9. Mébh
Silence.
Gray had misted us somewhere that smelled stale, like the place had been closed up for a long time. I cracked open my eyes and looked around. We were in another lush apartment with light streaming in under the closed curtains, informing me it was likely afternoon wherever we were now.
“Where are we?” I asked tentatively, still reeling from the discussion we had, the kiss, Gray’s returning memories, the stag-horned demon’s shocking appearance and then misting out. There was a lot that had happened in such a short bit of time.
“London,” Gray replied, eyes sweeping the room with a glower. “I own this flat.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. “How many places do you own?”
“Not sure. I just remembered this place.” He dropped my hand and went to the hearth and scooped a finger along it. He then examined the level of dust that came away with disdain. I instantly missed the heat of him and couldn’t help but think of the moment we kissed. It had set me on fire and there were still embers burning. Embers I was trying to ignore, having been presented with a new location.
“That’s handy you remembered it,” I quipped.
He nodded, still looking at his finger, then returned to scanning the room, seeming to scrutinize every little detail. For it supposedly being his flat, he didn’t look like he recognized it.
When he turned around, his jeans had a perfectly round hole in them where his tail had sprung from. Oh Moon Goddess, that tail. I went weak-kneed just thinking about how good it had felt wrapped around me. The control he exuded when that appendage locked me in place. Then we had been interrupted by memories returning to Gray and that stupid demon misting in. “Do you have any idea how that demon found us in your apartment?” I asked.
“I suspect Warwick has the gift of being able to track misting,” Gray rumbled over his shoulder, still touring the room.
“Warwick?”
“I believe that is his name.”
If he could track us from one Earth location to another so easily, what was going to stop him from doing it again? “So he can follow us here too?” I asked, alarmed.
“He might, but the dagger I hit him with is imbued with angel blood. It will handicap powers until the wound heals. The leftover misting signature won’t be traceable by that time in theory. We won’t be staying here long either. Only a night. It’s too dangerous staying in one location now.”
I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Gray couldn’t go back to his Portland home now since his enemies had found him and we were effectively on the run. And they had found him at a concert I had insisted he take me to. I hung my head. “I’m sorry you can’t go back and that I insisted on going to the concert.”
He swung his head in my direction, his expression stoic. “This was inevitable. The demon army would have found me eventually. It was a miracle I was able to stay hidden there as long as I was.”
I nodded at his attempt at making me feel better, but I still felt bad.
“I’m going to check the rest of the flat.” He made a sweeping gesture. “Stay here,” he added firmly before he misted from sight.
Looking around again, I quickly identified a similar decorating style and color palette to Gray’s Portland apartment. Comfortable couches surrounded a large ornate fireplace. A flatscreen was mounted on the wall above the fireplace. Unlike the apartment back in Portland, personal items covered the walls and surfaces. Frilly bright-colored throw pillows decorated the couches and flamboyant knickknacks covered all surfaces. It looked much more feminine in nature, and the place didn’t smell like Gray’s burning-wood scent—it smelled vaguely floral. The building the flat was in had to be old just from some of its design features, like the intricate doors, Victorian fireplace face, and ornate molding details on the ceiling.
A big window made up the majority of one wall, but the curtains were drawn. I wanted to see what the view was like. I was in another freaking country. Would there be greenery? A view of old buildings? Was the flat on the first floor or higher? I had so many questions. Curiosity got the better of me.
Standing up, I marched to the window and grabbed the edge of the fabric. I pulled it back slightly while still hiding behind the curtain—I was naked after all. Not that it bothered me in the least; werewolves didn’t mind nudity, as it was part of shifting. My jaw dropped at the sight before me: the city of London. Like literally the heart of it. We were several stories up. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament could be seen to the left, with Westminster Abbey visible to the right. There were honks from cabs on the streets below. For winter, it was a rare sunny day, but it looked cold. Many of the humans walking the streets were bundled up. I giggled with excitement. I couldn’t wait to see more of London and experience the city firsthand.
Gray suddenly reappeared in the middle of the room. I felt his powerful presence more than I saw him, and I reluctantly closed the curtain, wanting to study the city and people more. He crossed to me and draped a blue flannel over my shoulders. He was trying to make me feel more comfortable. “Thank you, but nudity doesn’t bother me. Werewolves aren’t shy about our bodies.”
“I know. Jenny made that clear once. This is so your body stops distracting me.” His eyes flashed silver as he said it.
“Oh really?” I giggled and only slid my arms into the sleeves, leaving the middle still gaping open. “There.”
He growled, fangs dropping into place. “Not good enough.”
I sighed heavily, laying it on thick. “Fine, fine.” For his sake, I buttoned a few. “Now, what’s wrong?” I asked, straightening up again. The way tension rolled off him, I knew something major was up, and it wasn’t anything to do with my clothing or lack thereof.
He gnashed his teeth together and looked away. “I’ve discovered why the memory of this place was hidden from my mind.”
“You mean, why Lethe hid it from you?”
“Yes. Come,” he replied with a wave of his hand.
I followed him through the only door into a tiny hallway. The demon took up the majority of the space, and I was only too aware of how close in proximity we were to each other. Three more doors led off the opposite side of the hallway, a kitchen was visible through an archway at the end of the hall, and the other end had the apartment door and entryway.
Gray pointed to the furthest door on the left across the hall. “That’s my bedroom, and this one is the bathroom,” he said, indicating the next door across the way from us. I nodded along as we moved down the hall to the third door. “This room was a guest room, as far as I remember.” But when he opened the door, it revealed a mess. Every surface had girly crap on it: figurines, make-up, nail polish, perfume. The bed in the center of the room was bright pink, unmade, had stuffed animals and pillows everywhere, and was strewn with female clothing. A closet door hung open, and only a few items remained hanging haphazardly. Most were black monk-like robes from a bygone era—odd. High-heeled shoes were strewn across the closet floor.
My Wolf growled with no reasonable explanation.
“What’s this?” I asked him, trying to understand why my Wolf was having such a visceral reaction.
“Lethe’s crap,” he snarled through gritted teeth. I swear I heard his jaw pop from how hard he clenched it. “She erased this place from my mind in order to take it for herself.”
These were the possessions of the demoness who fucked with Gray’s mind. No wonder my Wolf disliked this. “Is that who decorated the living room with the throw pillows and other knickknacks? They weren’t very ‘you,’ I noticed.”
Gray growled softly, his upper lip pulling back, and he glared around the room as if it had offended him. He was furious, and I didn’t blame him one bit. The demoness who stole his memories had stolen his property as well. That had to feel like a double violation.
He abruptly turned and stalked away. I hurried to follow, not really sure what his next plan was. He stormed into the kitchen and began checking the fridge and cabinets. The fridge smelled rancid and most of the shelf-stable items were covered in a fine layer of dust. Nobody had been here in months, which made sense if Gray had killed the demoness several months ago.
He pulled out a can of beans and a tin of SPAM from the cabinet’s meager options.
“No way. I am not eating canned fucking meat,” I snapped. I was hungry and my stomach growled loudly right then. Damn mortal stomach. “Can’t you mist down to the pizza place or something? I’d ask if you could just order food online, but you’re the crypt keeper and don’t have a damned cell phone.”
Gray reared up to his full height and glared down his nose at me. “After getting caught out and about in Portland and being followed home, I’d planned for us to lie low inside. And I am not the crypt keeper; I am practical—cell phones don’t work in Hell dimensions without magic.”
“So there will be no touring the city, I take it?” I asked, my disappointment obvious.
“Oh hells bells. No!” he practically shouted.
That was when the rage spiraled. My Wolf rose and fought for control as anger pulsed through me. “You’re so controlling. I just want to experience a bit of the city. I’ve never been out of the country before, and knowing my pack, I never will again!” I practically stomped my foot in frustration.
“That doesn’t mean it’s safe to go gallivanting around. I have a fucking demon army after me.” He gestured to himself frantically.
“So what? You can protect me. You’ve kept me safe this entire time!”
“I don’t want to have to protect you. I know you can keep control if you really try, but even if you could fight back, too, I just can’t guarantee your safety if Nicodemus finds us again.”
We stood toe to toe, seething at one another, seemingly at an impasse.
I placed my hand on Gray’s chest and felt him shudder under my palm. It touched me deeply how much he cared about my safety. If anger wouldn’t get in my way, then perhaps another angle would. “I would love it if you would give me a tour of the city, Gray.” I purred the words, and my Wolf calmed.
He snarled and looked away. I thought that was it. He wasn’t going to budge on this, but then he suddenly let out a long, loud sigh and turned back to meet my eyes intently. “If I take you to see the city, do you promise not to leave my side?”
Shocked, I immediately replied, “Yes, yes, of course! I promise!”
He looked at me skeptically, with an eyebrow raised, waiting for...
“I promise not to leave your side,” I hastily added.
“Good,” he rumbled. “No excuses, no chasing werewolves. You do what I say, and we go where I say we go.”
“Yes. I promise. We can get food then.” I was already plotting to raid Lethe’s closet for something to wear. She wouldn’t be needing any of those items anymore. They were up for grabs as far as I was concerned, even if my Wolf would be less than thrilled about her smell. Hopefully one of the perfumes would help mask it. “Can I go get ready?”
“Fine, do whatever you need to do,” he replied.
Stalking from the kitchen, I went right back to the guest room Lethe had claimed. I picked out an off the shoulder sweater in navy blue from the bed and found some black leggings that should fit, then dived into her shoe collection. Unfortunately, the shoes were all two sizes too big, but I found some black boots with extra buckles in the back of the closet. I was able to stuff some socks into the toes to make them fit.
By a chest of drawers, I paused when a black-and-white picture set caught my eye. The two photos were framed and hinged together, and it opened like a book. It reminded me of an old Victorian portrait set. On the right, a little girl in a frilly dress stared out with a serious expression. On the left, a teenage male half smiled. He wore armor and had big white wings behind him. I doubled back to look at the little girl and realized some of what I thought were the frills of her dress were tiny white wings from her back instead. The images were old and difficult to see in black and white, but the similarity in facial structures told me they were siblings.
I had to guess this was a young angel Lethe before she would have been cast out of heaven and an older brother. I reached forward and picked it up to get a closer look. Scrawled on the back of the frame on the male’s side were the words “Till we meet again” and then it was signed: “Aiden.”
It made me wonder whether he was still an angel. Or had he fallen too? Did he know of Lethe’s death? Did he care? I didn’t know what angel family life was like. They had clearly been close at one point for him to have given her this and for her to have saved it. I set the frame back down where I had found it with a certain reverence.
I adjusted my armful of clothing, bent down to grab the boots, and exited the room. I headed to the bathroom down the hall and refocused on my original goal: teasing the demon. There was no way I was missing this shower opportunity to tease him more, just like I did in Portland. I set the clothing on the counter, the boots on the ground, and left the door open on purpose as I went to turn the water on.
The bathroom was lavish, yet old-fashioned, and much smaller than the fancy en-suite bathroom back at the Portland apartment. There was barely enough room for a toilet, sink, and single shower stall, which had frosted glass forming three sides of the shower booth.
Small, but I could work with this.
I unbuttoned the flannel and slid it from my shoulders as the water was warming up.
Is it time to tease the demon mercilessly?Yes, I think it was.
Gray had heard me the last time I masturbated in the shower after he’d held me down to masturbate on me, and he had been helpless not to watch. Then we had made out so recently, my lips still tingled at the memory. What would it take to get him to act on his desires again? Better yet, blow past his stupid reservations and just accept what we were. Mates.
I found an unopened bar of soap under the sink—much better than the crusty thing left in the shower stall. The shampoo and conditioner smelled like Lethe, so when I found a bottle of Old Spice two-in-one that had to have been Gray’s, I set it in the shower for use.
Once the water heated, I stepped under the spray. After washing myself, I washed and conditioned my hair with the two-in-one. I was used to showering and doing my hair every morning after pack training for school, but as it turned out, I found it refreshing to not have access to all the post-shower products, the straightener, and the make-up I usually used. It was like I was creating a new me—all that stuff was high school and looking a certain way for my classmates. But I was done with school, and I was miraculously in freaking London with my fated mate. I was going to make the most of every experience and wasn’t going back to being the same old Mébh. I already felt myself changing for the better. If only that change included better control over my rage and Wolf.
I needed to convince Gray to stop resisting everything we could be together. Kissing was one thing—it got the embers lit—but I needed more. I needed an inferno. And so did he.
This shower head was built in, so there would be no water-generated clit action this time. Luckily, I was just as comfortable stroking myself; it’s what I did nightly. Werewolves were horny creatures.
My hand traveled down between my legs, and I softly caressed my clit, getting the blood flowing. With my other hand, I pinched a nipple, hard, and imagined it was Gray’s sharp demonic teeth biting into me. I let out a low, gasping moan as pleasure zinged, and I could smell the scent of my arousal beginning to permeate the air.
I began flicking my clit harder and switched to pinching my other nipple. I groaned loudly, laying it on thick, knowing he would hear me from anywhere in the apartment with his supernatural ability.
I adjusted my hand and sunk a finger into my wet folds, imagining it was Gray’s strong fingers instead. I continued rubbing my clit with the heel of my hand as I fingered myself. I was panting by now as more pleasure built, promising this to be a decent orgasm, at least as good as one could have while doing it themselves. But the point of this was to torment Gray, to tease him into action. Getting off was just a bonus.
“Gray,” I moaned loudly, now imagining him pressing me back against the shower wall and shoving his big cock into me. Whatever piercing he had only made me more interested, plus his sheer size.
I just barely caught his scent and felt his power ripple through the air. I’d gotten the demon’s attention. He had to be lurking just outside the open door now, tormented by the scent and sounds of my arousal, just as I’d planned.
Suddenly my demon filled the bathroom door space, his energy crackling. He heaved, his now naked, muscle-packed chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. I suspected I’d caught him in the middle of getting ready to take me out on the town. He had taken all his clothing off except for his jeans. His eyes were now silver, his horns were growing straight up and lengthening, and his teeth were sharp, his fangs descended. His tail flicked erratically behind him. He was turning more demonic right before my eyes, muscles bulging.
He glared at me for a moment, hunger, lust, and suspicion warring in his eyes. I stood frozen, staring back at him through the spray of water and frosted glass. Then he snarled and grabbed the shower door, damn near ripping it from its hinges as he flung it open. His silver eyes glowed and his power filled the air. He abruptly knelt in front of me, getting completely doused in water. He didn’t seem to care. His clawed fingers slid up my thighs seductively, and my belly clenched with need. He looked up at me, stuck his tongue out, and it split into that fork. Then he set upon me, feasting between my legs, eating me out as if his life depended on it.
I was suddenly awash in sensation. Every nerve ending came screaming back to life. He tongued both sides of my clit simultaneously with that forked tongue and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
“Grayyyyyyy,” I moaned amidst my Wolf’s howl of elation, and reached forward to grasp the nearest things to me for balance—two of the lengthening stag-like protrusions extending from the growing ram’s horns. He growled against my clit, and it only turned me on more. The horns felt oddly warm for what I was expecting. Solid. Textured and strong. Right. So different from that Minotaur’s. These were my mate’s horns—no imposter’s.
His tail grazed up my thigh and wound around it, locking me in place against him, and I loved it. I rode his face, using his horns to guide his forked tongue’s ministrations. He paused to retract the sharp claws of two of his fingers before continuing, then fed those digits up inside me, hitting just the right spot. He stroked me mercilessly. Groans left my mouth at a rapid pace. I was shooting upward, the pleasure building.
All too soon, my orgasm came crashing over me before I could stop it. I couldn’t help but scream as Gray’s fingers probed my G-spot expertly, and that forked tongue worked my clit to perfection. I went flying into the cosmos and was lost to all else as sensation bombarded all my senses.
I basked in the afterglow, but all too soon Gray stood up. He pulled me harshly against his rigid frame. The water cascaded over both of us as his lips met mine in a frenzy. It was delicious and wet as he devoured me. That was the only way to describe it. He dominated me and I only wanted more. Our tongues tangled together, but in the next moment, he was ending it, pushing me away from him. The yearning in his eyes stole my breath. He wanted this. He wanted it all and more. But the hunger remained as he pushed away, grabbed his head like before—when some of his memories returned—and misted from sight.