by Bea Biddle
”I was afraid the tub would break," Karen mumbled. She hadn't been. That thought had come afterward. In the moment she hadn't been thinking about the tub at all.
”Next time," Cef promised with a low chuckle and kissed the top of her head.
”I don't think I can afford to keep a Demon around,” Karen teased with a dramatic sigh, ”Too much furniture to replace.”
He grinned, about to purr out a comment that would make her blush and giggle. Something along the lines of how he would make sure she would never complain about that, about how she would be much too busy screaming out his name again, over and over. But his jaw shut tightly before he could utter the words. Reality crashed into him along with the words she had spoken. And then guilt.
She rolled her head back against his chest with another sigh. Oblivious to his sudden rigid spine. He spotted the two small puncture wounds in her skin, in the spot between her neck and shoulder, the soft spot, the sweet spot. Sylvester had made those. He felt his body flare with annoyance and he grunted. That was his spot. That was the spot where he left kisses and nibbled. That was the spot that had her giggling and moaning and panting for him. Not for anyone else. He knew Sylvester had saved her life in the process, but it didn't make it better. She should never have been caught in that situation in the first place. She should not have other people's teeth marks on her, she should have only his. She was his, and his alone. No one else should touch her. The intensity of the thought disturbed him. He had to calm down. He had to relax.
”Cef?” Karen asked. She had finally felt the change in him, his heart beating faster, his tightened embrace, the hard breathing.
He shuddered, forcing his body to comply with him. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, corrected himself. He wanted Karen to be his and his alone. And he had claimed her. She was his. That was regrettable, that was his mistake. It could not be, he couldn't have her. He knew that. She was human, she didn't know. She couldn't possibly. It was best it stayed that way. For her sake. Especially since he knew what he had to do.
”I'm just-” he began, shaking his head again. ”I don't like seeing Sylvester's marks on you. That's all.” No that was not all.
”Don't look at them,” she replied, lacing her fingers with his on her chest. ”I'm grateful to him. I'm alive because of him.” He nodded, brushing his thumb over her nipple, sending delicious wonderful chills down her body. ”Don't look at me at all,” she continued with a small laugh, ”I am a horrible mess right now.” She knew she was right, all the blood and dirt had been washed away but she was bruised and battered. And not at all sure how she could have let Cef have his way with her, his very enthusiastic, powerful way with her, without feeling even more so. She giggled softly to herself at the thought.
He scoffed at her words. ”You're beautiful.” He ran his hand through her hair, but it was wet and tangled together. Not an easy job and she winced.
"Oh, that's- uhm, careful," she coughed out with a laugh. Cef felt the bump at the back of her head that he had accidentally stroked. A reminder of what Garth had done to her. Anger once again settled in his stomach. "I don't heal as fast as you.”
He had to let go of the anger. It was over, it was done. She was here, alive, between his legs. "Humans are clearly not made for the battlefield," Cef remarked.
"You think so?" Karen asked, soaking her words in soft sarcasm. She reached up and took his hand away from her hair, instead intertwined her fingers with his and held it to her chest with the other one, kissing each of his rough fingers. "This has been one fucking eventful month at a brand new job," she mused and couldn't help the laugh that followed. "Here I was thinking I could easily be a waitress, I was actually thinking 'how hard could it be?' How wrong I was. I swear when I eventually leave that place, Alyssa is going to have to write me one fucking amazing reference She kissed the back of his hand. "Karen Parker is a hard-working young lady," she recited in her most authoritative voice, "Always with a sunny disposition, never far from a smile-"
”Or a moan,” Cef added, kissing the back of her head, working his way down her neck to her shoulder. ”Or a cry of complete bliss, a scream of surrender in her lover's arms.”
Karen laughed. "That's hardly appropriate in a reference." With a shrug, she added, "True though."
”Superior multitasking skills,” Cef offered instead.
”Good at being independent, but works very well in a team,” Karen added.
Cef gave a quick nod. ”An excellent addition to any team,” he proclaimed and added, ”As long as the team is technically dead.”
Karen laughed. ”Excels under pressure, especially while running for her life.”
”Gets along exceedingly well with her superiors as long as they are libidinous vampires and devious Witches.”
”A focused individual, never distracted or preoccupied," she continued, pulling his arms around her tighter. "Unless it's by an irresistible, sexy Demon."
”Always in control of herself," Cef whispered, nibbling on her earlobe, "Unless being ravaged and brought to pleasure again and again by said Demon."
”Unless- unless that,” she agreed weakly and swallowed hard. His words had been low and seductive, sending chills down her skin, leaving goosebumps. She was sitting between his legs, and there was no mistaking the hard length of him pressing against her backside. He again began massaging her breasts, nibbling at her shoulder, kissing her neck and throat. ”Cef, no,” she said, unable to contain the giggles that escaped her.
”Once again, I have to point out that your body says yes,” he stated proudly, stroking her stomach with his knuckles, slowly up and down, until his hand snaked its way down between her legs.
He wasn't lying, her legs had spread for him all on their own even before he got there. Damn her treacherous body. ”Later,” Karen said in her most assertive voice, removing his hand. ”Later.”
He kissed her shoulder again, nodding. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder, wanted to march her to the bed and bend her over. Claim and claim again. The need was so strong. He didn't have later, he only had now. He should tell her, he needed to tell her.
”I don't understand about Alyssa,” Karen said, changing the subject. ”I don't understand why she said she had to be punished. She did nothing wrong.”
”Witches have rules. We all have rules,” Cef explained with a shrug. ”She was not allowed to interfere. It was a matter between Demons. Weres getting involved was a mistake, and had Sly not finished him, Garth would have felt their wrath as well.”
"It just makes no sense. If Alyssa had just done what she did from the beginning, all this could have been avoided." Karen scoffed. "She saved us, she literally did, and The Witches want to punish her for that? Want to punish her because the rift is gone? Wasn't that what they wanted all along?”
Cef nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek in deep thought. "It's a Witch thing. Witches are so powerful, so full of magic, they have to be kept in check, they have to be controlled. If one goes rogue there will be a real problem. Security works for Vamps, Weres, even Ghosts sometimes. Not for Witches. They are too powerful. And The Witches work hard to keep everyone under control, they can't allow disobedience. She will be used as an example. It's hard to understand for a human, it took me several years to understand it myself. But she made her choice, she knew what she was doing."
"How will she be punished?" Karen asked, almost afraid to. Cef didn't answer her. Instead, he reached for a washcloth on the floor, dipped it in the steaming hot bath and gently started dabbing at her knee that rose up from the water. Then he slid it down her thigh, washing her bruised skin, onto her stomach and finally, slowly, making his way to her chest. "That bad?" she mumbled, closing her eyes again, allowing herself to enjoy his administrations.
"I don't know," Cef confessed. The sound of water dripping from the cloth onto her chest filled the room. He dipped it in the water again and took great care when dapping it on the marks on her neck.
"Cef
? How did I manage to beat Garth that first night? I mean, no human could possibly... I mean, how?”
Cef hesitated, debating with himself about how much to tell her. But in the end, he breathed out in defeat, and confessed, "You weren't alone that night."
"I know, but you and Alyssa were nowhere near."
"Well,” he drawled. The cloth made its way to her chest again, circling her breasts. ”I was not allowed to save you," he said with a nod, "But I had already caught him, he was already tired and beaten down. Not much fight left in the wolf. And then Alyssa saw you in the park, she- for some unknown reason, she said she recognized something in you and made me let him go. It was the most absurd thing," he huffed out, disbelief still in his voice. "I am here to ensure people's safety, not to unleash a Were on an innocent, young human." He dropped the cloth in the water with a small splash, but his hand remained on her breast, cupping it gently as he nibbled on her neck. "This little innocent, young human put up one amazing fight, though. My little warrior," he growled against her neck, biting and teasing her, kissing her as she giggled at the words. "I didn't know you, but I felt a little bit of pride in you even then. You fought back a wolf,” he breathed, pride lacing the words. “And if you hadn't been able to, well, I would be there. I was the predictable outcome of the night for him, Garth would not remember me catching him because it was nothing out of the ordinary, his wolf would not remember. But a girl? A small, seemingly defenseless girl beating him at his own game? His wolf would remember that."
"So, I didn't beat him off on my own.” Karen bit her lip wistfully. ”Why did you ever let me think that?"
Cef shrugged with a chuckle. "I enjoyed watching you at the diner. I enjoyed the blush that crept into your cheeks when guests would ask you if you were the girl that beat a Were," he said, his fingers running up and down her torso, stroking her. "I enjoyed the confidence I saw growing inside of you every day. I couldn't lose that." He hadn't known it at the time. He hadn't known that what he felt, every time he saw her at the diner back then, was amusement, a growing sense of joy when he watched a girl slowly creeping past his defenses and crawling under his skin. He hadn't known how much he enjoyed watching her, how endearing he had found her. But thinking back it all became so clear. He had been an idiot, a complete idiot. He should have admitted that he wanted her sooner. So much sooner. It had become too late, much too late.
"But it wasn't real," Karen grumbled.
Cef tilted her head back and kissed her temple, then her forehead. "Of course, it was. You did beat him. I only helped a little." She couldn't see his face but could hear the teasing in his tone.
Karen snorted at him. She could feel herself wanting to be annoyed with him, but she was so tired none of it mattered anymore. And the hands that stroked her exhausted body were incredible. Nothing mattered except for Cef and her in the tub.
And that thought brought a whole new issue to her attention, something she had been wanting to talk with Cef about but not knowing how to breach the subject. "So, uhm, your downstairs neighbors are going to be furious," she said, trying hard to make it sound like an offhand comment, and motioned with a sloppily pointing thumb to the water on the floor that was disappearing down the cracked tiles. Cef didn't answer her, just continued to caress and fondle her. "You may have to find somewhere else to live," she baited. She knew it was a long shot, she knew she hadn't known him for that long, she knew it was insane to hope for, and she absolutely knew she was dreaming, but in her mind, she secretly started picturing them living together. Obviously, in another place, this one was a dump.
Cef concentrated hard on running his hands along her smooth skin, on soaping up her bruised body, even if it was already clean, and washing it down. Anything but answering her. He couldn't answer her. He couldn't say what he needed to say. He already knew what she wanted with those pointed comments, he knew what was on her mind even if she didn't want to admit it. He couldn't give her that, he wanted to desperately, but he couldn't.
The Demons coming through had shown him that much. Once they started appearing, his old life had come bursting through him. He had worked so hard, trying to forget, trying to repress it. He had wished, prayed, that it would stay hidden, that one day maybe he'd be free of it. But in the back of his head he could still hear it, still hear the screams. No matter how far he attempted to push it down, attempted to put his past behind him, to wrap it away deep inside him, the screams kept coming. He could still smell blood, still smell the sweat of the battlefield, the harsh sun beating down on him, the sand burrowing into his clothes, pelting him with its roughness. He could feel the excitement, the anger, the bloodlust raging through his veins. And regret. He felt his deepest regrets.
He had a new mission, propelled by the past he could no longer keep at bay. He had to set things right. He had to do something.
"Cef?" Karen questioned, breaking into his thoughts. He hadn't heard her the first time she had said his name, he had been too lost in memories, he had been a million miles away, and probably a lot more. She sat up when he still didn't answer and turned around to face him. "Are you alright? You've gone quiet." She ran her fingers through his beard and tugged at it with a wide, but slightly nervous, smile. It damn near tore him apart.
"Karen," he breathed. Her smile faded, the seriousness of the tone made her shoulders slump and when he folded his large hands around her own, she bit her lip apprehensively. He couldn't keep it from her any longer. "Karen, I need to leave.”
"Leave?" she asked, her back stiffened. "What do you mean? Leave?"
Cef attempted to swallow the lump in his throat but it was no good. "I've been hiding here,” he explained, ”On Earth. Have been for thirty years. It can't continue. I need to go back."
"Go back?" she repeated in a whisper. "Back-back? Back to Hell? Are you insane?" Karen stumbled out of the tub, her feet sliding around on the wet floor and she had to hold on to the toilet so she wouldn't land on her ass. Cef stood up, reaching a hand out to her but she pushed it away. Grabbing a towel, she managed to skate into the apartment, wrapping it around herself. "Why do you need to go back?" she breathed helplessly, pressing her hand to her forehead, trying to make sense of it. "I thought we were through all this. I thought we had won and now everything could just return to normal again. I don't understand, Cef, why do you need to leave now? Now when we've finally- When we've- I mean. Dammit, Cef."
Cef padded out after her. Not bothering to cover himself, he stood dripping on the floor. He searched her face, trying to meet her eyes but she would not look at him. "I'm doing this to protect you. To protect all of you." It wasn't much of an explanation, but it was all he could get out at that moment.
"Protect us? The rift is gone. Zac shut it down, didn't he?" She still refused to look at him, she had turned her back on him, staring out of the window at Brooklyn bridge, trying hard not to show how upset she really was. Early morning sun caressed her skin. When had morning snuck up on them?
"Not the one in the basement. I can still go back." Cef's dreads drizzled pools of water on the floor, running down his body. He tied them back. "And I will have to. I need to destroy the stones and close it down for good. It is too risky to keep it open."
"It's been open for thirty years, why do you need to go back right now?" Karen whispered. She hadn't heard him step closer to her, but his arms found their way around her towel-clad waist and she felt herself unwillingly lean back against him.
"Tamas coming through made it more than clear to me what I would bring into this world if I stay here," he whispered in her ear, kissing her lobe briefly. "They'll never stop. I can't let them try to open another."
"Cef, it's suicide," she breathed in defeat. "You told me yourself, they will torture you to death if you go back. I know that you can handle yourself, almighty Warchief and all that, but judging by what came through the rift, you will die."
"I have to try."
She looked around his apartment. She hadn't noticed when they came in, she had
been too exhausted, and they had both been focusing on other more carnal doings, but the place had been completely cleared of things. It was almost empty. Not that he owned many things to begin with, but there were no paintings cluttering the corners, no coffee machine humming on the table, no personal belongings besides the sheets on the bed. He really was leaving.
"I just thought- I just..." Karen trailed off. She didn't want to admit what she had thought, what she had hoped for. She felt defeated. Untangling his arms around her, she turned to face him. "I just found you, Cef,” she admitted softly, ”I was hoping there was something here, something between us that was worth something. I wanted to get to know you better, I wanted us to- I needed to see if perhaps- I felt like we could- maybe, we could-" She couldn't force out the words and ended on a growl instead. Cringing at herself for allowing herself to dream, for allowing herself to hope, for allowing herself to get attached to a Demon that she couldn't keep.
Cef gave her a wide smile and took her hands in his, pulling her close to him with a gentle tug. "I wanted that as well. Whatever it was that you were trying to say anyway." She growled at his attempt at humor, so he continued, "I want to stay with you. I just found you, too. And I care more about you than I ever thought possible. You are human, I never thought a little human could make me act this way. It is so strange." When finally, he had drawn a small reluctant smile from her, he wrapped her in his embrace. "I am not running from you. I am definitely not trying to escape this. Whatever this is. I am trying to protect you. It's the only way to secure that no more rifts would be opened." His face dropped a little, his smile faded, and a sadness spread through him. "I have- I have things I need to take care of on the other side. I need to go back. The things I said, back at your parents' place, they were truer than I want them to be. I really don't belong here. I am a Demon. And as much as I want to stay here with you, I can't. This isn't my world."
Karen pressed her face to his chest, fighting back the tears. "I guess taking you home for Thanksgiving would be kind of awkward. With the horns and all. Not to mention Christmas." Karen groaned at the thought. "I just hate that I'm losing you now.” Right now. Now when I think I'm falling for you. No, now that I know I'm falling for you. “When would you leave?"
