Authors: Charisma Knight
Silas nodded. “We do.”
“
Are you certain, mortal? That
beautiful young woman you see in the future must be promised to my son
Cyn
.” She ran her tongue over sharp teeth. “If not, there
will be consequences, especially after putting my ass on the line.
Barius
can be such a bastard, especially when he discovers
he’s been betrayed.”
“
You have my word.”
Chapter One
Cyn’s
Realm
Helena Pearsall shifted in her
chair as her buff, dark-haired personal demon studied her intently. His
intense, golden eyes promised hours of dark, forbidden pleasures she could only
dream of.
Lord, he looked good enough to
eat. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-to-late forties, but she knew better.
Cyn
was as old as time itself. For some insane,
ungodly reason, she felt compelled to jump his bones. But she put a harness on
her dark passions. He was a demon she’d struck a bargain with, nothing more.
She was just here to seal the deal by warming the demon’s bed. In turn, all her
earthly worries would cease. At least she hoped they would.
Which
is why you came close to letting him screw you in the circle last year.
She watched as he reached for
the leather thong before freeing his hair. Helena bit her lip and clamped her
thighs together. It was exciting, but she wondered if she’d bitten off more
than she could chew with the arrangement.
His gaze intensified as he
clasped his hands together. “It is now time for you to fulfill your end of the
bargain and move in with me.” A year ago, she’d known this day would come, but
she was still unprepared.
“
Like
how soon?”
She swallowed hard as her heartbeat sped up.
Finally, she’d caught up on her
aunt Mimi’s doctor bills, but the price she had to pay would be a hefty one.
The catatonic woman was the only family she had left, with the exception of her
good-for-nothing cousins. If it wasn’t for Helena, Aunt Mimi would have been
put into a home a long time ago.
It was a year and a half ago
today when her company had laid her off. The severance package had run out, and
she couldn’t afford to let their bills lay by the wayside. The wolves had been
upon her, and in between threatening calls from collection agencies and
nastygrams, she thought she’d lose her mind. She had been forced to take other
measures back then—she’d called upon
Cyn
to bail her
out.
“
Like…now!”
The demon’s baritone ended on a
demanding hiss, snapping her back into reality. A shiver ran up her spine as
the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“
Once again, when can you move
in?”
“
Move in?” Helena asked,
feigning surprise. Truthfully, the thought of living under a demon’s roof made
her stomach clench. What the hell had she been thinking when she signed her
soul away last year?
He impatiently strummed his
long fingers against the lacquer desk. “Well…yes. I mentioned that the day you
summoned me, or have you forgotten my terms of the bargain?” He winked at her,
causing a bolt of desire to ripple through her tummy and straight to her clit.
The man had skills. She could tell. One round in the sack with him, and
something told her she’d never want to leave.
When her brain finally
overpowered her body, Helena’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. This
wasn’t going to be on her terms, she knew. How could she think to outsmart a
demon? She had hoped she would be able to avoid all of this. After all, living
under the same roof with a sexy demon of lust that possessed the talent to set
one’s panties on fire surely would pose a problem in the future. She wasn’t
sure she’d leave the bargain unscathed. Those in her family who sought
assistance from their personal demons never did. They always lost in one way or
another.
“
Well.” She chose her words
wisely. “I was thinking of reporting to you for eight hours a day. You know,
like a regular job.” Her palms grew sweaty, and she wiped them on her black
wool dress. Hopefully he’d agree to this, but deep down she knew he wouldn’t.
If looks could kill, she’d be dead by now.
Cyn’s
hardened gaze seemed to snatch the breath from her, and not in a good way.
“
Do you think you can just slip
in and out of my realm? What do you take me for?”
Damn it! He was bound and
determined to be as stubborn as she was! Okay, maybe she could make it happen.
Cyn
certainly wasn’t taking no for an answer, and she was
determined to look after her aunt, at all costs. “Well, I was just thinking…”
Cyn
growled. “I’m not paying you
to think! Eight hours a day will never be enough to sate my appetite for you.”
His eyes grew dark as an impending storm as he sniffed the air. “You…smell so
good. I’ve never known the essence of a human to be so pure, yet so…” He
inhaled deeply as his claws lengthened from his fingertips.
“So
dark…enticing…sexy.
I could devour you right now.”
She shivered as
Cyn’s
demonic form wavered before her eyes. A fascinating
pull and a strong aura of electricity sizzled and snapped in the atmosphere.
Something stirred deep within her mind and body.
“
Dark
and enticing?”
She forced a laugh.
“Yeah.
Okay.”
“
Do not make light of our
situation!” He slammed his fist down on the desk. “Helena, I’ve waited for you
for well over a year.” His voice was a low snarl. “I need to have you by my
side. I don’t like delays. When I’m in need of…certain services, I’d prefer you
not keep me waiting.” He studied her intensely before cocking a brow. “Do you
wish to back out? Remember the consequences of not fulfilling your end of the
bargain. I can take everything away from you, and your aunt will be put away in
that home. Perhaps you’ll be forced to give up the home you’ve come to love.”
Helena squeezed her eyes shut
at the thought of putting her aunt into a nursing home. That was just
unacceptable. Losing her three-bedroom, single-family home would also be heart
wrenching. She’d put her blood, sweat, and tears into everything she owned.
Well, with the demon’s assistance, of course.
“
Um.
Yes, I’ll do whatever is
necessary.” Her mind raced as she concocted a plan to rearrange her schedule.
Aunt Mimi would be okay; she promised herself she’d check in on the woman twice
a day when she wasn’t servicing
Cyn
. She wrung her
hands nervously in her lap, not wanting to show him that she was afraid, but it
was too late. By the look in his eyes, he’d already scented her fears.
As if reading her mind, the
demon spoke. “I will allow your aunt to move in, too. She’ll be placed in the
west wing and will be looked after very well, I assure you.” He leaned back
into the black leather chair and folded his arms against his massive chest.
“Surely you don’t think me to be so cruel as to leave her behind with no one to
depend on? You can see her whenever you’re not servicing me, of course.”
A brief moment of relief swept
through her. Her aunt needed her, and she had no intention of deserting the
woman. They’d come too far.
“
Thank you.” The breath was
pushed from her lungs as the demon’s gaze hardened again. She’d caught him
looking at her cleavage. He smiled, baring razor sharp teeth.
Did he just
lick his lips?
Suddenly she felt like she’d become a mouthwatering buffet,
the way he was eyeing her up.
“
Very
good.
I’ll
make the necessary arrangements to bring her here. In the meantime, I’ll give
you a tour of the mansion and show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
“
Oh!
My
things.
I’ll need my clothes and—”
He cut her off abruptly.
“You’ll have everything you need here with me. Clothes, toiletries, anything
you want.
Now…to complete this bargain.”
Cyn
opened one of the drawers and pulled out an old scroll.
With a dark smile, he unrolled it and glanced at her. “I suggest you reread the
terms of our bargain. I advise you to read over everything carefully, just as
you did a year ago.” He motioned for her to take the fragile-looking material.
When she did, her hand shook.
Helena put on her glasses and
began to read. As she did, something tightened around her chest. Another panic
attack struck her. Her nerves were shot with all she and her aunt had been
through. She knew how long she’d be indebted to the demon, but she totally
regretted it. At least he was easy on the eyes, she thought hysterically.
“
No, simple ink will not do.”
His voice was a rough bark. “You must re-sign in blood, or we have no bargain.
Last year was just a trial run and to be honest, I’d like to pick up where we
left off in the circle.” He grinned evilly.
“
B-blood,
again?”
She
had ignored all her aunt’s warnings. This was the real deal now. He was making
her sign her soul away. She was just as squeamish now as she had been a year
ago. Blood was needed to summon him, and it was also needed to seal the deal.
Their family line had been
cursed since the beginning of time. Throughout the ages, many had signed their
souls over to their demons in hopes of making their lives easier, or so they
had thought. For the most part, things almost never went the way they had
planned. For others in the family, they had been blessed with more money than
they could handle, but they weren’t happy. They’d never be happy. The demons
had always seen to it. The lust for money only intensified through every waking
day of their miserable lives.
“
Yes,” he said with a hiss
again.
“Blood.
Or…you know the consequences. It’s your
decision.”
Cyn
stroked his smooth-shaven chin. “What
will it be, Helena? I haven’t got all day.” He pulled an oddly shaped dagger
from his pencil drawer. “Give me your hand. I promise it won’t hurt…much.”
His baritone should have struck
fear into her, but it only intensified her desire for him. The mingling of fear
and lust was erotic in itself. Female family members who had struck sexual
bargains with their demons had said the pleasure was more than one could
handle.
Helena’s teeth chattered, and she
was close to backing out, until her aunt’s face flashed in her mind. Closing
her eyes, she extended her hand. Before she knew it, the dagger pierced her
palm. She dipped the pen in blood and signed her name once again.
“
There.”
Cyn
smiled. “The business aspect of this bargain is now complete.” He studied her
palm. “Love, let me lick your wound, just as I did a year ago.”
The pain was brief. When she
opened her eyes, her soon-to-be demon lover was gently licking her wound.
Exhilarating bolts of pleasure coursed through her body, centering in on her
clit.
“
Cyn
…I.”
She watched as he glared at
her with intense, gold eyes. She began to gyrate in her chair as cream flooded
her panties. Licking her lips, she released a moan. “I…” She couldn’t think
because the pleasure was beyond exquisite. The impending orgasm made her moan
as the demon wrapped his long tongue around her finger.
Gently he engulfed the digit
and she exploded.
“Unh!”
Her nipples painfully pushed
against her bra at the intolerable, skull-shattering pleasure. Her body shook
as she stifled a cry, but it was no use. He certainly knew how to utilize that
long, rough organ of his. Images of him licking her everywhere flashed through
her mind as heat rose in her cheeks. She wanted to beg him to bend her over the
desk and take her now.
Without warning, and much to
her disappointment, he released her hand. With a blatant smile, he rose and
casually walked around the desk and over toward her. She stood up to meet him,
wondering if he had somehow suddenly grown. The man towered above her so much,
it was almost intimidating. He had to have been at least six and a half feet
tall.
“
If there is anything you need,
I am fully staffed. Everything is at your fingertips.” He motioned her toward
the large wooden double doors. “You can’t see my servants, but they are here.
You are no guest here,” he assured her. “You are to remain with me for the rest
of your days. You can never leave.”
She cringed as he dropped the
final bomb on her. “What are you saying to me,
Cyn
?”
Her eyes narrowed in anger. “I can never return to my home? That’s not what the
contract stated and you know it! Now, I agreed to stay here, since I have no
choice in the matter, but—”
“
My dear, I now own you.” His
eyes began to glow, and she could see he was becoming aggravated. “Why would
you want to leave, anyway? After experiencing pleasure at my hands, you’ll
never want to leave me. You are mine to do with as I please. Don’t ever forget
that.”