Binding Fire: Paranormal Romance (Bad Boys of the Underworld Book 3) (10 page)

But in this case, the sadness made no sense. “Not that prophecy. The new one. The one that says that you’re going to kill Azazel.”

The demon closed his eyes and rubbed his face in exasperation as Muriel’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

She has no idea.
“You didn’t know.” Samuel turned to the demon. “But you did, didn’t you?”

“I was recently informed,” he said, not denying anything.

“You knew and didn’t tell me?” she asked the demon. If Samuel didn’t know better, he would’ve thought that Muriel was hurt by the omission.

“Can we have this conversation in private?” said the demon.

“No. Tell me now.”

Samuel could tell that her rage simmered just beneath the surface.

“Fine. Even if I had told you that you were wanted, what’s the difference? You knew that demons were after you, so you were already on guard.
And
I didn’t know until last night when I talked to Teryn, so I couldn’t have warned you before we were attacked.

“If I had told you, there are only two things you could have done. You could run, refusing to even attempt to murder the most dangerous demon who ever existed and live out the rest of your mortal days in relative peace, or the other option. You could actually choose to fight the bastard. What are the chances of surviving that? Believe me, I was doing you a favor.”

“You don’t think I could?” She squared her shoulders, readying herself for a fight.

“You can’t set foot in Hell without bursting into hellfire! Sure, there are ways to get around it. I’ll supply you with as much demon blood as you want to turn your soul so black that you will walk into Hell and not even feel the heat. But is that really what you want?”

They stared each other down in silence. Samuel felt as though he were intruding on a private conversation. James must have agreed as he silently left the room. Samuel didn’t blame him. He didn’t want to be dragged into talk of the apocalypse and prophecies either, but he wouldn’t back out of the room like a coward. Muriel is—well, had been—his guardian angel, and he was sticking with her.

“Who says that she has to go into Hell to kill him? Demons leave Hell all the time.” Samuel knew that it was a pointless question. The prophecy didn’t give much detail, but it explicitly stated that the king would be killed in Hell.

“Azazel likes the power of being king, but he knows the risks,” said the demon. “Demons want him dead to steal his throne and angels want him dead to weaken the power of Hell. To protect himself, he’s hardly left in three centuries. If he knows Muriel is coming for him, I doubt he’ll be leaving anytime soon.”

“What did the prophecy say?” Muriel wrapped her arms around herself best as possible with the handcuffs, but Samuel didn’t know whether she was cold or just uneasy with the revelations. The demon moved in closer to her, and Samuel wasn’t sure whether he did it subconsciously or on purpose.
Was it possible that something could be going on between the two of them?

He brushed the idea away.
Impossible.

“As usual, the prophecy was vague. It says that the fallen angel with demon blood in her would break into Hell and kill the king.” He chose his words carefully, not wanting to spook her any more than possible.

“I guess there aren’t a lot of fallen angels around right now?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“A few, but you are the only female,” said Kier. “I’m telling you, don’t feel forced. Prophecy or not, you aren’t a soldier anymore. You can go wherever you want. Do whatever you want. You don’t have to martyr yourself for this.”

The words were spoken intimately into Muriel’s ear. Once again, Samuel couldn’t shake the feeling that they were a couple of lovers as opposed to mortal enemies. But he noticed that the demon had left out a key part of the prophecy. The part where the fallen angel was brokenhearted as she forced her way into Hell.

Was it possible that Muriel would let her heart get broken by this demon?
The thought disgusted Samuel.

Two hours later, Muriel and Kier were alone again in a motel room. Samuel was escorting her and Kier to find the key to release him, and the caravan had stopped for the night. It was past time to let Kier go. He’d turned her life on its axis even before she had found out about her higher calling.

The prophecy. She was supposed to kill Azazel. In Hell. It didn’t get much more intense than that.

Kier was right. It was a suicide mission. She was a good soldier. She knew how to fight and how to shoot and how to kill demons as efficiently as possible. But this was different.

This was walking into their home turf. There would be thousands all around her. Sure, most of them wouldn’t mind her killing the king, but she would be a threat to all demons if she had the ability to walk among them in their realm.

Threats needed to be exterminated.

That was assuming she even got into Hell, which was a whole other obstacle. Only dark beings were allowed in the Hell dimension, and angels were decidedly light. For her to fight for the light, would she really have to sink down to a demon’s level?

“Stop thinking so much,” said Kier softly, breaking her out of her trance.

“I have a lot to think about,” she defended.

His lips tightened and she could see he wanted to say more. He told her to run. He told her to screw the prophecy and live her life the way she wanted.

It was so tempting. She wasn’t a soldier anymore. She had been kicked out for doing her job and barred from ever reentering the angelic ranks when he had forced his blood down her throat with no consent from her. She’d never done anything wrong. She never deserved the punishments doled out to her, but she never questioned it.

Now, on top of never being allowed into Heaven, she was supposed to darken her soul and possibly die for the very war that had destroyed her?

As if reading her mind, Kier said, “It’s not fair.”

“You should’ve told me. Are you and Teryn going to hunt me once you’re free?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with Teryn.” He walked over to the kitchenette in the motel room. They were about four hours from the New Mexico desert where Muriel buried the key to the handcuffs. She imagined he was antsy to be rid of her.

He picked up one of the clear glasses provided by the motel and removed a small, sharp scalpel from his pocket.

“Where did you get that?” Muriel didn’t think he could conjure weapons; she had been right next to him and never saw him grab one.

“I snatched it when James decided to torture you. Everyone was pretty distracted.” He slashed the sharp blade across his wrist in a casual movement, as if it were something he did every day.

Muriel hissed at the stinging in her wrist as he let the dark liquid drip into the glass in a steady trickle. Demon blood was still red, but it was much darker than human blood, appearing black unless the sun shone on it.

Apprehension filled Muriel. “I hope you aren’t expecting me to drink that.”

“If I had my way, you and I would sneak off right now to release me from these fucking cuffs. After that, I would go my way while you run as far and fast from here as you can. Find a deserted island to live out your days. Living off the land and whatever it is that naturalists do. But you aren’t planning on doing that, are you?”

Muriel said nothing, silently confirming his theory.

“Let’s be honest. You’re mortal. You’re fragile. If you want to fight in this war, you have to toughen up.”

“You’re such a dick,” she muttered under her breath as she pulled him into the bathroom, where she quickly took care of her nightly routine. As she brushed her teeth with the cheap brush that Samuel had picked up on the way to the motel, her eyes kept glancing to the glass that rested right outside the door.

She turned back to Kier with a foaming mouth and toothbrush in hand. “Why do you even want me to drink your blood? Aren’t you sick of being in my head?”

“You look ridiculous.” He ignored her question.

She narrowed her eyes to him and turned back to furiously cleaning her teeth. Just as she rinsed, he said, “Besides, did it ever occur to you that after five years in your head, I might actually like you? Maybe I don’t want you to die.”

Muriel slowly wiped her mouth clean and met his eyes in the mirror. “No. It never once occurred to me that you liked me.”

The entire concept of a demon having the capacity to care for any being besides himself was foreign to her, let alone a demon who had the capacity to care for her.

It wasn’t as if Kier were an upstanding citizen. He took great joy in taunting Samuel with his mistakes, making sure to point out every time she was in any pain to make Samuel feel even worse.

The only logical explanation was that he was lying to her. He wanted her to believe that he cared for her; she just couldn’t figure out why. She was already planning to release him within the day, so he wasn’t angling for his freedom. What else could she really offer?

Sure, he made it clear he wanted to have sex with her, but he was an attractive male and seductive by nature. He could have sex with almost any woman he chose. She was nothing special to him.

Her eyes once again traveled to the red liquid.
Was there something in it for him if she drank his blood?

It pained her to admit it, but he was right. If she wanted to fulfill her destiny and fight against the apocalypse like she had before, she would need her strength. She couldn’t do much fighting when even brushing her teeth caused her broken rib to shift painfully.

On top of that, there were thousands of demons with orders to kill her. She needed her strength.

Muriel closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath that did little calming when breathing still hurt. This was not an ideal situation, but she had to think logically.

Determined, she opened her eyes and walked to the kitchenette with three long strides. In one big gulp, she drank the entire glass of blood.

“What are you doing!” shouted Kier as the still warm liquid made its way down her throat.

Her first reaction was to gag; the idea of drinking blood, much less the dark blood of a demon, nauseated her. She held the back of her hand to her mouth as her stomach got used to the new liquid.

Kier grabbed the glass from her, but it was already empty. “Are you insane?”

“It was your idea,” she said against the back of her hand.

“It was a bluff. I was trying to convince you that you couldn’t get dark enough to take on Azazel!”

“Oh.” Muriel felt a strange buzzing feeling in her bones. “Well, your plan sucked.”

“Are you okay? How are you feeling?” His hands cupped her face as he looked her over intently for any signs of danger.

“I feel fine.” She waved his hands away from her and took a step away before the dizziness hit her. She tripped over her feet, but Kier’s strong arms caught her, tangling their bound limbs. Unable to stop herself, Muriel giggled at the situation. “Okay, maybe not completely fine.”

“Are you drunk?” he asked incredulously.

“I’m not drunk!” she protested with one of her punches to his arm before she giggled again. “I’m just a little tingly. I feel like I’m in a massage chair,” she whispered, as though they needed to keep it a secret.

“I don’t think you should drink that much at a time.” He slowly moved her to the bed and helped her sit down.

“What does it matter?” she asked, never losing her smile. “I’m already damned. Might as well enjoy the perks! My ribs feel amaaaazing. We should have done this sooner.”

“Maybe we should call James,” said Kier, obviously unsure what to do with a stoned Muriel.

“Just enjoy this.” Muriel fisted her hands in Kier’s shirt and pulled him closer. “Don’t you always tell me to lighten up? I feel so loose with you so deep inside me.”

The double meaning of her words was obvious as Kier’s eyes darkened with desire. “We should find Samuel.” He unfurled her grip and eased away from her.

She followed him, standing too quickly and losing her balance again. She fell against him; her breasts pressed against his chest and her free arm wrapped around his neck, giggling for almost a minute straight at his shocked expression.

When she calmed down, she looked up at him with big eyes. “Come on,” she whispered. “I know you want me. I can feel it.” On the last word, she rubbed her hips into his, feeling his already rock-hard erection. “Can’t you feel how much I want you too?”

“I feel how high you are.” His arms shook with the effort to keep from pushing her down onto the bed and taking everything she offered.

“Feel this,” she whispered as she closed her eyes in concentration. Beneath his fingers, her shirt and bra disappeared.

~~~~~

Kier stared at the pile of clothes as it appeared on the floor, trying to focus on anything but the feel of her warm skin beneath his fingertips. Her bare breasts pushed against him.

It was too much for a demon to resist. Why was he resisting? She was offering him everything he’d wanted for five years. There was no reason for him to refuse, but he still held himself back, or more accurately, he held her close. He knew he would lose control if he saw Muriel in all her topless glory. He remembered how those breasts had looked in the shower, water streaming between the peaks, nipples hard, pressing against his hands.

His fingers clenched against her skin. She would hate him if he did anything to her, but he shouldn’t care if she hated him.
Why did he care, damn it?

Her mouth found his neck, where she gently nibbled at the sensitive base. His control broke as he pushed her down on the bed. She bounced on impact and his eyes were riveted by the movement in her chest. His mouth actually watered at the sight.

She looked him up and down with an undeniable heat in her eyes. She liked what she saw. His cock twitched at the thought.

He slowly followed her down onto the bed. He allowed himself to brush against her as he moved up her body until his hips were firmly centered between her legs and his cock was tight against her core, their clothes preventing them from touching.

He could feel her desire mixing with his own in his mind. He didn’t know how much was coming from her or him at this point. He just knew that he needed her.

He cupped the back of her head with his free hand and covered her mouth with his. There was no sweetness or gentleness to this kiss. Kier was fierce, taking everything she offered, and she was happy to meet him just as fiercely.

Her tongue met his and every time he nipped her lips with his teeth, she gave him a playful bite back. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her arm gripped his shirt, holding him tight.

Kier pulled back and looked down at her. Her lips were red and swollen from his attention, breasts heaving from arousal and eyes dilated from desire. He could feel exactly how turned on she was, but he wanted to bask in the moment.

“Tell me that you want me,” he ordered with a husky whisper.

She responded by rubbing herself against him, eliciting a groan. “I want you.”

“Tell me what you want from me.” He leaned down and took one pert nipple between his teeth.

Muriel groaned. Her fingers twisted in his hair, keeping him there.

“I want you inside me. I want you to fuck me.” He moved his head to the other nipple as his free hand made sure the first one stayed just as aroused as he had made it. “Please,” she begged as he gave her a little pinch and bite at the same time, balancing her on the edge of pain and pleasure.

He growled against her, wanting nothing more than to give her exactly what she was asking for. He wanted her in every way imaginable. On her back, on her stomach. He wanted to come in her mouth and between her legs. He wanted her in ways that her angel mind couldn’t even comprehend.

His hands shook as he reached for the button at the top of her jeans. He looked up and their eyes made contact as he unfastened them. The zipper was the only noise in the room as he slowly lowered it. He knew his eyes glowed with demonic hellfire, but it didn’t seem to deter the heat in Muriel’s gaze.

She lifted her bottom to assist him in removing her pants, and he ripped the garment from her in one abrupt motion. Just like that, she was naked before him. Naked and begging him to take her.

He sat up between her legs and put his free hand on her knee. He pushed her thighs apart and bared her.

He could see that the scrutiny made her embarrassed, even with the high from his blood, and she tried to close her legs, but he casually exerted his demon strength, not allowing her to cover herself.

“I have waited for this. For five years, I have wanted to see you. There is no hiding now,” he told her.

She bit her bottom lip nervously, but she relaxed her legs and opened herself to him. His hands moved up her legs, taking time to slide underneath her and squeeze the two plump globes of her ass, the perfect balance of muscle and flesh.

“Tell me, Muriel. If I touch you now, how wet will you be?” He drew his fingers closer to her opening.

“I don’t know,” she said, not knowing how to answer.