Love and Demons Read online

  Rage washed through him at the sight of the weapons. He leapt to the street below, Adrik close at his heels, bellowing from the knowledge that he could not place himself between her and the projectile in time. The sound of the discharge echoed through the narrow space as he landed on the street before the humans, helpless to do much more than watch as the shot propelled her backward into some forgotten box-covered pallets.

  Chapter Two

  The sudden, forceful impact pushed the air from Kat's lungs and tossed her backward with as little effort as swatting a fly. Her ears rang from the sound of the discharge but still she thought she could hear what sounded like a roar. The noise confused her. She'd expected someone to move in and deliver the kill shot, or at least check she was dead from the first. Instead she heard a fist striking skin and the angry shouts of rage and battle.

  Her chest was on fire and every breath was a labor. As if she'd preconceived what would happen, Kat had put on her ballistics vest before leaving the station, something she rarely did. It undoubtedly saved her life, though the impact most likely fractured a rib or two. She felt a warm, wet sensation running down her right arm where she had struck a broken bottle upon landing. Taking that, a massive headache, and a burning sensation across her right shoulder into consideration, she had —so far— come out of this better than expected.

  While Kat lay there, attempting to gather the strength to climb out of the heap of trash, the alleyway grew eerily silent.

  "You alive, female?" a deep voice asked, its thick, sensual tone washing over her, leaving a million tiny goose-bumps in its wake.

  "You need to call 911," she told him, trying in vain to pull herself into a seated position. She would have liked to say she did so because she needed to check for possible leads on where to locate the renegade members of her now annihilated team. However, the truth was, she wanted to get a look at the owner of that sexy voice.

  With her head swimming, Katrina peered about the dark passageway, illuminated only by the glow of the full moon and the thin casting of a street light at the alley's far end. She was surprised to find herself flanked not by one, but two males. Both were remarkably large, standing at least seven feet tall, with bulging biceps she could make out even in this lack of lighting. One stood watching toward the far end where the ally met the street, the tension rolling off him. It was easy to tell from his stance that he scouted for any returning assailants. The other stared down at her like he was eyeing up his next meal.

  She gazed at him for a long moment, trying to remember if she had seen him anywhere near the area over the past few days. "Do you have a phone?" Kat asked, her agitation with his continued staring obvious in her biting tone. "Hello! Are you deaf or something?" Her tone had gone from irritated to seething on the brink of anger in a blink of an eye. Still he did not answer, but crouched low to peer at her square in the face.

  The instant she made eye contact with the large male who regarded her so intently Kat felt as if she were free falling into the smoldering depths of his eyes. The need to press her lips tight to his and taste the warmth of his mouth pulled her, and she found herself leaning closer to him. "Just get her and let us get back to the suite," the other male said over his shoulder, breaking the strange sensation that had her moving in to kiss a complete stranger.

  "What did you say?" she asked, attempting to make sense of what was going on.

  Instead of repeating himself, the male who was serving as lookout instead again addressed his companion, "Barak, if you are planning on doing this, you need to get on with it before we get more company!"

  ****

  Barak had gone into rage mode the moment he realized they shot the female. Dropping from the building top, he seized the male who fired the shot. With minimal effort he tossed the man backward a distance of at least fifty feet, where he landed with a loud thud against a half-empty dumpster. The response of the other humans was instantaneous. In a flurry of punches and kicks they began to strike out at the new opponents, which was all the better to him. He wanted them all to pay for harming his female. He wanted blood.

  Now, as he crouched before her, his heartbeat thundered. She was wondrous. With frail features, long dark hair woven into some sort of braid, and eyes the color of the dark waters of inworld, she was perfect. The only thing that perplexed him was how she had managed so much force and energy during the battle he witnessed. She was like a storm — beautiful and deceptively dangerous all at once. But the best thing was that she was his. The only problem left was how to make her accept it as well.

  "Sleep, female," he ordered in a hushed voice, attempting to breach her mind with his own. Much to his surprise, she simply glared. It was painfully obvious that he would not be capable of exerting any control over her mental capacities, leaving only one other choice, short of knocking her unconscious — enthrallment. He reached out, wrapped his hand around the back of her head, and pressed a rough, bruising kiss to her lips.

  ****

  Kat sat caught in a mixture of anger and disbelief when the strange male ordered her to sleep. However, that was nothing compared to the shock of his forceful kiss. Pressing hard against the stone-like muscles of his chest, she attempted to break free, only to have him pull her closer as he nipped at her lower lip, demanding entrance. Desire swept through her at his silent demand, making her pulse race, until she could no longer resist. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she opened to his invasion. The moment her lips parted, his tongue pushed in deep, exploring hers in a seductive dance that made her head spin with both need and desire.

  He released her head and lifted her into his arms, and she felt as though she were floating with only his mouth anchoring her to the ground. He whispered a soft command against her swollen lips and instantly her mind grasped it and obeyed.

  ****

  When her body relaxed against him, he released her lips and drew in a ragged breath. The taste of her was like ambrosia, leaving him nearly overcome with the desire to claim her right there in the filth of the dark alleyway, a feeling made obvious by the strained crotch of his pants. "Let's go," he croaked to Adrik, who watched them with a look of pure amusement on his face.

  "At your leisure, my lord," he added with a mock bow before turning to lead them out of the alleyway, back toward the suite. They could all use a good shower, though at least one of them needed it to be rather cold.

  The two large males moved along stealthily, avoiding the well-lit main routes for the darker side streets until they arrived outside the tall building they'd called home since their arrival. They had secured the entire fifteenth floor, making certain they had a private and secluded elevator to allow them to come and go at will. Prior to tonight, they hadn't needed the anonymity, but the fact one of them had an unconscious female thrown over their shoulder made it a true blessing.

  Barak said little more than two words to Adrik during their journey back to the hotel, too preoccupied by the feel of his mate in his arms, the scent of her skin, and the intense emotions swarming through his body.

  When the elevator doors opened they were met by the three other Zironet warriors that accompanied them on this secret mission to outplane. Giving them a nod of acknowledgement, Barak stepped around them and carried his mate to the largest of the suite's four bedrooms. Behind him, the men whispered anxiously, asking if it was true he had found his mate, and that she bore the mark of Zi. In his soul he knew she was his now, and he needed to reveal the truth and restore the hope of his people.

  Gently, he lifted her to a seated position and began to remove her dark fatigue shirt to reveal the armored plate hidden beneath.

  "That explains how she could take a direct blast from that weapon and still be alive," Adrik said, examining the ballistic vest his commander dropped to the floor. Beneath it all she wore a thin black tank top, the swells of her round breasts peeking out temptingly. Barak fought the urge to take one into his mouth and feel the nipple grow taught within the cloth. Instead, he began to search the skin he
had already uncovered for the birthmark that would confirm what he already knew. Her arms were slim and pale against his large calloused hands, and her skin felt softer than anything he had ever touched. They were void of any makings.

  Biting his lower lip, Barak reached down to catch the hem of her shirt, intent on removing it, but Adrik stopped his motion.

  "There is no need to bare your mate to us, friend. The proof is there on your woman's shoulder."

  Barak's breath caught in his chest and his usually steel-steady hands trembled. Lifting her further into his arms, he saw the edge of the mark peeking out from beneath the strap of her shirt. Sliding the material slowly overtop her slender shoulder he revealed the dark, flushed mark fully. It spoke to him like a glaring neon light. While men let out a cheer, he released a breath he had forgotten he was holding and feathered a kiss on his woman's head. The survival of his people lay there in his arms.

  Chapter Three

  Kat awoke to the smell of coffee and the muted sound of talking somewhere beyond the closed double doors. A dull light seeped in through the edges of the heavy drapes covering the windows, making her fairly certain it was either early morning, meaning she'd only been out an hour or two, or late evening, meaning she'd been unconscious for at least twelve hours.

  Looking around, she attempted to regain some idea of exactly how she managed to get into this room wearing nothing more than her tank and thong. The last thing she clearly remembered was the need to wrap her arms around some goliath-sized stranger after one of her own teammates waylaid her. My teammates, damn, she thought, sitting straight up in the large bed, and instantly regretting her rush when a sharp pain across her right side nearly knocked her back down.

  Reaching to feel the edge of the bandage circling her injured ribs, Kat grimaced. She was lucky it had been a chest shot, and that no one had moved in to finish the job. She could guess the arrival of the two large men had something to do with the fact she was still breathing. She probably owed them for the accommodations and first aid as well, seeing as they were the only people around when she blacked out. Why they chose to bring her here rather then call 911 was puzzling.

  Moving much slower this time, she stood up and took a wobbly step toward the door, intent on finding the light switch so she could search for her clothes. After which she planned on saying a quick 'thank you' to her saviors before calling into the station and letting the chief know what happened. Reaching the door, she located the switch and flipped it to the 'on' position, flooding the room in the soft glow of the lamp on a nearby table. Taking a good look at her surroundings for the first time, she gazed around the room, noting the fine linen. Stationary on the end table informed her she was at the prestigious Marionette Hotel. Well, her heroes obviously had money, so why where they slumming it in the seedy alleyway across town?

  The opening of the doors startled her and caused her to jump involuntarily, sending another spear of sharp pain through her battered chest.

  "Why are you out of bed?" his voice sent a tremble of familiarity through her body and had moist heat pooling in her cunt. Damn, but he looked even better in the light.

  He closed the short distance separating them in two strides and stood only inches from her. Kat's body clenched with sheer desire as the scent of him wrapped itself around her, drowning any rational thought from her mind. The only thing that mattered at that moment was her need to feel his cock buried deep inside her hot, wet cunt until she screamed in release. As if he understood her need, he reached down to lift her face to his, capturing her lips in a kiss that was all too familiar.

  ****

  Barak had not intended to come into the room and find himself tangled in the arms of his mate, but as his tongue dueled with hers for dominance, the need to claim her body pushed him to respond to the arousal he'd seen in her eyes. He understood that her response, fed by the musk his body exuded when in contact with his mate, was a magnification of what she already felt. Once claimed, the effect would diminish greatly over time. The way she was rubbing herself against his engorged cock said anything but no. Still, law demanded she ask for his claim, so he would just be certain she begged him for it.

  After lifting her gently so as not to further injure her already battered flesh, he laid her on the large bed and moved to crouch overtop her. Grinning down at the beauty of her flushed face, Barak pushed up the soft cotton of her tank to reveal her swollen nipples. He growled in pleasure as a moan escaped her lips; he ran his tongue in a slow circle around one pouting tip before pulling it deep into his mouth and suckling it. Kat shuddered under his ministrations. Barak slid his hand down to the scrap of material already moist from her essence, and gently stroked the covered folds. She arched into him, attempting to grind herself against his digits. Slipping past the thin material, he pushed two fingers into her slick folds, gliding back and forth, her muscles clenched around his intrusion.

  "You are very wet and very tight," he purred between her breasts. He slid up to nuzzle her neck and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. "I am much larger than the males of your world," he told her while rolling her clit between his fingers. "What is your name, love?" he asked adding a third finger to the two already buried deep in her weeping pussy.

  "Katrina," she responded breathlessly, her body beginning to tremble with her impending release. Feeling the shudders ripple along her muscles, Barak increased the speed in which his fingers fucked her, pushing deeper into the hot, moist core. "Kat… Oh god, Kat's my name." She sunk her nails into the strong muscles of his shoulders and screamed.

  "Mmm, Kat, my sweet, sweet Kat," he cooed, stroking her hair as he sucked her hot fluids from his fingers. She smiled up at him from beneath thick lashes, her breath slowing slightly. Reaching up, she ran her hand along the strong curve of his jaw.

  "Wow, gorgeous and unselfish. How did I get so lucky?" she asked when she once again found her voice.

  He chuckled deeply and leaned down to brush a kiss to her lips. "I do believe the luck is all mine. Now that we know one another a bit more intimately, allow me to introduce myself. I am Barak, eldest son of the high commander of the Zironet." He grinned proudly at the reference to his heritage, and Kat smiled back, though the look on her face said she did not have the foggiest idea who the Zironet were. "And you are my Zi mate, the one who I have travelled to the outerworld to find." Barak said it with conviction, wanting her to have little doubt he believed exactly what he said. However, he felt Kat was not the type to buy into some demented fantasy, no matter how sexy the hero of the story was.

  "Your Zi mate? So let me see if I have this right. You are from a different planet and you came here searching for me because I am this Zi mate. Do I have this right?" Kat asked him, raising her eyebrows and giving him a look that said she thought he was completely nuts. If she had done so while pulling away from him, Barak might have been worried, but she still lay beneath him and allowed him to trace his fingers along her shoulders and face, showing she was not so far removed from the idea as she might think.

  "I am not from another planet. I am from a different plane of this planet, and yes, you are my Zi mate."

  Kat looked at him and grinned, shaking her head. "Well, I need to call my captain and let him know what happened in the alley last night." She pushed at his chest so that she could get up.

  "That is not such a good idea," he said, knowing she would not like the news he had to share. She looked at him for a moment, her hand still resting against his chest.

  "Why, is that not a good idea?"

  Barak looked down at his Zi mate and could see the unrest and concern in her eyes, and his heart felt heavy. It was his job to ensure not only her safety, but her happiness as well.

  "Let's get you situated back in bed, and then I will show you why that is not the best choice at the moment."

  ****

  Kat stared in utter disbelief. The local news anchor told an outlandish story of the cop-killing rogue officer who had brutally killed four of her own tea
m members. There was a citywide manhunt in progress, and a reward for information leading to the arrest of Katrina Dash, who they considered armed and very dangerous. They'd managed to twist it around so well that her own people were now out for her blood, and she was the only one who knew the truth — well, other than Barak and his friend, who at least witnessed the fact she had not assassinated her own team mates.

  Sighing, she rubbed both hands over her face in an attempt to push away the migraine that began to form. "Fuck me running. I can't let them get away with this." Kat was speaking to herself, though Barak sat there beside her. She had not decided the course of action she would to take, but she'd be damned if she was going to sit back and let those bastards go unpunished. She might go down, but she intended to put a hot piece of lead in each of them before then.

  Sitting quiet for a moment, Kat decided upon her first move in the deadly game of chess she was about to play. "Barak, could you do me a little favor?" she turned and purred to the male who sat patiently at her side. He raised an eyebrow in response. Taking that as a yes, Kat smiled. It was payback time.

  Once she scripted exactly what she wanted him to say, she handed him the paper. "Remember to make it believable. I need to be certain he heads out on his own instead of bringing backup."

  ****

  Barak stared at the paper, then at his Zi mate. Had they been on his plane, there would be no question of him allowing such a dangerous act, but this was not his plane and this could help him on two fronts. First, it would give his mate some peace to see those responsible for what happened last night pay. Secondly, it would allow him to gain the trust of his mate. This also meant he would be there to ensure her safety.