Binding Fire: Paranormal Romance (Bad Boys of the Underworld Book 3) (18 page)

“You’re still with her, even knowing how it’s going to end?”

Kier didn’t have an answer to that. “Listen, you and me are good. I’m still here for you to help you hunt and keep you healthy. But if I ever see you around Muriel, I’m going to rip your spine out and choke you with it.” Kier transported away and left a speechless Teryn to deal with his broken back on his own.

A swift punch from Jared sent Muriel flying backward, where she landed unceremoniously on her rear. She grimaced as she pushed herself up and resumed her defensive position.

“Going a bit slower this morning. You have to get your head in the game. You can’t be distracted,” taunted the vampire.

“Keep laughing, alien. I’m not through with you yet.” Her insult hit its mark and the grin was wiped off his face. Vampires had only recently discovered that they had invaded the Earth realm a thousand years ago and it was still a touchy subject.

While Jared was distracted, Muriel threw a right hook at his jaw. He must have seen it coming because he tensed up and readied himself for the blow.

Upon seeing him tense up, Muriel switched tactics and her foot hooked behind his knee; the large male toppled to the ground.

His hand gripped her arm and pulled her so forcefully that she flipped over and landed on her back next to him. With his super speed, Jared was on top of her in an instant, but Muriel was ready for him. She aimed two well-placed blows to his throat and sternum, leaving him to reflexively cough while she pulled the dull training blade from her thigh holster and stabbed downward until the blade rested against his ribs.

“Now who is distracted?” She removed the edge of the blade from Jared’s side and stood up to take a breather.

“Protest all you want.” Jared’s smug smile was firmly back in place. “I heard what you were doing last night.”

Muriel froze in place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ve been around long enough to know exactly what you were up to. The only question I have is who. My first guess was Samuel, but he’s wrapped way too tightly around Ava’s little finger to go sniffing around another female.”

Muriel turned to Jared, a mortified look on her face. “Would you please stop talking! Someone could hear you.”

They were alone for the moment in the little makeshift gym, but people came in and out all day long. Besides that, Jared had just pointed out how strong a vampire’s hearing could be, and Muriel figured that a werewolf’s would be just as strong.

“Just tell me who it was and I’ll leave you alone.”

Nosy vampires could mean trouble. There were ten of them on the base and any one of them could hear Kier sneaking in and out of her room, let alone what they would be doing together. It wouldn’t look good for her to be caught fraternizing with the enemy. “I don’t think Hell has frozen over yet. Once the demons are lining up to buy ice skates, we can have a nice, long discussion about my love life. Until then, keep your ears to yourself.”

“Yeah, because I was bored and thought to myself, ‘Hey! Let’s go spy on Muriel on the off chance she’s having hot angel sex!’” Jared gave her a look that told her exactly how little he cared about her extracurricular activities.

“Then I’m sure you can live with the suspense of not knowing then.” She turned her back and walked away. She would just have to hope that he truly didn’t care.

“If you’re not careful, you’re going to get your heart broken,” he called from behind her.

Muriel frowned.
First Kier and now Jared. Why was everyone so hung up on her heart getting broken?

She shook her head and walked down the hallway to her room. It was too early for her to be going to bed, but she couldn’t go to the common area to socialize right now. She normally really enjoyed the relaxing moments spent with the various species that currently called the base their home.

The vampires tended to be quiet and pensive creatures, but once they opened up, the entire school would fill with their laughter. Nine of the ten vampires on campus were men. In general, there were more male than female vampires, but no one really knew why.

All vampires that came over from their original realm were male, but Muriel didn’t know why. All she had been told was that they invaded and their impact needed to be kept to a minimum. No questions asked.

Humans could be turned, though they were different from the purebreds who were born as vampires. Turned humans fed off other vampires to survive, and they lacked the ability of mind control. Jared and two of the other male vampires were purebreds who were descended from the original invaders. The other seven were all turned.

The werewolves were always loud. They came from large families and were used to shouting to get attention. The eleven of them on base had all come from different parts of the world, but one could never tell from the way they interacted. They joked and laughed among one another as though they’d been best friends for life.

The other eleven members of Samuel’s small army were from various backgrounds. Esmeralda was their resident sorceress, a few of Samuel’s old army buddies were taking up residence, Ava was human but had centuries of knowledge about various supernatural beings, and one siren was on staff as a living alarm. The newest addition was the shape shifter.

No one knew much about shifters and, to be honest, Muriel hadn’t even believed they existed before Jacob came knocking on Samuel’s door. He could change his face to look like any humanoid being he wanted to look like. Something about that bothered her. At least with a demon or rogue vampire, you knew what you were dealing with. How could you fight a threat that could look exactly like your best friend or lover?

In the two weeks since Jacob had taken up residence at the base, he had more than proved himself as a useful soldier. He rarely used his ability. He claimed that the transformation was painful and took a fair amount of concentration. Even without shifting, he was almost as strong as a vampire and could take one hell of a beating. He didn’t heal as fast as a vampire, but he was practically impossible to kill.

He would be a useful asset when Muriel finally did storm the gates of Hell.

It was difficult for the mortals living at the base. With the exception of Ava, all the mortals were used to being the most physically intimidating presence in a room. Now they were surrounded by beings that were only supposed to exist in nightmares and Hollywood.

For the most part, they handled themselves well, but every once in a while, a fight would break out that Samuel had to break up. Luckily, no one seemed to hold grudges. Fights were a given when so many different species intermingled.

Muriel’s ears caught the sound of Samuel’s deep voice from around the corner. She stopped in her tracks and flattened her body against the doorway immediately on her right, breathing as quietly as possible.

She’d been trying to get back to her room all day, but excuses were slim when you were part of a supernatural militia. She couldn’t say she was feeling ill, considering she didn’t get sick. She couldn’t use family or friends as an excuse because everyone she knew was living at the base.

After their morning workout, Samuel had her going through drills with the vampires. It was important to train with a diverse group because each species had different fighting tactics and strengths.

Vampires were the most ruthless adversaries to face. They were stronger and faster than any other species but could be killed just like all the immortal beings: destroy the heart, cut off the head, or burn them. Vampires were a bit easier to burn because prolonged exposure to sunlight set them ablaze, but they were pretty skilled at avoiding unwanted tans.

Werewolves could not move as fast as vampires nor were they as strong, but their senses and instincts made them just as deadly, if not more so.

They could turn furry whenever they wanted, but they usually only fought each other on four legs. It was easier to face off against a demon or vampire with two arms and legs.

As Samuel’s footsteps passed, she let out the breath she had been holding.
Finally
.

When the coast was clear, Muriel had a chance to make it to her room without being seen. She ran past all the anti-demon symbols inscribed on the walls of the base. Symbols that apparently had no effect on her demon.

That was another conversation she wasn’t looking forward to having with Kier. She had met a lot of demons in her days as an angel, but she’d never met one who behaved like Kier. Something had changed him, and it was a drastic change.

Drastic enough that he was able to transport in and out of the base without any of the anti-demon protection spells working.

How could she tell him that he was no longer a true demon? It had been hard enough for her to lose her wings. When she first saw him walk into Alexander’s, all she had wanted was for him to suffer as she had, but now that he was changing, it just made her feel guilty.

She shut the door behind her and went straight to the bathroom. As she let her hair down and ran the sink to wash the sweat off her skin, she felt him. He made no sound, but every fiber of her being knew he was there. Unable to hide her excitement, she turned and ran to him.

She stopped short as his sour mood filled the room. His hair was disheveled around his face and he wore the casual outfit of loose jeans with a tight black t-shirt and leather jacket. He paced back and forth across the room as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Kier?” she asked hesitantly.

He looked up to her and stared her down with an intense gaze that burned her to the core. She melted from the inside out.

He reached her in two steps. His hands grasped her rib cage as he pushed her back until she collided with the door. Her heart beat faster and her breath came in heavy pants. The movement drew his gaze to her breasts, and for a moment he just stared in appreciation.

His desire for her was evidenced by the bulge pressed against her hip, but his distant expression told her something was bothering him. “Tell me what is wrong.” She softly brushed some of his wild black hair out of his face, the brown of his iris so dark his eyes appeared to be large dark pools.

Kier leaned forward until he was at her neck, softly nipping at the delicate skin and then licking away the sting. “I thought about you all day.”

She held his head to her, encouraging him. “I thought about you too. I think I might be obsessed.”

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “This isn’t going to end well for either of us. Do you understand that?”

Understand it?
It was all she could think about. Muriel nodded.

He continued, “I’m going to keep you safe. You have to believe that I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you don’t get hurt. I know you have no reason to trust me, but you have to believe this.”

Muriel rested her hands on his hard chest. “I believe you. What happened today?”

He shook his head, as if chasing away the troublesome thoughts. “Let’s just say that some of my friends do not approve of you.”

Her brow furrowed. “Do you have lots of friends?” She’d spent so much time considering what her own people would think of their relationship, she never thought of the dangerous position Kier was in.

“No. Demons don’t really have friends. Teryn is different, though. I don’t know why. We bonded over the past few years. We’ve gone on a lot of hunts together. I guess he was a friend, though I never labeled it.”

“He doesn’t think you should be fornicating with a fallen angel?”

He laughed at her formal language. “The fucking isn’t what bothers him. He just can’t stand the idea of giving up the massive bounty on your head. Hunting never came easy to him. He can use all the help he can get.”

“He isn’t good at collecting souls?” Muriel tried to imagine a demon who was bad at their sole purpose in life.

“When he puts his mind to it, he’s the best. He can talk his way into anything, be it panties or high security office buildings. He just isn’t motivated. He always waits until he’s on the brink of starvation to feed. It made him a good hunting buddy to have around when my conscience decided to show up out of nowhere.” Kier shook his head. “Enough about him. I didn’t come here for that.”

Muriel’s heart picked up the pace. “What did you come here for?”

His eyes darkened as he looked down at her. His nostrils flared as he inhaled her scent.

Her breaths deepened in anticipation. “I can’t take that look from you,” she muttered.

One hot hand crept under the hem of her shirt and caressed the bare skin of her back. It was such a simple touch, but the intimacy of it caused gooseflesh on Muriel’s arms.

“I have you all to myself,” he whispered. “How am I supposed to decide what to do with you?” His eyes raked over her.

A soft blush crept up her cheeks. She wished that would stop happening. “I’m sorry. I’m no virgin or anything, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

The two or three times she’d been with another angel had been forgettable and passionless. In contrast, every time Kier was within ten feet of her, she thought that flames might burn a hole right through the floor. Literally.

“Muriel.” She looked up at him. “I want you naked right now.”

Her defenses were immediately up as her muscles stiffened. “Just because we’re sleeping together doesn’t mean that you can just order me around.”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t. But right now, my cock is so hard I feel like I’m going to come all over my pants, and nothing would make me happier than you stripping down to nothing right now.”