Desire Unchained

“For fun, let’s say we survive the Ghouls. What does being bonded mean for me? For us?”


He stood, paced for a moment, his toned body a thing of beauty as he walked. “Forced fidelity, for one thing. Neither one of us can willingly have sex with another. You’ll feel pain if you try. I won’t be able to get it up. It means we will sense each other’s arousal no matter how far apart we are. We’ll feel each other’s emotions. I can feel your anger right now.”

“I’ll just bet you can.” She glared at him. “So this all sounds pretty shitty. Why would anyone do this? I mean, I get that it might make things easier on you, but why would women do this?”

“Not women. Our blood is toxic to humans, so we can’t bond with them.”

“Fine. Females, then. Why would demon females bond with you?”

“Demons do fall in love, you know,” he snapped. “Females do want to keep the male they love from going insane and fucking everything that moves.” He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, he was calmer. “Some species get longer lifespans out of the deal. Prey species get a protector in a mate. There are lots of reasons a female might bond with a Seminus demon.”

“What about werewolves?”

“Out-of-this-world orgasms.”

She stared. “That’s it? Great sex? I’m forced to deal with you for the rest of my life and all I get out of it is great sex?”

“Better than great sex,” he said, sounding a little put out.

She reached for her clothing, scattered around her. “This is just great.” And she wasn’t talking about her panties, which had been shredded.

“I’m not real happy either, princess.”

She resisted the urge to snap at him. This wasn’t his fault. “What’s up with your brother? Why is he so …”

“Psycho?”

“That works.”

“He’s always been off kilter. He was born to Neethul slavemasters, an extremely cruel race. When he went through his s’genesis, he lost what few marbles he had.”

She tugged on her jeans, and at some point she must have growled, because he shot her a curious glance.

“You’re close, aren’t you?”

In answer, her muscles tightened painfully, as though they were being separated from the bones. “The full moon is almost here.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. As soon as I change, they’re going to skin me.”

Shaking his head slowly, Shade fingered his earring. “I don’t think so. Roag bonded us for a reason.”

“So he won’t kill me?”

He met her gaze. “Oh, he’ll kill you,” he said quietly. “But not yet. I think he has something far worse planned.”





Doctor Gemella Endri stood in the physicians’ lounge at Underworld General, watching Wraith pace while Eidolon and Kynan tried to calm him.

The futility of their efforts was heartbreaking. Wraith had been coming apart at the seams for hours now. Even his clothes hadn’t been able to stand up to the stress. His T-shirt had been stretched irreparably at the neck from his hands’ constantly tugging at it as though it had been strangling him. She figured that as much as he’d been pacing, his combat boots’ soles should be completely worn down.

Shoving both hands through his hair, he stopped walking and threw his back against the dark gray wall covered with incantations written in blood—protective spells that prevented violence. Mostly. He and his brothers were exempt from the violence restriction.

“I still can’t locate him. Dammit, I can’t find him!”

Eidolon looked up from where he sat across from Gem, his dark eyes haunted. The ambulance Shade and Skulk had been driving had been found, but there had been no sign of the demons, and everyone in the hospital was operating in worry mode. “Can you feel him at all?”

Wraith stared at the ceiling, which was as dark as the walls. “I get blips of him when he’s in pain, but they don’t last. Someone must have put a masking spell on him or something.”

“It’s the Ghouls, isn’t it?” Kynan voiced what they had all been thinking, and Gem drew an anxious breath.

“No.” Wraith shot across the room and slammed Kynan against the wall, which began to pulse as the threat of violence rose. He shoved his forearm into Ky’s throat, putting pressure on the jagged scars running from Ky’s jaw to his clavicle. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.”

Kynan didn’t react, other than to watch Wraith with calm eyes. What he’d said was right on target, and they all knew it. Just this morning an Oni demon had been brought in, her tongue and three eyes harvested by Ghouls, which only intensified their worry.

“Let him go, Wraith,” Eidolon said in a soft, soothing voice. “Concentrate on Shade.”

Several agonizing heartbeats ticked by before Wraith finally shoved away from Kynan. “I gotta get out of here.”

Eidolon stood, adjusting his stethoscope to keep it from sliding off his neck. “Wraith …” The warning in his voice was as sharp as a scalpel blade.