by M F Adele
Out of the mega load of crazy shit that had been dumped on my plate recently, I think finding out that he was meant to be my mate has me the most tied up. All that time together, and I never thought to ask about what I was feeling. Had we already sealed our mate bond and I just didn’t know what to look for? I don’t really know anything about it, and I'm not sure where to start looking. Although, I suppose I did have five other mates I could direct those questions to. Almost twelve hours ago I opened my home up to them, and now I felt like I’d be living in a hotel full of sexy males with a variety pack of personalities and powers.
Taking on mates wasn’t the scary part though. Taking on the responsibilities that came with said mates was the kicker. If I sealed the bond with Palmer first, then I’d have to step in and take over as High Priestess of the Guilds. I’m not ready to give up my freedom, or my jobs, to take on being queen bitch to a bunch of uppity supes, but I guess that’s happening whether I’m ready or not.
I mean, it wasn’t like I could put them in a particular order and expect it to go the way I planned. I wouldn’t know who to choose first either. I’d rather that happen organically, but if what Father said was true then I may not have as much time as I’d like. I could always get to know them later, but that sounded mortifying. What if I mate with one of them and then I find out I don’t like him as a person, or that he doesn’t like who I am?
Looks were one thing, but actually knowing someone? That was totally different. We weren’t talking about getting married on a whim and being able to get divorced. No. The bond lasted until death, and for us that was a lot longer than your average lifespan.
My thoughts were starting to twist into each other again, and I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. I closed my eyes and I fought to slow my breathing, focusing on happy thoughts when I picked up Jack's mental trail. Thank the Devil. I need him right now. I needed him to calm me down, and then I needed to consider a vacation. Or maybe not. I didn’t need to be by myself. That would’ve given me too much time to think about all th-
A knock at the office door jerked me out of my head, and I smiled thankfully as the door opened. Jack strolled in followed by Grim and Novak. The latter was looking at the derobed Grim Reaper like he’d never seen a male before. I wondered what was going on in his head, but just like with the Fae, I heard nothing. When he looked at me his gawking eyes said “I thought this guy was a skeleton,” and I struggled with the urge to laugh. I’ve met many reapers, but Grim has always been my favorite. That wasn’t his real name, but it was what everyone called him because, well, he was pretty fucking grim. He was the complete opposite of his bubbly demon boyfriend, and yet somehow they fit together better than Jack and Coke.
Novak shut the door behind him and sat in one of the chairs on the other side of my desk while Jack and Grim remained standing. They all looked annoyed which had me sitting up straighter in my chair. What did they find? Grim snapped his fingers and a smoky grey bubble appeared around us. Oh, great. Just what I need.
“We found a mini camera and a few bugs downstairs but nothing up here. Grim took them to Franklin to see if he could trace them, but we won’t know for a few days.” Jack cut straight to the bullshit.
“Okay. I can send the security footage off and see if we can spot any suspicious activity, but I don’t think that’s going to get us anywhere.”
“Sloane,” Grim addressed me formally, and I didn’t like his unusual tone. “The camera was facing your booth.”
“I figured that was the case. Nathaniel told me I was being followed, so it doesn’t surprise me that this would be a step they’d take. Whoever they are.” It aggravated me to no end to know that I was being followed, but not closely enough to be able to determine who it was exactly.
“How are you so calm about this?” Novak inquired with some anger lacing his voice.
“It’s not the first time,” Jack counterd.
“Not even the second. Though, this time it does feel more serious.” I answered Novak, bouncing off of what Jack said. “Oh, before I forget, I need to give you guys your new phones. Franklin set them up.” I passed the phones to Jack and he handed one to Grim, who gave zero fucks about technology. We could’ve given him an old flip phone and he would’ve held the same level of excitement. He nodded his head in thanks and he let the smokey dome drop.
“I’m going to get changed for tonight and Grims leaving. He has some reaping business to handle,” Jack chuckled at Grim. We know what he does, but we don’t fully know what he does when he leaves, you know? They exited the office together and I heard Grim telling Jack, “I’ll see you when you get home in the morning.” They moved into an apartment together a couple months ago, leaving me in that big house all by myself. It’s fucking adorable and annoying. I had heard all about how Grim didn’t get all his beard trimmings out of the bathroom sink, and how Jack left his dirty clothes in a trail through the house. But they were happy and that was what mattered to me.
“So, what was going on in that pretty mind of yours when we walked in? You looked a little panicked, Trouble.” I decided Novak was too attentive after that question, but I was also weirdly comfortable with that too. I found that I wanted to answer him, and I briefly wondered if he was compelling me, but wrote it off as soon as it crossed my mind. No vampire has ever been able to compel me.
“I don’t want to talk to York tomorrow. I mean, I want to save him, yes, but I’m not happy with the idea of addressing feelings I buried years ago. He’s going to want to sleep, eat, and talk. Probably not in that order. I want to avoid it until I can have a calm, rational conversation. I feel petty for wanting to avoid talking to him and irrationally protective at the same time. I don’t like it.” Uhg, I didn’t like it even more when I said it out loud. I folded my shoulders in a little and let my head fall to my desk.
“Are you nervous about the rescue mission?”
“Absolutely not, but I also don’t want you guys to freak out if I walk in and kill everyone. It’s not really the kind of impression I want to set with the males who are supposed to be my mates.” I shrugged my shoulders in deference, but it felt weird with my forehead flat on my desktop.
“I think it’ll be hot, Trouble. Stone told me about you guys taking out the rogues and I’m pretty fucking excited to watch you work,” he admitted.
“Why do you call me that?”
“What? Trouble?”
“Yes, that,” I pulled my head up and rolled my eyes at him. What else would I be referring to?
“Because you are trouble. The fantastic and terrifying kind. The kind that makes mere men want to move mountains with their bare hands. The kind that makes males like us want to kill anyone who gets too close to you. The kind that comes into your life and makes the axis of your world tilt, changing all your notions and beliefs in a single glance.” The smile on his face is sweet, but the heat in his eyes is something completely different.
“And right now, am I the good kind of trouble?”
“There’s no need for good trouble with me, Sloane. I’m not like the other guys. I thrive off mischief and chaos. I love walking the line between good and bad, but I always lean a little. I lack in some of the moral standards departments.” He shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t want you to be the good kind, I want you to be the addictive kind. The trouble that has me itching for my next fix. The kind that does really bad things with me, but also forces me to be a better version of myself at the same time.”
“That makes this sound sweet and dirty,” I gave him a sidelong glance with a smirk on my face. “I’m not exactly one with a high moral standing either. I do worry about that causing issues with some of the others though.”
“Let me elaborate a little on your mates, Trouble,” he ambled over with that feline grace, slowing his steps for me as I stalked his movement around my desk. He scooped me out of my chair and set me on the desktop as he took my chair. He moved so his elbows rested casually on my knees and he could look up at me w
ith his glorious, golden eyes. I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth when his fangs started to slide out and the tip of his tongue brushed across them. “Palmer? He likes to dominate, and Vaughn likes to be dominated. They’re both control freaks, but one likes to lose that burden and the other has to maintain it. Stone likes a rough ride. He’s a bit of a sadist who will occasionally switch, but pain is his game. Briggs will play hard to get. He’ll make you feel like you have to work for it when really he’s been ready to give in from the jump. Me? I'm easy, I like it dirty, Sloane. I want to fuck you on the dance floor in front of everyone. I want to lock you in the bathroom at your parents house and test how quiet you can be, or have you in my lap as we drive through town during rush hour. I like watching and sharing as much as I'll like having you to myself.”
Yes, please. Sign me up! If he’s trying to deter me with his public sex and sharing comments then he’s got to work his angles better.
I locked eyes with Novak, the space growing smaller between our bodies. “Are you trying to talk me out of wanting to fuck you?” I questioned him in a whisper as I ran my nails gently up his arm and weaved my fingers through his thick hair. He growled low, letting his fangs fully extend. I let mine slip out and bit into my lower lip.
“Not at all,” he assured me with a slight shake of his head. “I’m just telling you what I like, so you're prepared.”
“I’m no angel, Novak. If you knew half the shit that ran through my mind, you would’ve ripped my clothes off and fucked me on the floor in your apartment while the door was still wide open,” I informed him with a single raised brow. “I take what I want, when I want it, and I’m not afraid to tell you exactly how I want it.” I winked at him as I scooted forward and slipped into his lap. “You see, unlike all the girls you’re probably used to, you can’t hurt me. You can try. I’ve enjoyed it in the past. You can bite me, but you can’t compel me to forget it happened. You can’t drain too much from me and you can’t turn me.” He stared at me intently as he listened. I grazed a fingertip against one of his fangs and brushed my other hand over his cock. “These don’t scare me,” I added as I pushed his fang into the pad of my index finger, “And this,” I asserted as I leisurely stroked him through his jeans, “Makes me wish I’d changed clothes sooner.” I glided my bloody finger across his lips. Popping it into my mouth before pulling myself up, I grabbed my skirt off the side of my desk so I could change.
The growl that followed in my wake was a thrilling feral sound that sent heat coursing through my whole body. Goosebumps raised across my arms, and my nipples pebbled painfully. I’m so wet right now that I’ll need to clean up before I go downstairs. A room full of humans wouldn’t notice, but mix in some supernatural beings and I’d have too much unwanted attention.
“Oh, you’re the wicked kind of trouble,” he confessed to me as I sashayed to the other side of the room. I was headed towards the bathroom to change and give us both a few seconds to chill out. I think I’ll just change right here. He thought I was wicked, but I knew exactly what I wanted right now and how to get it.
He didn’t move a muscle when I unbuttoned my jeans. He tracked my hand, like a hawk watching a mouse, as I tugged my zipper down at a torturously slow pace. I pushed my fingers into the waist of my jeans and started to ease them down. They got no further than mid-thigh before he broke. He was across the room and had my bare ass sitting on the desktop in a flash of inhuman speed. In one swift movement my jeans were off my body and hitting the floor as he stretched his hands around the tops of my thighs. Novak dug his fingertips in my flesh so hard that I’d be left with fading finger shaped bruises in a moment.
I drew a small circle with my left index finger and traced straight down, using my magic to open the button and zipper of his pants. He dragged me closer to the edge of the desk before sinking two fingers into my dripping core and rubbing his thumb across my clit. I moaned at the contact and he muffled my sounds with a frenzied kiss as his fingers curled and sped up. I wasn’t the least bit embarrassed at how fast I came. His fingers move as fast as a vibrator but feel a hundred times better. I rode his hand through my orgasm. Every flick of his thumb felt like it dragged another shudder from my body.
When he was satisfied with what he’d done, he lifted me off the desk. I wound my legs around his hips as he shoved my back against the wall behind my desk. He held me up with one hand while he jerked his jeans down with the other. I mentally whispered a birth control spell. I haven’t had sex in months so I didn’t keep up with the protection magic. I guess I should work on a more long term version now. Maybe I’ll ask Palmer to help me.
“Fuck,” I breathed out as he impaled me slowly, stretching my walls with each inch. I moaned louder at the new sensations. He was not lying when he said his, uhm, key had a few rings on it. He stilled when he was fully seated. I gave him a moment to enjoy the feel of my tight channel before nudging my hips to get him moving.
“You’re so tight,” he groaned, throwing his back as he pulled out almost completely before slamming home harder. Each thrust had him picking up speed, diving into me with more and more strength. My office filled with the sound of slapping flesh, grunted curses, and cries of ecstasy. I was a gasping mess. My inhales came in short bursts of breath and exhales were hissed out every time my back hit the wall. His punishing rhythm would have bruises forming across my shoulders, but I didn’t care. They’d heal, along with the other ones, before the night was over.
Another orgasm began to build, growing in intensity until it came barreling to the surface. He slowed his movements as I tightened around him and screamed out his name with my release. When I loosened my hold, he placed his forehead against mine to catch his breath, then started up again. His body is merciless, and despite my fast healing I’m sure I’ll still be sore tomorrow.
I felt him start to swell inside me, and it had me building up all over again. Novak dragged his fangs across my neck before piercing the skin. He sucked deeply on my flesh and I moaned low against his ear. The venom in a vampire bite was an instant aphrodisiac. The moment it flooded my bloodstream my entire body lit up like a Christmas tree. The orgasm hit me so hard it nearly gave me whiplash. He came with a long groan, pushing in as deep as the position we were in would allow. He pulled his fangs out of my neck, licking my skin to seal the wounds before they had a chance to heal on their own.
He didn’t set me down though. Instead he backed us up and we fell into the desk chair with me sitting astride him. Placing one hand on my lower back and the other in my hair, he kissed me with a gentle desperation. I returned it with all the pent up emotions that possessed me. I loved the way he held me tightly. I’m not much of a cuddler after sex, but this... It was caring yet possessive. I felt like we belonged to each other, and it was a heady fucking feeling.
I was naked from my waist down and his pants were halfway to his knees. The near clothed state of our bodies didn’t change the feeling of that romp being more than either of us intended. As we sat in the chair, his face rested in the crook between my neck and shoulder. I leaned my cheek against the side of his head while I ran my right hand through his hair.
We stayed like that for minutes, or what felt like possibly hours. I couldn’t tell. A knock at the downstairs door brought us back to the present. We scrambled to get dressed before the door swung open the rest of the way, and someone came into the office. It’s Simon. He walked in on our intimate moment to tell us that they were about to open the doors for the night. My heart was still frantic, but my breathing had finally evened out from the panting I was doing a few minutes ago. I glared at Simon while I checked myself for any dried blood in the mirror by the door. Snapping my fingers to fix my hair and makeup, we began to venture downstairs.
“Next time, Trouble, I want to do that in the dj booth with a room full of people around. The light show flashing across your ecstasy filled face, disguising the movement of our bodies, and your moans blending into the music. What do you say?” Novak spoke between th
e kisses he left across the back of my neck. Gods, that sexy, sultry whisper is sending fireworks sailing through my body.
“Keep whispering in my ear while you kiss me like that, and it will get you anything you want,” I groaned out. It was the honest to gods truth too. If he doesn’t stop we won’t be going downstairs at all.
But that was exactly what we did, and that was exactly what he got.
Stone
Saturday Night
The day's events piled up in my mind as I sat at the edge of the steps on the back patio. Oddly, this dark mansion feels more like home to me than our apartment does. It had nothing to do with the size of the place though. I looked out over the midnight blue sky lit with stars and tried to imagine how much my life was about to change. I’d come to terms long ago with the fact that I was the Devil’s apprentice, and I was to be bonded to his daughter. What had really been irking my nerves was that we could be taking his place soon. Am I ready to give up my career to become the next ruler of the Underworld with Sloane? Actually, I didn’t mind the thought of not working my day job anymore. I’d still own the dental practice, but it wouldn’t kill me to give up my patients and hire another dentist to fill my absence. I only went in twice a week anyway, unless I was covering for someone who went out of town. I could still do that if I needed to. I’ll need to keep my license up to date, but that’s it. I think I’d rather stand by the side of the next Devil Spawn and rule the Underworld with her.
The tapping of shoes brought me out of my headspace as someone approached from behind me. Franklin came into my peripheral vision and handed a glass of brown liquid to me before speaking. “Glenfiddich, Sir, 26 year.” He inclined his head to the glass in my hand. “If you’ll follow me, I’d like to give you a proper tour and then show you to your suite. You have full privileges to everything on the property, but please be weary of Helios when you’re outside alone. He likes to set things on fire and unless you’re with Sloane when he finds you then you’re free game in his mind. Until he decides if he likes you or not.” The obsequious nature of his smile had me scanning the yard in search of the hellhound in question. I wasn’t worried about him lighting me on fire, but he could still bite me.
