Vein of Love (Blackest Gold Book 1) (13 page)

She wanted to taste him.

Her lips brushed his neck, and he froze. His hands raked along her sides, pulling her flush against him. A wave of heat pooled between them.

“Why the sudden change?” His husky, breathless voice startled her. She moaned a response, her breasts heaving against him.

He placed his leg between her thighs, and she gasped lightly at feeling his arousal. His muscles tensed, his fingertips digging into her hips—she could feel his energy growing. Lights flashed constantly, quick and bright, and their bodies meshed together.

She scanned the crowd.

Cree was walking, looking at her. His mouth moved, and he brushed another guy’s shoulder. He handed the other man something thin and shiny. A weapon.

No, no, she couldn’t kill Tensley.

“Let’s go find the others and get out of here,” she shouted into Tensley’s ear over the booming bass. When he shifted, her lips brushed his earlobe. With a pounding chest, she evaded his touch and weaved through the crowd.

“They’re over there,” he told her, leaning in close so his own lips briefly skimmed her ear and blew strands of her hair around. She swallowed a moan.

September was laughing, and Illya wore a simple smile, unable to take his eyes away from her as she swayed to the music. His hands sat nicely on her sides—not too low and not too high.

Respectful.

September noticed them first. “Hey—!” Molly gripped her by the hand and dragged her and Illya toward the exit, corralling Tensley as well.

“I don’t feel well!” Molly explained, and all three of them spilled out into the night without further question.

“He’s here,” Molly hissed to September, clumsily putting her sunglasses back on once she’d put a decent distance between them and the demons. “Cree wanted to kill him. He wanted me to do it
at that moment
.” She kept double-checking down various alleys to ensure Cree wasn’t in their wake with his buddies.

September smirked. “Uh, duh.”

“I wanted to get rid of… I didn’t want someone’s blood on my hands, or his hands, or
anyone’s
hands. No more bloodshed!”

September shrugged. “The blood will have to be on someone’s hands. He
is
a hunter…what did you expect? Peace meetings?”

“He gave me a dagger.”

“He did what?”

“Ugh,” Molly huffed, shaking her head. “How did he even find me?”

“Stalker one-oh-one?”

“Sarcasm is not wanted right now.” Molly folded her arms. “He was going to kill Illya too if I didn’t get him out of there.”

That caught September’s attention. She kept her voice low, glancing back at Tensley and Illya as they chattered. “Cree’s gonna figure this out. He’ll stop it; I know he will—hopefully without any more threats to innocent guys like Illya, though.”

“I know,” Molly nodded. “Cree’s extreme. I can’t deal with any more extreme people, demon fiancés included.” She pushed her damn hormones to the side, renewing her focus on getting out of the contract. The desire settling in the pit of her belly scared her.

He’s heartless. Just remember that.

Heartless.

TENSLEY STUDIED THE
scene before him. Soft whispers were magnified by his enhanced hearing, but he couldn’t make out all the words.
Something about “insane.”
September wrapped her abnormally long, thin arms around Molly, engulfing the seductive blonde.

“She’s pretty,” Illya noted.

Tensley gave him a sour look. “Big Mouth?”

Illya laughed and hit Tensley’s back. Hard. A hollow thud echoed there. “Yes, she is, but that’s not who I was referring to. I meant
Molly
. Kind of sexy, actually.”

Tensley eyed her silhouette, steadying his breathing and tilting his head. Her kisses still clung to his skin. His hands already felt extremely powerful as he stretched them, electrified by those small acts of intimacy.
God, they weren’t fucking joking around about how powerful daemons were.

“She kissed my neck.”

Illya eyes widened. “She did?”

He nodded. “She was acting strange.”

But god, it turned him on. Then she left, drifting through the crowd of horny humans, the lust still evident in his briefs—the frustration, too. It led to one of two paths for demons: violence or sex.

September finally let go of Molly and walked toward them.

“Night, Tensley.” September chuckled, and out of nowhere she embraced him like an old friend. He recoiled, so she leaned in closer. “If you do anything to
her
, I’ll personally stalk your family, murder them, and then bury them in an airtight chamber so that if they come back to life, they’ll have no chance of surviving the second time. I mean it.”

He balled his hands into tight fists.

He wanted to snap her neck for a comment like that, but Tensley knew it would do more harm than good with two special eyes watching from a few feet away. Plus, they were in public. “I’d watch your back, September. Molly wouldn’t want her best friend to get in a horrible accident, now would she?” He breathed heavily, tightening his grip on September’s forearms. “Her only friend who accepted her. The only friend she has.” September shivered and pushed away, and he chuckled. “Night, Big Mouth.”

Illya gave him a disappointed look before jogging after September into the night.

Once their friends’ forms had disappeared, Tensley strolled over to Molly. An adorable crease had formed between her light brows.

“Did you hug September?” she asked.

He gave her a simple smile, searching for the same seductress he had witnessed—no,
experienced
—a few moments ago. “We have an understanding.”

Under his watchful eyes, she crossed her dainty hands below her impressive chest in a childlike manner. “Hmm. Okay, well I’m going home now.”

The seductress is long gone.

He had tried to charm her at the bar by acting like he was interested in getting to know her. It appeared to have worked, until she abruptly left. The two of them walked in silence now. The streets were empty and a storm was rolling in, the air heavy and stale with the smell of day-old garbage and Chinese food.

The click of her heels stopped.

A fierce whisper escaped her, one that carried the distance she’d put between them and seized him by the throat. “There’s no way to get rid of you, is there?”

Anger boiled in his veins.

“Did you not just
feel me up
in there? Was I hallucinating all of that?”

“Yes, but it was just—the alcohol.” She worried her bottom lip and then glared. “Why can’t you just go away?”

Why is she playing me so hot and cold?
He shook his head. He continued to walk, annoyed with her antics. He hadn’t used any of his pheromones to control her, and it had appeared they’d actually been getting along for a few pleasurable moments back at the club.

“Tensley.”

He growled in response.

“Answer me!”

He spun and a shudder moved through his immense, agitated body. “Give it up.” He went to turn away, but stopped, advancing on her like a wild animal. “Actually, give it all up. We’re eventually going to fuck each other.”

Molly’s body grew rigid and he noted the tremble in her bottom lip.

Shit.

The silence that resulted after such a statement weighed like iron between them, expanding and shifting to an uncomfortable level.

“Look, I—” Tensley began, preparing to withdraw his crude statement, but Molly was too quick for him.

She marched over and slapped him across the cheek, sending his head flying to the left. Tensley stumbled back, cringing from the sting spreading across his face.

Her strength.

Hits like that from a human wouldn’t do anything, but from a daemon? It sure as hell hurt.

Fuck.

He touched his skin hesitantly, more in shock than pain.

I’m a jackass. I deserved that.

He knew he’d crossed a line. He didn’t want to hurt her, but the more she twisted him, played him, the more his demon side wanted to strangle her. “You good now?”

Her eyes sharpened. She was trembling, either from anger or fear; he couldn’t tell. “You’re such a jerk.”

Tensley barked a laugh. “Most girls dig the jerk.”

“You think most girls are hormonal and desperate for their own sparkly vampire, huh?”

He suppressed a smile.
Witty girl.
“Doubtful, considering
you
were the one who was all over me. You couldn’t keep your hands off. Or your tongue.” He paused, furrowing his brows. “Wait, did you just compare me to a sparkly vampire? ’Cause I’m not even close to one of those fucking things.”

“Yes, I was, and no, I’m not ‘hormonal’ for that kind of guy,” she said. Her eyes flickered over his figure, unimpressed.

He couldn’t help the disappointment expanding in his chest. “Then you must be blind.”

“I wish I was.” She looked away.

His eyes narrowed, and he scowled.
Is she actually
not
attracted to me?
“Now you’re just being
cruel
.”

“Now I’m just being
honest.
”

She was all over me at—
his hands clenched.
She played me like a fucking fool.

With newfound rage, he took a dangerous step forward, his pheromones sparking like an untamed fire lit by gasoline.

“If we’re being
honest
then, you’re a stuck-up brat who has no idea who they’re dealing with. So if you want to stay on
good terms
with
me
, I would
think
next time,” he retorted, stepping closer. She swallowed hard. “Is that clear enough for you to understand?”

“You’re––you’re—”

He leaned forward and for once, she didn’t flinch. “I’m
what?
”

“You’re a bastard.” Her nostrils flared.

He groaned, turning to go back the way they’d come. “Let’s just call it a night.” He didn’t want to sleep with her, not any time soon, not when she didn’t even want him—or fucking
like
him.
She fucking played me and I fucking fell for it.

“Wait!” She raced around to cut him off, her hands hovering over his chest.

Dear god, leave me alone woman!
“What?”

She bit her lip hard, and once her mouth had opened and shut three times in a row, he lost his patience.

“Spit it out. Gonna call me a ‘jackass’ again? Because I already knew that, sweetheart.”

“I’m scared, okay,” she whispered.

His brows lifted.

He hadn’t expected her to confess that. He stiffened when her red, puffy eyes met his. He didn’t deal well with his own emotions; he certainly didn’t want to try to deal with hers.

“This whole…situation…scares me.” She rubbed her arms and he realized she’d forgotten her coat at the club. “
You
scare me.”

Finally, she admits it.

“Just stop talking,” he huffed, cursing underneath his breath. He didn’t want to care, because if he cared, she had the power. “If we don’t get back soon, you’ll get sick—it’s like fifty degrees out here.” A storm had rolled in with heavy winds; he thought of giving her his leather jacket, but he didn’t want to seem nice, weak. Constantly, his older brother’s face flashed before him as a reminder whenever he thought of doing something chivalrous.

Don’t get too close, or you’ll end up just like him.

“Don’t you feel anything?” she croaked.

He halted, back stiffening. “I don’t have a heart, remember? You can’t hold me to your rules. I’m a demon. We don’t feel; we take.”
Partially true.
She didn’t need to know that though.

“Like my freedom?”

He thumbed his jaw. “I haven’t taken your freedom yet.”

“And you won’t,” she mumbled, crossing her arms again. She obviously didn’t realize it brought more attention to her chest that way.

Rolling his eyes, he twisted around and continued the trek to her townhouse. As he looked ahead, however, he froze. Two wolves stood at the end of the road, panting.

Fuck. Fuck-fuck-fuck!

His eyes scanned the area and immediately found several more, along with the tall outline of a man.

He had to hide her, protect her. Fast.

Without thinking, Tensley grasped Molly by the back of her neck and shoved her head into his firm chest.

“Tensley!” She squirmed, her nails raking over his chest. “Let go—”

“Just
trust me!
”

“Tensley—” she whimpered.

“Don’t look at him, don’t speak—
please
trust me,” he said.

She stilled, noting his tone, and then a moment later nuzzled into his frame as he clinched his arm tighter around her waist.

“Just trust me,” he repeated against the top of her head.

“Mr. Knight? I thought that was you,” Abaddon said, striding over. With a wave and a whistle, the wolves vanished.

“Yeah,” Tensley answered dryly.

“I’ve heard rumors about you,” Abaddon said. “Engaged to a human girl? I thought your family had more class.”

Tensley’s jaw tensed.

Abaddon’s eyes left his and traced over Molly’s body where it was attached to Tensley’s. “Well, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Abaddon folded his thick arms across his hefty chest.

She pressed even harder against him at the comment, her hands clenching the fabric of his dress shirt.

“She’s not feeling well.” He stroked her back. “I should really get her to bed. Nice seeing you, Abaddon.”

As Tensley stepped back, Abaddon gripped his shoulder with surprising quickness. “Wait,” he said, all sense of congeniality gone. “Let me see her.”

Tensley’s mouth slacked, unsure of what to say.
You gotta be shitting me.
Abaddon was centuries older and stronger than him—
his power ran as deep and strong as his lineage
. Fallen would, if anything, take Abaddon’s side if he knew the Knights were hiding a daemon from him.

“She’s sick,” he insisted, more sternly than before.

“You’re lying.” Abaddon’s large, fat fingers rooted into Molly’s curls, ripping her from Tensley. Her sunglasses fell off her face in the struggle and clattered to the pavement.

Fuck!

Tensley’s balled hands shook beside him. He wanted to beat him to an ugly mess of bones and skin. His demon side
loved
the thought.

A strangled cry left her throat, but her eyes were glued shut. Abaddon’s finger traced her lips and she squirmed. When his finger tried to enter her mouth, she bit it and he chuckled deeply in his throat.
She was asking to die.

“Let her go,” Tensley commanded, his chest heaving violently as his hands grew clammy.