Demon on the Dance Floor (2 page)

Chapter Two

Kayla’s small hand tucked in his, Max drew her through his sprawling home. There was no need to touch her here. The historical estate was well protected from any intruders, demonic or otherwise. It was his sanctuary. He flipped the switch on his sound system, music banishing the silence. No, he touched Kayla because he wanted to and because she needed that reassurance.

He glanced back. Her face was pale, her brown eyes wide. She was in shock. He splashed some of his best cognac into a brandy snifter and handed it to her. “Drink this.” The liquor would put color back into her cheeks.

She peered at the dark amber liquid. “What is it?” Her hand shook, sloshing the brandy against the glass.

She didn’t trust him. For some reason he refused to explore, that hurt him. “Remy Martin’s Louis XIII.” She wrinkled up her freckled nose, and he smiled at her confusion. “A very old, very rich cognac.”

“Oh.” She sniffed at it. “I’m fine. I don’t --” The glass shattered. “Max.” She swayed, a piece of glass imbedded in her hand.

Max caught her in his arms. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” She wasn’t accustomed to her new strength. He secured her bleeding hand between his, holding her still. “This will hurt for only a minute.” He hoped. Her face creased with doubt, and he gave her his best encouraging smile.

“Look at me.” Her gaze met his. Pain flashed in those big, brown eyes as he removed the shard, and he wanted to howl with fury. How dare she hurt herself? He breathed deeper, regaining his control. “There.” He was proud of how mellow and soothing his voice was. He would not scare her with his rage. She’d experienced enough today. “That’s it.” He kissed her wound, lapping up her blood, the metallic taste coating his tongue. “See?” He held the cleaned palm up for her inspection, his anger melting away. “All healed.” Fortunately, she now had his power of recovery.

She stared at her hand as though it wasn’t hers. “What is happening to me, Max?”

He scooped her up, carrying her to the black leather couch. “It is your demon side.” He pushed her hair back. It was the softest thing he had ever touched, like the finest silk. “You are stronger. You heal faster.”

The first moment he saw her, he knew she would fit on his lap like this, like she was made for him. At that time he’d thought her mortal, a frail human who’d be with him for a short duration, leaving a hole filled with eternity. She wasn’t a frail human, and his demon insisted he claim her, bonding them together. It was tempting, so very tempting. She’d be safe. He’d no longer be alone.

“I don’t want to have a demon side.” She looked up at him as though he could solve everything. “I want to be a woman.” She touched his face, running gentle fingers over his cheek. “I just want to be a woman.” She sat up to kiss him, brushing her lips against his. “Make me feel like a woman.”

“I will.” That he could do. He crushed her to him, covering her mouth. Her hand grasped the back of his neck. He sucked on her bottom lip, catching the skin between his teeth, pulling it. She obligingly opened for him, and he sampled her sweetness. The taste of her pummeled his control. He surged into her mouth, thrusting with his tongue as he wanted to thrust with his cock. She tugged at his hair, the pain exciting him even more. He was so hard for her.

She appeared just as aroused. Her face was flushed, her cheeks high with color, her lips were swollen from his kisses. He licked them, soothing the burn. “You are so beautiful,” he told her.

“Max. Please.” Kayla moaned, wriggling in his lap, rubbing up against his rigid cock.

Max knew what she needed. He needed it too. He turned her until she straddled him, her skirt hiked up around her waist. He smelled her excitement, the musk of her hot pussy tantalizing his nostrils. With her thighs around his hips, she moved on him, grinding her pussy against his cock as she had on the dance floor. He’d almost taken her there. He’d been so far gone, so wrapped up in her.

She arched, thrusting her breasts toward him. He cupped them through the fabric. They were small and firm and oh-so-very responsive, her nipples pebbling under his thumb. She tugged her halter top up. He helped her remove that barrier between him and her bare skin, tossing it to the carpeted floor. She was pale and pink and perfect. He licked the hollow between her breasts, tasting the salt on her skin. She gasped, riding him, rising and falling in time to the music.

He circled her right breast before sucking it deep into his mouth, his tongue flicking her nipple. She cried out. He murmured encouragement, his words muffled by her skin. Her thighs shook. He followed the curve of her legs, stroking his fingers over pussy moistened silk. It was another barrier. He removed it with one pull, the fabric ripping. His unabashed show of brute force sent a ripple over the woman in his arms.

As he switched breasts, feasting upon her neglected left nipple, he juggled her body, lifting her pert ass, so he could unzip, pulling down his dress pants. His cock sprang free, nestling against her soft womanly curls. She moaned. “Better.” He heaved a sigh of relief. Finally they were skin to skin. He was content with that contact as she moved, grinding her wetness against his cock.

She was not. “Max, I need…” She rose, he assisted her, and she positioned him between her pussy lips. “Oh yes.” She made an erotic sound as she sank down on him, a long, slow slide that yanked at his control. She was so tight. “Max.” She whimpered with the fullness. He held her to him, breathing encouragement in a long dead language. He couldn’t find the English words. His mind was too crowded with sensation.

He was inside her. If he shifted now, if he took her in demon form, he’d have her. He’d pour his demon seed into her and no other demon, no other being could take her from him. She’d be his forever. His skin shimmered as he fought the shift.

“Max?” Wide brown eyes stared at him. Kayla’s face was frozen with fear.

That fear pushed his demon back in place. He couldn’t take her like that. “Ride me, Kayla.” He scooped her ass, drawing her back up. “Ride me hard.” He buried his face in her chest.

She gradually relaxed in his arms as he feasted upon her breasts, suckling them, reassuring her. He wouldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t take more than she offered.

Her skin vibrated in waves, building, building until she moved with it. She lowered upon him, and he sighed with contentment. That was what he craved. He filled her once more, her wet heat coating his cock. Her pussy gripped him snugly. He allowed her to set the rhythm, a pace building with the music’s tempo, until she was thrashing against him, her breasts bouncing, her ass smacking on his bare thighs. Her scent rubbed into his skin, a possessive branding he felt to his pores. He gritted his teeth. His balls were drawn up so tight, he was in pain, but he was determined to make her come first.

He pressed his thumb against her clit as she rode him. She called out his name, her body quivering. His cock bobbed inside her, struggling for release. He bent his head, covered a pink, pert nipple, and bit. She screamed, her hands frantically clutching at him, her pussy clenching and unclenching his cock in spasms.

Her sweet embrace pushed him over the edge. He shouted her name as he poured into her, filling her convulsing pussy with fierce, hot spurts of cum. He gave her all he had. Having nothing left, he collapsed, his forehead resting against her breasts.

* * *

“Max?” Kayla raised her head from his bare chest. She lay naked on top of him in the giant bed. His arms were around her. His cock was limp and spent inside her pussy.

“Hhhmmm…” His eyelashes fluttered open. His eyes blazed red with desire. His cock hardened, filling her. Again. He’d had her six times this night, and he wanted her again. He was insatiable.

She was insatiable also. Her pussy hummed in anticipation. “Are we bonded now?” Had that been the purpose behind the sex spree? Was she now bonded to him?

His body liked that question. His cock twitched inside of her. “No.” He flipped her onto her back and covered her, pressing her into the soft mattress. “To bond, I have to take you while in demon form.” His eyes glinted. He liked that thought too.

Kayla didn’t. With one quick slash of his claws, he had decapitated that green drooling monster. He’d also had horns though those were sort of sexy and a tail and that giant cock. “You’d kill me.” His cock would rip her in two.

He scowled. “I would never hurt you. You are my…” He paused. “I would never hurt you,” he finished lamely.

Kayla narrowed her eyes. She was his… what? Not that it mattered. It wouldn’t change the science. “You would hurt me, believe me. You’re too big. You wouldn’t fit.” He barely fit in human form, her pussy tender from his attentions.

“Oh…” His serious face went blank and then he barked out a laugh. “I believe I don’t actually penetrate you. I fit to you like this.” He withdrew until his cockhead pressed against her pussy lips. “I fill you with my cum only.”

“You believe?” She raised an eyebrow. He didn’t sound sure. He was supposed to be her demon expert.

Her breath hitched as his cock slid into her pussy. “I believe.” He shrugged, arrogantly unconcerned. “This is new to me also.” He withdrew. “Like I mentioned before, vessels are rare.” He thrust back into her. “You’re the first unpaired vessel I’ve met. Besides, I’ve never wished to take another woman while in demon form.”

He’d never taken another woman while in demon form. She’d be his first. He was ancient yet she’d be his first. The notion both frightened and titillated her. “So why didn’t you take me that way?”

“We’d be bonded.” He rocked into her, setting a slow leisurely rhythm. “You couldn’t pretend to be human then.”

She wasn’t pretending to be human. She stared down at his shoulder, where her healed hand rested. The cut hadn’t left a scar. That wasn’t normal. She shook her head. No, she was human. She had to be. Doubt filled her about everything, including his intentions. “You don’t want to be bonded with me?” He wanted to fuck her, the hard proof inside her, but an eternity together was a long time.

“I want it more than anything.” He pressed a tender kiss upon her forehead.

She looked up at him warily. He was being very nice for a blood demon. “Because you’d be all powerful.”

“Because I’d no longer be alone.” His red gaze slid from hers. A blush bloomed on his cheekbones. “I’m powerful enough,” he boasted, his rocking increasing in intensity.

She hung onto his shoulders as he labored over the top of her. He’d no longer be alone. She was alone also. It wasn’t a declaration of love but then she doubted demons could love. “I… am… human,” she insisted, panting with his thrusts, her passion building.

He stilled while deep inside her and frowned down at her. “In the morning, we’ll see a friend of mine. If anyone can give you a new pendant, he can. Is that satisfactory, woman?” he growled.

She wriggled, her pussy demanding movement. “My mind says it’s satisfactory, but my body wants more.” She pushed up with her hips. “Finish what you’ve started, demon.”

He thrust hard, and she cried out. “I can’t fuck you and talk at the same time.” He pounded into her, the bed sliding forward with the impact. “Make your choice, vessel.”

“Here’s my choice.” Her fingernails dug into his clenched ass cheeks, spurring him into furious action. His body tinted red. Her heart beat fast, her body trembling. She’d provoked the demon.

He didn’t shift completely but her pussy paid the price for her insolence. He pleasured her body into submission. The bedsprings squeaked a noisy compliance. She met each buck with one of her own, their bodies slapped together until her skin was raw and angry. It was a primitive display of power and dominance.

She held on as long as she could, stubbornly challenging him with her resistance, but when he angled his big body to rub directly against her clit, she knew her defeat was imminent. He had loved her half a dozen times before and had learned what she liked. All it took was a deep thrust, a sweep of his tongue over her nipple, and a coarse fingertip on her clit, and she screamed her surrender, flinging herself up into his arms.

He caught her, shouting his triumph, filling her with his essence, before crashing back down to the mattress. Her breath whooshed from her chest.

He rolled, rubbing his hands soothingly over her back. “You are mine, Kayla.”

She didn’t know what that meant but she was too tired to ask. Her eyes closed as he held her safe in his arms.

Chapter Three

“She was invisible to demons, you say?” Fridleif pushed his glasses back up his nose, flipping through dusty tomes, the paper crackling under his fingers.

“Not invisible. I could see her, but I thought she was human.” Max placed a protective hand over Kayla’s T-shirt-covered stomach. Upon their arrival, the Elf had cast a spell over the crowded hut. Knowing that magic wasn’t always effective, Max continued to monitor for other demons, sniffing the air for their odor. He wasn’t taking any chances.

“I am human,” Kayla repeated for the hundredth time that day.

Max’s fingers spread over the soft cotton. Wearing a pendant wouldn’t change what she was, but it would allow her time to adjust. When she did embrace her new identity, he’d be there. She was his.

“Vessel, vessel, vessel,” the elderly being mumbled to himself, scanning the books. “Got it. Spells to protect vessels.” His glasses dropped on his hooked nose. He pushed them back up. “Here it is, a concealment spell. Only a demon destined to love the vessel can break it.” His face twisted in a crooked grin. “Maximus, you surprise me, demon. I always pegged you as a fighter, not a lover.”

“You love me?” Kayla stared at him.

Max’s face grew hot. “I’m a blood demon, the most powerful of all the demons. Blood demons don’t love anyone,” he lied. “Fridleif, can you cast the spell or not?”

“I prefer Fred now. It sounds more modern.” The Elf searched through a drawer of pendants.

“And I prefer you not waste our time.” Max pressed Kayla against his body, relishing the feel of her. “Answer my question, Elf.”

“I can, though why you want me to…” Wise old eyes studied him. Max glared.

“Because I want you to,” Kayla spoke up. “I want to be human again.” She caressed Max’s arm.

“I see.” Fridleif’s gaze didn’t waver from Max. He nodded. Max nodded back. They would do this for her. “What do you think of this one?” The Elf held up a pendant with a red stone in the middle of it.

“I love it.” Kayla beamed, clearly enchanted. “It is the color of Max’s eyes when… well…” Her face flushed a delightful shade of pink. “When…” It was the color of his eyes when he looked at her. Max grinned. Yes, she would be his soon. She reached out to touch it. The pendant flew from Fridleif’s hands.

“Maximus.” The mystic shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.” It could have been him, but it hadn’t been intentional. The demon in him resisted this move. The pendant would block Kayla from him. He wouldn’t be able to feel her presence. The thought made him want to beat his head against the wall until it bled.

“We will do this without you, Maximus.” Fridleif shuffled across the room to retrieve the pendant. “You may go.”

“No,” Max and Kayla replied in unison, holding onto each other.

“Then it doesn’t happen.” The Elf’s bearded chin stuck out. “Your demon will not allow her to touch the pendant. You know this, Maximus.”

He did. He looked down into Kayla’s beautiful face. She wanted this. It would make her happy. “Our connection will be severed, Kayla.”

“I have your phone number.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “I’ll call you when we’re done. That’s how humans do it,” she teased.

“You do that.” If she didn’t, he’d search for her. He’d search for her until the end of time.

Max kissed Kayla slowly, passionately, memorizing her taste, her feel, her smell. He cupped her ass, clad in those tight jeans he had retrieved from her apartment. She leaned against him, her soft hands sweeping over his body. He wanted her so badly. Unable to bear the pain, Max reluctantly stepped away from her. The ache in his chest grew until he thought it would bring him to his knees. “You take care of her, Fridleif, because if she’s harmed, I will hunt you down and spend an eternity inflicting pain.”

That dire threat humored the Elf. “Understood. I will protect her life as though it were my own.”

“It is.” Max leveled a glare on him before turning to Kayla. “Kayla, I…” His voice broke. He crushed her in his arms, kissed her hard, and walked away. He didn’t look back. He couldn’t. It hurt too much.

Kayla watched him leave. Every part of her said she was making a mistake. That was foolish. She’d call him. They’d have a relationship, a normal relationship, as normal as a relationship between a demon and a human could be.

Except she didn’t feel human anymore. She wasn’t the same woman she was a week ago. Her feelings for Max had changed. She liked the connection between them. She didn’t feel alone.

“To give up all that power, he must really love you.” The old man shook his head in disbelief. “The big, bad Maximus in love. I never thought I’d see that in a million years.”

“Demons don’t love, you heard him.” His casual comment had hurt her. He said it like all they had between them was sex. Their relationship was more than that. It had to be.

“It is rare, yes.” Fridleif’s smile was kind. “But when demons do love, it makes them crazy. And a bit stupid, clearly.” He laughed. “You are a vessel, child. This pendant may delay your fate.” He slipped it around her neck. The pendant scorched her skin. “But it won’t change it. You risk much for this. If another demon senses you, and Maximus is not near…” He tilted his head. “Though I suppose your demon will guard you closely.” He touched the red jewel and frowned as his finger bent the metal. “It is melting.”

“No.” The silver ran in hot rivulets over her skin, burning her.

“Your demon is too strong.” He motioned to her. She bent her head so the shorter man could remove the chain.

“Max?” She straightened. Was he close? Her body throbbed with anticipation. Their connection remained, his energy a part of her, but she missed his touch and the flow of the power from him.

“No. Your demon. You.” Fridleif tossed the pendant in the trash. “You’ve absorbed too much power. Mere magic can’t hide you now. Unless…” He searched through his books. Dust motes whirled in the sunlight. “No, not that.” He flipped a page. He was a strange man, with a white beard that touched the floor and half glasses that slipped down his nose. Although he was short and thin, he radiated power. “Maybe.” He tapped his lips with an index finger. “No.”

A blast of energy hit her. It wasn’t from Max. It was darker, stronger. “Fridleif.”

“Sweet Esus, it is Augustine.” The man’s face froze with alarm. He ran across the room, reached into a black pot, and tossed the contents at Kayla. The liquid sparkled and danced on her skin, glowing a million colors rolled into one. “Run, child.”

Not needing to hear more, Kayla darted for the door.

“Call for your demon and run. I’ll try to hold him off. Esus, Augustine is strong.” He began to chant.

The unintelligible words faded as Kayla ran. This new energy hurt her. She screamed for Max. There was no love, no kindness in the flow. She ran along the street. She had to get away from it. She had to get to Max. Where was he?

A demon appeared before her. It wasn’t Augustine. This demon was too weak. Kayla didn’t slow. She couldn’t. The bad demon was behind her, gaining on her. She pushed the weak demon away, swatting as she’d seen Maximus swat demons. The demon flung back, surprise distorting his ugly face.

She ran, her lungs burning with the effort. Another demon appeared. She clenched her fists, preparing to pummel through him. She had to get away.

“Be gone.” The voice blasted her shoulders, and the demon in front of her flew backward. “Vessel.” A force dragged her back. Kayla ran faster. It was like running on an escalator with the escalator winning. The soles of her shoes scraped against the pavement. There was the stench of burning rubber.

“Max!” She screamed his name again and again, frantic to contact him.

“Maximus?” The demon laughed scornfully. “That stripling can’t fight me, vessel.” Her body flipped over. This demon was huge, purple, and, she swallowed hard, very aroused. His cock jutted out straight like an arrow from his body. She flayed the air, struggling to free herself. “You are mine.”

“Never.” She wouldn’t spend an eternity bound to this Augustine creature. She loved Max. “I don’t want you.” She was close enough to feel his heat.

“I don’t care.” Claws curled around her waist, pricking her skin. “Want me or not --” he gripped her belt -- “You will have me.” With one yank, he ripped the jeans off her, leaving her lower body bare.

“No!” She balled up her fist and struck him across the face. He merely grinned, pushing her down to the ground. She kicked him, aiming for his crotch.

“Enough.” He caught her ankles as she scrambled backward, pulling her toward him. Her nails dug into the street, grit and stones lodging into her skin. She couldn’t feel anything other than him, his dark power seeping into her. He spread her legs and lowered upon her, his giant cock sliding along her thigh. She thrashed on the pavement. She couldn’t spend forever with this monster.

A hard form hit them both. Kayla rolled, screaming as the demon’s claws sliced through her legs. When she landed, she was free. She scurried back, away from the demon’s hurtful energy. She pulled her shirt down to cover her nudity.

A familiar, loving energy soothed her. “Max!”

He stood with his back to her, his tail twitching. He was huge and red and his horns curled up to the sky. She had never seen a more welcome sight.

“Ahhh… your Maximus rushes to your side, vessel.” The purple demon picked himself up. “He found you despite my blocks. How sweet.” He was larger than Max. His claws extended farther. “It must be love.”

“She is mine, Augustine.” There was a hard edge to Max’s voice.

The corner of Augustine’s mouth quirked upward. “Then you should have fucked her when you had the chance.” He circled, Max rotating to face him. Kayla limped behind Max. Her leg was healing but slowly. “You always were soft, Maximus.”

“And you always want what you can’t have.” Max twitched, cracking his neck.

That taunt hit a nerve. The purple demon growled and flew at Max. Claws connected with flesh before Max threw the demon off him.

Kayla stared with horror at the gushing wound on Max’s shoulder. He wasn’t healing. Max wasn’t healing.

“He’s not so perfect now, is he, vessel?” Augustine bounced on the balls of his feet. He hadn’t a scratch on him. “Your gallant knight? He’s going to die today. I plan to take him apart and show you his insides. We’ll see how much you love him then.”

Kayla felt faint. He’d do it. Augustine was more powerful than Max.

“Stop taunting her, Augustine,” Max growled. “Your fight is with me.” They ran toward each other. The air crackled with their connection. They wrestled, their torsos engulfed in flames so hot, they singed Kayla’s hair. Blood sizzled. Bones cracked. They tumbled to the ground, kicking with their feet, slicing with their tails.

Augustine broke first, spinning back. He was beaten and bloody but his wounds healed instantly. He drew himself up.

Max was in much worse shape. He crawled, his left arm dragging along the ground. His wounds didn’t heal. A pool of blood formed around him. His face was unrecognizable, raked with claw marks. Kayla swallowed a whimper.

“See, vessel, how your Maximus protects you,” Augustine mocked them. “Look at him. He’s not worthy of you.”

Kayla looked, and what she saw was a demon willing to die for her. Max staggered to his feet, his body dripping with blood, his wounds raw and gaping. He would defend her, even though all his power, all his energy was depleted. No. She gazed at him. That was untrue. Not all of his energy was exhausted. She had stored his excess energy inside of her. “Take it back, Max. Take your energy back from me.”

Augustine’s head snapped toward her. “Don’t do it, vessel. You aren’t bonded. If you give him your energy, it’ll kill you.”

She didn’t care. She’d rather be dead than bonded to someone she didn’t love. She pondered his words. She had to give him her energy. “How do I do that?”

“No, Kayla.” Max’s red-eyed gaze met hers. “Don’t risk it.”

Her honorable warrior would be no help. Kayla studied the purple demon. He grinned, clearly relieved at her lack of knowledge. Augustine circled Max. She’d have to figure it out for herself, quickly.

The power flowed into her. It had to flow back out. Kayla closed her eyes, pushing the energy with her mind. It moved but quickly flowed into her again. She couldn’t push it. She had to throw it.

She mentally gathered up all her energy, swirling it into a big ball inside of her. The feeling made her queasy but she continued, determined. If she didn’t do this, Max would die. When the ball was tight enough, she wound back and tossed it with all her might to Max. There was a blaze of light as her energy connected. The energy didn’t return to her. She had done it. She swayed, light-headed and drained. She was empty, absolutely empty and the void, the blackness, reached up to take her. She fell, losing consciousness before she hit the ground.

One moment, Max stared death and defeat in the face, his body bloody, bruised and broken. The next moment, he was filled with an energy so strong he struggled to control it. His bones mended. His wounds healed. He roared with power and rage.

“You unworthy fool,” Augustine bellowed back. “She gave you everything, everything. You’ve killed the vessel.”