Hagen, Lynn - Snooke [Demon Warriors 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (11 page)

“No. Why?”

“I haven’t a clue.”

Kane sat back and thought about all the times they had been engaged in one battle or the next and how quickly the story had gotten into the paper. It seemed to just start recently. Was there a connection to Marino moving into the demon realm and this reporter showing up? Kane would have to check to see when the reporter had started working for the Daily Demon.

“Marino has the crystal,” Kane stated as he sat there quietly contemplating his mating with Snooke. He knew something was up all along, but prayed his mate would come to him. That’s what hurt the most, what angered him the most. That Snooke let him find out from someone else.

“He said as much before he shimmered away.”

Kane related to the leader everything Snooke had confessed to him.

“Where is your mate now?”

“In my apartment helping Dillon adjust to the demon world. Everything in the apartment was built for a warrior, so I had to purchase two step stools.” Kane softly chuckled.

Panahasi
nodded as Kane spoke. The leader looked deep in thought until he raised his head and asked. “How is Dillon doing?”

“Not bad for a human who just found out demons existed. Wait until he learns about the other paranormal creatures.”

A smile tugged at Panahasi’s lips. “That should be interesting.”

A thought struck Kane, and he began to laugh. “Or until he walks Tulip and sees the two-headed poodle the vampire likes to walk every evening.”

Panahasi chuckled. “Interesting times we indeed have.”

“That we do. I’m gonna head back downstairs.” Kane pushed from the couch and headed out of Panahasi’s penthouse suite.

The hall was empty as he descended to the fourth floor. Kane let himself in and went in search of his mate. He found him in the kitchen with Dillon.

The human was standing on the step stool, digging through the cupboards. “I don’t see any.”

Snooke stood beside him looking up at Dillon. Kane watched the two for a moment. His mate really was a handsome demon. It was unusual for a demon to be born with white hair. Kane wondered if Snooke was a pure demon or if he had something tossed in. It wouldn’t matter to him either way.

Snooke’s slim body stretched up as he steadied Dillon on the step stool. Kane’s eyes zeroed in on that small rounded ass of his mate’s. Memories of how good it felt to sink deep between those two perfect cheeks had him growing hard.

“Somebody’s horny.” Dillon laughed.

Kane chuckled at the human’s way of speaking his mind. “Where’s Rainerio?”

“Touché.” Dillon climbed down and handed a box to Snooke.

“What are you two up to?”

“Nothing, I swear,” Snooke quickly replied. Kane’s chest tightened at the frightened look on Snooke’s face. Although he was still pissed as hell at the guy, he didn’t want him jumpy.

“I was asking about the box in your hand.”

“Oh.” Snooke looked down and then back at Kane as he sat the box on the counter. “Dillon has a sweet tooth. We were looking for junk food. He found a box of cereal.”

Kane quirked a brow. “I have cereal?”

“I guess I won’t be eating that.” Dillon chucked the box in the trash. “Is there a supermarket here, or do you demons eat brains?”

“Gross.” Snooke wrinkled his nose. “We have a Devil Mart.”

“We also have a grocery store.” Kane knew a lot of inhabitants of the demon realm liked to shop at the superstore, but a grocery store would do for now.

“I keep forgetting about that.” Snooke folded the step stool and stored it in the closet. “Is it safe to go?” he asked quietly.

“I’m not going to stay a prisoner in my own home. I’ll get Rainerio to go with us.” Kane could see Dillon’s eyes light up.

“Yeah, you get that sexy hunk over here.” Dillon blushed as he said the words.

Kane shook his head as he felt the familiar tugging in his chest. “It’ll have to wait.” No sooner did the words come out than there was someone knocking at his door.

Kane crossed the room and opened the door, allowing Hondo and Chris to enter. “I was wondering if Chris could hang out and tell Dillon some of his great stories.” Hondo gave Kane a slight shake of his head.

“Sure.” Kane crossed back over to his mate and gave him a kiss before heading out with Hondo. “What was that all about?”

Hondo sighed. “If Chris knew we were about to go after a soul sucker, he’d be the first to shoot out of the door.”

They walked down King Kennedy, feeling the tugging getting stronger, indicating that they were getting close.

“Hey.” Deandre, another of the Demon Warriors, caught up with them. “I felt a tugging.”

“Where is everyone else?” Hondo asked as they got closer to Diablo’s.

“Here and there, doing other things for Panahasi.”

The three rounded the corner into the alley between Diablo’s and Malcor’s. They came to a halt at the sight before them.

There was a body on the ground, and the perpetrator was still there.

“Torky?”

Chapter Seven

“It wasn’t me, I swear.” The demon backed away. “I found him like this.”

Kane approached the pair, watching the neighborhood know-it-all as he knelt down beside the downed man. Kane looked down, seeing the victim staring blankly at him. It was fucked up to have one’s soul taken. They still lived, but had to be institutionalized because the victim would now be in a zombie state. No personality, no thoughts of their own. Just wandering aimlessly around.

It angered Kane that someone would do this to another, and for what? To gain the other demon’s powers. He didn’t think it was worth stripping someone of their very essence to gain that prize. Kane wondered what this demon’s powers had been and who now possessed them.

“I didn’t see anything. I was coming out of Diablo’s and spotted someone slumped over. You ain’t pinning this on me,” Torky snapped.

Kane ignored the demon as he studied the surroundings. A detective he was not, but he’d learned over the millenniums to look for the unseen.

Deandre bent down and hauled the soulless man into his arms. “I’ll take him over to the institution.”

Kane nodded as his eyes scanned the area. He couldn’t see anything that would help him find the soul sucker.

“I got a tugging in my chest.”

Kane stood, staring open-mouthed as Deandre and Phoenyx came walking down the alley. He looked over at Hondo, who looked just as baffled.

“What did you do with the body?” Kane asked cautiously.

Deandre’s brows pulled together in a deep frown as he looked from Hondo to Kane. “What body?”

“Shit,” Kane shouted as he and Hondo took off back down the alley and around the corner onto King Kennedy. He looked around quickly and then spotted “Deandre” two blocks down, in the
opposite
direction of the institution.

“Who the hell is he?” Hondo asked as they both took off down the street.

The impersonator spotted them and dropped the soulless man, hauling ass away from them. Kane threw his hands out to freeze the punk when a crowd of shifters emerged from Jake’s Java.

“Fuck,” Kane growled as they lost the fake Deandre in the crowd. Hondo quickly retrieved the body that had been tossed away and turned his back at the gawking shifters.

“Let’s get him over to the institution.”

Kane followed Hondo, pissed as hell that the man got away.

Once they dropped the victim off, Kane headed back to his apartment, happy to see his mate safe and sound. Hondo went up to Panahasi’s as Kane entertained the men.

“So what did you have to do?” Dillon asked.

Kane dropped down into the chair in the living room and pulled Snooke onto his lap. “Chase a soul sucker.”

“What!” Chris cried. “I’m gonna kill Hondo.”

“What’s a soul sucker? It sounds nasty,” Dillon inquired.

Kane ran his hands up and down Snooke’s back as his mate snuggled into his lap. “It’s a demon who gets greedy. Isn’t satisfied having just one power. He sucks the soul out of another demon, acquiring their power and leaving the victim an empty shell.”

Dillon shuddered. “I am so glad I’m human.”

Hondo came through the door, smiling as he walked across the living room.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going after a soul sucker?” Chris placed his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes at Hondo.

The warrior gulped and looked over at Kane, shooting daggers at him.

“Hey, he asked.” Kane shrugged.

“And you just had to tell him?”

Chris grabbed Hondo’s arm, pulling the large demon along with him. “Come on, fella. You’re taking me home.”

Hondo shout a glower Kane’s way before following behind his mate.

“That was so mean.” Snooke chuckled.

“I never claimed to play fair.” Kane pulled Snooke’s head closer, inhaling the demons scent as his cock hardened. He knew Snooke’s neck was an ultrasensitive area and planned on exploiting it.

“Which apartment is Rainerio in?” Dillon stood and walked to the door. “Because I’m not sitting here watching you two get horny as hell with each other.”

Kane laughed. “Fifth floor.”

“Later.” Dillon closed the door behind him.

“He’s…strange.” Kane smiled.

“But a good friend.” Snooke burrowed his head into Kane’s neck. “More than I’ve been.”

“You made a bad judgment call. It happens. The important thing is that you learn from it.”

“I have.” Snooke rubbed his hand back and forth over Kane’s chest. If he were a shifter, he’d purr at the intimate feeling. “I was always taught to stand by my family, no matter if I agreed or not. But since I met you, my friends, I can’t stand by and blindly watch him try to destroy the warriors.”

“Do you know what the crystal can do?”

“I don’t want to know. The less I know, the better.”

Kane agreed with his mate. But the demon needed to know the ramifications of his uncle possessing something so powerful. “It is the key to the underworld, where we keep the prisoners. Whoever holds the key and knows how to use it can free whomever they chose.”

Snooke sat up, looking terrified. “He hasn’t figured out how to use it. We need to get it back.”

Kane laid his hand on Snooke’s head, bringing his mate back down to his chest. “Do you know where we can find him?”

“He has a place he likes to go in the human realm. I can show you.” Snooke tried to get off of Kane’s lap, but he had other plans. He spun Snooke around, making his mate straddle his lap.

“In a moment.” Kane unclasped Snooke’s slacks and freed his beautiful cock. He then unsnapped his jeans and pulled his erection free.

“They look good together.” Snooke moaned.

“That they do.” Kane wrapped his hands around their cocks, stroking them slowly as Snooke laid his hands on Kane’s chest.