by Jane Hunt
*
Lukas settled back into his chair. He opened his mind. Despite his long, turbulent history with the demon, Lukas didn’t know how it looked in this world. His late arrival should pique the demon's interest. A subtle intrusion at the periphery of his consciousness alerted him. He sensed waves of dark paranormal energy, withdrawing when he focused on them. Disappointed, Lukas drew a protective cloak around his own aura. He sensed malevolent energy. Somewhere in this room, the demon hid behind a human mask.
Lukas looked at Zane. His gaze flickered with recognition. A slight movement at Zane’s side drew Lukas' attention. A dark stranger stared in his direction. Unsettled, Lukas glanced at Fleur. A powerful aura shone around her. Its potency pulled him towards her with the force of a powerful magnetic field. Lukas concentrated all his psychic energy to pull away. Why did Fleur have such a powerful aura, and why did it attract him? The click of Fleur's bag as she closed it interrupted his muse. The plan of activities rested on her lap. Lukas smiled. His gaze registered her rose-blush cheeks. Her nipples pebbled under her thin mesh top as his gaze rested there. Shallow breaths made her breasts push against the neckline of her top. She shifted in her seat. He withdrew his gaze. His arrogance was satisfied by her obvious arousal.
Lukas' attention focused on Grace. He discovered his character in the murder mystery event a philanthropist who would be the host of the house party, a party given as a reward to Nathan Ryder's friends and supporters of his homeless trust. Grace cast herself as his mother and hostess, which increased the probability of a private conversation this evening. The other characters' names and roles held no significance for him.
*
“So who might you be in this little intrigue?”
Fleur turned to face Lukas. His hand brushed hers where it rested in her lap. Startled, she resisted the urge to move her hand away. It didn't mean anything. Why draw attention to it? Fleur's gaze followed his fingers as he caressed the delicate skin of her inner wrist. Lukas' troubled gaze met hers. The sensations he aroused captivated her. Her knees trembled. Heat pooled between her thighs. His touch stripped her of her usual self-control. She remembered he'd asked her a question. “I’m Megan Wilde, a successful business woman. I own coffee shops and devour admirers like after-dinner mints, if I recall the details of my character.” Her voice sounded soft and husky even to her own ears.
“Ah! And do you?”
Lukas held her gaze. She wanted to look away, but refused to show any weakness. “Do I what?”
Lukas smiled. His golden gaze danced with secret amusement. He irritated her. “Do you devour your admirers?"
Fleur touched her warm cheeks, rattled by his hot looks. Determined to keep her emotions hidden, she held his gaze. “No. I’m not like Megan Wilde.”
*
Her wistful reply touched him. Fleur affected him in unexpected ways and his sudden emotional involvement bothered him. He pushed his worries aside when he saw Jasmine accompanied by two men. “Jasmine, it’s nice to see you again.” His urbane tone brought Fleur out of her dazed state. “I see my business partner has introduced himself."
“Hi. You know Zane, of course, Lukas, but do you know Xavier?”
Lukas' fires burned deep within him. He stiffened his body, brought it under rigid control. Xavier stood a little closer to Jasmine than social etiquette allowed. Her gaze betrayed her discomfort. She hid it well under a veneer of social politeness. Xavier’s empty, inhuman eyes drew his attention. His senses sharpened and the fire within bubbled close to the surface. He shook Xavier's hand. His mind probed. A dark presence, heavy with malevolence, met him. He shuddered. The creature didn't have a human soul. Lukas recovered his composure. “No, we haven’t met.” He ignored the malicious smile on Xavier’s face.
“No?” Xavier challenged. “More importantly, who are you, mio bella signora?”
Fleur blushed. Xavier's charm overpowered her. Good manners ensured she smiled politely and shook his hand. “Hi, I’m Fleur Curwen.” Xavier held her hand. In a parody of old fashion gallantry, he raised it to his mouth and kissed it.
“I’m delighted to meet you, bella.”
Fleur hid her distaste well. Lukas saw her wipe her hand on her clothes when he let it go. His attempts to ignore the demon’s actions failed. He wanted to step between Fleur and Xavier. Instead, he feigned disinterest until Fleur's dislike of Xavier ruptured her thin veneer of politeness. “I'll walk you to your room, Fleur.”
Fleur shot a glance at Jasmine who nodded and smiled. “Fine with me, I’ve introduced you to everyone. I need to finish here and prepare for this evening’s cocktail party.”
Fleur smiled. "Thanks, Lukas. I’ll see you later, Jasmine?” She smiled at Zane and Xavier and rested her hand on Lukas’s arm.
“She’s out of your league, Zane.” The younger man whistled as his gaze followed Jasmine across the room. "Xavier," Lukas made sure it sounded like an afterthought. He looked at Fleur. “Let's go.” Lukas noted the blush on her cheeks as they made their way through the small groups of people still around. He smiled at her unusual naivety.
*
Lukas and Fleur climbed the stairs to their rooms. She liked the hardness of his muscular arm under her fingertips and let her mind wander. Xavier’s attractiveness didn't arouse her. His cold lips froze the skin on her hand. If Lukas kissed her hand, it would be different. Unbidden, her heated imagination conjured an image of Lukas naked in the shower with water droplets on his muscular body. She pushed it away, but not before the dull ache in her lower abdomen intensified. She gave herself a mental shake, appalled by her lovesick teenage behaviour. Lukas broke into her muse.
“Are you looking forward to tonight?”
"I am. I love escaping from the real me.”
“Why?"
“I’m too ordinary and shy. Megan Wilde's so interesting and confident. No contest."
They stopped in the deserted hallway outside Fleur's room. Lukas covered her hand with his. She trembled at the contact. Her breath hitched as a jolt of awareness rushed through her. His shocked expression showed her the same electricity ran through him. He gently turned her face towards him. His fingers caressed her, cool against the heat of her flushed cheeks. Did her gaze betray her emotions? She felt a mixture of uncertainty and arousal.
“You’re wrong. I would choose Fleur over Megan every time.”
Captivated, she watched Lukas' mouth drift towards her slightly parted lips. He gave her every chance to decline the invitation he offered. She didn’t. As his firm cool lips grazed hers, she rose up on her toes to meet him. His tongue traced her full bottom lip in a sensual caress. Fleur parted her own lips under his. He dipped into the warm recesses of her mouth. His gentle kiss aroused her. Lukas tasted and sipped at her lips. Fleur’s body flooded with heat. His lips continued their thorough exploration of her soft compliant mouth. She grabbed at the lapels of his jacket, pulled him in closer. She needed more.
*
Lukas sensed her urgency. He let his hands drift from her face to the sensuous curves of her buttocks and caressed their softness. He pulled Fleur almost roughly against him, plastered her to his hard body from chin to toes. Fleur murmured her approval and deepened the kiss. Her tongue tangled with his. Lukas' body hardened his erection rigid against the softness of her belly. His aroused state forced a belated reality check. If they continued, he would bury himself in her hotness here, against the wall. The inappropriateness of their surroundings permeated his sensual haze, a public corridor where anyone could interrupt them. He stopped and eased his mouth from hers. “Sweetheart, we have to stop. I don't like the prospect of an audience. Nor do I start things I can't finish.” He removed her arms from where they rested round his neck. Fleur groaned and pulled his mouth back to hers. He couldn't ignore his conscience. He lifted her tempting body away from his needy one. His shaft protested her absence as it strained against his jeans. Sex with sweet innocents didn't figure in his plans. He glanced at his watch. “We need to go and
get ready. It’s less than an hour until the cocktail party at seven.”
Fleur's gaze became panicked when she looked at her own watch. She opened her bag and searched for her room key. "I’ll never be ready in time.”
Unable to stop himself, Lukas brushed a stray tendril of hair off her face. His shaft pressed against the buttons of his jeans as Fleur turned her enticing mouth towards his fingers. He bent his head and kissed her rosy, bruised lips. “You’ll be fine. I'll see you at seven?”
“Yes,” Fleur smiled at him. She opened her door and waited at the threshold.
Lukas made it easier for her. He turned away and walked towards his own room. Her door closed and creaked as if she leaned against the solid wooden panels. He relived their previous passionate moments. Megan Wilde lived inside her.
Lukas turned the corner. Zane leaned against his door. Lukas focused and pushed the final remnants of passion away. He needed to discover what Zane knew about the demon.
“What took you so long?”
“I walked Fleur to her room.”
“It took you long enough."
Lukas saw the anxiety in Zane's expression. Did he doubt his commitment? He must control his emotions. He needed Zane's support.
*
Xavier walked into the wild garden closest to the hillside. Overgrown rose bushes and heather tangled together. They provided solitude unseen from the house. His body’s internal pressure rose unbearably. The need to return to his true form was so acute he could barely maintain his human appearance. He plunged into the undergrowth, losing skin and human shape. Unmasked, the demon surfaced. The urbane Italian disappeared.
The demon’s head, deformed with sharp protrusions, barbed with lethal poison, didn't have any eyes. Instead, expressionless orbital cavities dominated its face and shone with bright magnesium-white light. The obscenely wide mouth, filled with sharp pointed teeth, was capable of ripping a human to pieces in mere seconds. The demon's body resembled a horrific serpent, its torso armor-plated with webbed bat-like wings attached. Covered in smooth slimy black scales, the long thick-set lower body hid a second mouth with a forked poison-laced tongue. He slithered away from the light to recline between a boulder and a clump of grouse, his mind disordered as the demon's empty void overrode all traces of humanity. He was without compassion or forgiveness. A relentless urge drove the demon to annihilate and punish anyone or anything in its path.
*
The grandfather clock struck seven as Lukas knocked on Fleur’s door. As he turned the handle, the door creaked open. He walked in without any hesitation. Fleur sat at the French-style dressing table.
"Hi, I’m almost ready.” She reached for her perfume bottle. It clattered against the glass top as it slipped from her shaky fingers. "Damn."
Lukas smiled as he closed the door, pleased he made her nervous. She sprayed a light floral scent on the back of her neck under her long, caramel blonde hair. Aquamarine and opal drop earrings caught the light as she brushed her hair and secured it in an elegant braid. He relaxed against the door and admired her petite form. Her turquoise silk dress skimmed her curves and emphasized their delicacy as she moved across the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting."
Lukas noticed pretty turquoise butterfly bows tamed her hair. His fingers drummed against the door panels. He wanted her hair unrestrained so he could delve into its silkiness. "You look lovely. Your dress looks great." The color's vibrancy reminded him of the turquoise scales of his dragon ancestors.
*
Fleur blushed at the compliment. True, the expensive designer creation maxed out her credit card, but Lukas' masculine appreciation of her exquisite dress justified her impulsiveness. "I don't wear this color often. Megan Wilde demanded a vibrant dress.”
He moved sinuously away from the door and pulled her into his arms. The speed and grace of his movements reminded her of a powerful animal. Their desire swept them away. Needs spiraled as they focused on their satiation. Lukas ended the kiss. Dazed, his distracted state comforted Fleur. His regretful expression was little compensation for the loss of his closeness.
"We need to go.”
She couldn't focus on his words, her preoccupation with his mouth more important. Rational thought was overridden by his kiss and her subsequent explosion of desire. She saw her reflection, smudged lipstick. Wild hair cascaded over her shoulders. “Wait. I need to fix my hair."
*
Lukas caught hold of her hand as she turned away from him. “No, don’t! I like you this way.” He ran the pad of his thumb along her responsive lips. “Trust me. Everyone will like you as you are." She looked vivacious, like the color of her dress, with lush, pink lips and hair like golden rain as it slipped from its elegant restraints. He wanted her back in his arms. His arousal rocketed several degrees as the tip of Fleur’s tongue darted out and tasted his thumb. “Hell!” Another few seconds and leaving wouldn’t be an option. They needed to go now. With his free hand, Lukas wrenched open the door and pulled Fleur through it. It shut with a loud thud. She jumped and pulled away. He let go of her hand, and his gaze held hers. She searched in her bag and gave him the old key. After he locked the door and returned the key, his fingers grazed hers. “Let’s go.” He watched a brief mutinous look invade her lovely face. He frowned at her. Her gaze widened, but common sense prevailed. She dropped the room key into her bag.
“Yes, you're right.”
∞
Chapter Three
Their powerful mutual desire stunned Lukas. They walked along the corridor in awed silence. Lukas frowned. He examined his feelings for Fleur against the importance of his mission. The future of humanity depended on him. He needed clarity. No chance. Rampaging hormones confused him. His head ached. His heart led his emotions into battle with his rationality. A voice whispered inside his subconscious, soul mate, the special person his life lacked. His logical mind ridiculed his hopes. Lust prevailed here, not love. He didn't know whether to trust his head or his heart. His rational side triumphed. The demon divined weakness in his opponents and used it against them. If his emotions ruled, he risked the dragon egg's abduction by Xavier. Unthinkable. His mission's success must prevail regardless of any personal cost. He crushed his hopes for a life with Fleur with brutal intent. The battle ahead was his focus now. Determined, he let go of Fleur's small, long-fingered hand as they reached the conservatory. “Sorry, Fleur, this won't work." He hardened his heart to her expressive face, the look of disappointment followed by acceptance, as if she didn't have a right to happiness. "I have an important mission. I can't afford distractions." Her teary gaze mirrored her confused state. "Go and find Jasmine. I need to speak to Zane." Lukas walked through the conservatory door in character as Nathan Ryder. His gaze sought Zane.
**
Zane paced and his silver gaze scanned the room. “Lost someone?” Xavier smirked. When Jasmine left him to avert a disaster with dinner, Xavier made straight for Zane, eager to discover what he knew about the dragon egg and his connection to Lukas. He smiled as Zane's mental hackles rose.
“I'm looking for Lukas, my business partner.”
“You’re not in character.”
“Sorry?"
“Aren’t we all in character?”
“What, oh yes. My character is Nathan Ryder’s business partner, Jack Dexter.” Lukas stalked across the conservatory. “There he is.”
Xavier looked round for Jasmine. Fleur crossed the room. She stopped and made an abrupt change of direction away from Lukas, who didn't see her as he caught sight of Zane. Intrigued, Xavier watched the interplay of feelings on Fleur’s face and the subtle changes to her body language. He followed his prey with the deadliness of a true predator.
*
Lukas stopped in front of Zane. “I’ve been looking for you."
“Well, here I am. I'm shocked you're not with the lovely Fleur.”
“No, it’s too dangerous for her and the mission if I’m not focused. I’ve told her it's over.”
/>
"You shouldn't make such a hasty decision. You're different with her. You shouldn't ignore serendipity."
"She can't help us defeat the demon."
"She's not your normal kind of woman."
"It's too risky. My role is to protect the dragon egg. Nothing else matters."
"It's your decision, but what about the witch? Is it the girl or the mother?"
"The mother, I remember her from somewhere."
"We need to protect the titan-haired temptress. Xavier is fascinated with her."
"See what she knows."
"What about you?"
"I'll speak to the guardian witch. Time's short." Lukas looked for Grace. Xavier honed in on Fleur and offered her a glass of pink champagne. "Fuck!"
Zane raised his eyebrows. Lukas never used profanity. He followed the direction of his gaze. “Not good. Did you warn her about him?”
“No need. She found him creepy.”
“Well, she’s smiling at him now; she could be a good actress.”
“Maybe, but it’s got more to do with my behavior. I wish I’d kept her close.”
“We’ll watch them. Fleur is strong.”
“She’s a human woman, and he’s been a powerful demon for over a thousand years. She doesn’t stand a chance against him!”
“Mmm, I’m not so sure. She captured you.” Zane saw Jasmine and headed in her direction.
