ArayasAddiction (4 page)

“Where exactly are we? The air is thick. And the sky is hazy
around the perimeter of all those trees. It’s as if the sun isn’t shining
beyond the orchard.” He frowned. “I’m no gardener, but don’t different types of
fruits need different climates?” he asked.

Crap. They were in the veil between the human realm and the
demon realm but she couldn’t tell him that. He was right. The air in the veil
was thick and the sky hazy. For a price, certain things in the veil, such as
plants and trees and light could be manipulated by elemental demons. Beyond
their plot of space, in the veil, there was nothing—just a vast, hazy barrier
that separated the human realm from the demon realm. Until, of course, you came
across another occupied plot.

“Okay, if you can’t answer the where, tell me more about
this
nutritional imbalance
and why you can’t simply eat differently,” he
suggested.

She sighed then hiccupped. She enjoyed the easy conversation
between them and wished she didn’t have to be secretive.

“Well, Kean. Lemme tell you. I don’t want to
eat
what
is required to
fix
my
issue
. It’ll turn me into something I don’t
want to be. I’ll be overcome by needs, desires.” She gulped the rest of her
wine.

Her mother and sister refused to understand. She wanted to
talk to someone who might and Kean seemed genuinely interested. Hell, why not
tell him? It might be fun and he’d, of course, not believe a word of it anyway.
Plus, as she held onto the balcony ledge for support, she realized she was
quite buzzed.

“You definitely have my attention,” he said.

“If you think that’s good stuff, listen to this. My need is
semen, as my mother told you. I am what is called a
Sempire
. Kinda like
a vampire, I suppose. But instead of blood, I need semen to survive. Hence the
reason you are locked up with me. My mother wants you to give me your semen
because that’s the only thing that will
fix
my
condition.
How’dya
like that?”

Instead of freaking out and calling her crazy, he simply
asked, “Why do you refuse what will fix your condition?”

She stared at him, dumbfounded and swayed as she stepped to
the table to grab the bottle of wine. Empty. Damn it. “I’ll be back,” she
slurred.

Kean grasped her shoulders, steadying her. “Have a seat.
I’ll grab another bottle.”

She plopped onto the chair. “Good idea. Thanks.”

He returned quickly and refilled her glass. “You were about
to tell me why you refuse what you need,” he prompted.

“I don’t want to be a whore. I don’t want to be forced to go
from man to man to get what I need to survive.”

Kean seemed to consider her words. “Wouldn’t one man be able
to sustain you?”

She snorted. “It doesn’t seem to sustain my mother and
sister. But, they don’t care. They are full-blooded and until I feed I am a
half-breed. Being half-human, I’d hoped the human half would win and the
Sempire
needs wouldn’t control me. My refusal to give in is what’s killing me. Once I
do give in, it’s all over. I’ll transform to full
Sempire
, the needs
will kick in completely and I’ll become everything I’ve fought so hard to
avoid.”

“Half human?” Kean asked.

She nodded. “Yep, that’s right. My mother tells me that’s
where my silly notion of a monogamous relationship comes from—my human half. Is
it really that silly? What if I meet someone and fall in love and then he is
unavailable to me for a few of days? I’d be forced to-to—” she scrunched her
face in disgust, “cheat.”

She couldn’t believe she spewed all that information to a
human, but it felt great to purge like that, and she had to swallow the
hysterical laughter building inside her. Kean must think her totally insane but
was considerate enough to not let on.

“I see your dilemma,” Kean said.

Kean couldn’t believe the change in her. Couldn’t believe
what he was hearing. She was half human and willing to let herself die because
she might fall in love and might be forced to cheat on that person. Shit, her
whole attitude toward her
Sempire
half would probably change if she’d
simply give in to her needs.

He never thought he’d meet a
Sempire
, and certainly
didn’t expect her to be innocent if he did. He liked her and didn’t like the
idea of her dying. He also felt like a fucking asshole for what he’d done to
her as she slept now that he knew her reasons. Who’d have thought? A
romantic
Sempire
?

He wondered if the little bit of semen he’d passed to her
was enough to make the change in her she’d mentioned. It had certainly
strengthened her. Hell, she was sitting there getting drunk with him and
telling him, who she thought was human, that she was a semen-reliant demon.

He chuckled silently to himself. Yeah, he definitely liked
her. She had spunk. If she’d embrace her nature, they could be friends, hanging
out and cruising clubs for sexual conquests. Maybe have a foursome. Odd, that
idea suddenly annoyed him.

“Araya?” a male voice called.

“Oh, thanks, Fin. Will you set it here?” She motioned to the
table.

A thirty-ish, muscular male wearing a tight gray t-shirt and
jeans carried a dome-covered platter and set it on the table in front of Kean.
He sensed demon in the male but couldn’t make out what type.

“What’s this?” Kean asked.

“This is your dinner.” She smiled as Fin lifted the dome,
revealing a huge, juicy steak and a large baked potato.

“Holy shit. This looks great,” Kean exclaimed.

“Anything else?” Fin asked.

Kean shook his head but Fin stood staring at Kean as if
waiting for something more. “Thanks, this should do it,” Kean said. He hoped
the guy wasn’t waiting for a tip because obviously he didn’t have a wallet on
him.
Hello, I’m naked except for a towel.

Araya stood and hugged Fin. “Thanks for getting that ready
so fast.”

He finally looked away from Kean, hugged Araya back and
said, “No problem. I aim to please. How are you feeling? You look different.”

“A little tipsy,” Araya answered. “But seriously, much
better today. Must be the solid sleep I had.”

“Good to hear,” Fin said, sounding genuinely relieved. “See
you later.” He winked at her and gave Kean one last strange look and walked
away.

What was that guy’s problem? Did he have a thing for Araya?

“Is that one of your lovers?” Kean growled, his mood
darkening.

Araya looked surprised. “Fin? Fin is our chef and a good
friend. He’s lived here since before I was born.” The corners of her mouth
turned down. “I thought you’d enjoy the steak and potato you mentioned
earlier.”

What the hell was his problem? His good mood instantly
changed when Araya hugged Fin and the guy had winked at her. He’d felt like punching
the guy who’d just brought him a great-looking meal. Being held prisoner must
be getting to him.

Araya had done something thoughtful for him and he’d snapped
at her. He shook himself mentally and forced a broad smile. “I’m practically
drooling. This is awesome.”

There, her smile came back and what a sexy smile it was.

He cut into the steak, forked a piece and put it in his
mouth. He moaned. “Wow. Perfect. You want a piece?”

She scrunched up her face. “Ew, no. I only eat fruit.”

“Well,” he said after swallowing a bite of potato, “that’s
your problem. You need some protein.”

Her eyes widened as wine spewed from her mouth. He hadn’t
thought about what he was saying. Hadn’t meant it that way. But it cracked him
up that she took it that way and he laughed out loud. Hell, she was laughing
too which cracked him up even more.

“Sorry,” he said, leaning back in his chair still laughing,
“that’s not what I meant.”

“Oh my god. I must be drunk to laugh at that. Did I get any
on you?” she asked as she wiped wine off her foot.

“No, but hey, why do you have a chef and steak on hand if
you only eat fruit?” He asked between mouthfuls. That Fin could really cook.

“We tend to have a lot of visitors, such as yourself, in
addition to the guards living here.”

“What? Your mother abducts a lot of people?”

“Not until recently. Wait, you are the only one she actually
kidnapped as far as I know. I still don’t understand that. But she and my
sister bring a lot of males here. Some stay a day. Sometimes, if they are
really
satisfying
, they keep them here for few days or a week. Rarely
longer than that.”

“I see. Yeah, I suppose most males wouldn’t need to be
kidnapped for providing those types of services to beautiful women,” he agreed.

“No, most don’t. Why is it that you don’t want to
help
me? I’m curious. The others were more than eager.”

“Well, I didn’t appreciate being abducted and waking up
locked and collared in a cell. Letting someone
force
me to do anything
isn’t really my style.”

“You were locked in a cell? Which one?” she asked, surprise
evident on her face.

“You mean there’s more than one?” When she nodded, he asked,
“Why do you have cells in your basement?”

She shifted awkwardly, selected a slice of mango from the
tray, slipped it into her mouth and licked the juice from her lips. He never
thought he’d be envious of a piece of fruit until now. He thought she was going
to evade his question but then she spoke.

“That’s my mother’s business, the family business. Fetish
films. That’s what the cells are typically used for.”

“Wow,” Kean said. “Fun family business. Well, maybe not for
you,” he amended when she didn’t share his enthusiasm and decided to bring the
subject back to the task at hand.

He paused and looked into her enchanting golden eyes. “I
will help you now, if you’ll let me,” he said in a low, husky tone.

She drew in a deep breath, the intensity of her gaze as it
met his made his cock twitch. Yeah, he didn’t only want to help her to gain his
freedom, he wanted to pleasure her again and then feed his shaft into that
sultry mouth of hers. He wanted to be the one to strengthen her. He wanted to
feel the ecstasy of filling her mouth and nourishing her with his essence as he
watched her come alive because of it.

Her gaze fell to his lap. Yep, she noticed his lengthening
cock tenting the towel. She took another sip of wine and licked her lips.

Bringing her eyes back to his her tone turned husky. “Why
are you offering now?”

“Technically, this is my second offer,” he reminded her. “I
changed my mind when I caught you watching me in the shower.”

She chewed her lower lip as her eyes shifted to his lap once
again. “Please don’t,” she breathed. “I told you why. I don’t want that kind of
life.” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. He didn’t like it.

“Hey,” he said purposefully forcing a cheerful tone, “no
problem. Just thought I’d offer.” He picked up a blueberry. “Open your mouth.”

Her eyes bugged. “What?”

“Let’s see if I can make it,” he said playfully.

Understanding, she brushed the back of her hand over her
eyes wiping away the moisture and opened her mouth.

He tossed it right in. She laughed and said, “My turn.” She
chose a piece of banana but it hit him square in the nose.

“Ug, you throw like a girl,” he chuckled as he pulled the
banana off his nose.

Shrugging, she popped some fruit in her mouth and washed it
down with the rest of her wine.

“More?” he asked, indicating the wine bottle.

“I think I’ve had more than enough.” She picked up her glass
and tipped it toward him. “So why not have one more,” she said, laughing.

“I like your style,” he said as he filled her glass.

“So, my mother approached you and asked you to leave with
her and you refused?” Araya asked.

“No. She approached, introduced herself and I followed her
outside. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in the cell.”

Araya frowned. “I don’t understand that. Usually all she has
to do is ask. I mean, you’ve seen her, she’s perfect. I wonder why she didn’t
present the option to you. If you didn’t agree, she could’ve approached someone
else.”

Kean no longer agreed about Talith’s perfection since
experiencing her personality. He’d take Araya’s company over hers any day. Kean
hadn’t really thought about it much but Araya was right. If Talith had simply
asked the other men she’d brought home for Araya, why hadn’t she asked him? Why
had he been important enough to kidnap?

Was it possible? Surely not. If Talith knew Kean was part
Incubus, she’d either have avoided him or killed him. She couldn’t possibly
want
an Incubus locked in a room with her
Sempire
daughter. She couldn’t
possibly
want
her daughter to become addicted to his semen. Or could
she? Maybe she was desperate enough to save her daughter she’d do it regardless
of possible consequences.

Kean wanted to help Araya now, and he would if she’d agree
to it, but he feared she would become addicted. If that happened, she’d end up
dying anyway. No one else’s semen would work for her once addiction set in.
Being only an eighth Incubus, it was doubtful she’d become addicted but hell he
didn’t know one way or the other. He needed to talk to Talith and feel her out.

Kean jumped to his feet as a bone-rattling screech pierced
his eardrums. Something large and winged flew right toward Araya. It wasn’t a
bird, that was for damn sure. And it looked mean and hungry. He immediately dove
and knocked Araya to the ground, falling on top of her. He didn’t have time to
wonder about his instinct to protect her.

In the next moment, he was dragged off her and flipped over.
Orange eyes glared at him from a large, blue-black, furry head. The thick,
elongated snout sniffed him and its mouth opened revealing a full set of pointy
teeth. The thing’s wings spanned four feet.
What the fuck?