Chapter Fifteen

Deme wrapped her arms around Cal's neck. "No. This is what I want." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Every nerve in her body burst into flame, blood rushing low in her belly to that aching, throbbing place at the juncture of her thighs.

She wanted Cal. Tall, sexy…naked…Cal.

He carried her up the stairs, as if she weighed nothing. When he reached the upper landing, he wasn't even breathing hard.

"You know, I could have walked." She kissed his lips and laughed. "But it was more fun watching you play the he-man."

"And here I thought I was impressing you with my chivalry." He dropped her feet to the ground and jammed the key into the lock.

As soon as the door opened, Deme pushed through, ripping her shirt up over her head and tossing it to the corner. "What's taking you so long, Detective?"

Deme couldn't explain the feeling of coming home. Was it the amount of time that had passed, the distance she'd traveled, the events of the past couple of days or the emotions evoked by returning to Cal's apartment after a year? She couldn't put a finger on the one thing that made her want to grab for what little happiness she could find and hold on. Tomorrow was another day of trouble, but tonight was hers and Cal's.

She shimmied out of her jeans and kicked them off, standing there in her bra and panties, her chest rising and falling with the rapid breaths of a sprinter.

Cal closed the door behind him and leaned against it, his arms crossed, his brows raised. "Is this the reason you think I brought you here?"

A moment of doubt struck Deme as her skin cooled, her stomach fluttering with a sudden attack of the nerves. Her arms wrapped around her middle. "Didn't you?"

He shook his head.

Deme's eyes narrowed and her arms dropped to her sides. Was he testing her, or did he really not want to make love to her? "Not interested?" She walked toward him, her hand slipping up her back to unclasp her bra.

He tipped his head to the side. "Thinking."

Deme held the cups of her bra in place, letting the straps slide down her shoulders.

Cal didn't move, but the flare of his nostrils gave him away.

Oh, he wanted her all right.

Deme let the bra fall to the end of the fingers on one hand and she lifted it in the air before tossing it across a lamp shade. "Still thinking about it?"

He pushed away from the door but didn't close the distance. "Yup."

After a day full of stress, this little game of cat and mouse should have pushed Deme over the edge. Instead, it was reviving her, making her want more.

Standing in nothing but her black bikini panties that left very little to the imagination, she straightened her shoulders, pushing out her chest, proud of what genetics had blessed her with.

Still he stood there waiting for her to make the next move.

Deme remained rooted to the floor three feet away from Cal, her body on fire, ready and waiting for him to take her. Apparently he wasn't ready and it was up to her to make him want her as badly as she wanted him.

Deme let her fingers trail slowly across her belly, sliding into the indention of her belly button, tracing a path upward. When her hands reached her breasts, she cupped them, squeezing gently, lifting them and massaging their firm roundness.

The nipples peaked, hardening into tight little nubs. With the tips of her fingers, she tugged at them, pinching and teasing.

Her breathing became more erratic, what she was doing to entice Cal making her hotter and more needy with each stroke.

With one hand on her breast, continuing the sensual massage, she slid her other hand downward to the apex of her thighs, beneath the elastic of her panties.

She threaded her fingers into the mound of hair, parting her folds to caress the sensitive little nubbin hidden between.

Deme's breath caught in her throat. Her hips thrust forward as her finger stroked the sweet spot.

Her head fell back, her hair brushing over her back and lower to the top of her buttocks, the swish of the fine silken tendrils as erotic as a man trailing feathers over her nakedness.

Lost in her own sensual arousal, Deme didn't realize Cal had moved until he grasped her face between his palms. "Look at me."

She blinked her eyes open, unaware she'd even closed them. When she looked into his deep brown eyes, she could see a fire burning bright.

He stared for a long moment before he let out a steady breath. "Good, it is you." His hands skimmed down her neck and over her shoulders to cup her breasts in his palms. His lips pressed into the pulse thrumming along the side of her throat, his tongue flicking and tasting a path down to her collarbone.

Deme's head fell back, exposing the mounds of her breasts to his lips. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said." He pushed her breast up with his hand and took the nipple into his mouth, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. One hand glided down her waist, edging beneath her panty line to join her hand there in a sensual stroking motion.

Deme gasped, pressing her breast more fully into his mouth. "Were you expecting someone else?"

His lips left her breast to kiss her full on the mouth. "I was hoping we were alone so I could do this." He backed her up until her bottom hit the edge of his dining table. With a rough thumb, he hooked the elastic of her waistband and dragged her panties halfway down her thighs. Then he lifted her until her bottom slid across the table, her knees draping over the side. With her perched above him, he dropped to his knees and finished the job of taking off her panties, one agonizing inch at a time, pressing his lips to every inch of exposed skin all the way down to her ankles.

When he finally pulled the panties free, Cal parted her legs, pulling them over his shoulders, bringing her aching entrance within inches of his lips.

Deme cupped the back of his head, urging him closer. All the worries of the day were washed to the back of her mind. The only focus she had was on what Cal's mouth could do to her.

Cal pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh, mere inches from heaven, sliding his tongue closer.

Her body throbbed, nerves jumping as his fingers parted her folds, thumbing the center with gentle precision. When his tongue replaced his thumb, Cal teased and flicked, dropping lower to thrust into her, laving her channel with warm, wet strokes.

Deme's hips pushed forward, meeting his thrusts and wanting more. When he transferred his attention back to her own point of desire, the little nubbin of tantalized nerves, Deme's hands braced behind her, her bottom rising off the table.

A brilliant explosion of sensations, every bit as spectacular as the Navy Pier fireworks display, burst through her, rocking her world into a bliss so intense, she didn't know she'd screamed out until the sound of her voice echoed in her ears. She rode the wave of pleasure, hips rocking, breathing erratic, her heart beating a thousand times a minute.

As the intensity diminished enough so she could breathe, a new burgeoning need swept over her. She grabbed Cal's ears and pulled him up.

"Hey. Do you mind?" He climbed to his feet, eager to get ahead of her pull on his ears, and stood between her thighs.

With her breath still coming in erratic heaves, Deme yanked at the rivet on Cal's jeans. "You have…" She breathed out and sucked in another breath. "Too many clothes on," she said, her words coming out in a rush. With a quick flick, she had the button undone and the zipper down.

Cal's erection sprang forward into her palm and she guided it swiftly into place.

With one hard thrust, he filled her.

Deme let out the breath she'd been holding and sucked in another, her legs wrapping around his middle, drawing him closer.

Cal started slow, sliding in and out.

Deme had no patience for it. She wanted him hard and fast. The more punishing, the more alive she felt. With both hands on his buttocks, she set a pummeling pace.

As she climbed that tension-filled peak yet again, she let go of her hold and lay down across the table, her fingers digging into her folds, coaxing more from her climax as she catapulted over the top.

With one final thrust, Cal clutched Deme's hips, holding her hard against him for one last second, sliding free before he spilled inside her.

Replete, fulfilled and completely satisfied, Deme lay across the table, her legs falling over the edge, her body limp. After several cleansing breaths to refill her starving lungs, she sighed. "I can't move another muscle."

"Yes, you can." Cal pulled his jeans up around his hips without buttoning or snapping. Then he scooped his hands beneath her legs and back and lifted her. "You can hold on so I don't trip carrying you to our bed."

Surprisingly, her arms did work as she draped them around Cal's shoulders. "Hey, why is it I'm naked and you're not?"

"My error. I haven't mastered pulling my jeans off while still wearing boots. When you come up with the magic that will do it for me, let me know."

"I'll work on that." Deme liked the feel of his cotton shirt rubbing against the skin of her hip and the way his fingers curled around her thigh and beneath her breast. That he could make a joke about spells was icing on the cake.

In his bedroom he laid her across the comforter and straightened, staring down at her. "You're so beautiful, I'm beginning to think you've cast a spell on me."

She leaned up on her elbow, letting her legs fall open. "So, Mortal, when did you decide you believed in witchcraft?"

"Since I met you." He started to work on the buttons of his shirt.

* * *

Cal sat beside Deme at the diner the next morning. With her thigh pressed against his, heat singed a path to Cal's groin, making him wish they were back in his apartment twisting in the sheets. Or better yet, making it on the table.

Cal was eying the table in front of him with more than casual interest when Lieutenant Warner and Dustin Zoeller, the Chicago tunnel expert, slid onto the bench across from him.

Heat rose up in his cheeks as he worked to squash images of a naked Deme lying on the smooth tabletop in front of him.

"Good morning." He cleared his throat and extended a hand across the table to Dustin. "Glad you could make it."

The lieutenant nodded toward Deme. "You must be one of Brigid's sisters."

"Deme Chattox." Deme held out her hand to the lieutenant and to Dustin. "I'll be going on this little spelunking expedition with you this morning."

Cal cringed. Nothing like Deme taking the lead on the happenings of the day.

Dustin's brows rose along with the lieutenant's. "What's this?"

Cal jumped in. "I didn't have time to tell you that there's been an addition to our little group." He hadn't had time because he'd been buried inside their little addition, making love to her into the wee hours of the morning. A bit of information he had no intention of sharing with his boss.

Dustin shook his head. "No can do. I can't authorize a civilian to enter the tunnels. It leaves the city open for lawsuits."

Deme smiled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the defensive, but my sister is the victim here. I know things you can't possibly understand. You need me."

"We could get Brigid to go. She's at least on the payroll," Lieutenant Warner offered.

"No. I'm the oldest. My sisters are my responsibility." Deme's eyes narrowed. "I take it you haven't told Brigid about the tunnels yet, am I right?"

"No." The lieutenant frowned. "But—"

"Good. Let's keep it that way until we know what we're dealing with."

Cal chuckled. "You see what I'm dealing with?"

"Remind me to recruit her, will you? And while you're at it, I want to meet the rest of the Chattox women." Marty grinned. "I have a feeling they are Chicago's best-kept secret."

The tension in Cal's shoulders lessened. He thought he'd have to fight his boss to get Deme on this mission. She'd been right that she understood more about the world of magic than any of the men did. She could feel things they didn't, maybe even sense trouble before it happened. They needed her or someone like her when they descended into the bowels of the city.

"Sir, I don't think it's a good idea," Dustin protested again. "She's not an expert in the tunnels. How can she know more?"

"She has other special talents."

"What? Like a psychic?" Dustin snorted and blushed. "No offense."

"None taken. But I'm going." Deme smiled sweetly. Cal recognized the spark in her emerald eyes as one of challenge. She wasn't going to be easily dissuaded. He almost felt sorry for Dustin. The man obviously didn't know who he was up against in Deme Chattox.

The tunnel expert appealed to the lieutenant with raised brows.

Lieutenant Warner's jaw firmed and he glared at the younger man. "She goes. If anyone takes the heat, it'll be my ass."

The expert's lips pressed into a thin line. He wasn't happy, but the lieutenant was in charge. The man finally shrugged. "It's your life, lady."

Deme laid a hand on the expert's arm. "It's my sister's life we're talking about."

A surge of pure jealousy so strong it surprised him ran through Cal's veins like a shot of adrenaline. Not until Deme removed her hand from Dustin's arm did Cal's pulse slow back to normal. He couldn't even attribute his jealousy to a mind-manipulating Chimera this time. They weren't anywhere near the campus.

Cal drew in a deep breath and concentrated on what Dustin had to say.

"I have breathing equipment, ropes and a device that can test air quality as we proceed down into the tunnels. I prefer to have a full team of rescue personnel on hand to pull us out if things go south." The man held his hand up when Cal started to protest. "I understand we're on a college campus. We need to protect the entrance location to keep others from finding it and misusing it."

"I've got it covered." Lieutenant Warner grinned. "I've arranged for the fire department to conduct a recruiting demonstration on campus today. The chief will be on call in case of emergency. He's loaning two of his finest to our efforts in the basement of the student commons. They'll be there under the pretext of performing an annual fire inspection."

Cal nodded then asked, "What about weapons?"

Dustin shook his head. "We don't know if any of the gases down below are flammable. If you discharge a weapon in a flammable environment, you could blow half of Chicago to hell in a heartbeat."

"Whoa." Cal held up a hand. "No weapons? Do you have any idea what we're up against?"

Dustin looked from Cal to Lieutenant Warner and back. "I thought we were looking for a kidnapping victim. I assumed we'd be looking for her and her kidnapper. Is there more than one?"

Cal glanced across at Lieutenant Warner.

The lieutenant shook his head, just enough for Cal to get the message not to share any more than necessary. Why would the lieutenant keep information about a monster running loose beneath the city to himself?

Cal almost laughed out loud. As if he'd have believed it a few days ago? Not likely. He'd originally thought it was a big hoax and that anyone who'd believe such bull needed his head examined. Yeah, maybe the lieutenant was right.

"Look, if you'll get us down there and show us how to use the equipment, we'll take care of finding our girl."

* * *

Deme tapped her foot as the group converged in the student commons basement thirty minutes later. The sooner they got moving, the better. After four days being held captive by the Chimera, Aurai would be getting weak. Given the beast's methods of attack, Deme guessed it didn't have access to its own physical form, moving through the actions of others, or as in Aurai's case, by manipulating their talents to capture them.

Dustin Zoeller gave them a brief training session on the dangers of being in the tunnels, the gases that could be poisonous and how to use the air-testing device.

He then showed them how to wear the oxygen tanks and masks and checked all the equipment for proper functionality.

"I feel like I'm going scuba diving." Deme fitted the breathing mask over her face and adjusted the elastic straps.

"The subterranean environment can be just as deadly." The tunnel expert pulled the straps holding the mask to Deme's face tighter.

The heavy metal door beneath the stairwell stood open, the dark cavity already sending chills across her skin. How she wished her sisters were there for moral support.

She had chosen not to inform them, sure they'd insist on accompanying her into the tunnels. Deme couldn't let them. Not until she knew more.

Cal hooked his D-ring to the rope the firemen would use to haul them out if need be and climbed onto the top rung of the metal ladder. He paused, giving Deme a thumbs-up. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Her heart hammering in her chest, she edged toward the tunnel, every instinct in her screaming for her to keep out.

"Deme!" The clatter of footsteps on the metal staircase rang out as several people clambered down from the main level of the student commons. "Deme, wait!"

Deme turned to face an angry phalanx of sisters as Selene, Brigid and Gina reached the basement floor, breathing hard, eyes blazing.

Brigid led the charge. "What the hell are you doing?"

Deme pushed the mask to the top of her head. "I'm going after Aurai."

"Without us?" Gina stepped up beside Brigid.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Bull." Selene, the usually calm, collected sister, glared at her. "You didn't want us here."

They'd caught her and nailed her. She yanked the mask off her head. "That's right. I didn't want you here."

"I thought we were in this together." Gina tipped her head to the side, her blue-gray eyes reflecting her disappointment.

"Only when it's convenient for her." Brigid planted her hands on her black-leather-clad hips. "You aren't our mother."

Deme flinched. "I never said I was."

"Yeah, but whether we wanted you to or not, you've been calling the shots since Mother died."

"I had to." Who else would have kept them together?

"No, you didn't. And for the record, this past year while you were in St. Croix, we were on our own." Gina crossed her arms over her chest, a frown drawing her brows together. "We managed fine."

The implied "without you" hung in the air.

"We proved to ourselves that we could live without Big Sis guiding our every movement." Selene stood with her hands on her hips just like Brigid. "We don't need you."

The blow hit her square in the gut, and she stepped back as if it had been a physical punch. Her eyes stung, but Deme refused to let the tears fall.

Selene reached out for Deme's hand. "We don't need you as our mother."

Gina joined Selene, placing her hand over their joined hands. "No, we don't." She glanced back at Brigid.

The black-haired sister hesitated and then closed the distance, adding her hand to the rest. "We don't need you as our mother. We need you as our sister."

Deme stood, surrounded by her sisters, the love she felt for them swelling in her chest. "Sisters who need to find a missing member of the family."

"Right." Brigid was the first to break the circle. "So what's happening here?"

Deme gave them an abbreviated version of the plan. "I was going to tell you about it once we got an idea of what's down there."

"Well, the cat's out of the bag." Brigid's chin lifted in challenge. "We're coming with you."

Deme shook her head. "There's not enough breathing equipment."

"Then I should go since I have a better psychic connection," Selene insisted.

Brigid planted herself in front of Deme, hands on hips. "No, I should go because I'm working with the city on this case."

Gina pushed Brigid aside. "I should go because…well…just because."

Lieutenant Warner pulled Deme out of the middle of the women. "Deme's going. She's been briefed on the equipment and we're running out of time. The fire department won't be on campus all day. You three can help the rest of us monitor their progress."

Brigid glared at the lieutenant. "I'll pick a bone with you later."

"No, you won't." Lieutenant Warner nodded to Cal. "Go."

Deme's pulse quickened as his head disappeared below the top of the ladder. She pulled the mask in place, tightened the elastic straps and checked the oxygen meter.

The lieutenant clapped her hard hat fitted with a headlight on top of her head. "Be careful down there."

She pulled on thick work gloves, gave the lieutenant a thumbs-up and got in line behind Dustin Zoeller as he waited for the firemen to snap the rope through his D-ring. Then he stepped over the edge and descended the rungs of the metal ladder into the tunnel below.

When it was her turn, Deme stood steady while the fireman tugged on her web seat and snapped the rope through the D-ring. It was scary to think that thin rope was their lifeline to escape if the shit hit the fan down below.

With a deep breath, Deme grabbed the ladder rungs and lowered herself into the darkness. The only light chasing back the shadows was the thin beam from her helmet. She leaned over, pointing her head at the ladder below her, catching a glimpse of the top of Dustin's head and the tiny glow from his headlight. She couldn't see past him to Cal, making her want to hurry her progress to the bottom.

With the mask fitted tightly to her face, Deme couldn't smell the air, but she could feel its coolness through the long-sleeved coverall the tunnel expert had provided. The dampness of the air made her exposed skin sticky.

The descent took longer than she expected. Just how deep were the tunnels? After five minutes, claustrophobia became a real concern. The not knowing how much farther had her breathing harder. Several times she had to stop and remind herself to breathe slowly so as not to use up all her oxygen before she had a chance to look around.

When she thought the ladder would never end, she emerged from the vertical tunnel into a horizontal tunnel large enough for a man to stand up straight without hitting his head on the pipes and conduit hanging above.

Before she could make the last four rungs, Cal grabbed her from behind and set her on her feet. She turned in his arms and clung to him for a few seconds, more relieved than she cared to admit in front of the tunnel expert.

Dustin stood in the middle of a train track, holding the bright yellow toxic-gas monitor. After five minutes, he slid his mask off. "Hydrogen sulfide's a little high, as is the carbon monoxide, but not enough to be alarmed. At this point, the air's breathable. You might want to conserve your oxygen."

Cal and Deme switched their oxygen off and removed the masks.

The dank, metallic scent of wet rocks filled her nostrils.

Cal unclipped the chem light from his web harness and clicked it on, flooding the tunnel with light.

Dustin unfolded the tunnel map he'd brought along and shined his headlight down at the lines. "We're headed toward the foundation of Lion Hall—the one that burned down—right?"

Now that she was down here, Deme just wanted to get this whole adventure over with. The same oppressive feeling she had in her dorm room of being watched by a malevolent being hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe. She was tempted to put her mask back on, but knew it wasn't the lack of oxygen that was doing it to her.

If her sister was down here, she had to find her or some evidence that this was where the creature had her trapped. She couldn't draw on her ability to "feel" for her sister on the off chance the Chimera would tap into her powers and trap her, as well.

Frustration made her impatient. "Which way?"

The tunnel expert nodded to his left. "That way. Should be a junction in fifty feet that will take us there." He hesitated. "Are you sure we don't need additional backup?"

"If you want to go back up, do. Just leave the air monitor with us."

"No, no. I'll go." Dustin tucked the map in his pocket and unbuckled his chem light from his web belt, holding it out in front of him like a weapon. "Lead on."

Cal took point, moving ahead carefully, stepping over old pipes, discarded equipment and crumbled bricks.

Picking her way across the uneven ground was slow but gave Deme a chance to study her surroundings, to feel without pushing too much into the consciousness of the Chimera. Hypersensitive to being manipulated now, Deme kept firm control of her mind and senses, determined to keep the beast at bay.

She kept a close eye on the tunnel expert, as well. Cal knew what was ahead. Dustin hadn't a clue. She and Cal had discussed it with the lieutenant and decided to stop short of their destination to keep the other man safe.

The closer they moved toward the center of campus, the heavier her steps, as though something pushed her down, making it harder and harder to move.

"You all right?" Dustin asked from behind.

"Yeah," Deme said, feeling anything but right.

"Should be an open area one hundred yards ahead right below the old foundation of Lion Hall."

Deme pushed forward, determined to get close enough to see what they were up against, without placing Cal or Dustin in the line of fire. Problem was, she didn't have any idea how close was too close.

A waft of air lifted the loose tendrils of her hair that had escaped the rubber band securing a ponytail at the back of her head. Dust particles stirred and floated in front of the chem lights. The closer they came to the foundation of Lion Hall, the stronger the wind current until the three were bent double, straining to take another step. They stayed close to enable them to see each other as the dust particles thickened.

"This isn't right!" Dustin yelled. "There shouldn't be this much air moving through the tunnel."

His words whipped away, but Deme heard them and agreed. She knew what was causing it, and it made her blood boil.

The Chimera was manipulating her sister's power.

At this point, they'd reached the end of the rope. Unless they unclipped, they couldn't go any farther.

Cal dropped back and grabbed Deme's shoulders. "This is as far as you two go."

"No way." She shook off his hands and tried to step around him, the wind slamming her backward into Dustin.

"This is getting too dangerous," Cal shouted above the gale ripping through the tunnel.

"It's my sister! She's in there!" Deme unclipped the D-ring from the rope, ducked around him and dashed forward, head tucked low, shoulder to the force pushing against her.