Base Instincts (16 page)

The shift in Raze was subtle but tangible, a tension that bloomed between them. “Because you’re gay?”

“It’s a death sentence for my backwards-ass people. But so is leaving the clan.” He’d been terrified, knowing he’d be on the run for the rest of his life, which he’d figured would be short. Duosos were not only weapons experts, but they were tenacious trackers, and once they found his trail, they’d stop at nothing to get their prey.

It was those particular qualities that had made him approach Dire & Dyre with a deal.

“Protect me from my people and I’ll give you anything you want.”

Gods, he’d been an idiot. Gunther had warned him not to sign a contract with Dire & Dyre, but their relationship had been on rocky ground, which had pushed Slake even more.

Because he’d been an idiot.

Raze’s feet padded almost silently as he paced between two brightly colored support beams. “Why is leaving such a big deal?”

“Because Duosos is more than just what we call our race. Duosos is a religion. A way of life. It’s political. Social. Every aspect of Duosos life is ruled by our belief system, from what we wear to what we eat and how we reproduce. The only way out is death. Unless you’re lucky and happen to have royal blood in your veins.” He paused. “Life would have gotten real bad if I’d remained a female. I didn’t want to be treated like shit. Used. Abused. I figured that if I became a male, I could try to make some changes. But the fact that I wasn’t . . .
normal
. . . screwed all of that.”

He glanced over at the TV, where half a dozen women were frozen in various states of smiling at the bachelor. He wondered idly if anyone on the show was a demon. For some reason, his ability to see identifying auras only worked in person.

Raze appeared to consider what Slake had said. “Your laws and ways of life explain why there’s very little information on your species. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to talk to my boss at Underworld General.”

“Eidolon?” Slake paused as he reached for the glass of ice water he’d helped himself to when he’d first arrived. “He doesn’t want to dissect me or some shit, does he?”

Raze laughed. “He likes to add to the hospital’s database of knowledge. Every shred of information helps, especially when it comes to rare species.”

In Slake’s world of chaos and death, such a logical and reasoned approach to life and the mysteries in it was so foreign that he could only sit there, dumbfounded for a second. Deep down, he waited for some sort of judgment or scorn or something from Raze, but the guy just watched him expectantly.

“Ah, okay. Sure.” He eyed Raze. “You’re taking this pretty well.”

“No one should be judged solely by their species,” Raze said with a shrug. “We have demons working at the hospital to help people when ninety-nine percent of their species brethren would rather be killing than healing.”

“Listen to you, being all progressive.” Another wave of pain rolled over him, but he tried not to think about it, instead concentrating on the wistful smile ruffling Raze’s perfect lips.

“I grew up with very practical parents.” Raze finally stopped pacing and propped himself against one of the support poles. “And I saw for myself how no one, not even animals, fit into molds. I once had a pet duck that roosted in trees with the chickens. Her mate slept at the base of the tree.”

Slake tried to picture the city-dwelling medic in a country setting and drew a blank. “You had ducks and chickens?”

“My parents had a little farm. We had a few of just about every kind of animal there is. That’s how I got interested in medicine. I used to tend to the animals’ injuries and illnesses. That was before I got my healing power, but even then, my dad was shocked at how well the animals did under my care. And trust me, they watched me closely.”

“Why?”

“Because by then they knew I was a demon.” He said it so casually, as if humans raising demon children was a completely ordinary experience. It did, however, explain why Raze was so different from any other demon Slake had met. “They loved me, but they were realists.” He smirked. “They didn’t want to find me disemboweling the family pig with my teeth or something.”

Slake studied Raze for a moment, his gaze drawn to the designs on his arm that glowed when he was helping a patient. “Why
do
you have a healing power? I mean, you said Sems have an innate ability, but why? You’re a sex demon.”

“All Sems have one of three different abilities, all with a primary purpose of seducing or impregnating females.” Raze’s voice deepened, as if talking about sex triggered his incubus instincts, and Slake’s body responded, his temperature jacking up, his cock stirring. “Some of us can get inside a female’s head and trick them into thinking something is real or not real, but that same power can be used to repair the mind. Wraith can do that. His brother Shade can use his ability to affect bodily functions. He can trigger ovulation, for example. But when used for medical purposes, he can slow or speed up the heart, increase dopamine production to alleviate pain, shit like that.”

Huh. Slake had an innate ability to control certain weapons with his mind, but aside from killing scumbags who deserved to die, he couldn’t think of anything positive that could come of his skill. “So what can you do?”

“Eidolon and I share the same gift,” he said, his voice still pitched low and still having a devastating effect on Slake’s libido. “Mature Sems who have gone through the
s’genesis
use it to ensure that their sperm fertilizes an egg, but until we reach that stage, we can use our ability to repair damaged tissue.” His mouth quirked in a sexy half smile. “Of course, we can also use it to rip tissue apart. It’s a handy weapon.”

“I noticed,” Slake said wryly, remembering the werewolf in the alley. “It was awesome.”

Raze finally came around the coffee table and planted himself in the overstuffed green chair that matched precisely nothing in the room except a painted pole near Fayle’s bedroom.

For a moment, a comfortable silence fell, but gradually, tension began to thicken the air between them. Slake had shared a secret that he’d never told anyone but Gunther, but there was still the matter of Fayle to discuss.

Raze deserved the truth. But just as he opened his mouth, Raze spoke.

“So what now?” Raze asked. “I’ve never . . .” He trailed off, took a deep breath, and started again. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”

“What kind of situation?”

“One where I want someone.” Raze’s freckles stood out as his cheeks turned adorably red, but there was nothing innocent about the promise in his steady gaze. “For more than, you know . . . just sex.”

Ah damn. Slake had never been one to get choked up, but the emotion and vulnerability in Rake’s voice touched him.

And reminded him that he was a bastard who was about to crush Raze’s world.

“I think,” Slake said softly, “that before we go there, we need to talk about Fayle.”

“Fayle?” Raze went instantly guarded, his eyes narrowing. “What about her?” he ground out. “She’s gone. And if Eidolon is right, I don’t need a female as long as I’m with you.”

The thought of providing Raze with everything he needed made Slake shiver with desire. To be the one who kept him healthy and whole . . . he wanted that. Wanted it
bad
.

But that was just a fantasy. Even if they could get past Slake’s involvement in her leaving, there was the fact that his soul was, even now, shriveling like jerky. If he survived what was known in some demonic circles as The Darkening, he could come out of it a different person. Every last drop of decency could be wrung from him. Raze deserved better than that.

Clenching his fists so hard his knuckles cracked, he wondered why he was stalling. Dragging this out wouldn’t change anything, and he’d always jumped into things headfirst.

Just spit it out.

“Fayle took off because of me,” he blurted.

Raze snorted. “Trust me, it wasn’t you. She left because—” He went as still as the gargoyle statue staring at them from the bookcase on the far wall. “Wait. She said to ask you why she was leaving.” An icy wariness glazed Raze’s green eyes, and Slake felt his heart sink to his feet. He hated that he’d put it there, that he’d just crushed Rake’s hope for some kind of future. “She said someone was after her.” He leaned back in the chair, just a subtle shift of his body, but Slake sensed an emotional withdrawal, as if Raze had thrown up a wall and was waiting for Slake to attempt a breach. “What do you know about that? What have you been keeping from me?”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” He locked gazes with Raze, determined to not take the easy way out of this. He’d face what he’d done head-on. “Fayle was right. Someone was after her.”

“Tell me it wasn’t you,” Raze ground out. “
Tell me
.”

He wanted to tell him that. Gods, he would give
anything
to tell him that. “I can’t,” Slake whispered. “Because it was me all along.”

Raze could
not
have heard that right. No way. But as he sat across from Slake, wildly searching his expression for signs that he was screwing with him, the terrible truth hit him like a sucker punch.

It lurked right there in Slake’s seductively dark eyes.

He sucked in a harsh breath and stared at Slake in disbelief. First Fayle, and now . . . this. Suddenly, it felt as if his world was crumbling. It hurt. Gods, it felt like his chest was cracking wide open and his heart had been struck by one of Slake’s
sinispheres
.

“Tell me what the fuck you’re talking about,” he growled. “Right. Now.”

Slake shoved to his feet and strode to the window, where he gazed out at the roof of the deli next door. “We didn’t meet by accident,” he said, and Raze felt a painful twisting in his gut. “I came to Thirst to find Fayle.”

The twisting grew more fierce. “Why?”

Slake’s shoulders rose and fell with each breath, and maybe it was Raze’s imagination, but his breathing seemed labored. Pained. Good. “Remember when I said my job was to acquire things?”

Anger rose up, swift and hot. “So you’re saying that when you came out to the alley that first night, and when you came to me at the hospital the next day . . . all of that was to get to Fayle? You seduced
me
to get to
her
?” When Slake said nothing, Raze snarled, “Look at me, damn you!”

“No.” Slake wheeled around. “I mean, yes, but—”

“But what?” Rage turned his blood to steam as he burst to his feet. “You figured you’d get your prize and get laid at the same time?”

Memories pelted him, of all the times Fayle had begged him to move, but he’d ignored her. She’d finally felt the need to take drastic measures to get away, and all because of Slake. Oh, sure, she’d also lied to him about whatever this crazy bond was that she’d saddled him with, but right now, he didn’t care about that. It was too much to think about, too much betrayal for one day. Plus, she wasn’t here. Slake was, and he was going to take the full brunt of Raze’s anger.

“
You son of a bitch
. She’s gone because of you. I thought she’d betrayed me, but all along, it was
you
.”

The next few seconds were a blur of fury and the sound of Raze’s fist meeting Slake’s jaw. Slake staggered backward, slamming into the Kermit-green post Fayle had painted. Actually, she’d painted them all, and wouldn’t it be fitting for Slake to get his face introduced to every one of them.

Raze took another swing, but Slake dodged it and settled into a defensive stance in front of the TV.

“Raze, listen to me.” He held up his hands in a nonthreatening gesture, as if that would placate Raze, but fuck that. The only thing that would placate Raze right now would be if the bastard bled more. “Yeah, I was a shit. But Fayle was lying to you too.”

“Really.” Raze moved closer, eager to get going on the more-bleeding thing.

“Yeah, really.” Slake touched his mouth, came away with blood, which gave Raze a huge jolt of satisfaction. It was a start. “She’s a succubus—”

“I know that,” he ground out.

“But did you know her species is parasitic?” Slake backed up, but Raze matched him, step for step. “They attach themselves to a host to draw energy from them. I think she attached herself to you.”