My Decadent Demon (My Demon Trilogy, Book 1) (6 page)

And Cole apparently knew it. By the naughty gleam in his eye,
she knew he wouldn’t be rushed, had every intension of making her suffer. Arrogant, wonderful male! He kissed her belly, slowly working his way up her body. It was only when he settled atop her fully that he allowed her to reclaim her lips. Sera could scream and rejoice all at once.

Her long legs wrapped around his waist, capturing him like a vice. Sharp nails sank into his back.
When as she rubbed her slick core against him, he reared back, then surged deep, bottoming out in her core. She gasped, caught off guard by his abrupt invasion. Blessed night, he was enormous! 

Cole groaned into her mouth before cranking his eyes back open. Muscles bunching deliciously, he pulled out, affectively garnering her attention. “Look at me, Sera.”

Eyes wide, Sera peered up at her lover. Ah yes, he always did love keeping eye contact, an erotic gesture that both turned her to flame and melted her like silver.

As he began to take her at a steady pace, Sera swore he was showing her a new place in Heaven. And when he brought her over the edge for a third time, she wondered if she'd ever be
the same. All she could see, feel, taste or smell was this male; the one her heart would beat for forever.

Wrapped tightly around him with his passion buried deep, she suddenly experienced an odd sense of being home. A home she never wanted to leave again.

Or be taken from.

Cole slid deep again, chuckling low as she held on
tight. The physical pleasure was incredible, but the emotional bliss was just as intense. She could feel her soul weeping at its lover’s return. Each time he withdrew, then entered her anew, a part of her sadness let go.

Tighter she gripped him, as faster he moved, never letting her look away. His hips shif
ted continuously, hitting her insistently from different and glorious angles. Again and again she cried out at the feel, and his hungry mouth devoured them all. He pinned her down, kissed her hard, and plunged deeper than ever before. Her body’s brilliant pulses matched his rigorous pace.

“Cole,
” she cried breathlessly, her ankles unlocking from his back so her heals could dig into the mattress. The mind-blowing sensations were driving her wild. Toes curled tight, her body writhed beneath him.

He surged forward again, his arousal relentlessly prodding that blessed, inner sweet-spot.
She released his shoulders to grip tight to his hair, struggling to hold his stare. As another wave of fire lashed at her core, she bit down on his lip, a smothered cry tearing from her throat. “Oh! Oh yes!”

Cole growled, his hips rotating mercilessly
. He knew the instant she went spiraling because her entire form shifted from a non-stop tremble to a bone-jarring quake. Radiant light, blindingly bright. Damn, he loved making her come. In masculine satisfaction, he watched her writhe and mewl. He could eat her up, she was so mouth-watering.

He nuzzled her breast, bit at her nipple, flicking the tip with his tongue. Buried hilt-deep, he groaned, barely hanging on as her orgasm milked him hard. The tremors were relentless, driving him mad. Fuck. So good. So close…

As if his hips had a mind of their own, he thrust back into her, fast and hard. He released her breast just in time to capture her sweet moan in his mouth. With his body in a tail spin, he erupted deep inside her. Burying his face in her neck, he bit down hard on her skin, muffling a shout as it ripped from his lips. Sera shuddered from the pain and pleasure, pulling him close and holding him tight.

Chest heaving, Cole drew his tongue over the bite mark. He had made Sera his once more.  Wore out, he collapsed at her side and pulled her into his warmth. He frowned, not wanting this moment to end. It’d been way too long since he'd had her in his arms.

Sera snuggled closer, catching her breath. Cole smiled. The feel of her heartbeat, the warmth of her softness; he was truly home. And he never wanted to leave. He had told her she could stay, but he wondered if he was capable of keeping that promise. Could he really keep her hidden, out of reach from those who were coming for her? With her cheek pressed to his chest, he sighed, content at the moment to just savor the sound of her breathing.

H
olding her like she was the only woman in the world, he suddenly felt her shudder. He stilled, somehow knowing she was feeling ‘the summoning.’ She whimpered, burrowing her face into his chest. “You have stolen my breath and my heart. How can I live without either?” Cole frowned at the underlying meaning to her question. Voice laced with dread, she breathed against his skin, “I do not want to go.
I am not ready.”

He brushed the hair from her eyes,
such profound sadness wrenched her angelic features. Trepidation rolled in his gut as he leaned in and kissed her, absorbing her essence by any means possible. He never wanted to let her go now that she'd finally come back to him.

Sera’s nails dug into his biceps, the summoning clearly strengthening. As another insistent pull resounded, even Cole could feel the current surging through her body. She gasped, her eyes going wide. “Oh, no. Oh, God. The scout
s have discovered my location. It will not be long before they come to collect me.”  

Her eyes churned with pure panic. Cole snarled,
the sons of bitches.

“They will force my return, over-ride my will!” she cried, gripped him tighter. “They will make me forget! Please! Do not let them take me! I do not want to go!”

He held her tight as she began to shake, her form flickering from solid to translucent. “They will never allow my return!” Frantic eyes locked with Cole’s. “Keep me solid, Cole! Please! Do not let them transition me back to spirit!”

Cole’s jaw clenched, ticking at her hysterical pleas. “Hell no,” he growled. They weren't taking her. She was his now. “Fight it, Sera. Don't let them win.”

His demon was getting pissed, seething from within, wanting to lay into the order that controlled her. Eyes flashing hell fire, he held onto her tight, desperately trying to keep her corporal. “Stay with me!” Don’t leave me again!”

She struggled, her form continuing to wane. “I am trying! They are so strong!” But even with Cole’s intercepting powers cranked to full blast, he could tell it wasn’t going to hold. He could feel her slipping. Frantically, she cried out, “Their s
trength is too much!” Her image faltered further, her face becoming a mask of anguished panic. Cole hissed in impotent rage, fighting with all he had in him. Damn it! He was losing her again!

“Cole,” she whimpered
suddenly, as if finally accepting the inevitable. “Promise you will find me. Promise you will make me remember.”

With an anguished grimace, he looked deep into her eyes, groaning from the depths
of his heart. “I promise, with all that I am, I will find you. No matter what, Seraphina, I will find you.”

She nodded weakly, a tear sliding down her cheek. And then she was gone, her lingering sc
ent the only thing left to prove she’d ever been there.

Cole roared in despair, windows shattering all around him. “No!!” Razor sharp claws sank deep into his fisted palms, blood quickly drenching the disarrayed sheets. Chest heaving, he seethed. It felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Warmth left him as his body grew
numb. All emotion drained away, only one thought enduring; Sera.

Abruptly he stood, a curt finger snap returning everything to how it had been before; an empty shell of a warehouse. He straightened his cuffs and adjusted his collar. Then, with eyes as black as coal, he walked out of the dark, barren building, his long strides clipped with purpose.

CHAPTER 4

One Demon, Coming Right Up

Extracted from her lover's arms, Seraphina was swiftly taken back to the Seraphim haven. There she would be subdued and placed into an intense detoxification. It was a common practice for angels who had become ensnared within the dark seductions of the human realm. They were ‘treated’ repeatedly until all memories of their unclean past
were safely quarantined.

Sera shuddered,
familiar with such procedures. And then she screamed. Loud and long. Inside her tranquil holding cell, she tore at the silky strips of fabric draped along the walls, yanking them to the ground and shredding them with her hands. In angry frustration, her eyes diverted to the windows. She ran to them, pounding with all her might upon their impenetrable panes. Her fists streaked with pain as tears began to flow. “I do not want to forget!” she shrieked. “They are
my
memories and not yours to take!”

Instantly the room filled with her seraph kinsmen, profound love, compassion and serenity exuding from their forms. The energy quickly seeped into her soul. She knew what was happening. They were subduing her. She must escape.

Tragically, her dash to the doorway was easily thwarted. As she well knew, they were just as swift on their feet as she. Tears streaming down her face, she cried out in panic as strong hands settled upon her, “No! Please! Do not do this! I beg you! Do not take what little I have left of him! Please! I love him!”

But they only pulled her closer, their warm bodies encasing her in a cocoon of pure empathy. Bitter sobs broke from her chest as they began to lead her away, their own heartbroken expressions going utterly unnoticed. As Sera’s knees gave out and her eyes began to close, they murmured
as one in her mind, “Be still, sister. All will be well. Together we shall bring you back to everlasting peace.”

“Something is very wrong,” the blonde angel murmured from her New York City flat. Her lover had been missing for far too long. She’d looked everywhere for him, even sought out the company of his questionable colleagues to try and learn his whereabouts. But to no avail. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air.

She took another lap around her small, feminine bedroom, wringing her hands anxiously. And then she remembered something; a contact she’d been given by one of
the males she’d interrogated. She dashed to her chaise and dug into her coat’s front pocket, pulling out a business card along with her cellular phone. Before she could change her mind, she dialed the stranger’s number.

Cole smirked when his iPhone sounded, knowing it was the call he'd been waiting for. “Hello, Janelle. You’re just the person I needed to talk to.”  He glanced down at the head in the garbage bag and wrinkled his nose. Unfortunately he required it to secure the girl, as she was his ticket to finding Sera.

The fair-haired female frowned. He needed to talk to her? Whatever for? She quickly waved the question away. It was no matter. She had more important things to worry about. Pivoting around, she resumed in her nervous pacing. “I see. Well, as pleasant a coincidence as this is, I am afraid I must get straight to the point of my call. I seem to have lost my mate and I was told you might be able to assist me in finding him.”

“Let’s just say I have information you might find helpful,’” Cole smirked. “Meet me at the zoo’s baboon hut in ten minutes.” Hanging up, he slid the phone back into his pocket and eyed the Hefty bag. With a snap of his fingers, he flashed it away, a second before he too disappeared.

Janelle blinked, looking down at her phone.  She suddenly had a very bad feeling. But there was no time to analyze her sixth
sense. Grabbing her shoes, she headed for her balcony, cloaking herself before unleashing her enormous wings. With one graceful leap and three powerful flaps, she was headed toward New York City Zoo. 

Cole materialized a moment later by a park bench in front of the monkey house. He grinned as he sat, remembering the last time he'd been here. He’d had a run-in with Janelle's brothers, and had ultimately sicked the orangutans on them. How the irony of this messed up world amused him.

Above him, Janelle was already descending, her sights locked inte
ntly on the infamous henchman. Feet touching down, she quickly retracted her wings and revealed her form to his eyes. “Hello.”

Cole smirked. “Well, if it isn't the feathery lady who’s shacked up with a vemon.” He patted the seat next to him. “Sit and rest those pretty wings of yours.” When she settled down at the far end of the bench, he grinned
, pulling out a cigar like he hadn’t a care in the world. “So how goes it in the Land of Denial?” 

The angel stared at him indignantly, crossing her arms in distaste. “You speak as though I do not embrace my mate’s true nature.” Her chin lifted. “Nothing could be farther from the truth. Rave is the most amazing vemon I have ever met,” she looked down her nose at Cole, “and undoubtedly twice the male you’ll ever be.” 

Cole laughed. “I’m presently liking me just the way I am, Fluffy. All in one piece.” He lifted his brow, puffing on his cigar. “Seems your Rave ran into some trouble recently. Bad little vemon, he is.” Another smirk curved his lips, his fingers leisurely rolling his cigar. “But as it were, I do know where to find him.”

Janelle pursed her lips petulantly. “Well by all means, do tell. Where
is he?” When he merely grinned, stalling with his answer, her patience evaporated. With a righteous growl, her entire form exploded with a searing, angelic light. “Do not toy with me, demon!”

Cole grunted, shielding his eyes. “All right, glow worm, I'll tell you. Just t
urn off your damn headlights.” Her blinding illumination instantly ceased.  Cole snapped his fingers, the black bag appearing next to him on the bench. “There. That right there will tell you all you need to know.”

The disturbing stench of death
seemed to paralyze her. She covered her nose, her throat swallowing insistently. On a choked hiss, she eyed Cole warily. “What on God’s green earth does that foul smelling sack have to do with my Rave?”

Cole gestured to it coolly. “Open it, cotton puff. It holds a
ll the answers you‘re seeking.” He crossed his ankles and took another puff. “Come on. You know you want to see what's inside. Or did you wear your chicken feathers today.” He smirked, patting his pockets. “‘Cause if that’s the case, damn me for not bringing my camera for such a great Kodak moment.”   

Janelle’s eyes narrowed as she reached over to take the bag. “Fine,” she grated. “I can see that, with exception to my Rave, gallantry be damned among
‘the damned’.”  Stealing her shoulders, she took a deep breath, then pulled open the rank smelling sack.

Her
eyes snapped wide as she gasped in revulsion. “God in Heaven!” she sputtered, covering her mouth. “To whom does that head belong?!” When Cole merely grinned, she lurched to her feet, stumbling back in realization. “No,” she shook her head. “No, I do not believe it. You deceive me, demon, for reasons I do not know.”

Cole shrugged casually. “It seems old Rave here pissed off The Master.” He waved indifferently at the head. “At any rate, there you have it; vemon boy in a bag.” Lifting his brow, he watched as she wavered, then fainted right there on the sidewalk.

“Finally,” he muttered, putting out his cigar as the sound of nearby voices caught his attention. With a snap of his fingers, the bag disappeared. He walked to the angel and lifted her limp body into his arms. 

Behind him, the approaching couple asked if everything was ok. Cole smiled. “Poor dear, I just asked her to marry me and she fainted straight away.” He patted Janelle’s cheek lovingly. “Come on, honey. I know you love me and all, but a guy would like to hear an answer.” The pair chuckled, nodding as they
continued on their way. 

Once they were
gone, Cole hefted Fluffy onto his shoulder. “Let the bargaining begin.”

Sera roused, a strange fog lifting in her head. Opening her heavy lids, she took in her surroundings. She was in a recovery suite in the Seraphim’s spiritual healing wing. But she couldn’t remember why she was there. She blinked slowly, trying to sit up. The room began to spin. Her hand rose to her temple. She groaned, a dull ache forming inside her skull. Good Heavens, how long had she been lying there?

She dropped back down onto the satin-strewn bed and frowned. Her body felt weak, her mind exceptionally clouded. It was difficult to concentrate. She rolled onto her stomach and winced. Why did she feel like she was in the midst of something critically important? She shifted beneath her covers, but couldn’t shake the feeling. Like a clinging sickness surrounding her soul. And yet that made no sense. She was home, safe and sound and-

His face suddenly surfaced atop her deceivingly peaceful shore. “Cole,” she whispered. He felt so far away. Her heart began to weep, like it’d been dealt a tragedy she’d somehow nearly forgotten about.

The
door abruptly opened. Kindred filled the room, surrounding and laying their hands upon her. Despite their gentle touch, something inside Sera screamed for them to get away. She grimaced and tried to jerk free. “No… Let me be... Please...”

But
darkness came too quick.

With the female bound and gagged, Cole took out his phone as he stood inside the large, abandoned building. It was time to text her brother. The angels had been a thorn in his side from the moment he’d first met them -the self-righteous pin feathers- so using them as a means to an end gave him no greater joy. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt Janelle, but her brother didn’t know that. He still considered all demons the same. What a moron.

He exited the building to thumb out his message: “Have a package 4 u. Meet me ASAP if u want your special goodie.” After typing in the address, he finished by including a
picture of the male’s sister. Now to wait for his visitor.

Jazz felt his front pocket vibrate. Mouth full and chewing, he tugged out his cell and opened his newest text. Deep brown eyes went saucer-wide. Nearly choking, he barked out a curse. “That son of a bitch!”

Still on his lunch break at the neighborhood pub, he tore out of the back room, plowing into a fellow employee walking by. Without even an ‘Oops, my bad’ he hauled ass out of the building toward the nearest back alley. Within seconds, his cloak was activated. Large wings erupted from his back, firing him instantly into the sky. A second later, a
loud crack reverberated high above as he surpassed the speed of sound.

Cole leaned against the building’s exterior and pulled out another cigar. He needed something to do, after all, while he waited for Fluff Ball to show up. He truly couldn’t stand the guy, but knew this was the only way he was going to get Sera back. No one was going to keep what was his.

The sound of flapping wings overhead interrupted his dark musing. He looked up to watch one fuming
angel land a few yards away. “Took you long enough, Do-Goodie.”

Jazz’s eyes blazed. Instantly he was up in Cole’s grill. With both hands fisted in the demon’s shirt, he slammed him into the wall. “Where the fuck is my sister?
” he snarled.

Cole just smirked, blowing smoke in the angel’s face. “There are some terms that need to be discussed first.” As Jazz stepped back, Cole nonchalantly brushed off the front of his suit. He looked at the winged male. “
So get your undies out of a twist so we can strike ourselves a deal.”

Jazz's nostrils flared, clearly fighting back the urge to go all ‘Halo’ on Cole’s ass. The angel obviously realized it wouldn’t make sense to thrash the dude until after he got his sister back. Steeling his shoulders, he pinned Cole with a growl. “What terms? I want to see my sister, and I want to see her now.”

Cole cocked an arrogant brow. “Don't piss in my Post Toasties, Cotton ball. I need to know if you can get ahold of a seraph for me. Then we’ll talk about your sister and her whereabouts.” Casually, he flicked his ashes on Jazz's boot.

The angel stilled,
clearly taken off guard by Cole’s request. He stepped back further, blinking in disbelief. “A Seraph? Are you out of your freaking mind? You do realize they’re like the top dogs up there, right? They could turn me to cinder just by looking at me.” He shook his head and took another step back. “Nah, man. There’s got to be something else we can work out. I’m no good to you or my sister as a pile of ash.”

Cole rolled his eyes. “You want your sister or not?” When Jazz continued fidgeted anxiously, he shrugged. “It’s your choice. You get me what I want and I’ll give you what you want.”

Jazz hissed in obvious frustration. “I’m bound to my corporal body, unable to leave this realm until my mission is complete. So I’m physically incapable of doing what you ask. You’re gonna have to seek out your little seraph all by yourself.” He chuckled darkly, crossing his arms. “So keep thinking, dude. There's got to be something else you need.”

Cole held back a growl, tossing his phone to the angel. “Nope. Your sister for what I want. Last chance, feather brain.”

Jazz caught the cell, a live video feed of his sister playing on its screen. He grimaced on a groan. “Janelle.” His thumb stroked over the image before he turned to look back at Cole. “Fine. I’ll take you to the portal. But you’d better have Janelle with you or so help me, I'll send your lying ass straight back to that pit you call home.”