Chapter Fifteen
Malachi
The room felt too small for what was about to go down. My wings flexed, tension rippling through my body as I planted myself like a fortress between him and everyone else.
Kyson dropped to his knees, trembling, his body caught somewhere between the demon’s grip and his own fading strength. Whatever the demon was making him relive was taking its toll.
“Final warning. Get out of him, Osiris.”
My sword was gripped firmly in my hands. The dragon coiled around them, ready to strike. “Or I’ll carve you out.”
Osiris let out a sickening laugh that was so wrong coming from Kyson’s mouth. “You really think you can force me out without killing your precious pet?”
Behind me, Dane’s heart pounded so loudly I could hear the sound clearly, as if it was pressed against my ear. “Malachi, wait!”
“No.”
My vision turned crimson as my anger clawed at my restraint. “This ends now.”
I surged forward, my blade poised to strike. The dragon on its hilt hummed loudly, resonating with my energy like a heartbeat. Its edge turned dark as I swung. Kyson screamed, the sound so guttural and raw, I stopped mid-motion. The dragon hummed louder, now vibrating in my grip.
“Dane!”
Kyson cried out, his voice desperate and ragged. “Dane, help me!”
I froze, not because of Kyson’s words but because Dane moved. Steady and unflinching, he stepped between me and the demon. My instincts screamed to pull him back, but the determination in his eyes locked me in place.
“Let me try. I know what this feels like.”
Dane’s voice trembled, but was also resolute.
“This isn’t your fight.”
I was barely holding my fury in check. “He’ll destroy you.”
He looked me straight in my eyes. “You’ll protect me, but you’ll also destroy Kyson. You’re not fighting him, you’re fighting Osiris. We’re the only shot he has at surviving this, so let me try.”
My jaw tightened, every muscle in my body screaming at me to end this myself. I struggled with my need to protect the man I loved, to slay anyone who posed a threat to him.
Instead, I exhaled sharply and stepped back, though my hand stayed tight on the hilt of my blade.
Dane knelt beside Kyson, his hands trembling as he reached for him. “Kyson, can you hear me? It’s me, Dane.”
Kyson’s head jerked up, his irises flickering between his pretty greenish-gray and Osiris’s vile, putrid green. “He won’t let me go.”
He choked on a helpless sob. “I-I can’t fight him.”
“Yes, you can.”
Dane’s tone was soft but firm. “You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“You don’t understand—”
Kyson’s breath hitched, his eyes begging for someone to help him. “He’s inside me.”
Dane swallowed hard, and for a moment, his own fear and memories played across his face. “I do understand. More than you know.”
He closed his eyes. “A dank basement. Some hideous table, with his tools lying on a cart next to it. That stuffed-cotton f-feeling when he’s inside of y-you, like he’s devouring you from the inside out.”
Dane’s breathing grew shallow. “The burning fire crawling through your veins while a cesspool of negative emotions tries to eat away at you.”
As I listened, my mind flashed back to the night I’d found Kyson in the same exact setting. I hadn’t been hunting Osiris, but we crossed paths when the scent of blood had drawn me to him.
He was in a basement, relishing the torture he was inflicting on a human. It was a miracle Kyson was still alive. Everything below the male’s neck had been sliced and burned. Before I could draw my sword, Osiris exited the body he’d possessed by turning into a billow of smoke, escaping through a window.
That night, something snapped inside of me. I draped Kyson with my cloak, then gave him a small amount of my blood to ingest. It would ease the horrific pain he would endure when I lifted him from the table. He had been in a catatonic state when I’d taken him home, until Giovanni walked into the room.
It was clear the two knew each other from the way Kyson started screaming at my brother to stay the hell away from him. That was the first time I had ever seen raw pain in Giovanni’s eyes.
But to imagine Dane going through the same thing, to pull strength from his depth so he could escape… It took sheer willpower not to cross the room and haul him into my arms.
Fuck. I loved him so much. He more than deserved his little warrior title.
He took Kyson’s hand, gripping it tightly. “Osiris doesn’t get to take anything else from you. You’re still here, Kyson. You’re still you. Remember the night I called you?”
He smiled through his tears. “You asked me if a cat pissed in a litter box?”
A flicker of recognition passed over Kyson’s face, and for a moment, Osiris’s control faltered.
Dane continued, his voice thick with emotion. “You told me you weren’t going to let Osiris have me, because, for some reason Malachi had spared my life, and you would save it too.”
I didn’t know any of that. My respect for Kyson grew. He had gotten me out of there and also saved Dane’s life. I owed him a debt of gratitude. I owed him the friendship he deserved.
Kyson’s body convulsed. Osiris let out a deafening roar, his voice drowning out Kyson’s. My blade itched to finish the fight, but when I moved closer, Dane shook his head.
“Not yet.”
Reluctantly, I lowered my weapon, watching as Dane leaned in closer.
“Kyson,”
he whispered, his voice low and insistent, “it’s time to come back. You’re not alone. I’m here. Malachi’s here. You’re stronger than this.”
“I’m here, too, Kyson.”
Giovanni’s voice was edged with a slight snarl. “Fight like hell, petit oiseau .”
Kyson’s body reacted violently, arching with an ear-piercing scream as his head snapped back. From his open mouth, a torrent of black smoke erupted, swirling aggressively around the room like a living storm, its tendrils probing every nook and cranny for an escape.
Dane snatched the blanket off the bed and quickly shoved it at the bottom of the door before darting back to Kyson’s side. I wasn’t sure if the barrier would keep Osiris from escaping, but I was proud of him for acting so quickly despite his terrifying fear of the demon.
As Kyson slumped forward into Dane’s arms, Giovanni spun his wrists, his daggers twirling with a shrill, haunting whistle. I tightened my grip on my sword, every muscle in my body coiled in anticipation.
But, it wasn’t just pure smoke. It was interlaced with delicate, shimmering threads of the demon’s essence, an intricate web that, if severed, would kill the demon. Desperation drove Osiris into a wild, spiraling frenzy. He darted around the room, frantically searching for an exit.
There would be no escape for him.
Before I could bring my sword down, Giovanni moved like a force of nature, his every motion a ballet of lethal expertise. His blades struck with the ferocity of lightning, each relentless slice met with Osiris’s anguished screech.
The smoke began to falter, its momentum slowing. Giovanni seized the moment, attacking with renewed ferocity, his face a mask of dark, fiery wrath.
Gradually, the smoke sank toward the floor like a low, creeping mist. Within its wisps, tiny sparks of electricity twinkled before they vanished like distant stars sputtering out in a dimming night sky. When the final spark extinguished, the smoke dissipated entirely.
Giovanni bared his fangs in a grim, triumphant snarl as his eyes burned with a fearsome red glow.
I stood there, baffled at the raw, unbridled savagery he’d just displayed. An intensity I had never witnessed before. My gaze darted to Kyson, who lay unconscious in Dane’s arms, and wondered if Giovanni harbored feelings for the male. He’d been there the night I’d brought Kyson home, staggering backward, horrified at the sight of what Osiris had done to the human.
In a gesture that seemed to defy everything I thought I knew about him, Giovanni carefully lifted Kyson from Dane’s arms with a tenderness that belied his earlier ferocity, cradling him gently against his own body.
Dane moved quickly toward me, the anguish in his eyes confirming what I already knew. He was far from okay. I folded him into my arms, my wings curling protectively around us. And for the first time in my life, I felt a faint glimmer of something foreign—a fragile, unfamiliar hope.
* * * *
The room hummed with the soft cadence of Dane’s breathing. His slim frame was nestled against me, his head resting on my shoulder, sapphire eyes half closed as he traced lazy patterns across my chest. A quiet peace lingered between us, but a question burned in my mind.
“Dane,”
I murmured, my fingers idly brushing through his soft hair. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How did I end up in your car? I can’t remember anything about it.”
His eyes snapped fully open, his brows slightly raised. “Wait. You don’t remember?”
“No,”
I admitted, sliding silky strands between the pads of my fingers. “All I recall is the battle with Osiris, and then...nothing. I honestly think I was delirious from blood loss.”
Dane blinked at me, sitting up slightly. “You just appeared in my car. Poof, and you were there. I mean out of nowhere. You were bleeding, and your stomach was charred like one of his electric things hit you square in your gut.”
One had. My focus had been on Dane running out, and Osiris had taken the opportunity to light into me.
“Were any of the diners hurt?”
Dane looked as if the answer meant everything to him.
“No. I just kept thinking I needed to get out of there before one of them was. Between throwing my bolts and him throwing electrical charges, I fixed the place then took off out the door, unfreezing them on my way out.”
And then my delirium must’ve taken over. “Tell me what happened after I appeared in your car.”
“You told me to grab your phone from your pocket,”
he continued, his voice quieter now, “and call Kyson. You couldn’t even hold yourself up. If you didn’t have the whole wing thing going on, I would’ve driven you to the hospital.”
Thank fuck he hadn’t taken me. I would not only have been caught in the sunlight but the doctors would’ve discovered some eye-opening facts about my genetic makeup and blood. I still had no clue how I’d ended up in the car but was glad it was Dane I’d gone to since he’d already seen my wings.
I wasn’t worried about any blood samples that might have been removed from Dane’s car. Sheriff Whitmore would know to destroy them.
“Go on.”
I curled my arms tighter around him, inhaling his scent. It settled in my lungs, causing my cock to harden. Everything about the male kept me in a constant state of arousal. It was as if my libido stayed in overdrive.
Dane scooted closer to me. “Kyson showed up. Scared the crap out of me, by the way. I still don’t understand how his skinny butt managed to lift you.”
I raised a brow. “Are you saying I’m big ?”
His laughter was soft, teasing. “I’m saying Kyson must secretly bench press trucks. Anyway, after he showed up, Kyson created a shimmer—which was another thing that freaked me out but also fascinated me—and shoved me through it, following right behind me.”
A wave of gratitude surged through me. I didn’t deserve Kyson’s kindness.
Dane slid his leg over me like he was stepping over a landmine. I watched him, suppressing a grin as he bit his lip and wiggled a little before sitting on my waist.
“You’re big in more ways than one.”
He winked.
I grinned like a fool. “I hope you’re not just using my gut as a chair.”
I palmed his ass, squeezing lightly. “If you are, the lever to the recliner is right behind you.”
“Is the lever made out of flesh?”
He lowered, settling his crossed arms over my chest then rested his chin on them.
Dane’s relaxed pose felt more intimate than any moment I’d had with a previous lover.
I caught the back of his neck and pulled him toward me. “Why don’t you reach back and find out?”
I murmured.
His lips were warm, pliant, and utterly intoxicating. My hands slid over his back, exploring the supple expanse of skin, trailing my fingers over a few scars before finally settling on his hips. A low growl escaped me as he shifted them, brushing against my hard cock.
Dane pulled back just enough to murmur, “Your lever is trying to wedge between my cheeks.”
“It has an impeccable homing beacon.”
I cupped his ass, reveling in the way he softly gasped. “Lift your gorgeous backside, sweetheart.”
When he did, I guided the head of my cock to his hole. My pre-cum spurted against his entrance, bathing it as I stole another kiss. It was a slow burn, lips parting just enough to taste him, his breath mingling with mine in the stillness.
Dane pulled away, braced one hand on my chest, then began to slowly impale himself. The heat was almost too much, a tight, consuming pressure that made me grit my teeth against the surge of pleasure. He paused when he’d taken me fully, his breathing uneven as his body adjusted.
“Definitely big,”
he panted.
I didn’t move. Then he began to roll his hips in seduction. The sight of him—head tilted back, lips parted, his lean body moving with unguarded abandon—burned into my memory. I was hopelessly ensnared.
“You’re incredible,”
I breathed, and he opened his eyes, a shy smile curving his lips.
Dane shifted, planting both hands on my chest, his back arching as he quickened the pace. His movements were fluid, sensual, the sight of him completely unrestrained igniting something primal in me.
With a growl, I rolled us, pinning him beneath me, relentlessly driving my cock into his sweet ass. His legs curled around my waist, his heels digging into my back as he matched every thrust. His cries of pleasure caused my wings to unfurl, my fangs to lengthen, and my vision to turn crimson.
The scent of him, the way his body clenched around me, was everything. I felt my control slipping, and I welcomed it. I sank my fangs into the tender curve of his neck. His shout of ecstasy echoed through the room as his body shuddered, his seed spilling between our slick bodies.
The taste of his blood, rich and heady, pushed me over the edge. My climax crashed through me as my cock pulsed inside of his ass, my growls muffled against his skin. I licked the marks closed, kissing the spot softly.
When I eased out of his body, I was boneless.
We lay tangled together, our breaths mingling in the quiet aftermath. Dane’s hand ghosted over my bicep. “Kyson asked me to stop by tomorrow. He said Richard’s making a lemon meringue pie.”
I chuckled softly, grateful that Kyson was healing. “How’s he doing?”
His smile wavered. “He’s... dealing.”
My fingers remained against his skin, my pulse racing from what I wanted to say to him. My lips parted, but no sound came. Instead, I dipped my head, pressing a kiss to the curve of his neck then to his shoulder, stalling for time until I found the courage.
Three little words. You can say them.
“Dane...”
I cleared my throat. “I...”
Shit! The words tangled in my throat like they were afraid to escape. “You mean everything to me. And I…”
If I cleared my throat one more time… “We fit, you know?”
I exhaled a growl, frustrated as fuck with myself. How could I defeat armies yet struggle to tell someone how I truly felt about them? My jaw tightened, but before I could push through, his hand came up to cup my face, grounding me.
“I think what you’re trying to say is ‘I love you.’”
Dane graced me with the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. His eyes sparkled, filled with radiance and vulnerability. His thumb traced along my cheekbone, his touch tender. “I love you, Malachi Winterhaven.”
My chest loosened, the tension melting away as if his words had snapped the final thread holding me back. I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. “I... love you, too, little warrior.”
The words were quiet, raw, but they carried the weight of everything I felt toward him.
I pulled him closer, kissing him fervently, tasting the deep connection between two people in that moment.
When we finally pulled back, I smirked, my hand sliding to rest against his chest. “Do you mind if I steal your heart?”
My smirk turned into a wide grin. It was a call back to when we’d met, when I asked if I could sit with him. Not my best, but I was never going to be a poet.
Dane threw his head back and laughed, the sound carrying the ease of pure joy. He hugged me tightly, grinning as our gazes met. “You already have, my dark prince.”
THE END