The Demon's Forbidden Passion (6 page)

Ethan was interrupted by a loud rattling sound against the tile. It was coming from the pile of Tina’s clothes on the floor. Tina shifted her weight, reached for her scrubs, pulling them over to her, and fished around the heap of fabric. Her mind running a mile a minute, she found her phone and automatically answered it. She heard a hoarse voice on the other line.

“Gus, I’m sorry but I’m—”

“Tina, you have to come to hospital right away. There’s no time to explain.”

“Gus, I can’t do—”

“Meet me in Danny’s room,” he said urgently before hanging up.

Oh god
,
what’s happening now?
She turned to Ethan, bringing her hands to his face.

“We have to go. It’s Danny,” Tina breathed. She grabbed onto the sink and rose to standing, her legs wobbling under her.

Ethan still sat there on the floor. “Tina, you are in no condition to drive. And you won’t be able to heal him.” He looked away.

“Ethan, I have to make sure he’s okay after what happened this morning,” she pleaded. “Please help me get dressed and take me there.”

Chapter Eight

The ride over to the hospital was tense. Ethan had no idea what they were going to do, the obstacles in front of them insurmountable. But for now, he would support Tina as she went over to find what was wrong with Danny. Danny, the Half Blood just like him. He had to look out for his own.

But when they entered the designated room in the ICU, the boy was nowhere to be found. The only person standing there was an incredibly tall, fat man in a pair of bloodstained scrubs, his lips pulled into a sneer as he bared his yellow teeth. His gravelly voice seemed to echo in the room. “Well, hello there, lovebirds,” he greeted them cheerily.

Ethan recognized that voice. It intermingled with the screams of his parents on the night of their death as the house popped and crackled around them with flames. A wave of nausea suddenly washed over him and he knew. Though he may have changed his earthly form, there was no denying that the man standing in front of them was the man he’d thought vanished for the last ten years. The man that had had killed Anne and Matthew Phillips. The man who had cursed his and Tina’s love.

It was him. Gustavo Diaz.

“Why, the last time I saw you, Ethan, you weren’t but this high.” Gustavo raised a hand just above his bloated stomach. “Did you really think that after spending all that time trying to find your despicable parents that I would ever let you out of my sight again?”

Tina turned her head to Gus, then to Ethan. “What’s going on?” Her voice was barely a whisper. She swayed beside him and Ethan caught her elbow to keep her on her feet. He was still too stunned to speak.

“Ah, I see the curse is working just fine. I had almost lost hope that I would ever see it in action. I saw her powers backfired this afternoon, but you’ve weakened her even further. Good man.”

Ethan growled. “You son of a bitch.”

Tina fell to her knees, it suddenly dawning on her. “Is this? Is that him?”

“Why, yes, Tina,” Gus confirmed. “I am certainly the man of the hour.”

Fury flared deep within him and it took every modicum of restraint to not go over and attempt to beat him to a pulp. But he needed answers first. “Why are you back, Gustavo?” Ethan demanded. “Why now?”

Gus laughed maniacally. “You really are stupid, aren’t you, Ethan? I never left. I’ve been here all this time, watching you.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “Watching you night after night not succumb to my curse. Watching you outsmarting it. But then I grew tired and decided to channel my focus into something else. Torturing patients at the hospital was all great fun until
this
one came along, healing everyone she met.” Gus cocked his head. “I was very angry, but then one day I realized
these two should meet.
”

Ethan’s throat went dry. “You—”

“Set the fire,” Gustavo said simply. “
I’ve
been responsible for all the sparks that’ve been flying around. Both literally and figuratively, that is.”

“It was all a setup,” Ethan whispered to himself, desperately trying to wrap his mind around everything Gus was spewing. “You knew I would respond to the call and come to my community’s rescue. And then you called Tina, making her think they needed her for backup.”

“Quite an ingenious plan if I do say so myself.”

Ethan felt like he was going to be sick. “You knew that by bringing us together, you’d kill two birds with one stone. I’d finally become victim of your curse and ultimately destroy Tina and her powers.”

“Oh, no, my boy,” Gus said in a singsong voice. “Not destroy,
weaken.
I couldn’t defeat her in her current state.”

“Because she’s too strong,” Ethan spat.

Gustavo snarled. “That may be true, but not anymore. And now I’m ready to do the honors...and it’s all because of you.”

“You’re sick,” Tina breathed, her arms wrapped around her.

“You know that saying ‘glutton for punishment’? Well, I just so happen to be a glutton for other people’s. Including yours.”

“I won’t let you,” Ethan said.

“Oh, yes, you will. Need I remind you that you’re nothing more than a weak, disgusting Half Blood? You will never be a match for this.”

At that moment, Gus snapped his fingers and his body began to morph. His skin became a sickly green, his tongue turned black and forked, darting in and out of his mouth like a snake. Two enormous horns broke out of his skin. They were thick, the color of charcoal, and deep with ridges as they curled back and grew behind him like a ram’s. His horns were like a headpiece, like armor. Then his irises went completely white, and Ethan knew that he was pure evil. The eyes were the window to the soul and Gustavo Diaz did not have one.

“Lucky for me, I don’t have to wait to get angry in order to fully transform, you little Half Blood. You little disgrace.”

Fuming, the transformation quickly overtook Ethan’s body. Canines sharpened, skin brightening, the two points of his horns poked through the top of his head.

Gus laughed loudly until he coughed. He choked, spitting a wad of phlegm at Ethan’s feet. “That’s it? That’s all you got, Half Blood? Absolutely pathetic.”

As the two stood there staring each other down, Ethan finally faced what he knew all along: there was no way he could beat Gustavo. He didn’t have nearly the powers he had. In fact, he only had half.

But he had to try. If he didn’t, Tina wouldn’t have a chance.

With his arm outstretched, Gustavo took a step toward Tina. Ethan tried to intervene, to create a physical barrier, but Gus backhanded him so hard he flew into the opposite wall, his body crashing into the concrete. Dust and rock fell around him, making the room fill with a cloud of white. For a moment Ethan saw double, every inch of his body hurting like hell. As he struggled to get back up, he found he barely had the strength to push himself to his knees. He shook his head, trying to focus. When the dust settled, he saw that Tina was no longer lying in the middle of the floor.

Gus had his beefy hand around her throat as he slammed her against the closed door, sliding her up until her toes left the tile. Tina’s face grew paler as Gus applied increasing pressure to her throat. Then her frantic, scared expression started to dim. Her eyes drifted to close, her head bobbing limply to her shoulders.

“Say goodbye to your little girlfriend,” Gustavo laughed. The same echoing laugh Ethan had heard while the demon lit fire to his parents’ home, all of them still inside. The laugh Ethan had heard in his head his entire life—every night, haunting his dreams. Gustavo had stolen away any chance for Ethan to have a normal life. Any chance to not live in fear. Any chance to find a woman to love.

Something bubbled up within him and Ethan somehow found his footing. Gustavo, thinking he was dead, still had his back turned to him.

He bent his head down before running his skull into the demon’s back, letting his horns pierce Gustavo anywhere they could. He howled and turned around, breaking his grasp from Tina’s neck. Her limp body crumpled to the floor.

Placing both his hands on Gustavo’s shoulders, he head-butted him. His horns sliced open his enemy’s face and broke his nose. A putrid-smelling, thick black liquid spilled from the places Ethan had gouged him. Gustavo stumbled on his feet, bringing his hands into his face as if he was trying to put it back together. The thick sludge now dripped through his fingers, splattering onto the floor.

Unable to see, Gustavo couldn’t defend himself. Ethan punched him with a powerful right hook and heard one of his massive black horns crack upon impact. The liquid gushed thickly from that puncture, too, running down, coating his arm. Gustavo screamed in agony.

“You son of a bitch,” he choked out. “You son of a—”

But those were the last words Gustavo would ever say. Because when Ethan kicked him square in the middle, Gustavo fell backward, his wounds weeping heavily onto the tile. The sludge had turned as thick as tar and sizzled, searing all of Gus’s skin. After the floor stopped shaking with his massive weight, Gustavo Diaz’s body turned into a thick green fog and evaporated.

Epilogue

Though nearly an hour had passed since she and Ethan returned from the hospital, Tina was still thinking about Danny and his parents’ faces after she healed them all. There was a look of amazement in Danny’s gaze when he saw his parents awaken and scoop him up into a warm embrace, tears misting in all of their eyes. To witness the love the three of them had for each other was beautiful. A warmth filled her chest as she thought how she had helped reunite a family...and how she was currently nestled against the man who helped her do it.

They now sat groggily in the bathtub, the steam and exhaustion of the day forming a powerfully intoxicating lull. Ethan agreed with a sly smile that since he had interrupted her previously, it was only fair that he owed her a bath. Tina leaned her head back against Ethan’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. In his arms she felt protected, like nothing could ever hurt her ever again.

Ethan squeezed the soapy loofah over Tina’s chest and neck and she groaned with pleasure.

“That feels so nice.”

Ethan leaned in close to her ear. “I know something that’ll feel even nicer.”

Despite the heat of the water, Tina shivered. “Feeling wicked after committing an act of valor? This whole duality thing seems to have its benefits.”

Ethan laughed. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I just want to love my woman without any consequences.”

My woman.
He had called her
my woman.
Her throat became tight with emotion. She turned her head until her lips were on his. Softly, sweetly, she kissed him, relishing the feel of them. She reached her soapy hand up to Ethan’s face and rested her palm on his cheek. His two-day stubble tickled her skin and a deep sense of relief flooded over her as she realized that such a showing of love would no longer be able to hurt her. They were free.

In a flash of movement, Ethan slid out from under her and lay between her parted legs. She felt him smile against her lips.

Grasping with both hands, she tugged him gently, pulling him inside of her. She still wasn’t used to the fullness, how he filled her up so completely, the wonderful pressure his manhood inside her. He wasn’t like any man she’d been with ever been with before. No one could compare.

Chuckling, she threw her head back, breaking the kiss. He was a million times better than any fun she had by herself in the bath.

“What is it?” Ethan asked. She saw a flash of confusion cross his deep amber eyes.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Tina assured him. “I’m just amazed at how I had almost given up hope of finding someone until I found you. You’re everything I could hope for.”

“And so are you,” he said firmly, no trace of uncertainty in his voice. He pumped into her slowly, taking his time, savoring the slick tightness of her, no doubt. He closed his eyes dreamily and Tina almost cried out at the tenderness of it all. His hands were exploring every inch of her body, fondling her lathered breasts, massaging the sides of her hips, stroking between her legs where he entered her. Water splashed over the rim of the tub with each powerful stroke, coating the tiled floor with a thin layer of soapy water.

Gradually he increased his speed and pressure until her body sung with satisfaction, every muscle shuddering with the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced. The orgasm only Ethan could give her. She shut her eyes tightly and screamed, bursts of light appearing on the inside of her eyelids.

Ethan crumpled into her, kissing her neck before raising his head to meet her eye. After removing himself from her, he kissed her lightly on the lips, holding the kiss for a few seconds. She had butterflies in her stomach. Every time he kissed her, it felt like the first time.

But when he turned to her now, his face lacked all humor. He was serious.

“And now for the test.” Ethan’s hand shook slightly as he brought his hand to his mouth. A fang peeked from behind his lips. Pricking his pointer finger with the tooth, a small droplet of blood formed on his fingertip. Tina knew what he wanted her to do and it scared her. Her gut tightened in response and she heard Ethan’s breathing become ragged.

“But Gus is dead—the curse is lifted,” Tina said, trying to reason. “You saw me heal Danny and his parents right before we left the hospital.”

“Just to be absolutely sure,” Ethan said quietly. There was a pleading look in his eye and Tina understood; after almost half a lifetime of being cursed, he needed there to be no shadow of a doubt. She hesitated.

“Do it,” he implored.

Tina placed his finger in the palm of her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. She closed her eyes, hoping with everything within her that her powers were still there. That everything was fine. That she could move on with her life and the man lying with her would be able to stay by her side, take care of her, love her without any consequences. Without any reminder of the prejudice that had destroyed a family.

Tina hesitated, but when she finally opened her fist and looked down, she gasped.

In a span of seconds, Tina and Ethan watched in awe as the droplet of blood on Ethan’s finger grew smaller and smaller...until it vanished. Completely.

“And how are you feeling? No pain?” Ethan whispered excitedly, hope surging in his voice. He reached to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and let his thumb linger to caress her cheek.

Tina’s eyes sparkled with relief. “Never felt better.”

* * * * *