Games of Desire (7 page)

“Genetics don’t change.”

“No, but being a demon is more than DNA—it’s also the magic we possess. My theory is that you raised your power level to that of a half demon.”

Chloe had no memory of amplifying energy while they had sex, but she didn’t doubt Marax. Everything had been so different with him, so far out of her control that it wouldn’t surprise her. She frowned. Accepting that, though, didn’t mean she believed they were mated. Those were two different things and he said he was guessing. He was wrong.

He
had
to be wrong.

Marax stroked her back, running his palm down the length of her spine and then back up. “Why are you so afraid?”

She buried herself deeper in his embrace. Chloe wished she could lie to him and say she had no idea where the fear was coming from, but she couldn’t. Something inside her balked at the thought of being anything except truthful with him and she didn’t know why.

“It’s part of being mates,” he told her.

“That’s a bitch,” she grumbled.

Marax chuckled. “Tell me about it. Look on the bright side—I’ll always be honest with you, as well, and mates are completely faithful to each other.” His fingers brushed the back of her neck. “Now come on, tell me what’s going on with you.”

“You can read my thoughts,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Tension entered his body, but Marax’s touch remained comforting. “I can do that. Because we have this bond between us, I can delve in your head at will. Normally, going that deep in your mind isn’t something I would do unless there was an emergency, but because you gave me permission, I’ll put aside my scruples and—”

“Don’t.” Chloe tried to break free from him, but he tightened his hold and she settled herself against his chest once more. This was where she wanted to be—with him, their bodies so close that there was no space between them. He wouldn’t understand, but maybe once she told him what was bothering her, he’d leave her alone. “You know why I’m scared? Because if we’re mated, that means the amount of demon in me isn’t negligible, and I can’t be a demon.”

“Why not?” It wasn’t a question, but a demand.

Angry, she straightened, looking him in the eye as she said, “Demons are irresponsible and selfish and they can’t be relied on or be trusted to hang around when life gets difficult. I’m not like that.”

“No, you’re not and neither am I, so let’s talk about your father. What did he do to make you think this is how demons behave?”

His insight surprised her enough to make her gape at him. A second later her brain started working again. She wasn’t any of those things, but she’d worked hard at it. And her mom had done everything she could to ensure Chloe didn’t have any of those demon traits. Marax, though, was pure demon. How had he avoided it? And he had. He’d defended her against the galghoan, he’d bought her clothes and gotten her shelter somewhere safe—and not in some hovel, either, but in probably the most expensive suite in Bel Air.

Marax had gone beyond that, too. He’d never made her feel cheap, although he was supposed to be nothing more than a one-night stand, and he hadn’t been a greedy lover. He’d always made certain she was enjoying herself as much as he was and he always made her come.

Another realization hit her. She might have been hugely aroused last night, but she’d noticed how he’d made sure she was okay with the games they’d played. It was his care and consideration that had allowed her to let go and follow his orders. Chloe never would have given up control to a man who wasn’t trustworthy and unselfish.

Blinking, she brought him back into focus. Marax watched her, probably seeing more than she wanted him to see. There was intensity in his gorgeous blue eyes, but there was compassion there, too, and patience. He continued to take care of her.

“My dad,” Chloe said softly, “died when I was a baby, but not before he walked out on my mom. He told her he didn’t want the responsibilities of being a husband and father, that he felt strangled by the demands she put on him.”

“And human men never walk out on their families?” Marax asked. “Human men never decide they’re not ready to be tied down? Is that what you’re saying?”

Chloe found herself gaping at Marax again. He was right; humans abandoned their families, too. It was her mother who’d equated that with her father being a demon, but what if that wasn’t true? He might have been just as careless and irresponsible if he were 100 percent human. Walking out on his wife and daughter was a personality failing, not genetics.

It shook her to the core. She’d always believed— Unwelcome tears filled her eyes and Chloe blinked hard. “Damn you, Marax,” she said softly, voice thick.

He swayed gently, using the motion to soothe her. “You already knew this, you simply didn’t want to look at it, but it’s going to be all right. You might feel unsettled now, but when you’re grounded again, it’ll be on a stronger foundation and in the meantime, use me as your anchor. I’ll keep you safe, always.”

Reaching up, Chloe stroked his bearded cheek with the backs of her fingers, then leaned forward to kiss him. She could trust this man and would be able to trust him for her entire life. Not because he was her mate, although she knew he was right about that, but because of who Marax was—a responsible, conscientious adult who cared about others.

Reluctantly, she eased back until she could see his face. “Do we have time to make love?” she asked.

“Maybe if we don’t spend hours, we can—”

Her cell phone rang. She ignored it, but Marax didn’t. He walked over to the dresser, picked it up, and looked at caller ID. “It’s your sister,” he said, holding out the phone.

Chapter Nine

Marax glanced across the rental car to Chloe. Dusk was deepening into night, but with his demon vision, he could see her clearly. Her expression was pensive and she’d been quiet since they’d left the hotel to meet her sister. He reached over and squeezed her thigh, reminding her that he was here if she needed him. She put her hand over his, but didn’t say anything.

After a few more minutes of silence, he asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking about a few things.”

“Like Olivia?”

Her hand tightened on his, but that was her only response. He let the silence lengthen. Marax had only heard Chloe’s side of the conversation, but it had been enough to make him dislike Olivia. He wasn’t stupid enough to tell her that, though, even if Chloe had been mad enough to spit fire after she’d ended the call. One comment about her sister and she’d unleash her temper on him, the only target handy. But her sadness got to him and he’d rather see some heat from her.

Trying another gambit, Marax asked, “Is the Magic Hat some wizard hangout?”

“No. It’s a club for human magicians. Olivia’s always been fascinated by how they do their tricks. She’s familiar with the place and probably felt comfortable setting up a meeting there.”

The edge was back in Chloe’s voice and Marax gave her leg another squeeze. The light ahead turned yellow and he drew to a stop. The corner streetlight and neon signs illuminated the interior of the sedan and he took the opportunity to study her more thoroughly.

“You know,” she said as she shifted impatiently, “why don’t you just jump in my head and make it easier for both of us?”

It was tempting. “Because some things can’t be done the easy way.”

She used their link to tell him her opinion about that and it involved profanity. Marax hid a smile and moved his attention to the intersection. Chloe’s fire was returning and he was damn glad to see it. One more prod should get her to explode. He waited for the light to turn green. “Olivia didn’t show at Infinity last night. Do you think she’ll keep tonight’s meeting?”

“Who the hell knows? I sure don’t.”

And he had ignition.

“You know what bugs me the most?” Chloe asked. She didn’t wait for an answer. “Even after I told Olivia the Incredible Hulk wanted me to pay for her transgressions, she was more concerned about herself than about my safety. She didn’t ask if I was okay. She didn’t apologize. She didn’t volunteer to deal with her mess. And I wasn’t shocked by any of that because this is who she is. Before today, I always wrote it off to her young age, but she’s twenty-one and isn’t a child any longer.”

“You’re right.” He kept his voice even, careful of unleashing her instinct to defend her little sister.

“I know I’m right and it makes me furious to know I enabled this behavior by rushing to her rescue. Olivia’s father is a wizard.”

That last part sounded like a non sequitur, but because of the conversation they’d had earlier, Marax knew what Chloe was saying. “So she has no demon blood then.”

“None. My mom corrected anything I did that might be irresponsible. I got grounded even when I was a small child, but Olivia didn’t get in trouble the way I did.” Chloe sighed and slumped back in her seat. “That means I pretty much got punished only because I was part demon.”

“It’s unfair, but in the long term, it looks as if your mom did you a favor.”

Marax felt Chloe’s stare and he was surprised she didn’t singe off his beard. “Just how do you figure that?” she asked.

“Would you want to go through life like your sister? Leaving messes behind in your wake and not caring about how they hurt others?”

“No.” There might have been a slight growl in her voice. “Are you always this much fun?”

Marax didn’t try to hide this smile. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Chloe said, but she didn’t sound angry anymore. “How’d you get along with your brother before he disappeared?”

He recognized the ploy as a way to get the focus off her, but Chloe needed a break from the emotion, so he didn’t call her on it. “I understand what you’re asking, but we didn’t have to deal with what you’d consider normal sibling dynamics. Demons can live thousands of years and Eligos was an adult long before I was born.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time, and when she did, it had nothing to do with family. “You need to turn right at the next light.”

With one last pat of Chloe’s knee, Marax returned his hand to the steering wheel. He switched lanes and turned where she told him to.

“The Magic Hat is about six blocks from here on the left,” she said.

That explained her sudden tension. “It’ll be okay, Chloe.”

“Maybe, but I keep thinking what happens if Olivia doesn’t show up? Or what if she shows and doesn’t remember which spell she used? She was vague on the phone when I tried to get that information, and as much as I love my sister, she actually is flaky enough to forget.”

“Then we’ll deal with it.”

The closer they got to the club, the tighter Chloe’s body became. He spotted the neon top hat with magic wand and started scanning the area. They were practically even with the building before he saw her. She wasn’t as tall as Chloe and her red hair wasn’t as deep and rich, either, but he was pretty sure that was Olivia. “Is that your sister standing under the marquee?”

Chloe leaned forward and peered past him. “That’s her. She’s here.” There was a world of relief in her voice.

Marax put on his signal and waited to turn into the entrance to the parking lot. “Don’t jump out of the car and run to her. Wait for me and we’ll walk casually. There’s no sense calling attention to her or us.”

“Why? It’s not as if anyone except the Hulk cares, anyway.”

“Because it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the galghoan is around here. The more we blend in with the humans, the better.”

“Wait, what? How can the demon be here?”

“I told you, his kind of demon can track energy better than most others. He had enough time to find us at the hotel, and if he was there, he could have listened in on your phone conversation. Yes, it can be done by any demon who wants to—our senses are acute.” Traffic finally cleared enough for Marax to turn into the lot. “Even if he didn’t listen to the call, he could have followed us from the hotel without my being aware of it.”

There was an empty spot near the back and he pulled the car in and turned off the engine. He didn’t waste any time getting out, because Chloe wasn’t going to be patient. Marax took her hand and linked their fingers. “Casual. Be casual.”

The sidewalks were filled with people walking to various venues and he hoped their energies were chaotic enough to mask them. With every step they took, he scanned for the enemy. That he detected nothing didn’t mean the galghoan wasn’t there. As powerful as he was, he could hide himself from any other demon. Marax didn’t like how exposed Chloe was. He wanted her away from danger, but he battled his instincts. The only way to ensure his mate remained safe was to get that antidote and bargain with it.

Olivia was scowling when they reached her. Her gaze dropped to their joined hands, and when she looked up again, she asked, “Why the hell did you bring
him
along?”

Chloe’s smile disappeared as she heard the derision in her sister’s voice. “Don’t you ever use that tone about Marax ever again. While you were lying low, leaving me to handle everything, he was the one who fought that gigantic demon who wanted to hurt me. This would be the demon you never told me about, the one who planned to make me pay for your actions.”

“Now, Chloe, you know I didn’t mean anything personal by it.” Olivia had turned conciliatory and Marax wondered at it.

“You never do, right, Olivia? Well, you can relax, I’ll bail you out of this trouble, but it’s the last time. After this is finished, you’ll have to deal with the consequences of your actions without me.”

Marax heard his mate’s resolve, but he was pretty sure little sister didn’t realize Chloe meant what she’d said. Without warning, the hair on his nape bristled. A scan turned up nothing, but he couldn’t dismiss it. “We need the antidote,” he said.

What did you pick up?
Chloe asked along their connection.

It might be nothing, but I think it would be best to get things taken care of ASAP.

Chloe nodded and looked back at her sister. “What spell did you use to create the potion?”

“I can’t remember,” Olivia said petulantly.

A growl began low in his throat as his patience slipped. Chloe gripped his hand tighter and shifted until she was against his side. Her nearness helped him regain his self-command.