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away, allowing Gray’s flaccid cock to slip from between his lips. Dreo rose to his feet, making

sure to keep a supporting hand on Gray’s shoulder. With his legs still feeling boneless, Gray

appreciated the gesture.

Dreo took Gray’s hand and led him across the room before placing him in the massive

bed that completely dominated the room. Sinking back into the pillowy mattress, Gray

closed his eyes as he felt exhaustion sinking in. With his hectic schedule, he never got an

overabundance of rest and relaxation. At that moment, Gray felt like he could sleep for a

year, and the heavenly bed he was in was the perfect place to make that happen. All he

needed to perfect the situation was a certain tall, dark and sexy Demon to snuggle with.

When Dreo didn’t join him after a few minutes, Gray opened his eyes and was

surprised to see his Demon across the room, attempting to straighten his clothes, not trying

to take them off, as Gray would have assumed.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?” Though his words were spoken softly, the doubt and

confusion behind them came through loud and clear.

Giving him a gentle smile, Dreo crossed the room. “No, my mate. You need to rest and

regain your strength.” Placing a hand on Gray’s head, Dreo ran soothing fingers through his

hair. “While I might not have your gift, something tells me that we are going to need you at

one-hundred per cent when it comes time to deal with the guilty parties.”

The words were spoken so calmly, Gray was nearly convinced that Dreo had been

unaffected by their earlier love making. Only the massive bulge behind his zipper belayed

his words.

“Don’t you want me to take care of that for you?” Gray nodded in the direction of

Dreo’s crotch.

Dreo graced him with a wistful smile. “It can wait. You are what’s important right now.

You needed a release so you would be able to calm down and regain your focus. Now that

we’ve taken care of that, you need to rest and recharge.”

“But—”

Dreo’s brows furrowed, his expression turning serious. “I know you haven’t had a

chance to meet many of the Demons that reside in the Underworld, but the situation down

here is getting close to boiling point. There is a limited amount of time that we will be able to

keep the Demon population sequestered down here before violence starts to ensue. We are

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being forced to treat our own people like criminals because of the misdeeds of another. It

does not sit well with me. When the time comes, I need you to be able to focus, one-hundred

per cent, on identifying the murderer so things can get back to normal. Do you understand?”

Gray nodded, feeling properly chastised, no longer able to meet Dreo’s eyes. He was

embarrassed to admit that he hadn’t given any thought to the effect recent events were

having on the Demon population. Not only had they lost their leader, but also their freedom.

No doubt about it—Gray was officially an asshole.

A finger under his chin forced him to meet eyes filled with understanding. Dreo placed

a gentle kiss to Gray’s forehead before giving him a stern look.

“My words were not meant to upset you, merely to convey the seriousness of our

situation. There is no need for guilt or self-recrimination. You answered our call for help. We

will be forever in your debt. Now,” he said, straightening to his full height, “you need to rest

and I have work to do. I am going to join the teams and assist with tracking down the

Oracles. I have posted Balen and a team of guards outside the door to my suite. If you need

anything at all, they are at your disposal.” With those parting words, Dreo turned and exited

the room, closing the door softly behind him.

As silence filled the room, Gray took a minute to wonder how his life had changed so

fast. Just a few days ago, he couldn’t have imagined working with a Demon, let alone being

mated to one. It was funny how much things could change. Now, after getting over his

previous prejudice, Gray was fully prepared to claim Dreo as his mate to anyone who dared

to question his feelings for the gorgeous Demon. Dreo was strong, compassionate and cared

for his people with his whole heart. Gray knew he didn’t deserve him, but he was going to

keep him anyway. No one had ever accused him of being a good sharer.

As he settled back into the soft cocoon of blankets, the day’s events seemed ready to

take their toll on him. Gray shuddered as a wave of exhaustion crashed over him. Despite his

earlier denials to Dreo, Gray felt his eyes begin to droop and his breathing start to slow.

Maybe he would rest his eyes while he waited for Dreo to return—just for a minute.

Darkness began to build on the edge of his vision and he knew he was fighting a losing

battle. There wasn’t anything else for him to do at the moment, and it was getting so hard to

keep his eyes open. A little nap might not be a bad idea.

After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

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* * * *

Gray woke alone and in darkness. Whether it was minutes or hours later, he had no

clue, but he instinctively knew Dreo had not returned. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his

body. His sleep-muddled brain was questioning what would have caused him to wake,

when raised voices, just outside his room, reached his ears. When there was no immediate

sense of recognition, Gray’s interest spiked.

Groggy and still trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes, he managed to hoist himself out

of bed and shuffle over to the bedroom door. He didn’t remember Dreo leaving it cracked

open, but the beam of light streaming across the floor belayed that thought. As he neared the

door, the voices quieted. He was beginning to wonder if whoever it was had left when voices

once again filled the air outside his room.

“This is madness. We should have found another way.” Deep and rough, the voice was

unmistakably male. It triggered something in the back of Gray’s mind. He was sure he had

heard the voice before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to place it. It

figured—he’d always been better with faces. Oh, well. It was probably just one of the guards

Dreo had assigned to protect him while he rested.

“There was no other way—you know that.” The second voice was higher, more

feminine. Gray was sure it was a woman. Another guard? Thinking back, he didn’t

remember there being any female guards in the group Dreo had had with him.

“This whole situation has been fucked up from the beginning,” the man argued.

“Nothing has gone the way you said. Maybe we need to take a minute and rethink things. If I

could just talk to him—ask him about what happened, then maybe—”

“I told you what happened! Are you questioning my abilities?”

“No! Of course not,” the man stammered. “I’m just worried. Andreo Demos is one of

the most powerful Demons in the Underworld and he is leading the hunt to find us. It’s

rumoured that he is stronger than even Lord Lucifer. If he wanted to rule, the throne would

be his, no questions asked. Add to that the fact that he has an Oracle and Shifters helping

him—we are fucked.”

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“You overestimate Demos and his Oracle,” the woman sneered. “Grayson Muir’s

reputation is mostly hype and good luck. He worked a couple of high profile cases for the

police and suddenly he’s the most powerful Oracle in the world? I don’t think so. I’m ten

times the Oracle he could ever hope to be and soon, everyone will know it.”

Gray’s breath hitched. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was clear that

whoever was in the other room was responsible for the murder of Lord Lucifer, but why the

hell would they be holed up in Dreo’s suite and how had they got in? Dreo had said he was

posting guards outside to keep an eye on things while Gray slept. Did that mean the man

was one of Dreo’s guards? Anger filled him at the thought that one of Dreo’s guards could

have betrayed him. From his actions, Gray assumed that Dreo was very close to his guards—

even considered them friends. The knowledge that one of those ‘friends’ may have betrayed

him would cut the Demon deeply. Gray made a promise to himself that he would make them

pay. No matter how long it took, he would make them suffer for harming his Demon.

When the talk outside his room escalated to bickering, he tuned it out, focusing instead

on finding a way out of the room before they realised he wasn’t as unconscious as they’d

assumed. After a quick inspection, it became very clear that he was screwed. Dreo’s bedroom

had three doors—one leading to the connecting bathroom, one opening into a massive walk-

in closet and the last leading back out into the common area of the suite where he would be

treated to the company of admitted murderers.

Plunking down on the bed, Gray strained to think of something—anything—he could

do to get himself out of his current situation, but came up with nothing. While being an

Oracle did come with amazing powers, those powers could do nothing to help him out of the

cluster fuck he now found himself in.

Running his fingers roughly through his hair, Gray huffed out a breath of frustration.

He hated feeling helpless. After spending the first half of his life at the mercy of others, he

had vowed to never be helpless again. It made his current predicament all the more grating.

If only Dreo were here, he’d know what to do—

With the Demon now centre stage in his mind, Gray thought about everything he’d

learned about Andreo Demos during their brief time together. While he hadn’t known the

lust Demon for very long, Gray already felt a connection with him, stronger than anything

he’d ever felt before. He no longer had any doubts about the reality of their being mates.

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Instead of the usual repulsion he felt when faced with a possible relationship, Gray was filled

with a sense of peace and joy. The thought of spending the rest of his life tied to Andreo

Demos felt like coming home. It was too bad a Demon mating wasn’t more like a Shifter

mating. If it was, Gray wouldn’t be in his current situation.

When Shifters mated, the bond that formed between them had both physical and

mental consequences. Mates grew in strength, bolstered by the added strength of their

perfect, fated match. A mental connection also formed, bridging the gap between minds,

intertwining thoughts and emotions until they were practically one person.

Gray had always secretly longed for that kind of connection. It was why he had fought

so adamantly against getting into a normal relationship. After living with Shifters and

witnessing the depth of their connection, accepting anything else seemed like a pale

imitation. Gray had looked, but hadn’t found a mate in the Shifter community. He had

decided he would rather be alone then settle for anything less than the kind of connection

they had with their mates.

Sadly, Dreo was not a Shifter. Gray knew nothing about a Demon mating or about

what, if any, additional gifts may come with it. Dreo hadn’t mentioned anything, so Gray

was at a loss. He had to assume they did not come with a similar mental connection, or Dreo

would already know that Gray was in trouble and he’d be breaking down the door. That

being said, he didn’t feel cheated, like he had expected. Dreo’s care and concern were more

than enough to keep Gray happy for the rest of his life.

A noise near the door had Gray looking up. The possibility that Dreo might have come

for him immediately filled Gray with foolish excitement. His heart sank into his stomach

when, instead of smouldering mocha eyes, he met an icy-blue gaze filled with anger and

resignation.

“Oracle, it’s good to see you are awake. There’s no need for you to stay hidden away in

the bedroom. We’ve been waiting for you. Please, join us?”

As he stared at the man before him, the recognition was immediate. Gray tried to

swallow around the lump in his throat, his mouth suddenly as dry as the Sahara. He licked

his lips, desperately searching for a response that wouldn’t get him killed faster. Now that he

knew the identity of one of the conspirators, Gray had no doubt that his life expectancy rate

had just dropped dramatically.

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Slowly rising to his feet, Gray smiled wanly. “Of course.” He took a few steps towards

the door before throwing a cautious look over his shoulder at his captor. “I just have one

question.”

“Oh? And what would that be, Oracle?”