by Jessie Lane
“You have no right to be here and presenting evidence. You’ve neglected to assume your family’s ancestral council seat.”
A few of the demons agreed with the Holden’s objection, while others argued loudly against him.
When Kent held up his hands, the room quieted once again.
“The lot of you have worked long and hard to get me to either ascend to my family’s seat or appoint another to take it. You’re right; I’ve avoided making that decision for quite some time. But the fact is, the seat is still mine if I choose to claim it, which means I still have every right to come in here and present whatever evidence or argument I want to until the time comes that I have relinquished my seat to someone else.
“These pictures show your dead brother’s wife with her lover, whom Lulu Ivanov is claiming is the real killer. Will you look at them, Councilman Holden, and consider the evidence?”
“I refuse to consider any evidence from a man who has spit on his obligations to his family and this council. You should leave now and take the trash you brought in with you.”
He heard the tiger growl behind him then take a step forward as if he might do or say something in retaliation. Kent couldn’t let him do that. An act of aggression in this room was punishable by a death sentence, something he was sure the tiger had no clue of. Therefore, he held a hand up to stop Gage.
Keeping his focus on the councilman in front of him, he clarified out loud what he already knew in his heart to be true. “You won’t consider the evidence I vouch for because I’ve yet to make a decision on my seat?”
“What’s your word worth?” Holden spat at him viciously. “You have no honor.”
Kent snorted then looked from Holden to the other side of the room where the vacant seat sat. “If that’s how you want to play it, then you can enjoy the repercussions of pushing me too far.”
Kent left Gage and Elena in the middle of the floor as he walked to the empty seat. Meanwhile, the whole room as a whole held their breath in anticipation of what he would do.
Placing the pictures on the table, Kent then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. Flicking it open, he circled the enormous, ornate chair until he stood behind it. Then he held his hands up for all to see.
In one hand, he grasped the knife. In the other, he held his palm open wide in front of it.
“Upon my duty as one of the descendants of the Nine Circles of Hell, I assume my family’s seat and the responsibilities of such on this council.” Slicing his palm open along what palm readers would call his lifeline, Kent watched for a second as the blood flowed freely down his hand before he grabbed the middle of the top of his chair with his bloody hand.
Kent watched as Elena’s jaw dropped open. She seemed to gawk in fascination as Kent’s blood soaked into the chair instead of dripping down. Kent knew it was because the chair was absorbing it, taking in his essence.
From this point, until the time of Kent’s passing, no one would be able to sit in this chair but him. If they did, wooden thorns with poison would sprout out of the chair and attack the person trying.
When Kent lifted his hand back up and showed it to the room as proof that the magical chair had accepted his right of claim, the blood was gone and his hand had healed, something Kent had never had any doubt of.
In a clear, controlled, but booming voice, Kent said, “And my first act as councilor is to submit this evidence and order an immediate reprieve in charges against the accused, Lulu Ivanov, pending a thorough and honest investigation.”
The room erupted in chaos.
When Kent looked at Gage and Elena, he found them smiling at each other in victory. There was no victory to be had yet, though. Gage and Elena had no idea how conniving this council could be.
Kent feared for their safety. He would have to say something to Chloe about making sure the two stayed vigilant from here on out.
And while he was talking to the Amazon, there were a few other things he had in mind that he wanted to say. Like, “Damn you, woman, for ruining my life.” But if he was smart, he would go with the other thing on his mind, “Kiss me, you crazy woman.”
Chapter
6
Chloe
Adam McPhee’s bar was packed to the brim with shifters from his pack, plus the usual suspects that Chloe had gotten used to hanging around her family: Gage; his brother, Alec; their triplet sister, Lulu; and even their crazy-ass grandmother. The crazy lot were celebrating their successful trip to the Ninth Circle Council’s chambers with Kent.
They had told Chloe how Councilman Holden was pissed, but after Kent had taken his family’s seat on the council, half of the members had been more than willing to look at the evidence Gage had brought to cast doubt on his sister’s involvement with the murder of Andrew Holden.
Incensed, Councilman Holden shouted at the top of his lungs how Kent joining the council now was just a farce to help protect a murderer. However, it seemed his words were lost on the other council members since they all sided with Kent and gave him two months to produce Andrew Holden’s killer.
Two months wasn’t a lot of time, which made Chloe worry. Lulu Ivanov might not be her biological sister, but she was now family by extension of mating, and that meant something to her. Chloe had grown to adore the big, not so cuddly Gage, and she would hate to see him devastated at the loss of his sister, should they lose the case. That was why Chloe was sitting at this table, in the middle of a celebration, trying to decide her next move. That was hard to do when there was a particular someone who was distracting her.
And that person, who had all of Chloe’s attention whether she liked it or not, was Kent.
The demon was glaring at her from across the room. And from the look he was giving her, Chloe wasn’t sure if the man wanted to kiss her or kill her. After what had taken place at the Ninth Circle Council today, Kent probably wanted to do the latter. The strange thing was, Chloe would much rather the man kiss her.
What was it about him that called to her? She couldn’t figure it out. What she did know was that he was a player, and she couldn’t get herself tangled up in his mess. She had a feeling he would only hurt her, and she had sworn to herself years and years ago that she would never let another man hurt her.
Moving her attention to the bar, Chloe watched as Lulu and Babushka Ivanov took shots of what looked like vodka. It brought a smile to her face as she watched her own sister, Elena, stand next to the drunk women, joking and laughing as Gage stood beside her with a hand around her waist.
The sight of the tiger’s affection for her sister was what made Chloe ache in that moment. They were so happy together, even if they fought like cats and dogs. Truly, that was exactly what Chloe wanted. She just never let anyone know it.
When people knew you wanted love, they considered you vulnerable. Chloe refused to be vulnerable to anybody. Being vulnerable was what had gotten her hurt in the first place with Jimmy Butowski all those years ago.
Jimmy had treated her like a queen, until Chloe realized she was nothing but the prom queen on his arm, like some sort of trophy. Then, when Chloe had confronted Jimmy about rumors of him cheating on her, Jimmy had hit her.
Back then, Chloe had no idea what to do in a situation like that. Her mortification had led her not to call the cops. Instead, she had gone home like some sort of weak victim. Of course Elena had taken one look at her black eye and set out to give Jimmy one of his own.
It was seeing her sister’s rage over Chloe being hurt that had changed something inside of Chloe. It made her harder, more determined to never be used or abused by a man again. Some might say it made her a tad cold-hearted, too.
Truth was, Chloe wasn’t cold-hearted. She was just jaded. On the other hand, she wasn’t waiting for a Prince Charming. That metaphorical dude could kiss her designer covered ass. But, as Chloe continued to watch Gage and Elena talk and snuggle into each other, she had to admit that it would be awfully nice to have someone who loved her that much.
/> The chair next to her scraped across the floor as it was dragged backward. Then a large body sat down next to her. “What is it with you watching people? Are you some sort of voyeur?”
Kent’s voice was deep, edgy, and filled her mind with so many thoughts of what he would sound like as he told her to do naughty things.
The thought made her both curious and afraid.
While Chloe was far from a prude or a virgin, she wasn’t big on the idea of a man commanding her, controlling her, or having any power over her. Yet, through the thought of time in the dark with the demon beside her, she couldn’t help wondering what he could do to her, for her, and with her.
Damn demon.
“Body language gives more information than the spoken word, demon.” Chloe gave back, relishing this verbal game they seemed to play with one another.
The two were a disaster waiting to happen, but the pull between them was stronger the more time they were together. Such as now, as Chloe took in his three-piece suit and blood-red tie.
Who knew the man could clean up so well? It wasn’t often that a man could make her yearn for more, but in that moment, Chloe was beyond curious to see what he would look like wearing nothing but that gorgeous tie around his neck. She just couldn’t let Kent see that she wanted him.
“Tell me, demon, if you think I’m a voyeur, does that mean I can call you a stalker? Because you sure do like to follow me around.”
He leaned forward, his breath puffing across the shell of her earlobe as he whispered, “You and I both know that I don’t stalk you. But, if you want me to, just say the word. I’ll follow you until I’m all you can think of. You can lead me on a merry little chase. Just remember, I will catch you eventually, and when I do, I’m going to do every delicious little thing I’ve been dreaming about doing to you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
Chloe pulled back so she could look Kent in the eyes. She couldn’t seem to figure this man out. Was sex all he really wanted from her? Sometimes, such as now, the look in his eyes made it seem like he wanted more from her. But what? Not that he would get anything from her, except maybe one of her man-teaching lessons. That made her wonder: what lesson did he need? She didn’t have the time to figure it out now. However, she would make sure to do so in the near future.
“If you think I’m just going to jump into your open arms, you’re delusional. Give me a reason you would be worth it, and I might consider letting you do some of those things you dream of.”
Kent leaned back in his chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Oh, Amazon, you shouldn’t so readily agree. You have no idea the things I want to do to you. What I can say is that I might shock you with how well I could please that gorgeous body of yours.”
There was a hidden message in his words that Chloe couldn’t decipher. All she could figure out was that it had to do with the word shock. Did he think he was that good in bed?
Kent brought his big hand up to fiddle with his tie, and Chloe tracked the movement. Visions of him with that tie in his hands as he blindfolded her with it sprang to mind, causing her panties to dampen.
“I would pay good money to know what thought put that look on your face, Amazon.”
Freakin’ peachy.
As she snapped her eyes up from the tie to lock on to his, Chloe realized she had given herself away. No matter. The demon wasn’t the first man she had wanted, and he probably wouldn’t be the last. That didn’t mean she had to give in to temptation.
Now it was her turn to lean forward. Only, she didn’t bother whispering sweet words. No. Instead, she told the demon the truth of her problem with him.
“It’s sad that you think you can buy anything and everything you want. Some things, or people, just aren’t for sale. But that’s only part of your problem, really. You can’t have everything you want, Kent. It’s not good for you. Plus, some of us refuse to give in to the one hit wonder you truly are.
“Of course, that’s why you, as a whole, are a bit of a disappointment. Looking at you, not just your looks, but you—who you are, the man who chose to be a cop instead of a spoiled politician—that man could be one hell of man. One I would very much like to get to know. Except, I think I’ll never get that chance, because that would require you to grow the fuck up and think of women in terms of more than what they can do for your dick. And, I’m just not willing to wait to see how long it takes you to do that.”
A feral light lit his eyes, making them appear determined. Then he leaned in until their faces were only an inch apart. “And if I said I would be willing to change for the right woman?”
“I’m not sure I would believe you.”
“Then you don’t know me at all, because for the right woman, I would be willing to change my ways.”
Chloe felt her lips fall into a sad frown. “Then I must not be the right woman for you, because I’ve yet to see you as anything other than the man who thinks he can have anything he desires.”
Anger flashed over Kent’s face. “How can you say that after what I did to help Lulu Ivanov?”
Holding her pointer finger up, Chloe stopped him in his tracks. “Ah, ah, ah, now. Let’s not get the facts twisted, demon. You did that because you owed me one. And why did you owe me one? Because you lost a bet with me. A bet where your prize was a night with me. So, in fact, you didn’t help Lulu because you wanted to change.”
Kent braced his hands on the table between them, as if curbing the urge to grab her, then gritted out through his teeth, “What is it about you that makes me want you so?”
She shrugged. “I have no clue. Could be because I’m not falling all over you like most women do. Or maybe it’s the same reason I find you attractive when I know damn well you’re nothing but trouble. The good news is, unlike my sisters, I know how to navigate away from trouble. Goodbye, demon.”
Chloe got up and walked away, leaving Kent behind her.
If she was smart, it would be for good.
~~~
Kent
Women—the Amazon, most specifically—were the most confounding creatures. With a sway of the hips, a pout of their lips, they could bring warriors to their knees.
Chloe Demos knew this, and used it.
She thought Kent was nothing but trouble? No. The Amazon was trouble, from the top of her golden-brown head to the tips of her expensive shoe covered toes.
Oh, those fucking shoes. Kent could only imagine wrapping her legs around his waist while driving into her, feeling the slightest pinch of those heels digging into his back. He would raise her up while he stood, lifting her ass up and resting her weight in her shoulders, gripping her thighs to hold her steady. Oh yes, Kent knew it was a matter of time before he would be showing the Amazon all the ways she turned him upside down and right side up.
And her little bet, this marker? While rather inconvenient, Kent found himself on a new case. The case of Lulu Ivanov, if for no other reason than to make sure the Amazon didn’t find herself in more trouble than her sexy as sin legs could get her out of.
Chloe didn’t know it, but she was damn lucky he wanted to help Lulu. Otherwise, he damn sure would have thought twice about giving in to the Amazon’s request to join the council.
Kent lived his life serving others in the community. He had been carefree, felt everyone was equal. It wasn’t so in the council. He hated them; hated the stature and rhetoric ways of the old-school men.
However, his name held power. The blood pumping through his body gave him a right to determine the fate of someone such as Lulu. Someone who might not be guilty after all.
Men, Others, it didn’t matter, when given too much authority, it was most certain to be abused. Kent knew this. He also knew this to be key in the council.
Did the Amazon know what she had done? Did she understand the depths of what it would take to clear the tigress from the charges? Kent highly doubted it. But he also would bet his beloved car that she had to believe in Lulu, or at least carried suspicions to her true gui
lt, to drag him into all this.
After all, the one thing Kent could read on Chloe Demos’s features from the very beginning was the strength of a warrior, the courage of an alpha, and the determination of a demon. This told Kent that, if Chloe believed in Lulu’s case enough to call in a marker from him, he would believe in the case, too.
In fact, he would solve it.
She might have been content on turning his world upside down, but he would make damn certain he solved the case and turned things on the Amazon.
Yes, Chloe Demos had met her match. And Kent, well, he was determined to find a way to make sure the Amazon remembered his name, his cock, and the way her body would fall apart for him. He would not be alone in things being twisted like a storm in his life. Nope, Chloe was about to find out the powers of a demon-driven in need.
Chapter
7
Chloe
One week later…
Chloe looked at her newly manicured nails as she listened to Kent snarl over the phone line, “I’ve just come out of a three-hour council meeting that was a complete waste of my fucking time. That’s what I have to look forward to once a week for the rest of my life, Amazon. Three hours or more a week, talking bullshit with people I can’t stand. The terms of our original agreement are no longer sufficient. We need to renegotiate.”
She snorted at the demand. The demon must have thought she had been born yesterday. “Wrong, Kent. Our agreement stands as it is. If you don’t like losing, perhaps you shouldn’t make bets.”
A smooth growl came over the phone. “You scammed me, and you know it.”
She laughed at the accusation. “Wrong again. I didn’t scam you. I schooled you. And if you don’t like learning hard lessons, then don’t play games with me.”
“Do you realize what you’ve done to my life? Do you honestly fucking grasp what I’ve had to do to cover my marker from this ridiculous goddamned bet?”
Little did the people in her life realize how Chloe felt regretful over some of the things she had done. This particular situation was one of them. Because Kent was right. She had turned his whole life upside down over a bet. It hadn’t started out that way for her. No, Chloe would have never guessed she would walk away owning a marker from the demon that night. Nevertheless, he had challenged her, dammit. And she had won fair and square.
