Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (A Paranormal Romance—Book #6 in the Demon Kissed Series) (5 page)

What the hell was wrong with her? If she needed money, he
would have given it to her. There had to be more to it than that, but what? What
was she hiding? She wasn’t a Valefar, he would have noticed that by now. They
needed to feed frequently and he spent long stretches of time with her, so he
knew she didn’t go off pillaging souls at night. And yet, she was here. Something
was wrong with her. The question was what? He glanced at her, “How long?”

She stared straight ahead, not meeting his gaze, her spine
straight. The lies were thick, coating her tongue, sliding off and sounding
totally believable. “You were supposed to be my first.”

Laughing coldly, he stood and looked down, “I would have
been your last.” For a moment, he only stared at her. The beauty that made the
girl what she was, the luster of her skin, the haunted expression in her
eyes—all of it was hidden by make-up and the costume of a seductress. Eric
tried to understand the girl. She was young. Maybe this was to play out some
fantasy, but when he looked at her face he didn’t see the eyes of a naïve
child. Shaking his head, he said, “I can’t fathom why you’re here. This isn’t
about money. It’s not about sex. It’s something else.” From the look on his
face, he could tell he was on the right track, but he couldn’t put his finger
on the reason. Golden eyes locking on her face, he demanded, “Tell me.”

Natalia squirmed as he gazed at her, insanity clutching at
her throat. The desire to tell him filled her until she couldn’t stand it. Like
Eric, she’d been alone for so long. They had so much in common, they were so
alike, but she couldn’t reveal herself. There was no forgiveness for what he’d
done. No, she couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t tell anyone. She knew beyond a
shadow of a doubt that she was still safe with him. He didn’t realize who she
was, or what she was. If he did understand, he wouldn’t be asking.

She relaxed a little, dodging the question, replying,
“Eric, I could have handled you.” Her voice was cold. If he wasn’t the man who
destroyed her life, she would have liked to handle him. There was no one she
ever met who was as infatuated with pain as Eric. It
peeked
her curiosity several times, but he wouldn’t discuss it. She thought he
tormented people because he enjoyed it. For Eric, admitting he needed to
was
even worse, but it would have made a difference to
Natalia. She tried not to be cruel, and cruelty lined every inch of Eric’s
body.

He walked over to her, gripped her wrists and yanked her
off the bed. “No, you couldn’t. If that charm Carina gave you worked, you would
have died.” His eyes burned a hole in hers. Natalia didn’t back down. Eric’s
hands slid under her robe, his fingers tracing the steel bars inside her
corset.

Why wasn’t she afraid of him?
Even here,
now.
She should realize what he would have done to her, but she just
stood there with those cool blue eyes like they were at the park.

Eric wanted to shake her up and make her realize what he
would have done. “I would have left you chained to the wall, and ripped this
off of you so I could get at the metal in the corset. Carina banned me from
having anything bigger than a push pin. After what happened with Jocelyn, I
couldn’t blame her.” Natalia
blanched,
her skin
whitening when he said the other girl’s name. “So, I’m finally getting through
to you?” He tugged on her corset hem when she didn’t answer, his fingers
grazing her thigh.

Natalia felt sick. She knew what happened to Jocelyn, in
all the gory detail. Eric had done that and he was here tonight to do it again.
She swallowed hard, too stunned to move. “Message received,” she said softly. “You’re
completely fucked up.” Apprehension and compassion were colliding. What made
him this way?
No!
She scolded
herself.
This is Eric, at his core, this
is what he is.
Saying he was a good man was a lie. This thing, this
monster, was the one that dominated him.

Satisfied that he finally got through to her, Eric nodded,
releasing her.

Natalia’s eyes slid over his bare chest. She was fighting
her instincts so hard, but his skin was so smooth, and he was so close. Eric’s
scent filled her head, and she couldn’t help herself. Stepping closer to him,
she slowly raised her hand, and pressed the pads of her fingers to Eric’s
chest. She watched him as she did it, his eyes locked on hers the whole time. He
didn’t swat her away. He didn’t throw her like she expected. He remained
perfectly still. Natalia had to see, she had to know if her touch had any
effect on him, if she could feel his power draining from his body and filling
hers—but she didn’t. There was no transfer of power.

“What are you doing?” he breathed. Every muscle in his body
was corded tight. She traced her finger over his
pecs
,
feeling the smooth curve of his skin.

Her gaze was no longer on his, but slid lower, following
the path of her finger like she was mesmerized. And she was. Her body didn’t
care that it wasn’t absorbing his
power,
it was still
fixated on touch—on sensation. It didn’t matter how loudly her subconscious
screamed at her, Natalia could not withdraw her hand. The succubus part of her
wanted him, and she didn’t like to be denied. It was something that drove her
crazy.
This immortal part of her being made it hard for her
to act logically, to think.
It only seemed to happen when she had the
most to lose, like now.

Eric breathed deeply, feeling her finger trail over his
flesh. His lips burned, wanting to press against her skin. The aching in his
groin could be eased if he slid inside of her, but he didn’t touch her. He
didn’t move. Trying to control
himself
, Eric kept his
hands at his sides, otherwise he was afraid of what he’d do.
Of
how he felt.

“She’ll notice that you didn’t hurt me.” Those words were a
bomb that shattered whatever was happening between them. Eric’s hand shot out
and grabbed her wrist, stopping her caress.

“What are you asking me to do?” He blinked at her, stunned.

She glanced at her wrist in his hand and then back up at
his eyes, “I think you know.”

Silence passed between them. A million scenarios played out
in Eric’s mind, each one sexier than the last, but he couldn’t allow any of
them to happen. Releasing her arm, he nodded, and headed toward the nightstand.
“Then, this will work,” he looked up at her, not saying what he was thinking or
what he planned to do. What was wrong with her? Why wasn’t she afraid of him? He
pressed the pin to her arm, pulling it down, slowly scratching her skin without
cutting her. The wake of the pin’s path left a white line on her arm. There was
no trace of fear in her eyes.

Natalia’s stomach twisted, sending off multiple warnings to
her brain. There was no way she should be with Eric. At best she would kill
him, and it was too soon. She needed something else, something she couldn’t
remember.
Something that didn’t seem as important as showing
him that she could handle whatever he wanted to do to her.
The tight
clenching in her belly made her lips part and her eyes grow dark. She shifted
her weight and leaned forward. The pin pierced her skin, sinking in and drawing
blood.

Eric watched her do it, move into the point so that she
bled. She swallowed hard looking at him, waiting for him.
Wanting
him.
Her voice was cold, “Do it. I can take anything you can do.” Her
pale face remained fixed, watching him respond to her.

Eric held the pin still. He could feel the sharp burst of
pain from pushing it into her skin, but the sensation ebbed. Everything ebbed. He
didn’t understand. Before she could say another word, he dropped the pin. It
fell to the floor and he grabbed her. Scooping her up, he threw her body onto the
bed. Eric jumped on top of her and quickly pinned her between his thighs. Reaching
for her wrists, he held her down as she struggled to get up. A leg collided
with the side of his head, but he was too quick. He’d already chained her
wrist. Hitting him with the leg just made it easier to grab her.

Natalia swatted at him, twisting, trying to free herself. She
came back to herself even though she was drowning in lust. It was that look,
the expression on his face. It spoke worlds to her, and it meant he decided to
do something stupid—and she knew exactly what it was. Pleading with him, she
said, “Eric! I’ve seen that look on your face before! You’re going to leave me
here. Don’t you…!” she swung at him again, her fist colliding with his side. Both
feet were chained.

Eric pressed his body over hers, smashing her into the bed.
“I can do whatever the fuck I want.” He already had her free hand bound by the
time he stopped speaking. He looked down at the girl chained to the bed. Before
he slid off of her, he pressed a kiss to her temple. If he was going to be with
her, it wasn’t going to have anything to do with easing her fear of Carina. If
he was going to have her, it was going to be because she wanted to. He laughed
lightly as fire filled her eyes.

Natalia, snapped at him, “Eric, don’t. This isn’t fair! Don’t
leave me here like this. I can’t defend myself.” Finally, the girl was afraid. It
took her long enough. She writhed on the bed, trying to get loose from the
cuffs. The corset bodice was getting twisted, threatening to reveal her snowy
white skin. Eric’s gaze lingered. He couldn’t help himself.

He laughed at her words, “If you’re not afraid of me, you
have nothing to worry about with, Carina.” He turned his back on her and walked
toward the door with a smile on his face.

“Eric! You demented bastard! This isn’t funny! She’ll kill
me!” Every ounce of her body pulled against the restraints, but nothing
happened. She was trapped. Eric still wasn’t certain if this was an awkward
coincidence or something more. This was his chance to find out. And he planned
on taking it.
 

“Good-bye, Natalia. Give Carina my best.” With Natalia spewing
nasty words behind him, Eric slid the key into the lock, pulled the door open,
and passed through. After closing it behind him, he leaned against the dark
wood, listening to her struggle. Hoarse cries called after him begging him to
come back, but he wouldn’t help her.

Pushing off the door, Eric walked down the hallway with a
grin on his face. If he was right, she wouldn’t be there when he got back. If
he was wrong, well, he warned her off enough times that she might actually
listen to him after this.

Eric passed the guards, shaking his head that he didn’t
want his things yet. “Not done,” he grinned. He passed them, moving into the
room wearing only a pair of dark jeans.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Waiting at the bar, he had a few drinks, watching the hour
pass. The best customers appeared to be mostly men and were shirtless, like
him. A corseted woman slid onto Eric’s lap almost as soon as he sat down. When
a patron here bought a girl, it was for the entire night. They were permitted,
expected, to leave the room and sit at the bar during the evening.

There were several reasons for it, some of which included
making the woman chained in the room fill with terror as she waited for his
return. There were too many corseted women to count. He wondered where Carina
found them, and how many were Valefar. From what Natalia said, it sounded like several
women were punished by having their soul removed. Whether or not Carina turned
them was beyond him. While he could sense Valefar, he couldn’t be certain until
he saw their mark. And like his golden mark, theirs were also hidden.

The warm woman on his lap slid into Eric, and he held her
there, feeling her bare thigh beneath his palm. She chattered about things that
didn’t matter to him, things that piqued the interest of the man sitting to his
right, but Eric wasn’t listening. He was thinking about Natalia. If she was
gone, what would that mean? What was she? In all the time he’d known her, he
never suspected she was anything but mortal. Now he wasn’t certain anymore.

Darker immortals had an affinity for places like this. Maybe
she was one and just hid it exceptionally well. In all the time he’d known her,
Natalia never did anything to tip her hand—assuming she was an immortal. For
her to enjoy being at this place, she must be a Valefar, but she didn’t act
like it. Natalia rarely lost her temper and he never saw the tell-tale sign—the
mixing of blood and fire in her eyes, the signal that she’d lost control. And
Eric taunted the hell out her. For the past few years he was nasty to her more
often than not, and Natalia would react, but her actions were like that of a
child. She threw fits and called him names. She never tried to kill him. Her
body never shook with anger so that her eyes pooled with uncontrollable rage.

Eric was rolling his empty glass in his hand, when the girl
on his lap stiffened and stood. His gaze lifted and he saw that Carina was
walking toward him. “Eric,” she said tartly. The nameless girl hurried away. “Killed
her already?” Carina cocked her blonde head. Her hair was messier than before. No
doubt she already sucked out some poor bastard’s soul.

Eric leaned forward,
a grin
lighting up his face, as he put his empty glass on the bar.
“How
much?”

She didn’t know what he was talking about. The expression
on her face faltered. The nonchalant air she carried tripped, face-first.
“How much, what?”

“Name your price, Carina. I want her,” his voice darkened,
demanding and deadly. “I want her the way I had Jocelyn. Don’t deny your best
patron a little pleasure.” Eric’s heart was beating hard. Jocelyn. Damn,
mentioning the girl’s name made him want to do that all over again. The itch in
his fingers, the burning to feel—he cut off the thought. Controlling himself
was crucial.

Eric’s infectious smile caught on immediately and Carina
purred back at him, “A little pleasure is what this place was made for Eric,
but what you’re asking for goes beyond that.” She shook her head, her blonde
hair falling over her bare shoulder. She smoothed her hands over the satin
corset. Leaning closer to him, she smiled, her red lips inches from his face. “Besides,
you couldn’t possibly afford it. Best go find your playthings somewhere else, I
think.” Carina turned on her heel, ready to walk away. But Eric recognized that
he had her. There was a price.

Reaching for her waist, he fished his finger through a
corset string and tugged slightly, stopping her in her tracks. An old trick, he
decided. She looked down at him, an eyebrow arched. Eric asked, “Indulge me,
Carina.”

Ruby lips twisted into a sadistic smile, “Triple your
previous payment, and a kiss.” She breathed the last word, her full lips inches
from his.

Eric smirked, “A kiss? You don’t want something… more?” He
knew what she wanted—his soul. She could sense it, even though it was tainted
and torn.

Her eyes lingered on his face, her fingers under her chin.
Carina sighed, and leaned against the bar, coyly looking at him from under long
lashes. She mistook his question, thinking he was mortal. “Would you like more,
Eric? You would, wouldn’t you?” She laughed deeply. Mortal men were so easy to
ensnare. She could take his money and his soul anytime she wanted. She pressed
a finger to Eric’s lips, barely touching him, whispering, “But I know better.”

Eric watched her closely, his body tense as he tried not to
respond to her touch. It sent ripples of rage through his body. Carina mistook
his tension for longing. He wondered how she stayed alive this long. Maybe she
wasn’t as daft as she seemed.

Carina, standing straight, leaned her hip against the bar,
resting her arm on the shiny top. “Bring me more gold and I’ll give you as many
girls as you like. No rules. No promises, Eric. You can do what you like.” He
watched her lips move, shocked by her nefarious offer. No wonder Natalia was
afraid of her. The woman just sold her for slaughter, but he sensed something
darker there, too.

Eric moved his hand, ready to put it in his pocket to use a
Valefar charm to produce more money, but Carina stopped his hand. Eric looked
at her, ready to strike. Carina turned, standing in front of him, and rested
her other hand on his shoulder. Eric didn’t move. Sliding her hand along his
bare skin, she moved behind his shoulder. He could feel her standing there, in
his blind spot. The muscles in Eric’s shoulders rippled as he tensed.
 
Leaning forward, Carina slid her slender
fingers into his empty pocket. Eric stared straight ahead watching her in the
glass, heart pounding in his chest. He would kill her if she attacked. Every
muscle in his body tensed as he waited for her to respond.

Her long dark lashes looked up at his reflection in the
mirror. She purred in his ear, “How did you intend to pay for her when your
pockets are empty?” Knowingly, she gazed at him as she withdrew her hand.

Eric was quiet for a moment, unsure if she was calling him
out. After all this time, she finally figured out what he was. He’d used spells
to hide himself from her, but after Jocelyn, she must have suspected he wasn’t
just some random murderer. Her death was too gruesome for that, too elaborately
enjoyed for someone who’d never done it before. It wasn’t an act of passionate
rage that flew out of control. Damn it. Eric decided to find out exactly what
she thought he was. “But, we have ways, don’t we Carina?”

She shrugged, as if she didn’t know what he was talking
about. Eric slipped his hand into his pocket and used the Valefar ability. Within
seconds a large gold coin formed. Carina watched him, eyes locked on his face
as he did it, examining—waiting for his beautiful face to twist in pain—the
price for creating such a large piece of gold would be agonizing, if it was
even possible. But Eric was different. The pain price of using Valefar magic
was less than that of the curse, which made him barely notice. It was like a
fly sitting on his shoulder. He was aware of it, but it didn’t faze him. His
power exceeded hers. Unlike Carina, there was no limit to the amount of gold he
could create. When Eric pulled the coin from his pocket, he placed it on the
dark bar top. The gold glittered in the dim light.

Plucking up the coin, Carina examined it, “So it would
seem. But I have taken every weapon you had and there is no proof of your
affiliation.”

Astute woman.
She was asking about
his mark. If he was a Valefar, why didn’t she see it when she took his weapons?
Surely the brimstone that hid his affiliation—as she called it—was contained in
a weapon. That was the way it worked for the rest of the Valefar, but for not
Eric. When he left the Underworld, the golden mark on his flesh faded and he
didn’t know why. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. Eric leaned in, “I could
say the same thing, yet I know what you are—and what you’re capable of—what a
kiss means, from a beautiful woman like you.”

Carina flipped the coin between her fingers, glancing up at
Eric from beneath her brow. She didn’t like him, he was sure of it, but at this
point she would have to challenge him to leave and he didn’t think she would. Her
crimson lips parted slightly as she said, “There are some needs that cannot be
sated.”

“I am well aware,” Eric replied.

She nodded slowly, accepting his words. Turning to walk away,
she continued to examine the coin in her palm. Eric watched her leave, the
black robe flowing around her ankles. When she stopped, Carina spoke over her
shoulder at him. Her voice was detached, feeling no remorse for the transaction
she’d made, “Clean up when you’re done.”

He eyed her, Eric’s fingers tapping the bar like he
couldn’t wait, a wide dark smile stretching across his face, “It’ll be like she
never existed.”