How to Kill an Incubus: A Rae Erickson Story (19 page)

“Stand,” Roan ordered, and Nina slowly did his bidding.

She was an elfin little thing and he was a tower of hard, muscular flesh. Blushing, I noticed his impressive hard-on. Nestled in a forest of blonde curls, it bobbed against his belly as he took one step closer to his woman.

I swallowed. Usually, I wasn’t so prudish. But seriously? Watching another couple get it on right in front of me? Well, voyeurism had never been my thing.

At least until…

“Getting excited?” Andrei’s voice was low and thick in my ear. The heat of his breath shot straight to my center.

I shook my head as if I could shake the sensation away. “Nope.”

Roan and Nina were kissing now, really kissing. The sounds they made were loud and wet, and their touches, their caresses were fast and frantic. Slowly, they sank to the russet-colored sand and Roan kissed his way down Nina’s neck, to her collarbone, and down the heaving valley between her dusky tipped breasts.

Fight it, Rae. Fight the feeling…

Too fucking late. Of their own accord, my nipples hardened and protruded against the filmy fabric of my dress and Andrei reached out and pinched my left nipple, which drew a stifled gasp from me. That alone was enough to make me wet.

“She’s going to get sand inside her,” I murmured, unable to tear my eyes away from Roan going down on Nina. “That’s highly uncomfortable. Trust me, I know.”

How could the others just stand there unaffected? Wasn’t it turning them on in the slightest?

“I can smell you,” Andrei causally remarked, ignoring my small talk. “Your arousal. The dripping heat of your sex.”

Oh, damn!

“There are about a dozen other smells here, salty air included. You’re just confused.”

“Oh? I think I know what you smell like when you’re wet for me.”

I made some kind of whimpering sound that was, thankfully, drowned out by Nina’s pants, wails, and screams of “Roan! Close! I’m so close,
dios
! So, so close!” as her demon tongued her into oblivion. She was spread for all to see—the glistening velvety folds of her soaked sex stark and bare. And although I never once considered being with another woman, I had to admit that the sight was quite hot.

“Like what you see,
mea domina
?”

I was now aware that Andrei had moved to stand behind me and just tightly wound his strong arms around me.

That’s Latin, isn’t it? Yes, it’s Latin. Such an old language. I bet he knows hundreds of other languages. Let’s see… Greek, Italian, Romanian, Russian, French, Japanese…

Andrei’s palm on my vagina made for a different sort of distraction. The skirt’s wispy material was no match for the force of his palm cupping my heat. Myrna had informed me that underwear wasn’t necessary and I took her advice to heart. Now I was paying the price for her so-called instruction.

“Sweet little one, you are so very wet,” Andrei whispered in my ear, nipping my earlobe. The tip of his middle finger ducked inside me, dragging a sliver of cloth with it. “So very, very wet.” He moved the probing digit around, the pad of his thumb slowly and painfully rubbing my aching clit.

I held onto his forearm, leaning against him. “No,” I moaned, at the same time that Nina screamed “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes!” and arched her back in the sand, riding out her orgasm.

Through hooded eyes I watched Roan position himself between her splayed legs, and guide his thick shaft into her. Andrei’s breath hitched in my ear, his hand slipping under my dress through the high slit at my thigh. I automatically parted my legs, allowing him to cup me again, skin to skin this time.

“Yes,” I amended when he began to properly pleasure me. Grinding against his hardness, I whimpered, “Oh, God, yes, Andrei!”

“Look at them,” he gruffly directed, but I already was. Roan was riding the woman in earnest, the back of her knees hooked over his very broad shoulders. “Look at the way they look at each other. Their carnal desire. Their unquenchable need. Their unconditional love.”

I dug my fingernails into Andrei’s skin, riding the three fingers that were bringing me to a fast-approaching climax. At the small of my back, Andrei’s erection made its presence known. Just feeling that and witnessing the scene unfolding before me, pushed me over the edge. Wave after wave, my sweet climax came, my cries mingling with Nina’s screams of pleasure.

“Good girl,” Andrei praised softly, holding me to him through the rolling aftershocks.

Once I came down from that high, I realized that the voyeuristic incubi had their eyes on me and had, in all probability, watched me come apart in their lord’s arms. But I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“You’re mine. You know that?”

Without pulling out of his arms, I calmly responded. “And just how many years have I been yours?”

“What are you talking about?” He spun me around so abruptly, my head jerked back.

If only his beautiful, beautiful blue eyes held some truth. “Lauren… gave me to you so you’d help her,” I retorted bitterly, all the pent-up anger and disbelief coming to the surface in that statement. It was one thing to be bartered like a commodity. But for the barterer to be my own flesh and blood? Well, it hurt. “The fact that I don’t die after screwing you only sweetens the deal, doesn’t it?”

“She didn’t give you to me,” was Andrei’s unruffled response. “She mentioned you but you were a child, the daughter of a hunter. There was nothing I could do with you. As a courtesy, I helped her contact Lilith.” His hand cupped my chin. “I had no idea who you were until I had someone do some digging.” His pupils had dilated and his grip on my chin became almost painful. “But now? You… are… mine. We both know this.”

I shut my eyes, processing what he just said. He’d rejected my mother’s selfish offer and I’d strutted into Vegas years later like a lamb to the slaughter, giving him exactly what she’d proposed to him—only twenty-one years later. If I hadn’t taken the Darryl Winer case, would I have met Andrei? Would I be standing here, on a tiny island called Culebra, which I’d never heard of, surrounded by a group of demons who just watched me come for their king?

No. You’d be in bed with Daniel Lawless, your babysitter.

I let out a soft laugh and opened my eyes. Fat chance. That ship had sailed long ago. He thought of me as nothing more than his dim-witted, clueless charge.

“Did I say something funny?” Andrei snarled, his brows furrowed.

I gave him a coy smile and touched him. “Let’s teleport back to my place so I can show you how hot this little show got me.”

His lips twitched. “Oh?”

“I’m wet, remember?”

He brought his long, skillful fingers to his lips and drew them in, sucking on them hard before releasing them with a soft pop. “I remember.”

Chapter 13

The knocking at the door was definitely not some kind of masochistic dream my subconscious had created to punish me for the sinful things I’d done last night—most of which happened on the floor. Ignoring the incessant banging on my front door was going to be impossible, however. Plus there was something heavy across my waist. Uncomfortably heavy.

I forced my eyes open and chewed on my bottom lip to keep from flipping out.

“Andrei?” I said, before clearing my throat so that my, “What the hell are you still doing here?” didn’t sound like it was from a frog.

“Trying to sleep,” he murmured drowsily, and I heaved his arm off me and sat up, surveying just how much space he really took up, which was all of it. “Who the hell’s at the door?” he asked, eyes still shut.

“I, um, have no idea,” I replied, mystified by how freaking normal he was behaving. “You spent the night?” My voice was filled with unadulterated awe.

“You should go get that,” he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

But I was already up and shrugging my robe on. Feeling miffed, I asked in a tone heavy with sarcasm, “Can I get you anything while I’m gone? Tea? Coffee? The morning paper?”

Stretched out on his back, he growled, “Just your pussy… in my mouth. But that can wait.”

At that, I stumbled over a lone Jimmy Choo on my way out. “You’re insatiable,” I called over my shoulder, shivering in anticipation, because seriously, the man gave pretty unreal head.

His throaty laugh followed me to the door. Ignoring security and common sense, I unlocked the door without peeking through the peephole—and was rewarded with opening it to none other than Daniel Lawless, the last person I would ever want to catch me reeking of illicit sex… with a demon who was still in my bed.

I stood there, gaping at him like a guppy until he tried to push past me. I hated it when people think they could walk all over me.

“What’s your problem?” I snapped.

“Jeez, Rainelle, I took a bloody early flight to get here. So the least you can do is let me in,” he grumbled, glaring down at me.

His hair had grown longer and fell over his forehead, and the Chelsea football shirt and black jeans he was wearing fit him like a glove. In short, he looked fit, virile, and totally capable of taking on a demon as powerful as Andrei.

I didn’t know how I felt about that. Worried? Relieved? Indifferent?

“Why didn’t you call?” I spluttered, not budging an inch.

“Because your mobile’s off. Besides, this is sort of important, sweetheart.” And he swaggered past me, heading into the living room like he knew the layout of the place. “Much too important for a phone call.”

“Daniel, I…” I began, at the same time Andrei asked loudly, “We got company, babe?”

This is going to be ugly.

Andrei strolled in wearing nothing but the skin on his back and impressive morning wood. Daniel’s brow furrowed as he took him in. I waited… waited for Daniel to get a feel on him and realize that I’d been vigorously going at it with a demon a few hours ago. I waited for him to repel Andrei to the pits of hell, or whatever dimension he’d crawled out from, and condemn me as a disgrace to my father and the entire human race. With that thought, it was strangely comforting to remember how strong Andrei was and that he would probably rip Daniel’s head off before he could so much as take a breath to say the banishing words.

But all Lawless said was, “I had no idea you have company. Maybe I should’ve called.”

Wait… what?

“He’s, um, we’re…” Clearly, I was quite disconcerted by the fact that in Daniel’s eyes Andrei was apparently a normal guy who merely rolled out of my bed and was comfortable enough about his body to strut about in his birthday suit.

“I’m her boyfriend.” Andrei folded his arms across his chest, biceps bunching together and reminding me that he really could do some damage to Daniel… if he didn’t leave now.

Then it hit me like a blow to the solar plexus: Boyfriend.

I gaped at Andrei, stunned. Was this his way of marking his territory or was he simply having fun toying with Daniel? Did he know about my ancient crush on the hunter? Did he even know Daniel was a hunter?

Probably. He knew everything.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I need to speak with Rainelle. Alone,” Daniel added, as if that was unclear.

Andrei’s eyes narrowed at me. “Rae?”

To be honest, I was completely shell-shocked. This wasn’t the way I’d have ever imagined their first meeting. For starters, Daniel wasn’t chanting in Latin, or Italian. And Andrei was… naked.

“It’s fine,” I murmured. “And for Pete’s sake, put some clothes on, babe.”

An awkward silence descended upon us. Andrei’s face clouded over but he surprised me by leaving without a fight.  And I didn’t realize I had spaced out with my eyes on his retreating ass until Daniel cleared his throat.

“So he’s your boyfriend?” His voice was faux casual. “What’s his name?”

“That’s none of your business, Daniel,” I muttered, gesturing for him to take a seat. Once he was in an armchair, I followed suit. “So what’s so important you had to be here at…” I glanced at the clock above the TV. “… nine a.m.?”

Daniel didn’t beat around the bush. “I know where your mother is. And her mate.”

“So you know she’s a demon?”

He cocked his head. “I could ask you the same thing.” A slow smile spread across his face. “You said you had no interest in the supernatural. Yet I’m assuming you met up with Lauren somewhere, and discovered what she is now.”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is killing her, right? Isn’t that why you’re here? To let me know that you’re going to do that?”

“We,” he amended, golden eyes gleaming. “
We
are going to kill her.”

“My boyfriend, huh?”

Andrei was out on the balcony of my bedroom, probably giving a hundred pedestrians a private show. He turned, giving me one of his rare smiles, the kind that usually disintegrated my panties.

“It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“No, it’s just weird. I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school. And you…”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” he said it more to himself, as if he was in awe of the concept.

“I think we need to have a talk,” I muttered. “Put some goddamn clothes on. I can’t think when you’re saluting me like that.” I stalked back into my room and waited for him to follow.

When he appeared seconds later, he was in a pair of boxers, which still made him a health code violation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He quirked a brow.

“Like what?”

“Like you want to fuck me and rip me apart at the same time.”

“I wasn’t aware irritation could be so wrongfully interpreted.” I rolled my eyes. “Sit down, Andrei. There’s no point in my attempt at being intimidating if you’re hulking over me like a mountain.”

“You’re right.” He was humoring me but he sat on the edge of my bed, rolling his shoulders back. “Intimidate away.”

“You know that that was Daniel, right?”

The playfulness left his face. “The big, bad English hunter? He’s a lot smaller in person. But then again, they usually are.”

“Are you seriously being this… petty?”

He gave me a strange look. “Petty?” he said, sounding the word out. “Of course.”

“Why can’t hunters sense you?”

His face hardened. “You almost sound disappointed. Is that what you wanted? Your hunter to make a move against me? To prove his worth?”

Sarcastic Andrei was proving to be ten times worse than Enraged Andrei or even Scary Andrei.

“You know exactly what I mean and he isn’t my
hunter.” I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a dark look. “Myrna and I have been texting and…”

“You what?” Thunder clouded his eyes.

“And…,” I stressed. “Don’t interrupt me.” I paused, mentally daring him to berate me. He didn’t. “Myrna and I have been texting and she said nothing about your ability to… to, I don’t know, pull a Harry Potter and cloak what you really are. So you tell me…right now.”

He rose, instantly towering over me. “If you had any idea how powerful I really am, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. For fuck’s sake, Rae, I’m a king. If I don’t want anyone to know what I am, no one will know what I am.” He shrugged. “It takes a hell of a lot of energy to shroud myself but sometimes I’m just not in the mood to kill a bunch of crucifix-obsessed hunters.” 

I blinked up at him. “Are you the only demon that can do that?”

“Only the extremely strong ones. Lords, queens, and other rulers like me. Rae, calm down.”

Calm down? Only when he put his arms around me did I realize that I was shivering, which was the beginnings of a massive panic attack. What if I’d gone to school with demons? What if they lived in my neighborhood? What if my damn friends were demons?! What if…

Breathe
, a voice in my head commanded, and I clung to Andrei like he was the only normal thing I knew. My fingernails dug into his back, piercing his skin.

“You don’t have to be scared, little one,” he murmured into the top of my head. “How many times have I said that you are mine? Nothing will ever happen to you.”

“I’m supposed to be in Greece now… or Italy. Someone somewhere is cheating on his wife and I’m supposed to be there,” I babbled, inhaling the scent of sweaty sex on Andrei’s chest. “I have my Nikon and everything. Don’t you think I should’ve been a photographer? Candid snaps, that’s what I’d do. And maybe even family photos. As long as the parents are, you know, really nice to their kids and it shows.”

He was stroking my back with one hand and toying with my hair in the other. I raised my head and he swooped in to claim my lips. I let him. I let him because I needed it.

It took me a few seconds to realize that he’d lifted me up, carried me inside, and set me down on the bed. A hyperventilating female certainly brought out the gentleman in the guy. And I was ashamed to admit it, but sometimes a little part of me yearned to yell, “Screw equality!” and let a man take care of me.

But just a little part.

“Breathe,” Andrei gently commanded, sitting awkwardly in front of my feet. He had one leg hanging over the edge of the bed and the other crossed over it at the ankle.

“I am breathing,” I hissed, shivering when he took my feet in his hands. They were awfully big and warm, those hands of his, and his fingers were incredibly gentle as they tickled the arch of each foot. “What are you doing?” I asked as my foot tingled where he touched.

“Just relax.”

“Said the demon to the woman,” I muttered, punctuating my wisecrack with an involuntary little moan. My eyes widened. “What was that? It felt so good.”

Andrei was giving me a foot massage. Andrei, the freaking king of horny supernatural creatures, was sitting half-naked in my bed rubbing my feet. And he was good.

“Tell me what’s on your mind,” he said gruffly, his fingers seemingly making the balls of my feet sing hymns.

“On my mind?” I echoed, rolling my head back onto the pillows against the headboard. Aside from “Oh, God!” and “Wow!” there was nothing else on my mind, nothing at all. “I thought you could—oh, that feels good—read my mind.”

Andrei ran his hands up my legs, slowly and gently kneading my calf muscles. “You know I can’t,” he murmured. “But I wish I could.” He brought my foot up and kissed all five toes before switching to my other foot and doing the same. “I can sense how you feel but I can’t hear your thoughts. So you have to tell me, Rae.”

Sanity, however, was slowly creeping back in. “It feels weird telling you that I want to kill another demon,” I said honestly, wiggling my toes to make sure they were still there. I looked him in the eye. “Won’t you try to stop me?”

He disregarded my question. “You’re really going to follow that fucking hunter?” His grip on my ankles tightened. “Do you realize what a fool he is? You go after Lauren, you go after Vitaly. He’s an old demon, and he won’t just let you and your little hunter buddies waltz in, all holy-watered up, and kill his succubus.”