Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
SIN
I fought the urge to let my grin slip as Merri stared me down, arms crossed under her ample breasts, challenge blazing in her eyes.
“You’re cute.”
She huffed. “Stop deflecting. Tell me, Sin. I deserve to know what’s going on. Unless you’re lying and I really am your captive.”
The weight of my exhaustion still sat on my shoulders, even after feeding in Lilith’s lair. Sips weren’t enough to replenish what Hel had taken from us. I needed more. Cocking one brow, I let my focus trail down Merri’s body, soaking up the sensuality she radiated. Fuck, she was made for me. A luscious hourglass, plenty to hold on to, and I hadn’t even gotten to her face yet. Angelic was the word that came to mind. Plump lips, pink cheeks, brilliant blue eyes. A smattering of freckles that were somehow both innocent and alluring. She was a delightful contradiction. The perfect blend of sinful and sweet. I wanted to devour her.
A furrow formed between her brows. “Are you okay? Are you having a seizure or something? I had this friend once who had absent seizures. They looked a lot like whatever you’ve got going on right now.”
I cleared my throat and turned away from her, adjusting the rapidly growing erection in my jeans as I did. “I’m fine. Just... I need a fucking drink. You thirsty?”
“Uh, sure.”
I made my way over to Grim’s bar cart, snagging the decanter of Brimstone whiskey and liberally pouring us both a glass.
Her eyes widened when I turned with the nearly full highball glasses in hand.
“I thought you meant water.”
I snickered. “There’s some ice in there.”
She rolled her lips between her teeth and mutely shook her head.
When Lilith had mentioned her ward, my curiosity had been piqued. What sort of creature could tempt someone as innately selfish as the original demon to take her under her protection? I was sure there was some element of blackmail involved, but after seeing Merri, I got it.
There was just something about her.
She’s a succubus, you dumbass. You know exactly what it is. She’s literally made to give you a hard-on so she can feed.
“So, you want to know why you’re here,” I said before knocking back a swallow of whiskey.
“We’ve established that.”
“I’m surprised you don’t already know after your time at Blackwood.”
She flinched in surprise. “What does any of this have to do with Blackwood? Also, how the hell do you know I was there?”
I reclaimed my seat from earlier, falling into a comfortable sprawl and draining the remaining contents of my glass. The burn of liquor was welcome as I held her stare with a pointed lift of my brow.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Okay, so Lilith told you. That still doesn’t answer my first question. What does Blackwood have to do with me being in enough danger to warrant four dickhead kidnappers as bodyguards?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her description. It wasn’t that far off, and kidnapping was the very least of our collective sins. “Do you have any idea the number of women who’d eagerly take your place?”
Her lip curled back in a sneer. “I’ll go ahead and add delusional to the list. No woman in her right mind wants to be taken hostage.”
“My observation stands. You’re cute.” Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on my thighs and focused on her. “We didn’t kidnap you. We’re keeping you protected.”
“You’ve said that. But from whom? Barely anyone knows I exist.”
“The legions of hell are hunting for you, Meredith Deveraux.”
Her expression blanked before she threw her head back and laughed. “Say I believe you. What could possibly make the four of you qualified to protect me from the ‘legions of hell’?” The latter she said in an obnoxious imitation of my voice with over-exaggerated air quotes as emphasis.
Standing to my full height, I closed the distance between us and took her by the hand, sending a pulse of my power into her. The way my head immediately swam told me it was power I couldn’t afford to waste, but I had a point to make.
Her eyes flared and locked on mine.
“Because we’re the fucking horsemen of the apocalypse, kitten. No one starts the end of the world without us.”
Her lips parted on a silent gasp. Whatever she’d expected me to say, it definitely hadn’t been that.
“The four...” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and I couldn’t help but envision that little pink tip doing the same to mine. She swallowed and tried again. “You’re the four horsemen?”
Still holding her hand, I dipped into a courtly bow. “At your service, sweetheart.”
Any surprise she’d initially felt was carefully hidden as she studied me. I had to admit she was handling her current situation much better than I’d expected. Though I suppose having Lilith as a de facto mother would tend to put things in a much different perspective.
“So which one are you then? Ringo?”
I feigned offense. “Excuse me? I’m a lead singer, baby. Not a fucking drummer. We’ll leave that to Malice.”
“The four horsemen are my bodyguards,” she mused, not really speaking to me at all. “What did I do to deserve this much attention? I’ve barely even lived.”
“Hell needs you to finalize the apocalypse. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Fuck, I was stretching the truth here, but I couldn’t tell her we planned to fuck her until she was knocked up in order to keep that from happening. Something told me this little succubus needed seducing before that happened.
“Hell needs me to finalize the apocalypse,” she repeated slowly, drawing the statement out like she was testing each word and searching for hidden meaning. Then she blinked and held her palm up. “Wait, you’re trying to stop the apocalypse? Isn’t that like... your shtick? Your sole reason for existing? Why would you want to stop it?”
“Because we weren’t the ones to start it.”
Confusion flickered in her eyes. “If not you, then who?”
I sighed. “It’s complicated. But for now, do you believe me when I say you’re not a prisoner here? We want you safe. The world needs you safe.”
The cutest little furrow appeared between her brows as she processed my explanation. “But why? Does it really matter that much to you that you get credit for ending the world?”
“This isn’t about credit.”
Though, it sort of was, because had it been us doing the heralding, we wouldn’t be here. And after the way Hel had used us, there was certainly an element of revenge that was fueling our intervention.
“So what then? Is there like a prophecy or something?”
I latched on to the excuse and nodded. “Yup. Exactly. You’re the chosen one.”
The way she rolled her eyes had me itching to put her in her place. Under me, with my hand around her throat while I made her come and we both fed.
“I don’t want to be chosen. I’ve seen Buffy. I know what happens to the chosen one. She dies in the end. Twice.”
“That’s why we’re here, kitten. To ensure the only kind of deaths you experience are the little ones,” I said with a wink.
The flush creeping across her cheeks betrayed how my words affected her, but she held my stare, refusing to look away.
“If you want, anyway.” I shrugged and turned away, taking a few steps toward the hall. She’d follow. There was no doubt in my mind. I was the king of the long game and with women like her, playing hard to get was the only way to get her interested.
“Well,” she breathed from behind me.
Like clockwork.
“Yes, kitten?”
“A girl has to eat.”
Now I was the one trying to disguise the effect her words had on my body. “I should warn you, the others get a little testy about being on the menu. But I’m sure if you play your cards right, you’ll find a couple takers.”
“No need. That’s what camming is for.” She stopped short. “I’m going to need my computer. And Wi-Fi.”
“That’s Malice’s territory. You’ll have to take it up with him.”
She cocked her head. “A hacker horseman? I don’t remember that from the book of Revelations.”
“You’d be surprised how . . . adaptable we are.”
There was a lot more to the story than that, but I wasn’t about to get into it with her. She had enough to worry about, and there were some secrets one didn’t divulge on the first date. Or ever.
“Would I?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t come up with any other retort. She’d knocked me off my game. Fuck.
“Where are you taking me? Is there a point to this little stroll?” Impatience bled from every word.
“I figured you’d want to see your room. Unless you’d like to stay in mine. I’m sure we could entertain each other.”
“No, thank you. I’ll stick to my own space.”
“Your loss,” I said, tossing a little wink over my shoulder. “If you change your mind, I’m just a next door, and I’m a world-class cuddler.”
“I won’t. Thanks.”
Opening the bedroom door, I gestured for her to enter before me and waited until she was fully inside before joining her.
“Welcome to Grim’s guest suite. You should have everything you need to keep you comfortable. Egyptian cotton sheets, a bathtub built for two, a walk-in closet fully stocked with designer clothes in your size, every beauty product you could ask for, and unlimited streaming on every service available. You shouldn’t be bored.”
She took in the room before turning to face me with an unimpressed look. “If you don’t set me up with my computer, boredom will be the least of my worries. I refuse to starve myself, Sin. I have to be able to work.”
Now this was an opening I could work with.
Not that I’d ever met one I couldn’t, if you know what I mean.
“No one said you have to starve, kitten. If you’re hungry, I’m right here. I don’t mind lending a helping hand.”
I reached behind me and tugged my shirt off in the way the ladies loved, then went for my belt.
“What the hell are you doing? I don’t even know you.”
“I’m gonna feed you, obviously. How do you want it? You on top? Me on top? A little light choking? I can work with pretty much anything.”
“None of the above, thanks.”
I blinked at her. “I don’t understand. You just said you need to feed.” I pointed to myself. “I’m a guaranteed five-course meal, darling. I dare you to find better.”
What the fuck was happening? Everyone wanted me. Always. No one rejected me. Ever.
“I’m . . . uh . . . sex is off the table, Sin. I don’t feed that way.”
“What do you mean? Of course you feed that way. That’s how we feed.”
“Not me. I’m celibate.”
I started laughing, great heaving guffaws that had tears streaming from my eyes. “Fuck, you really had me going there, kitten. That’s fucking hilarious.”
She wasn’t laughing with me. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
I sobered and blinked at her. “Sorry, I don’t think we’re speaking the same language. You’re a succubus. You can’t be celibate.”
Her eyes narrowed in challenge. “Yeah, I can. And I assure you, I am. Your dick isn’t getting anywhere near me. Now if you could please get dressed and get out of my room, I’d appreciate it. Tell Malice I need my stuff set up sooner rather than later. You don’t want me to lose control and accidentally drain you all.”
Stunned, I picked up my shirt and sort of staggered out of the room, barely paying attention as I shut the door behind me.
What the fuck just happened?
Celibate? That was a damn plot twist.
How the hell were we supposed to knock her up if her lady garden was locked up tighter than the pearly gates?
“Well, you look like day-old rubbish,” Malice said as he slipped out of the shadows and into the hallway. “Did she already take you for a ride?”
I shook my head. “Um, about that. We’ve got a problem.”