Read Arryn: Mystic Protectors Series Online
Authors: Kathi S. Barton
“So you’re saying they have a lot of stuff to change over and won’t miss a few bucks of it.” He told her He doubted any of them knew their real value. “Everyone should know their real value when it comes to money. It makes you know just…well, I’m guessing if you live forever you really don’t care if you have enough for retirement, do you?”
“Not really. But some of them…a lot of them have come here, to this realm, to rest and relax. In doing so, they have found that they enjoy some of the other things that are here. Movies, having a home to go to.” He waved his hands in front of him and a neat little house appeared. “This house is one that Valyn has his eye on. It is not without its problems…plumbing and a new furnace…but he has no idea how to work on the purchase price.”
“I can do that for him. Just give me the address.” He said that He would. “There is more too, isn’t there? I mean, more than just a few houses and money changed over?”
“There is. I have a great many things I’d like for you to teach the men and women that work for me. Not just how to use the computer, but how to look at it when one of their charges are at it. There have been times, I’m sure, that they might have missed something important because they didn’t know how to guide them in the right directions.” She asked Him if He meant something they might have been searching for. “That and other things. I’ve had…well, we’ve had a few conversations about it, and I believe that you can help me out by teaching a class at the compound. You would do well in it, I think.”
“If this thing works out.” He told her not to worry so much. “Yeah, but I’m really good at it. You should know that by now.”
After He left her, she moved to her makeshift office again. The computers were running all the time now and had displayed a list of places longer than she was tall that were not real addresses. She sat down at the one closest to her and began reading the reports on it. There were so many that she really could not believe that a single person had set this up.
When the address for the house that Valyn wanted came to her, she moved out of the program and to the house listing. It was there for her to do a virtual tour, and she could see that it needed more than just a little work. As she continued she made a list of things that were going to need to be fixed and updated. By the time she was done, she had a long list of not just the repairs, but the cost of them as well.
Calling to Valyn brought him to her almost immediately. His face was serious, as it seemed to be a great deal, and when she asked him about the house, he looked like he had no idea what she meant.
“Aren’t you interested in a house on Mullen Street?” His face cleared up then as he nodded. “Okay. First, tell me what about this house makes you want it? Because I have to tell you, the place is nearly falling down now.”
“It is a small house that I have enjoyed looking at from afar. You have been there then?” She told him about the tour she’d taken. “I’m not…I have not been on a tour of it. Just saw it from across the street when I had a charge there. I will admit that it was a long while ago, but I think that I will have the funds to fix things.”
After setting him up with the computer and the online tour, she went to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She was so thirsty all the time, and she hated the fact that it was sweet stuff that seemed to quench her thirst. When he joined her in the kitchen with the laptop, he told her that the house was not what he had expected.
“I didn’t think so. But you can look from here to find one. I have two friends that are agents that can help you. One of them is a real bastard, but he owes me. The other…well, she’s a little off at times, but she will be honest with you.” He asked her the names and she told him.
“The female is a protector that has retired. She is honest, yes, because she cannot be anything but that. The male, I do not know. Why does he owe you?” Renie told him. “You saved him from going to jail for tax fraud, and you say that I can trust him?”
“I said he owes me, so he knows better than to mess with me again.” Renie grinned. “I bought a house from him a while back. He tried to tell me all kinds of things about it that weren’t true, and a few things he tried to keep me from knowing. They have to tell you everything about the house you’re buying or it comes back to bite them in the ass.” Valyn told her that was why he never liked humans on a personal basis. “Then why are you buying a house to live among them?”
“I should like a place that is far from people, if possible. I know that the first house was not it, but I should like one that has many acres. Also, a large house that I may wander around in, fixing things as I see fit.” She nodded, making mental notes on his wishes. “There is such a house that is not far from here. But it is in the courts now and will be there for a long while yet. I do think that the family enjoys fighting over everything.”
“I think you might be right on that. I’ve known a few people that argue even if they know that they’re wrong.” He nodded and looked at the computer in front of him. “Put in the address of the house you really like. Maybe I can dig around and see how much longer it’s going to be.”
Two hours later, Valyn was making an offer on the house, and ten minutes after that, he was the owner. She had made good on her promise to convert his money, and as soon as he made his way to the bank to get the paperwork, he could move in. Valyn looked like he was happy, but she didn’t worry about him any less. His heart seemed to be…not there anymore.
Not only was the house in good shape, but the bank had taken it about a month before the previous owners had died. The family, it turned out, was fighting over something that didn’t even belong to them, and they even knew that going in.
After talking with the banker, then the attorney working on what was owed on the house versus what they needed to part with it, it was established that he could put an offer on it. Valyn was so happy with her that he hugged her several times before he left for the bank.
“You have done well for him.” Renie jumped when Tholan spoke. He’d not been there a second ago and now he was. “I should like for you to help me with something as well. If you would be so kind.”
“You don’t like me much, do you?” He only stood there saying nothing. “Okay, I’ll help you, but you have to tell me why you hate me.”
“I do not hate you. I do not even know you.” She told him that was his fault and he flushed. “I will not bother you again.”
“You leave here and I will hunt you down and beat the living crap out of you. Sit.” He nearly fell over in his haste to do as she’d told him. “Now. We’re going to do this my way. Tell me why it is you don’t care for me.”
“You have much going on in your life.” She asked him what that was supposed to mean. “I do not know…I just…I am jealous of all that you can do and the ease with which you can perform it.”
“You think this is easy for me?” He nodded and flushed again. “Okay, first of all, none of this is easy. Even the computer stuff that I can do, it’s not always cut and dry. Sometimes it takes me weeks to get a simple task to go the way I want it to, then longer to set it up again so that it works correctly. I have all kinds of stupid shit going on in my personal life that I’m very sure you’re aware of, and then there is you.”
“Me?” She nodded at his squeaky question. “I have done nothing to you. I have avoided you at all costs since you have come into our lives.”
“And that’s the problem. You make me feel like I’m not worthy of being your friend.” He swallowed twice before asking her if she thought of him as her friend. “I’d like for you to be. I’ve seen you with Kala and the other women and you act…well, not at ease, but nice around them. And with me…well, it’s like you said, you avoid me at all costs. I didn’t do anything to you.”
He got up to pace and she realized that this was something that they all did…pace themselves into a corner rather than just saying whatever it was that was bothering them. Renie stopped him and told him to tell her what was on his mind.
“I am in awe of you. And I fear you too.” She asked him why. “Because you can do more with that device than I can with my entire stack of notebooks and their notes. I will search for hours for one little word to see if I am using it correctly, and you just punch a few keys and there it is. What I would not give to have such a talent as yours. And it does not end there. You can do most anything you set your mind to.”
“I can help you with that. Download a dictionary and thesaurus to your computer. We can transfer all your notes over easily enough by just copying them to a file. It won’t be hard.” He was shaking his head. “You can do it all on your own. It will take you a while, but I’m sure that with some help from your friends you can do it. You’re not stupid, Tholan, just ignorant of the process. There is a big difference. I can show you how to get started and from there, it will take a while like I said, but you can input all the notes you have, even make a schedule on the computer and have it all at your fingertips.”
“You would do that for me? Even after the way I have treated you?” She nodded and told him it would be her pleasure. “You have humbled me, my lady. I should like for you to help me, please. And with my own home. I should…I have a great deal of time that I have not used, and I think to be able to get away for a restripe would be great.”
“Respite. And I do too. Sometimes just getting away for a few hours can rejuvenate you enough that you can feel like a new person.” He left her then so that she could get his program set up. After about an hour, Arryn returned and she knew that something had happened. When he asked her to have a seat, Renie knew that it was bad.
“The demon has gone to Penny’s home. We believe it was in search of the contract. Of course he didn’t find it, but he was there all the same.” Renie nodded. “Lord Damon wants to speed this up a bit. He wishes for you to call to the demon now so that he can finish this.”
“But I have three days left.” Arryn nodded. “I don’t want to leave you. I love you. I can’t…I need these three days with you and the others.”
“And I love you. But he said that it is important to all that we do this now. He believes him to be making a contract now with another child. We might not be able to save him should we wait.” Renie nodded and wrapped her arms around Arryn. “We will get through this, Renie. And when we do, we’ll be married and live a long and happy life together.”
Renie didn’t say anything, because she knew that this, like other things she’d hoped for, would be a puff of smoke before it was set. Things rarely worked out the way she wanted, and as much as she wanted this over with too, she didn’t want it to end.
Chapter 9
The pieces of the protectors were in her hand. Jonas stared at them and had to wipe the saliva from his mouth several times as she continued to speak to him. He wanted to take her now, take her to his lair and count them out, but she was not his yet to take. Then he looked at her when she said something that caught his attention.
“You wish to do what?” When she repeated it, he just laughed. “I don’t make bargains with the likes of you. Besides, what can you possibly have that I don’t already own?”
“You think you have all of me when you have my soul, but there is a lot more to me than just that. For instance, I have a brain too.” Jonas snorted. “What? You have no use for what I might know?”
“No. I don’t. What you have between your thighs is all that I care about. And how well I’m going to fit deeply within your pussy. I will heat you in a way that no other has. And my cum will fill you daily until I tire of you. Which you should know will be less time than I first thought if you think to use that brain of yours. I don’t even wish for you to ever speak when you are with me.” She laughed at him and his temper flared. “You think I need you to speak? I don’t. I want your mouth on my cock. Sucking me like you have no other. Do you know what it will do to you to have me fill you with all that I am?”
“Yeah, I have a pretty good idea. It will burn me from the inside out. As for you fucking me, there is more to life than just sex. Or do you not care about that?” He told her that he really didn’t. “What about money? Do you have any use for it? I know how to get millions for you.”
“Millions of dollars? You don’t have that much money, do you? Your mother thinks you have a little, but not millions. You’d give it to me? That would be smart of you, but will not make a difference at all in how I treat you or fuck you.” She huffed at him. “You wish to bargain with things that you cannot bring here with you when you come to me. Money, while a good thing, will not come when you come here.”
“No. I can get other people’s money. A lot of it. Why, just the other day, Boss asked me to change the money from the protectors to hard cash. I can skim a little….”
When she stopped talking, he stared at her. It looked to him as if she were thinking of something profoundly more important than he was saying to her. When Jonas said her name thrice she still did not look at him. It wasn’t until he touched her that she looked at him. He knew that he’d hurt her, but she only stared at him.
“That’s what they’re doing.” He had no idea what she was talking about and said so. “The bank…they’re…. You know what? It doesn’t matter. What was I saying?”
“You were saying that you could steal money for me and I would have millions.” Nodding, she moved back from him when he started to reach for her again. That was when he saw what he’d done to her.
The imprint of his hand startled him. He’d never been able to mark anyone before, and was both pleased and terrified of it now. The other woman that he’d talked to just yesterday had screamed when he’d touched her, and now he had to wonder if he had marked her as well. Jonas wanted to end this pointless conversation now and go and see.
“Do we have a deal?” He told her that he didn’t care. His mind was elsewhere right now and what she was saying was trivial. “So, you’ll take me and only me tomorrow morning by coming to my apartment. Once you are there you’ll let me have my computer to take with me, right?”
“Yes, yes. Whatever you need.” Jonas tried to think if he’d touched Penny Sharp, and whether she had been marked as well. He was going to go there and mark her now if he could. Other demons would not be able to touch her should she decide to go over his head. The woman was still talking when he made his way back to his lair. He had things to do now and very little time to do it in.
The trip to Penny’s home was quick. The woman was in bed with someone again and Jonas paused to watch. She was very creative in her sexual play and he had learned a few things from her in the last few weeks. Like this one.
There were two males in the bed with her today. The male beneath her was holding her onto his cock while she rode him. He’d seen women do that before. Pleasure bitches were very good at this kind of play too. But the man that stood in front of her, with his long dick in her mouth, was fucking her there as if it was her pussy. She was holding his balls in her hand tightly and he was pumping her hard. But the thing that had him freeing his own cock was how the man had a woman wrapped around his shoulders as she hung from the posts at the bed. He was eating her as if she were his last meal. He wanted a piece of this.
“Jonas.” He heard his name but tried his best to ignore it. He was fisting quickly now and he was very close to coming. “Jonas, come to me now.”
He found himself in the office of Lord Damon with his dick hard as stone and his balls full. Damon only turned his back on him while he adjusted himself back into his pants and tried not to think about how painful his cock was. He was going to go back there later and see if they were finished. That was the most enjoyable human sex he’d seen in a while.
“Your lordship. I was busy.” Lord Damon said nothing but sat behind his desk. A chair appeared behind him, but he knew better than to sit without permission. Instead he stood there until he was told to have a seat.
“Do you know why I summoned you here today? And the next time I call to you, I don’t care if your cock is squirting out all of your seed, you are to come to me immediately. But we will talk about your punishment on that later.” Jonas only nodded. Soon now he’d be in charge and he’d have a few things to punish this man with. “Well?”
“Well, sire?” He tried to think what he had missed and then remembered. “Why you brought me here. I’m not sure, sire. I have been busy with our work. I sometimes think that I can do more, but I just don’t know how. Perhaps you can tell me?”
“You have been busy, I will say that for you.” Jonas was glad that someone had noticed. “But you tell me why you think I have brought you here when I have so much work to do already?”
“I’m not sure.” When Peter appeared next to him, he nearly whimpered. He had been tortured and burned, and Jonas would bet anything the little shit had given him up too. He had a lot to say. “I don’t know what this is about. What has Peter done that would concern me?”
“Don’t you know?” Jonas looked away from Peter. It was sickening to see how someone had peeled his skin from his body; his face was not nearly as beautiful as Jonas’s, but still it was a mess now. And his dick had been nearly burnt to the root. Someone had been using him as their plaything. “What do you think Peter told me when I asked him just an hour ago? What stories do you think he had to tell?”
Peter tried to speak but his lips no longer worked. His mouth was opening and closing, but Jonas noticed that his tongue was gone, as were most of his teeth. Jonas looked at Lord Damon and tried to think how he was going to save himself. He needed just a little more time and he’d have it all.
“You are struggling with a lie, no doubt.” Before he could tell him that he wasn’t, which was a lie too, Peter disappeared, but not before Jonas witnessed him burning more. “I have it on good authority that you are bringing a female here. One that you wish to keep for yourself.”
Jonas looked at the empty seat where Peter had been and cursed the man under his breath. When Lord Damon laughed, Jonas looked at him. There was something on his face. Something that told Jonas that he’d best tread softly.
“I’m guessing that he didn’t tell you the entire story.” Lord Damon said nothing but continued to stare at him. He was thinking hard, so hard that his head hurt from it. “Did he also tell you that this was his idea? That to bring her here was all his doing?”
“No, he did not. He said that you have had it in your head to have her here at all costs. And that you have reinforced your rooms so that no one would hear her screaming when you took her.” Jonas made a decision right then not to trust anyone again. Not that he had trusted Peter all that much, but never again would he have anyone in his rooms. “Would you like to explain to me why, when I visited your rooms, I saw everything as he had said it would be?”
“Mayhap…maybe it was him that did this. To make it look as if I was guilty.” Jonas tried to think if there was a way for him to come out on top. “I told him that you would be pissed about this. I even went so far as to tell him that Markum had done the same thing, and to remind him what had happened to him when he decided to bring a woman here.”
“You did, did you?” Jonas nodded, on a roll now. But Lord Damon spoke before he could continue. “This woman? What is her name? What does she look like? Someone that I could fuck, perhaps?”
Jonas straightened up to tell him to stay the fuck away from her but he caught himself. To tell the lord of the realm to fuck himself might not go over as well as he’d first thought. Instead of speaking, Jonas took several deep breaths and let his mind work for him.
“She is a beauty, my lord. But her name eludes me for now.” He had asked her several times what her name was, and she had skipped over it as if she knew what power it would hold. “Her hair is not just a dull color of the human’s we see, but many. I know that it is not real, but it suits her well. With her tall and willow thin body, I think her able to take a good pounding and then roll over and take it in the ass as well. She will be a fantastic fuck.”
Jonas reached down and adjusted his cock. It had been hard before, but now it was as if he had a fire in it, and he had a feeling that the woman would take good care of him. If he was to have her. And things were beginning to look like that might not happen.
“When does she come to me?” Again his temper flared up, but Jonas only nodded. “I should like to see this beauty that you will hand over to me the moment you have her.”
“Her birthday, my lord. It is in nine days.” A lie, but the demon wouldn’t know it because he was sure that he’d never told Peter the exact date. “I have made a bargain with her to bring her here on her birthday. And I will take her to you as soon as she arrives.”
“See that you do.” Jonas nodded and stared to rise, but Lord Damon spoke again. “What of this bargain that you’ve made with her? Tell me the details.”
Damn it. He’d let that part slip. He should remember who he was talking to, as nothing seemed to get by him. As he tried to think of a good bargain, he also thought of the woman. Christ, she was going to have to be killed before the time to take her to Lord Damon. Because once she was there, he’d get everything from her and he’d be as good as fucked, like Markum was.
“Bargain. The bargain that I have with her says that she is tired of the life she is living.” It was a stupid answer and Lord Damon cocked a brow at him. “What I mean is, she has asked for a power. A power over the device that can move money. She wishes to make herself rich so that she can enjoy her last days on the other realm.”
“A computer.” Jonas nodded and smiled. “And these monies that she wants. I suppose she’d want to share them with me as well. I like that plan. There are a few things in the other realm that I can use here. But we cannot steal them, as you might know.”
“You’ll take my money…her money as well?” Jonas realized what he’d said and that he was towering over the desk. Sitting back down he tried to regain some control over his temper, but it was difficult. “I mean your money, of course. And you should have it. There are many things that could be used here that you could provide for us. I forget myself at times.”
“You are angry. I don’t understand why this emotion is there when you know that I should have more than you.” Jonas wanted to deny it but nodded. “You don’t think I should have it all, Jonas? You don’t think that as your lord that I should have first pick of the woman? That I should not be able to fuck her pretty pussy before you? I am a man who likes a tight hole to fuck, and you think to deny me that?”
“No, my lord. I do not…I have seen her from afar and have a yearning to fuck her as well.” A pleasure bitch appeared before him, and he looked at her body before speaking again. “While she is a nice way to relieve the pressure, she is not the human.”
“Nay, she is not. But you will fuck her. Now. Here on my desk.” Jonas watched as the bitch moved to the large desk and lay back on it. Then as she stroked her cock while her other hand played with her clit, Jonas felt his own cock shrivel and his balls tighten to his body. “I should like to see you suck her off too, Jonas. I would not like to take all your pleasure away.”
“Sire?” The man roared out his displeasure and Jonas stood up. He was going to have to do this and there was nothing he could do about it. Moving to the woman, he leaned down to take her into his mouth when he was grabbed from behind. His head was shoved at her cock so quickly that Jonas couldn’t help but gag.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care for sex, with anyone for that matter, but he wanted the human. And nothing else was going to do. As his head was physically moved up and down over her extra appendage, he thought of the woman. His cock hardened just a little and he reached down to stroke himself. But before he could get any harder, a hand was wrapped around his and jerked from his cock. The pain of it had him wanting to check to see if his cock had been ripped from his body.
“You will seek your pleasure, Jonas, when I say you can.” He wanted to scream. Jonas wanted to tell him that he was going to kill him. Tell the lord that in no time, he’d be the one in charge and his life was going to be hell. But he didn’t. Not yet. He had to wait, and the waiting would be so much sweeter because of this.