cold breeze seemed to flow through the room, making Mika shiver, and she moved against Conor’s side. He turned his head to look at her, his smile so tender that she felt her heart swell. She was in love with McCabe, whether she liked it or not. And if she wanted more than a few stolen moments, she was going to have to fight like hell once he found out the truth.
“You’re chilled,” Conor said. He sat up, grabbed the blankets from the foot of the bed and tucked them around her. Once he had her covered, he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her arms, trying to warm her. “Better?”
“Yeah. Much.” She snuggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thanks.”
Instead of answering, he kissed her forehead. It was a simple gesture, but something about it reached her the way nothing else could. It wasn’t the same as his endangering his life to defend her, but the way he took care of her, tended to her needs, meant just as much. She traced patterns on his belly, trying to wordlessly convey her appreciation.
Her fingers were beginning to creep lower when he asked, “Did you pick up any rumblings in Orcus about humans attempting to forge an alliance with demons?”
Mika sighed and stopped teasing him. “Why?”
“Two people now have told me they heard rumors.”
“That kind of pact would be a Council-level negotiation, and I’m not placed highly enough in society to know about that. It wouldn’t surprise me, however.”
Conor seemed shocked. “Why the hell do you think humans would want another species loose in Crimson City that’s more powerful than they are?”
Mika half-laughed. “You’re seeing the situation in black and white. If humans thought they could extract a promise—or control a demon army through some other means—do you think they’d hesitate? Think about it. This city is a powder keg, and as tense as things are, it wouldn’t take much to ignite an interspecies war. Humans are at a disadvantage in many ways, but demons are stronger than both werewolves and vampires. Now do you see why some might believe aligning with Orcus is a smart option?”
“It’s a stupid option,” he muttered. “We both know how demons negotiate and what would happen if they were freed.”
Mika shrugged. Some demons would indeed do terrible things. Others would go on living as they always had. The problem was, those who came through the veil would mostly be of the former kind. Humans would think they knew what they were doing, but few actually did. It could quite conceivably be a terrible situation. On the other hand…
With a sigh, she tilted her head to look at Conor. “I know you don’t want demons freed, but not all of us are dangerous.” She wanted to make that clear.
“You think the portal should be opened?” His posture was rigid.
Mika stroked him and thought about it. “I’m not sure,” she said at last. “I’d like to see my mom, my gran, my brother and others able to do as they pleased. But the idea of the dark demons running loose among humans scares me.”
“They wouldn’t be loose for long,” he said, his voice hard.
“McCabe, you make me nuts,” Mika snapped. She dug two knuckles into his side and twisted. “You can’t go hunting the entire branch.”
He didn’t reply, and she sighed. His need to protect humans from demons was another part of who Conor was, and she’d have to accept it about him. “Why don’t we focus now on the dark demon who’s after me, and save the rest of them for later?” she suggested.
Some of the rigidity left his muscles. “I’ll take care of you, honey,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“I know you will,” Mika agreed, returning to caressing him. She’d have to work on tempering his hatred of demons. “But I wish whoever called these Dark Ones through the portal would send them back already. Although, that wouldn’t really solve my problem, would it? I’d still have to deal with them when I return to Orcus.”
Mika could practically hear Conor thinking in the silence. Knowing questions were coming, she braced herself.
“Can no one else send a demon back except the one who summoned him?”
“Have you studied anything about summoning spells?” Mika asked. When he nodded, she continued, “Then you know most of them are closed. That means there’s a set time the demon can come to this world. Sometimes it’s an actual length of time, say a day or a month. But most incantations involve an action.” Mika debated for a second, then decided to risk sharing. “For instance, the rauthima summoning ritual allows the male demon to remain only until his orgasm is finished. Since he’s brought through the veil in a state of sexual frenzy, his stay in the Overworld is measured in minutes.”
Conor’s jaw clenched, and she quickly mentioned another example. “Or say humans wanted demons loose until the vampires and werewolves were defeated. That could take years. But if the decision was made, the human who called the demons could revoke the summoning and return them before the action was fulfilled. But only that person could, and no one else. However, if someone knew where the gates to Orcus were located, they could physically push a demon back through. See?”
McCabe nodded. “Yeah, I understand. If you called a demon through, I couldn’t return him with a spell—but I could force him back by brute force. Now, what about open summonings?”
Mika shook her head. “There aren’t many of those, they’re very dangerous. With an open-ended call, no one but the summoner could send the demon back.”
“And what if that person died?” Conor pressed.
Mika dug her fingers into him briefly, then said, “Then the demon could remain in the Overworld as long as he wished.”
“When your father summoned you, what kind of spell did he use? Is your stay open-ended or closed?”
Mika stiffened before she could prevent it. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but she wasn’t going to mislead him again. “Summoning spells don’t affect me—probably because I’m half human.”
Conor was quiet for a couple of minutes and Mika held her breath, hoping he’d drop it. She didn’t get her wish. “You told me your father called you forth.”
The hardness in his tone made her tense further, but she said easily, “I told you my father has the ability to summon demons.”
“And you let me jump to my own conclusions? If someone didn’t call you, then how did you get out of Orcus?”
She could feel his stare as he waited for her answer. Taking a deep breath for courage, Mika said, “I don’t need anyone to call me. I’ve always crossed the veil at will.”
Conor rolled atop her, his arms supporting his weight. “Can anyone who’s half demon and half human go back and forth whenever they want?”
Damn it, she’d known that would be his first question. Mika wanted to tell him that there was no way in hell she was allowing him to go into Orcus to hunt his father, but she knew better. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice clipped. “Until you, I’d never met anyone else with my mixed heritage.”
He nodd
ed, and she didn’t like the speculative look on his face. “You’ve never had a problem in the demon world?” he asked. “I’ve read that humans can’t survive there.”
“This is why I led you to believe my father summoned me. You can’t go to Orcus.” The words escaped before she could stop them. His jaw clenched, and a stubborn expression settled on his face. Hell. “You’ll stand out,” Mika explained. “We read energies, remember? No one pays attention to me because I’ve lived there my entire life, but do you think a stranger who’s half human is going to pass unnoticed and be unremarked upon? You’ll never survive.”
Conor sat up and started to get out of bed. Mika went to her knees, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She couldn’t let him walk away now. She kissed his nape, then the place where his neck met his shoulder. “You don’t know that world—I do.” She kept her voice soft and nonconfrontational. His tension eased and Mika bit his shoulder lightly.
“I’ve read humans can’t survive in the demon world,” he repeated.
She bit him harder. “That’s right, humans die in Orcus,” she agreed.
“But some humans have made it in.”
Though it wasn’t a question, Mika answered as if it were. “I’ve never seen any. When I asked why my dad never came to visit, my mom told me he couldn’t.” She shrugged, her breasts moving against Conor’s back. “I checked around after that and was given the same information everywhere I turned. No humans can survive in Orcus.”
Conor didn’t speak, and after a brief internal debate, Mika opted not to push. Raising herself higher on her knees, she leaned forward and ran her arms over his chest to his belly. Turning her face into him, she kissed and nipped at his jaw.
“Mika.” His voice held warning.
“Don’t try to tell me you don’t like this.” She used her teeth on his collarbone. “I know better. I even have visible proof.” She looked down at his body.
“You’re not going to dissuade me with sex.”
“That wasn’t my plan, but if you want me to try, I’m willing to give it a go.” She was practically falling over his shoulder, trying to reach more of him, but she didn’t miss his meaning. McCabe had made up his mind to travel into Orcus. But she still had time to work on him. He wouldn’t try anything while he was protecting her.
Showing his incredible strength, Conor reached for her and pulled her around his body. Mika squeaked in surprise but didn’t fight. When she safely straddled his lap, she scolded, “Next time warn me before you do that.”
“Sorry, honey.”
The twinkle in his eye belied his apology, but she didn’t call him on it—she adored that gleam. He was far too serious most of the time, far too intense; and this was a happy change. Mika nuzzled his throat, kissing, licking and nipping upward to his ear. If only he didn’t feel such hatred for his father. If only he could understand how normal demon physiology had affected what happened the night he was conceived.
Mika froze. Wait a second, that might work. Conor’s hands tightened at her waist and she nipped his earlobe. If she could show McCabe that his father wasn’t necessarily some cold, pathological rapist, maybe he wouldn’t be so fanatic about hunting him. What she had to do was work Conor into a sexual frenzy and then point out a few things. Maybe that would get him to look at his conception from a different angle, get him to see that his father wasn’t a monster. McCabe was part Kiverian, and they had the vishtau bond. The edge was off his need because they’d already had sex so many times today…but it could still work.
And she knew just how to start—with encouragement—something she doubted he’d heard enough of in his life. Mika ran her tongue around the outside edge of his ear, then murmured softly, “I haven’t told you how gorgeous you are.” She straightened, smiled at him and wrapped her hands around his left arm. “Look at this—my fingers don’t even meet. Do you know how hot that makes me?”
“Cut the bullshit, Mika,” he groused.
But she didn’t miss the half-dazed look in his eyes, and it made her wonder if he’d ever been told anything positive about himself. That derailed her from her plan for a moment. He needed to hear how special he was, and she put her arms around his neck again. “No bullshit. Every compliment from me will be one hundred percent true. My promise on it. And you know a demon never goes back on her word.”
After waiting to see if he had anything to add, she continued: “It’s more than your looks, McCabe.” She purred his surname like an endearment. “It’s you. I love your stalwart honor, your determination, your intensity. I even love the way you grumble when I’m prodding you. I get wet just thinking about you.”
She leaned forward and kissed him. As she tried to pull back, his lips clung to hers. There was a hopeful look in his eyes, a hunger, though she had to stare hard to see it. Stroking his nape, Mika weighed her alternatives, but it didn’t take long to decide that he was more important than protecting herself. “There’s a reason. I love you, Conor.”
Her words seemed to hang suspended in time. Mika didn’t expect him to return the sentiment, but she had thought to get a response. Still, she couldn’t regret saying it—not when McCabe needed to hear this truth something fierce.
Before she could become too uncomfortable, his hands tightened at her waist and he growled low in his throat. “Consider this your warning,” he said. Using incredible speed, Conor lifted her off his lap and put her on the bed, flat on her back.
Well, she had asked for advance notice when he planned to shift her, but she’d hoped for more than a split second. Mika laughed quietly over his haste before his mouth covered hers.
Humming with pleasure at his eagerness, she raised her knee, resting her thigh against his hip. Conor was in control again, but that was fine. He was already half wild, and she hadn’t done much. Yet. Let him hang on to his sanity while he could; by the time she was done with him, his iron command was going to be a thing of the past. The thought made her smile against his lips.
She could feel his sex growing hard, nudging more and more insistently against the inside of her thigh with every passing moment. Mika wriggled, trying to center him, but Conor didn’t cooperate. Raising and lowering her heel, however, made him slide against her leg, and their kiss became less measured. Conor dragged his mouth from hers, licking and nipping his way to her throat. And he turned her own methods against her; he nuzzled her neck, then pinched her pulse point with his teeth. The bite made her gasp and arch her body into his. But as Mika began to throb, she refused to lose sight of her goal.
He didn’t make it easy for her. With one last stroke of his tongue, Conor lifted his head. His eyes blazed red fire, just as she was pretty sure hers did too. Knowing she lay with Conor, the Kiverian she loved—her vishtau mate—was enough to make her wild with happiness.
His smile was pure, smug male, and she knew his pleasure was in how aroused he’d made her. Reaching out, he trailed a finger around the areola of her right breast, circling until the nipple drew taut. He moved to the other breast, repeated the motion.
“Stop teasing,” she growled.
Mika should have realized Conor would take that as a challenge. He moved, straddling her hips and pinning her to the mattress. Using both hands, he cupped her breasts, pressing them together. As he stared at her chest, he reached full tumescence. Lowering his face, he abraded her sensitive skin with the stubble on his chin. Mika fisted her hands in the blanket beneath her and let him do with her what he wanted.
“Conor,” she protested breathlessly as he continued teasing.
Finally—finally!—his tongue flicked one nipple, was there and gone so quickly, it left her gasping. The man was merciless as he played with her, not taking her into his mouth until she writhed beneath him. His erection rubbed against her, and Mika shifted so that she received stimulation every time she undulated. She didn’t think Conor had any clue how close she was to coming. Deciding it was in her best interest to keep him ignorant, Mika did her damnedest to limit the noises sh
e made, and to keep her hips from rocking at a frantic pace.
She was right on the cusp when he bit her nipple. With a strangled groan, Mika dug her fingers into his butt and arched into him. Hard. Conor froze for an instant, then worked to plummet her completely over the edge.
A part of Mika realized she was gasping that damn vishtau pledge again, but she didn’t care. Her body’s only concern was enjoying the ecstasy screaming through it. She finished her portion of the binding ritual at the same time the ripples of pleasure eased.
When she regained her senses, McCabe was leaning over her, his eyes burning into hers. “You weren’t supposed to come yet,” he said.
Unrepentant, Mika grinned. “Sorry. Why don’t you start over and I’ll try to hold out.”
It took a moment, but Conor smiled. “Have I mentioned that you’re trouble?”
It sounded like a compliment, so she ignored the question. She’d failed miserably so far in her attempt to destroy his control, but now that she’d had her fun, she should be able to stay focused. Without warning, Mika shoved Conor on his back.
“Uh-uh,” she said, pushing on his shoulder to hold him in place as he tried to rise. “It’s my turn.”
He made one more effort to get up, but it was halfhearted at best. McCabe wanted to see what she was going to do to him.
Kneeling at his side, Mika took his hand and brought it to her lips. She teased his fingers, running her tongue over each and biting the base of his thumb, before sucking his middle finger into her mouth. Deliberately, she repeated the same technique on his finger that she’d used while going down on him hours earlier. The flare of his eyes told her he remembered, and that he recognized what she was doing.
Conor’s body was rigid, his teeth clenched hard enough to make a muscle jump in his cheek. Satisfied, Mika moved to his palm. “I love your hands,” she said between bites. “Your wrists too.” She gently ran her index finger across his pulse point. “So strong and capable, yet these long fingers make me wonder if you have an artistic side.” With a moue to make her meaning clear, she added, “You do have a very talented touch.”
