Einarr Read online

  He took his laptop to his office and set in on his desk before he closed the blinds in his office. He told himself it was because of the sun, but in truth, he was hoping for a visit from Einarr.

  But after waiting nearly all night, Kendrick finally gave up and went to bed. This would be the first night in weeks that Einarr hadn’t come by. Disappointed, Kendrick showered and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt. He headed down the hallway to check on Omar to see his nephew fast asleep.

  Satisfied, Kendrick went back to his bedroom and slipped into bed. He’d turned over and closed his eyes when he heard the floorboard squeak.

  “Einarr?” He turned back over and scanned the room but saw no one. Maybe he’d imagined the sound. Kendrick had worked all evening and into the night getting his project done, and he was wiped out. His brain felt fried. But he knew that Einarr entered through shadows and wondered if the man was here now, hidden.

  It felt intimate knowing Einarr might be in the room with him, watching him. He could be wrong, but somehow, Kendrick knew he wasn’t alone. He could only hope that Einarr would want more. In his fantasies, Einarr came to him, a brush of his hand over Kendrick’s hard cock, whispering naughty and seductive things into his ear.

  Kendrick moaned and turned onto his back. If Einarr was watching, Kendrick would bolding show the man exactly what he was missing by keeping their relationship in the friend zone. He slipped his pants down to his thighs and palmed his sac, giving it a gentle squeeze as his cock lay stiff over his abdomen.

  His legs shifted restlessly. Kendrick kicked his pants all the way off and then spread his legs as if inviting Einarr to him. He licked the palm of his hand and then curled it around his erection, stroking himself as he moaned. But it wasn’t his hand around his erection. In his fantasy, it was Einarr’s mouth. The man’s tongue played up and down Kendrick’s shaft before swallowing him.

  Kendrick writhed on the bed. Einarr pushed the head of his cock between Kendrick’s cheeks. The demon rubbed it against Kendrick’s anus. His hole quivered. It wanted to open wide for Einarr. His stomach filled with butterflies of excitement. Kendrick desperately wanted his fantasy to come to life. What would it feel like to have such a powerful man between his legs? He tilted his head back and groaned as he imagined Einarr kissing him down his neck, suckling at one of his sensitive nipples.

  Kendrick slid his free hand over his slim chest and pinched one of his nipples, gasping as it hardened under his touch. His hand gripped his cock tighter, jerked it toward him, and then he ran his thumb over the leaking head as he smeared the sticky substance around.

  “Einarr.” Kendrick whispered the demon’s name into the darkness. His eyelids fluttered closed. His pulse quickened. Kendrick scraped his top teeth over his bottom lip as he bent his knees, imagining Einarr there, stretching him and readying Kendrick for his thick cock.

  Pulses of pleasure thrummed through him. His skin tingled with his thoughts. He brushed the palm of his hand over the hardened nub at his chest as he pumped his other hand with an imagined rhythm of Einarr fucking him.

  Kendrick whimpered. He wanted the real deal, not some fantasy. “Come to me, Einarr,” he begged breathlessly. “Don’t make me suffer.”

  It was pure torture. Kendrick stroked himself faster when no one came to him. He’d imagined Einarr there, watching him. His room held only one person, and that was himself. Disappointment flooded him, but Kendrick couldn’t stop what he was doing, couldn’t stop the fantasy that had taken hold. He needed relief from the fire burning through his body.

  He gasped and arched his back, his legs moving back and forth as he pleasured himself. His body shook with need. His cock throbbed in his hand. Kendrick pinched his nipple and groaned as his hand worked faster to bring himself off.

  His balls drew close. The pressure built. Kendrick imagined Einarr pounding hard into his ass, watching as Kendrick masturbated, his blue eyes filled with passion and longing. Einarr’s hand smoothed over Kendrick’s hand, encouraging him, helping him get off.

  Kendrick arched his back and cried out Einarr’s name as his body exploded. Ribbons of cum pulsed from his cock and landed on his chest and covered his hand. Kendrick lay there panting, cursing under his breath that this had been only a fantasy, that Einarr wasn’t really there.

  “Now that was so damn erotic I would pay to see it again.”

  Kendrick stiffened and grabbed for his pants when a man emerged from the shadows.

  It wasn’t Einarr.

  * * * *

  Einarr checked the perimeter of the house. Everyone inside had gone to bed, and he’d taken this quiet moment to ensure the grounds were safe. He was also taking this moment to crush the deep desire to go to Kendrick, to slip into the human’s bedroom and… Einarr curled his hands into fists as he fought against the images of Kendrick lying naked in his bed.

  He was here to make sure the family stayed safe, not seduce Kendrick. He needed to stay focused on his job, not his desires. But his mind wouldn’t listen. It insisted on envisioning what Kendrick’s slim body would look like as he fucked the man, as he brought Kendrick off. Einarr growled and clenched his teeth as images flashed in his mind.

  “Stay focused,” he said to himself. He could get through this without going to Kendrick.

  Einarr glanced up at Kendrick’s bedroom window and then turned, cursing at himself for looking. Okay, he was just going to go inside and check the house out. That was what he was assigned to do. He’d check on everyone and then chill in the living room.

  Simple enough plan.

  Einarr headed inside and did a complete sweep of the downstairs. All was quiet. He stood at the bottom of the steps and gazed upward.

  Don’t go into his damn room.

  Sighing, Einarr took the steps two at a time and checked on Omar first. The boy was sound asleep. He checked Omar’s playroom next. He was stalling. His resistance was slipping the closer he was to Kendrick’s bedroom. Einarr had to pull his shit together.

  He stepped down the hallway and stood outside Kendrick’s door. His hand lingered on the door handle as he took in a fortifying breath.

  Just open the door, check on him, and then leave.

  Einarr opened the door just a few inches and peeked inside. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. His pulse raced so hard that he could hear it beating in his ears as his throat grew dry. Kendrick was lying on his bed, his hand wrapped around his hard cock, masturbating. Einarr became instantly hard. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. The world around him disappeared, and his vision tunneled to one single man.

  His knees grew weak when Kendrick whispered his name. And then Kendrick begged Einarr to come to him. It took every ounce of resistance he possessed not to go. God, he wanted to. He did. But a small part of his mind reminded Einarr why he was staying away from the human. It wasn’t easy. As a matter of fact, staying rooted to the spot was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

  He reached down and rubbed the palm of his hand over his erection, imagining himself between Kendrick’s legs, fucking the man. When Kendrick came, Einarr nearly lost it. The scent of Kendrick’s release hit Einarr, and he felt the beginning of his own orgasm.

  Until he heard another voice that didn’t belong here.

  “Now that was so damn erotic I would pay to see it again.”

  As Kendrick scrambled to get his pants on, Einarr entered the room and growled when he spotted Tjan’s brother. The man turned and smirked at Einarr before he stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

  That shouldn’t have been possible. Only Demon Warriors could use the shadows to move from one place to another. They were the only ones gifted with that ability, yet Tjan’s brother had disappeared.

  “Who the hell was that?” Kendrick asked as he jumped out of bed and looked around. “I know he was a demon, but why was he here?”

  They both spun toward the door when Omar screamed. Einarr flew down the hallway and slammed the little boy’s bedroom door
open. The demon was standing over the boy, one hand on Omar’s arm. He turned toward Einarr.

  “You took someone who means the world to me. How about I return that favor?”

  Before Einarr could get to the guy, the demon pulled Omar from the bed and raced to the shadows that bathed Omar’s room. They were gone.

  “Omar!” Kendrick shouted as he ran to the corner and spun in a circle, but neither the demon nor Omar were there. “Why?” Kendrick twisted his hands together as he looked at Einarr with terror in his green eyes. “Why did he take Omar?”

  “Because he’s the brother of the man who attacked Dylan in the demon realm,” Einarr explained. “He wants his brother freed.”

  “Then free him!” Kendrick hurried to Einarr and punched Einarr in the chest. “You better free him, or so help me, I’ll turn that demon realm on its ass.”

  “What’s going on?” Paine asked as he appeared in the doorway.

  “Some demon came here and kidnapped Omar,” Kendrick said before he turned to Einarr. “Take me there, now!”

  Paine cursed. “I’m going to call Steele and gather some men. We’ll meet you in the demon realm.” Paine hurried from the room.

  “Get some clothes on, and we’ll go,” Einarr said. He’d been tasked with Omar’s safety, and he’d failed. That son of a bitch was going to pay for taking Omar.

  Kendrick ran to his bedroom, Einarr hot on his heels. He could hear Paine and Dylan hurrying out the front door. Kendrick shoved his feet into a pair of Doc Martens and then turned.

  “I’m ready.”

  Einarr grabbed Kendrick and moved to the shadows, stepping out into the streets of Serenity City. He wasn’t sure where to start looking. The demon could be anywhere. Hell, he might not even be here. He could have gone someplace else in the human realm.

  “Where?” Kendrick asked as he looked around. “Where do we find him?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” he admitted.

  “What?” Kendrick narrowed his eyes as his hands curled into fists at his sides. “How can you not know where he is?”

  The man’s anger made a part of Einarr surface—a part that he’d tried his best to keep hidden. “It’s not like I put a fucking tracking device on the bastard. I don’t even know his damn name, so stop fucking yelling at me.”

  Kendrick’s eyes went wide as he took a step back. Einarr hated himself at that moment. He hated the look of fear in Kendrick’s eyes. Einarr was a surly bastard most days. With the way he’d been raised, it was a miracle he had an ounce of humanity in him. Kendrick had brought out things in Einarr that shouldn’t have been there, soft emotions, a craving for a mate, but he knew that was foolish thinking. He wasn’t meant to be happy. He could see that now. His life had spilt into Kendrick’s, and now the human feared him. It wouldn’t be long before the man loathed him.

  Einarr turned on his heel and began to walk away. Kendrick would be better off without him. He’d only fuck the human’s life up. It was inevitable.

  “Don’t you dare walk away,” Kendrick said as he caught up with Einarr. “I don’t care how scary you are. I want my nephew back, and you are going to help me find him.”

  “Scary?” Einarr whipped back around, his heart heavy that Kendrick thought of him that way. “You haven’t seen scary.” Einarr had to make this man see that he was no good for him. He had to squash any romantic notions Kendrick had about him. “I’ve been playing you for a fool, Kendrick. I’m not soft and lovable. I’m your worst damn nightmare. I’m a demon. That should say it all.” He remembered the website Kendrick had been exploring and used the inaccurate information to drive his point home. “I steal into homes and torture, kill. That’s what we demons do. Haven’t you learned your lesson? Look at what happened to Dylan, to Omar.”

  Kendrick jumped when Einarr took a step closer. The human began to blink rapidly as he gazed up at Einarr. “But I need you to help me find Omar.” His voice was a mere whisper, laced with uncertainty. It killed Einarr to see Kendrick like this.

  Einarr gritted his teeth and said what he had to. “I’ll find him, but you’re going home. I don’t need you to slow me down.”

  “Fuck you!” Kendrick turned and walked away. Einarr had no idea where the man was going. Kendrick knew nothing of the dangers around him, not the true threats. There were creatures in the demon realm that would suck Kendrick’s soul out of him, creatures that would drag him into hell and torture him for all eternity. The demons they’d been dealing with were child’s play compared to what Kendrick could run into.

  Einarr cursed and followed. He caught up to Kendrick and grabbed the man’s arm, yanking the human into the closest alley.

  “Let me go!”

  Kendrick yanked and kicked, trying his best to get free, but Einarr had to protect the man. He moved through the shadows and thrust Kendrick toward his desk when they emerged in the man’s office.

  “Stay put,” Einarr said venomously. He moved back into the shadows before Kendrick could latch onto him, once again emerging in the demon realm. Einarr’s hands were shaking as he ran them over his head. Kendrick was sure to hate him now. It was for the best. So why did his chest feel as though a bag of bricks was resting on it? Why did Einarr feel like the worst sort of scum?

  He wanted to go back and make things right with Kendrick. Einarr wanted to go back to when Kendrick was pleasuring himself and make love to the human. He wanted to go back to his shitty childhood and start over.

  But most of all, Einarr wanted what he knew he could never have.

  A happy life with the man who was slowly stealing his ice-encased heart.

  Chapter Three

  After searching for an hour, Einarr found out that the demon’s name was Talon Evyl. At first, Einarr thought the guy who’d told him the name had been bullshitting, but after asking around in a few more places, he found that Talon’s surname was really Evyl.

  How fucking ironic.

  “He hangs out down by Diablo’s on most nights,” the craggy old man said as he pulled in a draft of his cigarette. His skin appeared jaundice and leathery, as if he’d lived way past his expiration date. Not many humans lived in the demon realm, but there were a handful here. The guy gave Einarr a knowing grin, showing off his yellowed and toothless smile. Well, there were two teeth left in the guy’s mouth. “He’s taken something of yours, hasn’t he? That’s what that demon does. He barters for what he wants by taking what you love.”

  Einarr thanked the man before heading down the street. He spotted Hondo up ahead with Paine, Diablo, Steele, and the Santiago brothers. Diablo had some guy hemmed up against a wall as the other men held back the stranger’s friends.

  As Einarr drew closer, he not only scented the men he knew, he but could tell the stranger was a fae. His pointy ears gave him away as well.

  “I swear, I don’t know nothing about no kidnapping,” the stranger said as he stared wide-eyed at Diablo.

  “Do you always talk in double negatives?” Law asked. “We know you know something. One of your friends ratted on you.”

  “Okay, okay,” the fae squawked. “Maybe I heard that some human kid is being auctioned off to the highest bidder tonight.”

  “He what!” Einarr moved closer and grabbed the fae around his throat. “If you don’t spill it, I’ll make sure I break every bone in your body in the most brutalizing ways.”

  “Where is this auction taking place?” Diablo asked as he shook the man.

  “The kid is valuable,” the fae said. “He can see us for what we are. Tell me that won’t fetch a nice price.”

  “And he gets a cut for bringing bidders in,” one of the fae’s friends said. “Tell him, Shark.”

  Shark’s eyes bugged. “Why you rattin’ on me?”

  “Duh.” His friend waved his hand around. “Ever seen a surlier bunch before? Fuck Talon. These men will send us to the underworld if you don’t start talking.”

  “That’s if you’re lucky.” Einarr sneered. He slammed his fist into Shark�
�s gut, and the man looked as if he were ready to pass out. He shouted and then held up his hands.

  “Okay, okay,” he said as he licked his lips. “They’re doing the auction at—”

  Just then a red blossom began to spread across Shark’s chest, and the fae slumped to the ground. Someone had shot him in the heart. Einarr spun and glanced around but didn’t see a shooter anywhere. With all the tall buildings around them, the guy could have been hiding anywhere.

  “Oh fuck!” Sharks’ friend shouted. He dropped to the ground and placed his wiry arms over his head. “He’s going to kill us all. Get me out of here, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

  Diablo shifted into his dragon form and took off into the sky. The Santiago brothers growled as their nails grew into claws and their canines descended. Steele grabbed the fae from the ground and shook the guy. “You’ll tell me what I want to know now.”

  “Shark told me that the auction is being held in the back of Malcor’s, after midnight.” The fae’s gaze darted around. “Now get me outta here.”

  Steele released the guy and shoved him away. “Fuck off.”

  “You shifters are scum,” the fae said as he and his friends took off.

  Einarr knew that Malcor walked on the wrong side of the law, but the Demon Warriors had looked the other way. Marino Malone used to hang out in the posh restaurant, conducting his business meetings there. But to allow an auction of a kid was low even for the restaurant owner. Einarr was going to make sure that Malcor’s was shut down and the owner punished for his part in this.

  Paine checked his watch. “We have an hour before the auction begins.”

  “Where’s Dylan?” Einarr asked.

  “Made him stay behind with Kahl,” Paine said. “This place isn’t safe for him. Besides, Kenway is watching them both.”

  The man was smarter than he looked. Einarr thought of Kendrick and the guilt tried to eat him up. He wasn’t sure how he’d face the guy ever again. He couldn’t get that Kendrick’s look of fear out of his mind. Einarr thought about the past few weeks where he and Kendrick had laughed and shared their time together the movies they’d watched and the hours of conversation about anything and everything. He wanted that back.