Authors: Unknown
“Mmmm…” He hummed against her lips, his erection rubbing along the inside of her thigh. “I say we adjourn this meeting to your bed.”
Dragging her nails lightly up his back, she laced her hands behind his neck. “I like the way you think.”
…
In Tegan’s bed, Gabe lay beside her. Propped on his elbow, he had an amazing view of her body. He ran his free hand along her hip, his gaze following the path of his fingers. Each curve teased him with its smoothness, and yet in spite of her toned physique, she was all woman. Soft where he was hard.
Her breath caught when he kneaded her breast. Seeing her hard nipple between his fingers was a temptation he couldn’t refuse. He bent to take it in his mouth, his tongue circling the tip. Her body arched like an offering, and her fingers fisted in his hair, encouraging his attention.
He’d wanted to take it slower this time and enjoy her completely, but everything about Tegan made his control fly out the damned window. The sound of tearing foil made him look up at her. She had a sultry smile and a condom package.
Before he could say anything, she rolled him over and straddled his thighs. “This time I’m in charge.”
He raised a very intrigued brow. “Yes, ma’am.”
She crinkled her nose. “Okay, ‘ma’am’ is now on the list of names you can never ever call me.”
“Just like pumpkin?”
She laughed, and the sound made his chest tight with emotions he had no business having. Looking up at her face, flushed with color, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair wet and mussed from his fingers, she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen.
Her soft hands encircled him, stroking him until his hips bucked toward her. She slid the condom over him slowly, making it a seduction instead of an inconvenience, then leaned down to kiss his lips. She raised her hips above him, just enough that the tip of his erection entered her warm body.
Enough to make him want to grab her hips and bury himself inside her. The woman made him crazy.
She nibbled at his lower lip as her hips finally lowered. He could feel every inch as her body took him in. Gabe growled. “You’re going to drive me insane.”
She hummed against his mouth as her hips met his. “Should I be sorry?”
She straightened up over him, not looking the least bit sorry. It would be so easy to love her. He gripped her waist, rocking up. Watching her face, seeing the pleasure there, seeing the way her breasts moved with each thrust of his hips. He wanted to make love to her all night.
Every night.
He ground his hips into her harder, sliding his hands up her sides until he cupped her breasts. Tegan moaned his name, her head dropping back while she moved faster above him. Her body was made for his, hot and tight.
Then she opened her eyes, letting him see the pleasure in her heated gaze.
He slowed his thrusts, aching to make the moment last.
She lay over him, her breasts caressing his bare chest while she kissed her way along his shoulder to his neck. Her cool, silky hair teased his skin, and he closed his eyes, drinking in her scent and feeling her body around him.
…
Seeing the way Gabe stared at her healed something the demon had wounded. He’d brought her back into the world and made her feel beautiful, sexy, and powerful. His touch left her aching for more, and his passion made her willing to ask for it.
She whispered against his ear. “You make me feel amazing.”
He turned his head, his lips finding hers. “You
are
amazing.”
Tegan rocked back, feeling him sink even deeper inside of her. She ran her hands over his toned chest, memorizing his body while she worked her hips faster against him.
When she’d met Gabe the word “warrior” had come to mind. But now they’d both bared their scars, and for the first time she didn’t feel self-conscious, didn’t feel lesser. Their scars made them who they were.
Gabe’s abs tightened, and he sat up, still buried deep inside her. His chest pressed against her as he wrapped her in his strong arms. Tegan moved her legs around his waist as he moved insider her, harder and faster.
He slid one hand between them, teasing her as his lips brushed her ear, his voice deep with need. “Come for me…”
Every muscle in her body tensed, trembling. Her nails dug into his biceps, and she clung to him as her senses exploded into pure pleasure. She peaked in his arms, and Gabe held her tighter until he finally erupted deep inside of her.
Gabe lay beside Tegan, completely spent. Even his eyelids were heavy. Her head rested on his chest; her naked limbs tangled with his. He ran his fingers through her still-damp hair, staring up at the ceiling. Now that the blood was returning to his brain, he kept replaying the fight with the Drog demon. The bounty on his head was nothing new. The part about a dragon coming for Tegan was.
“You’re awfully quiet.” She lifted her head to peer up at him. Damn the woman looked sexy with whisker burn on her cheeks and bedhead hair.
“Just thinking.” He traced her jawline. “I wish things could be normal. I could take you to dinner, bring you flowers. You deserve those things. Not Drog demons bleeding on your parking lot.”
She smiled, turning her head to kiss his palm before she met his gaze again. “Demon slaying aside, I’ve never dated anyone like you before.” Color crept up her neck. “Not that we’re dating… But whatever this is, most of the guys I spent time with were from USC getting their master’s degrees in some facet of international business. It made my dad happy, but it never really did anything for me.”
He did his best to chain the growling, snapping rottweiler in his chest. He’d been to her parents’ party. That was Tegan’s world. “You deserve all that.”
“What? Money?” She shook her head. “I’d take a guy who can land a solid side kick and runs his own small business any day.”
The jealous rottweiler gave a satisfied chuff. Gabe brought his other hand up to smooth back her hair and tried to focus on the whole reason they were here together. “The demon today kept saying you’re the key for the dragon to break into our world. And your dad told me that dragons don’t look like dragons in this world. What if the dragon they mention in the journal of names is actually the president they’re trying to lure through?”
He needed clarity, and he needed it now. If the door to hell opened, this world would never be the same. There weren’t enough slayers left on this side to protect humanity.
The demons would eventually annihilate them all.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning Tegan’s dad came by to work on some translations before he left for Hawaii. She hated having him in her tiny place, but she also didn’t want to worry her mother by having her overhear.
Maddock translated another line about dragon blood and met her eyes.
“What’s the blood of the dragon have to do with our family line?”
“Remember the legend of the battle between the red and white dragons? The white dragon wanted to destroy the Welsh people, but the red dragon finished him.
Y Ddraig Goch ddyry gychwyn
. ‘The Red Dragon will show the way.’”
“All right.” She nodded and flipped the journal open to the beginning. “But the rough translation here is
children of the dragon
.”
Maddock straightened in his chair. “It would have to be the red dragon or his kin who are out there now. The white dragon was defeated.” He pointed to the list of names. “The people on this list were probably from the same bloodline. Yer bloodline, angel.”
“Can’t be.” Tegan shook her head. “Your name isn’t in this book.”
Gabe cleared his throat. “Remember when we first met and I told you one slayer is born in each generation of my family line?” He stood up, walking the short distance to the sink. “Maybe this works the same way. Maddock just wasn’t the chosen one in his generation.”
“Maybe.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and reached for her notepad.
Maddock touched her hand. “I’m canceling the trip. I’m going to help you.”
Tegan sighed. “Dad, you promised you would stay out of this and let me handle it.”
“Aye, and I’m also a bald-faced liar.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Yer my only child, and I’m not leaving you to face this alone.”
Tegan got up and stood behind her dad, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She rested her chin on the top of his head. “The best thing you can do to help is to keep Mom occupied and far away from all these demons. I need you to take her on the trip like you planned. Otherwise she’ll worry, and you know her…she’ll get involved.”
Maddock took her hand. “It will kill yer father not to know if yer all right.”
“I promise to call you.”
“Every day.”
“Every day? I’m going to be busy.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Not negotiable.”
“I’ll make sure she calls,” Gabe added.
She glanced over at him, and he gave her a little wink. She kissed the top of her dad’s head. “Try to have a nice trip, Dad, and”—she mimicked his Welsh accent—“have a little faith in yer kin. I can do this.”
He nodded and got up, slowly turning around and pulling her into one of those tight hugs that made her feel invincible. He pulled back, and his eyes searched hers. “I love you.”
She kissed his cheek. “I love you too, Daddy. And I’ll see you soon.”
He finally forced a little smile. “Be sure you do.”
He gave Gabe a firm a handshake and looked over at her one last time before he turned and descended the stairs. Tegan blinked back a wave of tears, praying this wasn’t the last time she saw her father.
“I don’t get it.” She slapped her pen down on the table.
Gabe turned around from the sink. The man did dishes in shorts and no shirt. No wonder she couldn’t concentrate. It’d been three days since her father had sat beside her translating phrases from the leather-bound journal, and she was no closer to figuring out why she was a target.
“This book makes it sound like having the dragon’s blood is a good thing, but it got all these others killed.” She rested her head in her hands. “Why would a Hingo demon care if I came from a dragon’s bloodline? Like that’s even possible anyway.” She let out an exasperated sigh.
Gabe sat across from her at the table. “Everything pertaining to demons and other creatures is often written in riddles. Mankind might not have understood completely or didn’t have the writing skills to notate it properly. Others probably buried the truths in the stories to keep from being persecuted.”
He reached over and took her hand, his touch soothing the smoldering panic in her belly. “What I’m saying is the books aren’t supposed to make sense. You need to look for the kernels of truth within the story.” He glanced at the book. “This is just a hunch, but Lago said a demon was building an army. That would fit in with a Hingo demon’s urge to create his minions.” He paused for a second and met her eyes. “I need to read up on Haagenti. If he has any connections to the descendants of the red dragon somehow, the president might be our missing link. It’s worth a shot.”
“Maybe?” Tegan got up and opened the fridge. “I can only stare at that for so long before I want to chuck it across the room.”
“Hopefully Lago will have more information soon.” Gabe shifted in his chair. “He’s usually quick with the intel. He should’ve been back by now.”
She frowned, staring at the tattoo of the Celtic shield linking his shoulder blades. “Do you think something happened to him?”
His shoulders rose with a deep breath, and he turned toward her. Concern lined the corner of his eyes, aging him. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
Tegan stood up, closing the journal. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“You’ve got enough on your plate.”
“Stop it.” She crossed her arms. “We’re in this together, remember? Talk to me.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Part of a partnership is trusting the other to do their job. You figure out why your name is in that book, and I’ll figure out where my snitch went.”
She pressed her lips together. “I might be able to help.”
“You know what would help?” He pulled his hair back from his face in frustration. “It would help if I could sleep. Since I met you, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep without seeing your body, bloody and broken in my arms. I still don’t have a clue where the Hingo demon who attacked you is hiding, and I can’t think straight for long enough to make a viable plan. I’m putting out fires instead of finding the source.”
He glared in her direction. “And it would really help if I wasn’t so fucking scared.” He pulled on a sweatshirt and reached for the door. “There. Happy now? I’ll be in the dojo.”
…
Gabe ran down the steps, and his feet hit the padded floor of the dojo hard. He paced out some of his frustration and finally stopped in front of the mirrored wall. He hadn’t planned on telling Tegan about the nightmares. Seeing her dead eyes staring up at him haunted his dreams like a sick omen of his future. If he could calm his mind, he was sure he could find the demon or flush him out, but this gut-twisting fear was unfamiliar territory. Instead of running into battle, he wanted to stay inside the walls of the fortress and hope for the best.
Tegan had great fighting skills and good instincts, but he was the one who would heal from a cracked skull. She was fragile.
He pulled out his cell phone and fired up his blues playlist. Howlin’ Wolf belted out “Evil.” Gabe sat on the floor, his back to the wall. There was definitely a helluva lot of evil going on.
The past few days he’d done his best to keep a lid on the fear festering in his gut. He was used to dealing with anger, bitterness, rage, but fear was a new emotion for him. If he could just sleep.
He’d never been prone to repetitive nightmares like these, but they were an every-night occurrence now.
The dream was the same: it was Tegan’s face, but the scene was from his past—Laura, his parents. Only Tegan’s face was new, and the dream kept repeating..
The same… That was it. It had to be either magic or a curse. Someone didn’t want him to sleep. They wanted him off his game, punchy.
Shit.
Why hadn’t it occurred to him before?
Because I haven’t slept in days.
If he could find Lago again, he might have a lead, but… He didn’t want to admit to Tegan that his snitch usually visited him a few times a week for a blood snack in trade for information. Maybe another demon discovered their arrangement. Without Lago’s rumors and intel, keeping Tegan safe just got monumentally tougher.
He shut down the playlist and pressed the button to call his office.
“Office of
Gabriel V.H. Smith. Can I help you?” Hearing Martie’s no-nonsense voice helped settle the herd of butterflies swarming his gut.
“Martie, it’s Gabe.”
Her all-business persona faded a few notches. “Hey, Gabe. Where have you been? Didn’t you get my messages?”
He frowned. “What messages?” He pulled his phone back and pressed the “voice mail” button. Nothing new. He put the phone back to his ear. “I don’t have any new voice mails.”
She sighed. “I’ve been trying to find you since we last spoke. The office was robbed.”
“What? That’s impossible. Demons can’t cross the wards I have up.”
“You’re right.” He could hear her nail file in the background. “It wasn’t demons.”
“Then who?” His pulse thrummed.
“Police got fingerprints and caught the kid.”
Gabe glanced at the stairs up to Tegan’s studio. “What’d he take?”
“That’s why I was trying to find you.” The nail filing stopped and Martie’s voice softened. “He took your spare brush and the creased picture of Laura you kept in the top drawer of your desk, and…” He waited. Martie cleared her throat. “And the necklace.”
“But it was in the wall safe.” Rage burned through his bloodstream. He took a slow breath. “You’re serious? He took Laura’s necklace?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Gabe.”
“Someone told him what to take.”
Pity colored her voice. “Looks that way. Anything I can do?”
“Stay safe. I’ve got wards on the office and your house. You should be fine there.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. How’s Tegan?”
“She’s all right…for now.” He hung up and rubbed his hand down his face.
The demons had the necklace he’d given Laura, the one he’d taken off of her lifeless body the night he found her. A piece of jewelry that contained crystals was like a storage unit for latent emotions. Wear it on happy occasions, and they were charged with joy. During a murder they contain all fear and terror.
Combine the emotion-charged jewelry with the DNA in his hairbrush and the photo, and someone could concoct a nightmare charm that would see to it that he never slept again.
“I’m fucked.” His voice sounded strained in the empty room. He needed to hold it together. Tegan’s life depended on him being stronger than the asshole hell-spawn who tormented him.
…
Gabe was having nightmares. Why hadn’t he told her before? What else was he keeping from her?
She went to the sink and finished the dishes. Anything to keep busy. After she put the last glass in the cupboard, the front door opened.
“Hey.” The deep timbre of Gabe’s voice warmed her in spite of the tension tying her up in knots.
She turned to face him, folding the dish towel. “Hey.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to unload on you like that.”
“You’re not the only one who’s scared.”
“Maybe not, but I’m the slayer. I don’t do fear.”
Tegan moved toward him, fighting the urge to poke him in the chest with her finger. “Welcome to being human. Fear doesn’t make you weak. It makes you alert. Big difference.”
“Sounds great on paper, but I’m much better off when I’m not jumping at every shadow in the corner.” His hand caressed her cheek, his rough thumb brushing her skin. “I’m in too deep. This is personal now. I’m not thinking clearly where you’re concerned.”
She covered his hand with hers, her eyes holding his gaze. “I’m not asking you to save me. I’m asking you to help me. Martial arts brings it home that you’re stronger with someone fighting at your back. Let me cover you. Whatever comes we’ll take it together.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but a scratching noise, like nails on a chalkboard, interrupted. Gabe jogged back down the stairs, Tegan following close behind.
“Gabriel,” a voice breathed outside the door to the dojo.
Gabe pulled open the door. Lago crumbled to the ground, beaten and bloody. Gabe didn’t hesitate; he scooped up the battered demon and brought him inside. Tegan scanned the area for any sign of other demons before closing the door and throwing the dead bolt.
Lago lay on the matted floor of the dojo, air wheezing from his lips. “The dragon…” His eyes rolled in his head. “He needs her blood to unleash the dragon.”
“Did you see him? Tell me who he is.” Gabe glanced her way.
Tegan jogged to her supply closet and returned with a couple of towels. She knelt beside the portly demon, dabbing some of the green demon blood from his forehead. His wings were shredded and oozing beneath him.
Lago coughed and winced. “Don’t know who. Hingo demon. Builds army. Never saw him.”
The mention of the demon sent a chill down her spine. Gabe pressed his wrist to the demon’s lips. “Have some, Lago. Heal up.”
The demon pressed his lips together shaking his head. Gabe frowned.
“They smelled slayer blood in me.”
Gabe’s brow furrowed. “Who did this to you?”
“Eden Club. I listened at the Eden Club.” Lago’s breath gurgled out; his eyes drifted closed.
“Is he dead?” Tegan whispered.
Gabe rolled the body over and shook his head. “No. Whoever did this to him didn’t know how to kill a Trollock demon.”