Blood of the Demon Read online

  He would have to visit her dreams and coax her into telling him. A laborious process, to be sure, but now that he knew her name and was assured she was the heir, it was doable.

  “Did they do or say anything to give you an indication of their identities?” Mammon asked the frightened demon. “Did they call each other by names?”

  “No, my Lord.” The demon shook his head emphatically. “But there were four of them, and one of them called another bro.”

  Mammon froze in mid-stride with his back to the demon.

  “Bro?” Leviathos repeated in alarm.

  Mammon whirled to face the demon, and prowled toward him. The menace in his expression must have been unmistakable, because the demon rose from the couch, cowering in front of him, his expression terrified.

  “What did these men look like?” Mammon asked.

  The demon squeaked at the steely, foreboding tone in his voice. “They all looked si—similar, my Lord. Tall with dark hair.” He dared a glance at Mammon, lowering his hands from his face. “Somewhat like you, in fact.”

  “What?” Mammon roared.

  Barely realizing what he was doing, he wrapped his hand around the demon’s throat. The demon’s eyes widened, and he managed to utter one sharp squeal before Mammon twisted and yanked. His body fell to the ground as his head detached from the rest of him.

  Mammon eyed the head for one moment before dispassionately tossing it over his shoulder. He turned to Leviathos, who had risen and was currently regarding him with a look of abject horror.

  Mammon growled, his mind consumed with only one thought.

  “Keegan... ”

  §

  For the second night in a row, Keegan wandered the halls instead of going to sleep. Strange, he hadn’t initially cared one way or another about this borrowed apartment. But now that they’d be leaving it tomorrow, he realized he would miss it.

  Brynn infiltrated his mind the way she had since he’d first seen her. But this time, it was with a growing sense of desolation.

  They were running out of time.

  Mammon had already discovered her identity. How much longer before he found the Book? If he got to it before they did, their options would be drastically limited.

  Maybe there would be no choice at all.

  Things might have been simpler if he hadn’t given Brynn his necklace, and if he hadn’t allowed her to read its memories. Something inside him couldn’t help but wonder if giving her access to his memories had been a crucial mistake. Her obvious distrust had morphed into compassion, and into horror for what he’d experienced as a child. Who knows what she would have thought if she had learned his other secret, his mother’s legacy? Would that have been too much for her? Or would she have handled it just as gracefully as she’d handled everything else so far?

  She truly believed he was a good man, and trusted him now. And if he’d correctly read the lust etched onto her face, she desired him. How could he betray her?

  Keegan paused outside her room, his forehead to the door, as if by that simple act he could forge an unbreakable connection with her. For the first time since he’d broken free of his father, he wished he were somewhere else, living someone else’s life.

  He didn’t want to bear this responsibility. Didn’t want to have to make a choice between this vibrant, engaging woman and the rest of this world. Maybe all of the worlds.

  He hadn’t expected Brynn to be such a shining beacon of hope and life, and hadn’t expected to connect with her so deeply. If he was charged with ending her existence, if he went through with it, would he really be any better than his monster of a father?

  His heart told him no. But what were his options?

  One life or many?

  There was no winning choice here.

  Keegan lifted his palm to the door. It was cold and hard beneath his hand. The way he should be. But apparently, he wasn’t wired that way, no matter how hard he tried.

  He couldn’t fail. The Council depended on him. His brothers depended on him.

  This was his duty.

  With a deep sigh, Keegan pushed away, stepped into his own room, and shut the door. With any luck, he would sleep a dreamless sleep tonight. But as he settled into bed and closed his eyes, something told him that was as likely as Mammon deciding to abandon his nefarious plot.

  §

  His fists flew at her with abandon.

  “I’ll train you yet, boy.”

  “No,” Brynn tried to choke out. “No, I’m not... ”

  But he didn’t listen and continued to hit her, blow after punishing blow.

  The scene faded, and the pain with it. Now she walked within a dark, moist cave. Glimmers of moonlight shone in from cracks in the ceiling, illuminating portions of it. Somewhere deeper inside, water trickled, landing on the ground with marked little plops.

  Fear permeated the air, palpable in its intensity. This place terrified her.

  A shout from farther inside the cave pricked her flesh. Heart pounding, she followed the low noise, winding through a narrow passage. It opened up to a larger space, moonlight streaming in. Brynn bit back a cry at what she saw.

  A woman was chained to the wall. She had an ethereal appearance, with long, blonde hair flowing in heavy waves to her waist. Her gown was so white it almost gleamed in the soft light, and in front of her stood a man. Even though his back was to her, Brynn recognized him as Keegan’s father.

  “Please don’t,” the woman begged him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  He laughed. One hand carelessly snatched at her dress, rending it in two.

  “No,” Brynn cried, her voice a perfect echo of the woman’s own panicked scream. Neither of them heard her. The woman continued to stare at Keegan’s father, fear and horror on her face. When he began to unbutton his pants, Brynn screwed her eyes shut.

  “Brynn, are you okay?” said a deep voice.

  She opened her eyes, and she was back in her apartment. In her own bed.

  Keegan sat on the bed beside her, a question in his eyes.

  She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Bad dream.”

  Keegan smiled. “You’re still dreaming.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  “How are you doing with everything?”

  “You mean how am I dealing with finding out my ancestor mated with a succubus? That I’ve got demon in my bloodline? That this is how I got my abilities?” Brynn snorted sarcastically. “Yeah, no big deal.”

  He touched her face and caressed her cheek, a wicked expression crossing his eyes. “You’re tough. You’ll deal.”

  She nodded, and he turned to her window, covered only by a sheer, billowing curtain. “It’s almost daylight outside. Not much time to waste.”

  “For what?” she asked.

  Keegan shot her a cocky grin. “For this.”

  His hand moved to the back of her neck and he pulled her to him, taking her mouth in a demanding kiss. She moaned and plastered her body to his, deepening their kiss. He lowered her back onto the bed, snatching away her sheet. His searing tongue traced a path from her throat to her collarbone. There, he paused to pull down the thin strap of her silky nightgown, his breath causing a shiver on her sensitive flesh as he bared one breast.

  “Yes,” Brynn moaned.

  Keegan chuckled before lightly blowing on her nipple. It puckered from the heat of his breath. Then, an agonizing heartbeat later, his lips closed over it, rolling the sensitive bud around in his mouth and tugging on it.

  “Keegan,” she breathed, tracing her hands from the heavy, corded muscles of his back down to his rock-hard backside. She wanted to feel the heat of his flesh under her fingertips. Her fingers crawled underneath the fabric of his pajama bottoms, while his hands slid her nightgown up to her thighs.

  “Do you like this?” he asked, his voice husky.

  Brynn gasped as his fingers expertly found that sensitive spot between her thighs and one finger dipped inside.

  “You know I
do,” she panted.

  “Hmm,” he replied in satisfaction. He kissed his way down her stomach, thrusting this finger deeper this time, as his head journeyed downward.

  Brynn moaned and closed her eyes, reveling in the exquisite sensation of his fingers playing over her. Moving inside her.

  “Ooh, that... don’t stop,” she whispered.

  He chuckled, and it sounded a little different this time.

  “I’m definitely liking this dream,” he said. His voice had changed, more gravelly now. A little deeper. The atmosphere had suddenly shifted, going from playful to menacing.

  Brynn’s eyes flew open, and she screamed. It wasn’t Keegan’s face smiling at her anymore.

  It was his father’s.

  “Brynn,” he rumbled, a sinister look coming to his face, “I need you—”

  She awoke with a jolt. Sweat glistened all over her body and her heart galloped in her chest, as if it longed to race away from the horror of that dream. She scanned the entire room, making sure there was no one else there. But sure enough, she was alone. Unlike her dream, she wasn’t in her apartment, but rather in her room at Keegan’s borrowed condo.

  “It was just a dream,” she whispered. “Just a dream.”

  Lord knows she’d had pretty vivid ones the past two nights.

  But it didn’t feel like a dream.

  She lay back down, willing her heartbeat to slow a fraction. She closed her eyes in the vain hope she might somehow fall asleep again, but when she did, all she saw was Keegan’s father. And the unholy glaze in his eyes as he’d ogled her, taking in her bared breasts with satisfaction.

  How quickly it had morphed from a hot, wet fantasy into a nightmare. Just thinking about it made her skin crawl.

  If she never had one of those dreams again, she would die a happy girl.

  Chapter Ten

  It took Taeg well over a day, and visits to more than ten local demon bars, before he managed to track down Cresso’s London address. Other than a few visits Cresso had paid to Infernum, they hadn’t kept in touch since he’d moved to Earth. It wasn’t like there was cell phone service on Infernum or anything.

  After all these years, Taeg still wondered how the hell Cresso had managed to get clearance to move from the Council. Guess some demons just had all the luck.

  He didn’t bother walking the short distance from the bar to the address the bartender had given him. What good was being half-fae if you didn’t make use of the fae paths?

  Taeg concentrated on the address and a shimmering path opened up in front of him. Only certain types of fae—or, in his case, half-fae—could see or travel the paths. Even then, they couldn’t traverse to other worlds—just to different points in the one they were on.

  The current caught him, pulling him forward as if he were weightless. The best way he could describe it to his brothers was that it was like water-skiing over a rainbow. Totally exhilarating.

  In the span of an instant, Taeg stood in front of Cresso’s apartment. He gave a sharp rap on the door. After several minutes, he knocked again. Finally, the door opened, but instead of Cresso, a beautiful woman with flowing black hair stood on the other side. She wore only lingerie, and eyed him in a way he couldn’t help but respond to. The energy emanating from her identified her as some type of demon, but even through her glamour, it was obvious she was one of the good-looking ones.

  “Well, hello there,” he said in an appreciative voice. She was hot enough, and he’d gone without long enough that he couldn’t help himself.

  She smirked and opened the door wider, cocking her head in blatant invitation. “Hey, yourself. Why don’t you come in, handsome?”

  Even while his brain told him he needed to focus on finding Cresso, his cock fought and won the battle to respond. Damn thing had a mind of its own. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Taeg strode in and turned to face her as she closed the door. Behind him, another door opened. He whirled to see a second demon, this one blonde, exiting a room. Unlike her companion, she wore nothing other than a set of lacy panties. She saw him and slid the door shut before stalking toward him.

  “What do we have here?” she asked, her voice a sexy rumble in her throat. The hungry once-over she gave him put him in mind of a predator spotting its prey. Her gaze lingered on the words stamped across his T-shirt: Orgasm Donor. Lips curving into a slow smile, she glanced back up at him. “I’ll take three.”

  “I saw him first,” whined the black-haired demon.

  “We can share,” the blonde retorted, shooting him a wicked little smile. “We always do.”

  Oh, shit. He was in trouble. Better say something now if he had any hopes of getting out of here within the next day or two. “Wait, I’m actually looking for—”

  “Ladies, ladies, what have I told you about playing with my visitors?”

  Taeg turned toward the sound of Cresso’s voice. He stood outside the door the blonde had come out of, with another barely clad woman on his arm. His hair was messed up and he wore only a pair of slacks, the fly still undone. It was more than obvious what he’d just been doing.

  The blonde gave Cresso an exaggerated pout. “Sorry, baby. He just looked so delectable. We couldn’t resist.”

  “Cresso, man, it’s good to see your ugly mug again,” Taeg said to his old friend.

  “You, too.” Cresso beamed at him. “It’s been too many years. How the hell did you find me?”

  “Asked around. You don’t keep a low profile, you know.” Taeg strolled forward to clasp Cresso’s hand.

  “Never have.” Cresso chuckled, then addressed the women. “Give us a moment if you will, loves.”

  “Okay,” they replied in unison, then turned to shuffle back into Cresso’s bedroom. The blonde grabbed Taeg’s ass as she walked by him. Saucy wench.

  Taeg shuddered and watched them go. He waited until they’d shut the door to turn back to Cresso with a sharp whistle. “Three of them, man? You always were a fucking pervert, but still. Come on.”

  Cresso laughed. “My appetite only seems to increase with age. Want a beer?” He headed toward the kitchen without waiting for a reply, buttoning his slacks as he walked.

  Taeg followed him in. “Yeah, well, if you don’t mind me asking”—he pointed his thumb toward the direction of the women—“how are they still alive? I mean, I didn’t know an incubus could have sex without killing his partner. Unless they’re—”

  “Succubi,” Cresso said. He tossed him a beer. “I just saved your ass back there.”

  Taeg fought back an embarrassed flush as he pulled out a chair, taking a seat at the small kitchen table. “I would have stopped them.”

  Eventually.

  “Yeah. Right.” Cresso sat at the table and took a swig of his beer. “You know, I’m working on a little theory, trying to find a way for succubi and incubi to mate without killing their partners. But I’m not quite there and I’m guessing you didn’t come all the way to Earth because you wanted to fuck a succubus. So, why are you here?”

  “Mammon,” Taeg said simply.

  “Hmm, my old mentor?” Cresso raised an eyebrow. “What’s that bastard done now?”

  “Oh, he only plans to take over all of Earth. For starters. And he’s actually found a way to do it.”

  Cresso let out a disbelieving laugh. “How?”

  Taeg filled Cresso in on the Book of the Dead and the events of the past several days, including Brynn and her role in the whole thing.

  “Shit. This is not good, man,” Cresso said. “And he already knows that this Brynn is the heir?”

  “Yes.” Taeg stared grimly at his beer. “If we don’t find the Book before Mammon does, the Council will order us to kill her to stop Mammon from succeeding in his plan. And I really don’t want to do that.”

  Cresso nodded in understanding. “I agree it’s no fun to have to take an innocent life.”

  “Not just that.” Taeg chugged the rest of his beer, then turned to Cresso. “Keegan has feelings for he
r.”

  Cresso winced. “Ooh. Tough break. So, what do you need me to do?”

  “Head to Egypt. From what we hear, Mammon has gotten quite a few demons on his side. He’s promised them a demon hierarchy once he’s taken over the world, and they’re foolish enough to believe it. See if you can talk to a few of them to find out where they’re searching for the Book. I can’t do it, for obvious reasons.”

  “Nor your brothers. Mammon is bound to have told his minions to be on the lookout for the four of you.” Cresso nodded his agreement. “I’ll make flight reservations to leave within the day. Unlike some of us, I can’t just disappear in one place and reappear in another.”

  “Yeah, I’m just special that way,” Taeg replied, his voice deadpan.

  Cresso was silent for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’ll never get over how perfectly normal you and your brothers are, given the circumstances.”

  “Yeah well”—Taeg shrugged—“we don’t get to choose who we’re born to.”

  Chapter Eleven

  By the time their plane landed in New Orleans, Brynn was tired and on edge. Her nightmares last night, on top of everything else she’d learned in the past few days, weighed on her shoulders until she wondered how much more she could possibly take. Add to that her growing attraction to Keegan, and there was no way she could have rested on the plane. Not with him sitting right next to her, so close she could’ve reached out and licked him, had she dared.

  Her body didn’t seem to care that Keegan was a demon, or that they were on the run. It didn’t care about anything other than how good he smelled and how deliciously small and safe she felt next to him. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had felt the same way. Once they’d landed, he practically dove off the plane in his haste to get out.

  Then again, maybe he’d never been on a plane before.

  “I can’t believe this,” Keegan muttered to Ronin, who was navigating the rented car through the crushing traffic toward their French Quarter hotel. “I tell you to find us another place to go, and you bring us here.”

  “No better place to hide than among a crowd of drunken revelers. Besides, the Council keeps a hotel suite on permanent reservation in this city.”