Chapter 23

23

Warmth flooded my veins, igniting flames as it continued to my curled toes. This woman tasted of frosted sugar and bubbling wine. Every cell in my body opened up, like a flower that had been denied water and sun for far too long. Without thinking, I inhaled again.

The air moved as the woman jerked.

Oh God, why had I denied myself this?

Brother sighed, his fingers digging into my arms. The tiny spark of pain was nothing compared to the rush of this woman’s essence. I kept dragging her in, filling my body with light and air. A door seemed to open in my mind. I saw her more clearly. She was a pretty woman but had a cruel mouth that said cruel words. She’d cheated her way through school and then on her fiancé. In a flash of light, I saw a brief memory of her whispering wretched words about a coworker to her boss and then laughing when the coworker was fired.

So many memories rushed me, all of them stacking the odds against her. She was mean, spiteful to the core, but I knew if I kept going, if I kept tasting her spirit, I’d see what damaged her. Something had turned her into this hateful person, something darker and more twisted than any bullshit she could pull.

Without warning, she was yanked away from me. I stumbled forward, gasping for air. I felt Brother let go of my arms and I looked up.

Roth was before me, tall and terrible. He held on to the woman’s chin, forcing her to look him straight in the eye. “You will remember none of this,” he said. “Leave this place. Go home and never come back here again. Do you understand me?”

The woman managed a short nod and then stumbled to the side, into the crowd. Where she went, I didn’t know. I didn’t even care. My eyes were trained on Roth.

Sister giggled. “You ruin all the fun. She said she didn’t belong to you.”

Roth leveled a stare at me. “She doesn’t belong to either of you.”

I sighed dreamily, swaying toward him. “Where have you been all this time? It’s been hours and hours.”

“I’ve only been gone ten minutes,” he snapped, and I didn’t like his tone or the way he thrust his hand through his hair, as if he were upset. “Shit, Layla... Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Not to dance?”

I giggled at his stern expression. “They made me.”

“We invited her,” corrected Sister. “We didn’t make her do anything. We know the rules.”

“She just wanted a taste,” added Brother, touching my arm with just the tips of his fingers. I shivered. “We didn’t hurt her. Did we, lovely little sister?”

Roth shot forward, wrapping his hand around Brother’s throat and lifting him off the ground until his feet dangled in the air. “What did you just call her?”

Sister hissed, fingers sharpening into deadly looking claws. In an instant, her beauty fell away. Skin thinned over sharp bones, eyes narrowed and predatory. She looked more feline than human.

“You take one step toward me, and I will snap your brother’s neck,” Roth warned without taking his eyes off Brother. “Do not ever touch her. You’re not welcome here any longer.”

“You cannot banish us,” Sister shrieked. “You are no King.”

Roth dropped Brother and turned around. “Maybe not, but I can rip your heart out and feed it to Hellions. How does that sound? Like a party you want to join?”

The dysfunctional siblings retreated, slinking back into the crowd. I floated away, eyeing a dancer on the stage. He was beautiful, full of ropey muscle and long, flowing blond hair. Cayman stood by the stage, smiling up at the guy.

An arm circled my waist, stopping me. “Where are you going, shortie?”

I leaned into him. “I don’t know. I feel...really good.”

“You do.” A sigh seemed to work its way through him and, when he spoke, his voice was deep and lovely. “You almost killed that girl, shortie. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

I shrugged, moving my hand back and forth. A strange pearl-colored shade followed it.

“What are you doing?”

I turned in his arms, looking up at his near-perfect face. God, he was so beautiful. Why must something so hot be so...hot, especially when I couldn’t have him? I couldn’t remember why exactly, but I knew there were reasons, good ones. “I think I can see my soul.”

His brows rose. “Can you? Can you see anyone else’s now?”

“No, but mine is white.” I sighed happily. “That means my soul is pure.”

Roth watched me, a slight smile on his face. “Demons can’t have pure souls.”

Somehow my head ended up burrowed in his chest. “Then I can’t be like you.”

“Oh, wow, you’re so off the charts right now.” Shaking his head, he moved, and the next thing I knew I was off the floor and in his arms. “Up you go.”

A wild laugh escaped me, and I felt as if I could keep laughing. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you someplace you won’t get into any more trouble.” He started forward, easily parting the crowd.

The bar was upside down to me. “Everyone is walking on the ceiling.”

His laugh was strained, reluctant sounding as he shifted me in his arms. My head now rested against his chest. “Better?”

The world was right once more. “What were those people back there?”

He shouldered open a door, walking into a dimly lit corridor. “A succubus and an incubus. I call them Sucky and Inky. I think I’m going to change their names to Dead and Deader. I can’t leave you alone for ten minutes without the wolves pouncing on you.”

I threaded my fingers behind his neck. “They weren’t so bad.”

“Guess what?” His grin didn’t quite reach those eyes of his.

“What?”

“You’re not going to be thinking that later.”

I giggled. “You’re such an asshole.”

Roth’s laugh was lighter as he turned toward the stairs. “I kind of like you like this.”

“Maybe.” I kicked my feet in the air, giggling. “You can put me down. I can walk.”

Instead, he carried me up a set of stairs so easily it was as though I was nothing more than a feather. He went down a hall, then up another flight of steps. “You’d trip and break your neck or fall over one of our guards. Or try to pet it.”

“What guards?” I looked around the stairwell. “I don’t see anything.”

Roth didn’t say anything as he continued all the way up. An average man wouldn’t have made it fifteen floors, but he wasn’t even out of breath. When he pushed open another door, I saw something that hadn’t been there before. Sitting before his door at the end of the hallway were two dogs the size of Chihuahuas.

I squealed, clapping my hands together. “I do want to pet them! They’re so tiny!”

He sighed. “I’ve been told size doesn’t matter.”

“Someone lied to you.”

“Ah, that may be the case.” He lowered me to my feet gently, keeping an arm around me. “Do keep in mind that looks can be deceiving.”

I started to turn into him, but one of the rat dogs stood. “I could carry it in a purse, like...like one of those expensive purses.”

“I don’t think they like the sound of that.”

They didn’t. Both were now standing, ears back and growling. One barked. It sounded like a squeak.

I laughed. “What are they going to do? Bite my ankles?”

Roth pulled me closer, which was all right by me. I liked the warmth his body gave off, the way we seemed to fit together even though he towered over me. How had I not noticed that before? But I had. It was something I had forgotten or had been trying to forget, but I couldn’t make sense of the why behind it. I wanted to admit it now, scream it from the top of the building and do stuff, lots of stuff.

Teacup dogs forgotten, I twisted and placed my hands on Roth’s chest.

His dogs didn’t like that.

One let out a squeak that turned into a roar. I whirled around, stumbling aside. Growling, snarling and snapping, their bodies twisted and grew. Huge paws replaced little ones. Claws rapped the floor as they prowled forward, still growling. Their flanks were thick with muscles, their tails bushy. Snouts grew long, mouths wider and ears flattened back against matted russet hair. Their teeth jutted from their mouths, razor sharp and huge. Eyes went from doe-brown to bloodred and the smell of sulfur filled the hallway.

They were the size of bears and, in the distant part of my brain, I realized they were hellhounds.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, knowing I should be afraid, but I was still floating.

“Sit down,” Roth ordered, suddenly in front of me. “Vos mos non vulnero suus!”

In unison, they backed up and sat beside the door. Their ears were still pinned back, but they no longer looked as if they wanted to eat me. I considered this a good development.

Roth glanced over his shoulder at me. “You’re right. Size does matter. They won’t harm you. Come on.” He held out his hand.

I took it, eyeing the beasts. One smelled my leg while Roth opened the door, and the other rolled onto his back, tongue lolling out of its mouth. He swooped down, patting the hellhound’s exposed belly.

“That’s a good boy,” he cooed. “Who’s the good boy?”

“What’re their names?” I asked, leaning against the door. My head felt heavy.

He looked up, grinning. “This one is Bluebelle and that one,” he gestured at the one that smelled my leg, “is Flower.”

I made a face. “What is it with you and the movie Bambi? ”

He stood up fluidly. “It’s an American classic.”

Smiling, I closed my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Open your eyes, shortie.”

I felt his hand in mine again, so I pried my eyes open. “Why?”

“You need to see where you’re going.” He pulled me into the darkness. A second later, soft light flooded the room and he let go of my hand. Heavy blinds were pulled down, blocking out the sun.

I kicked off my shoes, stumbling as I pulled off my socks. My toes sank into the plush carpet. “I think I’m hungry.”

“I’ll have the food sent up here.”

I faced him, my breath catching as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Smooth skin stretched over hard muscle. His pants hung so low.

“I had a little bit of everything made. Hamburgers. Fries. Chicken tenders.” He stopped, looking at me. A smug smile appeared as he removed his shoes. “See anything you like?”

I couldn’t answer, but I saw lots of things I liked.

He prowled across the room, stopping a few feet in front of me. “Sorry. I can’t stand the smell of smoke. Does it bother you?”

I knew there was a reason it should, but I shook my head and then found my voice and a healthy dose of boldness. “No.”

“Then you won’t mind shedding this?” Roth wrapped his fingers around the strings dangling off the neckline of my hoodie. “It reeks of Sucky and Inky.”

Before I even shook my head no, he’d worked the zipper down. I held my breath as his knuckles brushed over me. Sharp tingles shot through me, clearing the haze from my brain for a moment or two. Then he slipped the “offensive” material off my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

“Pretty.... What is it called?” he murmured, eyes clearly not on my face.

“A...camisole.” I took a deep breath, but couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. “Roth?”

His gaze flicked up. “Layla?”

I started to speak, but something soft and furry brushed against my foot, drawing my attention. A tiny white kitten stared up at me with beautiful blue eyes. I bent at the waist, reaching for the little fur ball, wanting to hug it and squeeze it and love it, but then I remembered.

Frowning at the little devil, I pulled my fingers out of reach. “No. I remember you. Bad kitty.”

Hair along the little darling’s back rose, and it hissed before spinning around and dashing back under the bed.

“I see you’ve learned from your previous mistakes, but I think you’ve upset Nitro.”

“Those kittens have rabies.” I rose and then gasped as a wave of dizziness washed over me.

Roth placed a hand on my arm and there was a muted sensation of concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah... I’m fine. This happens after...” I trailed off as the black-and-white kitten poked its head out from under the bed, eyeing me with ears flat.

“After feeding?”

Feeding. Was that what I’d been doing? Just like the rest of the demons in the strange place in the bowels of this apartment building? Doing my part in the demonic food chain? I shivered.

“You didn’t take her soul, shortie.”

I cocked my head to the side. I hadn’t. “She was okay, right?”

“Yes.”

“And if she was down there, that meant she was bad, right?”

His warm breath danced along my cheek. “Yes.”

Did that make it okay? I wasn’t sure. “I don’t want to think about this.”

“You don’t have to. Why don’t you sit down?”

Because there didn’t seem to be much else I could do, I made my way around the edge of his bed and sat among the king-size pillows. His scent was everywhere, and when I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, I remembered being here before, on this bed...in his arms.

A warm flush traveled over my skin and my eyes drifted shut. When I reopened them, I saw Roth striding toward the bed with a long tray in his hands. Several plates were covered with silver tops.

I sat up straighter, confused. “Did I fall asleep?” It had felt like seconds had passed when I’d closed my eyes.

He laughed as he sat, placing the tray between us. There were two tall glasses filled with ice, sitting next to two cans of soda. It was like room service provided by a hot, half-naked, demon dude. “No. You were sitting here singing.”

“I was?”

“Yep. ‘Paradise City.’” He smiled as he peeked up at me through thick lashes. “I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

For some reason, that didn’t sit well with me, but then he started removing trays and I fell in love—in love with all the glorious, wonderful food placed before me. A buffet of meat, grease and salt.

Between Roth and me, the food was gone in a nanosecond. As he gathered up the plates and took them into his kitchen area, I lay on my back and patted my stomach. “My belly is happy.”

“I bet it is.” There was a sound of water running and then it stopped. Not even a second passed before he was sitting down beside me. Placing a hand on the other side of my shoulder, he leaned over me. “How are you feeling?”

My lips split into a wide smile. “Good. Great. Happy. Maybe a little tired, but I feel like—”

“I get the point,” he said, chuckling. His head tilted to the right as the intensity of his stare increased until it felt as though he could see right through me. A tense look appeared on his face as he carefully picked the strands of my hair off my shoulders and spread them out on the pillow. “I wish you would feel this way later, but you won’t.”

My heart turned over as he lowered his gaze. “You’re going to hate yourself after this, even though you didn’t hurt that woman. To her, it will be like having a hangover after a bad night of partying. And she won’t miss that tiny part of her soul that you took. Not that she missed any part of her soul that she willingly gave for every atrocious sin she committed.” He sighed heavily, as if there was an invisible weight settling across his shoulders. His lashes swept up. “I didn’t mean for you to do this when I brought you here. Sucky and Inky should’ve stayed away from you. I should’ve made sure of that.”

He gave a little shake of his head. “I just wanted you to see how the other half lives. Not those two bastards. They’re bad news, but not...not all of us are like that. I wanted you to see that. For you to see that what’s inside you...” He tapped a finger off my stomach. “Isn’t bad, no matter what that asshole of a clan leader says to you or how he makes you feel.”

“Same to you.”

A brow arched. “What does that mean?”

I reached up, tapping my finger off his chest. “You are not as bad as you like to think. You are capable of acts of great kindness.”

He snorted. “You’re high.”

“Am not.” I poked him again. “You’ve done things that humans with souls wouldn’t do. You—”

His hand encircled my wrist, pulling it away from his chest. “Everything I do is for a purely selfish reason. Trust me on that.”

I didn’t believe him. I went to pull my arm away, but somehow all I managed to do was pull him closer. The muscle in his arm flexed as he hovered over me, supporting his weight. The warmth of his body once again seeped into mine. Bambi stirred. I really liked that snake, I realized. She slithered over my skin, tickling me as her head reached my shoulder, seemingly compelled by Roth’s closeness. A faint smile crossed his lips as he spotted Bambi, and I wondered if he missed her.

Our eyes met and that feeling from earlier was back, slipping through my veins. The words bubbled out of me. “Kiss me.”

Flecks of amber darkened in his eyes. His face tensed, almost as if he was in pain, and I wasn’t sure why that request would bother him so. “Layla...”

I tugged on my arm again, and he came even closer. When I spoke, our lips were inches apart. “Kiss me.”

His lashes swept down, shielding his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Yes, I do.”

He shook his head as he let go of my hand. “You don’t. You’re really—”

I pushed Roth and he landed on his back with force, bouncing the bed. It might have been the fact that I’d caught him off guard, but, either way, I took advantage of it. I threw my leg over his hip and sat down, pressing the palms of my hands into his shoulders.

His eyes widened with shock as I moved my weight to my arms. My hair slid over my shoulders, creating a whitish-blond curtain. Sitting astride him, feeling him under me, between my legs, I felt like a goddess rising on the throne of sexy. I almost giggled at that thought, but figured that would ruin my sexiness.

“God.” He kicked his head back, groaning as his hands settled on my hips. “I really, really like you this way.”

“Then what’s the problem?” I asked as I rocked back, trailing my fingertips down his flat stomach.

His fingers dug into my hips as he stared up at me through heavy-lidded eyes. “I can’t really think of one right now.”

“Good.” I started to dip my head, aiming for his parted lips.

He caught me again by the wrists, lifting my arms and holding me back. “This...this isn’t going to happen, baby.”

Confused, I tried to get closer, but he held me off. A little bit of the pleasant haze faded as my heart tripped up. “You...you don’t want me?”

Roth moved so quickly I didn’t have a second to think about what he was doing. He had me on my back with my arms stretched above my head. “Don’t want you?” he said, pressing down on me. Every part of our bodies touched, robbing me of my breath. “I think you know the answer to that.”

Oh, I think I did.

I managed to get one of my legs freed from under his, and I hooked my calf around his lower leg. His hips sank in and my body tingled as if little sparks were dancing over my skin. He groaned again.

“I want you so badly it’s like a hunger that gnaws at me endlessly. It doesn’t go away.” He dipped his head to the space between my neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply. “You have no fucking clue.”

“Then do something about it,” I whispered.

Roth lifted his head, and his pupils had stretched vertically. “Layla...” The way he spoke my name was like a benediction. “Please...”

My fingers curled helplessly as I stretched up, finally reaching him with my lips. Our mouths barely touched, but Roth shuddered and his grip around my wrists tightened.

And then he was on me.

It was as though the chains holding him back had snapped. Roth kissed me, and there wasn’t anything soft or sweet about the way his mouth worked mine. He moved my wrists to one hand, and his other hand slid down my arm and then down my side, under the hem of my camisole. His hand left a wake of fire as he moved it up the bare skin of my stomach and then farther up. I arched into the touch, and I got lost in that kiss, lost in the taste and feel of him that was so familiar it ached.

Then the kiss deepened, and the taste of him branded me from the inside out. His heart was slamming against mine. Our bodies fit together and moved, causing every cell in me to burn for more, to demand it. And Roth gave it. His hips rolled in ways that had me gasping in between the deep, soul-searing kisses. My legs curled around him.

“You feel too good,” he murmured against my mouth. A deep sound rumbled from him as he kissed me again. “You taste too good to be true.”

I really didn’t understand what that meant, but I wanted to touch him, to run my fingers over the ropey muscles of his back, to slip them under his loose jeans. I felt as if I was going to come out of my skin, like I had before...that night with him, which felt so very long ago, but this was right now and his body moved like sin.

Without warning, he was off me, and the bed shook when he flopped on his back. For a moment, I was too stunned to move, too caught up in the racing sensations playing across my skin.

Panting, I started to sit up and follow him. “Roth—”

“Don’t,” he said, raising a hand that trembled. “God, I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but don’t come closer. Don’t move.”

Without warning, he threw his legs off the bed and stood. Slowly rising up onto my elbows, I watched him stalk around the bed.

Roth thrust both of his hands through his hair and cursed low. Like a caged animal, he looked over at me. His eyes burned from a fire within.

I followed his gaze. My camisole was rucked up, past my bra. Before I could do anything to rectify it, he spun around and headed for the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind him, echoing throughout the loft.

Exhaling deeply, I fell back and squeezed my eyes shut. What just happened? It felt as though we’d both been on the same page, that we wanted the same thing. Didn’t we?

I rubbed my hands down my face and then tugged my shirt down. A couple of minutes passed, maybe longer, as I willed my body to calm down and my heart to slow. Roth had still not returned from the bathroom, and my face flamed an unholy shade of red when I wondered what he could possibly be doing in there.

The high was fading fast and all that logic and common sense I’d swept away like an annoying gnat was warring with the exhaustion creeping up on me. That little voice in the back of the head was getting louder, full of righteous humiliation, and threatening to bitch slap me in the face, but then the three demon kittens from Hell loped up over the foot of the bed. Prowling forward, their paws sinking into the covers, they eyed me as if I was a colorful, yet stupid, butterfly snared in a spider’s web.

I froze as they wiggled their way up to my side, and then frowned as they settled down into little balls that purred so loudly they vibrated the bed.

Somewhat dumbfounded, I stared at them as that little voice started up again, telling me to get up and to get the Hell out of this place before it was too late. But the hum of the kittens had a lulling effect, and, before I knew it, the distance between right now and later expanded.