Unleashed, page 10
I needed to do this. For her.
It had nothing to do with the reddish-brown wolf chasing me through the forest and nipping at my heels in my dreams. I shook my head. Jaxon was going to be furious.
This was a bad idea.
Zeke had always been out for himself and no one else. He wasn’t here because he cared about my family. He just wanted his revenge.
But wasn’t I using him just as much? We wouldn’t really mate. He’d hate that kind of commitment anyway. No, I’d power up and be ready for the battle tomorrow. That’s how it was supposed to work. I shoved down my worries and pushed open the door.
He was awake, and he watched me walk naked into his room, his gaze roving over every bare inch of my chest, stomach, and thighs, and where they met. A slow smile spread across his lips. “Missed me, did ya, demon?”
He was going to play it like that, was he? Well, I’d thrown myself into this. No point holding back. I put my hand on my hip and jutted it out. “I just came to eat you alive.”
“Good, I don’t need any complications either,” he drawled, standing. When his blanket fell away, his cock jutted toward me like he’d been waiting. “But a good fuck—that I could use.” He searched my face as if looking for a trick, like he thought I’d want more than a night in his bed.
I really didn’t want anything more, but teasing him was more fun than denying it. So I stalked forward and took his length in my hand, squeezing. “Is this all you want? One night of mind-blowing sex?”
“You haven’t given me anything much yet,” he said, running his finger along my cheek. “My demon.”
“Fuck you,” I said, shoving him, half hoping he’d fall on his ass. I hadn’t paraded in here naked expecting him to act like my offer was nothing.
“I won’t fall for you,” he snarled, yanking me against him so my back was to his chest. He ran his hand down my side.
Fire crackled over my skin everywhere he touched, and my hellhound howled inside of me. His cock pressed against my ass, and his fingers curled around my breast, flicking the nipple. I shivered against the chill in the air and the quick fizzles of nerves.
“Good.” Even with that bond between us, him falling for me wasn’t what I wanted. “Now harder. Don’t be gentle,” I demanded. As much as I loved Jaxon and Cooper, neither wanted to go too far, to push the envelope into naughtier areas. Those kinks my succubus craved. They’d do it for me, sure, but it wasn’t something they needed—loved—like Zeke did.
Zeke chuckled; his mouth so close to my neck I felt the tickle of his breath. He grazed my delicate skin with his teeth but didn’t bite down. Instead, he pressed the softest kiss to the edge of my jaw and pinched my nipple.
I gasped, flares of excitement jumping through me. I wanted this. I needed it. I swallowed against my dry throat and pushed back into his cock, willing him to do more, to grow the pleasure with the pain.
“So needy.” Zeke’s voice was a whisper. He sucked on my neck and pinched my other nipple, then roughly kneaded the breast. “You want more.” It wasn’t a question. It didn’t need to be. He felt the quiver of my body against his as I pushed back into him. He knew what he was doing to me. But I answered him anyway.
“Yes, please.”
Zeke gripped my arms and pushed me toward his bed, much faster and stronger than I had been with my halfhearted shove.
I fell against the covers, again bringing a rush to my sensitive breasts. I craned my head around, looking for Zeke, hoping he hadn’t left me. He held his cock in his hand, stroking it as he ate up the vision of me sprawled across his bed. He especially kept his eyes on my ass.
A thrill shot through me. Could he want to take me there again? There was something about anal that always sent my mind into the sexual, sensual place of kinky sex, where I felt like I was being naughty, indulging in something not everyone would approve of. I smiled as I thought how much that desire must chime in with how devious humans thought demons were, but I didn’t care.
Zeke stepped forward and slapped my ass cheek. His smile widened as it wiggled, and he evened it up by smacking the other side. My skin burned, but lower down I knew I’d be wet. I felt warm and ready for him. Eager for him. He slapped me harder, the sound ringing out through the room. I bit my lip, for a moment worried about what Tarzi might hear. Or Jaxon. What if he woke up and interrupted? He’d be so angry. And . . . I felt guilty for thinking it, but I wouldn’t want this to finish before it started.
“Zeke—”
He shook his head, his eyes jumping to mine. “No. You came here. No dictating how this goes. That’s not what you want, and you know it.”
I shifted on the covers, wishing he was with me on the bed, playing with me. My succubus was demanding energy and attention. Him. She was demanding Zeke. “I know. But hurry up!”
Zeke laughed but straddled me, his cock resting against my ass. He turned us so he lay behind me, like the big spoon, and his hand wrapped around my hips, tickling over the thin skin inside my hip and moving down, to my folds. I moaned as his finger slid up and down, glancing past my clit. I pushed back into him, feeling the pressure of his cock and wanting it inside me, stretching me.
“You want this?” he asked.
I nodded, but he didn’t move any faster, so I voiced it too. “Yes. I said yes already.”
Zeke’s hand left my clit and held my throat, cutting off some of my air, but not enough to be uncomfortable. I swallowed against his hold and again pushed back against his cock. Having him ride me like this, totally in control . . . the very idea melted my brain. And he must’ve known it.
“I see I’ve found something else you like. I do love a woman not afraid to explore in the bedroom.” He switched his hands, so his left hand held my throat and his right went back to playing with my clit, more roughly this time. And then he spread my wetness around to himself and my rosebud, pushing inside gently. First with one finger, then two, and then his cock was lined up with me, pressing at the entrance.
I kept my breathing even and my muscles relaxed. Slowly, he pushed inside me, and as I stretched around him, I moaned and stilled. If I moved too much, he’d slip back out, and I didn’t want that. My succubus rushed to the front of my mind, thriving on the feel of my skin pulled taut around him and the hot hardness of his cock invading my ass. Hell, the thought of him taking me like this . . . it just did it for me. It always had.
Zeke tightened his hold on my neck as his thrusts came quicker. I was used to him now, and he could fuck me almost as fast as he could normally. I pushed back against him, loving the sound of him slapping against my ass.
Our breath came in gasps and moans. Zeke played with my breast and clit in turn, becoming rougher with every few thrusts. All that stimulation pushed me to the brink, and as his thrusts became the slightest bit irregular, one more hard thrust sent me over the edge. I shivered with cool pleasure, an oasis of silence in my mind, of being in the moment without worrying about the consequences or tomorrow.
And then Zeke pushed deep into my ass and throbbed as he came. He held my hips tight to his as another rush of pleasure ripped through us both, whiting out my brain once again. I focused on my breathing as sense came back to me. I placed my hand over Zeke’s and squeezed. I loved the smell of him, the sweet bourbon, and my succubus was squirming as she tried to get even closer to him. But I knew I couldn’t stay like this. Not if this was really only about energy. An exchange, nothing more. Like we’d had at the bar. No feelings involved.
Slowly, I moved his hand off my hip and moved away from him. I met his gaze. Surprisingly, he wasn’t staring at my curves, pleased at what he’d just had. Instead, he looked thoughtful.
“What?” I asked, curious despite my need to leave.
“Nothing. It was just . . . amazing. Are all succubi that good?”
I stilled and played off my hesitation with a laugh. “We’re sex demons. What did you expect?”
“But it felt even better than last time. I’m not tired. I feel like I could fight off an army.”
Yeah. I felt the same way. But I couldn’t tell him it felt so good because he had the fledgling link with me. He’d had a taste of what it felt like to share our pleasure, and that softer look in his eye could almost fool me into thinking he enjoyed this for more than just his pleasure, too. I couldn’t allow myself to think that. Zeke did this because it suited him. That was it. There could be nothing else to this.
“Zeke, what happened tonight . . . it didn’t happen.”
He blinked, and that softness in his eyes was gone in an instant. “You don’t want your lover boy to find out you fucked me.”
“No.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the headboard. “You’re a sex demon, Del. Does he expect you to only fuck him while you’re here? It must be hard only fucking two men after your life until now, let alone one.”
I bit my tongue, uncomfortable with how well he understood my situation. He was the only one of my men to voice the practicalities of what I was and what that meant, how hard it was for me to be faithful to so few men, and how that was normal, the way of my species.
I’d never had that conversation with Jaxon. Maybe I should have, but the thought of his possessiveness kicking in had put me off. “I’m sure he doesn’t want me to fuck his twin brother.” Even if Jaxon could see me with other men, he’d hate this. That much I knew for sure.
Zeke laughed and pushed back the covers, showing me all of his sexy body again. “Oh, I’m sure he’d hate this. It’s one of the things that makes it so fun.” He struck a pose and then did a slow turn, letting me take in the curves of his ass and those lines that led down to his wide cock. “Still, if my demon wants to come back to my bed, you’d be welcome.”
I nodded and opened the door, peeking out to make sure the corridor was clear. I glanced back briefly and smiled. “Thanks, Zeke. Sleep well.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get mushy on me now. Go to the bathroom and hurry to bed so I can have my turn in there.”
I grinned. Zeke had a way with words sometimes. In many ways, he was more practical than his brother. And I was sure that he’d keep this secret. Usually, I’d have thought he’d keep it until it suited him not to, but something about the twinkle in his eye and the way he’d offered himself up to me told me he’d rather keep me to himself.
Zeke
I watched Del walk out of my room and out of my life. As much as my wolf whined, I knew she wasn’t for the likes of us. I enjoyed a good fuck and I didn’t even mind sharing. But the fact was I just never let my heart get involved, and there was something about Del . . . well, I wouldn’t let myself get too close to her. I shook myself. I had things to do, and it didn’t include lusting after that hot little demon of mine.
I climbed out of bed and crossed to the dresser. I’d tucked Gabriel’s spell book in the top drawer. I wasn’t supposed to have it. My idiotic brother had wanted to hold on to it for safekeeping, but it had been easy enough to take it from him. He wasn’t the most observant of men, especially with his emotions all wrapped up in a cute little succubus and hellhound package. Wouldn’t he be pissed if he learned what we’d just done? I smirked.
Gabriel had given me very specific orders, but he hadn’t covered everything. When we got into the demon lord’s compound, things were going to go very badly. I ran it through my mind over and over again, but I just couldn’t see it any other way. Gabriel would double-cross me, and the demon lord wasn’t going to be gentle. Any way I looked at it, I was fucked.
But she didn’t have to be.
I grimaced. What the hell was I doing caring about her? She was a demon, meant to be used, not fallen for, and I never let my heart get involved.
Laying the book on the top of the dresser, I flipped through until I found the spell I wanted, then ripped the page from the book. Grabbing a pen, I started marking out the instructions right on the manuscript.
I was doing this for the mountain, for the magic that my ancestors had protected. Hell, I was doing this for Jaxon and even Del’s sister, innocents caught up in my scheming. I was not doing it for a feisty demon with a body that I could get lost in and a heart that might just break me.
After writing it out as clear as I could make it, I folded the page and tucked it in the back pocket of my jeans. Then I slid the book back in the dresser drawer. I hoped it was safe here. Even if this place was owned by a friend of someone, who knew who else used it as a safe house? But there wasn’t anything I could do about that. We were going to the demon lord’s place tomorrow, and I was sure I wasn’t walking out again.
But the portal spell would get her out.
My wolf was content. Our mate would be safe. I grimaced, knowing it to be true if we made it official with a bite, but also knowing I didn’t deserve her. I didn’t need a mate, anyway. Though, that sounded hollow to my own ears. I made a quick trip to the bathroom and then climbed back into bed. Best try to get some sleep while I still could.
* * *
This portal was the worst one yet. Fuck, but that squinty-eyed little demon was one I’d rather give a blowjob than use his portal-making services again. It felt like someone was chiseling the skin off my bones to the chorus of cat nails in polystyrene. No wonder the little demon was free at such short notice! I scrunched up into the smallest ball I could, hands over my ears, trying to shut everything out. The portal was over in less time than the previous ones, despite sending us a longer distance, and I wasn’t ready.
I tumbled to the ground while still curled into a ball, smacking my knees into the flat sand. I threw my arms out and got them under me a moment before I’d have eaten grit. You’d think sand would be soft, but no. This stuff was either not too deep or well-compacted—at least in this spot. The fall jolted up my legs to my hips, my bones aching.
I groaned as I stood and brushed off the worst of the dirt. “Well, that sucked.”
Tarzi had fallen over. Even the high and mighty Jaxon had sand caked into the knees of his jeans. Though, as usual, Del looked like she’d gotten off relatively easy. She had to be the strongest of all of us to withstand that without a tumble. But it was over, and we couldn’t stand around griping for long.
“What now?” I asked, squinting into the dark distance.
I assessed the demon lord’s compound. This was the place Gabriel had mentioned—bramble-like plants lining the fence for six feet. Razor wire atop the fence. And the building itself looked like it might be a warehouse with a relatively open floor plan, which meant not many places to hide. Supposedly, there was a complex underground too and that was much more squirrelly, but I had no way to mention that to the others without giving away how much I shouldn’t know about this place. There was only so much a tortured, dying demon would give me—at least, that they’d believe without hearing him speak the words himself.
Sighing, I sucked hard on my teeth, wishing I could break through the tsunami of mud that was raining down on even the thought of revealing Gabriel’s plans. I felt like I was suffocating. Hell, my breath was even coming quicker. Defying him would be fucking impossible. Fuck this sorcerer. The moment I was free of this, he was so dead.
Del stood between Jaxon and me, watching the compound. She shook her head. “This place is way too open. Tarzi, did your cousin have any tips for us?”
“He told me to stay the hell away from this place.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not what she asked.”
“He did say something about the deliveries he made here. Some of them were the usual drugs through the front gates, but some were more, well, black market, and they were different.”
“How?” Del asked, showing far more patience than I expected after her eagerness to get in and save her sister. But that was the thing about Del: she respected family and friendship—way more than Jaxon seemed to. He’d rather pander to idiots like Mark than support his own brother.
“He did the main delivery as normal. It wasn’t until he was leaving that demons appeared out of weird spots in the ground to collect their drugs,” Tarzi said. “No holes that he could see, just poof.”
“Not through the front gates?” Del asked.
Tarzi shrugged. “Yeah, it was the strangest thing. He figured it was some magic of the demon lord’s.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“Like mole people,” Jaxon said, meeting my eyes.
I grinned. “Goddamn mole people.”
“What’s so funny?” Del and Tarzi said almost on the same breath, their eyes darting between us.
“Just a game we used to play,” I said.
“That involved tunnels,” Jaxon added with a shrug. “And that would explain it.”
Both of them looked at us like we’d lost our minds.
“But then, why didn’t my cousin see them? I mean the holes.”
“A million ways to hide tunnels,” Jaxon said.
“If you know how,” I continued. “Remember the time I trapped you? Back behind the Stein’s shed?”
“And I felt like an idiot when I didn’t even see your trap.” Jaxon laughed.
I hadn’t heard my brother laugh like that, free and carefree, in years. Who’d have thought it possible for Jaxon to take the stick out of his ass long enough to hear a word I was saying? But I looked around at the flat land, and I had to break into memory lane. “Where would they hide them in this flat terrain?”
Jaxon straightened and squinted at the compound again. I could see the gears of his mind working. “Good question.”
I walked away from the group and climbed a small hill to see more of the landscape. For miles and miles, this place had barely a rise or dip here and there. In all his carefully laid plans, Gabriel hadn’t thought to share where the entrance to the tunnels beneath this place was—probably so I didn’t unintentionally ruin my cover. But that meant we could be out here for hours, and the desert temperature was a biting chill that was unlikely to rise until a few hours after sunrise. How did we narrow it down? Without an above-ground opening, could they use a trap door of some kind? And where would they put it? A distance away from the compound itself, in case they ever needed to use it as an escape tunnel. And they’d want some cover from the elements and unfriendly eyes, too. Around the hillocks had to make sense.
