“I-I don’t know!” I gasp. My body trembles violently as I wait for the release. “I don’t know! Please!”
As if he’s thrown a bucket of cold water on me, I’m snapped out of his spell. The pleasure never peaks. Instead, he climbs off me, and I’m left feeling achy and shaken to the core. He’d almost brought me to orgasm by doing nothing but speaking. I couldn’t imagine what else he was capable of.
Slowly, I get up. All my clothes are still on, and really, we did nothing, but I feel more naked and vulnerable than ever before. I don’t like it.
Seemingly lost in thought, Dorian moves across the room but doesn’t say a word. It’s like he’s forgotten about me completely. Or he no longer cares.
Not wanting to be here a second more, I shuffle toward the door. His back is to me, and even when I twist the door’s handle and pull it open, he doesn’t turn. I guess he must have gotten what he wanted out of that.
I slip out and hurry down the hall to my room so I can grab my satchel with my orb and rope. Thank God I carry that rope with me everywhere, because you never know when you’ll need it. Case in point—right now. There are no guards or maids around as far as I can see, and with the storm in full swing, now’s my chance to leave the demons and this hell.
I need to get out of here before it’s too late.
Chapter Five
Elias
I plunge through the forest, the landscape a blur, my heart beating frantically. The storm roars overhead and rain comes down in sheets, drenching me to the bones. My paws pound the ground, water splashing everywhere, and it’s only when I burst out of the woods that I skid to a halt. The mansion rises before me like a sentinel high on top of the hill, overlooking the land. Out here we’re alone; no one can hear the screams. It’s why we selected this home—not to mention it avoids questions from humans on how long we’ve lived without aging.
Four days of being away from the other two, who constantly argue, isn’t enough time, but I trot toward our home for the simple purpose that I hate the rain. It runs down my face and mats my fur. The woods are the closest thing to being in Hell. The shadows back home are filled with menace and blood-thirsty creatures at every turn. And fuck, I crave those days. I miss it with every fiber of my being.
Cain insists we’re close to finding a way home soon. Except soon isn’t good enough when we’ve been stuck on this damn Earth realm for a century, dealing with human emotions every time we switch on the TV or head into town. It bleeds into me, and I loathe it. This is why getting out is priority. There’s nothing here for me… for any of us.
I don’t belong here, but at the end of the day, I’ll persevere through whatever’s thrown at us and bloody my hands with the asswipes who backstabbed us. Rage floods my veins even after all this time. I’m not the kind to forgive easily, and I never forget.
I’m a hellhound who hunts down souls way overdue their entry into Hell. Well, at least I did, before we got expelled from the underworld. But ‘never give up on your dreams’ the humans say, and all that bullshit. I will do just that. Live up to my name and tear apart the whole fucking world to get vengeance against those who wronged us.
Deciding I’m not ready to return home just yet, I whirl around and lunge back for the thick woodlands. I shove against the ground, propelling myself into a sprint. I make easy work climbing, dodging branches, and jumping over dead logs.
A streak of lightning flashes overhead. Seconds later, an explosive thunder booms, the ground and my jaw vibrating from the sound. Bursting out of the dense words, I skirt around the manor to the rear entrance. This entry is closest to my room, and I want to get out of this damn rain fast.
Darkness slithers over the land, and a shadow darting across the open grounds catches my attention. It flits out of sight in seconds, merging in the woodlands surrounding our home.
I lift my head and sniff the electricity in the air, the freshness of rain. But beneath it is a prickling of magic, along with something else.
Something sweet.
Something to devour.
Something for me.
A female.
One of Dorian's conquests? Doubt it. Anyone under his spell doesn't run; they beg to stay by his side. No, this is different. I pivot away from the house and prowl in her direction. The storm hides any sounds I make, and the heavy clouds and forest conceal me.
Paws dance across the land, my heart flinching with excitement at every movement. I no longer feel the pellets of rain washing down on me. The chase is on, and I’m captivated. Whoever she is, her scent calls to my animal side. My stomach tightens the longer I search with no sign of her.
Tilting my head back, I sniff the air once more.
There you are.
I snap my head to my right and dive in her direction.
Aria
My heart jackhammers inside my chest so loudly everyone within a mile is bound to hear it—including the monster searching for me.
My body ripples with power as Sayah hovers before me, spreading herself into a dark blur before me while I crouch low behind some tall grass and thick bushes.
Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Shit.
Piercing yellow eyes glint with hunger. Lips curled, sharp teeth, an enormous wolf bursts into the woods like a tank. Its head whips my way instantly, and my heart leaps into my throat. Those eyes glint right through my shadow. With a savage snarl, he rips through the shrubs and creeps closer, like he sees me.
Where the hell did he come from, anyway? One second, I’m scaling down the window, escaping; next thing I know, I have a massive wolf on my heels. I’ve never seen a wolf that terrifying, that big, that fast. Of course my luck would have me being tracked by some kind of rabid beast. Why would I think escaping would be that easy?
Thanks, universe, for not cutting me any slack.
“Dannggerrr,” the orb’s voice hisses over my mind. I really need to change its name from ‘Orb of Chaos’ to ‘The Too-Late-to-the-Show Orb’ or ‘Orb of Stating the Obvious.’
Fingers digging into the soggy soil, I curl forward, tightening my crouching position. I suck in a raspy breath, waiting, praying to whoever is listening for a chance to escape. For anything.
Heavy breaths fill the air, but they’re not mine.
I lift my head, and beyond my shadow, infernal, blazing eyes stare right into me. I flinch as acid hits the back of my tongue, and I practically fall onto my side like one of those ridiculous fainting goats.
Great job, Aria. Roll over and show your belly to the big bad wolf who’s about to tear you apart.
In the same instant I scramble to my feet, my shadow flicks back into me, while the monster before me seems to be growing in size… because he wasn’t big enough already. Except, I’m wrong… he’s not growing, he’s pushing himself to stand up on two feet. A split second of fur melting away, bones cracking, limbs lengthening, and before me stands a naked man. An insanely gorgeous man with the world’s biggest dick…
Sweet Jesus, how is that possible? And why am I checking out his junk when he was a wolf seconds earlier and coming at me with the rage of a starved predator?
He stands at least six-foot-three. Dirty brown hair dangles past his shoulders, messed up with twigs and leaves. He’s made of muscles. Broad shoulders and chest, his waist tapers inward, drawing my attention to the sexy lines in the V shape of his chiseled abs. A faint peppering of dark hair covers his chest and funnels down the center of his stomach, right to the thatch of black hair crowning his dick. Healed scars criss-cross his chest, while tatts cover his neck and arms. If I wasn’t shaking and trying for the life of me to come up with an escape plan, I might pay attention to the images. But I remind myself this man isn’t a man at all, not really.