between her and sudden death. She could only see the side of his
face as he looked back at her, shocking eyes so light a blue they
were almost silver. He was handsome from what she could tell,
with dark wavy hair that framed a face neither pretty nor
feminine. He stood with his feet braced apart, his entire being
screaming masculinity and breeding, sex and coiled power. From
his strong Roman nose and high, regal cheekbones, to the planes
of his stubble free jawline. He was simply gorgeous, but not in a
way she was accustomed to. This man was dark and mysterious,
brooding and sultry. He was large and muscular, like you’d
expect a medieval knight to be. She could imagine him dressed
from head to toe in gleaming silver armor, shouting furiously as
he rode his blood enraged steed into battle, his fist clenching a
broadsword as he lifted it over his head and gave a mighty battle
cry. She’d never before seen a man more masculine not to
mention this drop dead gorgeous! As if he’d heard her thoughts
he smirked, his face glowing with a boyish charm she suddenly
found very endearing. His eyes, nearly opalescent now, turned to
the demon across the room, the power of his gaze alone keeping
the creature from attacking. She opened her mouth to ask who he
was but before the words could leave her the demon roared and
he snapped into action. The man snarled, speeding towards the
demon with his arm outstretched. They met in the center of the
floor, power rippling off them both as they fought for dominance.
His hand gripped the demon’s throat as it clawed helplessly at his
chest and belly. There wasn’t much of a struggle; the demon was
obviously, severely, outmatched. It howled in pain as its throat
was torn completely open, spraying the tall stranger with blood
that was as black as tar. It suddenly went still in his hands, quiet,
and then crumbled like clay to the carpet beneath his feet. Kai lay
there stunned, her eyes fixed on the strangers back as he stared at
the substances that dusted his hands. He gave a little grunt of
approval that had her stomach turning little flips she couldn’t
explain. What on earth had she just witnessed?!
“What you witnessed was me killing a demon. Obviously.” The
man spoke and her stomach tightened at the deepness of his voice
and the growl that thundered within his chest. Could he… “Yes,”
He turned to face her, his eyes glowing like lightening, “I can
read your mind.”
“Who are you?” She trembled, the words sounding weak as her
gaze traveled down his chest. His shirt had been completely
shredded, leaving welts as thick as her forearm in his flesh.
“Leviathan.” He answered simply, his head cocked in curiosity as
he watched her. There was nothing plain about the woman who
cowered before him, with her exotically tilted brown eyes and
black hair that hung in a silky sheath down her back. She was
petite but curvaceous. Not the type of woman you would find on
someone’s runway, but rather in some man’s home, tending his
young and warming his bed. Her thoughts were erratic, switching
from wondering who, or what he was to how handsome the
human form he’d taken was. It was amusing. “Yes, the cuts are
painful.” He answered her next question and her brows drew
inward into a little frown, her lips pursing in a way that oddly had
his body stirring.
“I don’t suppose they’ll just fade away like you’re some sort of
supernatural creature right?” She asked with a little flick of her
fingers towards the cuts in question as she climbed to her feet.
She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. Tiny. Leviathan
smirked.
“Eventually they’ll heal, just not while I’m awake.” He answered
and she snorted as if he’d told her a joke. Leviathan watched her
skirt the remains of the demon and enter the kitchen, grabbing a
towel and running it under the sink faucet. He followed her
silently, instantly intrigued by the woman his summoner had sent
him to protect. It wasn’t often someone was brave enough, not to
mention powerful enough, to call him from the depths of hell. He
was almost certain by now most witches and spell casters had
forgotten he existed. Someone had to have been very desperate to
not only call, but form a contract with him. He’d much rather be
at home, alone, in his domain. But there was nothing much he
could do until the contract was settled. It was a bothersome
situation indeed, although, he would enjoy playing with the little
Hawaiian woman. At least until he was returned…
“I don’t know how you showed up when you did, but your timing
couldn’t have been any more perfect.” She turned, jumping when
she found he was standing directly behind her. He was striking,
not only in his appearance but also in the way he moved, like a
snake through water, the air just seemed to ripple around him.
Parting, as if it were unworthy of touching him. Unable to bear
the intensity of his gaze she refused to meet it, wringing the towel
out over the sink and moving to press it to a particularly nasty
gash right over his heart. How he wasn’t rolling all over the floor
and howling in pain was a complete mystery. His astounding
tolerance for pain aside, she was grateful for the kind stranger.
“It was nothing as cliché as you’re thinking. I came because the
woman who summoned me told me to, not because I just
‘happened to be in the neighborhood’.” He said and she froze.
Now
that
she wasn’t expecting. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he
added but she didn’t relax, not a single bit, “I’m not allowed to.”
“Allowed to?” She wanted to panic but decided it wouldn’t do
her any good. So Cassandra had succeeded, she’d actually sent a
demon across the ocean to help her. “You
are
a demon, right?
Since when do you do as you’re told?”
“Since I was summoned by a very powerful little witch who
promised me an eternity cockless should I hurt her friend.” He
told her and to his surprise and utter delight she cracked a grin.
“Sounds like Cassandra,” Kai finally lifted her gaze to his, “But I
didn’t think any of that crap she talked about was real.”
“Obviously it has to be, hence the dead demon on your dining
room floor and the one standing in front of you bleeding so
profusely he’ll likely be joining him.” He said sarcastically and
she looked instantly contrite, placing the dampened cloth back
against his chest as she hastily tried to dab off the blood that
dried around his wounds. Leviathan could only smirk down at
her. “You’re not freaking out?”
“Am I supposed to?” She asked, a light blush dusting her cheeks
as she focused solely on his wounds, refusing, once again, to look
up at him.
“Most humans do. Especially your females.” He caught her hand,
stilling it against his chest and ignoring her gasp. “You’re either
exceptionally brave, or a complete idiot.”
“Well, you did just say you’re not allowed to hurt me.” She lifted
her eyes to catch his, gasping again as his pupils slowly
contracted until they were black slits set against what was now a
hard alabaster. A dark rim encircled his irises as he inhaled
deeply, drinking in her essence and reveling in the effects of it.
She was borderline intoxicating to him, something he couldn’t
begin to fathom. Human women didn’t usually have this much of
a draw to them, beautiful yes, but they lacked the substance other
species carried. But this one…
“I could have been lying.” He came even closer and her heart
began to thud as she pressed herself against the counter in an
attempt to escape him. “The real question is, what’s so special
about you that a witch, three thousand miles away would risk her
soul to protect you?” Leviathan growled, his chest vibrating
against hers as his free hand moved to capture her waist in his
steely grip. “Demon summoning is a very dangerous art. The
more powerful the demon summoned, the greater the chance of
being pulled into hell for all eternity…” He pulled her close,
inspecting her face as if it would divulge some hidden secret
neither of them could see.
“Back off.” She growled through clenched teeth as her chest rose
and fell rapidly. He was so close.
Too close
. He smelled like
water and incense. Not the clear, nearly iridescent water flowing
in a mountain stream but something cooler, darker. Like a hidden
spring you’d find in the dark, musky glens in the depths of a
mysterious forest; like bottomless pools bathed in moonlight and
hidden by moss-covered ferns. His scent coupled with the heat of
his hard body as he pressed tightly against her was so arousing
she felt faint, her breath leaving her in shallow little puffs as his
face inched towards hers.
“Your body is saying what your mouth is afraid to.” He growled
back, lifting her to sit on the rim of the sink with one hand. Kai
gasped as he placed himself between her thighs, his glowing
white gaze still burning into her own.
“My body doesn’t know what the hell it’s talking about.” Her
words came out as pants as she pushed at his shoulder, her mind
screaming that she needed to create distance between them both.
All rational thought, that he was a demon, that she’d just met
him, flew out the window. She told herself what was happening
wasn’t right, but the rest of her refused to give a damn. Leviathan
suddenly released her with a growl, fisting a hand in her dark hair
and pulling her down so he could press a demanding kiss against
her open mouth. Kai felt like dying as his lips burned hers, his
hands slipping to her hips then her ass as he ground himself
against the center of her body. Her hands went instantly to his
hair, balling in the soft locks but whether to push him away or
pull him closer she couldn’t tell. And then it was over. Leviathan
ripped himself away from her so fast she barely had time to stop
herself from falling off the counter. He stood less than a foot
away from her, cursing under his breath in what sounded like
Gaelic, a hand going to stroke his bottom lip as if he were ridding
himself of her taste. Kai struggled to catch her breath, wondering
what in the hell had gotten into her and how to make it leave.
“Hellmouth.” She heard him mumble in English and resisted the
urge to slap him with something heavy. Like a frying pan. Or
maybe the microwave…
“There’s nothing wrong with my mouth jackass.” She growled
and he lifted his head, his brows furrowing as if he’d just
remembered she were in the room.
“That wasn’t an insult you twit. You are a Hellmouth.” He cursed
again, running a heavy hand through his hair as he stared at her
with wide eyes, “It’s no wonder she’s protecting you. You’re a
demon magnet.” He said and she frowned again.
“Cassandra has always been overprotective, it’s only because she
lost her family at a young age and is afraid of loosing….
Wait…Demon what?” she back peddled to that comment and he
folded his arms over his chest, once again invading her personal
space until she was pressed against the counter once again in a
failed attempt to escape him.
“Demon. Magnet. You’re being stalked by demons because you
are a Hellmouth. A gateway. A vessel. A siphon that taps directly
into the dark source that all of demon kind draw their power
from.” His voice lowered, deepening until it was nearly a growl.
“While you were with your Wiccan friend you were safe because
her light negated your darkness, shielding you from us. But
now…” He trailed off, casting a glance at her back door that still
stood open. She followed his gaze and gasped at the fifty dark
faces that glared back at her. Each one twisting and contorting,
jerking around the doorway as it searched for an entrance but
remained deterred by the presence of the demon before her.
“But now?” She breathed, her eyes widening as she clutched at
her heart.
“But now they will come for you. And they won’t stop. Not until
you’re dead or they’ve merged themselves with you, giving them
greater access to the source.” Leviathan said, pulling away from
