Sin & Magic (Demigods of San Francisco Book 2)

by K. F. Breene

“You ruined my life,” the woman retorted, unfortunately stopping with us. “You left me without a home. Without a job—”

  “Please don’t say pregnant. Please don’t say pregnant,” I muttered, looking at the dead-end up the way. “There are stairs somewhere, right?”

  “The ladder is just up this way.” The man continued on, moving slightly faster than before, which was not to say he was fast. Maybe the lady was actually good for the situation. If only she’d stop talking…

  “If it wasn’t for Lord Stockbridge, I would’ve died on the streets,” she continued, plaguing our steps. “He was kind and gentle…”

  “Ugh.” I turned left when the man did, doing my best to ignore Marlene’s attempt at making the man jealous. Up ahead, a metal ladder clung to a sheer wall.

  “Well, that’s clearly too high to go to the third floor,” I muttered, looking up as I got closer. “A fall from that would break a bone or two. Maybe crack a head. Where does this lead—”

  “For the last time, you preyed on me,” the man said to Marlene. “I was having my brandy when you sauntered in with that clear negligée. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Fire her, is my guess.” I ran a hand in front of his face. “Hey. Where does this—”

  With a scoff, his body winked out. I stared at empty space for a beat.

  “He always does that, the coward,” Marlene said, before tossing her hair, styled in an old-fashioned cut, and turning back the way she’d come.

  I faced the ladder again. “I guess beggars can’t be choosers when it gets you out of a jam.”

  Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a rung. Metal was tough. Much tougher than wood. It could stand the test of time. Right?

  I shifted my weight and pushed off my foot, bracing myself in case the rung broke. Then I climbed up to the next rung, doing the same thing. The metal didn’t bow. It didn’t give in.

  Halfway up, at a height where I’d hurt myself if I fell, I climbed faster, wanting to get this over with. Lord help me if I’d eventually have to go back down.

  Nearly there, and a sickening crack made me freeze.

  My breath was loud in the thick silence.

  Another rung and metal whined. The ladder shook against the wall.

  It wasn’t a rung making that sound. It was a brace, the thing attaching the ladder to the freaking wall.

  “If I make it out of here, I am going to kill you, Bria,” I said through clenched teeth as I quickly debated going up or down. Up meant a larger fall. Down meant I’d be stuck on the same floor as Valens. Being that I couldn’t permanently hide in the darkness, I’d have to randomly pick a room and hope he wasn’t in it. With his ability to sense magic, how long would it take for him to find me?

  “Mother trucker biscuit fucker,” I ground out, grabbing the next rung and hefting myself up. Metal whined again, but I kept going, moving as fast as I could. The brace clattered against the wall. I moved my foot onto the next rung, reaching up, the lip of the floor only five feet away. Another rung and I might be able to reach it.

  The right side of the ladder broke away from the wall, sending me careening. I barely held on as my body whipped around. A foot slipped and then I was dangling, pulling harder on the old braces.

  “Go, go, go,” I urged myself, scrambling back onto the ladder and climbing like my butt was burning.

  Metal screamed now, the left-hand brace ready to go. Pieces of the wall kept dropping away like powder, releasing the screws holding the ladder firm.

  Chest tight and breath coming fast, I grabbed the next rung, then the next, keeping my focus on holding on. If I balked now, I might find myself plummeting to the floor with the broken ladder.

  Another screw pulled free. My foot hit the next rung. I hefted myself up, reaching over the lip, and found a metal handle in my way. I grabbed it and pulled, lifting my body. Another screw gave away and the left-hand brace quickly followed. The ladder pulled back from the wall.

  I held onto that handle for all I was worth. If it gave way, I was done for.

  Laboriously, I heaved myself up over the edge, finding another handle on the other side, and dragged my body against the loose ladder. Once up, the ladder tipped backward, the very top hitting the opposite wall with a loud clang. It vibrated, but since the bottom braces were still intact, it didn’t fall.

  I wouldn’t be using the tunnels to get back down.

  Arms and legs tired, I dusted myself off and looked around, taking in my three options: right, left, or straight ahead. It all looked the same.

  Shrugging, I went straight ahead. At the end, I found a horizontal bar affixed to what I hoped was another secret door. The only direction the bar would go was down. I had to use both hands and all my weight, but finally earned a loud clung for my efforts. The door popped out toward me, a rectangle misplaced from the wall, but it didn’t go very far.

  “What the hell…” I whispered, pulling on it, feeling a little give. I yanked, then braced my foot against the wall of the tunnel and gave it all I had. Nothing.

  “Bugger,” I said through a panting breath, moving to the side and glancing through the crack. Only a small sliver let me view the low-lit space beyond. I could barely make out a couple of sleeves.

  I smiled. It was a closet. Maybe not a broom closet, but close enough that I’d followed Bria’s instructions…though I’d never forgive her for landing me in this mess in the first place.

  We wouldn’t get caught, my left toe.

  Frowning, I looked at the door and pulled it toward me again. When that didn’t help, I leaned against it, thinking.

  Old wheels cried out. It was on a track.

  “Ah ha. I’ve got your secret, you dirty bastard.” I shoved the door harder. Metal protested as it scraped. Wheels howled.

  Without warning, something gave loose, though the horrible racket continued unabated. The door ripped to the side.

  A large hand grabbed me by the blouse and roughly yanked me through the doorway.

  23

  Alexis

  I lashed out, first with my fists and then with the strange power I was still learning. I punched a hard cheekbone and burrowed my power into a solid chest, ramming against the metal plate in the middle. Colors burst to life, vibrant and refreshing, as the Line sprang back into view. Power rushed through me. All I had to do was focus my strength, and I would have my attacker’s soul in my unyielding grasp.

  Without warning, I was blasted with power so strong it hauled me under the surface and held me down, drowning me with its potency. Pain burned across my skin before boiling in my middle. Agony blistered behind my eyes and within my mind, blotting out thought.

  “Yield.” The voice was barrel-deep and raspy, and extreme relief surged through me.

  I dropped my hands and closed off the Line, sagging within Kieran’s hold.

  “Thank God,” I said, my words thick and tears embarrassingly filling my eyes.

  His grip on me relaxed, though it probably shouldn’t have. He clearly didn’t know me very well.

  Anger rose up to burn through the despondency. I never stayed down for very long. I couldn’t, not with the life I led.

  I jerked up my hands, throwing him off me. Then I slapped him right across the face. That would get his attention. “What the fuck were you doing, yanking me through the door like that? You could’ve hurt me.”

  He knew one moment of obvious confusion before he burst into action.

  He grabbed my upper arms and muscled me out of the closet and into a large bedroom, clearly just as angry as I was. Light fell across his gorgeous face, drawing my attention to the rage and fear sparkling in his deep blue eyes.

  “What were you thinking, coming here without me?” he demanded, pushing me against the wall. “Thank heavens I came up here to follow normal protocol and change, or I would’ve been looking for you in the wrong part of the house.”

  His hard, dangerous stare set my legs to trembling and cold crawled up my spine. The limitless power of the o
cean raged within those eyes, like a storm charging the air before lightning zapped down. He could unleash terror, and flay me alive.

  I lifted my chin in defiance, refusing to cower.

  “You’re watched,” I said through gritted teeth, fighting the desire to run. Fighting the intense need to submit. “They’d know you brought me here. They’d have my face, and soon they’d connect the dots. Me in that ghost neighborhood, me in that warehouse, me…the next place I’ll have to go to find a spirit trap.”

  My bluffing was starting to come apart, but I’d be damned if I ratted Bria out. I’d agreed to come, after all. I was now part of the crime.

  “You drugged Jack.” Fire danced in his eyes.

  “He would’ve gotten in the way. Or he would’ve snitched, and you would’ve done something stupid.”

  Kieran leaned toward me, his face inches from mine, his anger a palpable thing. “You did something stupid. You’re in incredible danger here, Alexis. Incredible danger. If my father—”

  “I know,” I said. “Your father was supposed to be in a meeting. Things don’t always go as planned. But we had to take that chance, Kieran.”

  “No, you didn’t. I could’ve—”

  “Done what? Looked around aimlessly? You’ve had your chance. For six months, you’ve had your chance. You hired me for a reason.”

  His fingers squeezed my upper arms, edging up to the line of painful.

  I shifted, edging up to the line of kicking him in the balls.

  His eyes bore into me, full of lightning and intensity. Fear flipped my stomach, my primal response to his power and strength.

  Fire kindled in my core, my equally primal response to his proximity. Heat rolled off of his body and caressed my skin. He was raw and vicious and powerful, and something in me craved the force of him.

  My breath sped up as his eyes roamed my face, settling on my lips. My lips tingled in response, feeling the memory of his kiss.

  “Don’t ever do something like this again without checking with me first,” he ground out, his body inches from mine. His grip tightened on my arms. His fervor sent a wave of heat through me as powerful as the tide.

  “Or what?” I asked in a breathy whisper.

  His lips crashed down onto mine, needy and persistent. His taste, salty sweet, washed through me.

  I meant to resist. I meant to push him away. I didn’t want to give him what he wanted. But I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t stop my hands from sliding up his hard chest and hooking around the back of his neck.

  I fell into that kiss. That sinfully decadent kiss.

  His hands dipped under the hem of my blouse and ran up my fevered skin. His large palms drifted over my breasts and his thumbs dipped into my bra and circled my sensitive nipples. I moaned into his mouth, not wanting anything else in the world more than I wanted him right then.

  Decision made, reason fleeing, I pushed my hands between us and ripped open the front of his slacks. I shoved the fabric down as his hands worked around to my back, aiming for my bra clasp. His enormous length sprang up, ready and eager.

  Unable to help myself, I made room with my hands and sank down to my knees. I took his hard shaft by the base and circled the head with my tongue. His hand curled in my hair and a deep moan urged me on.

  I pushed my lips over the tip and sucked in as far as I could, taking in more than normal just to cover some ground. My gag reflex wasn’t pretty, but when his moan turned into a heady groan, it was clear it didn’t matter. I stroked with my palm and backed off with my mouth, sucking so hard I knew the sensation would be just on the edge of pain. I hadn’t forgotten getting yanked through that door.

  “Oh Lexi,” he said, using my nickname for the first time.

  Something warm unfurled in my middle, soft and deep. I sucked in again, pushing even farther, my eyes watering now. He gave my hair a tiny yank, a little aggression to go with his pleasure.

  In the mood I was in, I fucking loved it.

  I increased my pace, needing him. Needing the taste of him, the feel of him, steel covered in velvet. I cupped his balls as I pulled off his cock, my suction making a pop.

  “Yes,” he breathed, hardly more than a sigh.

  I stood in a rush, grabbed two fistfuls of his dress shirt, and ripped. Buttons flew and fabric parted, revealing a torso made in heaven. Perfectly defined pecs led down into the six going on eight pack that had haunted my dreams since the last time I’d seen it.

  He shoved me against the wall, his hips pulled away just enough to get at my buttons. He shoved the fabric down, panties included, before skimming a surprisingly delicate touch up the inside of my thigh.

  Goosebumps washed across my skin and anticipation choked the breath in my throat. His kiss was hard. Demanding. His feather-soft touch ever so lightly traced up my center and flicked my clit.

  My world slipped sideways and any thoughts other than his touch fled from my head.

  His other hand cupped the back of my neck—possessive, controlling, and strangely erotic—while his finger circled my clit, still so lightly. No relief. He was playing me like a master played an instrument, and I could do nothing but hang on to his thick shoulders for dear life.

  My eyes fluttered as his finger traced down my wetness, still finding no purchase. With his chest he pushed me harder into the wall, leaning his size and strength against me. Making me feel fragile and delicate, but utterly protected by this robust and intensively powerful man.

  “Just fuck me already,” I groaned against his mouth. So keyed up. Past the point of sanity.

  I earned a dark chuckle.

  He pulled my legs up to his hips before gyrating against me, his cock rubbing up my wetness and over my clit before retreating, sending delicious shivers through my body. His tip just barely kissed my opening, and stalled…before he thrust.

  Colors sparked behind my eyes. Pleasure coursed through me. My body stretched to the point of pain.

  “Oh Kieran,” I sighed, letting my head fall back to thunk against the wall. Everything stopped for a moment as my focus reduced down to the gloriously consuming sensations. He filled me up and then some, sending me higher. “Oh God.”

  He pulled back before unceremoniously thrusting again, ramming into me. And again, no mercy. I held on with everything I had, unable to think. Unconcerned about decorum. I swiveled my hips, heightening the sensations.

  “Yes, baby,” Kieran said, his accent seeping through.

  The soft breeze of the Line drifted down, fanning my power. Both types of his magic swirled around and within mine. As magic boiled and pleasure throbbed, expanding with each hard thrust, I felt myself losing control.

  “Oh God,” I cried. “Too much.”

  “Can’t…” he grunted, ramming ecstasy into me. “Can’t…stop. No…control.”

  My body wound up, tighter and tighter. His muscles flared. Our magic mingled. I could barely breathe through the intensity. I needed it to end while wanting it to go on forever.

  “I…need…to…” He thrust into me with every word. I pushed against him, animalistic. “…have…all…of…you.”

  Movements got smaller and ten times more intense. The tide of pleasure rose as he pounded into me.

  “You’re…mine!”

  An orgasm blindsided me. I cried out, lost to the feeling of him. Wave after incredible wave of pleasure tore my body apart and blasted it into a million pieces. I shook as he groaned, the two of us finishing together.

  “Holy fuck,” I said through clenched teeth, riding the climax. The waves kept coming, frazzling my wits.

  “Oh God,” I said again, finally coming down. An aftershock made me shiver. “Holy fucking God.”

  He wobbled, taking an arm from around me to brace himself against the wall. His chest rose and fell quickly, out of breath.

  “I told you,” he said before kissing me languidly.

  “What?” I asked against his lips, floating in the sublime afterglow.

  “Hate sex can b
e fun.”

  I nibbled his bottom lip. “Except I don’t hate you.”

  “Angry sex, then.”

  “Hmm.” I let my legs slide down from his hips. My feet hit the floor, but my knees instantly buckled.

  “Uh-oh. Here.” He reached for me before wobbling again, hitting his shoulder against the wall. “You’ve done a number on me.” He braced an arm around my back and swung my legs up, cradling me against his chest. “My father will be going swimming with me. You’ll need to get out while he’s out of the house. You can’t stay.” Regret crossed his features, but the expression was gone so fast I second-guessed whether I’d seen it at all. “Do you understand?”

  “You mean I can’t hang around the house of a guy who might turn me into a mindless zombie hell-bent on ripping souls out of people’s bodies? What bullshit.” I laughed and leaned my head against his shoulder, utterly and blissfully content.

  I’d wait until I made it out of the house in one piece to reflect on what an absolutely terrible idea this had been. On his repeated declaration that I was his, and how delicious it felt to hear him say it. I’d certainly wait to think about how completely fucked up our working relationship was bound to be now that I’d given in to him.

  And how much I already wanted to do it again.

  24

  Alexis

  “What in the actual fuck—” Bria cut herself off, cocking her head at me. She dragged her gaze down my body as she edged a little more out of the second-floor room she’d been hiding in. “What…”

  I smoothed the high-fashion shirt that currently draped my body in elegant sheets of expensive silk and…other stuff I couldn’t put a name to because I’d never owned any nice clothing before.

  “He had a drawer of clothes for me,” I said as heat crept into my face.

  “He had a drawer of clothes for you,” she repeated in a flat tone. “And why, pray tell, did he have a drawer full of clothes for you?”

  I glanced down the empty hallway. Kieran had granted us a short window in which to get out unnoticed. He’d gone swimming with his dad—I assumed their pool was the ocean—and ordered their butler to arrange drinks and snacks for them upon their return. Before leaving, he’d described the best way out of the house, and grilled me about the hidden tunnels.