Emerald Eyes (9 page)

“It’s a demonic possession.” Jonny stood there with another man, who would have been stunning were it not for the shattered horns and black, empty eyes. “A major entity.”

“What do I do?” The guy gave Reuben the heebie-jeebies but if Jonny trusted him, so be it.

“Is there a safe room? Somewhere we can keep him long enough to convince the demon to try another being?” Those black eyes seemed to look at Jonny.

“There can be. Kasey. The green room down one level. Have it prepared right away.”

“You got it.” Kasey streaked off, moving too quick for Reuben to follow with his peripheral vision.

“We’ll take you to the room. You’ll stay in it until the entity chooses someone else.”

“Someone else?” What the fuck? “Who?”

That mouth opened into a smile that made his balls crawl up into his body, tiny needlelike teeth glinting as the dude’s lips pulled back. “My vote would be me.”

Jonny rolled his eyes. “Malachi, contain yourself, would you? Reuben, you’ll have to control him, keep him busy, focused on you and living.”

“I -- okay.” That was going to be... interesting. With an audience. This was the Bloodrose, though. There was always someone watching.

“If you can’t do it, I can find someone willing.” Seriously, Jonny just needed to shut the fuck up.

“No.” Yves shook his head, reaching for him. “Don’t go.”

“Not going anywhere, love. I got you.” He shut out everything but Yves, those green eyes finally open and focused on him. Only him. “There you are. Hey.”

“Hey. I was lost.”

“Is this where I say ‘and now you’re found’, or it that inappropriate?”

Yves snickered. “A little, yeah. Why are we wet?”

“It was bath time.”

“Bath time with company. Goodie.”

“Ignore them. There’s just me.” He took Yves’ mouth in a kiss, pushing his tongue in, knowing his kitty would fight back.

He got a low growl, a deep, weirdly happy sound. Yes. Nothing existed but them, their need to connect. To reinforce the bond.

“Let’s move them.” Jonny’s voice was soft, nearly gentle. “Quickly Deke.”

“You bet.” Deke touched him, but Reuben felt no urge to growl or defend.

He lifted Yves, who wrapped both legs around him, undulating against him. Fuck, yes.

“Good. Come on, I’ll help. There’s food, water. It’s going to be weird for him. Who knows how long the demon’s been in there, squatting?”

What an awful image. Reuben blocked it out. Jonny and the horned dude could deal with demons. He was here for Yves, and he yielded to Deke’s gentle prodding, moving out of the room and toward the elevator.

“No,” the Malachi guy murmured. “In case of demonic possession, use the stairs.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, can’t you put him back in whatever box you let him out of?” Deke’s growl was prodigious.

“I think it was a lamp,” Jonny said.

Reuben wanted to growl, too and tell them all to shut up. Now. Instead, he moved faster, trotting down the stairs.

They were all going down like a train of incredibly freakish creatures -- one wet hound, a naked feverish kitty, a growling wolf, a blind panther, a vampire, and one... whatever that other guy was. It was like that St. Ives poem...

Kasey met them at the door to the room. “It’s all set. Just the two of them, right, Boss?”

“Just the two of them.” Jonny stared him down. “I’ll come for you when it’s safe. Understand?”

“I do.” He understood, all right. They were about to get their asses locked in a dungeon, even if it was cushy. He’d always liked the green room, with its cabinets full of toys and the restraints and all.

Still, dungeon.

“You can just leave me in here...”

“Don’t be stupid,” Reuben snapped. “We have to keep you safe, and I’m right here.” He stepped into the room, and the door slammed behind them.

Yves stiffened, a worried look crossing his face.

“No.” He barked the word out. “Look at me. Just me.”

Bright green eyes fastened on his. “Something’s wrong.”

“We’re gonna fix it.” He had to believe that. Had to. Otherwise, they’d never beat this thing.

“I... I can’t...” Yves stood, began to pace.

No. If that too-hot body was going to do anything it wasn’t going to be pacing. Reuben reached out with one hand and reeled Yves back in. “Do you need me to tie you up?”

“For what?”

The heat was fading, dissipating like it had never been there. So much better. He just had to keep it going.

“So you stop trying to run away from me. I have plans for your ass.”

“What? We were... we were working, right? The spell?”

No way. No thinking about the magic.

“You were having demon issues.” He pinched that sweet, tight ass. “I think we need to take a break and fuck.”

“You’re insane.”

It was possible, but he intended to keep Yves sane however he had to do it.

Reuben grinned, feeling very big bad wolf. “Must be, to mate with a cat and end up with Jonny as my in-law.”

“Cats and wolves don’t mate.”

Still, Yves didn’t say they weren’t mates. Reuben knew they were, knew it deep down in his wolf soul, so he didn’t bother to argue.

It didn’t matter. What was true was true.

He really needed to get out of his soaked clothes. Yves was bare still, but Reuben had gently steamed in his pants and shirt.

He stripped down, and Yves began to pace again, exploring the room and he swore he could see the kit’s ears twitching. Jonny was so right. He would have to keep Yves occupied. Solidly.

“Come here, love.” He tried for a little of the Alpha command Deke did so easily.

Yves stopped, a soft, curious, totally kittenish sound leaving him.

Oh, that worked. Look at him, being all wolfy. “Come on, kit. Get over here.” He held out one hand, beckoning with two fingers.

“Is that supposed to be sexy?” Reuben knew it was -- he could see it in the way Yves’ body responded.

“Mmm. It’s supposed to get you over here.” He growled the last two words, hoping he didn’t sound like a bad sparkly vampire movie guy.

Yves came to him, gaze holding him, watching him closely.

Yes. Hunt me, kitty
. Backed away, moving toward a nice, wide couch.

Yves growled softly, called to him, and the little chirrup made him want to howl.

Instead he played it cool, stretching out on the couch, hands behind his head. He spread his legs, letting his scent fill the immediate area.

Yves groaned, then the sounds faded and he was being stalked. That sinuous body moved, muscles pulling under hot skin. Reuben’s cock rose, his ass clenching. That was what he needed, Yves’ attention.

So he went for more, reaching down to stroke his cock, letting Yves see him pull and push.

Those bright green eyes flashed, awake, alive and clear. Focused on him, not some dead guy and a greedy demon.

“I can touch you, too, love.”

“Love.” The hunger on that face humbled him.

“Yeah. My mate, whether you believe in it or not. I want you here with me.” Reuben gave up on playing it cool, arching his whole body, showing Yves his prize.

“Mate.” Yves breathed the word, stepped forward, then stopped and shook his head. “I can’t let you. There’s a demon inside me.”

“Not for long. That horned guy? My money is on him.” He rolled off the couch and darted forward to catch Yves in his arms.

Yves’ gasp was heady, damn near perfect, and he wanted to hear it again.

Bending, he nipped at Yves’ neck, just hard enough to sting, and when Yves’ head tipped back, offering him more, he took it. He licked the spot to ease the ache, then bit again, worrying the flesh between his teeth.

“There’s a demon. I don’t know how he found me, but he did.”

“I have a pretty good idea.” Demons often attached to objects, so either the stones or the scroll. Possibly both.

“Okay, but I can’t be the first one to try this. I can’t.”

“Nope. Demons aren’t meant to be in this realm full time, love. They end up back in their dimension and have to try again.” The idea gave Reuben hope, actually. Human bodies weren’t built to hold demons, but shifters were stronger, sturdier. No wonder this entity was going after Yves.

“Now, why are we talking demons when you could be on your hands and knees taking me, love?” Distraction was key. No sense in giving the damn thing another way in, right?

He’d felt it inside Yves, and that was second-hand. Yves must be going nuts.

He pulled Yves back to the couch and sank down, letting Yves tumble down on top of him. Yves arched. Undulating atop him, the motion pure feline.

Uhn. Reuben hummed, his body happy to take over from his mind. He wanted to touch, to suck and lick and bite.

Biting.

He leaned up, sank his teeth into Yves’ shoulder, and his kit yowled.

More.
Reuben heard the word in his head, and there was nothing of the demon in that voice. Only his lover. Just Yves. He bit harder, shaking Yves a tiny bit, his hand rising and falling to smack one lean hip.

He thought he could feel the sting, so he did it again, letting Yves wash over him. They shared the sensations, wrapped up in each other now. Yves dragged along his body, giving him both the slick slide of Yves’ form and the rough rasp of his hair on Yves.

His skin tingled, his breath beginning to come up short. He panted, his belly pulling in so he could rock his hips up. God, yeah.

“Puppy.” Yves caught his ear with those sharp teeth and tugged.

“Yours.” He’d take anything Yves gave him, throw down his own life to keep his mate safe. Right now, he wanted to fuck that amazing ass.

“Mine.”

He heard the satisfaction in Yves’ voice, felt it everywhere.

“Want you to ride me, Yves. Want inside you.”

Yves nodded for him, lips sliding down to nibble his neck.

Oh, God. He stroked the long, smooth expanse of Yves’ back, squeezing both ass cheeks at the end. That spread his kit, opened Yves up for him.

So hot, so perfect for him. He knew Jonny had to have lube in here, somewhere close at hand, so he scrabbled around on the side table. He found the lube and ripped the top off, growling in his eagerness. He coated two fingers before pushing them against Yves’ hole. Reuben couldn’t wait. Good thing it looked like Yves was more than ready and willing to ride, because Yves slammed down on him.

“Fuck, lover. Hot. Tight.” He pushed in, then pulled out his fingers, spreading lube.

Yves growled for him, fingers pushing between them to grab his cock.

His toes curled back, his eyes rolling like dice. “Yves. Yeah. Touch me.”

“Gonna do more than touch. Fill me up.”

“Any second now.” He wouldn’t hurt Yves deliberately, though. That tight passage needed to be ready.

“Uh-huh.” Yves jacked him roughly, driving him higher.

Reuben grunted, clenching his as cheeks to keep from losing it. “Need in.”

“Now.”

He pulled his fingers away and Yves rose up, then rubbed the tip of his cock against that tight, slick hole. All he had to do was to yank Yves down, loving the heated clasp of that perfect body. Yves took him, every inch, down to the root.

They stayed there for a few moments, staring at one another. That green gaze bored into Reuben, and he couldn’t look away.

Mate
.

The single thought was strong, serious. Pure.

Love.
If they were human or maybe vamps even, their union might stretch belief. They were shifters. Mating was a bone deep instinct.

It was built into them like their prey drive.

Reuben moaned, then began to move, tugging Yves down each time he rocked up. It was easy to find a rhythm -- up and down, up and down, like riding a teeter-totter. Only sexy. Way more sexy.

He grinned a little, and Yves twisted his nipple.

“Ow!” Reuben’s cock jerked, though, didn’t it?

“Uh-huh.” Yves’ eyes were twinkling when he did it again.

They both loved a little rough stuff, Reuben guessed. He popped Yves right on the upper ass cheek. “Be good.”

“Make me.” Was that a laugh?

Reuben growled, rolling them off the couch. He cushioned their fall with one arm underneath Yves, who landed on the bottom, their hips slamming together.

It took nothing to hook one of Yves’ legs with his arm, line up, and push back in to the root. Yves screamed, the sound pure wild cat, pure joy.

“Fuck, yes!” He started pumping hard, his body taking over completely from his brain.

Yves slammed back against him, the hunger feeling like heaven.

Their skin slapped, their grunts constant. The heat was back, but it owed nothing to a demon. This was them. Both of them building heat.