Demon Bound (Bound Series, Book One) (8 page)

“Interesting,” Axelle says gaining a predatory air about her now that she finds herself on familiar territory. Nothing like a good flirt before a roll in the sack. “And here I thought you weren’t attracted to me.” She pouts and lowers her eyes coquettishly.

“Whatever would make you think that?” he asks. “I did give you that form, remember?”

“You won’t touch me,” she whispers dangerously.

By the gates of hell, he wants so badly to touch her right now, but he has to restrain himself. For the ritual to work completely, she must remain untainted by a male’s seed. It is just the way it is.

“I can’t taint you,” he whispers back.

“Have you heard of condoms, Luc?” she asks him with a bite to her tone.

“I can’t risk it,” he grates out, the sweat starting to form on his brow. She is worth too much to him to give over to this lust.

“Then I guess I will have to take matters into my own hands,” Axelle says in a normal tone. “And see if you can resist me.” She waves something at him and he balks at her. Not at the object in her hand, but by the sheer fact that she summoned up something out of nothing.

The look on her face is also one of shock, but she quickly replaces it with a wicked grin and turns on the vibrator. “Wherever this came from, I thank thee.”

Axelle wiggles out of her skirt and blouse to stand before him naked. She crawls onto the bed and he licks his lips. He has never been a creature of restraint. That is for the righteous and sanctimonious. It is going to take everything that he has to sit here and watch her get herself off and not do anything about it. Luc seats himself on a stool and fixes his eyes on her glistening pussy as she rubs the dildo over her. She throws her head back and arches her back as the vibrator touches her clit.

“Oh, yes,” she moans and Luc can feel how stiff his cock is. He shifts uncomfortably as he watches her. He parts his lips and his tongue--his real, serpentine, forked tongue--slips out of his mouth and tastes her arousal. He wants to kneel in front of her and lick her and flick her with his sensitive tongue. He feels his eyes shift to their natural state, but he pulls back. She cannot see him like that, not yet. He hisses as she reaches her climax quickly and clamps his mouth shut, transforming his tongue back to his human one.

“Mesmerizing,” he says to her as she throws the vibrator down and regards him closely. He stands up trying not to let her see the effect that her performance has had on him. Unfortunately, his cock is quite visible through his suit pants and she has definitely seen it.

“He has passion after all,” she drawls at him.

“More than you can handle,” he says darkly and she snorts at him.

“You are going to have to do a lot better than those clinical performances you have thus far thrust upon me to convince me otherwise,” Axelle says.

“The ritual was very specific,” he says mildly insulted, but knowing that his performance wasn’t up to his usual level of excellence due to the instructions and his own reservations about trying it again.

“Ah yes, the mysterious ritual,” Axelle says flashing her bracelet at him.

“Eat up now,” Luc says ignoring her efforts to get him to talk.

“Why do you keep wanting me to eat?” Axelle asks sauntering, still naked, over to the freshly supplied breakfast he has provided.

“You need your strength,” he says.

“What for?” she asks biting into the top of a muffin.

“The next phase,” he says and waits for her reaction.

“How many phases are there?” she asks after she swallows.

He hadn’t been expecting that. He had expected an inquisition on where, how and why. “Six,” he says blandly.

“Of course,” she mutters before she takes in more muffin. “Am I the only one?” she adds, well he thinks that is what she said with her mouth full.

“At the moment, yes,” he answers. He sees no harm in her questions thus far.

She nods taking that in.

Axelle is pleased with that answer. She would have felt it wasn’t worth it if she was in a line with others. “You said ‘at the moment’. You have done this ritual before?” she asks carefully.

“Many times,” he answers back, just as cautiously.

“How many times?” she whispers.

“Several hundred,” he whispers back.

“Just females or males as well?” she asks.

“Only females,” he replies with a smile.

“You looking for a wife here?” she asks with a chuckle.

“No, definitely not,” he says with a moue of distaste.

“Is it dangerous?” she asks, losing her happiness from earlier.

“Very,” he remarks seriously.

“They have died?”

“Their essences have gone,” he says slowly.

“What phase am I in now?”

“Three.”

“How many others have got to phase three?” She waits anxiously when he doesn’t answer her.

Luc pauses. He really shouldn’t tell her anything else. She needs to concentrate on keeping herself strong, not worrying about what might happen to her. Eventually he sighs. “One,” he says his eyes fixed on hers.

“One!” Axelle chokes and replaces the muffin on the counter top. “One?”

He nods his head.

“Out of several hundred?”

“Yes.”

“Shit,” she breathes, her head spinning.

“Indeed,” he says quietly.

“And phase four?” she asks.

Luc’s look tells her everything she needs to know.

“None,” she states.

He nods again.

“My chances of making it aren’t good then, are they?” she inquires, straightening her back. She won’t show him her fear.

He shakes his head slightly.

“It is important to you? This ritual?” she asks.

“Very,” he replies immediately.

“Why me?” comes the inevitable question. “Was I chosen, or did you pick me?”

“A bit of both,” he replies honestly.

“And what is it all about?” she asks, not expecting an answer, but how can she not ask now.

“Hm,” he says with a smile. “Increase your odds and eat another muffin.”

She gives him a watery smile back. “When will you tell me?”

“When the time is right,” he answers.

“Damn you,” she says softly.

“Already am,” he says gently.

“Yeah,” she whispers and picks up a banana.

She absent-mindedly starts to peel it, her mind reeling from all of this new information, when Luc clears his throat. She looks at him, surprised to see him still in her apartment.

“If you intend on eating that, I shall have to go. I have only so much will-power,” he says lightly.

Axelle peers down at the banana in her hand and smirks. She cheekily sticks her tongue out and wraps it around the tip of the fruit and Luc groans, fake swooning as he vanishes out of sight.

Axelle chuckles and takes a bite, but crashes back to reality when the bracelet thumps against her wrist. Fuck. She is in way over her head here. Whatever Luc wants with her is important enough for him to keep trying to get it, and yet failing over and over again. What on earth could have him so desperate? But more importantly, is she strong enough to survive his trials and give him what he seeks?

Before all of this she would have mocked anyone who thought otherwise, but now she is not so sure.

Several hundred females before her have died for his cause. Will she be the one or will several hundred more die after her?

Axelle wallows in her misery for a few more moments, but then throws down the banana. This is her lot now. She might as well get used to it. She is already half way there. She can do this, she
will
do this, and by the Devil, he will get her out of Inbound and into a decent earth-bound assignment after she has completed her mission for him. He will owe her that much at least.

***

Luc peers into the codex for the millionth time, seeking something that he could possibly have missed or a sub-text that he has by passed. But there is nothing. Nothing that will help Axelle as she moves through this phase and into the next.

It has been several days since he last saw her in person, needing to keep his distance as his desire for her grows ever stronger. Tomorrow is the sixth day since the last phase and she will move into phase four.

He lets out an exasperated breath. He is as blind here as she is. There is nothing in this damned book to tell him what will happen in this phase and seeing as no one has reached this point before, he has absolutely nothing to go on. Jezebelle was dead within two days of coming through phase two so he doesn’t know what the future holds for Axelle. He slams the ancient tome closed and leans down on the pedestal it sits on in the corner of his darkened bedroom.

He has kept the light dim for the last four days, needing the darkness to concentrate and to focus, but also to keep the stark reminder, still laid out on the bed, in the shadows. He knows he should get rid of her--what is left of her--but keeping the dried out husk of a female in his sights reminds him of what is at stake, and it’s keeping his will power in check. He cannot under any circumstances go to Axelle and do what he really wants to do to her. He cannot risk even a drop of his semen entering her womb until she is prepared for the outcome. Her suggestion of condoms was enticing, but it’s not enough. He stalks across the plush, black carpet over to the husk on the king-sized bed, curled up on the black silk sheets, and looks down at it.

This is his greatest curse. His seed is so evil, no female can handle it inside of her let alone hang on to it to create a child for him. As soon as it senses the essence of the female it feeds, trying to gain a foothold, trying to get stronger to survive, but all it does is drain the essence and the form of the creature ends up shriveled and very, very dead. He has grown used to withdrawing if he wants to keep the bitch around for another go, but every now and again he needs the release as it was meant to be.

This
is the result of
that
.

He sighs, but it hardens his resolve not to touch his current bound demon. Thinking about her stirs his cock, and he sheds his robe to let his cock bounce free. He prefers to be naked anyway; clothes are so restricting. His true, impure form has no need for such cover-ups and his skin is itching to change, to stretch out and burn the way it is meant to. Sadly, no creature in his domain will survive laying eyes on him and at the moment, he needs to be available for Axelle.

With that his decision is made.

“Darius,” he says quietly. He has no need to raise his voice for his guard. Darius will hear him from a thousand miles away if he calls.

“Sir,” Darius says appearing in the corner of the room.

“I need you to do something of the utmost urgency,” Luc says turning around. He has absolutely no shame in his nudity or his arousal.

Darius’s eyes flick quickly to the husk on the bed. “I’ll take care of it, sir,” he says and takes a step forward.

“Wait,” Luc says putting his hand up. “Leave that for a moment. There is something else.”

“Finally,” Darius says with a grin. “Your lack of entertainment over the last few days has had me worried. I will get you a female, the weakest one I can find.”

“No!” Luc snaps as Darius is about to disappear.

Darius peers at his master. “A strong one then?” he asks.

“No, I do not need to be entertained,” Luc growls at him, although the erection bouncing in front of him says otherwise.

Darius looks down to that area and back up to his face. “I beg to differ, sir. You have terrified the staff with your violent attitude and now they have to draw straws to see who will attend to you. Normally, I would find it amusing, but this is not like you.”

Luc huffs. So he hasn’t had sex for a few days since he killed the husk, and yes he may have killed a couple of servants who didn’t do quite as he asked, doesn’t mean he has to be judged for it. “Who are you to tell me what I am like?” Luc asks sharply and Darius lowers his eyes.

“No one, sir, forgive me,” Darius says submissively.

Better
, Luc thinks, but just gives the demon a grim look.

“Is this about the blonde wench?” Darius asks suddenly and it sets off a spark in Luc as he rumbles deeply in warning.

“It’s not what you think,” Luc says through gritted teeth.

Darius casts a glance up at Luc and gives him what would pass for a smirk. “If you want her, take her,” Darius suggests with his hands open in supplication. He may be braver than the rest to talk to Luc the way he does, but he still knows the protocol.

“It’s not like that,” Luc says, crossing his arms. Damn this demon. How is he supposed to ask him to do what he wants now?

“You have paid her special attention,” Darius states, not daring to go any further.

Luc narrows his eyes. “Do you know why?” he asks archly.

“No, sir,” Darius says and Luc relaxes his tense set.

He has tried, over the centuries, to keep his activities on this subject to himself, but there is always one smart ass who figures out what he is trying to do and tries to insert themselves into the ritual to gain a better standing. Too bad he only needs his chosen one and anyone else is a liability that is expendable. Well, there is nothing left for it but to make his demand. Everyone will soon discover her anyway.

“I want a room made up immediately, and then you will go to Axelle and bring her here to me,” Luc orders. Whatever will come tomorrow, he has to be close to her, to know the second she comes through it. Or not.

“You wish her to stay?” Darius splutters. “In her own room?”

“Is that not what I just ordered?” Luc loses his temper and roars at Darius.

“Yes, sir,” Darius says and goes off to do his bidding.

“About time,” Luc grumbles. That demon needs bringing down a peg or two. Luc decides to starve him of essences for a few weeks, weaken him so that he remembers his place here.

Luc turns back to the female and holds his hand out over the remains. It disintegrates instantly and the ashes swept away.

Whatever happens next, he doesn’t need the reminder of what he cannot do. Now, this is all going to be about what he
can
do.