Chapter Twenty-seven 15 страница

The sound of a phone ringing woke Eidolon. Before he could rouse himself, the ringing stopped and Gem’s voice ground out over the answering machine. She sounded as if she’d been dragged through a frat party and left to sleep it off on the front lawn.

“E, it’s Gem. I think something happened to Tayla. I don’t know what, but I spent the night in her damned closet. I’m at UG now. I need to talk to you. It’s important. Can you come in? If not, I’ll come to you. ”

Why the hell had she spent the night in Tayla’s closet? She hung up, and Eidolon groaned. His mouth was dry and his muscles were stiff from spending the last twelve hours on his hands and knees. Rolling his head, he worked out a kink in his neck and then looked down to see Tayla, curled next to him on the floor, her fingers covering his. At some point during the night, she’d snagged a pillow from his bed, and now her hair fanned out like a Leonine Beast’s mane, begging for his touch.

He’d never seen her sleep before, not peaceful sleep that didn’t involve a hospital bed and pain medication or sedatives. The doctor in him measured the steady rise and fall of her chest; the male in him stirred at the push of her breasts against the T-shirt of his she’d put on.

It looked much better on her than it ever had on him.

He inhaled her scent, so brutally feminine, mixed with a tart note of concern, a sharp thread of fear. He vaguely remembered Shade being there, touching her. . . had his brother threatened or hurt her?

He scanned her body, tipped her face up off the pillow to check for injuries. Sweet relief sighed out of his lungs.

And then he wondered why he’d worried. Tayla could take care of herself, a fact he’d seen with his own eyes. Maybe it was his brother who had borne the damage.

Shit.

Jerking to his feet, he winced at the creak of aching joints. Dried blood cracked on his skin, but beneath it, he’d healed. He made a quick call to Shade to make sure his brother was unharmed, and then he showered. Still naked, he returned to the portal room to gather Tayla in his arms and settle her into his bed.

He’d barely pulled the sheets over her when she opened her eyes.

“Hellboy, ” she rasped in a morning voice that sent shockwaves into his groin. “Are you okay? I mean. . . ”

His lack of clothing had registered, and the way she was staring at his erection made him, for the first time, a little self-conscious. “Yeah, I’m good. My species heals rapidly. Get some rest. I know you were up all night. ”

He turned away, but then she was there, grabbing his arm to bring him back around. “Are you sure you’re okay? ” Her hands slipped frantically along the skin of his back, chest, arms, as though she were looking for damage. “You were pretty messed up. Is that why you have all those little scars? ”

“You can see them? ”

“In the right light. ”

The feel of her hands on his body as she traced the scars was torture, far worse than what the vampires had done. He wanted to pounce on her, but something had changed between them, a subtle, fragile bonding that he was afraid to break by attacking her for sex.

Besides, what she was doing to him wasn’t about sex. It was about her caring enough to make sure he was okay. No one but his brothers had ever truly cared about him. Oh, his Judicia parents and two sisters felt affection for him, but only because it was logical to feel something for someone who’d grown up in the same household. If ever a time came when it would be logical to kill him, they wouldn’t hesitate.

No one outside of his brothers had ever taken care of him as Tayla had last night, as she was doing even now. The newness of the situation left him off-balance, tilting toward her physically and emotionally.

In a move that went completely against his nature, he stepped back. “Thanks for helping me. ”

She grinned. “Consider it partial payment on my hospital bill. ”

Her smile sent a jolt of lust through him. His groin filled with heat and blood, and the right side of his face throbbed. This was insane. His control was slipping in a downward spiral that was becoming harder and harder to recover from. Shade had transfused him last night, but the s’genesis was rising in him again. It was happening more frequently, so either the transfusions weren’t working, or he needed them more often.

They stared at each other for a moment. Slowly, the smile slid off her face. “Look, ah, Shade said that what happened last night was because of something Wraith did. Is that true? ”

“Shade has a big mouth, ” he growled.

“So it’s true. ”

He sighed. She deserved an answer after what she’d done for him last night. “To keep their existence secret, vampires are allowed a minimal quota of human kills. Going over results in severe punishment. ”

She rubbed her eyes and yawned, and he figured Q and A was over, but then she said, “So why are you their whipping boy instead of Wraith? ”

“I volunteered. ” Shade had, too, but his curse was more than enough to deal with already. “Wraith would never survive the torture. ” Not with his mind intact, anyway.

Tayla shook her head. “I still don’t understand why you can’t tell him to stop doing what gets you punished. ”

“It’s too late. We kept it from him from the beginning. If he knew he was the cause of my pain. . . ” He blew out a breath. Wraith would either go insane, go on a rampage, or both. “That’s one of the reasons he’s working at UG. Shade and I figured it would keep Wraith busy and out of trouble. ”

“I’m guessing the plan didn’t work? ”

“It did, ” he muttered. “You should have seen Wraith before UG started up. And speaking of the hospital, I need to head there for a while. ” He urged her back into the bed and pushed her into the mattress. “Get some rest while I’m gone. ”

She nodded and closed her eyes, falling instantly asleep. He dressed quickly in jeans and a blue button-down he left untucked and took the nearest Harrowgate to the hospital, where he approached Solice, the on-duty triage nurse.

“Have you seen Gem or Wraith? ”

“Haven’t seen Gem. ” Solice jerked her thumb down the hall. “But I saw Wraith go that way with Ciska. ”

Shit. Ciska, the Sora demon nurse, radiated sex like a contaminated nuclear power plant. Wraith couldn’t resist her if he was in a coma.

Eidolon took off down the hall toward the cafeteria, following the perfume of arousal that ended at the supply closet door, where a muffled giggle and thumping sounds told him as much as the scents did.

He threw open the door, not surprised to find Wraith’s face buried in Ciska’s neck, his hands groping her breasts, her scrub bottoms pooled around her ankles. The fly of his jeans was open, but Eidolon tore his gaze away before he saw more than he wanted to.

Wraith lifted his head to look at Eidolon with golden eyes. Blood dripped from his fangs until Ciska licked it off with her forked tongue.

“I need to talk to you. ”

Ciska’s tail whipped up to nudge the front of Eidolon’s pants where he sported a raging hard-on, thanks to the overpowering scent of female arousal. She stroked his shaft through his pants until he cursed and stepped back. With a saucy smile, she swung her tail away and wrapped it around Wraith’s cock.

Wraith threw back his head and groaned. “Bro, either give me a minute or join us. ”

It wouldn’t be the first time he shared a female with one or both brothers, but for some reason, all he could think about was Tayla. Which wasn’t good. “Hurry up. ”

He slammed the door and stood in the hall, his sex heavy, aching. Images of Tayla, her body pliant yet strong beneath his, flashed in his head until he was ready to howl in frustration—frustration that wasn’t entirely physical. The fact that he couldn’t bring her to climax gnawed at everything that made him an incubus.

Muttering under his breath, he told the triage nurse to page Gem, and then he settled himself in his office with an IV of his blood set at full bore. Gem arrived ten minutes later. She looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed two minutes ago, her bloodshot eyes framed by dark circles.

“Where’s Tayla? ”

Eidolon felt a possessive rumble rattle his chest at her tone. “I told you she’s mine. I won’t let you hurt her. ”

“She might already be hurt. I went to her apartment—”

“She’s at my place. She’s safe. ”

“Oh, thank heaven. ”

“Heaven had nothing to do with it, ” he said wryly. “And why are you so relieved? ”

“The bastards called, ” Gem said, closing the door.

“And? ”

“They won’t wait any longer. They said they need me right away. ”

“What changed? ”

“The person they were using can’t do the procedures. Apparently, whoever it was was injured in an explosion. ”

Eidolon’s stomach bottomed out. The organ-harvesting operation could be based anywhere in the world—or underworld—and the individual performing the surgical work could live and work anywhere as well. But Eidolon didn’t believe in coincidences.

“The hospital explosion. ”

“That’s what I’m thinking. How many were injured? ”

“Three killed. Seven injured. Two seriously. ” He shoved his hands through his hair, ignoring the tug of the IV line. “Of the seven, four are well enough to work. ”

“So that means one of the three is the cutter. ”

Rage bubbled up in Eidolon at the thought that one of his trusted staff could have been involved in something so heinous. Traitorous.

Something pricked his memory. Derc, the male he’d treated a few days ago. He’d been aggressive, rude. . . until panic set in when Eidolon asked him about his surgical incision. At the time, it had seemed odd, but now, knowing that someone inside the hospital had been involved. . .

And something Nancy had said bothered him, as well. She’d fingered The Aegis, but what if she’d said something else? She’d been whispering. Her voice had gurgled, been mushy.

The three injured staff members. . . Reaver, Seknet, Paige.

Oh, damn.

“It’s Paige. ”

“The human nurse? ”

He nodded. “Nancy said something to me before she died. Aegis. But it could have been Paige. Or Paige’s. . . something. And Paige was present when a patient of mine went into a death panic. He must have recognized her. ”

“This might mean The Aegis isn’t involved. They wouldn’t blow up the person they need to perform the surgeries, right? ” Gem’s voice went as cold as he’d ever heard it, her eyes went black, and for the first time, he saw the demon in her human-shaped wrapper. “I want my parents back. We need to talk to Paige. ”

“She’s in a coma. ” He pinned Gem with a hard stare. “But I’ll make sure I’m here the moment she comes out of it. ”

Tayla might have blown up the hospital, but now, it seemed, she’d done him a favor.

Eighteen

Tayla woke to the delicious smell of something spicy and Italian. Assuming that a dangerous demon wouldn’t have broken into the apartment to cook, she showered in Eidolon’s luxurious bathroom—white marble with a shower stall the size of her apartment’s bedroom—and when she got out, a plush robe lay on the bed.

Smiling at his thoughtfulness, she donned it and padded to the kitchen, where he was stirring some sort of cream sauce on the stove.

“Hey, ” she said. “You look good for a guy who nearly died last night. ”

“Is that what Shade told you? ”

“Actually, he said you weren’t easy to kill. ”

He poured some spiral noodles into a colander. “I’m not. ” He shot her a wink. “But don’t think I’ll tell you how to do it. ”

That stung. It shouldn’t. She understood—she wouldn’t tell someone trained to kill her how to go about doing it. But it still hurt.

She climbed onto a bar stool and sat at the island as he scooped pasta and sauce onto two plates. It smelled awesome and looked even better. “You keep surprising me, ” she murmured, as he slid the plate in front of her.

“Because I can cook? I’m a hundred years old. You learn a few things in that much time. ”

“I guess I’m just surprised that you’re so. . . domestic. ”

Grinning, he pulled up a stool next to her. “I do my own laundry, too. ”

“I’ll bet you have a maid, though. ”

His grin turned sheepish. “Maybe. Now eat. Doctor’s orders. ”

Smiling, she picked up her fork. One bite, and she was lost to ecstasy. The pasta melted in her mouth, and the cheese sauce exploded with complex flavors that warmed her from the inside.

How long had it been since she’d eaten real food? The Aegis didn’t pay well, mainly because funding came from largely private sources and, according to Lori, a few government agencies that siphoned off money where they could. But with so many cells around the world, most of the money went toward supporting the group rather than the individual. Which was why most Guardians lived at headquarters, where they were sheltered and fed as much boxed macaroni and cheese and canned ravioli as they could eat.

She finished her plate before Eidolon was halfway through his, and that was when she noticed the reason he’d stopped eating. His eyes, focused on the gaping openings in the robe that bared the swells of her breasts and one thigh, glowed gold. She became aware of the cool air that caressed her exposed skin, and of the burning stare that negated it. The promise of untamed sex radiated from him, the hunger in his eyes having nothing to do with the food on their plates.

“God, Hellboy, what are we doing? ”

Abruptly, his eyes flashed back to their normal color. He closed them with a sigh. “I don’t know. ”

She could still feel the heat of his gaze lingering on her skin like an erotic sunburn. “I wish. . . ” What? That she were a kid again? Being abused by druggies her mom brought home? That she were a teen? Living in foster homes and the streets? That this was a month ago, when she was alone with nothing but hate to keep her alive?

Because truth was, she’d never been happy. Until now.

“What do you wish, Tayla? ” Eidolon was looking at her, his gaze warm and soft.

“Nothing. ”

He took her hands, pulled her so that her stool slid across the tile and she was practically in his lap. “Tell me. ”

“I just wish. . . I wish I had something of my own. I have nothing to my name. I’ve had very little of value in my entire life. All I have is The Aegis and my word, and now I don’t even have The Aegis anymore. ”

He dug into his jeans’ pocket and withdrew a small silver band. “You have this. ”

“My mom’s ring, ” she whispered. She slipped it onto her finger, the familiar weight comforting and welcome, and she could hardly breathe for the emotion that clogged her throat.

Next thing she knew, she was in his arms and he was kissing her neck and telling her she was beautiful and sexy and that he would give her anything she wanted.

She wanted to cry. No one, no human, had ever said those things to her, had ever made her feel beautiful and sexy.

“This is crazy, ” she moaned, as his hands slipped inside her robe and cupped her breasts.

“And? ” He nipped her shoulder, where the collar had slipped down. She wanted him to bite harder, but he licked the spot, soothing it, wringing shivers of pleasure from her.

“Just saying, ” she sighed, because when he touched her, all other worries and cares flew out his high-rise window.

She shifted to give him better access, her hip brushing against the bulge behind his jeans’ zipper, and he hissed against her skin. “I need to be inside you. I want to take you until we both pass out. ”

“Oh, God, yes. . . ”

He moved so quickly she didn’t have time to blink, and then the robe was gone and she was naked on his lap. Grasping the zipper tab on his jeans, she tugged, releasing his straining erection. It filled her hand, hot and heavy as she wrapped her fingers around the thick length. He was so hard she could feel his pulse slamming into her palm. Her thumb flicked over a drop of liquid at the tip, and he closed his eyes and groaned as she spread the moisture around the smooth cap.

She longed to taste him, something she’d never wanted to do. Before now, sex had been a way to feed herself; she wasn’t proud of it, but sex had been about life and death when she lived on the streets. Now she wanted to give pleasure to the one who had given her so much, and her mouth watered.

She shimmied off his lap, but he misunderstood and came to his feet with her. “No. ” She stayed him with the flat of her palm on his broad chest. Dragging her hand down, over steel-cut abs, she fell to her knees before him.

His sharp intake of breath drifted down to her, and another groan followed as she took him in her mouth. Smoky, spicy flavors burst in her mouth, unlike anything she’d ever tasted. Her tongue tingled, and the sensation spread down her throat, to her spine, her very core. When he touched her hair, she felt it everywhere.

Every taste, smell, sound, became magnified. It was as though her body was a huge net, capturing all sensations and funneling them straight to her sex. She clenched her thighs to ease the ache, but the delicious pressure only intensified her need.

She wanted more of him, and she sucked hungrily on his cock, stroking him with her fist.

“Tayla, ” he gasped, “you need to stop. ” He grasped her shoulders and tugged.

“No. ” Determination and desire kept her on her knees, one hand working his shaft, the other caressing his balls, which grew tight, drawing closer to his body with every stroke. “I need this. ”

“You don’t understand—”

“Shut up and let me suck you. ” She closed her mouth around the velvety head and flicked her tongue along the smooth ridge.

His curses filled the air as his fluids filled her mouth. She swallowed greedily, moaning at the taste of him. . . bold and dark, utterly male. A second later, waves of heat broke over her, and she cried out as her entire body came alive. Her skin became one big nerve, and where his fingers lay, tiny sparks, miniorgasms, fired up.

Oh, wow. This was going to be interesting.

Eidolon pulled out of the hot, wet depths of Tayla’s mouth, the high of climax tempered with the concern over how she’d react to his seed. Already her eyes had dilated and glazed over.

“Oh, man, ” she whispered. “Oh, boy. ”

He hooked her beneath her arms and brought her to her feet. “My semen is an aphrodisiac. ”

Closing her eyes, she cupped her breasts, letting her thumbs graze the stiff nipples. “Yeah, no kidding. ”

Watching her pleasure herself made him instantly hard again. “My bed, ” he croaked. “Now. ”

She didn’t seem to hear, instead was running her palms down her belly and between her legs. A low moan escaped her, shattering his control. He swept her up in his arms and strode to the bedroom, thanking the gods when her mouth attached to his neck and began to suck. Before they reached the bed, she wrapped her legs around his waist and impaled herself on his shaft.

“Damn. ” Her silky passage sucked him deep, going deeper as she ground herself against him. Legs threatening to buckle, he sank down onto the bed before they crashed to the floor. She pushed him back and rode him furiously until he came, but she didn’t.

“Another position, ” she gasped, and he flipped her, brought her up on her knees, and took her from behind.

Her body shook, trembled with such force that she nearly bucked him away from her.

“Please. . . ”

Gods, he couldn’t breathe, could hardly stand the force it took to not come again. Grinding his molars, he pounded into her even harder, faster, until her sobs brought him to a stop.

“Don’t stop, Eidolon, don’t. ”

He withdrew and inserted a finger into her slick heat. Her moan drifted up to him, a sound of pleasure and misery. Slowly, he spread the moisture they’d made, the satin lubricant of her desire and his seed, over her swollen knot.

“Oh, yes. ” She arched her back like a Halloween cat. “Now. . . ”

He plunged inside her in one smooth motion, and she cried out, her muscles clenching him and holding him inside. He rammed her hard, let her excitement guide his speed and rhythm.

“Come Tayla. Come for me. ”

She fell forward on the bed with a scream, but it was one of frustration. She flipped herself, wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him on top of her. Tears ran down her cheeks and sweat dampened her hair and skin.

“It isn’t working! ” she cried, her anxiety intensified by the aphrodisiac pounding through her veins.

“I’ll back off, lirsha, and you can make yourself climax. ”

Anger lashed at her expression. “No. No, dammit! I want to be normal! I want to come with a man. ”

“Tayla, not all human females—”

Her hand slammed into his shoulder. “I can. I know I can. I just have to get rid of him. ”

He froze. “Him? ”

In the shadows, her eyes sparked. “Him. The demon. ” Suddenly, she was flailing at his chest, pummeling him with her fists. “I hate them, ” she sobbed. “I hate them. . . ”

He closed his eyes and let her take it out on him, let her strike him until her strength gave out and her sobs became uncontrollable. Until she lay limp beneath him, little more than a quivering mass of flesh and tears.

Rolling to his side, he pulled her against him, let her cry for what seemed like hours, her body heaving.

“Tayla, tell me what’s wrong. ”

“I can’t. . . I can’t get it out of my head. ” A shudder wracked her body. He was still buried deep inside her, still hard, and her shaking made him suck air.

“What? ” he managed, needing to know because alongside the arousal was a fierce need to kill whoever had traumatized her. “What can’t you get out of your head? ”

Tayla burrowed into Eidolon’s chest, wishing he’d stop asking, stop acting as if he cared. Because every touch, every gentle word, broke down her walls when she should be building them stronger. People who cared about her had a habit of dying. . . or trying to kill her.

For a long time, she listened to the sound of his breathing and the beat of his heart. He said nothing, wearing her down with her own thoughts. Finally, she pulled back a little.

“I was sixteen, ” she said, her voice sounding raw to her ears. “I came home from school and heard strange noises from the kitchen. I saw her, my mom. She was on the table. Being raped. ”

Eidolon had been stroking her hair, and his hand stilled. “Demon? ”

“Soulshredder. ”

“Gods, ” he whispered. “It doesn’t get much worse than that. ”

No, it didn’t. Soulshredders got off on tormenting their victims, slowly, over long periods of time, driving them mad rather than killing them outright.

“I tried to fight, but. . . it was strong and I was terrified. . . it lashed me to a chair and forced me to watch as it raped her, over and over. She couldn’t scream because it had gagged her. ” A dishtowel had plugged her mom’s mouth, the spaghetti stains from the previous night’s dinner distinguishable from the blood. Her flesh had been plowed by serrated claws. She’d looked like a bear’s scratching post, and the smell of her blood had been powerful enough for Tayla to taste.

“Then. . . oh, God. ”

“Go ahead, ” he murmured. “You can tell me. ”

She closed her eyes tight, as though doing so would shut out the images, but they only grew more vivid. “She. . . came. He was raping her, and she. . . she came. ”

Eidolon hooked a finger under her chin. “Look at me. Look at me. ” Reluctantly, she did. His expression was one of savage determination. “That’s why you can’t have an orgasm with a man, isn’t it? ”

She tried to wrench out of his grasp, but he framed her face with both hands. “She liked it, ” Tayla said, her voice rough and raspy and on the verge of breaking. “She was being tortured, raped, and she. . . she got off. ”

“Listen to me, Tay. The Soulshredder was messing with you. And her. They have the ability to force someone to feel pleasure in the midst of pain. It’s another way to torture them, to humiliate them. And look how it worked. Look how he’s been tormenting you for years with this memory. ” His thumb brushed her cheekbone in long, soothing strokes. “Has that scene been playing out in your head every time you have sex? ”

A sobbing sound escaped her as she swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Yes. Sometimes, even when it’s just me, all I can think about—”

“Stop. Don’t give him that power anymore. ” His thumb dropped to her trembling lips, where he traced them, his touch light and gentle. “Has he returned to torment you since then? ”

“No, but I wish he would, ” she said fiercely. “I’d tear him apart. ”

“You’re so strong, ” he whispered. “So brave. Your fight against demons has been as internal as it has been external. You can win this battle. ” He kissed away her tears. “Let me help you. ”

“You want to heal me, doctor? ” she asked softly.

Possessive eyes focused on her. “I’ve never wanted anything more. ”

“Me, either, ” she said, and Lord help her, it was true. The events of so long ago had stuck with her for so many years, had ruined her life, had ruined her ability to have a normal relationship with a man. It was time to let it go. Or, at least, try to let it go.

Her mouth found his in an urgent, desperate kiss. He was still inside her, hard and thick, and she ground against him, already losing herself to the passion he coaxed out of her with sinful ease.

A rumble of approval issued from deep in his chest, and he began a slow, sensual rhythm of thrusts. Always before, sex between them had been little more than a violent sprint to the finish, but this. . . this was already shaping up to be a marathon. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, deeply, tenderly. His tongue worked hers, sucking and stroking. Between her legs, tension mounted as he changed the tempo and depth of his thrusts, going from shallow and rapid to deep and slow.

“You’re beautiful, lirsha, ” he murmured against her mouth. “Perfect. ”

His words were a caress to the soul, and she felt herself opening up like a night-blooming flower. She no longer cared who or what she was, what he was, or what existed beyond the bedroom door.

She dragged her hands up from his hips to his waist, taking in the taut layers of muscle, the smoothness of his skin. She didn’t stop there, let her palms map his back until she reached his broad shoulders. He was a thing of beauty, a creature built to please a woman, from his looks to his scent to his skill in bed, and with every thrust, he took her higher.

“Say my name, ” he purred, his voice vibrating through her in an erotic wave.

“Hellboy—”

“No. ” He pushed up on his elbows. His eyes glittered, molten gold. He kept pumping though, and the slick friction had her panting, which she hadn’t realized until she tried to speak. “When you get close, look at me. Think only of me, and say my name. I want to hear you say it when you come. ”

His admission sent a surge of passion roaring through her, as though her heart were connected to her sex by a white-hot wire.

“Yes, ” she whispered, even though she doubted she’d come—no, she would. The past had no place in this bed.

He groaned and started to move faster. Sensation doubled, her pleasure climbing higher as the crown of his cock slid back and forth across a place inside she hadn’t known existed. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the feel of masculine weight on her body, something she’d never enjoyed. But now it felt so right, so good, and oh, God, right there.

Her orgasm hovered close, hot. He dropped his forehead to hers, and her eyes flew open.

“Come for me, my lirsha, my lover, ” he murmured, his gaze holding hers so she couldn’t look away, couldn’t see anything but the promise of ecstasy that rose up as though answering his command. “Come for me now. ”

Quivering with the need to explode, she clung tighter, digging her short nails into his shoulders, scoring his skin. He hissed and arched, and if not for his throaty, “Gods, yes, ” she’d have thought she hurt him.