Eliana (4 page)

“On the bed.”

Kon climbed onto the bed and knelt, arms already behind his back. Dane wound the rope around him, having had plenty of practice on former lovers and the inflatable doll he’d bought in the hopes of deflecting his desires. The blue rope contrasted beautifully with Kon’s skin as Dane wove patterns across Kon’s back. Soon he had Kon in one of his favorite positions, one that reminded him of a turtle: arms back, torso folded forward over splayed legs, back arched.

When Dane had tied the last knot, Kon shivered.

Mine, was all Dane could think. This body. This man. This smooth flesh and that hardened cock…

Dane ran his hands up and down Kon’s back as he kissed each knob of his spine. He didn’t have to ask if Kon was comfortable; not an ounce of tension remained. Kon let out a happy sigh as Dane stroked between his buttocks, but wriggle as he might, Kon was at the mercy of whatever Dane did or didn’t do.

Enough of his conscience remained that he fumbled in his pants pocket for a condom. His cock throbbed with need, but he intended to fuck Kon as hard as possible before sating himself.

He didn’t bother with lube. Instead, he bent down and licked the crease between Kon’s buttocks, stopping to linger on his asshole. He ran his tongue from rough to smooth and back again, committing the taste to memory before exploring Kon’s heated depths.

Kon moaned. The sound drove Dane into a greater frenzy. He spat in his palms, wet his cock, and drove himself inside Kon.

Panting, mouth wide, Kon scraped his forehead from side to side against the sheets. From his reaction, Dane was hitting all the right spots. Knowing that filled Dane with energy. More.
More
. Harder. Faster. Their bodies rocked together. Heat and energy built until Dane was certain he would burst with it all.

Yet a body could only take so much, even one as willing as Kon’s. Kon climaxed first, a hoarse cry of pleasure wrenched from his throat as he strained within the ropes. The give and take of Kon’s body squeezing around his pushed Dane past the brink. Orgasm flooded him with a satiation unlike any other he’d experienced. No partner had ever been so accommodating, no encounter so perfect and physically and emotionally satisfying.

Done, he flopped beside Kon, amazed by the strength and vigor running through him. Kon gazed at him, a sly, knowing smile twisting his lips.

The mood was spoiled by the banging on the door. Kon gestured with his head. “You should answer that. My friend is looking for me.”

Dane took a few extra seconds to toss the sheet over Kon and pull on his jeans before he went to the door. When he turned the lock, the blond man from earlier burst in, took one look at Kon’s bonds, and threw his hands up. “You damn fool. You could have been killed. And you,” he said, pointing at Dane, “should have known not to tie a Warden up unless you have someone to spot you.”

“A what?” Dane asked.

“He doesn’t know what a Warden is,” Kon said as the blond went over and pulled at the knots. “And you don’t need to be such a worrywart. He wouldn’t have killed me. He knows his limits. And mine.” He winked at Dane.

The blond tugged the ropes loose and inspected Kon’s skin for injury. Dane wished he had the guts to tell the man not to bother, that he knew what he was doing, but he didn’t. Apparently satisfied, the blond let Kon go. “At least he knows how to tie properly, but none of us know
him
.”

Kon sat up, stretching luxuriously. “Dane, meet my boss, Evan. Evan, meet Dane. There.”

“That isn’t what I mean. Why can’t you take any of this seriously?”

“I do, just not in the way you want me to. Besides, he doesn’t even know he’s a cambion. I thought it better not to frighten him.” He got out of bed. This time he kept his cock behind the piles of bedclothes and out of view.

The conversation lost and frustrated Dane. “That word. You said it before, but I don’t know what it means.”

Kon accepted his clothes from Evan and dressed while he answered. “A cambion is a half-human, half-incubus offspring of an incubus. Or, to be more precise, an incubus lies with a man to gather his seed, makes a few alterations to it, then lies with a woman. Nine months later, a baby is born that will grow up with a need to feed on sexual energy.”

Dane set a palm against the wall for support. Kon was crazy. He had to be, to talk so calmly about fantastic creatures. Incubi didn’t exist. They
didn’t.

Kon’s sympathetic gaze met his. As if he knew what Dane was thinking, he said, “Incubi do exist. Evan and I are Wardens—a group of men and women who hunt incubi and protect their offspring. I’d like you to come with us. You can meet others like yourself, and we can teach you how to control your demon. That’s what we call the incubus half when it comes out to feed and merges with your human half.”

“You’re crazy,” Dane said.

“Do you want to fuck me again?”

Dane almost choked at the bluntness. The man
was
insane.

“It’s a perfectly valid question.”

Valid, but the whole situation had turned Dane’s world on its head. “I…I need to think.”

“Think and you’ll drive yourself crazy. Trust me, you don’t want to be alone after you’ve just found out who you are.”

No, he didn’t, but neither was he sure he wanted to be with a man who claimed he was something akin to a monster. Yet Kon referred to him as a
who
, not a
what
. In the dim light, it was hard to discern the color of Kon’s eyes, but his gaze was filled with sincerity and compassion.

“There’s no need to drift anymore. Let me take you home.” Kon held out his hand.

Home
. For years he’d thought the house he’d grown up in with his parents was home, but time and experience had changed his mind. Loving as his parents had been, he’d never truly belonged. Kon was giving him that chance. Dane took the proffered hand, gripping it tightly. “To answer your earlier question…hell yes.”

“Good.” The moment Kon smiled, Dane fell deeply, madly in love.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Come on, lovebirds. This place is closing. Time to find you a new nest.”

As they walked up the stairs leading outside, Dane whispered to Kon, “Is Evan always like that?”

“Bitter? Yes. One of his lovers was killed in an accident with a cambion. I don’t fault him for being angry, but he’s hard to deal with at times. He thinks I need protecting because I like being submissive.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you.” Though he couldn’t suppress a shudder when he thought of how little he recalled from his first round with Kon.

“Not intentionally, no.” Kon leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You’re one of the most self-aware cambions I’ve met. You’re good. Stay with me, and I’ll teach you to be better.”

* * * *

Four years later, Dane had rarely strayed far from Kon. Dane worshipped him, and Kon absorbed the worship like a flower after a drought. He bloomed, and Dane soon realized that he was as much Kon’s salvation as Kon was his. Kon
needed
him.

Despite his self-sufficiency and training as a Warden, Kon also needed protecting. The last time Kon’s attentions had strayed to a woman, he’d gone to her alone and come back with a haunted, hurt look in his eyes which took a month for Dane to extinguish.

Kon had remained frustratingly silent about his ordeal. In truth Dane wasn’t as jealous about Eliana as he was worried. There was little Kon couldn’t cope with physically, but Dane worried about his mind. Every Warden had to pass a psychological evaluation before they were granted the position. Kon had passed, but every so often Dane sensed a dark, almost self-destructive streak within his lover.

Once in a while, Kon would vanish for a day or two and return with no explanation as to where he’d been. Dane never asked for an explanation and Kon never offered one, but he had the distinct impression Kon needed to be alone. The absences usually happened after some particularly brutal comment about his Nazi father. Kon always weathered the words with the aplomb of a Warden, but his eyes went dead. Cold. And Dane couldn’t help the hot streak of anger directed toward the speaker for causing Kon pain.

If that woman—Eliana—made any moves toward Kon, Dane was going to make damn sure she knew how to treat him—otherwise she would be leaving as soon as he found a way to get rid of her.

Chapter Five

Eliana woke up in more comfort than she’d felt in years. The bed was soft, the feather comforter deliciously warm. The cold air stayed outside instead of creeping in through poorly sealed windows. She had to stop and think for a moment about how she ended up here.

A shudder rolled through her as memory returned. That man. That…
thing.

Suddenly chilled, she sat up for a look around. The room was bright and clean, far different from the worn-down house she’d grown up in. Her clothes were gone. Worse, so was her cane. While she could manage without it, she needed the support if she was going to continue north.

A bottle of Vicodin with her name on it sat next to the bed. She twisted the cap off and tipped a pill into her palm, inspecting it closely to be sure they were what the label said. The pain in her hip had lessened, but she was glad for the drugs as she limped toward the bathroom. Inside she found a hairbrush, toothpaste, and a toothbrush still in the package. All meant for her, she assumed, and took advantage of the gifts. She downed the pill with a glass of water and couldn’t help looking in the mirror, noting the dozen or so bright red splotches across her face and arms. They were hot to the touch, like sunburn, and were sticky as if someone had put aloe or another ointment atop them.

She shuddered, recalling the terror of the previous night. The cold and pain must have turned her head. She’d imagined that man disintegrating into nothing. And Kon… He must have been a fancy born out of fear as well. No one could have a face that gorgeous. Not that it mattered. After her injury, she didn’t know if she’d be able to enjoy intimacy even if she wanted it. She didn’t.

The shower—hot for the entire time she stood within it—was complete, utter bliss and included fresh soap and scented shampoo that didn’t have to be scavenged from a hotel Dumpster. She didn’t want to leave the shower, but neither did she want to be caught unawares.

When she exited the bathroom, clad in a towel, Kon was waiting over by the window. The sun had come out, and melting snow slid down the glass. Her breath caught as he turned. No, she had definitely not imagined his beauty. The long black hair, worn loose, added to his androgynous features. His gray sweater looked so soft she wanted to touch it—and him.

“Feeling better?” His smile increased his angelic appearance.

“Fine.” She clutched the towel more tightly around herself. “I thought I dreamed you. I’ve never seen anyone so pretty except—” A sudden thought struck her. “I’m sorry. I mean, if you’re not a man—”

“I was born male with all the requisite parts.” His eyes held a vague disappointment. “Are you hungry? Is there anything you need?”

“Thank you for everything, but it’s time I left. Where are my clothes?”

“In the trash where they belong.”

A knot of fear twisted her stomach.
I knew it. I fucking knew it. He’s going to keep me here as his pet for some sort of perverted—

Kon held up his hands for peace. “You’re not my prisoner.” He stepped aside and gestured to a pile of clothes sitting on the back of the couch. “I found you something better to wear. New and warmer, I hope.”

Also leaning against the couch was a cane made of handsome dark wood with some sort of carving at the top. The sight of it moved her more than it should have. “I hope you burned the other cane.”

“It met a worthy fate, I assure you.” Kon lifted the new cane and casually toyed with it. “I’ll make you a deal. Let Doc Jensen take an X-ray of your hip, and I’ll let you have this, the clothes, and a ride to wherever you want to go.”

She’d had quite enough of that pushy woman last night. “No deal. I can find my own ride.”

“In a towel? It’s forty degrees outside.”

The earnest expression mixed with those delicate features twisted her heart. No, she couldn’t make this trip alone, and it pissed her off that she had to accept help from a stranger.

“I’m sorry you’re angry, but you
do
need clothes, as appealing as you are without them.”

Her skin burned with embarrassment. “What the hell do you want an X-ray for? There isn’t anything you can do.”

“I bet there is. Let us try.”

“Us?”

“Me. The doctors.”

“Is that why you wouldn’t fuck me last night? Because you want to fix me first?”

“I don’t think you really wanted me to sleep with you. You just wanted the money.” His eyes narrowed. “The reason I’m asking has nothing to do with sex. I don’t want you to hurt so much. Yes to the deal or no?”

“Go to hell. Give me the damn cane and clothes. I’m leaving with or without them.”

Wordlessly, he handed over the cane and a sweater, pants, and new undergarments. She set them on the bed, then, out of spite, unwrapped the towel and let it fall. She figured nakedness didn’t matter anymore, since Kon had stripped her last night. Kon watched, outwardly impassive. Bastard.

She took her time dressing, searching his face—and his crotch—for any signs of excitement. There were none. “Are you gay or something?”

He chuckled softly. “I enjoy male partners but not all the time. Why are you trying so hard to sleep with me when I know you don’t want to? Is it because you expect every man you come across to take advantage of you?”

The pity in his eyes cut her to the quick. No one looked at her like that. No one. “Fuck you.”

He stayed silent while she dressed. The sweater was soft and warm, the pants tapered yet loose enough they didn’t squeeze her bad hip. The socks were wool, the black boots ankle-high and made of real leather.
How the hell did he know what size to get everything?
He couldn’t have simply looked at the tags on her old clothes. These fit far better.

“Thank you. These are lovely. Now perhaps you can tell me how to get out of this fancy hotel?”