Page 35 of Deranged Demons

His eyes flash. “And is that what you want? To settle down?”

I make a face. “What I want is to bond with my mates, so I have the power to keep the clan leaders in check. What I want is to make sure Seral doesn’t turn into madness when Dad…uh…retires. Aside from that, nothing else matters.”

“Then that’s all you need to think about, gorgeous,” he agrees, and he leans close, his lips colliding with my neck, and his hand sliding from the back of the lounge and winding around me, pulling me closer. Instinctively, I tip my head to the side, givinghim better access, and he works up to my ear, his hot breath making me shiver.

“You want something, Nine Lives,” I rasp, curving my back as my nerves come alive at his touch. “Something that’s not me. And I’m going to find out what it is.” I think about what Prince Callan has told me about him, and his reputation in Toralyn. He’s not just a shifter, but a thief as well.

“Right now, all I want is you, demon,” he says, biting my earlobe, and I moan at the scrape of his teeth.

Flipping my leg over, I straddle him, pressing onto his lap as his large hands slide across my back. The rumbling in his chest turns to a growl, and then my lips are on his, demanding that he respond. His scent wraps around me, driving me wild as I start to lose control, and his tongue dives into my mouth. I almost pull back at the unusual rough texture as his tongue tangles with mine, but he holds me firmly, his strong fingers pressing deliciously against me.

Breaking the kiss, I rock against him, enjoying the hard press of him between my thighs. He groans, his slitted eyes hooded as his hands move to my hips, forcing me to rub harder against him.

“So fuckin’ sexy,” he mutters as he sits up more, his lips moving to my collarbone as he drinks me in. My nipples harden, my body tightening even more at his words. I want this.Fuck,do I want this, but as one of his hands moves to the front of my pants Kai’s face flashes in my mind, his stone-cold eyeswide and sightless. I jerk in Nate’s hold, my chest heaving. I know I’m going to have to give in soon and test what happens when I’m with my mates, but my heart races at the thought of harming Nate.

“Wait,” I gasp as the beast shifter’s thumb hooks into the front of my pants. “We can’t.”

Nate’s voice is a low rumble, thick with desire. “I’ve heard the rumors, gorgeous. Whatever happened, your last lover wasn’t your mate.”

He’s right, but it’s too late. I scramble off him, my legs feeling strange as I move away from his lap and take a step backward. “I just, can’t yet.”

His wide chest rises and falls as he watches me, his gaze predatory and carnal. The tips of fangs protrude from his mouth, and my core tightens when he licks his lips. His muscles coil like he’s going to pounce for me, and my muscles twitch, but he doesn’t move.

“I thought you want to seal the bond,” he points out. “Think of this as practice.”

I take another step back, though my legs feel heavy. “Just. Not now,” I say, fully preparing myself to have to fight him off if needed.

He only grins, showing off his partially shifted teeth. “Whatever you wish, my queen,” he purrs, and he lifts from the lounge and prowls over to the other couch, dropping down and closing his eyes like he intends to sleep.

I try to control my breathing as I fight against the urge to follow him and pick up where we left off.Fuck.I can’t deny that he’s mine, but the thought ofaccidentally killing my jaguar mate makes my stomach want to reject the last thing I ate.

Not yet,I tell myself. When I find all my mates, then we can test the theory of what happens when we’re together.

I sit there for a long while thinking about the assassin and my other mates and how we’re possibly going to figure this all out, but eventually I lift from the lounge and venture into the storage room. Rows of colored clay pots line the shelves against the walls of the small room, and I take my time peering into each pot. They’re all empty except for dried remnants on the bottom of some of them, and it makes me wonder how long the owners of the bunker were down here for. Did they stay here for as long as possible before they were forced to surface? Peering around, I don’t detect any kind of ventilation system that would have allowed them to breathe for a long period of time, but I don’t spend long searching. For all I know, the beings that lived here didn’t need to breathe.

A thud from somewhere in the bunker has me drawing my dagger and rushing back to the living room. I scan the area, half expecting the assassin to be there even though I know the door is locked, but the space is quiet. Shade sleeps peacefully on the lounge, and Nate’s chest rises and falls steadily as he relaxes unaware of whatever had made the noise. The washroom is also empty, and I creep into the bedroom where Prince Callan retreated. There’s still no sign of the Drozac assassin or anything that could have madethe noise, but the prince is resting on one of the beds. His eyes remain closed as I move over to him, staring at the sleeping archangel.

He’s breathtaking to look at, the shimmering gold of his wings making him seem more like a sculpture than a living male. Compelled by the invisible bond between us, I lean closer, dragging in his scent of green apples and bergamot. His smell is addictive, and I fight against the urge to move nearer to him, my gaze fixing on his gold-brushed lips.

Keep it together, Blake,I mentally hiss at myself, but I can’t stop myself from reaching out, sliding a finger along the ribbed membrane of his golden wings. He shivers, his muscles tightening, but before I can move away his hand flies up, clamping around my wrist.

Hazel eyes rimmed with gold stare up at me, and my heart lurches as he stares, lust clouding his gaze. His attention shifts, his gaze dropping from my face to where he’s still holding my hand suspended in the air.

I come to my senses faster than he does, and I yank my hand free and take a large step back, feeling like I can breathe again.

He watches me carefully, his expression hardening though the lust never leaves his eyes.

“Is there…something I can help you with?” he drawls, his throat bobbing as he speaks.

“You could start by telling me why you’re such an ass,” I blurt, frustration winding through me.

He blinks like he’s surprised by my comment, but then his mask slips into place, that cool, casualdemeanor taking over his features. “You’re a royal, you know how these things work. We don’t get the luxury of indulging in our…” he pauses, his gaze heating again as he stares at me, “fantasies.”

My cheeks warm.Fantasies?“I’m your fated mate,” I say incredulously. “No one goes against the mate bond. Don’t you want to unlock your power?”

He holds my gaze, and I swear I see a flicker of longing in his eyes. “Since when has this life ever been about what I want?”

My heart pounds. “And what is it that you want?”

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