Demon Slave (24 page)

“
No. Now.”

“
Who will watch
the—”

Sonya turned to the room and bellowed,
“Everyone get out! We’re closed!”

Fifteen minutes later, Sonya was stepping
onto the mat. Her skin sizzled with a familiar itch. Something
inside was screaming to break free.

The entire way to the sparring chamber,
Ethanule had walked quietly at her side.

How could even his silence sound
arrogant?

He’d been watching her, though. Peeking at
her from the corner of his eye. She thought he looked pleased, and
she assumed he was as eager for her blood as she was for his. But
it wouldn’t be her who shed it.

Taking his place on the mat
across from her, he broke the silence. “So you finally have me
alone, what
will
you do with me?”

She pointed to the array of weapons lining
the walls. “Pick your poison.” She was hoping for something sharp
and pointy.

His gaze traveled the selection. “I don’t
care for poison. Gives me indigestion.”

“
Fine with me, I love a
good brawl.”

And to prove her point, she leaped to
attack. Expecting a solid hit, she put her full force into her
right hook, but at the last second he dodged, throwing her off
balance. She realized her mistake too late.

He took the advantage, but instead of
retaliating, as she would have, he placed himself at her back,
grasped her forearms and pulled her against him to whisper in her
ear. “I know what’s going on here.”

Her eyes went wide and she slammed her elbow
into his stomach. His grip loosened as he huffed out a breath.
Pushing away from him, Sonya continued with a high twisting
kick.

Again he dodged, and began circling her with
an infuriatingly sexy curve to his lips. Just as she expected the
Edge to take over, something else began to happen within her.

“
You don’t know shit,
pirate!”

Sonya lashed out again, left, right, left,
right. She dropped to the floor, swinging her leg wide, then a
backward flip had her back on her feet. He evaded her every attempt
like a master.

Even with Cale she could land a hit! She
lunged again, determined to find flesh with her fist.

He wasn’t countering, she noticed. He wasn’t
attacking in any way.

“
Fight me!”

Bouncing around her, he replied, “Just
reading your style, Sweetheart.” The humor in his voice made her
realize he was enjoying himself.

“
Read this!” Now that she
was used to his avoidance, she attacked using a wide kick as a
diversion, which allowed her to wrap her tail around his wrist and
pull him off center for a heavy punch.

Satisfaction filled her as his eyes bugged
with the contact. She brought her leg up, but before her knee could
find his ribs, he twisted his body away from her.

The split-second she had to regain control
was not enough. Before she could react, he swiped her feet out from
under her and had her on her back, resting his weight on top of
her.

“
Is this fighting really
what you want? When we could be doing something much more
fun?”

Shifting her weight, Sonya pushed him over,
mirroring his position. She realized he went a little too easily,
and she was now straddling him. Heat pooled at her center, causing
her to hesitate. Ethanule’s irises sparkled with delight, as though
he knew the struggle raging inside her.

Determined to keep on track, she pulled out
one of the small knives she always kept concealed in a small pocket
at her side. Knowing how much it would anger him, she used it to
pluck free one the gold pieces decorating his coat.

He grabbed her wrist, and she smirked.

“
You’re playing
dirty.”

“
There’s no other
way.”

The smile that spread across his face was
wicked. “Agreed.”

He reached behind him and produced a blade
of his own. In one smooth motion, Ethanule sliced through the ties
of her bodice.

Sonya gasped in surprise, as the garment
slipped open and cool air met skin. She rushed to cover herself,
leaving her vulnerable when Ethan pushed her back to the mat,
positioning himself between her legs and pinning her arms beside
her head. Her torn garment parted with every pounding breath.

Ethanule dipped his lips close to hers. “I
don’t think fighting is what you need.”

Robbed of speech, Sonya violently shook her
head.

“
Wouldn’t you rather I be
touching you?” His lips moved to caress the soft cord of her neck.
Her eyes rolled back involuntarily. “Tasting you?” With maddening
slowness, he followed the line of her jaw with his mouth until his
lips were pressing against hers.

Her mind flooded with something she couldn’t
describe, but it was fierce and commanding. Sonya summoned all her
control, but this was a side of the Edge that had never possessed
her before. And it demanded release. It didn’t care that she could
hardly stand the sight of the person willing to give it to her.

Ethanule pulled back to gaze into her eyes.
His lids were heavy and the blue of his irises had deepened to that
of a vast ocean.

He was waiting for something from her.

A decision? Could she do this? With him?

“
Damn you,” she breathed,
lifting her lips to his once more.

After that, Ethanule didn’t hesitate. He
batted away the ruined material of her corset and palmed her
breast. Sonya moaned at the contact. When he moved to swirl his
tongue around one taut peak, she barely stifled a squeak of
surprise.

With obvious intent, his hand skimmed down
her belly, causing her to shiver with anticipation. He slid his
hand under the hem of her skirt and lazily played there, teasing
the soft flesh of her thighs at her apex. Her body shuddered as the
need coursing through her fought with her brain. When he pushed
aside the thin fabric of her panties, the battle instantly
dissolved.

His finger glided over her sex. She suddenly
grew aware of how wet she had become, and felt her cheeks
burn—which grated because she never blushed. At anything. But then
Ethanule found a spot that made her mind go blank. Her
embarrassment was forgotten, replaced with a sharp thrum of
electric current that racked through her.

He stroked her repeatedly, never letting her
catch her breath, while he continued lavishing attention on her
breasts. When her panting grew dire, Ethanule lifted his head to
watch as she lost control. A moan ripped from her lungs as her body
arched and an explosion of pleasure crashed over her.

As the vibrating waves began to dim, she
looked up at Ethanule and recognized the hunger in his eyes.

Going to his knees, he tore off his coat and
flung it aside. Next came his shirt, while Sonya sat up to eagerly
undo the buckle of his pants, where his bulge was straining against
the fabric. As she pulled them down, he reached for her panties,
practically ripping them off her.

“
Finally, I can get you out
of my head,” he grated.

She didn’t know what that meant, but his
tone was rough, which sent chills clamoring through her. The sight
of his thick erection made her mouth water.

Once again between her legs, Ethanule
grabbed a hold of her thighs and roughly pulled her toward him.
Then in one smooth motion, he kissed her hard, just as he shoved
into her body.

Sonya cried out from the pain.

Freezing completely, lips still at hers,
Ethanule opened his eyes. They grew wide while hers burned with
unshed tears.

He pulled back fast to study her, his shaft
sliding free. Even before he looked down in horror, she knew there
would be blood.

“
Fuck!” His voice shook the
room. He pulled up his pants and had them zipped and buckled in no
time. He grabbed his shirt and coat, heading for the door. “How
could you not have told me!”

His anger fueled her own, but her throat was
too tight and she could only stare at him through narrow blurry
eyes.

Just before he disappeared she heard him
mutter, “I’m so fucking dead.”

A wretched tear streamed down her cheek.
There had only been one other time in her life when she had cried,
and Ethanule would forever remind her of both of them.

Nadua woke to an unusually chilly morning.
The blanket worked well enough, but there was no wall of warm
muscle pressed at her back, or a heavy arm draped over her. The
lack was felt deep in the pit of her stomach.

Rex sat across from her, poking at the fire.
He smiled when he saw she was awake. “Good morning.”

Although she had slept through the night,
Nadua still felt tired as she pushed herself up. Her body was sore
in places she had forgotten could even get sore. Remembering the
reason almost made her smile, until she recalled Marik’s behavior
afterward.

Glancing around, she noticed he was not with
them. “Where is Marik?”

“
He said he was going to
hunt down an edisdon.”

“
What?”

“
I told him they’re not
easy, but...”

“
Acta
, demon! He’d better not kill one. They are intelligent,
compassionate creatures. Don’t you demons care about anything but
yourselves?”

Rex raised a brow. “We care about survival.
Marik said you need their fur to stay warm. And besides, you and he
have mated. He’d do anything to provide for you.”

Nadua tilted her head.

He knows?

“
Uh, did he tell you
that?”

“
No, but I can
tell.”

She stifled the urge to cover her neck.
“Well, it was only the one time. It is never happening again.”

From his seated position by the fire, Rex
reached to pluck a fresh log from the pile. “Well, yeah, it can
only happen once.”

A dark sense of foreboding slowly crawled
through her. “Um, Rex? How permanent is this mate thing?”

His body froze. The log hovered in his grip
as his head turned back to her. The disbelief and astonishment in
his face was alarming. She was sure now that she didn’t want to
know the answer.

“
Didn’t Marik
explain?”

Oh,
gods
.

“
Explain what?”

“
He didn’t explain?” Rex
repeated louder.

She shook her head.

Standing, he scrubbed a hand down his face
and began to pace. “You’re his mate.” He spread his hands out and
shrugged, as if he wasn’t sure what else to say. “It’s
forever.”

“
What do you mean forever?”
She scoffed.

“
What other kind of forever
is there?”

“
But, there’s a way out of
it. Right?”

Rex shook his head, his face growing pained.
“Not for him there isn’t.”

“
Stop being cryptic. What
does that mean?”

Rex slouched against the wall and ran his
hands through his hair. “He should have explained before he claimed
you.”

“
Well, obviously he
didn’t!”

With a ragged breath, Rex began, “According
to our legend, there is only one mate for each of us, and it is
fate that brings us together. However, the belief is highly
controversial, even among our kind. Anyway, when they are near, a
demon can usually identify his destined mate instantly. If it is
another demon, that is. When it is not...” He looked at her
pointedly. “It seems there are complications.”

“
No kidding.” Nadua waved
him on.

“
When our mate is
recognized, we are driven by a desire to claim her, or him, in a
female demon’s case. When our fangs are inserted, a type of
chemical is injected—”

Her hand flew to the bite on her neck. “I’ve
been injected! With what!”

“
Uh...” Obviously
uncomfortable, Rex continued. “It is so all others will know you
are taken and who you belong to.”

Nadua gasped. “I do not belong to
Marik!”

Rex swallowed hard, growing more
agitated.

“
What else,
Rex?”

“
After the claiming, we
only desire our mate’s touch. There are very rare cases of any
demon ever straying. But you? You don’t have any such
restrictions.” Concerned, he added, “Did he not tell you any of
this?”

Her stomach was crumbling and she was afraid
the meal from last night was about to be her only response. “Not a
word,” she whispered.

“
It was not right of him.
He should have told you all this before he asked if he could claim
you.”