Ask the Oracle (15 page)
Authors: JJ Black
Tags: #Erotic Romance eBooks Totally Bound eBooks Books Romance
“Are you deaf or just stupid?” the man growled, his mouth twisted into a
contemptuous sneer.
Arching a brow, Gray tried to keep his tone neutral while fighting the urge to slam the
door in his face. “I’m sorry. Can I help you?”
JJ Black
81
“Are you the Oracle, Grayson Muir?” The clipped words were practically dripping with
distaste. Gray was surprised by his behaviour. It was odd for someone to take such an instant
dislike to him. For most people, it usually took at least an hour or two in his presence to build
up this kind of animosity towards him. Maybe Gray had wronged him in a past life?
“I’m Gray. What can I do for you?”
“You will come with me,” he barked, wrapping his fingers around Gray’s arm in a vice
grip.
“Get your hand off me, now,” Gray ordered. “You don’t have the right to put your
hands on an Oracle.”
Balen surged forward, his face molten in anger. “Release him, Claudis. You know the
law. To harm an Oracle is to welcome death.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Rules regulating the treatment of Oracles are strictly
meant to govern the world of humans,” Claudis spat. “Here I am, Lord Claudis Xent,
member of the Demon Council, and I am ordering Mr Muir to come with me or face charges
of sedition.”
“And the rest of your council is agreement on this?” Gray asked. From the slight
widening of his eyes, Gray knew that this was not a sanctioned confrontation. Whatever
Claudis was doing here, it was solely based on his own agenda. Dreo was a member of that
same council. No way in hell would he have allowed some half-wit Demon Lord to come and
retrieve him. “Where is Lord Demos?”
“Lord Demos is none of your concern. You would do well to focus your energy
worrying on your own situation.”
“Now you see, that’s where you’re wrong, Lord Xent,” Gray snarked. “Andreo Demos
is my mate. He is my only concern. If I find that something has happened to him, I will make
sure you regret your actions every day for the rest of your very long life.”
Faster than Gray’s eyes could register the movement, Claudis had Gray pinned to the
wall with his arm wrapped around Gray’s neck in a choke hold. Purple flames sparked along
Claudis’ fingers and hands as the flames licked harmlessly against Gray’s protective shields.
Irritation sparked in the Demon Lord’s eyes. Applying more pressure to his hold, Claudis
hunched over Gray’s smaller form until his mouth was right at Gray’s ear.
ASK THE ORACLE
82
“The ‘relationship’ between you and Lord Demos is over. You are an abomination, Mr
Muir, and I will not allow you to pollute the most pure Demon line in history, all because the
two of you have convinced yourselves that you are fated Mates. Like stays with like, Oracle.
Now, while I may not be able to get away with permanently damaging you, I can damn sure
find a nice dark hole to lock you up in. Even abominations like yourself have uses. I believe I
will enjoy have my own personal looking glass into the future.”
Gray couldn’t fight the tremor that rolled through his body. The possibility of being
trapped and enslaved had always been one of his greatest fears. It had been a fairly common
practice in the past. Kingdoms that couldn’t convince an Oracle to stay with them willingly
had often opted to keep one by force. Thankfully, it rarely happened anymore. Still, that
knowledge did little to quell his terror at the thought of spending the rest of his life as
someone’s indentured crystal ball. He’d never survive it. He’d rather die. Sadly, he didn’t
think Claudis would care one way or the other.
“If you don’t get your hands off of him, I will kill you where you stand.” Balen’s voice
was low and deadly, sending shiver down Gray’s spine. The complete lack of emotion on the
blond Demon’s face was unsettling. The vacant calm in Balen’s eyes was stalking beast,
waiting for the right time to strike.
Claudis’ eyes flared with outrage. “I don’t take orders from you, soldier.”
“But you do take them from the Demon Council. To harm a recognised Mate, is to
accept a death sentence.”
“I don’t need you to tell me about our laws,” he spat venomously. “I was there at their
inception. I am a Council member… I am above the law.”
“Is that so?” Dreo stepped into the room with a contingent of soldiers entering behind
him. It was interesting to see that Claudis’ own guards were not on alert. They hung back,
watching events unfold, but made no move to come to his defence. One even went so far as
to nod respectfully to Dreo as he passed. Gray had never been so happy to see Dreo as he
was right then. As soon as he locked eyes with his raven-haired Demon, he felt as if a heavy
weight had been removed from his chest and he could finally breathe again.
Claudis, on the other hand, looked like he was two seconds from spewing his lunch all
over Dreo’s hardwood floors. His once handsome face was now pale and pasty. Sweat
JJ Black
83
beaded at his hair line and across his upper lip, giving him a sickly sheen. His eyes were
glassy and wide with panic. “Lord Demos,” he stammered nervously. “What are you…?”
“It seems that the Council was led to believe that there was a witness who had proof
that I was somehow involved in Lord Lucifer’s death.” Crossing his arms over his chest,
Dreo bore down on Claudis, anger clear in the stiffness of his frame and the scowl on his
face. “Oddly, even after waiting the required two hours, no witness ever revealed
themselves. I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here. I was told you were conducting an
interrogation and wouldn’t be able to make it to the Council meeting.” Walking over to Gray,
he wrapped an arm around his shoulder before leaning over to place a gentle kiss on his
forehead. Turning back to Claudis, Dreo pinned him with a pointed glare. “Why am I finding
you here, harassing my mate?”
Claudis’ gaze locked onto Dreo’s arm around Gray’s shoulder and his expression
twisted in disgust. “Mate? You’ve got to be joking. You are one of only a handful of pure
blood Demons in all of the Underworld. The notion that fate would choose this…aberration
as your destined Mate is laughable,” he sneered. “The Council will never allow it.”
Dreo growled and took a step towards Claudis. “This is your one chance to leave here,
unharmed. I suggest you take it. If I ever see you anywhere near my mate again, I guarantee
you will not get the same chance.”
“Very well,” Claudis replied haughtily, after a moment’s hesitation. “You’ll keep your
‘pet’ on a tight leash, if you know what’s good for him. Who knows what could happen to
him if he got caught wandering around on his own?” He smirked nastily. “We are in Hell,
after all.” The threat, while dressed up with pretty words, was there all the same. Without a
backward glance, Claudis turned on his heel and practically marched out of the suite. His
guards, who had been leaning carelessly against the wall, followed after him at a much more
leisurely pace.
Looking up, Gray found Dreo already staring down at him, his dark eyes searching his
own. Not for the first time, Gray thought that he could be happy getting lost in those eyes for
the rest of his life. Quirking up the corner of his mouth, Gray grinned up at his mate, hoping
it might help to break some of the tension in the room.
After a moment, Dreo gave a half-hearted attempt to return the smile. Reaching out a
hand to his face, Dreo cupped Gray’s cheek in his palm. With the pad of his thumb, Dreo
ASK THE ORACLE
84
traced the lines of his face, everything from the sharp edge of his cheek bone to the arch of
his brow. “So, I see you’re making friends.” Dreo’s tone was mild, but there was a shine of
humour in his eyes that sent Gray’s heart leaping against his chest.
Giving his mate a blinding smile, Gray shrugged, carelessly. “What can I say? I guess
I’m just a people person.”
JJ Black
85
Dreo’s guards cleared out of the room just a short time later. The door closed quietly
behind them, effectively shutting Gray and Dreo away from the rest of the world. It occurred
to him, as Dreo excused himself to the bathroom to clean up, that he had spent hours in the
suite, pouring over mountains of information, and he had never bothered to spare more than
a cursory glance around the space that his mate called home. Wandering about the
immaculate suite, Gray finally took a moment to fully explore Dreo’s suite. The furnishings
were done in deep browns and blues, giving the room an unmistakably masculine feel.
Shelves filled with books lined the walls and an enormous bed dominated the centre of the
room. Examining it, Gray was convinced the massive piece of furniture could, and probably
had at one point or another, comfortably sleep at least five fully grown men.
Running a hand along the soft, silky comforter, Gray dared a glance over his shoulder
and was met with the most amazing mocha eyes. He felt himself instantly slipping under
Dreo’s spell. “So,” he said with a quirk of his brow, “what’s the plan?”
“Rest.”
“Rest?” Gray asked dubiously. “Our big plan—the plan that is going to save the
Underworld—is rest?”
Dreo smiled patiently. “The other team has been trying to track down the murders by
scent for hours. They felt they were getting close, but have remained unsuccessful. They are
exhausted. They need time to rest and rejuvenate if they are going to be any good to us
tomorrow. We have a few hours before we are supposed to reconvene and continue on with
the hunt.”
“So, in the meantime,” he hedged, “you want me to…rest?” His tone was both curious
and hopeful.
“There are many definitions of resting,” Dreo replied with a wicked grin. “At some
point, I plan on helping you experience all of them. For now, I’m just going to take the edge
off.” Dreo made a grab for Gray. Cocooning him in his impressive arms, Dreo pulled him in
and held him tight against his heart. With Gray thoroughly trapped against his body, Dreo’s
ASK THE ORACLE
86
nimble fingers blazed a trail down his abdomen until they found the closure of his pants.
They made quick work of his buckle and zipper. With a jerk, Gray’s jeans and briefs were
pooled around his feet, and Dreo had a hand wrapped around his thick cock. Giving Gray’s
dick a few quick pumps, Dreo sank gracefully to his knees.
Gray’s eyes widened as Dreo leant forward and blew a steady stream of hot air over the
flushed cap of his cock. When Dreo looked up at him through his inky lashes, Gray’s knees
went weak and he nearly gave up his load on the spot. His Demon slowly licked a line up his
shaft before engulfing the head in the hot, wet cavern of his mouth. Teasing licks flicked
around the edge, focusing in on his sensitive glans. Gray cried out, unable to stop himself in
the wake of such pleasure.
Without conscious thought, Gray thrust his hips, pushing his cock farther into Dreo’s
sinful mouth. The Demon carried on, unfazed by Gray’s slight act of aggression, his suction
increasing with every pump of Gray’s lean hips. The sensations Dreo awakened in him had
Gray gasping for breath and clinging to the edge of climax. Never before had a lover had him
so close to losing control in such a short time.
A telltale tingle worked its way up Gray’s spine, signalling his impending release. Not
wanting to catch his lover unaware, he grabbed a handful of Dreo’s dark locks and tried,
unsuccessfully, to pull him off his shaft. Dreo looked up, mouth still full of cock, confusion in
his eyes.
“Gonna come—” Gray panted desperately.
Dreo leant back, his eyes glowing with their inner fire. “Of course.” Dreo smirked then
proceeded to swallow Gray down to the root in one pass. Gray groaned as Dreo’s throat
constricted around his dick. No matter how badly he wanted to, Gray knew there was no
way he could hold back any longer. Two thrusts later and he was shooting his release into
Dreo’s waiting mouth while experiencing one of the most explosive climaxes of his life. The
room blurred and Gray couldn’t focus on anything other than how good he felt and how
long it would be until they could do it again.
When he finally ran dry, exhaustion claimed him and his knees buckled. Dreo’s
strength and quick reflexes were all that saved him from getting up close and personal with
the floor. In no hurry to stop his ministrations, Dreo continued to lave and tease the spongy
head until he was completely spent. After giving the head one last loving lick, Dreo pulled
JJ Black