Clutch of the Demon (14 page)

"Murdered when Sky was a year old." She stared at nothing and forced herself to eat even though she wasn't hungry.
 

You life has been filled with burden
, Aodhan observed.
 

She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. She knew her eyes shimmered with tears, but she didn't care. "You know what kept me going? My mom told me that one day I'd find someone who could destroy Luc. I've looked all over the globe." She took a deep, bracing breath and continued, "Now that I've found you, I won't leave. You need to fight Luc and the legions of demons walking the earth. I can't do it alone."

Aodhan watched her, but said nothing in response.
 

"I get that there's a reason why you're not telling me how to reverse the curse. It's not like you
want
to be down here, right?"

A burst of angry flame was her answer and her heart lightened a little. Something occurred to her and she cocked her head to the side.
 

"Are you not telling me because you
can't
?"
 

Yes.

"Do you think I'll be able to figure out how to reverse it on my own?" she pressed.
 

Only time will tell.
 

She rolled her eyes and marched to her hobbit hole. She whipped the comforter and sheets off the mattress and tucked pillows under her arms. She waddled towards Aodhan, snapped out the comforter and folded it for padding before she settled on it. She stretched, pulled the sheet over herself and let out a contented sigh.

What are you doing?

"I need my beauty sleep," she snapped.
 

You're going to be stiff in the morning.

"At least I'll be alive." She opened one eye and saw his head above hers. "If anyone comes, kill them."

With pleasure.
 

That promise was said with such relish that her lips curved. Aodhan curled his body around her and he radiated so much heat, she felt as if she was in an incubator and she liked it. She stared at his scales and reached out to run her hands over the smooth surface. Aodhan tensed, but didn't move away. Each scale was the size of a human shield and the edges were sharp enough to slice through metal.
 

"When you were human, did you have the same eyes?" she asked drowsily.

Yes.
 

"Were you, like, seven feet tall?"

A slight hesitation and then,
I never measured myself, but I estimate I was around that height.

"I've been having the strangest dreams about you," she mumbled and tucked a hand beneath the pillow and yawned.
 

Bad dreams?

Her legs shifted restlessly beneath the sheet. "No, just, uh, interesting."

She closed her eyes and scooted closer to Aodhan until they were touching. She dropped off less than a minute later.
 

She was flat on her back in bed. The room around her was dark, but she felt the presence beside her and knew who it was. She was naked and felt soft strands of his hair moving over her skin as he explored. Her hands twisted in the sheets and she swung wildly in the dark and connected with his shoulder.
 

"So impatient," he chided.
 

"I won't beg!" she snapped.
 

"You will." He bit the side of her breast. "You want this as much as I do."

"You're trying to trap me!"

"Is it working?"
 

"No!" she denied, even though she felt as if she were drowning.

"You think you can escape me," the warrior said as his teeth scraped over her abdomen. "You can't. I'll always find you."

He flipped her onto her stomach and moved her hair from the back of her neck and sucked the sensitive skin there. She pummeled a pillow while he laughed and his hands moved over her ass.
 

"Yield to me," he said against her neck.
 

"I am!" she mumbled into the pillow.
 

"No, you're holding yourself back from me," the warrior said decisively and trailed his tongue down her spine, causing goose bumps to erupt over her skin. "You still think this is temporary. It's not."

She swiveled her hips, wanting his hand or his cock, but he was deliberately holding back.
 

"Stop playing with me!"
 

She tried to rise, but he put a hand on the small of her back, pinning her beneath him. His hand slid beneath her restless hips and she eagerly impaled herself on his fingers. A sigh slipped out of her and she began to ride his hand.
 

"I can give you whatever you want," the warrior said.
 

"No, you can't," she said without thinking and his hand disappeared.
 

Cara let out an angry shriek and tried to rise, but his body blanketed hers. He pulled her up on her hands and knees and slid his cock into her core. She moaned and didn't resist when his hand collared her throat and gripped.
 

"Tell me what's holding you back from me."

"I can't," she gasped. "You won't understand."

"This is forever," he growled against the corner of her lips.
 

"No, it can't be."
 

"I won't let you leave me."

"This is enough," she whispered as he began to thrust.
 

"You need to trust me."

His hand left her throat. He brushed his face through her hair before he braced his hands in front of her. He urged her upper half down and spread her thighs even wider.
 

"You're mine."

His voice drifted out of the darkness, matching the intensity of his thrusts, which robbed her of breath. He took her hard, rough, declaring that she was his and she was powerless to stop him.
 

She sat on the same beach, feet still buried in sand. Luc sat beside her. The sound of the waves filled her ears. She inhaled deeply and looked up at the brilliant, blue sky.
 

"You're a pain in the ass," Luc said. "You got my new protégé killed and I'm not happy about that. He was a serial killer who was just starting to rack up an impressive tally of bodies. With the spells, he should have been in and out of those caves with no problem and brought you to me."

She remembered the puppet that held the knife to her throat and any guilt she may have felt disappeared. "Aodhan tore him to pieces."

Luc's legs stretched out beside her and he crossed one foot over the other. "Isn't this cozy? You purge the demon that leeched onto the Ancient's soul for centuries and now he's killed a demon for you. When's the wedding?"

"What do you want, Luc?"

He leaned over and hot breath fanned her ear. "The world covered in chaos and flames."

"You can't have it."

"You aren't powerful enough to stop me. Only the Ancients can and they've been out of the running for eons. If the Ancients stay cursed, the world will crumble. Their time has passed."

"You're afraid of him," Cara said.
 

Luc turned her face towards his with a vicious yank. "You should be too. When Aodhan kills you, you'll be sent to hell where I'll make you die a thousand deaths for the trouble you've caused during your human existence."

Her heart thudded dully in her chest. "No."

Luc wouldn't let her look away. "I could kill you so easily."

"Try it," Cara breathed.
 

A forked tongue protruded from his mouth. "You're weak and you want to set the dragon free even though he's honor bound to kill you. Being soft won't take you far."

"It's the only thing that's kept me alive," Cara countered. "As long as I have breath, I'll fight you. I'll help Aodhan break this curse no matter the price. You won't win."

"Last chance, Cara, love," he said in a singsong voice that grated on her nerves.

"Screw you, Luc."

"You're finally going to be good for something," he whispered in her ear. "Fulfill your destiny. Wake up."

Cara opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in Aodhan's silver scales. She was about to wriggle away when she saw a flash of red. She froze and leaned closer. Her eyes were ringed with scarlet. Even as her heart stopped and she drew in a horrified breath, her mouth curved into an evil smile. Luc laughed like a maniac in her head and she tried to scream, but Luc smothered it.
 

She'd been possessed by Luc three times in her life. Every time, it happened so quickly that she didn't have time to counteract his presence. He swamped her body with his spirit and her soul shrieked as Luc nestled himself there. Cara tried to fight, but it was as useless as facing Aodhan with a wooden spoon. Luc was a Master Demon, the most powerful demon on earth and he held her bound and gagged within her own body.
 

A dagger materialized in her hand. She watched her hand twirl the blade artfully between her fingers and then gripped the handle with purpose. With Aodhan curled around her, she was in a prime position to stab him. Her hand moved towards the scales and she knew Luc was trying to find the best place to sink the dagger home. He shifted her body to a kneeling position. She stared at her reflection as she raised the blade. Terror gave her the strength to combat Luc. She threw every ounce of defiance she could at the hand holding the weapon. Her fist shook uncontrollably as it hovered over Aodhan.
 

I will enjoy torturing you
, Luc hissed.
 

Don't do this! I'll give you whatever you want!
Cara screamed

You have nothing I want.
 

Luc turned the knife on Cara. She was so busy directing the blade away from Aodhan that she didn't think to protect herself. In a lightning fast movement, Luc stabbed her abdomen. She keeled over as blood splashed over her thighs. Even though she was in agony, she knew the wound wasn't life threatening, yet.
 

Alerted by the scent of blood, Aodhan turned and saw the dagger in her stomach. Cara tried to warn him, but Luc was ruthless in keeping her in too much pain to utter a warning. Aodhan's talons tilted her face up and her mouth worked soundlessly. Aodhan lifted his scale to pierce himself to heal her and Luc saw his opportunity. He couldn't use Cara's quivering body to complete the job so he materialized in the form of his current puppet, snatched the knife from Cara's shaking hands and plunged it into Aodhan's chest.
 

Aodhan roared and the sound was bloodcurdling. Luc whispered dark spells over the blade and slashed again before Aodhan grasped the puppet and tore him apart. Red mist erupted from the human and Luc's laughter filled the cavern as he slipped away to find another puppet.

Cara stared with horrified eyes as Aodhan's blood gushed around her. He raised a dripping talon to her mouth.
 

You need enough blood to make your way out of the tunnel.
 

She swallowed his blood and once she was healed, leapt to her feet. "Aodhan, I didn't know..."

The effects of my blood will last only as long as I'm alive. Drink it and get out of here.

Her hands fluttered over him. "What can I do? There must be a way!"

Aodhan's head drooped and rested on the ground beside her.
You don't have much time.

She stood in front of his face and looked into his eyes. "Tell me how to reverse the curse!"

Too late.

"It's not too late!" she screamed and ran frantic hands over his nose, shredding her hands on his scales. There had to be something she could do. She stroked his jaw as his distinct turquoise eyes clouded. Panic filled her. "How do I reverse the curse? Tell me, damn it!"

There was no voice in her mind, just horrible silence.
 

"You have to live. You survived wars against legions of demons. You can't die because of me, Aodhan, you can't!"

Tears streamed down her face. She knew this was advanced dark magic, way beyond her scope, but one thing stood out in her mind. Blood freely given could combat almost anything. She thrust trembling hands into Aodhan's mouth and deliberately cut herself on the sharp teeth. Blood spilled into his mouth and she stared into his eyes, waiting. One eye closed.
 

"Damn it, Aodhan. Drink!" Cara shouted.
 

When the second eye closed, she slumped against him. Tears slipped over his scales and into his mouth along with her blood. Her heart wrenched in her chest.
 

"You have to live," she whispered. "Someone has to fight the darkness in the world. You can't die and leave me here alone. We're a team, remember?"

She retracted her hands from his mouth and wrapped her arms around as much of him as she could. He wouldn't die alone. She was here.

Chapter Eleven

Cara was slumped over something warm and firm. She rubbed her face against skin and frowned in confusion. Where was she and why was she lying on top of someone? Her eyelids were stuck together so she rubbed one eye until her lashes separated and looked around. She was in the underwater cavern and there was a man sprawled over her knees. She was still in a kneeling position and she blinked furiously, staring at the muscled back of a large man. She froze as the man groaned and even before he raised his head, she knew.
 

A man with shoulder length, white blonde hair raised his head and looked up at her. It was the warrior from her dreams. He hadn't changed in the centuries that passed. He had the dragon's eyes, fierce face and thin, uncompromising mouth. Turquoise eyes pierced her and she tried to back away, but his weight pinned her down. She looked frantically around for Aodhan, but he was nowhere to be found.
 

"Cara?"

She didn't move a muscle. It was Aodhan's voice, but... The stranger shifted on one hand and then sprang to his feet. Cara looked up at his seven-foot muscled form, which was a replica of what she saw in her dreams. He ran shaking hands over his face and chest and then smiled at her with pure joy on his face. Cara sat there, dumbfounded. Clothes appeared on his body, a three-piece suit that wouldn't have been out of place on Wall Street. When Cara continued to stare, he looked down at himself, shrugged and replaced the suit with jeans and a shirt. When he came towards her with an outstretched hand, Cara scrambled backwards and raised her hands to ward him off.