Lucifer's Daughter (3 page)

Turning, body braced and ready for some hand-to-hand combat, I almost laughed to see a hellhound instead of something actually dangerous. One of my dad"s less than stellar–AKA dumb--creations, which had escaped from the pit.

The beast growled at me and wagged its stub of a tail. Did I forget to mention I grew up with the hellhounds? Up until the age of twelve, they were my full time guardians, and I"d grown quite fond of the mindless creatures. Of course, being fond didn"t mean I could leave it roaming the human world. After all, we were talking hellhound here. About to say the words to send it back to Hell where it belonged, I squeaked when strong hands gripped me and pulled me sideways into an alley.

“What the fuck?” I exclaimed. Who had been stupid enough to grab me, and how had I missed their approach? I"m never that careless.

“You can thank me later,” said a familiar, gravelly voice.

“Thank you for what, dirtying my coat?” I said, staring at the smear of dirt across my sleeve, from where it had brushed up against the dumpster in the alley he"d kidnapped me into.

“Well, excuse me,” he drawled sarcastically. “Next time, I"ll let the hellhound eat you.”

“Oh, please. They wouldn"t dare.” Too late, I realized how odd that sounded; and judging by the way his brows shot up, he"d caught it.

He let go of my arms and stepped back, looking at me like I was some strange kind of specimen.

I went on the attack to distract him from my words.

“Why are you following me? What are you, some kind of stalker?”

“I saw a pretty girl walking by herself, and decided to follow at a safe distance to make sure she got home all right. Good thing I did.”

My heart fluttered. He"d called me pretty. He"d wanted to protect me. How cute–but so unnecessary. “I appreciate the thought behind it, but really, I can take care of myself.”

“Even against hellhounds?” he said skeptically.

“Piece of cake,” I boasted. That wasn"t, technically, giving anything away. Lots of special folk could take care of hellhounds.

“Just who and what are you?” asked Auric. His questions were getting repetitive.

I rolled my eyes. “I told you, my name is Muriel.”

Auric crossed his arms over his chest–did I mention he had a really broad chest?–and gave me a stern look.

Oh, please, once Satan gave you „the look," all other looks paled in comparison. I just glared right back at him „til he sighed with exasperation–another sound I was familiar with.

“Fine then, Muriel, if you think hellhounds are so easy, why don"t you take care of it then.” He said with a smirk, one that made me torn between wiping it off his face–my demon brothers had taught me to fist fight at an early age–and kissing it. What could I say, he really turned my crank.

I chose neither option. Did I mention I didn"t like choices? Without waiting to see if he followed, I spun on my heel–these ankle boots I"d found on a discount rack were divine–and stalked back to the puppy–er beast.

It would seem my earlier observations about his companions were correct, as a golden panther hissed and swiped at the growling hound to keep it from reaching me–the hounds still had a protective instinct where I was concerned--while blue-eyes held up a staff and chanted. I wanted to shake my head. Why did wizards always go for the long, drawn out spells? Hadn"t they learned yet that long spells meant a higher probability of death? Which, on second thought, was probably a good thing. A form of population control: survival of the fittest. But I was getting off track.

Auric"s two friends didn"t look too banged up, and thankfully they hadn"t dented the hellhound yet, either. My puppies from the pit were so misunderstood. With a sigh for men who wanted to be heroes, but who lacked the proper tools, I held out my hand to the dog and said the word for

„come" in ancient Aramaic. Only one of the many tongues I knew. Of course, the one I"d been dying to try was French, but that would have to wait for another day.

The hound, with the glowing eyes of Hell, slunk up to me on its belly, and I almost snorted at the look on Auric"s face. There was nothing to emasculate a big strong guy like taking care of a problem in a non-violent manner in front of him. When the coal-hot nose of the dog touched my outstretched fingers, I said the Aramaic word to send the beast back home to safety.

“Bravo,” said Auric, clapping beside me. I eyed him, looking for the sarcasm, but he just smiled at me benignly; although I didn"t quite trust that twinkle in his eye.

“How did you banish the beast with such a simple word?” asked Lothario, interrupting our staring match. “Are you a mighty witch?”

“Me? Nope. I"m just–um–special.” That was only a tad of an understatement.

Auric"s other friend, who"d shifted into the seriously gorgeous blond panther, became human again and, shaking his hair out of his eyes, said, “That was cool.” His deep voice still made me shiver, and I eyed his naked, well-muscled body with interest. Auric must have noticed me admiring his friend, for he stepped in front of me, filling my senses with him and setting fire to certain body parts with the intent look he gave me.

He opened his mouth to speak, but...

“Muriel, yoo–hoo, there you are.”

I mentally groaned, hearing the chirpy voice of my half-sister. Buxom Bambi–no joke, that was her name, on stage and off it–came sashaying up the street. Her skirt dipped just low enough to cover her crotch, and she wore stilettos and a rhinestone halter top that made me want to howl.

So much for attracting Auric. With my blond succubus sister on the scene, I"d be lucky if I didn"t get trampled when the guys tripped over themselves trying to meet her.

However, I ended up being surprised again because, while Auric"s furry and wizard friends reacted like every other hot-blooded male I knew, Auric only spared a quick glance at my sister before bringing his attention back to me.

I had to say ignoring Bambi earned him big brownie points, for it made him the first guy I"d ever met who managed to pass the sister test. See, it wasn"t like I hadn"t been in lust or like before.

It"d happened quite a few times, but before I made the ultimate decision to indulge in the horizontal tango, I set all of my previous boyfriends to one simple task. I introduced them to one of my sisters.

They all failed except for Auric here, and I hadn"t even planned on testing him. This didn"t mean I"d be jumping his bones–yet. I still didn"t trust him, not to mention he still had some more tests to pass. But so far, I had to admit being impressed. After all, Bambi was hot, smokingly so, and he barely spared her a glance. Suspicious, I threw some lures at him. “That"s my sister, Bambi, in case you"re wondering.”

“That"s nice,” he said, still watching me, and taking a step closer. His body hovered close enough to mine that I could feel the heat radiating from him. Or was it me? Either way, it was getting hot out here.

“She"s single.” I said helpfully.

“Are you?” he retorted.

My breath started coming a little faster as he inched even closer to me and invaded my personal space, close enough I had to look up at him. “I"m single,” I whispered, caught by his green eyes.

“So am I,” he said leaning down.

I closed my eyes and ... suddenly found myself being yanked to the side.

“Come on, Muriel. We"ve got to be going. Say „good bye,"” said Bambi, in her smoky voice that would have made big bucks on a phone-sex line.

I wanted to dig my heels in and protest. I just knew he"d been about to kiss me, and the fact I wanted it so bad, made me do ... nothing.

I barely knew the guy; why on earth would I let him kiss me? So he"d passed one test. Big deal.

I"d think of plenty more for him to fail at. And the bigger problem remained, just who and what was he? I still didn"t quite buy his “I was following you to protect you” crap. He"d pumped me too hard for info at the bar. He was after something, and I wasn"t conceited enough to think it was just my sweet ass. I wouldn"t put it past him to have devised a new ploy to get information, like seduce the bartender so she"d spill her secrets. Well, he"d have to try a lot harder then. My hormones screamed, “Yay!” Apparently, they weren"t averse to him trying again.

With a smile and a wave, I let my sister drag me up the street. After a block, she finally slowed her pace and let go of her iron grip on my arm.

I rubbed it and grimaced. “Let me guess. Dad.”

“You got it, kiddo. There I was, giving a lap dance to two guys and ready to suck me some life force for dinner, when the big guy calls and tells me to get my ass over to your bar and walk you home.”

“Did he say why?” I"d have thought Dad would have been excited to see me finally showing an interest in someone.

“Not all of us are brave enough to question it when he gives orders,” she replied dryly.

“Oh, please, Dad just talks tough; deep down inside, you know he loves us,” I said with confidence.

Bambi started choking and coughing. I pounded her on the back.

“Oh, by the hag"s hairy tit,” Bambi wheezed. “You"re special, Muriel.”

“Thank you,” I said. I liked to think I was special, too.

Arriving at my apartment building, Bambi stopped me before I went inside.

“So, that guy you almost kissed? You like him?” Bambi asked in a show of sisterly concern.

“I don"t know. I just met him. He"s hot, though.” And he made me want to rip his clothes off, cover him in chocolate, and lick him all over. Distracted, I almost missed what Bambi said.

“Listen, for what it"s worth, I was aiming my powers at him, not his two buddies,” she said with a significant look, before hugging me and walking away, her voluptuous ass swinging.

I pondered her words as I trudged up the stairs to my penthouse flat. Ha. Fourth floor walkup closet was more like it, but an excellent source of exercise, not to mention cheap on rent.

So Bambi had sicced all her powers on Auric, and he"d resisted her?

Looked like my Auric–hmm, already feeling possessive about him–had passed the test with more colors than I realized.

Of course, chances were I"d never see him again; after all, this was the first time I"d ever seen him and his friends in my bar. Unless I was right about him being after something; in which case he"d probably be back, pumping me or the staff for more info. He might just come back for me, said my hopeful inner voice, a voice I squashed. But as I dressed for bed and washed my face, I couldn"t help the sliver of hope that he"d come back again the next day and give me the kiss he"d almost planted on me earlier.

What would it have felt like? His lips caressing mine, his big hands pulling me close...

I shivered at the thought, a tremor that quickly turned into sensual longing. An arousal that had grabbed me in its clutches and refused to let go since I"d set eyes on him. Thankfully, I"d never claimed to be a good girl.

I shucked my panties before lying back on my bed. Then I bent my knees and spread them.

Licking a finger, I found my clit.

I might be a twenty-three year-old virgin, but I"d learned to take care of my sexual urges a long time ago. My slick finger worked my clit back and forth as my eyes slid shut and I imagined Auric"s face. Those hard lips, his strong jaw. My nipples puckered as I pictured him sucking them, those wicked green eyes looking up at me as he nipped my erect nubs. The vivid picture made me tremble, and moisture pooled between my legs.

I wondered what kind of lover he would be. Rough or gentle? Would he take charge and tell me what to do to please him, or would his focus be on me and bringing me pleasure? Would he–

shudder--lick my sweet nectar? His face buried between my thighs. I could feel tension coiling in my womb, and my breathing had become erratic with my fantasy thoughts.

I slipped my second hand down between my thighs, my fingers eagerly parting my lips to slide inside, not too far. I wanted my barrier intact, but far enough I could squeeze my digits as my other finger rubbed my swollen nub faster.

Gyrating my hips, I bit my lip as I imagined Auric over me, covering me with his big body, claiming me. His shaft penetrating and filling me. With a gasp, I came, little ripples of pleasure going through me.

But for the first time since I"d learned how to relieve my sexual tension, it wasn"t enough.

I squirmed, still aroused. The phantom image of Auric still beckoned me. My pussy was hungry for something other than the little titillation I could give it.

Was I finally ready to forgo my vow of „no sex „til I found love?" Had my body finally had enough?

No, dammit. I refused to let my hormones win. I caressed myself again and climaxed quickly with a fantasy vision of Auric kissing me. Auric fucking me. Auric loving me and bringing me to orgasm, over and over. And still I felt dissatisfied.

Fuck. As I drifted into a tired slumber, I still hadn"t decided what to do about Auric and the effect he had on my body. I"d definitely have to see him again, though. Maybe if I saw him again and realized he was just a man--a flawed mortal creature--my body would lose this obsessive desire to be claimed by him.

Or maybe, said my mind, you"ve finally found
the one.

The next day dawned all too early. Brilliant yellow sunshine flooded my room and made me blink awake. The smart thing would have been to install some heavy-duty blinds, but after having lived in Hell where night reigns supreme, I crave the clarity of sunlight.

Fuzziness clouded my mind, yet my body thrummed with energy, which seemed at odds. I"d had a vivid night of dreaming–Auric being the main character. In my dream, we were both normal human beings. Nothing supernatural or special about us. We went on dates. We talked. We made love in bed, in the park, on the washing machine... It had been perfect. Yet in the light of day, it seemed so impossibly unreal.

I had it bad for this stranger, and after only meeting him the day before. Had he cast a spell on me? No, impossible, I repelled magic; so why couldn"t I get him out of my head?

And why did I still feel so damned horny? My pussy chafed from the number of times I"d rubbed it last night, trying to erase this attraction I couldn"t shake. I didn"t feel in control, and that both excited and scared me. Could I be falling in love? I"d never felt so confused–and aroused--in my life. And I didn"t like it one bit.