Marked by Hades (17 page)

Her chest ached with want. Need. Tears stung. “How?” How did he know all of this?

“I know a lot about you. More than you realize.” His voice cracked, his facade weakening. Was he lying? Or was that pain she sensed from him? There was something more to what he said. Deeper. On a primal level even
she
recognized.

“Tell me what you remember about your punishment.” His grip loosened, yet he didn’t release her. She reveled in the warmth radiating from his firm touch. It took everything in her to refrain from closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. “And when you went to Pario.”

“Nothing.” She cleared her throat, focusing on his hand around her wrist. Pario often grabbed her like that, but it was more about possession. Dominance. This Shomrei cradled her wrist with a surprising tenderness. “What’s your name?”

His jaw clenched, and that pained look swept through his eyes again. “Justin.”

“Mmm.” The name soothed her as well as his touch. “I don’t remember anything before waking in Pario’s bed. Only what I’ve been told.”

He released his hold on her and stomped to the door that led into this dungeon. He jerked his arm back and punched it. Cracking bones and squealing metal rent the air, and Dyre jumped back, her hands to her throat.

Rage vibrated off him. “In…his…bed?” he gasped between breaths and kept his back to her as he palmed the now-dented door. The tips of his fingers blanched as if he were trying to push through it. Tear it apart.

“I’m his. That’s why I know he’ll come for me.”

Justin whirled around with a roar. He stomped toward her again, and she backed away, despite the fact that the bars separated them. The rage in his eyes made it seem that the bars wouldn’t stop him. Nothing would. “What do you mean
his
?”

“I bear his mark.” She cupped her side. He’d branded her while she slept, woke with the stupid mark. She wasn’t even sure how it’d happened, considering demons healed scar-free.

Justin’s attention went to where she held her side. “Show me.”

“No.”

“Don’t make me come in there and force you.” His voice rumbled with the truth of that threat.

She lifted her leather bustier to see the purple line on her flesh.

“That’s just a knife wound.”

“I don’t scar.” She dropped the leather over her skin again. “He bears the same line on his palm. That’s how this came to be on my skin.”

“He’s lying,” Justin growled. “That’s where he stabbed you when he stole you from
me
.”

Her lungs seized. “From…you?”

He dipped his head. “You’re mine, Yvonne. Not Pario’s.”

Chapter Thirty-One

“I say we let her out.” Justin pummeled the kicking bag while Theo held it steady.

“I don’t think that’s wise. She’s not Yvonne.”

“But she hates Pario.” Over the past few days, he’d been down in that cell, watching her, trying to talk to her.

“That may be so, but we can’t risk it.”

“If we give her some leeway, she might cooperate more and tell us where she hid the Artifacts.” Justin spun and kicked the bag so hard a ripple of pain surged through his hamstring. “She refuses to say anything at this point.”

More so, she toyed with him with her seductive smiles and sliding that delicious tongue over that sexy lip ring. He’d kissed those plump lips only once, just before he let her walk straight into Hades.

“What if we promise to take her with, let her lead us to the Artifacts she’s hidden?”

“She offered that.” Justin stepped away from the bag, panting for breath. No matter how much kicking he did, he couldn’t shake the picture of Yvonne in Pario’s bed. Having sex. She’d thought she was Pario’s. As in Pario’s Mate…if demons even took Mates.

“I know you hate seeing your Mate in that cell, Justin.”

“Mate?”

“Yes. She may not be your Mate anymore according to the Ahavah Mark, but as Yvonne, she’d worked her way into your very protected heart the way no woman ever had. So, yeah, she’s your Mate. Hell, even as a demon, you still want her.”

It was sick, but true. He wanted Yvonne—
Dyre
—with the force of a Mate still, even though they didn’t share a Mark any longer. Hell, he’d even touched her hand through the bars hoping something would ignite and make her human again. Make her his Yvonne.

But The Great One was quiet, and there was no sign of Justin’s Mate returning.

“Find anything about the punishment and how it was reversed?”

“That’s the interesting thing.” Theo stepped out from behind the bag. “You hold this. Demon splices have been quiet of late, and I need to punch something.”

“Thought Sadie helped with that.” Justin laughed as he grabbed the bag, preparing for Theo to pound it.

“Watch it, J-man.”

At least Theo had a Mate to be with to release some of the pent-up energy. There were only so many cold showers Justin could take.

“Beckett and Halena have been digging into this and found that there was a Mekhash witch named Evania involved. Pario took Yvonne to see her, and somehow this witch broke Lucifer’s punishment and brought Dyre back.”

“And dumped her right in Pario’s bed.”

Theo stopped pounding. “What did you say?”

“She woke up in his bed. Pario claimed he’d marked her and that she was his. She showed me her so-called brand, but it’s just the knife wound from when he stabbed her.”

“Shit.” He shook his head. “But being a demon, she shouldn’t scar at all. Maybe the blade was tainted or cursed so it could leave a scar or mark of some kind.”

“I’m thinking you’re right because he used that same blade on his palm to make a similar mark so he can claim she’s his. And we all know that he did it just to play on her desire to belong to someone.” Justin cringed at the thought of Yvonne sleeping with anyone, let alone a demon. And she’d been down there for almost three months. What else had been done to her?

He burned with desire to be with her, to claim her as his so he could wipe away memories of anyone who’d touched her. He rested his forehead against the leather bag. God, he’d missed her.

“Justin. It wasn’t Yvonne doing whatever she was doing down there.” Rough hands grabbed his shoulder. “We’ll get Yvonne back.”

“And what if no Mark resurfaces?”

“We’ll worry about that later. Let’s just focus on getting the Artifacts from where she hid them. Halena and Beckett are working on finding that witch.”

“Halena.” Justin shook his head.

The last time he’d seen her was when they were strolling through town, hand in hand no less, drinking coffee. She’d won the demon kill contest and picked coffee together as her prize.

Such a surprising prize, but it made sense. She’d been lonely for so long, she just wanted company. That harsh attitude had been her protection, much like the leather Yvonne wore when Justin had first found her.

“Halena will get over it.” Theo pushed off the bag and reached for a towel on the floor. “She knew you weren’t her Mate. She just wanted company.”

“Still.” He felt bad.

“This is what we’ll do.” Theo tossed the towel to the floor again. “We’ll make a deal with Dyre to lead us to the Artifacts, and she can come with. She’s not to be left alone. You’re with her every second.” Theo pointed his finger. “I will not have my Sadie endangered.”

“Your badass karate chick would kick the shit out of Yvonne.”

“But I don’t want her in that position, you hear me? And I know I don’t have to say this, but I’m going to anyway. If Dyre harms my Mate in any way, I won’t hold back to protect her.”

A growl ripped through Justin’s chest.

Theo grinned. “And you still want to tell me she’s not your Mate?”

Justin shook his head and reached for the water bottle he’d set by his feet. “
Was
. Can’t Mate a demon.”

“We can’t begin to understand The Great One’s plan.” Theo grinned. “You swore to never take a Mate, and you were whipped from first sight, before you even knew she bore your Mark.”

“Shit out of luck is where that got me, too.”

“You’re looking at this all wrong, brother.” He shook his head as he made his way to the door to leave. “You need to calm yourself and spend some time with The Great One on this.”

Theo was right. In his anger, he’d all but been silent with The Great One.

“Yvonne
sacrificed
herself to save me, and in turn, save
you.
” Theo pushed the door open. “Regardless of the fact that she no longer bears your Ahavah, that selfless gesture has to count for something in the grand scheme of things.”

The door shut, leaving Justin alone with that thought pounding deep in his head. Could Dyre, a demon, be his Mate if Yvonne was truly gone forever?

…

Steaming hot water cascaded down Dyre’s body. Seven days in that cell without a shower had left her dirty and stinky. Her skin was pruned and red, but she refused to get out. She couldn’t believe Justin and his Gatekeeper allowed her reprieve from that dank, concrete box.

Even more, they trusted her to show them where she’d hidden the Artifacts she’d stolen from Pario.

Idiots
. Though she thought the word, it didn’t ring true. What’d she have to lose showing them where they were? Maybe if she told them her plan, they’d help her. They hadn’t killed her yet, hell, they hadn’t even tortured her, so maybe if they knew her whole story, they’d understand and help her find a way to get out of her demon life.

Or at least let her stay here on earth.

A pounding rattled the bathroom door. “Dyre!”

Justin’s voice flowed into the room and made a beeline for her chest. Damn, he oozed sensuality. He’d said Yvonne had been his, but he had to be lying, because according to what she’d been told, Yvonne had dusted every living thing she’d touched.

Maybe he’d had a spell as Pario did.

She rubbed her stomach, working to quell the fire building. Justin would never want her as a demon. If only she could remember her time on earth as Yvonne. If she’d been accepted by this stunning male, it had to have been worth Lucifer’s punishment.

Maybe that was why it was so easily stripped by the witch. Then again, Pario had told Dyre all that, and he’d lied about his brand.

Damn Pario.

“I’m coming in if you don’t answer me.”

He could come in anytime. She wouldn’t mind. In fact, her body craved it. Maybe he would touch her again as he had through the bars. Only all over!

She pushed open the glass door enclosing her in the shower, hoping he would be true to his word.

The door burst open, and a smile crept along her lips.

“Dyre.” He faced the shower area and froze, his mouth opened. “What…”

“I told you I’d need help cleaning my back.”

Swallowing hard, he diverted his gaze to the floor. He flushed a deep red and shoved his hand in his pocket.

Hotter than the streaming water, her body softened at the sight of him. “Come here, Justin.”

He moved an inch, but then stopped. “Don’t.”

He might have even whispered the word “please,” but she wasn’t quite sure. The sadness radiating from him nearly knocked her over. She hugged her stomach with one hand and reached for the shower nozzle with the other.

“I don’t bite too hard,” she whispered, suddenly wanting to comfort him. A feeling of need stormed through her, a need to hold him and run her fingers through his hair.

As he stepped back he said, “Just finish up.”

The door shut, and her heart fell to her feet. She’d detected longing, but it was mingled with confusion and anger, with a little disgust sprinkled in. She made quick work of drying off and running a brush through her wet hair, then stepped into the room. To her right was a small sitting area, a couch, and a chair facing a TV. Through the entertainment center she could see into another portion of the room.

As she moved, a massive bed came into view. Yep, the TV swiveled so it could be watched from the bed, too. On the far wall to her right, Justin stood facing a wall of windows.

They were dark with the nighttime, save the moon shimmering down on a bit of water in the middle of an expansive lawn.

She glanced to the bed, which was only a few feet from him, then to his broad shoulders.

“Clothes are on the dresser.” He pointed to his right.

Folded neatly were a pair of black leather pants and a black long-sleeved shirt, along with a pair of black leather gloves.

“Leather?” She brushed her hand atop the clothes, curious how he happened to have her favorite clothing on hand.

“It’s what Yvonne wore.”

True. From what Dyre had heard, it was the only barrier between her lethal touch and…the world.

She moved toward Justin, and he visibly tensed in the reflection of the window, but his gaze never veered from her as he tossed a small pillow he’d been holding onto the couch in front of him.

Desire rippled the air around him, and it warmed her all the way to her core. She both loved and hated this need to be with people. In front of the demons, she looked weak, needy. Yet the high she got from touching people, mingling with them, she couldn’t get enough.

Agares had told her she was like that as a human and some of it survived the transition to demon. Other than what Agares had told her, she had very little memory of her life as a human, but she could see how it might have been true.

She stepped in front of Justin and captured his gaze. Intense blue eyes bored into her. His focus fell to her shoulder, and his jaw muscles fired.

His flawless face was a work of art. He had a square jaw that spoke of much strength. Long black eyelashes framed his beautiful eyes the color of the ocean. The black pupils ate up the blue until there was only a little halo remaining. His nostrils flared.

She brushed her finger along the scar on his neck as she inched closer, craving his touch. “Battle scar?”

“You could say that.”

“I know you want me.”

His focus dropped to her mouth, and his tongue eased out, leaving a glistening trail along his lips. She sure wouldn’t mind him nibbling on her lip ring.

Taking a step back, he said, “Get dressed, Dyre. We’re leaving at first light. We need to rest.”

“I’m staying here with you? In this room?”

“Maybe you find the cell more comfortable?” His gaze bathed her in warmth.

“No. This is good. With you?” She smiled at the thought and snagged his hand.

He pulled away, but she held tight. Getting out of her hold would have been easy for him, but interestingly enough, he didn’t. Her heart sped up, and her fangs itched to pierce his smooth neck and taste him. Just a little drop. She’d never bitten anyone so pure. What would it do to her?

“Why’d you decide to let me out? And to lead you to the Artifacts?” She inched closer, hating the space between them, and let her towel slip a little lower. “You’d trust a demon?”

“We have a common enemy.”

True. She didn’t like Pario much more than she liked any demon, but the Shomrei in league with a demon was unheard of.

She traced her fingers up his bare arm and sneaked her hand beneath his short sleeve. Gripping his shoulder, she basked in the smooth, silky skin. Energy siphoned into her fingertips, chasing away the chill of her wet hair dripping on her bare shoulders. She couldn’t help curling her toes into the plush carpet. Yes, this was much better than the concrete cell.

Everything about this situation was magical.

“There must be some other reason, besides having a common enemy, that would drive the Shomrei to trust a demon.”

“There’s nothing else.”

“Yvonne?” She grinned. “Do you hope to get her back?”

He tore out from beneath her touch. “Do not speak of Yvonne.”

So, they
had
been together. Had they made love?

A tickle along her shoulder ignited, and she scratched at it. Her flesh heated to a roaring flame. An image of Justin’s blue eyes gazing down at her, a smile filling his beautiful face, appeared. A light encased him, like an aura. Purity. Such purity.

She prepared to recoil from it, considering she was a demon, but she didn’t. Instead, she drank it up, needing to feel its power, its peace.

She snapped back to reality and tracked his fluid movements to the bedroom door. He locked it and shoved the key into his pocket. Three long strides brought him past her, keeping a wide berth, and he sat on the couch.