Terror filled the golden eyes. “What Lupoiux?”
“The one for whom I am acting in his stead.” Rathan pulled her to sit up. He wanted her vestis off her. Not because he was a pervert, or anything like that, but because he wanted to check her for himself. He’d found no bruises on the exposed portions of her body that he had examined. But something was wrong.
No, there was something else going on with this female to make her so weak and thin. Hostages were supposed to be in perfect health when they were returned to their families—even if they didn’t come that way.
There were rules for this type of thing, after all.
And a part of him suspected this female was being abused by the males who should have been keeping her protected. Nothing angered him more than abuse against females or spawn.
“She is safe. The Lupoiux has no plans to hurt her.”
“Then why did he take her?”
“Vengeance and information.”
“For what? Jierra has never hurt anyone.”
“No, but your king has.” That had Rathan’s own anger returning when he thought of Rand’s young sisters. “There will be restitution for that.”
“What did Rydere do?” She tried to escape where he’d bound her hands. Once he knew she would cooperate, he would release the holds he had on her. For now, it was safer for her to be bound.
Her Kind could be quite unpredictable. “We will get into that later.”
“I will make a deal with you.” Gold eyes stared into his. “I’ll give you exactly what you want, I’ll even let you feed from me.”
“In exchange for?” He strongly suspected he knew. And he would agree. It hadn’t been a part of his plan, but he was an opportunistic creature. A female offered herself to an Incubi demon king, and he would take her up on that offer. Scruples be damned.
Especially when he had not fed on a female as delectable as this one in a long while. His fingers toyed with the blond hair, marveling at the silk.
“My daughter. I want to get back with my daughter. She must be terrified.”
Rathan leaned closer. He brushed his lips over her cheek, just to taste her. “I will agree to this deal. You feed me for as long as I demand—I am quite a hungry demon; you need to know that—and I will return you to your daughter as soon as I am able.”
“No. I want your demon oath. I feed you for twelve hours, you return Jierra and me to our home safely. Completely safe. You protect us. Say it.”
He had no intention of doing anything else. But to get her in the bargain? Rathan was used to having what he wanted. He had decided the first time he’d touched her that he wanted this female. Very, very badly.
She would be fun to play with, this female who thought nothing of fighting the king.
“I give you my oath. I shall feed from you.” His mouth watered at the mere thought of her. “In exchange, you will be returned home safely to your mate, along with your daughter.”
Maybe, unless the mate was the one abusing her.
“I have no mate.” Her voice trembled, but her eyes were clear. The mesmus was gone from her system. Excellent. He wanted her completely clearheaded for what was to happen between them. “I am free to make this deal.”
“And you enter this bargain willingly? I have done nothing to coerce you.” Save abducting her in the first place. But she was the one to mention the bargain first. Not he. Under demon law, that would matter. Even as high king he was not above the laws of the Kinds.
Not in matters of political hostages.
He did not know who first put the laws into place, but it was many, many years before he had been born—eleven thousand five hundred and eight years ago.
“Nothing. I am willing. This isn’t exactly the first time I’ve been abducted, you know.”
Rathan’s fingers toyed with the scrap of silk and lace that covered her chest from his view. “Then shall we begin? We have hours together now. It is too cold for you out there this night. I shall keep you warm and dry here.”
“How considerate of you.” The sarcasm was hard to miss.
Rathan grinned at her. He enjoyed her snark. She was not cowed by him. That was a rare occurrence. He sent a wave of warm air toward her, just enough to disturb the golden hair. To send it fluttering around her.
She shivered.
Rathan brushed one hand down the female’s silken side. “We will both enjoy this.”
Wary eyes peeked at him. “No doubt, we will. I know what you being an Incubi means. Promise me, no chemicals. No spells. Just physical.”
“I can do that. Just you and I and the heat between us. Come here. Let me taste you.” Rathan had the ropes dissolving in an instant as he gathered the female closer.
To his gratification, her hands slipped around him first.
5
What she was doing was crazy.
Kindara knew that as she leaned in toward the demon above her. She wanted to taste him again, something about his blood had been addictive.
She’d drunk from him. Even though she hadn’t been conscious—she knew she had. She tasted him on her lips still.
Maybe that was behind her daring offer.
She’d heard many things of Incubi through the centuries.
Her brother was often tasked with hunting and removing demons that got into the city of Dardanos and threatened their Kind. Sometimes, certain demon Kinds hunted Dardaptoan females.
She had healed many of those females herself.
But none of those who had needed healing had been taken by Incubi. The few who had run across Incubi had not had anything negative to say about the experience.
Their faces would flame, and they would grow secretive.
She had always wondered.
That she was about to allow one to feed off her was one of the craziest things she had done in her lifetime.
Except…a demon was bound by his oath. Now, that she had secured his vow, he would be forced to return her to their home. To Jierra. That was all she truly wanted now anyway. To ensure her daughter was safe.
This demon had abducted her, but he wasn’t the only enemy her Kind had out there. Anyone could be after her and Jierra now.
She needed the demon’s protection, as much as that pissed her off.
His lips brushed against hers. He tasted hot and addictive.
No surprise. Incubi were sex demons, after all.
It had been thirty years since a male of any Kind had touched her. Her breath caught as she remembered. As she grieved her lost mate. Iavius had been fire and sex and love all rolled into one.
But this demon was not her mate. And he never would be.
Kindara almost pulled away. Almost.
That didn’t matter now. Even Iavius didn’t matter now.
All that mattered was holding up her end of the bargain—so that she could get back to her daughter where she belonged.
His fingers tangled in the silk of her bra. Then the fabric was just gone. One demon hand rose and cupped her breast. His fingers were rough and hot and…perfect for an Incubi sex demon.
Her breath caught. The realization that she wanted to feel his hands on her slammed into her, making her feel disloyal to the male she had lost thirty years ago.
She pulled in a breath and reminded herself of the truth.
He was just a means to an end. Her ticket back to Jierra, and a way to satisfy the curiosity.
He was bound to keep her safe now. She had his demon oath.
Kindara made the next move, lying back on the bed of moss. It was not the first time she had had sex on a bed of moss.
She and Iavius had had almost one hundred years together. And many adventures. Both in bed and out.
Tears welled in her eyes as she fought the memories.
The demon followed her down.
“Shhh, do not fear me,” the demon whispered in her ear as his hand cupped her cheek. He wiped away the tear that had escaped. “I will never hurt you. You have my oath on that as well. Just
let me enjoy you. You taste like the finest of wines, of candy fit only for the kings. For me. Perfection.”
His hands reached for her; to her shame, hers reached for him again almost as eagerly.
She just wanted to feel someone touching her again. Just for a little while.
By all Lilith’s children, he was starved. He hadn’t realized how much until he’d had the angel naked beneath him, cooperating as he fed from her.
Her body was perfection in itself, though at first he’d thought her too slim, too delicate, to withstand the rigors of his type of feeding. She was holding up well.
But they were just getting started.
Her eyes were twin fires, glowing from the lust he’d induced within her. It had been so long for him he actually thought he would lose control of himself. Finish before her.
For an Incubus, especially the king, to leave a partner unsatisfied was an abomination.
Rathan would not fail her in that way. Never.
Eager hands reached for him. His angel wanted him, though her mind was resistant to the idea. He lowered his hand from one of the most perfect breasts he’d seen in hundreds of years to test for himself.
She was ready for him, but he wanted to be doubly sure.
For a female who’d had a child, her body was tight. Tighter than he expected. She arched against him.
Yes, she wanted him. Rathan felt like an eager youth with his first taste of female.
The time had come to give her what she wanted. He pulled her legs further apart. His fingers clenched on the muscles of her hips, pulling her up and toward him. Her heat teased his skin.
He pulled back, looked at her face. “Look at me, pet. I want your eyes on mine the entire time. Understand?”
She looked up at him, a strange vulnerability on her face. She nodded. “I understand.”
Her heat began to be too much temptation for him; he eased into her, mindful of the unexpected tightness of her body. They both froze once he was seated deep within.
This female was absolute perfection.
Her eyes remained trained on his face, and she arched up to meet him. He moved faster, deeper, until her eyes began to cloud and the trembling of her body grew ever so much stronger. She was close. Her small, feminine hands clutched at him. Dardaptoan claws sank into his flesh.
He couldn’t finish feeding from her lust until she reached the end of her own journey. He wouldn’t. He was an Incubi of honor, after all. “That’s it, pet. Come with me, come for me. You want to, and you know it will be good.”
He dropped his mouth to hers, kissing her in a heated mimic of their more elemental dance. Fingers tangled in his hair, something he’d never permitted from a female before. A fingertip brushed against the base of his left horn as he felt her break apart beneath him. The brush against one of the most erogenous places on his body had him following quickly after her.
Rathan had never enjoyed a feeding more.
6
Kindara kept her eyes closed as her heart rate stilled and the tremors shaking her body relented. The demon rested beside her, his breath equally as ragged as hers. She could smell him, feel him, all around her.
He’d been right: she had enjoyed what they’d done. The guilt from that wasn’t exactly easy to process.
He kissed her forehead. “Thank you, pet.”
She said nothing. Kindara curled on her side, facing away from him. He nestled into her back, one hand stroking her side. He was warm and strong, and she felt dwarfed by his body. His arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her close against his chest. His lips nuzzled her hair. Her neck.
It hadn’t been a means to an end for her. She knew that. It hadn’t been just curiosity either.
It had been more than that. It was a connection to another being.
One who hadn’t known her male. Hadn’t looked at her with pity for the last thirty years.
Dardaptoans were extremely social creatures. Affairs for those that were unmated weren’t all that uncommon. Dardaptoans sought connections with others.
Why should she be so different? Yet no male of her own Kind had even approached her once in the last thirty years. Or even the last fifteen, for that matter.
One who didn’t look at her like everyone else constantly did, just waiting for her to fall off the cliff of grief again.
It gave her a lot to think about as her heart settled to match the demon’s.
She’d felt almost like a whole, healthy female again in his arms. Instead of the shell she’d been for thirty years.
Whole.
To her shame, she had enjoyed feeding the demon just as much as he had enjoyed feeding from her.
She could almost pretend the affection he exhibited was real, but she had been told Incubi were incapable of such emotions. That they lived only to feed on the opposite sex.
Cormac had told her to avoid Incubi at all costs. That they were all about the act of feeding and weren’t capable of love. Of kindness or gentleness.
Well, the demon behind her was being gentle now.
He was touching her like she was precious to him.
Perhaps Cormac was wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. She was still furious with her brother for the wrongheaded decisions he’d been making lately.
Kindara didn’t know much about Incubi; her brother only mentioned the demons he’d killed, not the type of demons they were. What she knew of demons had come from novels and rumors. And textbooks that were woefully inadequate at answering the questions a High Healer would have.
If she was smart, she’d take this opportunity to get all of her questions answered. Until he got her back to her daughter. She could study him; make this time worth something to her people. Instead of it just delaying her work, as it was.
But…taking her, splitting her off from Jierra just to take her back to her daughter didn’t make any sense at all. Kindara wasn’t the least bit stupid—maybe a bit reckless, but not stupid—he wasn’t being truthful at all. There was more going on here than she knew.
He nibbled on her ear, almost purring behind her. His hands…weren’t exactly still either.
Kindara fought the urge to curl up against his warmth and have a snack of her own. All she would have to do would be press close against him and tuck her face right there against his neck. And taste him again.
Like she once had with her mate when they finished loving each other. Every single time.
That had her jerking her thoughts back to where they needed to be immediately.
“Why did you and that wolf stop our car?”
7
Her voice was low, flat, and Rathan pulled her closer, though she kept her back to him. He wrapped himself around her, not wanting her to get chilled.
It had been too long since he had cuddled against a female.
He breathed the scent of warm female in again, feeling his body tighten in response. “Vengeance.”
“For what? What did Dhar Rydere do?”
“Murder.” Their faces flashed into his mind. Shy Mickey, fiery Mallory, quiet Joselyn, and determined Emily—four females who were wonderful and who had welcomed him from the moment he’d met them in a way that had nothing to do with him being a demon, merely a friend of Rand’s. They’d become part of his family. As dear to him as his own young sisters. More. He had sisters he had never spoken to, yet these females had welcomed him. They loved him.
And he loved them in return.
“No. They wouldn’t.” She shook her head, sending blond strands into his eyes. He pushed them away, then let his hand linger. Females were so soft; she was so soft. And she smelled absolutely delicious. “Who?”
“Rand’s sisters and cousins. Human females taken from their homes and killed.”
“The dhar doesn’t kill humans, especially females. There are laws against that, ancient laws.”
He heard the puzzlement in her words, but he understood it. Why would her male kin let her know of their evil deeds? Females were to be protected�
��in any Kind.
“Then where is Rand’s sister Mickey, or his twin—”
“Mallory? Oh Goddess, the wolf is a Taniss? A Taniss has my babe?” She pushed against his hands, then jumped to her feet. Wild panic was in every movement she made. “Oh Goddess, no. No. Not Jierra, not her, too. I can’t lose my babe to a Taniss. I can’t lose her.”
She snatched her clothes and pulled them on, all the while sobbing.
Rathan just watched her, puzzled by the panic, by the terror. Yes. She knew something about the Tanisses—he’d bet his life on it.
When she rushed to the tunnel that led out of the cave, he flashed himself into her path. He wrapped strong arms around her. She wasn’t going anywhere. She’d freeze to death out there now. And he would never allow anything to harm her. “Stop.”
“No. Get out of my way. I have to get to her!” She hissed at him, revealing Dardaptoan fangs. This was when the Dardaptoans were the most dangerous.
They hissed in warning. Much like a damned cat would before it struck.
Well, dangerous to others. He was an eleven-thousand-plus-year-old demon king; nothing a Dardaptoan could bring would be dangerous to him. Especially a female.
“We had a bargain, remember?” She feinted around him, and he extended his arm, stopping her again. Determined. But she would not escape him into the cold tonight. That would basically sign her death warrant. He wasn’t about to let that happen. “And you must live by it.”
“Not when my daughter is at stake!” She lunged at him, taking him by surprise. Yet again, he wasn’t expecting a direct attack. Not from such a fragile-looking creature. Teeth sank into the naked flesh of his shoulder, ripped his skin before she pulled away. She was more vicious than she looked. He had best remember that. “Get the hell out of my way!”
“Stop! Now!” He infused his voice with all the command he could muster. No one defied the king when he used that tone. Not even his closest half brothers. They might grumble, but they would obey.
It had absolutely no effect on her.
He had no other choice; she must be calmed down before she hurt herself. Or escaped to freeze to death.
Bound To The Demon Page 3
