CHAPTER FIVE

Kain lay on the bed, his mind drifting towards unconsciousness, but a nagging thought kept him from going under. Abruptly he sat up in bed. "Oh, shit."

Asmodeus laid a hand on Kain's hip. "What's the matter?"

"Did you use a condom?"

Kain ran a hand through his messy hair. "Tell me you used a condom."

"Of course not."

Kain's world tilted. They hadn't used protection. He always used protection. Images of his balls rotting off assaulted him.

"Kain?"

"What?"

Kain snapped.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked about my name."

"Are you kidding me?"

Kain turned to look at Asmodeus, his eyes wide. "I'm freaking about condoms, and you ask me that?"

"Did you hear what I asked?"

"Sexy, I don't give a rat's ass about your name right now."

Kain dropped his head in his hands. "Oh fuck."

"I'm negative, Kain. You can't catch anything from me."

"Yeah, well, pardon me for not going on just your word."

Asmodeus rubbed his hand up Kain's hip. "Stop worrying about something that's so insignificant."

Kain lay back down, his brain cloudy from lust. Asmodeus stood, and Kain's gaze was drawn to the tattoo.

Sitting up, he traced the tattoo down the other side of Asmodeus. "Man, this had to hurt like a bitch."

"Actually, it didn't hurt at all. I was created with it. And Kain? I'm no man."

At first Asmodeus's words didn't register with Kain; the tattoo had all his attention. When his lust-fogged brain finally kicked into gear, he froze. Had he heard that right? He cut his eyes to the table by the bed. Surely he'd returned his Glock to the nightstand after he cleaned it last. From the sounds of it, he might need it.

"Ice. Look at me. Now."

"What?"

Kain snapped as he looked up. Asmodeus's eyes—the whole eye—was now milky white. "H-h-holy fucking shit!"

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. "Nothing holy here."

Terror crashed through Kain. A cold flush spread through his body and the bottom of his stomach dropped out. What he was seeing wasn't normal. Or human. His breath tangled in his chest, choking him, and his vision wavered. The primitive side of his brain, that part that once before had tried to warn him, shrieked for all it was worth.

Run! Run! In his haste to get away, Kain fell back off the bed and landed on his ass.

"That's better."

Asmodeus smirked at the human sprawled at his feet. "Hope you like it there. You'll be spending eternity at my feet, my lovely little mortal."

"What the fuck are you!"

His mind repeatedly screamed to run, but his body was gripped by fear, unable to move.

Asmodeus's true form emerged. His milky white eyes glowed as a pentagram, enclosed in a double circle with two points up, appeared on his forehead. A dark, madly swirling fog encased his nude body, then dissipated, leaving his skin a smoky bluish-gray. Black horns jutted out from his head, and small pointy ears peeked through his black hair.

The blood-red rubies on his finger and in his ear lobe gleamed malevolently. He was terrifying beautiful, horrifyingly sexy, and unquestionably evil.

"You really should've listened more closely to what Hugh was talking about last night. You know, the seven princes of Hell? I am Asmodeus, Prince of Lust and ruler of the second level of Hell."

Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, Kain tried to speak. Something close to a squawk emerged, a denial of what was being said. He shook his head frantically.

He didn't consider things like ghosts, vampires and… and demons to be real. For that matter, he really didn't believe in God, heaven or hell. If he couldn't hold it, taste it, or see it then it didn't exist to Kain. You're damn sure seeing it now, aren't you?

"And you, Ice, are the one I have chosen to be my mate."

The word mate was the trigger to unglue Kain from the floor. Heat swirled around them both as the muted cries of the damned whispered softly.

"No!"

Kain scuttled backward, away from the nightmare taking place before his very eyes. Finally his back hit the wall, and he could go no farther.

"Too late."

Asmodeus stalked Kain across the room. "Thrice the question was asked, and never once did nay cross your lips. Your fate is sealed. Now only one thing remains to be done."

"Fuck that!"

Kain screamed as Asmodeus picked him up. He struggled in Asmodeus's arms, swinging with all his might. "I don't want this—don't want you. Put me down and get the hell away from me!"

Asmodeus dropped Kain on the bed and pinned him under his body. Lifting Kain's legs, he slammed home with no problem. Kain's channel welcomed him easily. "Your mind says no, that this isn't what you want, or should want. But your body tells a different story, Ice."

"Oh fuck,"

Kain wailed as Asmodeus slid back inside. Pleasure erupted once more, and Kain found himself right back at the edge. He couldn't fight this, and he didn't want to any longer.

"Tell me, do you want me? Want this?"

Asmodeus, his body bent over Kain's, stared in his eyes. He refused to move until Kain answered.

"I-I…"

Kain wrapped his legs around Asmodeus's hips. "God help me, but yes."

Asmodeus rode Kain hard, denying him that much needed release until, head thrashing on the pillows, Kain finally broke and begged. Still face to face, Asmodeus allowed Kain to come. As Kain spurted between them, Asmodeus closed the gap between them.

He kissed Kain and started to inhale.

Kain, still riding the high of his orgasm, fought when he became lightheaded. He tried jerking his head away. When that didn't work, he attempted to push Asmodeus off him.

Horrified, he found he was unable to move. His wide, fearful eyes stared up into Asmodeus's, pleading. He hadn't expected this, hadn't thought Asmodeus would take his life.

Fear washed through his body, but no matter how hard he tried to stop what was happening, he couldn't. The lights dimmed as he felt his body cool and his heartbeat slow. The time between each beat lengthened as his very essence was drawn out by the demon that had fucked him senseless.

Plunged into darkness, Kain died.

Asmodeus, still deep inside Kain, sat up. He threw his head back, arms wide. "Hear me, my Master. I claim the boon granted to me and claim my mate!"

A swirling, dirty gray haze appeared next to the bed. Red eyes gleamed from the shifting smoke, and the smell of burning flesh filled the room. "You have served me well since the Great Fall, Asmodeus. Never once have I worried over your loyalty. Your boon has been granted with no strings attached. Breathe your essence back into the one you have claimed. But know you will be as tied to him as he is tied to you."

"Thank you, Lucifer."

Lucifer stared at the one on the bed. "I do believe he will serve me well, just as you have. You've made a good choice, Asmodeus."

The smoke evaporated, leaving Asmodeus alone. Bending back over Kain, he opened his mouth.

"Shit!"

Kain screeched.

One moment there'd been nothing but never-ending darkness. Kain floated in a vast greatness of silence—no light, no sound, no feeling—nothing. Then he felt a tug, an insistent pull that couldn't be ignored. Not that he'd wanted to ignore the pull. Where he was trapped was awful, a void. Then there was a rush of air past him, and he was dragged back into his body.

"What-what…"

Kain jerked to a sitting position, his hands running over his body.

Something was around his neck, but he ignored it for now. Everything seemed to be where it was supposed to be. As panic receded, he noticed small things. His skin was cool, much cooler than normal. Too cool.

His chest no longer rose and fell. Alarmed, he stuck his hand under his nose. No warm air flowed across his skin. Quickly he hunted for a pulse, only there wasn't one. Panic came screaming back.

A quiet noise had him looking up. In the middle of his bed, sitting cross-legged, was Asmodeus.

"Welcome back, Ice."

Trembling, Kain stared at the demon. "What have you done to me?"

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. "What have I done? It's fairly obvious, don't you think? I killed you."

Kain didn't stop to think. He launched his body at the thing sitting at the end of the bed. "What?"

Asmodeus wrapped his arms around his mate and turned as their bodies collided, trapping Kain under him. "Calm down."

"Calm down?"

Kain struggled, but he couldn't get Asmodeus off him. The close contact, and their bodies rubbing against each other, had Kain growing hard. Horrified, he stared at Asmodeus. "What happened? What am I?"

Asmodeus trapped Kain's hands above his head. "You're dead, but you exist."

The fight drained out of Kain. He lay there, no longer struggling. There didn't seem to be an end to the nightmare. "I'm dead?"

"Yes, you're dead."

"Dead,"

Kain repeated softly. "I'm dead."

"Look at it this way, Kain. You will never grow old, never age a day past today. Your hair won't turn gray and fall out. You won't lose your sight and hearing."

Asmodeus nodded at Kain's body trapped under him. "This beautiful body will always be muscular and fit. It will never hurt and ache as age robs your youth. Think of the benefits. No one to answer to but me."

"Because I'm dead."

"Yes. I took your life, fed off your sexual energy. That's what I do. Then I usually condemn those souls to Hell. More specifically, my level of Hell. There they experience a pleasure that's all-consuming, but the final glorious release is never allowed. That's their punishment—they aren't allowed to come. Ever."

"Fuck, that's cruel."

"No one said Hell was a nice place."

"Okay, so you're an incubus."

Kain blinked slowly as he tried to make his brain work. "Is that what you've done to me? Taken my soul?"

Asmodeus shrugged as he sat on top of Kain. "That's the word mortals use to describe us. But I'm so much more. I'm the Prince of Lust. And yes, I took your soul, then breathed my essence back into you. We are tied together, Kain, until time is no more. For as long as I exist, you shall exist."

"You've damned me."

"Oh, Kain, you were damned way before I found you."

Asmodeus stared down at Kain. "I've looked for a mate for a long, long time. And in all my searching, I've never found a human who was as cold and callous as you. You have no remorse or regret for how you treated your fellow humans. That's what first attracted me to you at that club."

Kain closed his eyes. "Hugh, Jordan, and Allen didn't show up tonight. Please, tell me you didn't—"

"What? Kill them?"

"Yes."

Kain bit his lip. "Did you?"

"No, Kain, I did not kill them. Open your eyes."

Asmodeus leaned closer to Kain. "Behave yourself, and I'll let you up. Understand?"

Kain opened his eyes. He stared into Asmodeus's eerie milky-white eyes. "I understand. I won't fight you."

"Good."

Asmodeus moved off Kain and lay beside him, toying with Kain's pierced nipple.

Kain sucked in a breath. One touch and his body was roaring to go. "Do you know what happened to them?"

Asmodeus snorted. "Your group was hell-bound, Kain. Let's just say that you weren't the only one to meet your fate and leave it at that."

"But—"

"No buts."

Asmodeus leaned up to kiss Kain.

Kain jerked his head back, cringing. "Ah, you're not going to-to, ah, suck everything out of me again, are you? Or whatever. I don't ever want to experience that again."

"No."

Asmodeus ran his fingers over Kain's neck. "You're the only one I've shared my essence with. The first and the last. My kiss from now on will be just a kiss."

"Okay, okay."

Kain's body ached with need as Asmodeus continued to touch him. "Meant to ask, what's this thing around my neck? It's too high up so I can't see what it is."

"It shows that you are my mate and off limits. Here, come with me."

Asmodeus pulled Kain off the bed.

"Kinda like a symbol?"

Kain followed Asmodeus. "Where are we? Okay, why are we standing in my bathroom?"

Asmodeus flipped the lights on and motioned to the mirror. "Now look."

"Fuck."

A white metal chain circled Kain's neck. On the chain was a ruby, a rather large ruby. Encircling the massive ruby were black gemstones. "This thing is a piece of work. What size is the ruby?"

Asmodeus shook his head. Leave it to Kain to ask that. "The ruby is ten carats. The black stones around it are black diamonds. The chain is platinum. I thought the platinum would go nicely with your other jewelry."

"It's like yours."

Kain glanced down at the ruby ring, then up to the ruby earring.

"Yes, it is."

Asmodeus kissed Kain's neck. "Come back to bed. There's more to tell you."

"More?"

Kain shuddered at the light kiss as he followed Asmodeus. "What? Do I melt if I get wet or something? Need blood to survive?"

"Of course not. You're not a vampire. And where the hell did you get the melting idea? From TV?"

"Wait, what? They really exist? Vampires?"

"You'd be surprised, but that's not what I want to tell you."

Asmodeus lay down and pulled Kain with him. "We're going to work together."

Kain rested his head on Asmodeus's chest, slowly tracing the tattoo. "Somehow I don't think you mean a nine to five job."

"Not quite. We'll hunt together. We'll pick someone, then seduce him. Take him to bed. I'm going to let you fuck him, Kain. Let you top him."

Kain's mouth fell open. "You're okay watching me fuck another guy? Somehow I didn't see this coming. Hell, none of this for that matter, but this—"

"No one I allow you to fuck is a threat to me, Ice. And I'll tell you why. Only I have what you need, what your body craves. Only I can make you feel what you felt earlier. Only me."

"I see."

Kain frowned at Asmodeus. "So what's the catch?"

"Smart, aren't you? The catch is I won't allow you to come when you fuck a mortal. That is for me, and me alone."

"Shit."

Kain dropped his head back to Asmodeus's chest. "All the work and none of the pay-off. So why do this? Is this some kind of punishment for me?"

"You need to learn patience. I wasn't done."

Asmodeus ran his hand down Kain's spine.

"Ah damn, how do you do that?"

Kain wanted nothing more than to spread his legs and have Asmodeus drill him. "Asmodeus, please…"

"Hush, my lovely one. You will wait now. As I was saying, you'll fuck them until they come. Right as they have an orgasm I'll feed, taking their life and soul. We work as a team. And your reward will be me."

Panting, Kain looked up at Asmodeus. "What does that mean?"

"I fuck you."

With a laugh, Asmodeus pulled Kain on top of him. "Now ride me, mate. I want to watch you bounce on my dick."

"Shit!"

SIX MONTHS LATER

A cold, wet wind brushed across the city located on the River Thames. Two men entered an upper-class, private establishment. One had long, pitch black hair and eyes the color of night. A ruby red signet ring on his left hand drew attention, as did the one in his earlobe. Everything about him whispered dark and dangerous sex.

The other man was a classy blond. The highlights in his hair had been done by one of the top stylists in the world. A strong chin and high cheekbones finished out a look that hinted at wealth and privilege.

Sea-green eyes searched the crowded dance floor where they hunted. The large ruby that hung around his neck brought many envious looks. They were complete opposites—light and dark. And deadly.

By the night's end a mortal would succumb to the appeal of these two, and another soul would be condemned to the second level of Hell.

CHAUS

Pounding music and writhing bodies fill the dance floor at Night Moves. Brothers Jordan and Allen share everything, and are part of a very small, very elite group of friends. What do they have in common?

More money, power, and connections than most people can even fathom. These young men consider themselves above the law. Spoilt, powerful, and totally amoral, they use men without a thought for the consequences of their actions. Tonight the brothers have their sights set on a sexy redhead—they're determined to have him in their bed!

Chaus is an ancient vampire as cold as his deadly kiss. Driven by a taste for kink, he's searched for centuries to find someone as debauched and sinful as he is, only to be continuously disappointed by humans and nonhumans alike. One desire drives him: a pet to call his mate that he can torture and pleasure with his lethal desires. His hunt has brought him to Night Moves, and he's on the prowl.

Jordan and Allen are out for fun, and they place a bet on a deadly game. But they're playing with a predator—and a dark, hidden secret that the brothers possess will be the catalyst that brings Fate down on them.

The Bad Boys Club has once again picked the wrong target to play with.