Touch of the Angel (Demons of Infernum, #3) (11 page)

And the woman who slumbered within.

Earlier, when he’d awoken in bed next to her, he’d been struck once again by her beauty. She’d was both arousing and innocent in sleep, her long hair tumbling midway down her bare back. And the generous curve of her nude backside...

He’d felt himself hardening once again, but then his eyes had fallen on the band around her wrist. A slave. She was a virtual slave to Asmodeus.

After rising from the bed, he’d covered Amara with the sheet and dressed with the intent of seeking out Keegan.
I’ll get your mother back, and I’ll find a way to free you. I promise.
He didn’t know how, but he would.

Dagan had been in the living room, in the same position as hours before, proving Ronin’s theory that his brother could sleep through anything. So he’d woken him with instructions to guard Amara—
without
invading her privacy. Now he stood here waiting for Keegan to join him, as well as Taeg, who had slept over with Maya.

What the hell was he doing? He’d gone his whole life without forming personal attachments to women. If they were interested in more than just good sex, he stayed far away. But now, with Amara, he seemed to be turning his back on his past resolutions. The woman couldn’t be more wrong for him. Not only could they not be together, but she was involved with a murderer—whether willing or not. There couldn’t be a truer recipe for heartache.

Yet something about Amara made her completely irresistible.

The glass door leading out to the terrace opened and Brynn waddled in, a wince on her face.

“You okay?” he asked, moving to help her.

“I’m fine.” She waved him off and placed a hand on her large belly. “This kid is going to kill me.”

“It’s Keegan who’s gonna kill you if he finds you out here in nothing more than pajamas and slippers.”

She grimaced and came to a stop in front of the railing. “In my condition, I think you could stick me in a deep freezer and I’d still feel overheated. Besides, my pajamas are flannel.”

“Suit yourself.” He didn’t know why he worried. Despite her fragile appearance, her veins were made of thick steel. She could be pretty scary when she wanted to be.

“So I hear the succubus you captured last night is the same one who almost got you killed last month.”

Ronin had to hand it to Brynn. She could really pack a punch when she wanted to. “Yup.”

“How do you feel about that?” When he took a deep swig of his whiskey, she cocked a brow. “That bad?”

“That confusing,” he said.

“Yeah, I sort of had a feeling that would be the case. So...what’s the prognosis? Evil, or misunderstood?”

“A pawn.” He let out a deep breath. “Definitely a pawn.”

“How so?”

“He has her mo—”

Ronin cut off when the door to the terrace opened. This time it was Keegan. He cast a disapproving glance their way.

“Brynn,” he said.

She growled at him in obvious displeasure, but then, with a sigh, moved toward the door. “You’d better spill
inside
,” she said to Ronin. “I want to hear this.”

Taking his cue, he followed her into the living room, where Taeg and Maya lounged on the leather sectional. From Maya’s heavy yawn, she and Taeg had also recently awoken. What a testament to the events of the prior night and this morning that they’d slept the entire day away.

“Good to see you’re still alive.” Taeg slung an arm over Maya’s shoulder and pulled her into his side.

Ronin gave him the one-fingered salute, then let out an unwilling snort at the phrase on his T-shirt:
I’ll try to be nicer if you’ll try to be smarter
.

“What’s up?” Keegan asked. “Have you learned anything new?”

“Yes.” Ronin got right down to it. “He has Amara’s mother. That’s how he’s controlling her. I’m willing to bet he’s doing similar things with the other succubi he uses.”

Brynn gasped and moved to sit on one end of the huge sectional. Keegan rushed to her side and helped her maneuver into the spot. “So she’s an unwilling accomplice?” she asked.

“Yes. She fears what Asmodeus will do to her mother if she doesn’t return.”

That earned a moment of silence. Since his brothers had been taken at a young age from their mothers by Mammon, you could say the subject of mothers was a sore spot. The thought that an evil demon was using Amara’s to manipulate her must have hit each of Ronin’s brothers as hard as it had hit him.

“If that’s the case, I truly feel for her,” Keegan answered. “But what can we do about that? We can’t let Amara go back to Asmodeus, not when we know it will result in that many more murders.”

Maya scooted forward, a scowl on her face. “We have to take that sick fuck down.”

“Agreed, but the Council requires concrete evidence of what he’s up to before we can apprehend him,” Keegan said. “We don’t know how long that will take. There’s certainly no guarantee it will even be anytime within the next week.”

Taeg grabbed hold of Maya’s hand. “At least we don’t have any other jobs to take care of right now.”

Which created its own set of problems. No work meant possible deportation back to Infernum, or to another world with a greater need for Detainors. One more thing for them to worry about.

Ronin rubbed his right shoulder, trying to alleviate the weariness that had settled there. “We have to find a way to get Amara’s mother out of there as soon as possible.”

“That’s not our top priority,” Taeg said. “Trying to do that on top of anything else will be an unnecessary distraction.”

Maya bristled and released Taeg’s hand, shooting him a glare. “Surely you’re not suggesting we do nothing?”

Taeg sighed. “Surely not.”

Keegan turned toward the wall of windows, staring out for several moments before he faced them and spoke. “Let’s go back to Asmodeus’s townhouse tonight. We’ll see if we can find a way to rescue Amara’s mother. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even get lucky and figure out what the hell Asmodeus is up to.”

The heavy weight in Ronin’s chest eased a fraction. Mission accomplished. At least they would try to do
something
about Amara’s mother, and hopefully his brothers were beginning to see Amara in a new light. She wasn’t a psychopath with no regard for life, but rather a victim.

“Who’s going to be stuck watching the succu-bitch while the rest of us stake out Asmodeus’s digs?” Taeg asked.

Ronin bristled at his words. “Watch your mouth.”

Taeg shot him a wry glance but didn’t bother responding.

“Dagan can do it,” Keegan said.

Taeg cocked a brow. “He’ll be pissed as hell about being left behind.”

Brynn rubbed her stomach. “Maya and I can stay with her.”

Keegan scowled. “Hell, no. I won’t have you in the same apartment as a dangerous demon, especially in your condition.”

Brynn rolled her eyes. “It’s not as if she can use her witchy succubus powers on me.” She was quiet for a beat before adding, “Can she?”

Ronin shook his head. “No. You’re the wrong sex for that.”

“See? I’ll be fine.” Brynn looked at Keegan, who shook his head.

“I don’t care. Still too dangerous.” Keegan sighed and flexed his hand. “How about I call up Bram and Reiver and see if one of them can keep an eye on her?”

Bram and Reiver were panther-shifters who worked as bouncers for an Otherworldly nightclub. They also acted as bodyguards when the need arose, such as when Brynn’s life had been put in danger several months back.

“Perfect,” Taeg said.

Ronin couldn’t agree, at least not one hundred percent. Sure, the shifters were nice guys, but last night Amara had confessed how hungry she was. The last thing he wanted was two virile, handsome men in the same room as her. He had the sense that given enough hunger, she might forget everything other than the need to find sustenance.

Ronin locked eyes with Keegan. “Make sure they stay far away from Amara.”

Keegan’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Oh believe me, I will.”

Chapter Nine

Everyone else might be all
kumbaya
about the succubus and her sad captive-mommy story, but Taeg wasn’t buying. At least not without solid confirmation using his ability to charm. Amara had almost killed his brother. That wasn’t something to be taken lightly, or forgotten.

On the other hand, he already knew what Ronin would think of his plan. His brother had the hots for the succubus. That in and of itself was nothing short of a miracle, considering Ronin’s lifelong stance on committed relationships: namely, how he should stay out of them. But nonetheless, Ronin had become emotionally involved with Amara, and he’d already demonstrated that all good sense flew to the wayside when it came to her.

Taeg waited until they were all distracted and slipped out the front door. For like the billionth time in the last several months, he lamented the loss of his ability to flash. Things had been so much easier when he could use the fae paths to instantaneously travel from one spot in this dimension to another. He could have been there and back in the span of a few minutes, with no one the wiser.

Except he’d given up that ability in exchange for three dark fae sisters giving him the location of the sword
Excalibur
. He’d needed the sword to defeat his nemesis, Leviathos, and destroy a supernatural books of spells that Brynn was bound to. It hadn’t been all bad, though. He’d also met, and fallen in love with, Maya. But now, since he’d given up his flashing power, he was stuck walking down to Ronin’s and Dagan’s apartment. Major bummer.

When Taeg entered the apartment, Dagan sat on the couch watching something on the television. He looked up. “Hey Taeg, what’s up?”

“We’re canvassing Asmodeus’s apartment again tonight.”

“Sweet.” Dagan’s face momentarily brightened, then fell. “You guys aren’t going to stick me on succubus-sitting duty, are you?”

“You’re in luck, Chuck. Keegan’s gonna call Bram or Reiver in to watch over her. Where is li’l ole Cinderella?”

Dagan pulled a grimace. “In Ronin’s bedroom.”

“Okay. I’m gonna go have a word with her. You hang out here.”

Taeg left the living room and strolled down the hallway until he reached Ronin’s bedroom. There was now a hole where the doorknob used to be, along with the remains of the hardware for the knob. Keegan’s handiwork from yesterday. Stifling a smirk, he pushed the door open.

Amara sat on the bed wearing a wrinkled dress, and a rumpled sheet covered her lower half. She stared out the wall of windows, wearing a pensive expression. When she heard him enter she smiled. But then she saw him, and the welcome slid off her face.

“Expecting someone else?” he asked. Ronin, no doubt. She probably thought she had his brother wrapped around her pinky finger. Hell, sort of seemed like she did.

“What do you want?” she asked.

He leaned against the doorjamb. “I hear Asmodeus has your mother.”

“Yes.”

“Well, you’ll have to excuse me, but after your attempt on my brother’s life, I’m not feeling too trusting. I’m here to see if you’re lying or not.”

Her eyes widened and she rose to her feet, tugging down the sides of her dress. Yup, definitely hiding something. She seemed scared as hell, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

Before she could back up more than a few steps, he approached.

Amara gasped. “Please don’t touch me—”

Taeg grasped her arms, forcing her to meet his eyes. He activated his charming ability, the familiar hum of energy flowing through his ears, and she relaxed into his touch, her eyes going wide and unfocused. “Is it true that Asmodeus has your mother?”

“Yes.”

“This is why you work for him? No other reason?”

“That’s right. No other reason.”

Well, damn. He supposed he couldn’t hate her too much for that. He started to loosen his grip.

But then, come to think of it, she’d already said Asmodeus hadn’t assigned her Ronin, that she’d almost killed him on her own. So now he was back to hating the bitch. He dug his fingers into her arms. “Do you have any plans for hurting Ronin, or anyone else here?”

“No.” Even though she was compelled to respond, he could still hear the undertone of horror in her voice, see it in her dilating eyes. She meant what she said. Every word.

“Okay.” He relaxed, about to release her, when a low growl made him pause.

Ronin’s voice, low and almost inhuman in his anger, made the hair on the back of Taeg’s neck stand on end. “What the devil is going on here?”

Shit.
Taeg hadn’t been quite as sneaky as he’d thought. He let go of Amara, who scampered away, wide-eyed, and turned to face Ronin head-on. “Listen bro, I—”

That was as far as he got before Ronin shot across the room and shoved him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Taeg’s temper roused. He pushed back, instinctively resorting to the native language he and his brothers rarely spoke anymore. “Seeing if she was telling the truth. Did you think I was gonna take her word for it?”

“You should have told me that you wanted to talk to her.”

“What, I have to ask your permission now? Fuck off.”

Ronin bared his teeth at him and pinned him against the wall, reminding Taeg how effing strong his brother could be. Then again, he was broader and several inches taller.

“I don’t want you terrorizing her,” Ronin said. “She’s been through enough.”

“She’s a killer, bro. It’s her nature; she’s a succubus. If you’d stop thinking with your little brain for one second, you’d remember that.”

Amara approached and placed a hand on Ronin’s arm. “He’s only trying to protect you, Ronin. He loves you. I’d do the same if you were my family.”

Ronin’s eyes traveled to her face. To Taeg’s shock, the tension melted from his body. When he nodded and let go, a sense of calm radiated outward and washed over Taeg. “You’re right.”

What the hell? A mere touch from Amara and his missing calming ability had returned? Huh. Funny thing was, Ronin hadn’t even seemed to notice.

Taeg opened his mouth to mention it, but then changed his mind. All of this bore some further thought.

“Did you find the answers you were searching for?” Ronin asked.

“Yeah. She’s telling the truth about her mother.”

“I know that, jackass.”

Taeg cast one last considering glance at Amara, who hadn’t taken her eyes off Ronin the entire time. Huh.

“I want to talk to you in the living room.” Taeg left to give them a moment of privacy.

§

Ronin waited until his brother left before turning back to Amara. Damn, she was so beautiful. He brushed a strand of hair off her face, then caressed her soft cheek. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” She pressed her cheek into his hand. “He loves you very much. All your brothers do. You can’t blame them for being protective. Especially given what I am.”

“Maybe, but he needs to lay off.” For some reason he couldn’t even fathom, he longed to shield her from pain. To make her feel happy. “My brothers and I are going back to Asmodeus’s townhouse tonight. We’re going to check for weaknesses, see if we can formulate a plan to get your mother out of there, and that band off you.”

She gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you. I wish I knew of any weaknesses in his invisible shield, but I don’t. I’m afraid when it comes to helpful information on Asmodeus, I’m completely useless.”

“You’re not at all useless.”

Her eyes grew unfocused and the scent of her awakening arousal settled over him. With a muffled curse, he turned to leave before he could do something stupid. Like jump her bones.

Ronin found Taeg and Dagan on the narrow balcony, murmuring to each other in low tones as they leaned over the railing. Their conversation halted when he walked in, and they turned to face him. Okay, so they were talking about him.

“What’s your problem with Amara?” he asked without preamble.

“Are you kidding me?” Taeg gave him an incredulous glance. “The woman almost killed you.
That’s
my problem.”

“You know that wasn’t her fault. Asmodeus keeps her imprisoned and barely fed. She was acting on pure instinct.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m beginning to realize that,” Taeg muttered.

“But she still did it,” Dagan said. “She’s dangerous.”

Ronin stared at them. “That’s why you two don’t like her?”

“Not the only reason.” Taeg let out a weary sigh. “She stole your mojo, bro.”

“My...
what
?”

Dagan nodded. “You haven’t been the same ever since the incident. That’s no secret. You’re weaker.”

Ronin growled at that, but Dagan ignored him. “On top of that, you’re always on edge and you lost your calming ability. It’s like she drained it right out of you.”

“Except she didn’t.” Taeg turned to Dagan. “He used it few moments ago.”

“I did?” Ronin took a step back.

“When Amara touched you. I had the feeling you didn’t notice.”

Dagan muttered something under his breath before speaking up. “What does that mean?”

“Beats me,” Ronin said.

Taeg gave him a meaningful glance. “It means she’s sort of good for you, bro.”

“No.” Dagan’s fingers tightened on the railing. “She’s still a succubus.”

A pitying expression crossed Taeg’s face, and he placed a hand on Ronin’s shoulder. “I’m afraid that’s true. Maybe one day Cresso will find that cure he’s been searching for, but that hasn’t happened yet. It may never happen. And until then...”

Any relationship Ronin might seek to have with Amara was doomed.

Hell. Even putting aside the fact that he’d sworn off serious relationships the day his father had claimed him, they were right.

Why couldn’t life ever be easy?

§

Amara sat at the edge of Ronin’s bed and stared out at the night scene through the glorious windows. The lights from the neighboring buildings appeared to twinkle, making her feel like she was in some sort of urban fairyland. She could stare at this view for the rest of her life without tiring of it. It was so phenomenal that she hadn’t even once turned on the small flat-screen television hanging on Ronin’s wall.

Ronin and his brothers should have arrived at Asmodeus’s townhouse by now. If they were lucky, they’d uncover something new about Asmodeus. She didn’t hold out much hope that they could help her, at least not on a permanent basis. Not as long as she wore this gold band around her wrist. But maybe they’d find a way to help Solara. Somehow.

The murmur of voices sounded from outside Ronin’s bedroom, but she paid them no mind. Ronin had brought someone in to watch her while they were gone, a panther-shifter named Bram. The man had to be six-foot-five, and he had muscles a bodybuilder would envy. Quite handsome, though he was no match for Ronin in her eyes. He’d probably turned on the television in the living room or something.

The voices grew closer, sounding distinctly feminine. When her door crashed open, Amara shot to her feet and faced the doorway, backing up toward the wall of windows.

Two women stood on the other side of the threshold, staring curiously at her. They were both beautiful, and human if she guessed right. One was petite and curvaceous with long, dark hair and golden skin. The other was almost as tall as Amara. She had honey-colored hair and was slender, with the exception of the large belly extending in front of her. She looked like she was going to give birth at any minute.

A distraught Bram appeared behind them. “I don’t think Keegan is going to like this.”

“You can tell him I beat you up, if you think it’ll help,” the petite woman said before stepping into the room. She carried a duffel bag slung over one shoulder, and she carelessly dropped it to the floor.

The pregnant woman walked in behind her and closed the door in Bram’s face.

Amara stared at them silently, until it became clear neither of them was going to speak first. She cleared her throat. “Um...hello. I’m Amara.”

“I’m Maya,” the petite woman said.

“And I’m Brynn.” The pregnant woman winced and placed a hand on the small of her back.

“Are you okay?” Amara hovered in place, uncertain whether or not she should try to help. She didn’t know many human women. They made her nervous.

“I’m fine. I need to sit, though.” Brynn wandered over to the bed and sat with her back to the headboard, maneuvering two heavy pillows behind her for support.

Maya surveyed Amara up and down. “You don’t seem like a coldhearted killer to me.”

Her words made Amara blink. To her surprise, a giggle tore out of Amara’s throat. Hearing it, Maya relaxed, the corners of her mouth tugging upward.

“I’m engaged to Ronin’s brother, Taeg.” Maya headed toward the bed and took a seat close to Brynn.

“I’m married to Keegan, the oldest. And the most hardheaded,” Brynn said.

Maya laughed. “I think you’ll get some argument from me there. They can all be pretty hardheaded.”

The easy camaraderie between Brynn and Maya made Amara’s chest tighten with a sharp ache. Was that envy?

“Congratulations on your upcoming addition,” she said to Brynn. “Do you know the sex?”

“No, we want to be surprised.” Brynn changed the subject with surprising ease. “We hear this Asmodeus character is holding your mother captive and that he’s forcing you to kill.”

Wow, that was blunt. “Yes.”

“Bummer.” Maya gestured toward the other side of the bed and Amara hesitated before sinking down. She kept as close to the edge as possible.

“We have to admit, we don’t know as much about the biology of sex demons as we’d like to,” Brynn said. “And the men aren’t being too forthcoming right now.”

“No, they’re in full
hunter
mode, which means minimal talking,” Maya added. “Damned annoying, it is.”

“Okay.” Amara rubbed her hands along the bottom of her dress, tugging on the fabric in a vain attempt to add more length to the material. “What do you want to know?”

“How does it work?” Maya asked. “I mean, I know you drain the life essence of your sexual partners, right?”

“Not exactly.” Amara fought back her shame at the memory of what she’d done to Ronin. “It’s true that I absorb some of my partners’ life essence through sex, but I don’t drain all of it.”