Текст книги "Prince of Demons"

Автор книги: Nora Ash

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

15

Kesh

More.

The word rang in his ears as the needy little Breeder spread her thighs wide and arched up into his touch, even as she squirmed under his hand to escape the direct stimulation.

He’d left the kitchen with more steely determination than any enthusiasm for what he’d have to do to the girl. His tongue still pricked with the taste of her earlier climax, and his cock seemed to be in a state of permanent erection. But the dark undertow of need the cursed little thing provoked was underlined with the increasing scent of her fear and the knowledge that if he didn’t keep his magic in check during her branding, he would kill her.

She was the first Breeder to grace his territory since his family had assumed power in the Americas, and if he accidentally killed the girl before he could finish preparing her for one of his men, there was every chance it’d cause enough uproar throughout the territory to give the Europeans the edge they’d need to win the war.

In the good old days, she’d have been given to a procurer, who’d blind and ring her before she realized what was going on, then ship her off to auction where she’d learn to take a demon’s cock soon enough. But no. Queen Selma had declared their age-old customs barbaric, and somehow that meant it was now his job to put a brand on this woman and train her body to enjoy a demon’s anatomy, without accidentally murdering her with his too-powerful magic along the way.

“More!”

The sharpness of the command jerked Kesh out of his stupor. He stared at the Breeder’s face for one long moment, the tight grimace on her features as she rode up against his fingers making blood pound in his temples and rush in his ears. The meek little human who’d cowered at the foot of his dais and apologized for everything short of breathing was gone, replaced by the wanton woman who’d grabbed onto his horns and forced his mouth to her pussy, despite being so weak she could barely stand.

“Look at you,” he snarled, frustration lacing through the gravel of his voice, even as he pressed his thumb in harder against her pulsing clit, obeying her demand. “What a pretty little whore you make. Are you wet from knowing you can’t escape? Is that it? The big, bad monster has you pinned and there’s nothing you can do but submit that needy little pussy to every dirty thing I can do?”

The Breeder moaned brokenly, shame coloring her cheeks, but the rush of liquid trickling from her opening showed the truth: yes, that was exactly why she was wet for him.

As a demon, Kesh was plenty familiar with humanity’s dark desires, but the knowledge that the soft-spoken, fragile little female, who reeked of fear whenever she looked at him, got off on forced submission—that he hadn’t expected.

Predictably, it went straight to his dick.

“Shit.” Electricity crackled up his spine as the scent of her need penetrated his nostrils and sank deep into his lungs, filling his very being until there was nothing left but her. His cock throbbed painfully in the confines of his pants, and his body ached to settle on top of her, to feel her smooth skin, taste it⁠—

He was barely conscious of moving until Georgia’s fearful gasp brought him back from the brink. He looked down at her, splayed on her back beneath him, eyes no longer squeezed shut but opened wide as she stared back up at him. He had her wrists pinned above her head, and his pelvis rested heavily on top of hers, forcing his clothed but aching cock hard against her pussy and ringed clit.

Fuck, that look of terror on her pretty face did nothing to stop every dark instinct clamoring to force his way inside her body and to hell with the consequences. But the sick thread of dread it sparked in the deepest parts of his conscience was enough to rein in his all-consuming need for her cunt.

Breathing heavily, he released her wrists and shifted some of his weight from her pelvis to his arms. “You okay?”

Georgia’s blue eyes widened even further, as if she couldn’t quite believe he’d asked. “I… y-yeah.”

How was he meant to do this? He couldn’t fucking think with the maddening scent of her arousal in his nose.

“You’re going to be the fucking death of me.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Another fucking apology. He bared his teeth at her, and instantly regretted it when the bitter taste of fear intensified on his tongue and she shrank deeper into the mattress.

Aaaand there went his gut, clenching with regret. Great. Fucking great.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmured, voice softened despite his urge to scream with frustration at the clashing roil of instincts warring somewhere south of his ribcage. Fucking. Breeders.

“What… what are you going to do?” Her voice was tiny and pulled on his maddening urge to coddle and coo like an overgrown mother hen. “You say you’re going to brand me… and… train me. I don’t know what that means.”

They’d made a deal. He’d spent a great deal of power on healing her useless brother in return for her cooperation. The main reason he’d agreed was so he wouldn’t have to do this—coddle and explain and take his time when he had none to give. But as she lay beneath him, her bewitching scent thick in his nostrils and that scared look on her pretty face—the one that pulled on everything primal and stupid in him—he realized he’d been a fool to make that bargain. His experiences with his infuriating sister-in-law should have taught him that one breath of a Breeder’s manipulative pheromones would make him bend over backwards to ensure they had whatever they wanted. He’d thought Georgia would be different, that the fact she wasn’t a Pure Breeder would help him keep his mind focused. But clearly, that wasn’t how this was going to go.

With a deep—deep—sigh, Kesh pushed himself up to kneel between her splayed thighs. One glimpse of her flushed pussy and bared clit and he made sure to yank the silk skirt down to cover her before he lost his ability to focus again. “All Breeders are given a blinding mark—a brand. It takes away your ability to see through our human disguises. We find that it makes it easier for a woman to accept a mating and settle into her new life.”

She blinked up at him. “So I’d… see what others see when they look at you? Just a regular human?”

“Yes.”

She frowned, eyes darting to his horns for a long moment before she asked, “Um… so… why are we…?”

“Why am I getting you off?”

Georgia flushed a deep red, and he rolled his eyes. Considering she’d been begging him for more only minutes ago, embarrassment at stating the obvious was pretty fucking ridiculous. Humans.

“Your innate resistance to our magic is at its weakest during a climax. For the brand to take, you need to come. Hard.”

“Oh.” Her blue eyes flicked briefly to his mouth, and he knew exactly where her mind went—to the bathroom where he’d pushed her up against the vanity and sucked her clit to orgasm. Heat coiled low in his abdomen in response, and when she looked up at his eyes and blushed even deeper, it took all his willpower not to push her dress back up and wrap his lips around her clit.

“So…” She hesitated for a moment, then seemingly found her courage. “Why aren’t you…?”

His face darkened. “Because, Breeder, your pussy is fucking crack, and if I lose control for even a second, my magic will enter you and you will die. Horrifically.”

“Oh.” She paled, knees curling up to close his direct access to her hallowed core, survival instincts finally kicking in.

“Yes. Oh.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This is such a fucking nightmare.”

Slowly, she sat up, eyeing him cautiously. “And we can’t just… pretend you never met me and send me on my way…?”

His hard stare made the red flush return to her cheeks.

“Right, okay, yeah, that was probably… a bit optimistic,” she muttered. “But then what? I don’t want to die. Does this… this brand really need to happen?”

Kesh sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You tell me. Look at my face, Breeder. Can you see yourself settling into domestic bliss with a man whose mere features make you quiver with fear? Could you nurse children who look like this?”

Georgia’s eyes roamed over his face. As expected, the truth was written all over her features.

“Yeah. Didn’t think so,” he growled, inexplicably irritated with her natural fear of his appearance. “So yes, Breeder. I need to brand you.”

A short moment’s silence fell between them as Kesh tried to figure out how the hell he was supposed to get this girl branded. It was interrupted when Georgia quietly asked, “I’m supposed to birth your… children?”

He scoffed. “No, not mine. As I said, if my magic enters you, you will die. But yes, you will birth your future mate's children. You are a Breeder, after all—this is your job.”

Horror slashed across her face. “What… what will you do to… to my babies?”

Kesh stared at her. “What do you mean, ‘what will we do?’ Your mate will protect them, just as he will you. Bringing our sons to adulthood is one of our most sacred obligations.” He frowned when it dawned why she looked at him with such horror. “You thought we’d eat our own children??”

“Well, I… You’re demons. I don’t know what your drive for parental care is like,” she protested, a mix of shame and defensiveness replacing the look of horror on her pretty face.

He leaned in close, staring hard into her eyes. “It’s strong, Breeder. As is our drive to protect our mates. Bargaining your body to demons was foolish, but one thing you do not have to fear for is the safety of you or your babies. Ever.”

“Oh…”

She looked like she was about to say more, but the sound of his apartment’s front door slamming open pulled Kesh’s attention with a hard yank.

16

Kesh

He got to his feet, adrenaline rushing through his body in an instant as every cell kicked into protective mode, but before he could take a step a familiar voice called out, "Your Highness! You're needed urgently!"

Growling at the interruption, Kesh pulled the bedroom door open, lingering adrenaline making him slam it into the wall hard enough to make the Breeder jump on the bed. Immediately outside, his second in command stopped abruptly, a harried look on his face. Marks of battle covered his leather armor.

"Mallorn? Why aren't you in Maine?" Kesh growled.

The other demon drew in a deep breath, familiar with his prince's temper. "Prince Kesh, you're needed in Maine. Our troops are getting overrun. The Europeans brought two lords. They're too strong for Lord Aran to fight back on his own."

"Son of a bitch!" Kesh snarled. "How the fuck did they manage that without anyone noticing?"

"We're not sure yet, but we need you there. Now."

Kesh glared at his second, every battle-hardened instinct in his body throbbing to fly at the threat to the borders. But... He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Georgia, who stared at him wide-eyed from the bed.

"Kesh, come on," Mallorn said, voice impatient as he dropped the formalities. "Find yourself some pussy in Maine to celebrate with, once we've beaten back the Eurotrash. We don't have time for you to get off first!"

"She's not here to get me off—the girl's an unmarked Breeder, Mallorn," Kesh growled. "I can't very well leave her here unguarded."

"Shit. Really?" Mallorn's eyes widened, some of the urgency on his features swiftly replaced by excitement. "I could⁠—"

Kesh leveled him with a flat stare. "No."

"Well then, you'll just have to bring her with you."

Kesh narrowed his eyes. "You're kidding."

"Look, she's a Breeder, and you're the lord responsible for her. We both know she can't be unguarded, so unless you'll assign a guard to her you trust more than me, you'll have to take her with you. But whatever you choose, make it swift—our men are dying up in Maine."

"You know very well there's no one I trust more than you," Kesh growled. "And I don't trust you as far as I can throw you around an unmated Breeder. Shit." He turned back to Georgia, eyes narrowing in frustration. Why? Why did she have to show up in his territory? Why not the next state over, where she could have been some other lord's problem. "Alright." He snapped his fingers at the girl. "Get up. You're coming with me."

The helicopter ride to Maine had his nervous system on edge; the whir of the blades and the knowledge that he was heading into battle with a Breeder in tow only added to his stress. He glared at the wide-eyed Georgia, wishing her into unexistence with every fiber of his being. Her scent in his nostrils spoke with all clarity of her fright at being hauled into a helicopter with two demons, and his entire being throbbed with the need to coo and soothe her. An urge he thankfully managed to keep at bay behind gritted teeth—he really didn't need to add Mallorn's mocking to his current state of agitation.

"Once we get there, you'll stay in the helicopter. I'll shield it with my magic, and you'll be safe. Do. Not. Leave. Understood? If you do, you'll be without the protection of my magic. And trust me, Georgia—you don't want that." He leaned forward, imposing the threat with his darkest glare. "Do you understand?"

She nodded, eyes impossibly wider, and he settled back in his seat, ignoring the side-eye from his second.

They landed in a clearing in the woods, just outside the coastal village where the Europeans had made their landing and launched their assault, the sounds and stench of battle thick in the air. Plumes of black magic rose from the battlefield, and Kesh felt the familiar sensation of battle lust threatening to descend. He turned to Georgia, who was thankfully still sitting in the helicopter, eyes still wide and head turned in the direction of the fight. At least she was obedient, unlike his sister-in-law. Thank the stars for small favors.

"Stay. No matter what—stay," he ordered, giving her a glare for good measure. Then he let his magic spill out, encapsulating the helicopter in a safe cocoon of protection before he turned to Mallorn. "Let's go."

The battle was a mess. Despite Maine's Lord Aran and his men joining the battle, it seemed the Europeans had already managed to establish a stronghold on their shores. And their lords... Kesh sensed them before he saw them, their combined power lighting up like a beacon. How they'd managed to keep themselves hidden and gain the advantage with a surprise attack he hadn't a clue. Whoever they were, they were strong, and they had his men on their asses.

"Fuck," he growled, taking in the scene. “Alright. Let's get these bastards off our shores."

"My pleasure, Your Highness,” Mallorn growled, a vicious look on his face.

Kesh charged onto the battlefield, dark magic swirling high into the sky before crashing down in the middle of enemy lines, throwing ten enemy warriors violently into the air and scattering body parts in every direction.

"The prince!" he heard one of his men call over the battle, relief in his gruff voice. "The prince is here!"

"Here he comes, to save the daaay," Mallorn hummed under his breath, a sly grin on his lips as he twirled his axe, easily decapitating an enemy demon without falling behind.

"Shut up," Kesh growled, scanning the battlefield for Lord Aran. Mallorn had been his friend and second in command long before he'd gained his royal title, and as loyal as the lesser demon was, he also wasn't the least bit impressed with his old friend's new status. A trait Kesh normally appreciated—when he wasn't, in fact, there to save the fucking day. "Where the fuck is Aran?"

"There." Mallorn pointed with his axe. Up on a hill, pinned between the two enemy lords's foul magic, a large, vaguely familiar demon knelt in the mud surrounded by mutilated corpses, his own magic barely a crackle in the air around him. The centuries-old Lord of Maine, brought to his knees.

"What the shit?" Mallorn muttered by Kesh's side. "What the hell is going on? Even two to one, Aran is fucking powerful as shit. He should have been able to hold out for days."

"I guess I'll ask him if we manage to save his ass," Kesh growled, unsheathing his sword as he focused on the nearest of the two enemy lords. "Let's go."

17

Georgia

Stay, he'd said.

Georgia wasn't entirely sure why the big, scary demon prince had felt it necessary to remind her not to leave the safety of the helicopter and go wandering around this close to an honest-to-god demonic war, complete with giant swords and plumes of magic. She was perfectly fine hiding in the metal carcass of the chopper, thank you very much!

From her vantage point inside the aircraft, she had enough of a view of the battle to know it was no place for a human. A thought she tried not to dwell too hard on, considering the many houses off in the distance. Hopefully the citizens of the little fishing village they'd landed in had all managed to flee.

Shaking, she pressed her back against the wall of the helicopter and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to ignore the screams and growls and clashes of metal outside.

All she had to do was stay put. Either Prince Kesh would win this nightmarish battle and come fly her back, or... Or he wouldn't, and she could try to sneak off in the aftermath and hopefully escape back to a world where she could pretend she didn't see demons, and no one called her 'Breeder'.

A loud crash from the distance made her jump, and she peered out the window, heart in her throat.

On a hill in the distance, four larger-than-average demons were locked in battle, dark magic blazing around them. Through the sparks and plumes of darkness, she recognized the prince's huge form swinging his sword at one of the other burly demons, while firing dark magic at a second. From the looks of it, he was trying to protect the fourth demon on the ground.

A twinge of something tight and uncomfortable in her gut made her pull her eyes from him.

Not my circus, not my monkeys. In fact, if the prince happened to get killed, all the better for her and her chances of escaping the lifetime as a broodmare she'd signed up for in exchange for Larry's recovery.

Determined, she flicked her gaze to another part of the battlefield, where two groups of smaller demons were fighting each other. She had no clue which side was which—apparently demons didn't believe in color-coordinated uniforms. She also didn't have the faintest idea why European demons were trying to invade Maine. Were demons just late on the whole War of Independence?

Georgia cast another look back toward the houses. How the winning demons planned on keeping the humans unaware of a full-scale battle was beyond her, but she'd seen them weave their filthy magic around people's minds enough times to know they were capable of distorting reality for the majority of the population. Judging from the immense power cracking through the air from the hilltop where the prince was currently fighting, he'd be strong enough to make an entire town getting leveled to the ground seem like a gas leak or whatever.

"Mama!"

What... the hell was that?!

"Mama!"

Heart in her throat, Georgia scrambled off her seat and rushed over to stick her head out of the helicopter's open door, drawn by what sounded all too much like a small child crying. And there, in the middle of the battlefield, between warring demons and magical explosions, stood a little girl. A human girl.

Everything inside Georgia went tight and cold.

“Oh my God! Oh my God, no!" Without thought, she hurled herself out of the helicopter and ran.

By some miracle, she made it to the kid without getting blown to pieces or losing her head to a wayward axe swing. She didn't pause for a second—simply scooped up the girl, turned around, and began running back toward the helicopter.

"It's okay, honey, don't worry. Let's get you out of here," she gasped as she ran, trying to settle the child on her hip to carry her weight. The girl looked to be maybe six or seven, small enough to carry but not light enough to do so at a full sprint without significant strain.

Small, slim arms wrapped around her neck, and Georgia felt the girl's tears soak through her dress. "Mama!"

"I know, honey, I know," she panted, trying to keep her eyes on the fight around them as she ran. "We'll find her, I promise. But first, we've gotta get you safe, okay?"

Out of nowhere, a demon's massive body landed right in front of her, the monster grunting as his shoulder impacted with the ground. Georgia shrieked and came to a skidding halt, clutching the girl in her arms tighter. Shit, shit, shit!

He looked up at her, eyes widening in shock. "Breeder?! What the fuck are you doing out here in the open?" Then his eyes moved to a point behind her, his gruesome—and vaguely familiar—face pulling into a fierce snarl as he leapt to his feet, axe raised high.

Georgia screamed again and stumbled backward, twisting on instinct to shield the child in her arms with her own body—but the demon's axe wasn't aimed at her. A resounding clang of metal above her head shot through her nervous system like a bullet.

"Down!" the vaguely familiar demon growled as he moved forward, shoving her to the ground with one hand before swinging his axe again.

This time, Georgia saw who he swung at. A massive, scary-looking monster with wings and large fangs thrust his sword at her rescuer, the blade cleaving through the space her head had just been occupying seconds ago.

Clutching the child to her chest, she desperately looked for a way to get out of reach of the two fighting demons, but the only available escape route was blocked by more combatants. Trying her best to stay in control of her wildly beating heart, she held the girl to her chest with one arm as she used the other to scramble backward in search of a safe way out. "Hold on tight, baby," she whispered breathlessly to the child sobbing inconsolably against her. "We'll make it, I prom⁠—"

A heavy thunk cut her off mid-sentence as the winged demon's head landed on the ground right in front of her, his glassy eyes staring her right in the face.

The girl screamed loudly and buried her face in her neck, and it was all Georgia could do not to join her.

"Holy shit," she croaked.

A large, clawed hand closed around her shoulder and yanked her to her feet.

"Get in the helicopter," her savior growled.

Georgia stared at him, mouth agape. "W-what?"

"Get in the fucking helicopter, Breeder! Let's go!" Without releasing his grip on her shoulder, he began pulling her across the battlefield, his other hand on his axe as he dragged her along with him.

It took Georgia several terrified seconds before she recognized Prince Kesh's second in command. "M-Mallorn?" Despite his presence in their helicopter on the ride over, the blood and gore covering him had rendered him almost irrecognizable.

He spared her a glance over his shoulder, eyes softening a smidge as he took in her terror. "Yes. Lucky for you." Then, as if he only then noticed the kid clinging to her neck, he frowned. "What the hell is that? Put that down right this instant!"

Georgia stared at him, wide-eyed. "What? No!"

"No?"

"No! She's just a child! I can't leave her in the middle of a battlefield! She'll get hurt!"

The demon's frown deepened. "It's just a human spawnling. There are literally millions of them. One less won't hurt. Now put it down so I can get you back to safety—you don't know what sort of diseases it carries."

"She's not an ‘it’!” Georgia snapped, clutching the girl tighter. "She's a little girl, she's terrified, and she needs me. I'm not leaving her!"

"Breeder, I don't have time for this!" Mallorn snarled. "Your life is infinitely more valuable than a human's." He grabbed the girl by the arm, trying to pry her off.

"Let go of her!" Georgia kicked him in the shin with as much force as she could possibly muster and twisted, shielding the now screaming girl from the demon's grip with her own body.

Mallorn cursed, his eyes narrowing as he reached for her again. "You stubborn little– I'm trying to protect you!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Georgia snarled, tears burning in her eyes.

Beside them, a patch of dirt exploded with the impact of dark magic, showering them in a rain of soil and soot.

"Fuck!" Mallorn spun around, ready to defend them if need be, but the explosion seemed to have been caused by a stray burst of magic aimed at another demon.

"I want my mama!" the girl wailed, making Georgia wince as her voice made her eardrums ache.

"I know, baby," Georgia murmured, rubbing the girl's back as she scanned for a way out.

Mallorn spun back around to her, grabbing her shoulder with a less than pleased look. "Fine. If you come with me, you can keep the thing. For now. Just don't expect the prince to be as lenient when he finds out you left the helicopter for the brat." Without another word, he began dragging her through the field, back toward the safety of the shielded helicopter.

Georgia stumbled after him, trying to keep up with the demon's long strides. "Wait! Wait, please, I need to find her mom!"

Mallorn's only response was to tighten his grip on her shoulder as he kept walking toward the helicopter.

"We'll find her later," Georgia whispered to the girl, realizing she wasn't going to win another battle of wills with the pissed-off demon right now. "I promise."

Back at the helicopter, Mallorn didn't release her arm until she was all the way inside. He pointed his axe at her, nostrils flared. "If you move so much as a muscle before Prince Kesh is back, I will personally lop off the spawnling's head and eat her in front of you. Do you understand?"

"Oh, my God," Georgia croaked, nausea filling her gut at the brutal threat. "Don't hurt her. I'll stay. Please."

The demon's eyes softened at her terror, and he let out a deep sigh. "Look... It brings me no pleasure to scare you, Breeder, but you have no idea what would happen if you got yourself killed out here. The loss of your life... it would be a tragedy in itself, but the repercussions for the kingdom... If the prince gets a Breeder killed, there'll be an uproar and we'll lose all support. So, as much as it pains me, my pretty, I'll do what it takes to make sure you stay put." He gave the child in her arms a hard look.

Georgia gulped and held the girl tighter. "Okay. You made your point. I won't leave again."

"Good." He gave her a lingering look, then jumped back out of the helicopter. "It'll be much easier to court you without having to traumatize you first."