Emerald Eyes (10 page)

Reuben kept his eyes open, staring at Yves, watching every move.

Yves moaned for him, writhing beneath him. That strong body closed around him, squeezing him until he howled again and threw his head back. The pressure in his lower body, in his balls, made him jerk, dancing madly.

“More. Mate, don’t stop.”

“I can’t.” There was no stopping now, not until they both came. He pushed that orgasm back as long as he could. He wanted to see Yves like this every fucking day. All the time. God, he wanted Yves safe and with him and not possessed.

The not possessed part seemed relatively important.

Yves smacked him. “Focus.”

“I am! I’m totally focused on you.” He leaned in, nipped the curve of Yves’ jaw. He licked, then bit a little lower. The scent of them together filled his nose, rich and male, and he bit again.

Yves rocked up, begging with every movement. Every one. Joined at teeth and cock, their bodies became flames, both driving faster. They breathed together, sharing space and air and their place in the universe.

At some point, this had stopped being about fucking and started to be about living.

Yves growled, the sound pure hunting cat, and those strong fingers dug into his shoulders.

“Yes, Mate.” He growled, eyes rolled back.

Those tight muscles clamped down around his cock and Yves bit him this time, hard on his throat. That was more than Reuben could bear, and he came hard, filling Yves deep. He heard Yves, crying out, coming for him. Needing him.

Reuben smiled because he’d done that. He’d made Yves want him enough to leave everything else behind.

Now he needed to keep it up. At least until Jonny gave him the all clear. Then they could negotiate the rest of their mating after that.

***

Reuben was sleeping hard when Luc slipped into the room, those sightless eyes searching for him.

Of course, Reuben sprang up, ready to protect him. That big, naked body relaxed when Reuben saw Luc. “Hey, kitty. You want me to go get some food while you talk?”

“You don’t have to leave.” But Yves’ belly snarled loud, and he was suddenly starving.

Reuben kissed him gently before rising. “Someone needs to lock the door, huh? Just until we figure shit out. I’ll be back with food.”

“Okay. Mate.”

Luc’s eyes went wide, but Yves wouldn’t take it back.

“Be good, you two.” Reuben slipped out the door, grabbing a robe from a hook on the wall on his way out.

“Good? Us?” Yves went to his brother, hugged Luc tight. “I fucked up, brother.”

“Sounded like you were fucking.” Luc’s lips quirked, that ironic smile so achingly familiar.

“So were you from your scent.”

“Well... yeah. That’s what the club here is, you know? Sex. Like kinky sex.”

“Oh.” Huh. Luc knew some interesting people.

Luc popped him. “Like you’re a prude.”

“I am not. I just -- a vampire?” He couldn’t quite wrap his head around that.

“I know. He’s perfect and mine and you took up with a dog. No judging.”

“Wolf,” he corrected. “Demons. Jesus,
frère
, what did I do?”

“You apparently screwed the pooch, big time.”

Luc managed not to laugh, which was more than Yves could do. He broke into near hysterical laughter, which ended with him leaning against his brother, tears on his cheeks.

“I’m so sorry.” He was. He’d lost Girard and in trying to find a solution he’d risked so much more.

“You did a dumb thing.” Luc shrugged. “At least you didn’t get yourself blown up like I did.”

Yeah, but it was the emeralds that got Luc blown up and he knew it. They both knew it. “I’m sorry.”

Luc shrugged, the move easy. “I don’t mind. My life is good. I have Jonny, I can be a cat most of the time, and I have Deke, salmon, and a leather chair to scratch.”

Seriously? This was his twin? This easy, lazy beast?

Laughing gently, Luc poked him. “What? I like not being on the run all the time. If I miss work, Deke and Kasey put me to good use.”

“Do you think...?” Should he just walk away from the emeralds, from the dark words scratched into the parchment? Could he even do that?

“Don’t. Don’t think. Don’t think about it. You’ll call it up.”

“But we have to get rid of it.” He stood, needing to pace.

Luc went still, head tilted to listen to him. Then Luc moved to the door and tapped on it. “Reuben? Reuben, hurry up!”

“I’m fine,” he snarled. “I don’t need Reuben to wipe my ass.”

“Uh-huh. Now, Reuben. Now is good.”

Chapter Six

Reuben walked out of the room, locking it behind him. He motioned to a passing attendant. “Can you get me someone to watch this door? Come get me in the kitchen if they hear anything odd. Or at all.”

The kid nodded, tugging out a walkie-talkie. “I can do it. Let me just let Jared know where I’ll be.”

“Good deal. Deke?”

“Down the hall, guarding the boss.”

“Thanks.” Reuben frowned. Did Jonny need guarding? Why?

Deke leaned against the doorframe, looking grumpy as a fuck about the door between him and the others.

“What’s going on?” Reuben didn’t like that look at all.

“They’re doing some shit in there. It smells like rot. Don’t like it.”

“They give you any instruction?”

“Stay out here; don’t get possessed.”

“Well, that sucks. I was gonna get food. You want anything?”

“Yeah. I could totally grab a burger. What is this shit, man?”

“Demons.” He wrinkled his nose because the hallway was beginning to stink.

“Yeah. Yves didn’t have all four emeralds with him, right? Two of them are somewhere else?” Deke asked.

“He never said anything about them, man. I never saw any emeralds.”

“Shit. I mean, the ones Luc had stored away are here, I know.” Deke was looking wild around the eyes.

“Yves never once showed me emeralds, man. Not once. If they’re here, they’re in there. With them.”

“Fuck, fuckity fuck.” Deke slammed his hand against the door. “Kasey! Open up, babe.”

Nothing.

He started banging, too. “Jonny! Jonny, quit fucking around in there, man. We got an emergency.”

“Deke? Deke!” The kid who Reuben had left to watch his kitty and the twin came running. “They’re calling for Reuben. Luc is.”

“Fuck a doodle do! Deke!”

“My mate’s in there, Reuben!”

And his was in with Luc. Fuck. “We have to get the kits first,” Reuben snarled. “Jonny and Kasey have the necromancer.”

Deke snarled, his muzzle trying to grow, to stretch, but they ran, racing for the green room. Reuben’s heart pounded, because he was leaving Deke’s mate behind, asking too much of his friend.

“Get us in there and fucking get us Jared,” he yelled.

“Reuben! Yves needs you!” Luc sounded panicked.

“I’m here.” He unlocked the door as soon as he reached the green room, sliding inside like a runner into third base.

Yves was tearing at his skin, half cat-half man, trying to get to the door. “They’re trapped and it’s my fault!”

“Baby.” Reuben grabbed Yves and shook him. “Focus. I need you human and thinking. Tell me, Mate. Tell me what’s happening.”

“He’s got them, Mate, and he’s going to destroy them all.”

“No one is going to destroy anyone.” Luc was vibrating on the very edge of shifting, too, his voice a low growl.

“No. No one is gonna die here today.” Reuben all but lifted Yves off his feet. “It was inside you. What does it want?”

“Out.”

Luc was already moving, nothing more than a black streak toward Jonny’s rooms.

Reuben ignored Luc, letting Deke chase after him. He needed details. “How?”

“The stones. The ritual. A sacrifice.” Yves said the words like a chant, as if he were repeating a set of instructions given to a child. “The stones. He has the stones. He needs me to finish the ritual. They tried to bind him. He’s unhappy.”

“Okay, so how do we stop him, baby?” There had to be a way, and if Yves had an in with the demon’s spirit or essence, he ought to know.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what they’ve done, but we’re going to find out. Soon.”

“Help me, Yves!” They heard Luc shouting, and Yves ran, dragging him along. “Brother! I need you!”

Yves nodded and Deke howled and they were all screaming.

Jesus. Reuben hit the door between them and Jonny and the others like a freight train, pretty sure he was in dire wolf mode.

The door popped open and they all stopped short, Jonny and Kasey standing perfectly still as stone while the necromancer was sort of... being worn by something bigger than him.

Well, shit. That was gonna leave a mark. Now, what the hell did they do?

***

Yves stared into Girard’s eyes, his baby brother standing there, shattered, bones cracked and poking through his skin. “Brother. Please. Help me.”

He looked around, or tried to, but it wasn’t working somehow. “You died in the jungle, Girard.”

“You killed me. You tore my throat out and left me for the animals!”

He hadn’t had a choice. Girard had been in agony. Desperate. Dying anyway.

“You were scared, broken!”

“You pushed me!”

No. “I did not. I reached for you and you pulled away!”

Girard was young, angry, impetuous. He had never believed he’d needed Yves’ help, or Luc’s for that matter.

“You can bring me back,
frère
. I need you.”

“You’re gone.”

“You killed him? Is it true?” Luc’s voice was shocked.

“He fell, Luc. He fell.” Yves turned away from the not-Girard and reached for Luc who couldn’t see him, so Yves needed Luc to feel his sincerity. “He couldn’t heal from that. He was dying.”

“You killed me!”

“Stop it!” He screamed. “I did not kill you! I didn’t mean for you to fall!”

Luc clung to him, panting. “You killed Girard. How could you?”

“He was screaming!” He’d sworn to bring him back, but Girard was broken, shattered. “He was in agony!”

“Yves.” Tears streamed down Luc’s face. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

“Goddamn it!” Someone blazed past him and the demon roared, the sound joyous, as the glamour of Girard fell away.

Reuben.

The bastard had Reuben.

***

Reuben snapped. Whatever the hell this thing was, it had his boss, and Deke, Luc, and his mate were all losing their shit.

Of course, the moment he charged across the room he knew he’d broken a magical circle.

Fuck a duck sideways.

The demon turned to Reuben with all the weight of that sick-assed evil magic trained on him, and he swore he was going to melt like a bad movie special effect.

“Thank you, Reuben,” the thing said, the voice like a drum inside his skull. “Now he will set me free.”

“He won’t, you fucker.” God help him.

“He isn’t here. The big bosses don’t involve themselves in petty squabbles.”

Reuben gritted his teeth, feeling as if he was swimming through honey, his body slowing, freezing like Jonny and Kasey. What was the other guy’s name? “Malachi! Fight this thing.”

“He’s gone.”

Yeah. Yeah, he figured Malachi was pretty well toasted, but dude, the demon still had him in there, right?

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll take pleasure in fucking you little wolf. I will burn you from the inside out.” The demon thing turned away from him, no longer pretending to be Yves’ brother. “Kill him, Yves, and I will give you your wolf back.”

Wait. Kill who? Luc?

“Why would you want Luc? He’s broken, blind. I’m the one that’s whole.” Yves’ voice was cold, the look in the bright green eyes even icier.

“Do as I say!” Wow, the demon dude could shake the whole building.

“Oh, stop it. We’re negotiating, remember? Inside voices.”

Reuben stared at Yves, at the utter self-confidence, the lack of fear. God, his mate was stunning. He sent all the support he could, all of his strength, since he couldn’t use it.

“Very well,” the demon murmured. “Terms.”

“Good boy. You let the others go. Free and clear and you can have me.”

“Hmm. Does that constitute a sacrifice, kitty?” The slimy glee in that voice made Reuben want to puke.

“One would assume so, yes, but you let the others go first, assure their safety.”

“No!” Reuben tried to scream it, but he couldn’t make sound come out.

Yves never looked at him, but he felt the gentle caress to his mind, the wave of fearless joy.
Trust in me. Believe.