There was no being quiet, as he hooked her legs around his waist and pounded into her as if he couldn’t control himself. The sounds that came out of her were not soft and precious, or sultry and feminine. They were practically cries for a mercy she didn’t want, and prayers to the gods that he wouldn’t stop. She held onto him, her nails biting into his back, probably leaving scratches all over him.
Finally, a mouth slammed on hers and bit her bottom lip. She caught a look at his eyes, seeing only blackness, only the deepest of the abyss.
He did lose control over whatever his other half was, whatever part-angel resided in him. She had to break the gaze, too taken up by the moment, and a touch of fear crept into her when she realized she couldn’t. She couldn’t look away at all. His mouth crashed back on hers as his pace continued, refusing to abate in any way. She was being pushed into her headboard and he pulled back, thrusting even harder, using the headboard as leverage. He held himself up with one hand and the other played with her open mouth as she cried out, running his fingers over her lips as if he owned them. Again, his eyes locked her in place, as if she couldn’t resist staring at the dark orbs for even a moment. Finally, he covered her mouth to silence her cries.
She remained captivated by obsidian eyes as he held her there. Right to the moment he pushed her over the cliff. As her orgasm shattered over her, she finally felt like some spell was broken and could look away again. Her eyelids fluttered and closed as her body lost control and convulsed.
He groaned, thrusting still, like he was holding himself back from the end. He kept going until she was finished completely, practically whimpering for him to stop. She felt a bit bruised and sensitive.
He didn’t last much longer, moaning as he buried himself one last time and came in her, shuddering. He pulled her back from the headboard but didn’t pull out of her. He stayed seated in her as he lowered himself back down to her and kissed her.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked softly, panting.
“No,” she said, a little hoarse.
He nodded, looking thankful. Then he just nestled on her, rolling to the side at the same time. Their legs tangled up and he stayed in her until he wasn’t hard enough to. She felt a warm hand run up her back gently, and knew it was Remy. They had woken him up, but he made no advances on her. He just rubbed her back until she was asleep.
15
Adalyn
A hand tapped Adalyn awake gently. She reached out to find a body to curl into but there wasn’t one.
“What?” she asked. “Time for me to take watch?”
“It’s dinnertime,” Maxwell said patiently. “Remy and Easton are cooking.”
She took a deep breath. They had let her sleep the entire damn afternoon and part of the evening. Of course.
“Thank you. I’ll be down in a moment.”
“Certainly.” He began to walk away but paused, looking back at her. “How are you? You okay?”
“Why do you ask?” she said, pushing her untamed black waves off her face. Sitting up, she made sure to keep her blanket over her chest, so she didn’t flash the man. “Maxwell?”
“No reason.” He turned and left quickly.
She had a distinct feeling it was about just how much she had been screaming earlier in the day. He was probably worried she was in over her head, and she really couldn’t blame him. Maybe I am. Outlaw demon gangs, black magic, casual sex with not one, but two bounty hunters. It’s a real possibility.
The first thing she realized after he walked out was that she was clean. There was no sign of the sex she had earlier. One of the bounty hunters? She got out of bed and dressed quickly, readying for the night ahead. She slid back into her pants and a simple white blouse with a camisole underneath. Skirts and corsets wouldn’t be the best idea. At least she wasn’t one of those women who wore bustles, those damned bird cages. Those would be a nightmare to deal with if outlaws were coming for her.
All my fault. This is all my fault.
That really started to haunt her as the moment when those demons would ride into town drew closer. She’d never meant to bring trouble to the town. She had just wanted to test her new spell, one she shouldn’t even know. A spell she planned to use to protect everyone, sure, but still, one she shouldn’t know.
She walked into her kitchen and sat down next to Maxwell at her table. There was a tension in her house that hadn’t been there even just the night before.
“We eat, then we take position.” Maxwell sighed. “Remy, can you-”
“Midnight, at the rate they’re going,” the hellhound shifter answered, looking up from what he was doing. “We have plenty of time to eat and make sure everyone is in place. Are we in agreement about the work, Marshal?”
“You’ll be given custody of them and you can turn them over for the bounties. I’ll sign off to my superiors that you should be paid for the work. You’ve been invaluable in this.”
She raised an eyebrow. She didn’t say anything though, considering what that meant. Maxwell was playing nice. Not even an attitude, surprisingly.
“Hey,” Easton whispered as he put a bowl in front of her. They had reheated the stew and pulled out some of her fresh bread for it.
“Hi.” She looked up at him and smiled. She didn’t really know what else to say. They would be gone this time tomorrow. Her little roll in the hay with them was coming to a close, just like the rest of the drama she had brought on herself would be.
He answered with a small enigmatic smile of his own, sitting down next to her. She didn’t say anything about the casual arm that went around the back of her chair. Maxwell didn’t even eye it. Adalyn resisted the urge to lean back in the chair so that she had contact with the Nephilim. She also tried not to think about those sapphire eyes or the dark obsidian they had turned into earlier. Luckily, the obsidian was gone.
Remy sat down on her other side and she felt a flush of awkwardness again at the situation. In front of her was Maxwell, who was doing his absolute best to pretend nothing was going on. To her left, Easton, his arm casually around her chair, which screamed possessiveness. Remy on her right was sitting just a little too close, his calf brushing up to hers. Then he threw her a small smirk.
Focus. You have important shit going on tonight, Adalyn. Stuff that is your fault!
Adalyn ate quickly, jumped up, rinsed her bowl, and left, anxious. Not the men, they weren’t making her anxious. She was getting cold feet on this whole ‘banish demons’ thing. She made sure to grab her gun belt, with her Colt, and her rifle as she headed for her front door. She walked out to her field and sat down on the top of her empty hill, looking down at Redstone. The streets were emptier than usual and that was because of this mess.
“Adalyn.” Maxwell walked up behind her. She didn’t look back at him or respond. He sat down quietly next to her. “Did something happen? Did they do something I need to know about?”
“No,” she scoffed. “No, I’m feeling a bit guilty over this. I didn’t mean to bring trouble back to Redstone.”
“Ah. Well, we all get wrapped up in what we’re doing and forget sometimes how it affects the people around us. I do think an apology to the town might be a good idea.” He elbowed her gently.
“You’re right about that. I’ll say something when this is over.” She rubbed her face. “All I wanted was to test a spell. Didn’t even think when I yelled at that banker that it would come back on me. I hadn’t been intending to, but then he screwed me on the bounty and I needed that cash.”
“I know.”
Stop being so understanding, damn it. Be mad at me.
For once, she wanted to get yelled at, told that she screwed up and it was all her fault. Of course it would be the one time Maxwell decided to be understanding. She couldn’t even get the reaction she wanted out of him.
“We should get down to town. I left them to clean up your kitchen. They should be out any minute.”
“You’re being awfully nice,” she muttered, standing up at the s
ame time as him.
“Like I said, Valen and I had an important talk. Put things into perspective for me. Plus, I don’t need the money from the bounties, it gets them out of my hair since they’ll leave faster, and the demons are still taken to someone who can send them back where they belong.”
“Pragmatic like always,” she mumbled, shaking her head.
They waited in silence and eventually, the bounty hunters did walk out of her house, looking as good as she always thought they did. Well-dressed cowboys, in their vests, button-downs, leathers, and chaps. They had more guns than her. Remy even had a hunting knife on his hip.
They looked deadly and delicious. She liked those two words for them.
Without much said, they walked into town together and went into the saloon, where several men of Redstone were already waiting.
“There’s the guilty party!” Forrest snapped, pointing at her. “You, of all people, should know better, Adalyn.”
“And I’m incredibly sorry for the trouble, but we have to get to work.”
“No, we men need to get to work, and you’ll be lucky if you ever sell anything in my store after this. If William were here, he’d-”
“He’d what?” Valen growled from behind the bar.
Adalyn stared, wide-eyed, at the horse shifter. She felt like he’d just slapped her. William would what? She wouldn’t have done this if he was still alive.
“Just as bad as the criminals! Blowing up goods in my store, bringing demons around, and consorting with a couple of disreputable bounty hunters.” She started walking to him as he continued his little tirade. “Don’t think no one has guessed what-”
She slapped him. She’d have punched him, but it wouldn’t have gotten the point across like she wanted. He was berating a woman and she was going to punish him as one. If she’d punched him, he would have just said she was trying to be a man so no one would tell her to just get remarried and be quiet. She had experience with men like him, though Forrest had never been like this with her. Remember, Adalyn. This is the difference between being a married woman and an unmarried one.
Forrest looked like she’d gunned him down, the red handprint growing more prominent by the second.
“I blew up my goods in your store after you tried to screw me. You would have run me into debt with the deal you wanted instead of just sticking to the deal we had before William died. Second, I banished a demon to test a spell so that I can help protect this town. I’ve brought us a bit of trouble in the process, but at least I’m not ignoring that Beelzebub is still out there and Redstone still sits on a Gate to Hell.” She leaned forward, getting into his face. “And what happens in my home is my business, no one else’s. Try saying something about that again, and you’ll be at the bad end of my next spell, not some potions.”
Valen clapped for her, slow and loud. She glanced over at him and he gave her a thumbs up. Maxwell grabbed her elbow, giving her a stern look. She took a deep breath, reining her temper back in. She went to find a free seat, sinking down into a chair, where the bounty hunters and Maxwell joined her. None of the other men said anything. The wereanimals knew better, since their women were just as dangerous as they were. The shifters—well, they could go either way, thinking Forrest was justified or that he was going too far.
She knew she had at least two allies in the saloon, though. Maxwell and Valen were respected and probably the most powerful men in the room. The bounty hunters, as much as she liked them, would be leaving. She didn’t want to consider them a part of her social standing in town.
A whiskey appeared in front of her and she took a sip, thankful for it.
“I’ll talk to him later, little witch. He crossed a line.”
Valen, I love you. She didn’t have telepathy, but she could swear he knew she’d thought it, since he gave her a friendly smile.
“Now, on to business. I want people in every window looking down on the street.” Valen took charge. “We know how this goes down. They ride in, they make demands, they shoot their guns up in the air like fools. We shoot them, because we don’t negotiate with demons, or outlaws of any kind, honestly. Can’t kill any of them, but if we hit them enough, they should fall off their damned horses and we can get them into the jail. Real simple, everyone. Let’s not be fools and mess it up.”
“Why is Adalyn here?” Callen, one of the wolf shifters, asked. He didn’t ask it unkindly. Actually, she had a distinct feeling it was because he cared.
He was her brother-in-law, after all. Or used to be. He was William’s younger brother.
“Because I don’t screw up and let other people fix it for me. Moving on.” She smiled politely, softening the words enough so he knew she wasn’t trying to be rude. It got laughter from Callan.
“Like the time you let my pups run loose and left me and William to catch them.”
“You both could turn into wolves. I can’t.” She shrugged. “I can shoot a gun, though.”
“You’re not wrong about that,” Callen agreed, still grinning.
She needed to go visit her nieces and nephews. Were they still her family, technically? Her connection to them was her late husband. She’d ask Callen later if she was welcome. She’d spent the last year avoiding it all, but now she missed the pups.
There was some conversation about where everyone would go. She went upstairs, over the saloon and into Valen’s office. She grabbed his desk chair and pointed it towards the window, bringing her rifle up, ready to shoot anyone who came into sight.
She saw Forrest on the road and grinned. She aimed at his feet and fired, making people jump and spook. The horse shifter went a couple feet into the air, yelling.
“Sorry! Finger slipped!” she called, waving. By the shit-eating grin on her face, she knew the lie wouldn’t work.
It did get laughter out of everyone on the street, though. A few of the men were doubled over, cackling like old women.
Finally, she saw the bounty hunters, who were standing in the middle of the road pointing around as they discussed something. Maxwell joined them. She sighed. She hated Maxwell, but he was good-looking enough to fit in with the hellhound shifter and Nephilim. They were a pretty sight.
Well. I don’t hate him. He’s not…awful. I’m just mad at him. I’ll probably always be mad at him. She wanted to stay mad at him. For hundreds of reasons. She held onto that. Not hate, just very angry with him. He’d proven himself to not be a good friend, and she wouldn’t forget that. But she couldn’t keep saying she hated him when she didn’t.
Easton looked up to her and gave her that mysterious smile. Remy’s gazed followed, and the hellhound shifter broke out into a grin. Maxwell was last, arching an eyebrow at her, looking bemused.
Since she and Maxwell didn’t have telepathy, she had to fill in the blanks on that look. He was probably bemused that the bounty hunters were looking at her the way they were. She didn’t mind it. She quite liked the way they looked at her.
16
Easton
Easton claimed a window in the saloon, along with Maxwell. Remy disappeared into the darkness. He’d give them a sign when the demons were close.
“I got to ask, Nephilim. What are your intentions when this is over?”
He looked over to see who’d spoken. Valen, the bartender of unknown origins and power. The massive man wore a smile, but there was a threat under the words.
“I have none. Take the demons to the person who wants them, get my bounty, move on.”
“Just wanted to make sure. Can’t have you screwing with our little witch’s heart.”
Easton snorted. Him screwing with her heart? That was funny. He had never done that to a woman and never would. No. It wasn’t in him. He didn’t want to give women hope that he would stick around.
“It’s casual and will remain that,” he said plainly. “I like women like her. Fire and passion. Sometimes too much for the world, but never too bright to me.”
The response to his words was a cough, and a thump. He gl
anced at Valen, who was patting his chest.
“What did I say?”
“Other than the casual part, that’s what her husband used to say,” Maxwell whispered.
“Her husband. The previous sheriff of this town. Astounds me that that idiot shifter would talk to her like that when her husband gave the ultimate sacrifice for this town.” He was now fairly well-versed in the town’s history, especially concerning her. They had all given him the bits and pieces he needed over the last few days.
“Forrest has always been a prick,” Valen replied, looking back out through the front door of the saloon. “He never really liked Adalyn, either. She’s too much for him. Now he’s got an excuse to be an ass.”
Easton let that sink in. She was obviously connected to the men that mattered in the town. But she did business with Forrest, and that was apparently ruined thanks to the shifter’s attitude.
Why do I care?
He never let himself get involved in whatever town he was in. Their dramas were their own, and not his problem. They didn’t want their dramas to become his. He had a tendency to just kill people who caused him too many problems.
But Adalyn was a pretty thing with too much independence for the world. He adored it. By dawn, he and Remy would be making plans to leave, and that would be that.
Enjoy the sweet things while you have them.
“Remy. I think we should start working down here more. Think on that. We’ll talk more about it in the morning.”
Easton felt stupid for it, but maybe a change of scenery, a town of other Supes as a base of operations—maybe those would remove him from the melancholy he’d run into in the last couple of years.
Had nothing to do with the little witch. Not her sweet curves, her dark, thick hair, or those blue-green eyes. The rules of this were clear. She was a widow looking for some physical affection and loving, and he was willing to give it to her for the moment. Long-term prospects weren’t in the cards. Creatures like him and Remy, who needed each other in ways other men frowned on, couldn’t come into a respected woman’s life and bind her to them.
Bounty Hunters and Black Magic Page 12
