Page 26 of Orion: Galaxy Huntress

Chapter 13

Ace

Vice hadme meet him at his place rather than the bar and I smelled a goddamn rat. The bastard was up to something, and I planned on finding out what. I couldn’t afford any surprises when I took the demon army to defend our pack’s borders. If the demon even planned on keeping up that end of the bargain, or he intended to fuck me so hard up the ass his dick would come out my throat.

I punched the doorbell of the address he gave me. Probably a phoney, knowing the slippery demon. But to my surprise and chagrin, he answered, wearing shorts and a Gucci button-down cotton shirt rolled up at the sleeves.

“Ace, my man, come inside.” He spread the door open wide like his arms.

A familiar and heady scent toyed with my nose. Freshly picked peaches sliced up over ice cream, drizzled in maple syrup. My mate. She’d been here. I grabbed the demon’s shirt and lifted him up so he stretched on his tip toes so that he met my nose. I had a good two inches on him.

“Where is she, demon?” I growled from deep in my chest, sick of this fucking game he played.

First, he bound me to a mate I didn’t want or need, and against my specific instruction not to fuck over our arrangement. Second, he coincidentally had her bump into me outside his tavern to bust up a fake vampire shakedown. Prompted me to get all aggressive and possessive when she wanted to leave. Fuck. Made me bite her. Goddamn bite her. Third, Vice had her scent all over the bar and now his house. Fucker screwed with me. He wanted me to give into temptation. Distract me from my goal to save my pack and claim my soul for millions of years. Nope. Not happening.

Vice held up two palms. “Easy, Ace. She didn’t have a place to go and stayed here the night. Got attacked by a vampire earlier in the day, and I sure as Hell wasn’t about to leave her alone in some dumpy motel.”

Fierce, protective wolf urges rose to the surface and I slammed him against the door. “You let her get hurt by a vampire?” For this I’d kill him. First, I crunched his tail in my palm and he squeaked and jolted, trying to tear away. Next I’d rip a wing from his fucking shoulder.

“Relax, wolfy. She came to me to earn money,” the demon dribbled. “Said she’d catch me some animal. How was I supposed to say no to such a creature? Ace, you never told me she was so beautiful.”

Was he interested in her? He could fuck off, she was mine, and a lot better off without him. Another smell hit my nose, answering my question. My worst fucking nightmare. Her sex. On. Him. Growls rose from my chest and burst out my mouth.

“You fucked her?” Anger seethed in my veins and I fucking went ballistic, slamming his head against the door and throwing him inside, ready to kick his demon ass and snap his tail off and shove it down his throat. “She’s my mate. You made her for me, and you take her?”

Vice righted himself. “What do you care?” He shoved me back in the chest, finally demonstrating an ounce of aggression back, rather than playing the coward. “You didn’t want her. Rejected her. You wanted the bond to be broken as I recall. That meant she was fair game.”

Fair game. Breaking every bone in his body was also fair game then. I stopped short of doing that when his words speared me through the chest.

“Fuck you, Vice.” I seethed through my teeth. “I feel protective of her," I argued, and it was hopeless, because the goddamn demon saw through me.

“I knew you would.” The demon smirked as he straightened his ruined collar, clicking his finger to correct it.

“What?!?!” This was what I feared. He’d fucked with me this whole time. Set this all up. Toyed with me like a cat to a mouse, and I fell for it like a damn chump.

The demon set a reassuring palm on my shoulder that I swatted away. “Ace, I know you're lonely.” His voice came out sincere and truthful, which took me aback, because this prick had never been those things in his ancient existence.

“I can get laid if I want to,” I snapped, preferring to keep my private life private. Nobody wanted a demon poking around their business. Especially not one who made shady deals that played off your weakness.

“Ace, I’m not talking about that kind of loneliness. I’m talking soul-deep shit here.”

I sniffed and rubbed my itchy nose. “I’ve got plenty of friends and business to keep me busy.”

Vice tilted his head and kicked up an eyebrow. “Let me tell you a little insider secret. I see into everyone’s souls. Deepest, darkest desires.” Fuck. I hated people peering into my shit. “That’s how I know how to bargain with people and trick them into an unbreakable deal to steal their soul.”

“Fuck, you stole my soul?” I scrubbed my jaw back and forth, dreading my future in Hell with him at the helm, striking me with fire-laced whips. “Stay out of my damn business, you nosey bastard.”

Vice innocently raised two palms. “Can't help it, buddy. Perk of the job. Unavoidable.” He sighed and patted me gently. “I swear on Dad’s deathbed that I didn’t take your soul.”

“How is that a promise when your father is eternal and will never die?” I pushed past him, deeper into the house, searching for my mate, wanting to put her in the shower to clean the sulphury demon stink off her. “If you see anything from now on, keep your nose out of it.”

I found her curled up on the sofa, flicking through a magazine, tilting it, studying the pictures. Her skin glowed a deeper bronze. She smelled even better than last time I’d seen her. Like roasted peaches coated with honey. Fuck, I wanted to lick her skin just to taste her. But then I noticed the short skirt that barely contained her ass and a cute blouse with those breasts popping out of it. I growled, wanting to put a pillow over her ass and chest to prevent Vice’s eyes from leering over her.

“Stormy.” Eyes wide, my mate crawled backwards across the sofa is if I’d startled her, almost falling off it.

“Don’t be afraid.” I raised two palms. “Not gonna bite you this time. That was his magick affecting me.”

I didn’t know how to act. Play it cool? Punch Vice in the nose for touching her? Go and kiss her? Fuck. This was awkward as fuck.

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