Blood of the Demon

by Lario, Rosalie

  If only she could trust that he really was just trying to protect her. But certain things about his story didn’t make sense. Something was off. They knew about her abilities, for one. And about this Mammon guy, who was supposedly tracking her just because she happened to be the ancestor of some long-dead Egyptian priest. Who the hell did that, anyway?

  Brynn sighed, feeling a knot of tension curl up between her temples. She was probably being a total idiot for not being more freaked out. After all, someone who wanted to protect you didn’t generally knock you into unconsciousness and then keep you imprisoned. No matter how nice the prison. But Keegan didn’t feel dangerous—at least not in a psycho killer sort of way.

  This was all so confusing.

  The door to her room unlocked with a click, jarring her from her jumbled thoughts. Brynn rose as Keegan opened the door. He leaned against the doorjamb. “How are you doing?”

  She fought to calm the sudden racing of her heart as she drank in the sight of him by the doorway. How could he affect her so intensely? “I’m fine, but I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions. And I don’t like being locked away.”

  He nodded, an expression of understanding on his face. “I’m sorry about that, but it’s for your protection.”

  “Don’t I get to decide how I should be protected?” She crossed her arms, trying her hardest to look pissed off instead of conflicted.

  His brows knitted, and he pressed his lips together. “Not this time.”

  Brynn swallowed her exasperated sigh and tried for reason. “Listen, if what you said earlier about protecting me is true, then you’re being a caveman. You seem to think you can just club me over the head and drag me away, no questions asked, but it doesn’t work like that anymore.”

  He chuckled. “Believe me, if I was a caveman, we wouldn’t be talking right now.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it as the innuendo behind his words struck her with all the force of a speeding bullet.

  He couldn’t have meant it like that.

  Keegan reddened, likely realizing what he’d implied, and cleared his throat. “I meant if I was a caveman, I wouldn’t have bothered explaining anything to you.”

  “Oh.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

  “We’ll talk some more over dinner. Come on.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice.

  Brynn strode forward, trying not to show her discomfort when Keegan didn’t give her enough space to walk by without touching him. Her heart thumped as she slid past him. Whether from fear or excitement, she couldn’t tell. The heat of his arm seared her shoulder.

  Pausing, she turned to face him. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yes.” He wrinkled his brow. “Why do you ask?”

  “You feel so warm,” she said. “Your brothers did, too, come to think of it.”

  Keegan stared at her for a moment before throwing her a playful smirk. “Didn’t you say we were hot earlier?”

  “I... ” Her cheeks heated. He was teasing her.

  Keegan lost his flirtatious smile and shrugged. “We all run a little hot. Got it from our father.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “Probably the least weird thing about any of us.” He pushed away from the door. Then he motioned to another door directly across from hers. “That’s my room.”

  Before Brynn could reflect on the fact that his room was mere steps from hers, Keegan said, “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

  He led her through a long hallway decorated with marble flooring and elegant wall sconces. They passed two more doors.

  “Taeg’s room, and Ronin and Dagan are sharing this one,” Keegan said as they walked by. He pointed to the final door in the hallway. “That’s an office.”

  “This place is huge. Whose is it?”

  “So, obvious that it’s not ours, huh?”

  “Well”—Brynn paused before admitting—“I tried reading just about every object in that room, and everything seemed to be new. No real memories attached to them. If it’s yours, then you just moved in.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment. “We’ve got it on loan, actually. Belongs to that government agency I told you about.”

  “The secret branch of the government? You were serious about that?”

  His lips twisted into a brief half-smile. “Yes.”

  Not sure whether or not to believe him, Brynn whistled. “No wonder taxes are out of control, if this is what Uncle Sam is buying.”

  They reached the end of the hallway, and he pointed to another short corridor “The foyer is over there, and this is the living room.”

  “Whoa.” Brynn crept behind him.

  The living room was massive, with floor-to-ceiling windows lining one entire wall.

  She slid forward until she stood in front of them, and took in the view. “This is absolutely amazing.”

  The window glass reflected the image of Keegan moving behind her. Her heart rate quickened. A little due to fear, yes, but there was also no denying her base attraction to him. Something he was no doubt used to, given the way he looked.

  “Yes,” Keegan murmured, so close that his hot breath fanned the back of her hair. His unique scent enveloped her, making her light-headed, and that spot between her thighs grew moist and achy. “It is a breathtaking view.”

  The hint of huskiness in his tone turned her on. It was crazy, how she responded to him. The guy kidnapped you, remember? But her body didn’t seem to care.

  “There you are.”

  The sound of Taeg’s voice made Brynn jump. By the time she turned to face him, Keegan had already scooted away, his expression shuttered.

  Taeg smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Dinner’s ready.”

  She slunk behind Taeg and Keegan as they headed into a small dining room next to the oversized kitchen. Their tense silence made her feel guilty, like she’d done something wrong. The table was set for four, with an Italian feast: lasagna, Italian sausage, peppers, and baked ziti. Even a few dishes she couldn’t identify. It looked like enough food to feed a dozen men.

  Brynn stared at it for a moment, then addressed Ronin, who seemed the likeliest culprit. “You can cook?”

  “No, but I’m excellent at ordering in,” he admitted. “Sit down, please.”

  She waited until Keegan and Taeg were seated before speaking again. “Okay, now I want some answers.”

  Keegan exchanged a glance with his brothers. “What’s the question?”

  “Well, first off, if you expect me to believe all this, how did you first find out that I was... gifted?”

  He took a deep breath. “The government keeps a tab on everyone with powers. We don’t know how they do it.”

  “Okay. Then how did you find out about this guy Mammon, and that he’s after me?”

  “We were told about it,” Taeg jumped in. “You know, by this covert branch of government superheroes we work for.”

  Brynn stared at Taeg for a long moment, and blinked. “I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or not.”

  Keegan spoke to him in their language, and Taeg answered in kind. Even while she internally acknowledged that Keegan’s guttural speech was some weird sort of turn-on for her, it annoyed her she couldn’t understand the men.

  “English, please? And where are you from, anyway? I don’t recognize that language.”

  He toyed with the silverware next to his dinner plate. “A remote province of Serbia.”

  “Really?” Why did she feel like she was getting half-truths, at best? “Your English is excellent. You don’t even have an accent.”

  Keegan directed his gaze down with a small cough. “We’re well-studied.”

  There was a moment of marked silence, punctuated by the sound of Taeg’s fingers tapping on the tabletop. Brynn studied her clasped hands as she contemplated Keegan’s words. “So, if what you’ve told me is true, then this person named Mammon is after me because I’m related to an E
gyptian priest who lived over three thousand years ago, right?”

  Keegan nodded. “Yes.”

  “And he believes I can lead him to the priest’s tomb, and to the book that was buried with him?”

  Taeg snorted.

  Keegan pierced him with a dirty look before saying, “That’s what he believes, yes.”

  “And you plan on, what? Protecting me until he’s caught?”

  Taeg and Ronin examined their empty plates while Keegan responded. “Yes.”

  “Well, how long do you think that will take?” she pressed. “And you don’t expect to keep me locked up here the whole time, do you? I mean, I have a life. A job. I can’t just stop showing up to my own gallery.”

  “You’re the owner,” Keegan said. “Couldn’t you close it down for a few weeks, or get someone else to run it? You could tell them you had some pressing business to attend to.”

  Well, her assistant Amanda realistically could take over for a week or two. Brynn didn’t have anything major going on. Still... it didn’t add up. Special gifts or no, why would the government go to all this trouble just to save her from a crazy man? Why, when they could just surround her with round-the-clock security to shadow her every move?

  The truth hit her full-on. She flew to her feet, and her chair scraped loudly across the wooden floor. “You want the book, too, don’t you? And you somehow think I’ll be able to lead you to it.”

  Taeg fired a startled glance at Keegan, who sighed and rested his chin on his knuckles as if he was thinking about what to say. “We do want it, but we don’t hold anything more than an optimistic hope that you’d somehow be able to help us find it.”

  Brynn bit her lip. On a fundamental level, she’d known there was more to the story than what he’d told her. But she was surprised he’d admitted it. She sat back down and scooted in her seat, taking her time to reply. “What’s so important about it? And don’t lie and tell me nothing.”

  Taeg garbled something in their language, followed by Ronin. Keegan made a staccato reply.

  “English, remember?” she said, keeping her voice purposely sweet.

  Keegan returned his attention to her, appearing hesitant for the first time since she’d met him. But after a brief pause, he said, “The book your ancestor created is referred to by many as the Book of the Dead.”

  Taeg groaned. “Come on, man.”

  “She deserves some truth,” Ronin said to him. “We’re asking her to trust us. Let Keegan tell her why.”

  Brynn ignored the two of them, keeping her gaze directed at Keegan. “The Book of the Dead? You mean the Egyptian funeral rites?”

  He shook his head. “No, not those, but a true book of the dead. A book containing a magical spell with the ability to bring back those who have died. To resurrect them. Whoever used it would be stronger than any human—indestructible, but at a price. Those brought back to life would require sustenance in the form of flesh.”

  She stared at him, waiting for the punch line. When it didn’t come, she chuckled. “You’re telling me that this book is supposed to create zombies?”

  “Zombies?” Keegan looked pensive for a moment, then nodded. “Oh yes, zombies. In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  Her chuckle became a full-blown laugh. “And this guy Mammon actually believes that’s true? Wow, he really is crazy.”

  Keegan took a deep breath. “What if he isn’t that crazy?”

  Nobody else laughed. Instead they stared at her as if she were the crazy one. She sobered. “What do you mean?”

  He leaned forward, completely earnest now. “Brynn, what if it’s true?”

  Chapter Five

  Ronin couldn’t sleep. Dagan was still out, doing the devil knows what. He’d probably met some woman at the bar and ended up going home with her. Things were too quiet without the steady tempo of his heavy breathing. Funny how quickly he had become accustomed to sharing a room.

  “Damn it.” He gave up trying, and hopped out of bed. Padding out into the hallway, he contemplated walking toward Keegan’s and Brynn’s rooms, but decided against it. If Keegan was acting stupid, he didn’t really want to know right now.

  He knocked once on Taeg’s door before opening it. His big brother lay on his bed, watching something on the large LCD screen mounted to the wall. He glanced at Ronin, then picked up the remote and turned the television off.

  “How many times have I told you to knock first, bro? I could have been in here watching porn, for all you know. How’d you like to walk in on that?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time this week,” Ronin muttered. “Besides, I did knock. If you didn’t blast your television so loud, you would have heard it.”

  Taeg sat up. “What’s going on?”

  Ronin closed the door and leaned up against it. “You were right. Keeg does have feelings for her.”

  “I know.” Taeg sighed and combed a hand through his hair. “So what are we supposed to do about it?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Besides, no matter what he feels about her, he’s all about doing the right thing—obeying the Council’s orders.”

  “Yeah, after all the shit Dad did, who can blame him?” Taeg scowled. “He’s the oldest, the one who was under Dad’s thumb the longest. Sins of the father, and all that crap.”

  Ronin nodded. “He’ll do what he has to do.”

  “I know,” Taeg said. “Still, we should keep an eye on him. That girl is nothing if not tempting. And you and I both know Keegan doesn’t get laid nearly enough.”

  “Anything less than once a week isn’t enough, as far as you’re concerned,” Ronin said.

  Taeg chuckled. “I can’t help it if I’m irresistible. You might get lucky more often, too, if you didn’t scowl all the damn time.”

  Ronin shook his head, biting back a laugh. At least Taeg wasn’t as bad as Dagan.

  “Now get the fuck out.” Taeg lay back down and picked up the remote. “Good Will Humping is about to come on.”

  §

  Keegan stood outside Brynn’s door, staring at it like some lovesick schoolboy.

  What was wrong with him? She was just a woman. A human woman. But his body didn’t seem to care who she was, or what he might have to do to her. It liked her anyway.

  He’d given up lying to himself about not being attracted to her. Oh, he was. And the more he learned about her, the more he liked her. Earlier tonight, after he’d dropped the bombshell about the Book of the Dead, she hadn’t believed him. Judging by the way she gaped at them, she thought they were a bunch of psychos. But she didn’t freak. She listened when he explained to her that supernatural forces existed, and then she said she needed time to think about it, before picking up her fork and finishing her meal in silence.

  Brynn was strong. Stronger than he’d imagined any human woman could be. But would she take it in stride when he told her about her ancestry, or when she learned that demon blood flowed through her veins?

  The practical part of his brain wondered why he should bother telling her. After all, it didn’t change anything—either they’d find it before Mammon did and discover a way to destroy it, or they wouldn’t. And then he’d have to kill her.

  But he refused to take the coward’s way out. He’d tell her as much as he could without damaging her sanity. He owed her that much, at least. He might be many things, but he wasn’t a monster.

  He wasn’t his father.

  Sighing, he pressed his forehead against Brynn’s door. She must be long asleep by now. Sleeping peacefully, he hoped, despite the circumstances. But what if...

  What if he opened the door and walked to her bed, lifted the covers, and crawled in beside her? She might scream. Or welcome him.

  He closed his eyes as he imagined touching his lips to hers, sure they’d taste of strawberries. That little tongue of hers would meet his. Perhaps she’d boldly open her legs to take him in. Rake her nails down his back as he thrust home.

  Keegan groaned at the thought. His cock
rose to impossibly hard heights, tenting the fabric of his pajama bottoms as if pointing the way to Brynn’s bed. To his salvation.

  Or to his doom.

  It wasn’t that late at night. If he were smart, he’d get dressed, wander down to the corner bar, and pick up the first willing woman who looked his way. He’d be pumping away inside her within the span of an hour and alleviate the ache that had only seemed to build ever since he first laid eyes on Brynn. But somehow, that idea was almost as unappealing as bedding a belakor demon.

  No, he was better off using his hand. The devil knew he was already well acquainted with it. With a heavy sigh, he walked back into his room. No point in fighting it—he already knew exactly who he’d think of while he jacked off.

  §

  Brynn was on fire. Warm hands seared her flesh as they dragged her sweater over her breasts and then, in the span of a heartbeat, slid her slacks down and off. Ragged breaths of hot air heated her neck a moment before smooth, full lips pressed a kiss there. A flaming tongue licked a trail up her throat before flicking across her lips. A moment later, a mouth claimed hers, their tongues tangling over and over.

  She couldn’t open her eyes. Or maybe she just couldn’t see.

  “Keegan?” she panted.

  “Yes,” he murmured. With a quick tug, he tore away her bra as if it were made of no more than tissue paper. Then his lips closed over one breast, teeth dragging across her nipple with a roughness that tore a cry from her lips. He moved to the other, tongue rolling over her nipple.

  Brynn moaned softly. “No, we can’t.”

  “Shh,” was all he said. He shifted, and another tear sounded as her underwear fell away. Before she could suck in a breath, he’d placed his hands on her knees and tugged them apart. His slick tongue seared her core.

  “Oh... yes,” she cried. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he used his lips and tongue to bring her to the edge of ecstasy in the span of less than a minute.

  Keegan rose with a husky laugh. “Are you ready for me?”

  “But—”

  With one long, hard stroke, he thrust all the way home.

  Her back arched and the soles of her feet dug into the mattress. “Oh my God!”