Love and Demons (3 page)

"Sleep, female,"
he ordered in a hushed voice, attempting to breach her mind with his own. Much
to his surprise, she simply glared. It was painfully obvious that he would not
be capable of exerting any control over her mental capacities, leaving only one
other choice, short of knocking her unconscious — enthrallment. He reached out,
wrapped his hand around the back of her head, and pressed a rough, bruising
kiss to her lips.

****

Kat sat caught in a
mixture of anger and disbelief when the strange male ordered her to sleep.
However, that was nothing compared to the shock of his forceful kiss. Pressing
hard against the stone-like muscles of his chest, she attempted to break free,
only to have him pull her closer as he nipped at her lower lip, demanding
entrance. Desire swept through her at his silent demand, making her pulse race,
until she could no longer resist. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she opened
to his invasion. The moment her lips parted, his tongue pushed in deep,
exploring hers in a seductive dance that made her head spin with both need and
desire.

He released her head and
lifted her into his arms, and she felt as though she were floating with only
his mouth anchoring her to the ground. He whispered a soft command against her
swollen lips and instantly her mind grasped it and obeyed.

****

When her body relaxed
against him, he released her lips and drew in a ragged breath. The taste of her
was like ambrosia, leaving him nearly overcome with the desire to claim her
right there in the filth of the dark alleyway, a feeling made obvious by the
strained crotch of his pants. "Let's go," he croaked to Adrik, who
watched them with a look of pure amusement on his face.

"At your leisure, my
lord," he added with a mock bow before turning to lead them out of the
alleyway, back toward the suite. They could all use a good shower, though at
least one of them needed it to be rather cold.

The two large males moved
along stealthily, avoiding the well-lit main routes for the darker side streets
until they arrived outside the tall building they'd called home since their
arrival. They had secured the entire fifteenth floor, making certain they had a
private and secluded elevator to allow them to come and go at will. Prior to tonight,
they hadn't needed the anonymity, but the fact one of them had an unconscious
female thrown over their shoulder made it a true blessing.

Barak said little more
than two words to Adrik during their journey back to the hotel, too preoccupied
by the feel of his mate in his arms, the scent of her skin, and the intense emotions
swarming through his body.

When the elevator doors opened
they were met by the three other Zironet warriors that accompanied them on this
secret mission to outplane. Giving them a nod of acknowledgement, Barak stepped
around them and carried his mate to the largest of the suite's four bedrooms. Behind
him, the men whispered anxiously, asking if it was true he had found his mate,
and that she bore the mark of Zi. In his soul he knew she was his
now,
and he needed to reveal the truth and restore the hope
of his people.

Gently, he lifted her to
a seated position and began to remove her dark fatigue shirt to reveal the
armored plate hidden beneath.

"That explains how
she could take a direct blast from that weapon and still be alive," Adrik
said, examining the ballistic vest his commander dropped to the floor. Beneath
it all she wore a thin black tank top, the swells of her round breasts peeking
out temptingly. Barak fought the urge to take one into his mouth and feel the
nipple grow taught within the cloth. Instead, he began to search the skin he
had already uncovered for the birthmark that would confirm what he already knew.
Her arms were slim and pale against his large calloused hands, and her skin
felt softer than anything he had ever touched. They were void of any makings.

Biting his lower lip, Barak
reached down to catch the hem of her shirt, intent on removing it, but Adrik
stopped his motion.

"There is no need to
bare your mate to us, friend. The proof is there on your woman's shoulder."

Barak's breath caught in
his chest and his usually steel-steady hands trembled. Lifting her further into
his arms, he saw the edge of the mark peeking out from beneath the strap of her
shirt. Sliding the material slowly overtop her slender shoulder he revealed the
dark, flushed mark fully. It spoke to him like a glaring neon light. While men
let out a cheer, he released a breath he had forgotten he was holding and
feathered a kiss on his woman's head. The survival of his people lay there in
his arms.

Kat awoke to the smell of
coffee and the muted sound of talking somewhere beyond the closed double doors.
A dull light seeped in through the edges of the heavy drapes covering the
windows, making her fairly certain it was either early morning, meaning she'd
only been out an hour or two, or late evening, meaning she'd been unconscious
for at least twelve hours.

Looking around, she
attempted to regain some idea of exactly how she managed to get into this room
wearing nothing more than her tank and thong. The last thing she clearly
remembered was the need to wrap her arms around some goliath-sized stranger
after one of her own teammates waylaid her.
My
teammates, damn,
she thought, sitting straight up in the large bed, and
instantly regretting her rush when a sharp pain across her right side nearly
knocked her back down.

Reaching to feel the edge
of the bandage circling her injured ribs, Kat grimaced. She was lucky it had
been a chest shot, and that no one had moved in to finish the job. She could
guess the arrival of the two large men had something to do with the fact she was
still breathing. She probably owed them for the accommodations and first aid as
well, seeing as they were the only people around when she blacked out. Why they
chose to bring her here rather then call 911 was puzzling.

Moving much slower this
time, she stood up and took a wobbly step toward the door, intent on finding
the light switch so she could search for her clothes. After which she planned
on saying a quick 'thank you' to her saviors before calling into the station
and letting the chief know what happened. Reaching the door, she located the
switch and flipped it to the 'on' position, flooding the room in the soft glow
of the lamp on a nearby table. Taking a good look at her surroundings for the
first time, she gazed around the room, noting the fine linen. Stationary on the
end table informed her she was at the prestigious Marionette Hotel. Well, her
heroes obviously had money, so why where they slumming it in the seedy alleyway
across town?

The opening of the doors
startled her and caused her to jump involuntarily, sending another spear of
sharp pain through her battered chest.

"Why are you out of
bed?" his voice sent a tremble of familiarity through her body and had
moist heat pooling in her cunt. Damn, but he looked even better in the light.

He closed the short
distance separating them in two strides and stood only inches from her. Kat's
body clenched with sheer desire as the scent of him wrapped itself around her,
drowning any rational thought from her mind. The only thing that mattered at
that moment was her need to feel his cock buried deep inside her hot, wet cunt until
she screamed in release. As if he understood her need, he reached down to lift
her face to his, capturing her lips in a kiss that was all too familiar.

****

Barak had not intended to
come into the room and find himself tangled in the arms of his mate, but as his
tongue dueled with hers for dominance, the need to claim her body pushed him to
respond to the arousal he'd seen in her eyes. He understood that her response,
fed by the musk his body exuded when in contact with his mate, was a
magnification of what she already felt. Once claimed, the effect would diminish
greatly over time. The way she was rubbing herself against his engorged cock
said anything but no. Still, law demanded she ask for his claim, so he would
just be certain she begged him for it.

After lifting her gently
so as not to further injure her already battered flesh, he laid her on the
large bed and moved to crouch overtop her. Grinning down at the beauty of her
flushed face, Barak pushed up the soft cotton of her tank to reveal her swollen
nipples. He growled in pleasure as a moan escaped her lips; he ran his tongue
in a slow circle around one pouting tip before pulling it deep into his mouth
and suckling it. Kat shuddered under his ministrations. Barak slid his hand
down to the scrap of material already moist from her essence, and gently
stroked the covered folds. She arched into him, attempting to grind herself
against his digits. Slipping past the thin material, he pushed two fingers into
her slick folds, gliding back and forth, her muscles clenched around his
intrusion.

"You are very wet
and very tight," he purred between her breasts. He slid up to nuzzle her
neck and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. "I am much larger than the
males of your world," he told her while rolling her clit between his
fingers. "What is your name, love?" he asked adding a third finger to
the two already buried deep in her weeping pussy.

"Katrina," she
responded breathlessly, her body beginning to tremble with her impending
release. Feeling the shudders ripple along her muscles, Barak increased the
speed in which his fingers fucked her, pushing deeper into the hot, moist core.
"Kat… Oh god, Kat's my name." She sunk her nails into the strong
muscles of his shoulders and screamed.

"Mmm, Kat, my sweet,
sweet Kat," he cooed, stroking her hair as he sucked her hot fluids from
his fingers. She smiled up at him from beneath thick lashes, her breath slowing
slightly. Reaching up, she ran her hand along the strong curve of his jaw.

"Wow, gorgeous and
unselfish. How did I get so lucky?" she asked when she once again found
her voice.

He chuckled deeply and
leaned down to brush a kiss to her lips. "I do believe the luck is all
mine. Now that we know one another a bit more intimately, allow me to introduce
myself. I am Barak, eldest son of the high commander of the Zironet." He
grinned proudly at the reference to his heritage, and Kat smiled back, though the
look on her face said she did not have the foggiest idea who the Zironet were. "And
you are my Zi mate, the one who I have travelled to the outerworld to find."
Barak said it with conviction, wanting her to have little doubt he believed
exactly what he said. However, he felt Kat was not the type to buy into some
demented fantasy, no matter how sexy the hero of the story was.

"Your
Zi mate?
So let
me see if I have this right. You are from a different planet and you came here
searching for me because I am this Zi mate. Do I have this right?" Kat
asked him, raising her eyebrows and giving him a look that said she thought he
was completely nuts. If she had done so while pulling away from him, Barak
might have been worried, but she still lay beneath him and allowed him to trace
his fingers along her shoulders and face, showing she was not so far removed
from the idea as she might think.

"I am not from
another planet. I am from a different plane of this planet, and yes, you are my
Zi mate."

Kat looked at him and
grinned, shaking her head. "Well, I need to call my captain and let him
know what happened in the alley last night." She pushed at his chest so
that she could get up.

"That is not such a
good idea," he said, knowing she would not like the news he had to share. She
looked at him for a moment, her hand still resting against his chest.

"Why, is that not a
good idea?"

Barak looked down at his
Zi mate and could see the unrest and concern in her eyes, and his heart felt
heavy. It was his job to ensure not only her safety, but her happiness as well.

"Let's get you
situated back in bed, and then I will show you why that is not the best choice
at the moment."

****

Kat stared in utter
disbelief. The local news anchor told an outlandish story of the cop-killing
rogue officer who had brutally killed four of her own team members. There was a
citywide manhunt in progress, and a reward for information leading to the
arrest of Katrina Dash, who they considered armed and very dangerous. They'd
managed to twist it around so well that her own people were now out for her
blood, and she was the only one who knew the truth — well, other than Barak and
his friend, who at least witnessed the fact she had not assassinated her own team
mates.

Sighing, she rubbed both
hands over her face in an attempt to push away the migraine that began to form.
"Fuck me running. I can't let them get away with this." Kat was
speaking to herself, though Barak sat there beside her. She had not decided the
course of action she would to take, but she'd be damned if she was going to sit
back and let those bastards go unpunished. She might go down, but she intended
to put a hot piece of lead in each of them before then.

Sitting quiet for a
moment, Kat decided upon her first move in the deadly game of chess she was
about to play. "Barak, could you do me a little favor?" she turned
and purred to the male who sat patiently at her side. He raised an eyebrow in
response. Taking that as a yes, Kat smiled. It was payback time.