Eternal Demon: Mark of the Vampire (15 page)

“I claimed the boy,” Abbadon said. “You were too weak to fight.”

Cruen’s jaw tightened. He cared nothing for the
balas
, but Erion was something special to him. He wanted the male home. He had affection for him and wanted to use him and his blood in the new tests he was conducting on an improved Breeding Male gene. But he saw the look on Abbadon’s face. His power, his demands with the Demon King only stretched so far. His number-one priority must and should always be himself and getting the blood he needed to sustain his power.

He sat back in his chair and eyed the Devil before him. “How do you plan to punish him?”

“That is the little extra I seek from you, Cruen.” His eyes locked with Cruen and held. “He is going to be a witness to your mating ceremony with Hellen.”

Is that all?
“Fine.”

“Your entire mating. Not just the words and the promise of a long life together, but the sexual union. It will be a special and rare treat for him and for my community to witness the conception of my demon child.”

As this information took root, Cruen’s mouth twisted into a savage expression. “I will not participate.”

“If you wish to have my blood and my power, you will.” He crossed his arms over his powerful chest and breathed in his triumph. “You will take my daughter before the crowd. And after she has birthed the first child of Hell, if you wish to toss her to your mongrel son, I will not fight you. But until then, this game will be played my way.”

•   •   •

Erion’s first rogue kill gave him a total hard-on.

Who would have thought it? After an entire life spent serving and protecting Cruen and his interests, never feeling right or real in his own skin, never understanding where he belonged or to whom. As he ran beside Hellen, hunting, his demon fully unleashed and partnering with hers, he was complete.

Maybe that was what he’d felt when he’d looked at the Rain Fields. A connection for his demon side. Whatever it was, he wanted more. A grin touched his lips as he spotted a flash of blue light. Maybe he would bring his son here, let the boy’s demon side come out and play. A battle between father and son—

The idea made his insides pulse with dread. What was he thinking? The Underworld was no vacation spot, no matter how much it called to Erion in this moment. Once he got Ladd out of here, they were never coming back.

“There!” Hellen called to him. “Behind you.”

Erion rotated, nocking the arrow and drawing back his bow. In less than three seconds, he caught the flash of light between two clouds and released the arrow.

The blue flash cracked under the attack, and Erion growled with victory.

“You!” Hellen called, running toward him, her grin wide. “You were born to do this.”

Her words, how she looked at him with both awe and curiosity, made his gut clench. Yes, it felt as if he belonged in here, hunting, killing. And as the demon female’s eyes warmed with appreciation, it also felt as though he belonged at her side.

They took off again through the clouds, hunting low, instincts high. In perfect unison. When she dropped to one knee, he turned and covered her back. When she took out rogue after rogue, he grinned and admired her and congratulated her, and wanted her like he’d never wanted anyone.

He sprinted out in front, and just as he did, the clouds broke around them and hot rain coated their legs from the knees down.

“Erion, to your left!”

He spun, his bow already stretched, and launched an arrow at the blue fire that shot into the air. Another rogue followed, but Hellen was quick to take it out. After the cracks rent the air, they both turned to each other, breathing heavily and grinned.

“Having fun?” she said.

Erion stared at her. She was magnificent, the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. She was in her full demon state, a proud, capable, sexy warrior, and he wanted her mouth under his, her body under his.

“Oh, shit.” Her eyes went wide at something behind his ear, and she bolted toward him, her arrow nocked, her bow drawing back.

Erion didn’t have a second to turn and address what was behind him. She yelled, “Get down,” and sent the arrow flying as she leaped into the air.

She landed on top of him with a jarring crash. Instantly protective, Erion grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto her back. His head came up, his fangs came out, and he growled at whatever might be lingering. Then he saw it, the arrow she’d sent. It was for only a second—the tip piercing blue light. Then the arrow dropped and the crackle of dead rogue rent the air.

“I got him, baby. No worries.”

Erion looked down at her, tucked beneath his body. She was grinning wickedly up at him, and he broke out laughing.

“We make a good team. Don’t you think?” she said.

He placed his arms on either side of her head and lifted himself just enough so she wasn’t bearing his weight. “As long as you’re around to save my ass, we do.”

She pulled her arms free and grabbed his ass. “Oh yeah. Infinitely worth saving.”

Erion groaned, his cock swelling, his fingers digging into the ground. “You feel so damn good, demon girl.”

Her back against the wet earth, her front snug against him, he leaned down and took what his body, his mind, and his mouth all desired.

It was the worst mistake of his life.

She didn’t feel good—she felt electric.

She didn’t taste good—she tasted like the sweetest blood.

She didn’t belong to Cruen . . .

Shit.
He changed the angle of his kiss and consumed her again.

. . . She belonged to him.

A
ccepting the heat that refused to be tamped down or drugged into submission, Hellen moved seductively beneath Erion. She’d never moved that way beneath a male in her life, never known the feeling of long limbs and delicious weight pressing her deeper into the earth as a hungry mouth devoured her. She’d never known the feel of a male’s hard cock against her belly or the erotic heat he gave off through his skin. It was completely intoxicating and addictive, and she never wanted him to release her.

As if hearing her thoughts, Erion lifted his head a few inches, concern lighting his diamond gaze. “Am I hurting you?”

“No.” She wriggled deeper under him, moaning as the scent of his skin, his sweat, rushed into her nostrils. “No, you feel so good.” She reached up and stroked his face with her fingertips. His skin was rough, especially around the mouth. The feel of it made her own skin tighten.

He turned his head, just enough so he could kiss the palm of her hand. “You’re so beautiful.”

She laughed softly. “I’m really not.”

“My eyes do not deceive me, demon girl, nor does my heart—and on this they agree most ardently.” Leaning down, he kissed both of her cheeks, then hovered a mere breath away from her mouth. “We may reside in Hell at the moment, but your beauty is heavenly.”

No one had ever spoken to her like this. Looked at her the way he did—both hungry and awed. It was so clear in his eyes that he saw her the way no one else did—or ever had, and it made her all the more impatient to touch him and be taken by him.

With a happy grin, she sank her fingers into his hair and tugged him toward her, wanting his lips against hers again. Chuckling, Erion obliged her, fisting his hands in her shirt and taking her mouth in a series of hard, demanding kisses as he slowly circled his hips against her. Heat surged into every cell of Hellen’s body, and she responded with a soft growl and a nip to his lower lip. This male didn’t ask for what he wanted; he took it. Her mouth, her mind . . .
her
. And she loved it. She’d never believed that there was a being in existence who might be so right for her. Maybe if she had . . .

She growled again.
Do not go there, female, she warned herself. You’ve chosen your path and it’s the right one. This . . .
this amazing moment in time will have to serve as a delicious, coveted memory.

For them both.

She whispered his name, and when his lips parted to take hers again, she thrust her tongue into his mouth.
Ahhhh
, he tasted good, of spice and heat. Erion growled in response, his hands gripping her flesh through the material of her shirt as he kissed her so deeply, she cried out.

In one smooth movement, he sat up, taking her with him.

“Wrap your legs around me, Hellen,” he demanded, his voice silky, erotic. “I want to feel you tight against me, want the heat of your pussy crying out for my cock.”

His words inflamed Hellen, and she was quick to straddle him, her sex clenching as he cupped her ass and eased her closer. For one moment, they stilled, staring at each other. It was as if the demons within them required a silent conversation, perhaps even an agreement. The heat off their skin, the heat that raged inside them both, cried out to be released. But was that wise? Hellen licked her dry lips, her breasts tingling beneath her tank, her belly tightening, the hard bud of her clitoris swelling. She wanted him to touch her so badly, make her moan, make her come, make her scream, yet once he did it would be the end of their moment in time—the end of everything good, everything true.

It would be the end of them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hellen saw a flash. A quick blue flash. But Erion had seen it first. He pressed her even tighter against himself, grabbed his bow from the ground behind her, and before she could manage her next breath, he’d pulled back the arrow and let it fly. Hellen barely heard the crack of the dead rogue over Erion’s fierce and highly irritated roar.

She stared down at him, watched with fascination as the feral lionlike features of his demon side surged to the surface and overtook the smooth skin of his vampire.

A hot thrill passed through Hellen, and her nipples and sex hummed with need.

“Cease your play!” he called out in the most terrifying voice she’d ever heard. “The next rogue to interfere will not die without long-lasting torment!”

The Rain Fields fell shockingly quiet. Hellen too. She’d yelled at those little bastards a hundred times, twice when she’d been bleeding, and they’d actually laughed at her before attacking her again.

When Erion’s hard, hot gaze returned to her, Hellen shook her head at him and grinned. “Impressive.”

He growled at her.

The sound ripped through any shred of clearheaded self-possession that remained within her, leaving only her true demon self. She answered him with a growl of her own, an invitation . . . no, a demand. In that moment, she wanted Erion and his demon more than she wanted her next breath.

Erion’s body went rigid beneath hers, and she saw him start to shift, saw him working to return to his vampire form.

“No,” she rasped, deeply and painfully impassioned, her nails digging into his shoulders. “Stay in your demon form.”

Jaw tight, he shook his head. “I don’t wish to scare you, repulse you.”

“Repulse me!” The tension within her eased slightly, and she laughed. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I thought I might come just from your growl alone.”

Erion’s eyes darkened with lust, and his lion’s mouth tipped up at the corners. “Oh, I like that. But you won’t come from my growl, demon girl. Not today.” He hooked his fingers beneath her tank and lifted it over her head. “Today you’ll come from my purr.”

Her exposed skin tingled in the soft air of the Rain Fields, and she grinned. Excitement filled her. Anticipation ran wild through her veins, getting lost between her thighs. His hands were on her shoulders and moving down, the rough pads licking at her collarbone. Hellen swallowed, her back arching slightly, knowing where he was going and wishing he’d get there before she died from want.

His gaze followed the movement of his hands, his fingers, his nails as they lightly grazed the skin above her breasts. Saliva pooled in Hellen’s mouth, and a moan escaped her lips. He didn’t remove her bra but eased the cups down just beneath her breasts, leaving them plump and high and very much exposed.

Erion stared, his lips parted, eyes glazed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly worried. Was that lust in his expression or repugnance? Did she look different from vampire females?

Then he reached out and grazed one tight lavender nipple with his thumb. “Oh, demon girl,” he whispered, his voice harsh with lust. “I think I will die from wanting you.”

Relief filled her, and she smiled at his honesty, his desire for her. “Take what you want, then,” she said breathlessly. “Anything you want.”

One black eyebrow lifted seductively, dangerously. “That was not a request for permission.”

Without waiting for her to respond, he dipped his head and slashed his tongue over one beaded nipple.

Hellen cried out softly, her fingers gripping his shoulders, her legs wrapping around him tighter.

“It was a warning.”

He grasped both breasts in his hands and took one into his mouth, suckling it deeply. Hellen gasped for air and arched her back further. He kept drawing on her, deep pulls until she moaned and bucked her hips. His tongue, his mouth, was on fire—or maybe she was. She’d never felt such a sensation. It was as if everything he did to her breast directly affected her sex. She was swollen and aching and soaking wet, her clit screaming to be touched.

Erion moved to her other breast, this time flicking the already stiff peak with his tongue so quickly she couldn’t keep up. The feeling was so amazing, so frantic—every thread inside her body alert and humming with life.

This is it,
she thought incredibly as she rocked her pussy against him, ground herself, her clit, against his stiff cock. She was filled with life.

For the first time in her unimpressive existence.

“Erion!” His name ripped from her throat as she climaxed. A sudden shock of lightning that hit her quick and hard. She moaned over and over into the warm, wet air of the Fields as her muscles, her womb, her pussy, rode the waves of release.

“Oh, my demon girl,” Erion whispered against her wet nipple. “You come so pretty, so hard. Every inch of you shakes. And the scent of your cream.” He groaned. “You know I have to see it again.”

Hellen lifted her chin, her glazed expression making him chuckle. “That’s right, beautiful. We’re just getting started.”

Gentle rain began to fall, the sweet ash scent mixing with the scent of her climax, of the wet heat between her thighs. Erion caught it, his nostrils flaring.

“How hot are you down here?” he whispered, his eyes lusty, hungry as his hand caressed her belly. “Will your cunt burn my hand, Hellen?”

She couldn’t speak. It was as if her orgasm had stolen her voice. All that remained within her were moans and sighs and a refusal to think about anything outside of the Rain Fields. Erion slipped a hand beneath the waistband of her pants. She wasn’t wearing underwear, and he groaned as he discovered her bare flesh for himself.

“I’ve thought about being here again,” he uttered hoarsely. “Dreamed about it. I love it here. I could spend hours here and be a very happy beast.”

Though she had just climaxed, Hellen felt the familiar rush of heat build within her once again, but she also felt the evidence of the act between her thighs. It was slick and plentiful, and she wondered if that would put him off or please him. Suddenly shy, she pulled her sex away from his touch.

Erion reacted instantly, his hand coming around to cup her ass, hold her in place. “What’s wrong?”

She whimpered. “I’m so hot, so . . .”

“Wet?” he finished for her.

“Yes.”

His hand moved down, his fingers slipping inside her pussy. He groaned. “It’s how you will always be when I touch you.”

She swallowed. “It’s too much.”

“No.” He eased out of her with a growl. “It will never be enough.” He brought his hand up for her to see, his fingers shiny with her arousal. Grinning, he slipped them inside his mouth and suckled.

Heat surged into Hellen’s sex as she watched him.

He groaned. “I love your cream, demon girl.”

It’s too much,
she thought as she melted against him. He was too much. Her clit throbbed and her muscles clenched with the need to come again. As the rain fell around them, she felt his hand slip once again inside her jeans, and she closed her eyes.

He entered her with one finger, and she gasped at the sensation. Deliciously impaled, taken, possessed. She wanted more. She squeezed her ass, pressing herself closer to his hand. She heard a soft chuckle as he eased another finger inside her.

“Don’t close your eyes, Hellen,” he whispered, stroking her slowly, almost gently as his thumb worked her clit. “I need to see you, know you’re seeing me when you come.”

Her lids fluttered open, and as she pulled air into her lungs, as Erion’s slick caresses became deep thrusts, she held his gaze. Within her, her demon snorted and growled and wanted to rise and connect with the male it desired so furiously. Denying it was impossible. With a helpless, wanton cry, Hellen released her demon as she pumped furiously against Erion’s thick, ruthless fingers.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as the light rain intensified.

Blood roaring in her ears, racing through her veins, Hellen cried out, shattering, splintering, her demon utterly unleashed. Erion continued to stroke her, deep and hungry, his eyes locked with hers as wave upon wave of climax drenched his fingers.

His jaw tight, his eyes flaring with the hunger of a male who wanted to claim what belonged to him, Erion eased his fingers from her slick channel. Hellen wasted no time. With shaky, desperate fingers, she started working her jeans down her hips. Close to feral, Erion growled and attacked, coiling over her like a snake ready to strike. One of his hands shot out to grip the descending waistband of her jeans, and Hellen grinned, thinking he might rip them off her. Every inch of her was trembling, wondering, anticipating. She couldn’t wait. She licked her lips as she reached for his zipper.

“Hellen.”

The tone of his voice had her stopping, had her looking up into his face, which was a mask of both sexual pain and terror.

Confused, she tried to touch him, get to his skin, but he inched back. “Erion,” she whimpered. “I need you, and you need me.”

“Shit.” He stared down at her, shifting between demon and vampire. “I can’t.”

It was as if she’d swallowed another vial of draft. A wave of cool insecurity and confusion moved through her. “You don’t want to be inside me? You don’t want me to touch you?”

He remained poised above her, breathing heavily. “I want it more than anything.”

She sighed with relief. “Then let me. You made me feel incredible, Erion. The way you touched me, stroked me, my body was yours. I want to make you feel good.”

When she reached for him again, he grabbed her wrist and snarled. “Goddamn it, Hellen! Didn’t you hear me? I want it more than anything.
Anything
.”

“Oh, Erion,” she breathed.

His eyes were wild and raw. “If I touch you, I won’t stop until I’ve taken you fully!” His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “And if I take you, he’ll kill my son.”

The words stole not only the desire between them, but the fantasy they’d built over the past few hours. What he’d said was so simple, so awful.

And so true.

Her selfish desire, her burgeoning love, would get Ladd killed. She looked up at him and shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Erion.”

“Not as sorry as I am.”

Before her eyes, the lionlike demon receded and it was vampire Erion poised above her. They stared at each other, just breathing in and out, one coming down from climax, the other reining in his anger and desire as the rain ceased and the lemon yellow daylight emerged.

•   •   •

Nicholas paced in the kitchen of the SoHo house, his gaze moving from one
mutore
male to the next. “Did you know Erion had purchased a home?”