Marked by Hades (18 page)

“Get dressed.” Planting his elbows on his thighs, he leaned forward, hands clasped before him.

She admired him another long breath, then turned toward the clothing. She dropped her towel and slipped into the underwear she found before turning around. “Not sleeping in leather pants, sorry.”

“There’s a T-shirt in that top drawer,” he said without looking up.

She sifted through the clothing in that drawer. White T-shirts, white undies—mixed with a few pairs of silk boxers—and white socks. No fashion sense at all, yet he pulled off his look with a sexy, simplistic style.

She threaded her arms through the T-shirt and popped her head through the neckline. It was huge on her, but that was okay. As the leather jacket did, this shirt smelled of him. All male. Rich in spice.

It ignited a fire she needed sated, and Justin was going to do that, whether he wanted to or not.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Damn, Dyre looked so sexy in his T-shirt. Justin knew having her here in his room was a mistake of epic proportions. This amount of torture was
not
worth it.

Yes, it was. To see her prancing toward him in his white T-shirt brought back the time when Yvonne had stayed with him in France. How he’d held her until she fell asleep every night. When he’d touched her until they were both out of their minds.

But this wasn’t Yvonne. It was obvious by the extra sway her hips offered as she walked. Yvonne was never that confident when they were close. Though she craved his touch constantly, she was never seductive, manipulative.

And she never had black eyes and fangs, either.

But damn, she still toyed with that lip ring in a way that wound him so tight he might break. Suddenly the couch he was sitting on better resembled a concrete bench he was so uncomfortable. Maybe he should take her back down to the cell.

Tiny teeth peeked out from Dyre’s upper lip, and it fired a jolt of electricity through his chest. He couldn’t quite tell if it was repulsion or arousal, which scared the shit out of him.

He was one sick Shomrei.

Or just really lonely and horny.

“I know you want me.” Dyre smiled. “It’s okay, Justin. I won’t bite you
hard
.”

“You won’t bite me at all.” He pointed to the bed. “Good night.”

Ignoring his order, she kept onward, and each step she took, his body tightened with desire. He would not do this with a demon. No matter how much his body wanted to. No matter how much she looked like Yvonne. No.

Maybe just a little
.

No.

But damn if his heart didn’t nearly jump out of his throat as she sashayed his direction, a hint of her panties showing beneath the T-shirt. And the fact that she hadn’t put on the bra he’d laid out for her hadn’t escaped his notice.

He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable in his jeans. “That’s enough, Dyre.”

She paused, but not for long. A sexy smile tugged at her full, shiny lips. That lip ring called to him. He wanted to feel it between his teeth, hear it clank as he devoured her mouth.

Her damp hair draped over her shoulders like a cape. If only his Mark was still on her shoulder. God, he missed that. Missed her sparkling green eyes and her laugh.

He’d screwed up so much by not making love to her before she left for Hades.

And now it was too late.

Dyre stopped directly in front of him, clearly within his grasp, and his arms itched to wrap around her. To yank her on top of his lap and sate this fire inside him.

“I’m not having sex with you, so you might as well forget it.” The words tasted like ash. He hated talking so forcefully with her. She was a demon, not his Yvonne, but still.

“Who said anything about sex?” she whispered as she stepped so close she had to plant one foot on either side of his feet.

She pushed him back and sat on his knees. He kept his focus to the side, willing himself not to look at her most private place.

“We can have lots of fun without sex. Though sex would be fun, too.”

He swallowed hard.

She rubbed up his thighs, then up his shirt until she gripped his waist. “Mmm. That’s nice.”

Despite the urge to cup her face and bring her in for a kiss, he kept his hands to the side. The light from the lamp beside them flickered off the silver ring in her lip.

“It’d be nicer if you were wearing less clothing.” She leaned in and nipped at his neck.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away.

“I wasn’t going to bite you.” She grinned, flashing fang. “Yet.”

“Pull them in,” he gritted out. “Or this stops now.”

Her eyebrows raised as her fangs retracted. She ran her tongue along the now-smooth teeth, and that broke his resolve. Grabbing her thighs, he pulled her astride him. The pressure flamed his fire to inferno levels.

He rubbed her bare thighs, and the soft, warm skin felt like home. She leaned forward and rested her cheek on his. Inhaling deeply, she moved against him, never disconnecting her face from his. So smooth, and she smelled fresh, like his soap. And wearing his T-shirt…

Yvonne.

“God, you feel so good.” She traced her tongue along his jaw line to his earlobe.

He ran his hands up her waist. “Arms up.”

She obeyed, and he guided the shirt over her head, then tossed it to the side. Pulling her forward, he buried his face in the smooth flesh. A moan vibrated through her chest as he grazed his hand up and down her spine, drinking in her presence. Her touch.

He’d missed her so much.

“That’s perfect.” She nuzzled his neck. “Keep doing that.”

She moved in time with his caresses as she licked his skin, and he couldn’t stop grinding against her, holding her tight with his free hand.

“Let me feel you.” She groped at his shirt. “I need more.”

He sat up, and she peeled off his shirt.

Wide black eyes took in the sight of him, then she dived in, touching him all over, until he could hardly think straight. He cupped her breasts, and her head fell back as he feasted on her body. Tracing a hand up to her neck, his thumb found her throbbing pulse. It matched his.

Closing his eyes, he fell into her rhythm, lost in the feeling of her body against him. It’d been so long. Too long.

Fangs pierced his neck, and a roar of heat flared through his body, catapulting him off the cliff.

And he fell hard, no parachute. He just plummeted into bliss. Surely he would burn in Hades for experiencing this much pleasure.

Each pull she drew from his neck sent him deeper into bliss, and it was bliss he’d only ever experienced with Yvonne. No other woman.

His body knew it was her, and he craved only her.

White stars danced along the corners of his eyes. Energy thrummed through his veins. She slowed her pace and retracted her fangs. Dragging her tongue along the punctures, she sagged against him.

He’d known demons took blood. They didn’t need it to survive, but still, it was perverse, and that was what demons were.

Burying her face in his neck, he combed his fingers through her hair. Their hearts calmed together through the long, contented silence.

“Thank you.” The gentle whisper of her voice surprised him. “You must have loved her very much.”

His heart jumped, and his body tensed.

“Don’t. Just hear me out.” She spoke, peppering kisses along his flaming flesh. “I feel it inside me. Warmth. Something I’ve never before felt. I’ve been with many—demons and humans alike—this feeling can only be coming from the human I once was.”

Yvonne.
She was still in there. Tears burned, and he held this demon closer, if that was even possible.

“I think I know how to get her back.”

He pulled her away enough to see her face.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her nostrils flared. Vulnerability roiled through her features, softening the tension he’d seen earlier. She looked so much more like Yvonne on the night they’d said good-bye. Except for the black eyes.

“Don’t toy with me, Dyre.”

“I’m not.” She swiped her hand beneath her eye. “I didn’t ask to be a demon. I…was tricked. And there’s someone who can help.”

“The witch?”

“Evania Heinrich. A powerful witch from the Mekhash clan. She reversed Lucifer’s punishment on me at Pario’s command.”

“How?”

“Not sure. I don’t remember anything other than waking in Pario’s—”

“I know, but how do you know the witch helped you?”

“Pario told me what he’d done, and I know Evania. She used to serve on Lucifer’s direct council.” She leaned forward, resting her cheek to his once again. “And if she reversed their punishment, maybe she can bring it back?”

Hope flared deep within his heart. His immediate response was to snuff it out, but something made him pause. Could there be a way to bring Yvonne back? “You’d sacrifice Dyre for Yvonne?”

“If it means feeling this way every day…” She pulled out from his neck. “Then yes.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Justin led Dyre from the plane, holding her hand. She told herself it was because of their night together and not the fact that he had to keep tabs on her. Pario had done the same thing that night they’d bombarded the fake location for the Ring of Episteme, but Justin’s hold was different.

It wasn’t around the wrist. His fingers weren’t twined with hers, but still, he held her hand. His grip wasn’t possessive and dominating. It was more guiding, tight enough to remind her he was in control, but not threatening.

Such a complicated Shomrei this Justin turned out to be. At first, so repulsed by her touch, but then, when he gave in, he was so gentle, tender with her. Loving.

She craved it. Craved him. But she also knew his kindness toward her might only be because of the human she once was. He wanted her back. That thought stung a little, but she shoved it down. So what. He was there, holding her, and he’d held her most of the night.

“Now where, Dyre?” Theo asked as he and Sadie came up beside her.

A ping of guilt rattled through her when she looked at Sadie. Dyre had kept her drugged and locked up for three months at Agares’s bidding. And nearly killed Theo in the process, which meant she’d nearly killed Justin as well.

Yet Sadie’s gaze upon her wasn’t harsh or judgmental. If the situation had been reversed, Dyre would have gone for Sadie’s neck already. What was this confidence and hope the Shomrei had?

“The bank is less than an hour from the one that had the ring. I rented a safe-deposit box,” she said as the group moved toward the SUV at the end of the tarmac.

These Shomrei traveled in luxury.

“How’d you get money and get away to do all this?” Sadie asked as she piled into the back seat with Dyre.

“Love, sit up here with me. Justin will stay by Dyre.”

“No. It’s okay.” Sadie patted the Gatekeeper’s shoulder. “You two work out your strategy.”

He held her gaze a second, then nodded. Justin shut Dyre’s door and went around to the front seat.

“So, how’d you finagle all this?” Sadie asked again.

The inquisitive young girl nodded as if encouraging her to open up. Irresistible, this little Shomrei Mate was.

“Pario never left the Artifacts behind. He took them wherever he went. When we got here, he was wrapped up in planning the attack on the fake location. When he sent Gavin, his prize minion, up north to a small compound of new demons to enlist some help, I begged a ride with him. It took a little convincing, but Pario shared me with Gavin, so he trusted the demon.” Dyre smiled as she remembered manipulating them both to get her way. “I stole some money and the Artifacts he had and went up north. Gavin doesn’t watch me as closely as Pario, so I sneaked away under the guise of a shopping spree.”

“He let you shop?” Sadie asked.

Dyre leaned in and whispered. “Gavin’s putty in my hand when he gets a little something-something. Anyway, he sent a newbie demon with me. I killed him, cut up my clothing a little, and claimed Hunters attacked.”

Sadie glanced to the front seat and back, her eyes filled with sadness.

“Only thing that doesn’t add up was that Pario said he had three Artifacts, but all I found in the drawer were the Thata and the Sword of Terentia. The ring had been stashed by Agares, and Pario didn’t have that, so I’m not sure what the third one was that he claimed to have.”

“He could have kept it at a separate location for security reasons,” Sadie said.

“Possible. Pario did make me stay topside with Gavin quite a few times while he made trips to Hades. So he may have hidden it there.”

Giving information like this, especially to Shomrei warriors, was high treason once again. She was half surprised Lucifer hadn’t come up here already and set her ablaze.

Sadie leaned in. “Why do all this? Something doesn’t add up.”

Dyre gulped. “I needed leverage.”

“For…”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“But showing us to your stash removes your leverage.”

“I’m hoping by cooperating you’ll help me.”

Sadie leaned in more, as if she were trying to see into Dyre’s mind. “Help you how?”

“I want to live free here on earth, if not as my human self, then as a demon. I don’t wish to return to Hades and be a sex slave to those bastards down there.”

Justin flinched and glanced over the seat, his brows furrowed.

“I knew there was something different about you.” Sadie sat back. “You never wanted to be a demon, did you? Just survived, searching for your out.”

“Agares had promised to help me return topside. Shed my demon. I never wanted it.”

“Then how did it come to pass?” Theo asked.

So much for just chatting with Sadie. “Doesn’t matter.”

“But you were human. Two hundred years ago?” Theo asked.

“Yes. Raised in Budapest.” Her heart cracked at the thought of her mom. Aggie had told her about her human life several times, and though Dyre didn’t remember much, she remembered her mother.

Sadie let out a breath. “A demon has to choose the life of a demon. You—”

“Enough with the questions. What’s the plan once we get to the bank?”

“We’ll scout it out and make sure Pario isn’t there,” Theo said.

“He’s branded me. He’ll find me if we’re out from beneath the protection of your compound. It’s just a matter of time.”

“That’s what we’re counting on,” Justin said.

“Are you okay with being bait?” Sadie asked.

“It’s fine,” Dyre said. “What’s the plan?”

“You go in and get the Artifacts. We’ll be ready if he shows up. Then I’m going to bury the Mavet deep in him and send him to Hades for eternity.” Theo let out a growl.

“You really think it’ll be that easy?” Dyre laughed. “That demon has so many tricks up his sleeve. Did you know he can damn near fly? He cleared a three-story building with a single jump. He’s evaded your detection for weeks coming and going from Hades.”

“What do you propose, then?” Sadie asked.

“Sneak the damn things out of there and disappear. Then find this witch and be done with it all.”

“Now who’s deluded into thinking things are easy?” Justin said.

“I know where the witch is…or about where she is.”

“Hades, right?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, so?”

“Three Shomrei and a traitor demon can’t just saunter into Hades undetected without drawing someone’s interest.”

“If we’re sneaky, we can. And you’ve got Theophilus. No one can defeat him and his Mate.”

The car jostled over the bumps of the gravel road, and Dyre grabbed the door handle to secure herself.

“First things first. Let’s get those damn Artifacts onto sacred ground and then go forward,” Theo said. “I don’t care if I have to fight an army of Pario’s demons at that bank, we’ll get those items to safety.”

Justin grunted in agreement.

Sadie nodded. “We’ll all go in together. Dyre shielded by three Shomrei will be difficult to reach.” She looked at Dyre for a long breath, and her eyes flashed red. “You won’t betray us.”

“You have my word. I will get the Artifacts and give them to you in return for your protection and aid in retrieving Yvonne.” She leaned in to Sadie. “But don’t even
think
about betraying me.”

Theo growled, his fangs dropping as he looked over the seat. Justin grabbed the steering wheel.

Sadie’s fangs dropped as well, but she made no move toward Dyre. “You have my word as a Shomrei.” She offered her hand and leaned in. “And as a sister-in-law.”

Dyre stiffened, paralyzed by the words that came from Sadie’s fanged mouth.
Sister-in-law
. So, it was true. Yvonne and Justin had mated. No wonder he was so tormented by her presence.

And no wonder she felt so drawn to him.

She vowed, then and there, to get to the witch, Evania, to make things right, because Dyre wanted Justin to be hers—
er
—Yvonne’s. And she would kill anyone who got in the way.

Even herself.

…

The sun dipped beneath a cloud, shooting golden and pink rays out as the day drifted toward evening. Justin tightened his grip on Dyre and hurried her along. They only had about fifteen minutes until the bank closed. So far, all was clear.

“Don’t leave my side, you hear me? You’re strong, but I’m stronger. If Pario and his gang show up, we’ll handle him.”

“My hero.” She giggled.

“Stop joking.” He had heard the pain in her voice when she’d mentioned being tricked into becoming a demon. Somehow he would make things right for her. But first, he had to keep her alive.

She winked and tapped the end of his nose. “I’m not without my tricks, Justin. I’ll fight by your side if he comes. I won’t betray you.”

He glanced down and was met with wide black eyes. She didn’t lie. Somehow he knew it. He had to trust. Maybe his time with The Great One that morning had empowered him. Led him to the decision he’d made.

That he’d still mate Dyre, even if they couldn’t bring Yvonne back. If the Mark never surfaced, he’d marry her in a traditional ceremony.

A Shomrei warrior with a demon. That’d go down in the record books for sure.

The bank came into view, and Dyre’s grip tightened. The four of them entered the doors and met the wide-eyed stare of the guards. He could only imagine how out of place the four of them looked.

“May…we…help you?” the receptionist asked from behind the golden-topped counter. Two guards moved to either side of her.

“Hi,” Dyre said in the sweetest voice. “I have a deposit box I’d like to see.”

“Do…do you have your passkey?” She motioned to the right. The kiosk screen blinked red, ready to receive a swipe.

Dyre pulled a thin, credit card–looking item from her back pocket and stepped forward, releasing her grip on Justin.

But he didn’t let her go. Instead, he moved along with her. Not so much out of mistrust but a desire to see the process and stay close to keep her safe.

She swiped the card and entered four digits when prompted, 7-6-2-2. Trust for this demon increased with each movement. Never once had she tried to disrupt his view of the keypad, and he easily saw the pass code. The screen blinked green and read, “Please see guard.”

The guard, one hand on his gun, stepped forward and said, “Come with me, Ms. Joyous.”

Justin quirked an eyebrow at her, and she grinned. They stepped forward, and the guard said, “I’m sorry, only her.”

“But this is my husband,” she said.

The air left Justin’s chest at her calling him her husband. God, that sounded exactly right. A blinding white light flashed before his eyes and thunder clapped in his mind. His body tensed, and his heart stopped with such a force he coughed. A burn swarmed through his chest, over his shoulder and pooled at his neck.

What the hell?

The scent of lavender imprinted on his senses, and he knew the Ahavah Mark was calling to him.

He’d felt it when the Mark had surfaced on Yvonne.

Dyre flinched, her jaw muscles twitching. She shook her head, and her little body swayed.

“Ma’am?” The guard reached for her.

Justin tightened his grip around her shoulders, feeling the presence of his Mate so strongly he was almost intoxicated by it. “She’s just very tired. I’ll help her.”

“Sorry, only those listed on the account can enter.”

Dyre pulled in a deep breath and nodded. “It’s fine.” She scratched at her shoulder. “Um…I— He can stand right outside, though.”

He dipped his head and led them several steps toward the vault. Off to the left another person stood post. They nodded at each other as the guard tapped out a thirteen-digit code on a keypad, and the vault door clicked open.

Behind Justin, Theo and Sadie stood shoulder to shoulder, Theo facing the main entrance to the bank and Sadie facing them. Each scanned the area like the warriors they were.

“Be quick. I’ll be right here,” Justin whispered, careful to keep from touching her ear. He didn’t need his Mark showing up on his skin right now. That’d freak everyone out considering his neck was visible.

He couldn’t believe Dyre got the Ahavah. She was a demon.

Only on the outside
.

The Great One’s voice sang through his mind.

Dyre looked at him with wide eyes, and he nodded for her to move on. Had she heard the voice as well?

She disappeared into the room. The guard closed the door until only a crack remained, and he stood in front of it. Justin hated not being able to see her, but he felt her. A subtle rush streamed through his chest, and a second heartbeat echoed in his ears. Calm, focused. Steady.

Yvonne.

Everything okay?
Theo asked silently.

Fine.

What happened?

Dyre just got my Ahavah.

Justin heard Theo’s mental gasp of breath, but immediately felt the resolve solidify as if Theo, too, accepted the rightness of it and welcomed the demon into the Shomrei fold. His brother had such admirable faith, taking The Great One’s lead without doubt. Without question.

Congrats, brother. Celebrating after we get the Artifacts.

And the celebration would happen between Dyre and Justin, in private and with no clothing.