Ecstasy Unveiled
Lore had always believed that when it came to sex, the more the merrier. Too bad for him that when "more" meant more than just himself, people tended to die.
So what the hell was he doing in bed with a curvy liquor store clerk he'd picked up while on his third tequila run in as many days?
Sure, technically, he wasn't in bed. He was standing at the foot of the human-looking demon's California King, pounding into her from behind as she kneeled on the mattress, moaning through her fourth orgasm.
Pressure built in his balls and his shaft throbbed with the need to blow, but no matter what he did, he couldn't ignite. He gripped her hips harder, thrust deeper. Faster.
Nothing.
He lifted her so her knees came off the bed, giving him absolute control as he ground against her with feverish gyrations.
Still nothing.
Sweat streamed down his face, and his lungs burned with the force of his panting breaths.
"Come on, baby," the female -- he thought her name was April &hellip; or May &hellip; maybe June -- cried. She bucked, consumed by yet another climax, and then dropped her head in exhaustion, her flaxen hair pooling on the black satin sheets.
She was pretty -- not as pretty as Gem, but then, no one was. Lore shook the image of the Goth half-Soulshredder doctor out of his head, because she was in love with a human jerk named Kynan, and Lore hadn't truly had a shot with her anyway.
That he couldn't climax because he was worried about snuffing this mystery species demon chick was really fucking funny considering that he killed for money, with no qualms, no regrets, and there were definitely worse ways to go than death-by-orgasm.
But Gem seemed to have opened up a vein in him, one that ran with pansy-ass feelings instead of blood. And in truth, there was a reason he hadn't had sex in decades, even though his Seminus breeding gave him the over-whelming need to screw every female who crossed his path. Fortunately for him, his human side allowed him to handle those urges himself, unlike purebred Sems who had to have a female partner or die.
When Lore had female partners, they died.
With a frustrated roar, he tore himself away from AprilMayJune and fisted his cock in his gloved hand. His release was hard and fast &hellip; and, as expected, no more satisfying than if he'd been by himself. And now, with nothing to distract him, he couldn't ignore the handprint-shaped welt that burned on his chest.
Lore had to go. No more stalling. After three weeks of avoidance -- mainly to piss off his boss -- it was time to take his punishment like a man. Well, a half-man, half-incubus.
The female rolled over, watched him with drowsy eyes. He still wasn't sure why he'd fallen off the celibacy wagon for her, except maybe for the fact that she'd been in the right place, right time when he'd gotten yet another text from Eidolon, M.D. Christ, the guy just had to include the M.D. in his signature, as if the entire underworld didn't know what he was.
The reminder that his brother was a respected doctor who saved lives, while Lore was nothing but a low-life half-breed killer, had sent him into a destructive, down-ward spiral that involved a lot of alcohol and a proposition for AprilMayJune.
Still, he was eventually going to have to face Eidolon and his other brothers again, no matter what Lore had promised his sister, because he had a feeling that if his newfound brothers wanted to find him, they would. And they didn't seem like the types to respect space and privacy.
"I told you I'm not in season," AprilMayJune said, her voice sleepy with sexual satiation. "I can't get pregnant."
"Did it escape your notice that I was the one chained up when you arrived?"
Grinning, Sin folded her hands over her abs. "He got one over on you, didn't he? Must have pissed you the hell off."
It had. Up until the point where he'd given her the most intense orgasm of her life. "Of course not. I let him restrain me."
"Right." Sin raked her gaze over Idess. "You so look like you're into bondage."
"How else do you explain his trying to keep you from killing me?"
Sin narrowed her eyes. "Cut the shit. What was going on? I know you're protecting Kynan, so why not just kill Lore?"
"That's a good question." Eidolon strode into the room, and Sin leaped to her feet. Idess fought the urge to do the same, even though she knew Lore was out of danger. "He's going to be fine, Sin." He sounded better than he had when he was with Shade, but he looked worse. From his wildly grooved hair that spoke of a lot of fingers raking through it, to the dark circles under his eyes and his rumpled clothes, he was a mess. "And you," he said to Idess. "What's going on?"
There was no point in lying. Lore knew the truth, and maybe if she got on Sin and Eidolon's good sides -- assuming Sin had a good side -- she'd get some help. Earn some trust.
"I have to protect him," she said, meeting Eidolon's gaze levelly. "He's Primori like Kynan."
"I don't understand this Primori thing," Sin said. "But right now, I don't care. I need to see him." She started past Eidolon, but he caught her by the arm, and Idess wondered if Sin's Seminus power killed as the nurse had said Lore's did.
"Out of the question. He's recovering and needs rest."
"Fuck you." Sin jerked out of his grip. "I'm going to see him."
"Sin." Eidolon's voice cracked like thunder in the small room. "You can't."
Idess's heart stuttered. "This isn't about his recovery, is it?"
"What's she talking about?" Sin demanded.
"They're going to keep him here," Idess said, speaking to Sin but not taking her gaze off Eidolon. "Restrained. And you can't see him because he's afraid you'll set him free. Isn't that right, doctor?"
Sin settled into a fighting stance, fists clenched, body leaning aggressively forward. "You bastard."
"I don't have a choice, Sin." Eidolon rubbed his eyes with one hand, working his fingers and thumb so hard Idess expected to see blood. "We'll work something out. Just give me a day to talk to him. Think this through. We'll come up with a plan that works for all of us."
Idess stood. "Let's give him twenty-four hours." She squeezed Sin's shoulder and hoped she'd get the message. Humor him.
"Fine," Sin growled. "But at the end of the day, you had better set him free." She wrenched away from Idess and slammed out of the room, leaving Idess alone with Eidolon, who stared at the door.
"This is a fucking nightmare," he muttered.
"You feel like you've betrayed your brothers."
He swung around to her. "I haven't betrayed anyone."
"That's not how Shade sees it." Out of nowhere, Idess pictured Rami and wondered if he knew what she'd done. Did he understand, or was he as furious as Shade?
"What do you know about that?"
"I overheard you arguing in the hall."
Eidolon's vile curse accompanied a violent adjustment of the stethoscope around his neck. "Shade doesn't get it. No one has to die."
"But you've still lost a brother." Emotion made her voice rough, and she recognized that same misery in the demon doctor's eyes. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to fight to keep a brother, and then lose him anyway."
"Then you know why I have to keep Lore safe. Now more than ever."
Yes, she did. If Wraith sided with Shade, Lore would be all Eidolon had left. Losing him meant he'd gone through all this hell with his other brothers for nothing.
"Shade could come around," she said in a quiet voice. "There's still hope. What's the saying &hellip; time heals all wounds?"
Eidolon laughed bitterly. "Doctors heal wounds. Time? All that does is allow wounds to fester."
As he walked away, all Idess could do was pray he wasn't right, because if he was, she could only imagine what five hundred years of festering could have done to Rami.
Con shoved to his feet. "As much as I'd like to help you out, Doc, I can't do what you're asking." Sure, he'd tasted Sin's blood before -- and it had been damned good -- but that was exactly why he couldn't do it again.
"I get that she's not your favorite person -- "
"He said he can't do it," Lore growled. "Let it go, E."
Eidolon shook his head. "Unfortunately, there's no let it go option. This might be our only shot at a fast solution."
"I don't understand." At some point, Sin had produced a throwing knife and was now flipping it between her fingers, and Con had a feeling the speed directly related to her level of agitation. The sucker was flipping fast. "What do you mean, a solution?"
Eidolon tapped his finger on one of the papers on his desk, where he'd scrawled a lengthy column of numbers. "I can't inject the amount of your blood we need to destroy the virus into Conall without killing him. He needs to ingest it. As a dhampire, he has a double-chambered stomach to deliver blood almost directly into the bloodstream. So if my calculations are correct, a normal feeding will allow him to take in enough blood to start attacking the virus. Once that's done -- "
"I can use my gift to learn the composition of his blood and replicate it inside someone who is diseased," Sin said.
"Exactly." Eidolon grinned. "Told you that you should be working here instead of as an assassin."
"Bite me," she snapped.
Eidolon gestured to Conall. "That'll be his job."
"No," Con said grimly. "It won't. It's not that I don't want to help. But there has to be another way."
"I agree." Sin came to her feet, her blue-black hair swishing angrily around her waist. "I don't let anyone fang me."
You let me, you little liar. Hot little liar. Man, Con wanted to call her out on that, but at least two of her brothers in the room were a little on the overprotective side, and the other didn't need an excuse to kill things.
"Look," Eidolon said. "If there was any other way, I'd find it. But there's not. And there's something else to consider."
Con didn't like his tone. Not at all. "What else?"
"You." Eidolon paused as though searching his brain for the right words, and Con's gut hollowed out. "The virus is inside you, alive and replicating like crazy. It wants out."
"Oh, Jesus," Con rasped. "I'm a fucking carrier. I could have infected people."
"Unfortunately, yes. The disease seems to be transmitted via both direct and indirect contact, as well as by air, but as an asymptomatic carrier, you might transmit it differently. We need to run tests to be sure, but since Luc hasn't come down with the virus, it's not likely that you're breathing it out or passing it on by casual touch. But you need to avoid intimate contact."
Oh, holy fuck. How many females had Con fed from and slept with in the last month? His mind raced as he counted and eliminated those who weren't werewolves. Only one had been a warg &hellip; but had she been born that way, or turned?
Con had a call to make. "Hold on, Doc." He dug his cell from his pocket, dialed, and tried to keep his pulse rate at a reasonable level. Yasashiku, a member of the Warg Council, answered on the second ring.
"Con. You're missing the meeting. Valko's about to pop a vein. Where are you?"
"I'm at work. I'll be there as soon as I can." Moving toward a corner, he lowered his voice. "Have you heard from Latisha lately?"
The sudden silence made the pulse in Con's ears pound even louder. "You didn't hear?"