Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (36 page)

Cale relinquished command of the ship to
Sebastian but decided to stick around. “Have you heard back from
those transmissions we sent out?”

“Not yet.”

“What of the dragons? Where are they?”

“Still in talks with the other clans.”

Cale scoffed. If it wasn’t for Tristan’s
presence, he’d assume they weren’t coming at all.

As if reading his thoughts, Sebastian said,
“We will proceed as we would with or without them.”

“What’s the plan then?”

“I’m taking the book’s contents into
consideration, but I don’t want to rely solely on it. Portia’s in
the process of working a concealment spell for the ship. And Nadua
is scanning the future for anything that could help or hinder.
Although she still can’t call visions on command, she may catch
something.”

“Anya’s a good teacher,” Cale declared. He
had yet to reveal what he’d learned of their mother. He wasn’t sure
if he should even burden his siblings with the information. Not if
there was nothing to be done, and it would only inspire their
pity.

“Aye, she gives you the credit though.”
Sebastian looked both prideful and irritated by that. “Says without
your pushing, she wouldn’t be as far along as she is, and wouldn’t
be such a help to Nadua.”

Cale’s chest bowed slightly, but then he
found himself asking, “Was anyone else around when she said
that?”

Sebastian saw right through him and shook
his head.

Laughter burst out of Sonya as she landed on
the bed, bouncing lightly before Ethan crawled over her. His
expression was a wicked gleam of dark promises.

The Faieara male was insatiable.

They both were.

The last few weeks had been blissful bouts
of sex coupled with long hours of teasing each other while trying
to keep the pub running smoothly.

Needless to say, the patrons got kicked out
more often than not.

As strong hands pulled at the laces of her
bodice, she flipped their bodies so that she was on top, straddling
his waist. He gave her a wry look, which she returned, fully
intending to keep her current position. But just as expected, with
one swift and calculated move, she was back under him in
seconds.

“There’s more to your gift than just
anticipation,” she accused. He was far too fast.

Clasping her wrists, he raised her arms over
her head, holding them there with one hand.

He liked to be in control. But then, so did
she.

“Nope,” he boasted, placing a hard
triumphant kiss on her lips. As he trailed a path down her neck, he
added, “The rest is just a lifetime of practice. A side effect of
survival.

He’d revealed to her a little of his
involvement with the pirates. He’d had to be cunning and brutal,
passing from group to group, growing his reputation.

He nibbled at the sensitive flesh just above
her collarbone. She groaned, wondering if he realized that made her
fangs lengthen and her mind go wild. Claiming him was becoming a
forethought, growing harder and harder to ignore. Not only did she
no longer despise the idea…she was starting to crave it. She’d been
suppressing the urge for some time now, fearing they were reaching
the inevitable fork in their liaison.

They would need to separate soon if she were
to ever to get back to any form of normality. Already she feared
her mind would break when it happened…and it was sure to
happen.

Though Ethan continued to deny any
attraction to the newest Faieara princess, or a desire for the
promised union, he’d also not shown an interest in a mate bond with
her.

And she never expected him to.

Ethan pulled back to gaze at her. Her violet
eyes defied him in the most delicious way. That mocking smirk of
hers was branded into his memory. She could offer him the sweetest
kiss one moment and then knock him on his ass the next.

And he loved it.

How had this female enchanted him so
thoroughly?

Just before taking her lips, he’d caught a
glimmer of her little fangs. A beautiful snake, waiting to strike.
So why was he still drawn to her? Every day he wanted more.

Some part of him realized what was
happening, but he wasn’t ready to admit it aloud. There were still
things between them that needed to be resolved.

Yet, at the moment, his mind was drunk on
her delicious scent. Her wild, free nature always took him by
surprise.

The first time she’d taken him into her
wicked mouth, he thought he would die from shock. She had been
eager to give him such pleasure. And even though she’d had her
fangs at the ready, he had not been afraid.

He’d been turned on.

Now every time he envisioned her fangs
sinking into his flesh, he found himself unconsciously nipping at
her…actually encouraging her. What only months ago he considered a
barbaric act, was now the most erotic idea imaginable.

But that couldn’t be what
he wanted. Could it? Sure, he’d mulled it over on occasion,
but…certainly
she
didn’t. He pulled back once more to look at her, seeing
undisguised desire pool behind hooded lids. A single fang nibbled
at her bottom lip, mesmerizing him for an instant.

He moved in to claim her lips, maybe brush a
fang with his tongue, but she turned her head. “Don’t. I…I need a
minute.”

Her breath heaved, and he was drawn to the
rise and fall of her breasts moving under the tight bodice, its
loosened strings dangling haphazardly over her chest. Pulling at
them, he finished undoing the knots, freeing her from the garment.
When he bent to take one taut peak between his lips, she moaned
softly, arching for him, but the change in her mood finally
penetrated the haze of lust.

Not ready to let her go completely, he
positioned himself by her side and pulled her into the line of his
body. “What is it?”

Again she nibbled that lip, looking far too
sexy and…guilty?

Then it hit him. “Ah, you want to put those
pretty fangs in me.” It wasn’t a question, but she nodded in
answer.

Sonya expected him to fling away from her,
but he didn’t. And he seemed unalarmed by her admission.

He wasn’t terrified that she would
inadvertently claim him as hers forever, even while her teeth had
been brushing over his shaft. But then, even if she did take him as
her mate, he wouldn’t be bound to her like she would be to him.

“You don’t want that? Right?” she finally
asked.

At length, he shook his head. The movement
was minuscule. Almost unnoticeable. However, and to her great
surprise, her disappointment was substantial.

Schooling her features, she gnashed her
teeth, trying to will her fangs to recede and feeling horrified
that she’d ruined the mood—and possibly their relationship in one
fell swoop.

A stretch of silence hung heavy between
them. What was he thinking?

He changed the subject. “Tell me about your
home.”

She frowned, rolling off the bed. He didn’t
try to stop her. He just laid there, looking sexy as hell in his
lose white shirt, ready to ravage her if she demanded. But her
throat had suddenly grown tight, her mouth dry.

He wasn’t asking about her home world. It
had been obvious, ever since Cale’s outburst, that his curiosity
festered. Every now and again, he would pick for information about
her father.

The problem was, she hadn’t even discussed
that night with her brothers. Not really. All they knew was that
Sebastian had come home to find their father’s lifeless body, and
her huddled in the cupboard, frozen in shock. She wasn’t ready to
relive it.

“First, tell me about Evlon,” she
hedged.

Arm bent, he rested his head on his palm,
giving her a patronizing look. “Two suns orbit my world,” he
started. “Our ancient ancestors worshiped them, believing that,
united, they fuel the magic that encompasses Evlon.”

Sonya felt her anxiety wane, and she
rejoined him on the mattress, her curiosity piqued. His arm opened
in welcome, and he rested his hand on her hip. “Is it true?” she
urged him on.

He smiled elusively. “Your turn to tell me
something.”

She hesitated. “We didn’t have royalty like
you. Instead we had village councils. Elders who presided over each
town. They mostly just settled disputes between landowners and
discussed matters that pertained to everyday life. Pretty dull
stuff to be honest.” She glanced up at him, “So, is it true?”

His lips thinned, but amusement quickly
curled the corners. “Partly, I believe so. For example, twice a
year, the suns align in the sky. Somehow it causes a…unique effect
on us.” He smiled as if remembering. “I haven’t felt the power of
it in so long. I can’t imagine how it would overwhelm me now.” Then
he paused, giving her a meaningful look.

“Well? What happens to you?”

“Uh-uh. Your turn.”

Again she frowned, not liking this game.
“There isn’t much to tell,” she said honestly. “We lived simple
lives, only starting to delve into science and technology when the
Kayadon arrived. Very few of us had ever been off planet before
that, though we’d been aware of the outer races for some time.”

“Hmm.” He leaned back on the mattress and
clasped his hands behind his head.

She waited for him to speak. After a while
she whined, “Well?”

“Well what?”

Poking him in the side, she growled, “Tell
me!”

He rolled on top of her, whipping her arms
above her head. She jutted her chin, growing irritated, yet aroused
at the same time.

He smirked. “At twilight, the sky turns
violet, with streaks of crimson. It will forever remind me of your
eyes.” She blinked twice, taken aback by the sudden tenderness in
his voice. Yet his next words stole her breath. “I love you, you
silly woman. Why won’t you let me in?”

After choking on a gasp, she rasped, “You
what?” Her heart sped, pounding harshly against her chest. She
became aware of the hard muscles of his body over hers. He was
making sure she couldn’t move.

“I love you,” he repeated irefully. He
hadn’t intended to blurt it out like that, but he could no longer
hold back. Her stubbornness was never ending. She evaded him at
every turn.

“But…you can’t,” she insisted, eyes going
wide.

“Can’t I?” he said. He could sense the panic
flooding her. If he wasn’t holding her in place, she would have
bolted by now. Was the idea of mating with him so revolting to her
that she would deny her very nature? Still her fangs advertised her
desire.

“
You’re the one who doesn’t
want to be with me like that. You just said so.”

“You misunderstand. What I want is for you
to be upfront with me. This pirate thing hangs between us. How can
we overcome it if you won’t talk to me about it?”

Swiftly, she fired off, “It’s nothing. I’m
over it anyway. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That sounded convincing.”

“Shut up! Get off of me!” She bucked but he
held fast.

“I just told you that I love you, and you
want to run away?”

“Do you think I should love you back just
because you’re supposedly my mate?”

“Pretty much. Yeah.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Why are you
being so stubborn about this?” He didn’t believe for a second she
didn’t love him. Why was she denying it?

“Because, since you couldn’t trick it out of
me, you’re trying to force it. You’re always making me do things
I’m not ready for!”

Her words sliced through him, and he finally
released her. As if she couldn’t get away from him fast enough, she
scrambled off the bed, refusing to look at him as she laced her
bodice. He could tell she was going to leave without a word.
Probably wouldn’t talk to him for a full week or two, maybe
never.

“
Wait, Sonya.”

She paused halfway to the door with her back
to him.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Please don’t go. I
can tell you keep me at a distance, and it’s driving me crazy, but
I won’t bring it up again. Alright?”

Her shoulders hunched, and he thought she
might be wavering. An agonizing moment later, she turned to face
him.

“You keep me so off balance,” she admitted.
“I have no idea how to deal with”—she gestured between them as if
words had escaped her—“all of this.”

He pursed his lips together, unsure how to
proceed. Finally, he said, “If you come back to bed, I’ll tell you
what happens when the suns align.”

Repressing a grin, she replied, “Resorting
to bribery?”

Already he knew he’d won. “Usually the best
course of action.”

He saw the debate warring inside her. She
wanted to resist, yet at the same time she wanted to submit. He
imagined she had never experienced those conflicting emotions at
the same time, at least before he’d come along.

Taking the choice from her, he pushed off
the bed and crossed to her. Her gaze followed him cautiously, as if
expecting an attack.

“No longer curious?” he drawled in a husky
voice.

She averted her gaze, and one smooth
shoulder hiked nonchalantly.

Cupping her face, he trailed his thumb over
her cheek. “It would be better for me to show you.”

He dipped his head, and their lips drew
together like a pair of magnets. After a few strokes of his tongue,
she melted into his arms.