Read Overkill: Snippets of Demonica Life Page 1




  Wraith And Serena

  Serena Kelley loved hunting. The hunt – for archaeological treasure — had been the highlight of her life when she’d been human. Now that she was a vampire, the hunts were for food, and somehow, it was a million times more exciting.

  The best part was watching Wraith take down their prey.

  Total. Shivers.

  They’d tracked a group of gang-bangers through the streets of LA, waiting for one or two to break off. Two males eventually stepped into the doorway of a building, their own predatory gazes waiting for something. A drug deal, a victim to rob.

  Oh, how Serena liked to hunt scumbags. Last week, they’d scared the ever-living crap out of some Russian flesh-traders. The week before, Colombian drug cartel assholes. Toying with them, watching them piss their macho selves, it was great entertainment.

  “You want those two?” Wraith asked, his lips grazing her ear.

  Electricity sparked in his touch – the buildup to the finale always had them so hot that if it weren’t for the fact that they needed to feed, they’d be ripping at each others’ clothes at this point in every hunt.

  “Take them,” she whispered.

  She was fully capable of doing it herself – she was stronger than humans, and Wraith had taught her well. But she’d rather watch her mate do it, because the rewards…God, she was actually panting as he slipped silently into the shadows.

  With embarrassing ease, he grabbed both of the large males and whipped them into the dark alley between the buildings. Serena shifted so she could watch, and her mouth watered as he pinned one to the brick and sank his fangs into the struggling male’s throat, and held the other effortlessly in the air with one hand around his neck.

  He wouldn’t kill them – as vampires, they were allowed only one human kill a month, and Wraith saved it for serious scumbags, like one of the Russian guys from last week. So far, she’d controlled herself and hadn’t killed anyone except a few demons that had attacked her when they’d been out hunting demonic artifacts. For her, those were the rules: Attack me, and die. And when humans attacked, they weren’t subject to the one-per-month rule. Defending and feeding were two different things.

  The male in the air kicked for a moment, but Wraith’s hold rendered him unconscious quickly.

  They didn’t do this every night – they only imposed on their family to babysit about once a week. Usually Serena stayed home with Stewie and waited for Wraith to come home from the hunt. She’d pounce on him when he came through the door, and they rarely made it to the bedroom before she had her fangs in his throat and he was sheathed inside her.

  As though Wraith knew where her thoughts had gone, he shifted so he could see her, his golden gaze slicing right through her. The air between them thickened, shimmered with hunger, and with a snarl, he released the first male to bite into the second, taking extra blood so he could feed her.

  Sometimes he teased her, drinking slowly, with long, lingering pulls. Other times, like now, he practically inhaled his food, swallowing greedily, so fast he probably tasted nothing.

  Her boy was impatient to finish…so he could start with her.

  Serena shivered with delicious anticipation.

  Wraith dropped the second male to the ground and swung around to fully face her. His eyes were molten with lust, his gaze a laser, and it was targeted on her.

  Sometimes she waited for him to come at her, take her right where she stood. Sometimes she ran, made him give chase and work for it.

  Tonight was one of those nights, and he knew it. His nostrils flared, his muscles twitched, and he lowered his head, let out a roar, and launched himself at her.

  With a delighted scream, Serena ran.

  Wraith’s heavy footsteps pounded the pavement behind her. She ran faster. He hissed, kicked himself into the next gear, and gained on her. Oh, she was tempted to slow down and let him catch her, but the longer the chase, the harder he worked for it, the fiercer the lovemaking.

  And tonight she wanted everything he had to give.

  She darted down an alley, zigzagged between buildings, leaped onto a stairwell and dashed across a rooftop. When she reached the edge, she jumped, hit the next roof in a crouch.

  She couldn’t hear Wraith behind her anymore.

  Cautiously, she unfurled to her full height and peered into the night. In the distance, she heard vehicles honking, people partying, dogs barking. A gunshot rang out somewhere nearby.

  But there was no sign of her mate.

  She knew better than to think she’d lost him. Most likely, he was circling the building, waiting for her to either come down the rickety external fire escape or leap to the next building. But she’d have the last laugh, because she wasn’t going to do either.

  She’d take the inside stairwell and sneak out the front door of the apartment building, where he wouldn’t expect her to exit.

  Silently, she crept to the doorway. It was locked, but with a hard twist, she broke the knob and pushed it open.

  The next thing she knew, she was yanked inside the stairwell, slammed against the wall, and Wraith’s hands were tearing at her jeans. She strained against him, giving as good as she got to rip open his fly. When she wrapped her palm around his shaft, he let out an erotic growl low in his throat, a sound that always made her go utterly wet.

  In five seconds flat, her pants were off and Wraith’s sex was poised at her entrance. He tangled one hand in her hair to hold her for his kiss, dropped his other hand to lift her thigh so her core was firmly against him.

  “Now,” she murmured against his lips, but damn him, he merely rotated his hips, grinding against her so her pelvis was chasing him for just the right pressure. The right touch.

  He was teasing her, but she had a trick up her sleeve. Lifting her face, she flicked out her tongue and ran it up and down one of his fangs. He hissed deep in his throat, but he didn’t move. The action always had the effect of soothing the savage beast, and whenever she touched those massive teeth, he stilled, began to pant, and she would take the upper hand.

  Oh, how she loved that power.

  Slowly, she stroked, up and down, circling the sharp tip. A little pressure…and a drop of blood welled on her tongue. Wraith jerked, growled, and sliced his hips forward to fill her core with a single, powerful thrust.

  Ripples of pleasure shot through her as the first orgasm hit. Wraith licked at her mouth as he pumped into her, but when the climax faded, another hunger surfaced, and with her own animal rumble, she bared her fangs. Wraith tilted his head, exposing his neck for her, and she didn’t wait.

  Serena struck, and the taste of his skin, his blood, flooded her mouth. His moan rose up, going even deeper when she dug her nails into his back.

  “Oh, yeah,” he rasped. “Fuck, yeah. Harder, baby.”

  She sucked at him, reveling in the power of his body rocking into hers, the power of his life-essence flowing past her teeth, tongue, and into her veins. Another orgasm took her, and Wraith joined her for two or three of his own. Their sensations went on and on, and even after he’d stopped moving, she continued to come, thanks to his unique Seminus gift.

  He held her through it, watching her with a heavy-lidded gaze. He often told her that this was the best part of sex with her – watching her come until she was quivering with exhaustion. He loved to scoop her up and take care of her during those few minutes when she was nothing but a melted pool of mush.

  And, like usual, it took forever to recover. Vampires got tired and breathless, just like everyone else. Oh, sure, Eidolon said that the breathing thing was some sort of reflex leftover from human life, but Serena didn’t believe it. Not when, after a dozen orgasms, she was panting as hard
as Wraith was.

  Resting his forehead against hers, he smoothed his hands up to frame her face in his palms. “I love you, lirsha.”

  "I love you too," she whispered.

  Now that her physical hungers had been sated, another need began to pound in her chest. She was a mother, and her son and mate were her world. She needed to get back to Stewie.

  Didn’t matter that she hadn’t given birth to the beautiful, dark-haired, brown-eyed toddler. He was hers, and every day she thanked God that Wraith had been the demon he was before she’d met him. His past was tragic, frightening, and at times, wild. But it had brought him to her, and it had brought Stewie into existence.

  Wraith had given her everything she’d only dreamed of.

  Tayla and Eidolon

  ***Note: this scene takes place between Sin Undone and Eternal Rider in the Demonica world***

  Need shot through Eidolon's veins like an electric current, the buzz increasing in intensity until now, as he walked through the front door of his Manhattan apartment, it had turned into almost crippling pain.

  He'd managed to work almost a full shift at the hospital without taking a break — UG had been so busy that incubus lust had taken a backseat to the physician desire to heal. That was a rarity for sure, but it seemed as though the world's escalating problems had changed the rules and laws of nature. Every demon was feeling the effects of an impending Apocalypse, thanks to Eidolon's sister, Sin, and her unintentional role in breaking the first Horseman's Seal.

  Still, Eidolon had toughed it out a little too long on his shift, had taken himself to the edge before his need to bed Tayla had finally driven him home. She could have come to him — hell, his office had become a second bedroom — but she'd been sleeping when he'd called, and the thought of slipping under the covers with her was too tempting.

  He stripped as he strode down the hall toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of scrubs in his wake. Mickey, Tayla's ferret, and Mange, their dog, greeted him halfway to the bedroom, and he paused for a second to give each a quick pat and a promise that he'd play later.

  Much, much later.

  The rustle of sheets was an erotic siren call, and that was enough time with the pets. Straightening, his senses heightened and tuned in to sex, he inhaled, tracking his mate even though he knew where she was. Every muscle in his body hardened when he caught her scent; vanilla body wash and shampoo, and beneath it, the heady tang of battle. She'd been fighting again.

  The knowledge both excited and infuriated him. She was the head of a local Aegis cell, but she was supposed to be managing her crew, not fighting demons. He needed her to be safe, dammit.

  He'd looked for a mate for so long, and now that he'd found the most perfect female he could imagine, he couldn't lose her. Wouldn't lose her. Tayla was his life.

  A growl rose up in his chest as he stalked into the bedroom, the need to lay his claim on her, to show her she was his and that she had better keep herself safe, turning him into a creature of pure instinct. They were trying to get pregnant, and though he'd promised her that he wouldn't use his gift to make it happen, his dermoire lit up without his consent, ready to pump power into her womb as he pumped his seed into her core. She wanted to do this naturally, but every time they had sex, he had to fight his nature, and today might be the first time he failed.

  She was curled up in a ball under the covers, her burgundy hair spilling over the pillow, her long, delicate eyelashes throwing shadows on her pale skin. She looked sweet, innocent, and nothing could be further from the truth.

  He loved that about her.

  It occurred to him that it was odd for her to be sleeping, given that they were bonded in a way that not only allowed her to sense his desire, but that fed into her own, but he'd worry about that later. Right now he needed her so badly he was coming out of his skin.

  Cock aching like a sonofabitch, he slipped under the sheets behind her, caught her around the waist, and tugged her against him. Her sharp inhale told him she'd awakened, and when the put his mouth to her ear and said roughly, "I'm going to mount you like an animal," she sucked air again, the noise accompanied by a bloom of arousal that made his nostrils flare and his body throb.

  Before she could reply, he flipped her up onto her knees and drove into her wet heat, no foreplay, no tenderness. He was too far gone, and this first time would be all about getting them there as fast as possible. Maybe the second time would be that way too.

  Tayla cried out, but she pushed back against him, meeting every powerful thrust with one of her own. The erotic sounds of their lovemaking filled the room, ramping him up even more. He loved the slap of their bodies, the delicate little panting breaths from Tayla that always built to whimpers, then growls, and then, finally, shouts.

  His fingers dug into her hips as he held her…oh, yeah, he'd leave marks. She didn't complain, though. In fact, she braced her weight on one arm and reached behind to grab his wrist and tug him forward.

  "More," she groaned, and damn, he loved it when she wanted it like this. When she wanted him to completely dominate her, possess her, and mark her.

  He always gave her what she wanted.

  Wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck, he pushed her down into the pillow and surged forward so his chest covered her muscular back. Pleasure became a liquid, white heat as he thrust into her, every pump of his hips shoving them forward on the mattress. Sweat broke on his fevered skin, and in no time, Tayla was just as hot, her body on fire, her moans smoky with desire.

  "So good," he said into her ear. "Always…so…good."

  Her reaction to his voice was instantaneous, and she bucked, shouted as he sank his teeth into her shoulder. Her contractions around his shaft put him over the edge, the orgasm exploding up his spine and blowing right through his skull.

  Delicious, bone-shattering agony.

  "Eidolon…stop."

  A tremor wracked his body, and he swore his brain melted.

  "No…Eidolon!"

  Tayla's voice broke into his haze of pleasure, blasting into his second orgasm. She kept saying no, even through her own climaxes. What the hell…

  Peeling his eyes open, he looked down at his arm, the symbols that ran from fingertip to shoulder glowing as he channeled his power into her.

  "Damn…sorry…Tay…" He shuddered through another orgasm, coming aware that his power was deep in her womb, probing, trying to find an egg to connect with his sperm–

  He jerked as if he'd been shocked, yanking his arm away and disconnecting his power in a rush.

  Gods…oh…gods. He knew why she was so tired now.

  "Hellboy," Tayla breathed, and then she cried out as she came again.

  Though he was still hard, would normally be starting another round, he pulled out of her and eased her onto her back, settling himself over her, propped on his knees and fists. Her sleepy eyes were half-lidded, glazed with pleasure as she panted through yet another climax.

  He loved to watch her react to his semen, often lying next to her and doing nothing but pet her hair as she spent half an hour coming over and over. But for once, he wanted her to be finished.

  When she eased, even if it would only be temporary, she swallowed, licked her lips. "You better not have done it," she rasped. "If you used your gift to make me pregnant–"

  "I didn't need to," he said softly.

  "Mmm…good." Her lazy drawl accompanied a long, sinuous stretch of her body. And then she froze, her eyes popping wide. "Wait. What did you just say?"

  A trembling began in his muscles, a soul-deep earthquake like he'd never felt before. His throat tightened and his lungs burned, and his heart beat wildly. Gods, he felt like he'd run a fifty mile marathon.

  And won.

  Unable to support himself any longer, he lowered his body on top of Tay, using his elbows to keep from crushing her as he brushed his lips across hers.

  "You're pregnant," he said. "A couple of weeks along. We're going to have a baby."

  She sq
uealed and threw her arms around him, hugging him so tight he had to struggle to take a breath. "I love you," she said into his neck. "I love you so much…" A moan finished her sentence as she succumbed to pleasure again, arching her back and tilting her hips to meet his erection.

  He slipped inside her easily, and this time, despite what he'd thought earlier, he took it slow and easy, making sure every touch, every kiss, every slide in and out of her body was a declaration of his feelings for her. He told her too, over and over, to be certain she understood.

  An hour later, while she drifted off in a contented, exhausted sleep, he held her, his hand lying protectively over her belly, his eyes stinging a little.

  The single-minded desire to make little Sems was in Eidolon's DNA. It was a biological imperative that had driven him mad since taking Tayla as a mate. He'd wanted to wait to have children, his brain telling him it wasn't time. But his body had raged, and his love for Tay had been so encompassing that the desire to create something together had finally won the battle.

  He was going to be a father. His world had just gotten larger. And scarier. But as Tay sighed softly and snuggled more closely against him, he knew they'd handle it together. She'd keep him sane, and he'd keep her safe.

  The baby would keep them busy.

  Life was good.

  Luc and Kar

  ***Note: this scene takes place eight months after the events of Sin Undone***

  Luc was going to be a father.

  That was some scary shit. Kar didn't think so, but then, she tended to put way too much faith in him. Like that time she'd been sure he wouldn't make one of Shade and Runa's triplets cry. But shit, how the hell was he supposed to know that little kids didn't like it when you roared at them? The tots were demons, after all.

  Shade had put Luc on his ass for that. Not that Luc hadn't gotten in a few licks of his own. But Shade had pent-up fury on his side, had been gunning for Luc ever since the demon learned that Luc had been the one to turn Runa into a werewolf. And had almost killed her.