by Melody Raven
However, she had never seen those glowing eyes on a pissed-off and naked demon while stuck inside a tiny shower with him.
He looked fearsome, with the water cascading over his shoulders, erection standing proud against his stomach and his eyes burning into her.
“You have no idea why demons don’t do what I did. Forcing my blood on you held consequences. You have been in my head ever since that night. Not an hour goes by that I don’t think about you or feel you inside my head.
“You have a nightmare and my heart races; someone offends you, and I have the irrational urge to kill the next being I see.
“You think that you’ve trapped me but in reality I’m exactly where I want to be,” he finished, walking up to her until his throbbing erection pushed into her stomach and his mouth was just inches from hers.
Muriel couldn’t move. She couldn’t even comprehend what he just said. Had he truly had some sort of connection to her all this time?
“You can protest all you want, but I’m inside your head.” He gripped the back of her neck with his hand and tilted her face to his. “I can feel your desire beating through me with every heartbeat. I know that you wanted my mouth on your breasts in your bathroom last night. I know that you like my naked body. I know you’re confused by your desires, but I also know that you will love the way my cock feels fucking you.”
“This isn’t how this was supposed to go,” whispered Muriel.
“Not exactly how I planned it either.”
“We should get out of the shower.”
She could see the disappointment on his face, but he acquiesced and moved to allow her exit. There was no easy way to dry off with the handcuffs, adding to her embarrassment. What she wouldn’t give to be miles away from Kier. This entire revenge plan was a bust.
He wasn’t mad at her. He was enjoying this.
Kier didn’t know whether it was physically possible for his throbbing cock to recede. He was still so hot for Muriel, no amount of jerking off could fulfill him.
He had touched her. Really touched her, and she had gladly granted permission—even pulled him closer and rubbed her sweet ass against him.
He knew that she wanted him, but it was apparent that she couldn’t cope with her desire.
He had a long five years to come to terms with the fallen angel that consumed his thoughts. After spending so much of his time obsessing over her, it made sense for him to want her. It was all he knew. Now that he was with her all day and night, that desire had multiplied to extreme levels, and he had no idea how to keep his hands and mouth to himself. He didn’t even want to try.
The loud ringing of a cell phone broke the awkward silence. Muriel wrapped a towel tightly around her while Kier conjured a pair of jeans, purposely remaining shirtless. He knew she liked him better that way.
He walked over to where he had discarded his jacket and fished his cell phone out of the pocket. It was Teryn calling, a fellow demon who Kier considered a friend, to some extent.
Though they were both around four hundred years old, Kier had only met the other demon shortly after Muriel drank his blood. In the awkward time when Kier had more power than ever, yet no desire to do anything with it, Teryn had been there. Never asking questions, but always supportive. It was rather undemonlike, but exactly what Kier had needed at the time.
Normally Kier was happy to hear from Teryn, but the timing of the call was disconcerting. Teryn had been the only one Kier confided in about his condition, and he knew more about his connection to Muriel than anyone.
It was a strange coincidence that he would be calling just hours after demons had tried to kill Muriel at her home.
“What’s going on?” he answered, not bothering with a “hello.”
Muriel inched closer to try to hear the other end of the conversation. Although Kier loved the idea of her mostly naked body being so close to his, he didn’t want Teryn to say something that would scare her off.
His hearing was more advanced than a mortal’s, so he subtly lowered the volume to the quietest level.
“You free for a beer?” asked Teryn in his signature carefree voice. He always sounded happy and always smiled. Even as he told humans that their souls would forever be burning in Hell, he would grin like an idiot. A sadistic idiot.
“I’m a bit tied up at the moment.” Kier winced at the unintended pun and Muriel tried to hide a smile. He was glad to see that she was loosening up around him again.
“Swallowing some souls?”
“With a woman. She’s a virgin and I was this close to getting her to give it up before you called,” he said, deliberately baiting Muriel. His efforts were rewarded with a soft punch to his bicep.
“Well, I don’t care how hot your piece of ass is. You need to get down here. Your angel has a price on her head.”
Kier stiffened as his fears were confirmed. “Who is paying?” He looked over to Muriel and saw that she noted his change but was relieved when it didn’t appear that she could hear what Teryn had said.
“This goes high up. Azazel is offering one hundred souls to the demon who brings him her head.”
Kier clenched his fist and held back a curse. Things didn’t get much worse than the king of Hell putting a price on your head.
“Why would he offer that much? How hard can it be to kill one mortal?” If he didn’t have her attention before, he sure as hell had it now. Muriel leaned in closer as she tried even harder to hear more of the conversation. Kier wanted to be annoyed by her nearness, but he took advantage by breathing in her scent.
He should move back to make sure she couldn’t pick up the conversation but thought better of it. He knew the more he fought her, the more curious she would be.
“It’s more like how hard can it be to keep a prophecy from coming true?”
Shit. “What prophecy?”
“The one that predicts that a fallen angel is going to kill Azazel.”
Double shit. “Tell me exactly what the prophecy said,” he ordered.
“Well, if you had been down here, you would know all about it,” said Teryn with an amused voice. “I don’t remember it word for word, but the gist of it was that the fallen angel who had demon blood in her would sneak into Hell and kill the king.”
“You’re sure that they specified female? How could she even get in without bursting into flames? Is there anything you’re leaving out?”
“Um, yes, no fucking clue, and one thing I forgot to mention. Something about her being sad. ‘Brokenhearted’ is the exact word. The prophets said she would be powered by a broken heart. I didn’t mention it because I have no idea what it means. Does it mean anything to you?”
Kier glanced over to Muriel, who still looked frustrated at being left out of the conversation, not yet realizing that she was the main topic. Who could break her heart? Did she have feelings for someone in the town they had just left? He hadn’t sensed any sadness coming from her during the drive.
“Makes no sense at all. I have to go but I’ll be in touch.”
“You still getting vibes from her? Think we could track her together?”
Kier now regretted the day he ever confided in Teryn. As a rule, demons didn’t broadcast weakness, but at the time Kier had been desperate for a way to get Muriel out of his head.
Teryn had been surprisingly supportive. Of course, supportive just meant that he didn’t burst out laughing and kept the secret to himself. He had offered to kill Muriel for Kier. If she wasn’t alive, it would be hard to infect Kier’s mind. Funny how some things came full circle.
Kier had insisted it wasn’t worth the hassle. Not when he already had the power from her soul. That had been enough for Teryn to back off. Now that there was a price on her head, he couldn’t think of any good reason to refuse the hunt.
“Not as much anymore. It has been fading over time.” Kier was no stranger to lying, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had outright lied to Teryn. When you had no guilt or shame, there was no motivation to lie.
“I’m meeting up with a hunting party tomorrow, but I would drop them in a second if I had you by my side.”
“You will be the first one I call when I’m free. Until then, don’t call.” Kier hung up before Teryn could reply. Kier wasn’t one for long good-byes and neither was Teryn.
Muriel questioned him as soon as his phone snapped shut. “There’s been another prophecy?”
Kier looked into her large, crystal eyes. She looked so young and vulnerable, standing next to him and wrapped only in a towel. He tried to imagine her storming into Hell to take on Azazel. He could see it. He could even imagine her defeating him, but he could not see any way of her surviving the battle.
If Azazel died, there would be a huge power void created. Azazel was the first demon king of Hell and had ruled for three hundred fifty years. Before Azazel, Lucifer had been the only ruler of Hell.
When the original fallen angel became too comfortable and confident with his reign, Azazel had stabbed him in the back, well, heart, and stole the throne. As king, Azazel could feed off every soul in Hell, giving him unimaginable power. With Azazel dead, there would be a massive power struggle. Between the demons trying to take his place and the ones who just liked killing angels, Muriel wouldn’t stand a chance.
If she thought that she was destined to kill Azazel, she wouldn’t question her orders. Even knowing that she probably wouldn’t survive. Fucking angels.
Lying to her was definitely the way to go. “Hell is all in a tizzy because some girl has been prophesied to kill Azazel. Now there’s a price on her head.”
“He wanted you to hunt her down?” she asked, trying to piece together his conversation.
“Does it matter? It’s not like I can go out hunting anyone. I’m grounded at the moment. Let’s just get some rest.”
A part of Muriel wanted to know everything about the poor woman who was destined to take on the king of Hell, but she stopped herself from asking. It was no longer her place to mess with destiny or to protect those fated to greatness.
She was mortal. Her main objective was to survive and, at the moment, avoid having sex with the ultra-sexy demon she was supposed to hate.
As she held a magical shirt to her torso, he said, “We can have someone from the hotel get you a pair of jeans to wear and some fresh underwear.”
“Probably a good idea.” She ran out of her house so fast she only had her special shirts and bras. Her only pair of pants were for sleeping, and they currently had dried blood splattered on the front. It was thoughtful of the demon to think of her, and she didn’t like the idea of him being thoughtful. Demons didn’t think of anyone but themselves. Was Kier somehow different?
After her loose t-shirt was on, she slipped a pair of panties over her hips and turned to face Kier, determined not to blush. She decided to forgo the bra. She didn’t normally sleep in one, and the only reason she wore one the previous night was to protect her from him. Considering he had apparently felt her up anyway, not to mention how close and personal he was with her body just minutes ago, there wasn’t much a bra could do for her.
As for the pants, she just didn’t want to wear any bloody clothes to bed.
Kier looked her up and down. He said nothing, but his eyes darkened and Muriel knew he still wanted her. Her body responded to his desire, and she fought the urge to pull him toward her. He told her in the shower that he could feel her desires. Did he feel it now? Did he know how hard she was fighting against it? Did he realize how badly she was doing at keeping the naughty thoughts from her head? I’m so screwed.
They climbed into the bed together and Muriel quickly hid her body with blankets. He grinned at her modesty, but his look quickly turned pensive. “How do you live like this?”
“Like what?”
“Knowing that you’re mortal. That your clock is ticking down.”
She frowned at the question. Since when did demons care about these things? Did he actually feel bad for what he had done to her? “If I recall, I didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
“You have a choice in how you live with it. You could be hiding behind Samuel for the rest of your life, avoiding any possible danger. Instead you strike out to live on your own and decide to go after demons. I know you are afraid. I have felt it coming from you ever since that night.”
He didn’t ever say what he had done to her out loud. He never mentioned that he had forced his blood on her. As if he were ashamed. Well, he should be.
The idea of him feeling her emotions for the past five years was more than a little disconcerting. Her feelings were her own. She hated the idea of her worst enemy knowing how bad it had gotten at some points. Her first year as a mortal had been sad and lonely as she tried to cope with an entirely different culture than she was used to combined with no money or powers to assist her.
Sure, she had watched humanity for millennia, but she had never concerned herself with the small details. She had no idea how to use an elevator when she first fell. She’d never before needed to use one.
Cell phones and computers were completely foreign to her. A cell phone appeared to be an extra appendage to everyone in this day and age, but she only had her emergency phone that was hardly used. Even if she wanted one, she had no Social Security number or bank account to sign up for a contract.
“Fear is a strange thing,” she said. “It’s powerful. At first, the intense fear I felt on such a constant basis was shameful. Eventually I came to a realization. Fear is vital for humanity to survive. When fear pumps through the blood, that’s what triggers fight-or-flight. It’s what tells you if you are strong enough to stand your ground or strong enough to admit that you need to retreat. Fear might be the main emotion that has allowed me to thrive.”
“You thought you were strong enough to take me on?”
“With the help of a sorceress,” she reminded him.
“Oh yes, the sorceress. Any clues on who that is? I have pissed off a couple in my day.” He grinned.
Lying in bed with him, smiling and sharing ideas and stories: it all seemed so innocent. Demon! her mind screamed. You are in bed with a demon!
“Here is a hint. You slept with her girlfriend.”
He threw back his head and groaned. “Esmeralda! She should be thanking me! Heather was a tramp. One of the easiest souls, and lays, I have ever marked. She was better off.”
“Apparently she doesn’t see it that way. She thinks that you turned Heather into a slut.”
He snorted. “Trust me, if there ever was such a thing as a natural born whore, Heather would be one.” He looked at the magical handcuffs around his wrist. “I don’t remember Esmeralda being this powerful.”
“I guess the grief from losing someone you love, even if they didn’t truly love you back, can cause enough anger to give a pretty big power boost.”
Muriel didn’t know what she said to cause the change, but Kier’s eyes narrowed and his body tensed. “Have you ever loved someone like that?”
Muriel raised her brows at the question. “Angels don’t have the capacity for love that strong.”
“You aren’t an angel,” he pointed out. “I haven’t felt anything like love coming from you in the past five years.”
“What makes you think you would recognize it if you felt it?” she snapped, grumpy at the reminder that he was in her head.
“I think you’ve been pretty miserable for the past five years. I assume that if you were in love, I wouldn’t have been getting so many headaches originating from your mind.”
“You are such a bastard,” she muttered. “For some reason, it wasn’t enough that you took everything from me. You also had to eavesdrop in my mind?” She had always imagined him gloating over his victory. Thinking fondly back on the angel he ruined.
“I think it’s supposed to be a punishment. A warning for demons not to force themselves on any of the fallen.”
“I hated you. For years. I never knew hate as an angel. You taught me to hate and I hated you even more
for introducing me to it.” He was silent, not even bothering to defend himself. “You were a monster to me. I don’t like the idea of a monster feeling bad for me.”
“I’m no different. Still the monster. I never felt bad for what I did. Not once. My life is attached to yours for the moment. That is the only reason I’m being civil right now,” he warned.
“I kissed you! God, how stupid is that?” She covered her face with her hands in shame.
“Well, I don’t mind the kissing part,” he teased, gently pulling her hands from hiding her face from him.
She looked him over, his dark eyes and half smile making his face so handsome she couldn’t look away. She could never hate him again. He was more than just some monster now. He had a soul, even if it was a bit tarnished.
This vengeance plan was definitely a failure.
“I’m going to sleep, Kier.” With that, she closed her eyes and refused to open them until she forced her body into unconsciousness.
“What did you do to my phone?” screamed Muriel for the third time.
Kier maintained his innocent expression. “I never left your side! What could I have done with it?”
She turned her angry gaze on him. “Are you suggesting that someone snuck into our room in the middle of the night and stole my crappy phone?”
“We live in a strange world. All we really know is that it’s gone.”
“What are you planning? Why did you take it?”
“I’m offended that you automatically suspect me of theft. I thought we had grown closer over the last two nights.” He threw his hand over his heart for dramatic flair.
Muriel turned around and continued to tear up the room. She searched everywhere within reach of the bed they had shared. “It’s like talking to a wall,” she muttered under her breath.
“An innocent wall,” he chirped.
Muriel scowled even though he couldn’t see her expression.
Ten minutes later, Muriel sat back against the pile of blankets, now scattered on the floor, and faced the stripped bed and strewn-about furniture with a sigh of defeat. Kier, with no other choice but to join her, flopped next to her. “I’ll buy you a new phone,” he offered.
