Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2) (24 page)

He gingerly placed his hand on his chest. “I am truly blessed.”

“
But she didn’t say anything about not hurting you.”

“
Mm, I do like it rough.”

Barely holding on to the last of her control, Sonya continued, “Look, you ass, I’m going to give you the opportunity to prove you’re more than just a waste of air.”

She knew she piqued his interest, even though the only response she got was a raised eyebrow.

“
I need someone to spar with, who can offer at least a bit of a challenge.” She let a little skepticism show in her tone. “I’m willing to believe you’re not totally without skill.”

“
You want to fight me?”

“
Spar. But yes, I really, really do.”

“
What do I get if I agree?”

Sonya snorted. “A sliver of respect.”

He shrugged. “Not really high on the list of things I want.”

Sonya guarded her features, making them as uncaring as she could. She couldn’t let him know how badly she needed this.

In an offhanded tone, she asked, “What do you want?”

A sense of foreboding crept up her spine as he studied her closely, a knowing glint in his eyes. She was afraid he conceived that he had the upper hand.

“
I want to be free to run the pub how I want, without you or your minions checking on me.”

“
My pub has rules. You would still have to follow them.”

“
How ever
I want,” he repeated.

Sonya glanced around her beloved bar. How badly could he destroy it, really?

“
One week,” she offered.

Looking thoughtful, he added, “And I want you to be nicer to me. That means saying things like please, and thank you, and not threatening to kill me every other day.”

Sonya opened her mouth to argue, and then closed it. The Edge wasn’t going to be contained much longer.

“
Fine, for one week also.” In the deeper crevices of her mind, Sonya wondered if she would be able to keep that promise.

“
We have a deal then. I’ll meet you there after I close tonight.”

“
No. Now.”

“
Who will watch the—”

Sonya turned to the room and bellowed, “Everyone get out! We’re closed!”

Fifteen minutes later, Sonya was stepping onto the mat. Her skin sizzled with a familiar itch. Something inside was screaming to break free.

The entire way to the sparring chamber, Ethanule had walked quietly at her side.

How could even his silence sound arrogant?

He’d been watching her, though. Peeking at her from the corner of his eye. She thought he looked pleased, and she assumed he was as eager for her blood as she was for his. But it wouldn’t be her who shed it.

Taking his place on the mat across from her, he broke the silence. “So you finally have me alone, what
will
you do with me?”

She pointed to the array of weapons lining the walls. “Pick your poison.” She was hoping for something sharp and pointy.

His gaze traveled the selection. “I don’t care for poison. Gives me indigestion.”

“
Fine with me, I love a good brawl.”

And to prove her point, she leaped to attack. Expecting a solid hit, she put her full force into her right hook, but at the last second he dodged, throwing her off balance. She realized her mistake too late.

He took the advantage, but instead of retaliating, as she would have, he placed himself at her back, grasped her forearms and pulled her against him to whisper in her ear. “I know what’s going on here.”

Her eyes went wide and she slammed her elbow into his stomach. His grip loosened as he huffed out a breath. Pushing away from him, Sonya continued with a high twisting kick.

Again he dodged, and began circling her with an infuriatingly sexy curve to his lips. Just as she expected the Edge to take over, something else began to happen within her.

“
You don’t know shit, pirate!”

Sonya lashed out again, left, right, left, right. She dropped to the floor, swinging her leg wide, then a backward flip had her back on her feet. He evaded her every attempt like a master.

Even with Cale she could land a hit! She lunged again, determined to find flesh with her fist.

He wasn’t countering, she noticed. He wasn’t attacking in any way.

“
Fight me!”

Bouncing around her, he replied, “Just reading your style, Sweetheart.” The humor in his voice made her realize he was enjoying himself.

“
Read this!” Now that she was used to his avoidance, she attacked using a wide kick as a diversion, which allowed her to wrap her tail around his wrist and pull him off center for a heavy punch.

Satisfaction filled her as his eyes bugged with the contact. She brought her leg up, but before her knee could find his ribs, he twisted his body away from her.

The split-second she had to regain control was not enough. Before she could react, he swiped her feet out from under her and had her on her back, resting his weight on top of her.

“
Is this fighting really what you want? When we could be doing something much more fun?”

Shifting her weight, Sonya pushed him over, mirroring his position. She realized he went a little too easily, and she was now straddling him. Heat pooled at her center, causing her to hesitate. Ethanule’s irises sparkled with delight, as though he knew the struggle raging inside her.

Determined to keep on track, she pulled out one of the small knives she always kept concealed in a small pocket at her side. Knowing how much it would anger him, she used it to pluck free one the gold pieces decorating his coat.

He grabbed her wrist, and she smirked.

“
You’re playing dirty.”

“
There’s no other way.”

The smile that spread across his face was wicked. “Agreed.”

He reached behind him and produced a blade of his own. In one smooth motion, Ethanule sliced through the ties of her bodice.

Sonya gasped in surprise, as the garment slipped open and cool air met skin. She rushed to cover herself, leaving her vulnerable when Ethan pushed her back to the mat, positioning himself between her legs and pinning her arms beside her head. Her torn garment parted with every pounding breath.

Ethanule dipped his lips close to hers. “I don’t think fighting is what you need.”

Robbed of speech, Sonya violently shook her head.

“
Wouldn’t you rather I be touching you?” His lips moved to caress the soft cord of her neck. Her eyes rolled back involuntarily. “Tasting you?” With maddening slowness, he followed the line of her jaw with his mouth until his lips were pressing against hers.

Her mind flooded with something she couldn’t describe, but it was fierce and commanding. Sonya summoned all her control, but this was a side of the Edge that had never possessed her before. And it demanded release. It didn’t care that she could hardly stand the sight of the person willing to give it to her.

Ethanule pulled back to gaze into her eyes. His lids were heavy and the blue of his irises had deepened to that of a vast ocean.

He was waiting for something from her.

A decision? Could she do this? With him?

“
Damn you,” she breathed, lifting her lips to his once more.

After that, Ethanule didnt oft hesitate. He batted away the ruined material of her corset and palmed her breast. Sonya moaned at the contact. When he moved to swirl his tongue around one taut peak, she barely stifled a squeak of surprise.

With obvious intent, his hand skimmed down her belly, causing her to shiver with anticipation. He slid his hand under the hem of her skirt and lazily played there, teasing the soft flesh of her thighs at her apex. Her body shuddered as the need coursing through her fought with her brain. When he pushed aside the thin fabric of her panties, the battle instantly dissolved.

His finger glided over her sex. She suddenly grew aware of how wet she had become, and felt her cheeks burn—which grated because she never blushed. At anything. But then Ethanule found a spot that made her mind go blank. Her embarrassment was forgotten, replaced with a sharp thrum of electric current that racked through her.

He stroked her repeatedly, never letting her catch her breath, while he continued lavishing attention on her breasts. When her panting grew dire, Ethanule lifted his head to watch as she lost control. A moan ripped from her lungs as her body arched and an explosion of pleasure crashed over her.

As the vibrating waves began to dim, she looked up at Ethanule and recognized the hunger in his eyes.

Going to his knees, he tore off his coat and flung it aside. Next came his shirt, while Sonya sat up to eagerly undo the buckle of his pants, where his bulge was straining against the fabric. As she pulled them down, he reached for her panties, practically ripping them off her.

“
Finally, I can get you out of my head,” he grated.

She didn’t know what that meant, but his tone was rough, which sent chills clamoring through her. The sight of his thick erection made her mouth water.

Once again between her legs, Ethanule grabbed a hold of her thighs and roughly pulled her toward him. Then in one smooth motion, he kissed her hard, just as he shoved into her body.

Sonya cried out from the pain.

Freezing completely, lips still at hers, Ethanule opened his eyes. They grew wide while hers burned with unshed tears.

He pulled back fast to study her, his shaft sliding free. Even before he looked down in horror, she knew there would be blood.

“
Fuck!” His voice shook the room. He pulled up his pants and had them zipped and buckled in no time. He grabbed his shirt and coat, heading for the door. “How could you not have told me!”

His anger fueled her own, but her throat was too tight and she could only stare at him through narrow blurry eyes.

Just before he disappeared she heard him mutter, “I’m so fucking dead.”

A wretched tear streamed down her cheek. There had only been one other time in her life when she had cried, and Ethanule would forever remind her of both of them.

Nadua woke to an unusually chilly morning. The blanket worked well enough, but there was no wall of warm muscle pressed at her back, or a heavy arm draped over her. The lack was felt deep in the pit of her stomach.

Rex sat across from her, poking at the fire. He smiled when he saw she was awake. “Good morning.”

Although she had slept through the night, Nadua still felt tired as she pushed herself up. Her body was sore in places she had forgotten could even get sore. Remembering the reason almost made her smile, until she recalled Marik’s behavior afterward.

Glancing around, she noticed he was not with them. “Where is Marik?”

“
He said he was going to hunt down an edisdon.”

“
What?”

“
I told him they’re not easy, but...”

“
Acta
, demon! He’d better not kill one. They are intelligent, compassionate creatures. Don’t you demons care about anything but yourselves?”

Rex raised a brow. “We care about survival. Marik said you need their fur to stay warm. And besides, you and he have mated. He’d do anything to provide for you.”

Nadua tilted her head.

He knows?

“
Uh, did he tell you that?”

“
No, but I can tell.”

She stifled the urge to cover her neck. “Well, it was only the one time. It is never happening again.”

From his seated position by the fire, Rex reached to pluck a fresh log from the pile. “Well, yeah, it can only happen once.”

A dark sense of foreboding slowly crawled through her. “Um, Rex? How permanent is this mate thing?”

His body froze. The log hovered in his grip as his head turned back to her. The disbelief and astonishment in his face was alarming. She was sure now that she didn’t want to know the answer.

“
Didn’t Marik explain?”