Passion Ignited (8 page)

“Don’t stop on account of me,” she said, that
playful smile reaching her eyes as she drank him in.

“What are you doing in here?”

She shrugged. “I’ve come because of our
arrangement.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Stop
playing this game. I’m sick of putting up with your hot/cold
routine. Either you want this or you don’t.”

Nitro sat up, looking momentarily surprised by
his boldness. Her expression morphed to a pouty face, her bottom
lip jutting out as she looked up at him. Standing from the bed, she
sauntered over and placed her hands on his bare chest. “And what do
you want, Raid?”

His jaw clenched. The feeling of her warm
hands on his chest sent chills through his body. Not because of how
good they felt on him, but because he remembered the taste of her
kiss. “It’s not about what I want. I need to know that you’ll stop
playing games.”

She shoved herself away from him. “You’re no
fun, Raid. Life is all about games. It’s all we really have. Every
fight, every battle, every kill—it’s all a game. Either we win or
we lose.”

He shook his head. “I don’t play games. I take
my job seriously.”

Nitro eyed him as she cocked her head to the
side. “You’re telling me you don’t enjoy the rush of killing those
filthy demons? You don’t feel joy at destroying those who would
cause harm to those you protect?” With each question, she inched
closer and closer to him, until she was so close that he could feel
the warmth radiating from her body. “Oh, you
do
play games.
You’ve been playing one from the day I walked through your front
door.”

His eyelids hooded as he watched the movement
of her mouth. Her lips were so soft, made for kissing. The urge to
take her mouth grew, becoming an incessant need.

“You want me, Raider,” she whispered. “And I
want you. Take me.”

His head bowed down low, inching even closer
to her soft pink lips. She opened her mouth and tilted her head
back, allowing him access to where he wanted to be. Pulling her to
him, he reveled in the feeling of her soft breasts pressed against
his hard stomach. The woman felt so perfect there, her soft curves
made to counter the hardness of his body. He took her mouth,
dominating it. In and out his tongue swirled, dancing with hers in
a fast rhythm. Her moans made his Instinct roar to life, wanting to
dominate more than just her mouth. His entire body tingled with
excitement; just the thought of being inside her hardened his cock
for the job it was more than willing to complete.

Nitro’s arms wound around his neck as he
pressed their lips closer together. He hefted her up in his arms
and her long slim legs wound around his waist. He carried her to
the bed, rolling her to her back as he continued to mesh their
mouths together. His hands roamed over her body as her hands
gripped the muscles of his back and shoulders. Gods, the female
felt amazing. Every moan, every scratch of her nails, sent his
senses haywire. She writhed against him, arching her breasts into
his hands as he massaged them gently; her hips bucked into his,
making his shaft even harder. He trailed his hand down to her
skirt, and inched upward, seeking the heat he craved.

His hand found the sweet spot—hot, slick, and
oh, so bare. Nitro jerked and moaned against his palm, spreading
her slick wetness around on his hand. His mouth left hers as his
lips traveled down her neck. The light kisses turned to grazes as
his fangs moved over her skin.

Until she tensed.

Her fingers stopped traveling over his skin
and she shoved him away. “Stop, Raider,” she said, pushing at him
more forcefully as he rolled off her.

“What?” he growled. His teeth gnashed together
at the sound of his own voice. He hadn’t realized until that moment
how hard he’d been panting.

“Did I say you could bite me, vampire?” she
spat. “You think I’d actually let you drink from me?” Sitting up,
she pushed herself from the bed, inching her skirt back into
place.

Raider leaned on his side, staring—blinking—at
the nutjob in front of him. “What the fuck are you talking
about?”

“Oh, please.” She sneered. “Just look at
yourself. Your fangs are out and you were aiming right for my
neck.” She stormed toward the door. As she reached it she looked at
him one more time. “If you ever so much as
think
about
sinking your teeth into me, I’ll rip your fangs out myself.” She
slammed the door behind her, leaving Raider staring after her yet
again.

Not for the first time, he found that he
couldn’t sleep. For hours, he lay on his back, staring up at the
ceiling above him. His cock couldn’t sleep either, the stupid
bastard stood at attention, straight up in the air. It pointed at
the ceiling—at Nitro—who was lying directly over him, one floor
above, in her own bed.

He couldn’t get the female out of his mind.
Thoughts of her and how she’d reacted to his touch repeated over
and over. Only when he was too exhausted did he finally fall
asleep, dreaming of the female he craved.

****

The demons were particularly brutal tonight.
Ethan and Raider had gone out together, and the twins had taken a
shift again. They’d requested it every night since they arrived in
New Jersey.

Raider couldn’t figure out why they loved
fighting, but chalked it up to their Instincts. Though he still
hadn’t figure out what faction they were.

He and Ethan had dusted five Collectives two
alleys over, only to run across seven more. That fight had taken a
little longer since there was an Abassy—the iron-fanged sons of
bitches from the Underworld who were more than difficult to kill.
They’re a bit trickier to overcome because of their poisonous
bites, but he and Ethan had fought him while simultaneously
annihilating the others. Thankfully they were able to take a
breather as they stalked the surrounding alleyways, searching for
Collectives and listening for any signs of trouble.

Speaking of trouble…

Raider and Ethan glanced at each other as
sounds of grunts echoed off the brick walls. They hightailed down
the alleyway until they were practically on top of the carnage.
They were almost too easy to miss in the dark alley with their
black hair and their matching duds. Nitro and Ash were standing
back-to-back, each with daggers in their hands. Nitro also held a
whip, which she wielded masterfully, snapping it out at a demon as
it lunged, and then wrenching it back, causing the demon to lose
its balance and fall into her blade. If it weren’t for the fact
that the twins were so severely outnumbered, Raider would have
liked to simply watch her fight. As it was, both he and Ethan ran
into the fray, fists and blades flying. The demons—who were likely
Collectives—hadn’t heard them coming from behind. He and Ethan
stabbed hearts and slit throats as they made their way toward their
comrades.

Punch. Punch. Stab. Spin. Elbow to the nose.
Pierce the heart.

Raider stood, wiping a streak of blood from
his brow. He set to action once more, gaining speed as he fought
through the unsuspecting cluster. He looked up just as Nitro and
Ash got separated. Both were so caught up in their own battles that
they were no longer standing back-to-back. A bigger demon, much
larger than the others in all this chaos, loomed up behind Nitro
now. It was a Chorian, a nasty-ass demon with tentacles on its
fingers. He had tan—almost transparent—skin and a mouth that was
too wide to close. His constant sneer displayed his brown, rotting
teeth that dripped with drool. As if they didn’t look bad enough,
those Chorian bastards could also suck the immortal life right out
of anyone if they get their slimy hands on them.

Raider flashed forward, surprised that he
still could, as worn out as he was. He bypassed a few other demons,
dodging them as he went. Nitro was still engrossed in her fight,
obviously not sensing the bigger threat that loomed behind her. As
if she’d just noticed Raider’s presence, she looked at him in shock
as he passed her. Unsheathing his short sword from his belt, he
swung out, severing the demon’s hand from his arm. The Chorian
grunted—a scream, by their standards—and pulled what was left of
his arm back, cradling it. He turned on Raider then and, hissing at
him, reached out with his other hand instead. Nitro stepped
backward as the demon she was battling lunged forward. She bumped
into the Chorian, who angrily whirled on her. Raider rushed forward
just as she finally realized the threat. He plunged both his dagger
and short sword into the Chorian’s chest.

Nitro’s eyes widened, noticing that the
demon’s hand was only inches from her, its tentacles undulating as
if sensing their nearness. The Chorian fell backward, clutching its
hand to its chest as Raider pulled his blades free, still careful
not to touch its skin.

He stood, a little breathless, as he watched
Nitro’s reaction. She was a little breathless herself. “What was
that?” she asked.

He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees.
“Chorian,” he replied. “They suck the life out of you.”

She looked at him, then at the lifeless
creature, only to return her gaze to him once more. “Thanks,” she
said. And then she walked away.

He couldn’t make out the expression on her
face as she’d spoken. It was what he thought of as a mixture of
awe, uncertainty, and possibly pain. But that didn’t make any
sense.

A wail echoed through the alleyway as the last
demon fell. Raider looked over as Ethan pushed the dead demon off
of him and scrambled to his feet. “Close call, don’t you
think?”

“The bastard came up behind me,” Ethan said,
giving him a warning look.

Raider shook his head in mock disappointment.
He doubted he could ever be disappointed in his nephews, let alone
any of his brothers. “How many did
we
do that to? And
they’re all dead.”

Ethan chuckled and lit a match. He threw it on
one of the demon’s bodies, and it quickly ignited.

Raider watched the yellow flames grow. With as
tired as he was, he was grateful that at least they could all go
home soon.

****

“I hope the coffee is to your liking,
Mistress.”

Nitro took the piping-hot mug from the butler
and brought it to her lips. She’d been able to smell that delicious
aroma ever since she’d woken up. And although she didn’t normally
even like the taste of plain coffee, she couldn’t help but moan as
she swallowed it down.

She opened her eyes and peered over the rim of
her mug. Gregory was smiling expectantly at her in that kind, old
man way of his. He freaked her out.

“It’s delicious,” she said. And she meant it.
She’d only ever tasted coffee this good when it came from
Starbucks.

He beamed, his old blue eyes wrinkling in
delight, the same way she’d expect they would if she’d just given
him a lap dance or something.

“Would you care for more,
Mistress?”

Nitro snorted, despite herself. She was
learning to sort of like the old man, whenever she could get past
the creepy servant factor. “I think I’ll nurse this one for a
while, but I’ll come find you when I want more.”

Gregory bowed and left her sitting by herself
in the dining room. As she sipped her coffee, her mind wandered
back to what had happened between Raider and her. She’d actually
been enjoying herself, letting herself go for the first time since
she could remember.

Every thought of him both irritated and
thrilled her. Never had she met a male who was so desirable. His
warm brown eyes, the softness of his lips. Gods, even his stubble.
She’d never liked stubble before him. And she couldn’t help but
notice that he’d started growing his hair out. She wanted him to
grow it out so she could run her fingers through it. Maybe as he
took her. Yeah, he’d be pounding into her and she’d grip onto his
hair as he—

“Mistress, is your beverage too
hot?”

Nitro blinked a few times and shoved the
thoughts from her mind. Looking over at Gregory she popped up an
eyebrow. He was grinning at her again.

“The coffee? Is it too hot?”

“No. Why?” Why did she sound
guilty?

“It’s boiling, Mistress,” he
answered.

She looked down at the mug, noticing that the
coffee was in fact boiling. Setting it down, she stood from the
table. “I’m, uh…I’m going to go get ready for the
night.”

Walking through the swinging doors, she ended
up in the foyer. Striding across it as quickly as she could, she
reached the bottom of the stairs and gripped the
handrail.

“Going somewhere?”

Nitro turned just as she was taking the first
step. Raider was glaring up at her as he walked from the hallway.
Yes, he was definitely letting his hair grow out. She could see the
different hues of color weaved in it. Letting her eyes travel
downward, she noticed that he wore a tight black turtleneck and
workout pants. He’d recently showered, the musk of his body wash
and cologne wrapping around her like a welcoming cocoon, and
effectively driving her senses wild. “That would be none of your
business, vampire.”

Raider chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s the
problem with you, doll. You’re wrong. Everything that goes on here
is my business. It’s my job to keep everyone in this house
safe.”