Authors: Violet Walker
T
he file was open on her seat as she drove like mad to his address. She’d waited hours, staring at it, wondering if she should open it. Her dreams of a normal life would go up in smoke as soon as she peaked, but blood was thicker than that.
He had a file on her brother. He had a file on her mother. He had a file on some group of demons, and he had proof of a nest.
A nest for God sake. Those were supposed to have been wiped out centuries ago.
The dagger was in her hand when he opened the door, and blind rage had her holding it at his throat. “What the hell is this?” she screamed as she flung the folder down.
He disarmed her easily, and she was so shaken that she didn’t even care. “Tell me,” she pleaded.
He waited until she was calmer. When the sobs ceased, and she leaned against the wall, he began to speak.
“The Slavante Brotherhood is an international organization. It’s made up of powerful group half-breed demons trying to protect humanity. We’re not all bad, Sierra.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“We’ve existed for several centuries, but we keep to the shadows. Occasionally, a hunter stumbles upon us, but the consequences are usually disastrous. At one time, we tried to form an alliance with them, but you lot are thick headed. After too much blood was spilled, on both sides, we decided to remain anonymous.”
He poured her a glass of whiskey and handed it to her. She’d swallowed it in one shot before handing the glass to him. The fiery liquid warmed her belly, and she felt some of her shock subside.
“A few years ago, a hunter began stalking us. We kept an eye on him, but he kept an even closer eye on us. The things he knew shocked even us. He wanted our help. He wanted my help.” He cast a mournful look down. “He said his name was Hollis, and he’d found a terrifying trend. He thought a full blooded demon walked the city streets.”
She stared at him. “Garret was helping you?” she whispered. It couldn’t be true. No Mason would have been caught dead helping a demon. “You’re lying.”
He stared at her. “I am not. He understood the growing threat that was upon us, and he thought we’d work better together than against each other. It got him killed, and it will get you killed as well. You need to walk away, Sierra.”
Her hands were shaking as she reached up and slapped him. “How dare you. How dare you tell me this. Garret was my brother, and I refuse to believe that he’d keep this from me.”
“I didn’t know he had a sister. He didn’t even tell me his real name. None of that is what is important. I got your brother killed.”
“Stop saying that,” she hissed. She gripped the dagger tightly in her hand. This is what she’d come here for. She’d come here for proof that he’d killed Garret, and now that he was giving it to her, she didn’t want to hear it.
“If he wasn’t working with me, he’d still be alive. I don’t know what came after him, and I’ve been searching for three years. But it is my fault. Your brother and your mother are dead because of me.”
“Stop,” she screamed. She dropped the dagger as she reached up to slap him again. It barely phased him, and she reached over to pummel him in the chest instead. Over and over again, she hit him until her arms grew tired.
He caught her just before she fell, and he dropped his head down to capture her lips.
It wasn’t a light kiss like before. He wasn’t easing her or even tasting her. He was distracting her, drawing the pain away, and immediately, she reached up to curl her fingers in his hair. She wanted more. She needed more.
“You have to go,” he gasped as he broke away from her. “Sierra, you have to go.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” she muttered as she reached up again. She heard him swear an oath before his lips crushed down on hers again. Desperately, she pulled at his shirt. She wasn’t going to be happy with just a kiss. She needed so much more.
Sierra grappled with the buttons until she’d finally ripped the shirt away. The muscles of his chest rippled as she stroked his chest and abs. Flaring heat soared through her body as he rained kisses down the column of her neck.
“Sierra,” he murmured. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“Shut-up,” she murmured. He picked her up, and as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he pressed her against the wall. He was long and hard between her thighs, and she rubbed herself on him mercilessly. Even through the fabric of her panties and his pants, she could feel him throbbing.
He hissed as he ripped her shirt away and thumbed her nipples through her bra. She whimpered, and he pulled the bra to the side, freeing her breasts. She arched into his touch as his rough skin rubbed, pulled, and ignited her.
But it still wasn’t enough. She wanted those hands in other places. She rubbed up against him until he was practically panting. Dropping her, he fell to his knees and nuzzled between her legs.
“Oh God,” she muttered as he pushed her skirt up higher around her waist and pulled her lacy panties aside. As if he had read her thoughts, he brushed his thumb across her nub, and she nearly screamed.
“So sweet,” he murmured as he lapped his tongue over her. “Baby,” he moaned, and he pushed a finger inside her.
As he pushed and pulled one finger and then two inside her, he raked his teeth over her clitoris, and she burst open. Her knees shook, and she convulsed around him as the orgasm took over. She would have slid to the ground had he not caught her.
“Easy,” he murmured as he swung her up. She pulled his head down for another kiss as he made his way to the couch. As soon as she felt the cushions beneath her, she’d slid her skirt and panties off, and she pulled off what little remained of her shirt and bra.
He stood over and stared. “So beautiful,” he whispered. “I should walk away.”
“Don’t you dare,” she muttered. She reached over and grabbed his pants. The button slid out easily, and she shucked them to the floor. He sprang up, hard and proud, and she immediately slid her tongue over him.
“Sierra,” he hissed as he grabbed her head.
“No,” she muttered. “It’s not fair. You’re not allowed to walk away.”
She took him in her mouth again, and he moaned as he rocked his hips. “I certainly can’t now,” he grunted.
He gently pushed her back and settled his weight on top of her. “Tell me no,” he pleaded. “Please.”
She stared at him as she spread her legs and lifted them. He immediately fell into her crevice, and she slid her hips as much as she could under his weight. His length was wet from her saliva, and it slid back and forth easily.
He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. “Forgive me,” he muttered, and then he slid into her.
Sierra gasped as she tried to accommodate him, but he was too thick and too long. He stretched and filled her, and as he slid over that sweet spot within her, she began to whimper.
“Hold on beautiful,” he murmured. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“More,” she pleaded. “Please, give me more.”
She wiggled her hips, and he slid even deeper. “Fuck,” he hissed. “You’re so damn tight.”
“Ah, God,” she moaned. She flexed her hips up again, and she squealed when he fell even deeper. “Christ. I’ve never…” she panted.
He stilled. “Never what?” he asked as he placed his lips over hers.
“I’ve never felt anyone that deep. That spot….” She gasped.
He smiled and moved his hips just a little. Her eyes flew open, and she moaned. Shivers ran through her body followed by a wave of pleasure like she had never known. It curled her toes, and shook her nerves. “You like that?” he whispered.
“Yes. Please,” she whimpered. “Please do it again.”
He nibbled on her neck. “Do what?” he flexed his hips just a little. “That?”
“Uh,” she panted. “Yes.”
“You like that spot? It feels so good?”
She couldn’t even answer. Suddenly, he slid all the way out and inside again. As he moved over those two spots, she dug her nails into his skin. “Preston,” she cried out.
It was as if hearing his name on her lips drew him to the point of madness. Desire took over, and he reared back and slammed into her again. Gone was the pretense of gentle. Lust drove them, and Sierra could barely hang on. Never had her body felt such madness, but it came with a beauty that she could not have expected.
She writhed. She panted. She screamed. And just when she thought she’d die, he drove into her one last time. She peaked, and her entire body shuddered with her orgasm. He ground his hips into her as he shouted and emptied himself.
It was long. It was slow. It felt as though it took years for her to float back down to earth, and with it came the crashing realization.
Preston Wellington had just fucked her senseless.
S
ierra slept. She didn’t even know how it was possible. Not only had she slept, but she was curled up in his arms. At first, she felt rage. He’d manipulated her. That was the only explanation, but of course that wasn’t true. She had a clear memory of everything they had done.
Everything she had begged him to do.
God, she couldn’t wake him. She couldn’t face him.
She eased her hand down and scooped out her last sleeping crystal from her bag. Whispering a spell to activate it, she placed it on his chest.
Sierra slipped out of his arms and scrambled to find her clothes. The shirt was beyond ruined. Grimacing, she snagged one of his from the closet, buttoned it up, and raced back home. She had no idea how long a crystal would last on a demon, but she wanted to be as far away as possible when he woke up.
Her supervisor approached her, pale and trembling. “Sierra? Mr. Wellington would like a word with you.”
She swallowed hard. The weekend had been quiet. She poured over the information in the folder and tried to ignore the memories of him inside her, of her legs wrapped around him.
He hadn’t called or broken into her apartment. She could only assume that he’d had bigger issues. But she’d only been at work for ten minutes, so clearly he’d been waiting for her.
As she approached his office, she could see the controlled rage on his face. “Ms. Mason,” he said quietly.
She raised her eyebrows. So they were back to that now? Things were looking bad. “Mr. Wellington,” she shot back.
“I believe you have something that belongs to me,” he said coldly. “I wasn’t aware you wanted something to remember me by.”
He was referring to his shirt. “I had nothing else to wear. And don’t worry, I burned it the first chance I got,” she snapped. “I’ll buy you a new one. Is that all?”
She half rose out of her chair when he put his hand up. “Do you have any idea how much danger you put me in? I have enemies on every corner, and you put me under a sleeping spell,” he hissed.
Sierra flushed. She hadn’t thought of that. “I have no doubt you have other precautions other than a locked door.”
“That’s not the point! You’re not thinking about any of the danger that you’re in. It’s going to get you killed! You need to be near me at all times.”
She laughed hollowly. “Are you out of your mind? Three days ago you told me that you were the reason that my brother and mother were killed. Now you think you’re going to babysit me?”
“They’re dead because I wasn’t watching. I won’t make that same mistake again.”
She leaned over the desk. “Let me be clear about something. I have not decided if I believe you. What happened the other night was nothing more than a release of frustrations, and it will not happen again. If there is a full-blooded demon out there, I very much doubt that it’s looking for a twenty-two year old marketing consultant. I don’t need you.”
As she turned her back and walked to the door, he was in front of her in a blink of an eye. She gasped. She’d forgotten how quick they were.
“Now let me be clear,” he whispered as he pushed her into the desk. “What happened the other night was because you wanted it to happen.” He slid a finger down her arm, and she shivered. “And if I bent you over the desk right now, you would not say no. An attack on your life is imminent, whether you believe it or not, and no, he’s not looking for a twenty-two-year-old marketing consultant. But that’s not what you are, now is it? You’re a demon huntress, and you know the truth.” He leaned in and licked her cheek. “And now you have my scent on you too.”
She snarled and pushed him away. “Go fuck yourself.” He stepped back and let her pass, and she realized that he was right. Demons did leave their scent on others, and even if she didn’t want to be, she was marked.
But of course, she was marked the moment she was born into the Mason family. She was scared, but she didn’t want to show it.
“I’m taking the day off,” she muttered as she shut the door. She needed to learn everything she could about full-blooded demons.
The attack came out of nowhere. She’d just finished closing the final book when the door splintered open.
There was no knock, but of course, she couldn’t really expect a demon to knock. There was just a door, and then there wasn’t a door.
She immediately reached for the blade, but he was on the table and at her throat before she could even react. God, he looked human. His eyes were bright red and his skin a dark ashy grey, but his features were human nonetheless.
Hoping that he had the same nether regions, she lashed out with her foot. He howled in pain as her foot connected with his balls, and she pushed him off her.
He grabbed for her arm, and his nails raked down her skin. She screamed in pain, and before she knew it, he was on top of her again.
And then he wasn’t.
Preston appeared out of nowhere. He had grabbed her blade and was slashing at the demons throat. A dark substance flowed freely from the demons wounds, and it hissed before flying out the door.
She knocked her head against the floor as she fell and gripped her arm. Pain burned inside her, and she writhed.
“Hold on, beautiful,” he muttered. She watched as he cut his own arm with her blade and rubbed his wound on hers. She could see the pain in his eyes, but as soon as his blood made contact with the wound, the burn of her wound lessoned.
“We have to go,” he murmured as he helped her to her feet. “It’s going to be back.”
She couldn’t say anything as he lifted her up and ushered her out of the apartment.
Her mind was blank. She’d been attacked by a full-blooded demon.
And she’d only survived because the half-blood had saved her.
Preston tried to focus on the wound as he wrapped her arm. His senses were in over drive, and he could smell everything about her. Her fear. Her despair. Her frustrations.
Her desire.
Every time he touched her, every time he was near her, she elicited those pheromones that were driving him wild. He’d almost lost her tonight. “I have certain wards up around the house. You should be safe here.”
“They ooze poison,” she muttered. “And they can heal themselves. That’s why your blood could heal my wound.”
“Not heal,” he corrected. “Lessen the wound. If I could heal it completely, I’d be far less worried.”
“Where did you come from?” she whispered. “How did you know he would attack?”
He finished bandaging the wound. “I was watching you,” he admitted.
“Creepy,” she muttered.
Preston smiled. “Well, you refused my protection. What else was I supposed to do?”
She reached up and touched his face. He stilled as she traced the contours of his nose and lips. “I don’t understand. How can you want to protect me if you’re part demon? You’re not supposed to care,” she whispered.
He captured her hand and pressed it to his lips. “We’re half human, Sierra. And humanity has some very dominating traits.”
His lips parted as he traced them over her wrist, and he nearly moaned. God, that woman did amazing things to him. He dropped her arm and took a step back, giving her time to collect herself.
“I read through the books. Demons aren’t allowed to roam topside. How is he here?”
“He’s still tethered to hell, but he has a master. And I’m fairly certain I know who that master is,” he said darkly.
“Who?”
“His name is Cresher. Fifty years ago, he was part of the brotherhood, but he wasn’t there because he was loyal to humans. He was there because it was his birthright. And it meant power. Cresher was a leader.” He looked at her. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. “I want to know who we’re up against.”
We. The word unsettled him. “It soon became apparent that Cresher wasn’t there to do good, but there are certain steps that have to be taken. One isn’t just asked to leave the brotherhood. They’re killed. And killing the leader is a sentence punishable by death. There has to be a unanimous vote from the entire sector of the brotherhood and the leaders of the surrounding brotherhood. It took time, and in that time, he did quite a bit of damage.”
He settled between her legs and smoothed her hair out of her face. “Damien finally took the brotherhood over, but when it came time to dispose of Cresher, he couldn’t do it. Damien is Cresher’s little brother.”
“Oh God.” Sierra swallowed hard. “You have family?”
He smiled. “Of course we have a family. We’re part human. We don’t just sprout one day.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
He leaned down and kissed her. “Don’t be,” he whispered. “Don’t ever be sorry.”
He tasted her slowly, and when he finally raised his head, she was breathless. “Cresher showed his true colors after that. He wants demons to roam the earth again. It’s a process to bring a demon up, and it takes quite a bit of sacrifice, but a demon can call a nest. And once it has a nest of even half demons, it can feed on them and control them. It’s a dangerous situation.”
“How do we stop him?”
He shook his head. “You don’t, beautiful. I stop him. My brothers stop him. We have to break up the nest first, and then we attack the demon. Once Cresher no longer has a bodyguard, we get rid of him once and for all.”
“I want to help,” she muttered.
“I know you do, but this is over your head. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Too late,” she said as she looked at her arm. She met his gaze slowly. “You saved my life.”
He stroked her cheek. “I think I prefer you alive.”
She reached up and kissed him. “And why is that?” she whispered.
“You shouldn’t get more involved in this,” he muttered against her lips. She was intoxicating.
Instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer. He moaned. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you on the bathroom counter.”
“That’s the idea,” she said breathlessly, and he knew he was lost. He leaned her back and carefully slipped her shirt over her head. It was splattered in blood, and he never wanted to see that again. He could see her wince in pain as he pulled her bra down her arm, and he quickly leaned in to lick one of her nipples. He wanted to take away all her pain. He wanted her only to feel pleasure.
He trailed his lips down her abdomen, and he breathed in her scent. He was drunk on the taste of her, and as he licked her pussy, her legs began to shake. “Come for me, Sierra,” he encouraged, and then he stopped being gentle. He used his teeth to pull at her nub, and he shoved three fingers inside of her. She clawed at his shoulder and screamed as her orgasm took her.
Preston didn’t even let her come down. In seconds, he’d ripped off his pants and shoved himself inside of her. She was warm, and wet, and welcoming. She felt like the heaven he was never going to be able to experience.
“Fuck,” she screamed as she pounded her. He gritted his teeth and hissed. He’d had women before. He’d had humans and half-breeds alike, but none of them felt like this. She was different in more ways than one, and if he survived this ordeal, he was going to make sure she was in his arms for good.
“Sierra,” he moaned. “Fuck baby, you feel so good.”
“So close,” she panted. “Don’t stop. Oh God, don’t stop.” Her nails dug into his back, and as she arched, her muscles closed in around him. He howled as his own orgasm joined hers, and he ground himself inside her.
God, he never wanted to leave.
His knees buckled when it was over, and he dragged her off the counter as they both hit the floor. She laughed as she sprawled out on top of him, and he tried to catch his breath.
After a few moments, she propped herself up on her elbows. “I don’t know what this is,” she murmured. “But I don’t want you to go on a suicide mission.”
Preston chuckled. “I think you know exactly what this is, and don’t worry. I’m not going alone.” He trailed his fingers down her back and watched her shudder. “I have plenty of reasons to want to return in one piece.”
She reached down and kissed his neck, and he moaned. He stirred inside her, and her eyes widened. “Again?”
He lifted his hips and watched her eyes darken with desire. “One of the perks of being a half breed,” he whispered.
He lived to hear her moan.