Savage bite den of shado.., p.10
Savage Bite (Den of Shadows Book 1), page 10
Before I could think of a response, the demon pulled me into the crowd, and I followed even as my muscles grew rigid. He flipped my hood down and smiled.
“I’ve never seen you before. I’d remember such a beauty.” He placed my hands around his neck and then grabbed my hips as we swayed to the music.
I choked back the insults and kept a tight rein on my control, so I didn’t drop-kick him to the black and white tiles. “I, uh, I’m just visiting. I live on Earth.”
“The closest door to Vlehull leads to Savannah, Georgia in the States. Are you from there?”
“Yeah,” I blurted a moment too late.
Way to go, Tate. Why don’t you tell him you’re a raven too?
His eyebrows disappeared into his golden-brown hair, and he glanced over his shoulder at Karn. “Savannah is High Lord Ruin’s territory. Those two hate each other.”
“Really?” I assumed the two were friends considering their regions were connected through the door.
“Ruin doesn’t think a dux demon deserves a lord title, especially in such an influential city.” The demon shrugged. “He’s kind of an elitist prick.”
I scoffed. “And Karn’s any better?”
“They’re both dicks. I’m just here for the food and pretty ladies.” He grinned, flashing dimples that reminded me too much of Hawk. “The name’s Furic, by the way.”
I pushed beyond the dux demon’s glamour, revealing a pair of vivid yellow irises instead of blue. Besides that, he appeared human.
“And your name is…?” Furic prompted.
“Terra.” No way in hell would I give my real name.
His fingers squeezed my hips. “Terra. That’s pretty. Kind of sounds like terror.” He drew me closer, his head dipping forward. “You know, if you want to get—”
“She’s mine, dipshit! I saw her first.” Two demons bumped into Furic as they tussled, and we stumbled to the side.
Furic whipped around, snarling. “Watch where you’re going. If you want to fight, take it outside. Some of us are trying to have a good time.”
While his back was turned, I fled the dance floor and bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. I bumped into a female high demon who stood at the top, watching the party. The sneer she sent my way would have made a weaker individual cower.
Shit. I really needed to focus.
My footsteps didn’t make a sound even on the slick black tiles as I scurried down the first hall off the main atrium. Music and chatter from the party carried after me, but Furic didn’t. I grabbed a pouch hidden on my belt and poured some of the Venari powder into my hand, blowing it into the air. The shimmery emerald grains of magic hovered before moving farther from the party.
My breaths quickened as I followed the trail, slinking close to the black wall. After taking a couple of turns in the dizzying maze of corridors, the magic in the powder ran out, and the dust dissipated.
I dispensed more in my palm, blowing it into the air. The emerald mist shot around a corner and slipped beneath a large black door. With any luck, it wouldn’t be locked.
A bitter laugh rang in my head. Lady Luck had never been my friend. And just to prove me right, when my fingers curled around the silver handle, the knob wouldn’t budge.
Locked. Of course.
I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket to grab my lock-picking tool as a firm grip fastened on my arm, yanking me around.
“What the hell are you doing?”
My neck craned back to peer up at the giant demon as his muddy yellow eyes, brimming with menace, bored into mine.
Chapter Twelve
The desire to permanently maim me throbbed off the demon whose fingers dug into my arm, those bottomless, slitted pupils attempting to trap my soul in a prison of torment and pain. He towered over me at nearly seven feet tall, and powerful muscles bulged beneath the black, tailored suit.
“I, uh—” My free arm slowly drew toward my belt, my hand brushing over a knife.
“There you are.” Furic jogged down the long hall from the other side, his grin bringing out those dimples again. “I chased you up the stairs and then lost you.”
I tried to mask my shock with a smile. “Playing hide and seek.”
Furic slipped his hand in mine, and I ignored the shudders rippling through my body. “She’s with me, Mykel.”
The colossal demon reluctantly released his grip. “Karn doesn’t like guests in this portion of the house unless he invites them himself.”
Furic waved over his shoulder as he towed me back to the party. “Whatever you say, big guy.”
I tried to escape his grasp, but Furic wouldn’t let go, setting off warning bells in my head. “Thanks for the save. I thought that guy would haul me out of the house or worse.”
“Mykel would have definitely tortured you.” He jerked a door open and pulled me inside a bedroom straight out of a bordello with satin, lace, and velvet draped everywhere. “I’m not against a little torture fun, but it wouldn’t have been very entertaining for you.”
Frost slithered down my nape at his easy use of the term.
Furic backed me up until I hit the edge of a bar, rattling the glasses. “What do you say we have our own little private party? I can round us up some toys.”
I tensed at the desire in his eyes, and as his fingers slid over my side and under my shirt, I couldn’t help but think of the demon shifter from last night. His touch had been scorching, like flames licking my skin. Maybe it had something to do with him being half shifter.
Or maybe it was just him.
Furic’s touch chilled my blood to arctic levels, and I wanted nothing more than to snap off every one of his fingers. He moved forward, his gaze zeroing in on my lips. The thought of kissing him, a demon, sent acid curdling through my stomach. I wanted to vomit all over him.
Instead, I slammed my boot into his shin hard enough that he stumbled back.
“What the fuck did you do that for?”
As he hunched over—he made this too easy—I grabbed the back of his head and thrust my knee into his face twice. Furic released a garbled cry and then collapsed to the ground, out cold.
I grimaced. The guy was kind of an idiot. Not very high on the evil scale. I almost felt bad for knocking him out.
Almost.
I stepped over him, yanked the door open, and peered outside. The hallway was clear, so I dashed out and sprinted back to the door the dust had led me to, snatching my lock-picking tool out of my pocket.
After quickly disengaging the lock, I slipped inside the room and closed the door. Sleek black floors met charcoal walls, and simple white covers wrapped the bed on the left. Silver pendant lights hung from the ceiling, casting a glow over the clean lines and contemporary style, a far cry from the rest of Karn’s mansion.
A dribble of sweat ran down my neck and disappeared into my shirt. This didn’t look like the type of room that held a highly dangerous and sought-after amulet, especially when it was so easy to break into.
I blew another dose of Venari dust into the air. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need much more because the pouch felt nearly empty.
The green mist hovered and then shot to the left. I dashed after it just as the tail end disappeared into a crack in the wall. Was the Infernal Sol hidden in a secret compartment?
I wiped sweat off my forehead and ran my hand over the wall for a latch or release. My limbs shook with adrenaline as I checked my watch. Two hours had already passed since I crossed the gate into the Underworld. These fae runes didn’t have unlimited magic, and now I had Furic to worry about. He could come to any moment and send Karn’s guards after me.
Finally, a click echoed, and a door swung open, revealing a narrow staircase climbing into the darkness.
My breath hitched, and my skin crawled as I entered the small space.
It’s a staircase. Not a closet. You’re fine.
I shut the door behind me and shoved back the panic raking its claws through my insides. Captain Coltrane sent me on this mission. And I would not fail.
I sprinted up the narrow stairs, my legs burning and lungs struggling for air. Where the fuck did this lead? Was Karn hiding the stairway to heaven in his mansion?
When a small exit finally came into view, I sucked in ragged breaths and reached for the knob. I twisted it—the metal gears releasing a high-pitched squeak—opened the door, and crept into a room.
The eerie scarlet lights from outside poured in through the massive windows, flooding everything in a bloody hue. That wasn’t what sent a stream of ice water down my back, though. Like most of the house, red, black, and white coated the gargantuan room, and the gothic decor reminded me of Dracula’s castle. But within all of that, a collection of explicit and depraved sites screamed for attention. Heavy manacles tipped the ends of chains that dangled from walls, leather straps had been bolted to a table in the corner, and a chair with restraints sat next to it.
My eyes widened at the array of whips and bindings tacked to another wall, pulsating like signals of debauchery under the crimson lights. I spun and air siphoned from my lungs at the large, wooden wheel with leather restraints next to a thick, velvet curtain. The giant bed in the center of the room had metal loops in the headboard for shackles.
Did I just find Gomez and Morticia’s love nest?
I swallowed, but the dryness in my throat made me cough. This was Karn’s private room. Horrific images of the demon lord and his lovers—willing or not—flashed through my mind, and bile coated my esophagus.
I needed to get out of this nightmare before the demon lord brought in one of his love slaves. My fingers twitched and ran over a dagger on my belt.
Instead of grabbing my weapon, I snatched the ever-lightening leather pouch of Venari dust and sprinkled more into the air. The magic cloud slowly spun and drifted to the left. I followed it, my heart crashing against my ribs like the ocean pummeling the coast during a storm.
The shimmering particles stopped in front of a plain black chest atop a high table. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the trunk except that the dust had dropped onto the dull, ebony surface.
My pulse spiked so violently my veins wanted to pop from the pressure. The Infernal Sol had to be in there.
I lowered to one knee and examined the ancient lock as I slipped out my trusty tool. A few delicate metal puzzle pieces would not keep me from completing this mission. I steadied my fingers and worked the lock, ignoring the tempest of anxiety raging through my body.
All I had to do was open this box, grab the amulet, and slink out of this hellish mansion. The demon lord and everyone else would be none the wiser. If everything went as planned, they wouldn’t even notice the Infernal Sol was gone until it was too late.
The click of metal echoing in the cavernous room was music to my ears. Blood rushed to my head as I stood and grabbed the table's edge to steady myself.
Don’t lose it now, Tate.
The gothic red and black room stopped spinning, and I lifted the lid, my arm straining under the unexpected weight. There, in the middle of a bed of black velvet, rested the Infernal Sol. The gold setting gleamed, and the red stone became a liquid sun, glowing and pulsating.
I slowly reached for the necklace, my fingers brushing the cold metal as a door opened.
My head snapped toward the decorative divider sectioning off a small foyer in front of the door leading into the hall.
Someone had entered the room.
I silently closed the heavy lid, scurried across the floor, and dashed under the bed as a pair of black boots came into view. They were too large, scuffed, and well-worn to belong to Karn. His shoes had gleamed to perfection under the crystal chandeliers downstairs.
The guy walked through the room with silent footsteps, which was a feat considering how huge he had to be to match the size of his boots.
Ice slid through my veins. Was it the colossal, NBA-sized guard who caught me slinking around the mansion earlier? Had Furic woken up and found Mykel?
Sweat leaked down my temple and dropped to the floor as the guy approached the bed, skirting the edges. I twisted around, following his black boots until they disappeared out of view. I breathed in through my nostrils and slowly released the air from my mouth, my heart performing a frantic tap dance. If he was a shifter or a vampire, he would have heard my pulse by now.
Finding a shifter at a demon lord’s mansion in the Underworld wasn’t likely, but a vampire guest was plausible.
Silence stretched, and my breaths fogged the polished tiles beneath the bed. Maybe the guy had left. Maybe he’d—
A solid grip fastened around my ankle, and something yanked me out from under the bed in one swift motion. I barely had time to gasp before I was flipped onto my back and faced with a pair of familiar, scorching eyes, one vivid blue and the other molten gold.
Chapter Thirteen
The sharp, slashing tattoos on the demon shifter’s muscled arms were so dark they wouldn’t allow the red light to so much as tint the black ink. His shoulders strained beneath the onyx t-shirt, threatening to shred the material like the Hulk.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed, too stunned to even think of a defensive move.
A snarl twisted his lips, baring his teeth. “I could ask you the same question, Tatum Teague.”
I shouldn’t be surprised he knew my name. He did break into my room at Corvin Manor to leave a gift.
Like an idiot, my gaze flicked to the chest that held the Infernal Sol. When he followed my eyeline, a low, dangerous growl rumbled through him.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.
Chills broke out over my body. He hadn’t come for me. Nope. We’d crept into Lord Karn’s torture bedroom for the same reason, the Infernal Sol.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, knocking the sense back into my addled brain, and I bent my leg to kick him, but the bastard had reflexes like a vampire and batted my boot away. He wrapped his hand around my throat and squeezed. Stars burst around the edges of my vision.
“You are not screwing this up for me.” The steel hoop in his bottom lip scraped against his teeth as he sneered. “I will snap your neck before—”
I slammed my heel into his shin, loosening his grip, and then I hooked my legs around his arms, finally breaking his hold. Air flooded my lungs, and my gasping breaths reverberated against the walls. The guy blinked, shocked that I’d gotten free so quickly.
Captain Coltrane had been right. Others would come for the Infernal Sol, and I wasn’t about to let this demon shifter creep snatch it.
I scrambled to my feet, delivered a roundhouse to his cheek, and punched his jaw. Fire exploded over my knuckles, but I ignored it and slipped out of his reach toward the trunk.
A band of iron wrapped around my middle, and he yanked me away from the table. My feet flailed in the air as I struggled in the nightworlder’s grasp.
“Get the fuck off me, evil asshole.” My elbow jabbed his side, but it only earned me an annoyed grunt.
Hot breath ghosted over my ear. “You haven’t seen evil yet, baby girl.”
“Ugh. Baby girl?” Nothing was worse than being called that by some tool who wanted to get into your pants. At least this one just wanted to kill me. “You talk to all the girls you plan to murder that way?”
“Only the special ones.”
The room spun, and I landed in the middle of Karn’s bed, a weight dropping on me. “I’d planned on drawing this out, making you suffer like my brother did, but it’ll have to be a quickie instead.”
“Let’s be honest.” When I tried to curl my knees to shove him off, he used his legs to press mine into the mattress. “You’re not capable of much more than a quickie.” One of my arms broke free, and I punched his cheek right over a scar.
His irises flared brighter as he grabbed my arms, pinned them to the pillows above my head, and let the entirety of his weight drop to crush me into the bed.
Every inch of him aligned with me, hard muscles and hot, sweltering flesh meeting mine. His spicy, earthy scent washed over me, filling my senses like a raging tempest. Silken black strands brushed over my forehead, and I had the most ridiculous urge to run my fingers through those locks.
My breath quickened as I uselessly struggled, too aware of him. All of him. His length, not even hard, rested against my leg like a warning—or a temptation.
The visceral reaction hit me like a bolt of lightning. Flames ignited low in my belly and radiated outward, licking over my ribs and between my legs. Tiny flutters ricocheted through my core, making me want to arch into his touch. I choked back the whimper crawling up my throat.
What the actual fuck was wrong with me? I should have been disgusted by him, but my body had the opposite reaction.
His head cocked to the side, and his nostrils flared, the city lights tinting the thin hoop piercing his nose red. “You like this.” A flash of revulsion whipped across his rugged face, followed by a cruel, sadistic smirk. “This is turning you on.”
“Fuck you.” When I tried to free myself from his heavy hold, it only created more friction between our bodies. “I’d rather screw one of those demons downstairs than you.”
His other hand slowly slid up my side, and his fingers wrapped around my throat, not hard enough to restrict my air but enough to feel the danger. “I bet you’d like me to choke you while my cock was buried inside of you.”
Moisture pooled between my legs despite the hatred sparking around us. “You’re even more demented and psychotic than I thought.”
His laughter vibrated through me, only serving to stoke the flames hotter. “Oh, Teague, did you forget I’m half shifter?” His head dipped forward, his lips coming so close to mine I could taste them. “I can smell your arousal.”
Heat spread up my throat as blood rushed to sensitive places, throbbing so acutely I had to bite back a groan. But it didn’t matter. This freak demon shifter knew exactly how much desire filled my veins.
Why was this nightworlder turning me on? He was probably just like his beastly brother that I killed. And yet, with his fingers slowly tightening over my throat, all I could think about was wrapping my legs around him and driving my hips forward.
