Page 43 of April's Fool
Working with Keren, we drew the portal easily, with little drain on our magic, not that I had an issue with that thanks to Damon, and stepped through to Sweetwater.
Immediately, we were surrounded by shifters and elves readying themselves for a fight. Some werein their animal forms, poised to strike. I stood still, though I let the portal go, as did Keren. Holding my hands out, I showed I wasn’t a threat. I knew how some people acted when faced with one of us, so I made sure to safely tuck away all of my demon features. They still looked nervous at our appearance in the middle of the compound.
“Stand down!” a familiar voice ordered. Alpha Blake came forward to stand a few steps away. “Welcome, Mori.” He gave me a quick smile. “Keren, I presume?”
We made our greetings and introductions while the guards surrounding us relaxed. Alpha Blake praised them for their quick action and restraint. They returned to their stations.
“Thank you for inviting us here to prepare for the auction, Alpha Blake.”
“Please, just call me Blake when we are in private. Hearing Alpha all the time gives me a headache,” Blake joked.
I could imagine there was a lot of stress managing such a diverse pack, especially with the addition of the elves who were living there long term as they researched the reason for and long-term effects of the beta sickness which had ravaged the Sweetwater pack.
Blake led us to the main house, a short distance from where we had opened our portal. Once safely inside his office, there was the offer of refreshments. Iabsolutely couldn’t refuse even after the recent pastry, I was still famished! I also had to fuss over the babies. They had so many! After I’d eaten a scone, I just had to go compliment the cook, Winter, who was a darling man with talent in the kitchen. His loyalty to the pack was admirable in the face of my bribes. He denied me every time. I wanted him for Cody’s home, or one of my hotels.
My presence in the pack house appeared to amuse Blake. I was glad to cut the tension between us all, as it would make the next couple of hours go much more smoothly. Plus, I also wanted a good working relationship with the young alpha. He had come to help Cody when he hadn’t even met him, so I owed him.
Shifters were fascinating to me. I wanted to see all their different forms, experience a pack run, see all the babies. Their tight pack bonds were just so lovely, not too dissimilar from demon culture.
After going over what to expect, we got into a truck to drive in to Sweetwater and Heatwave, the club where the auction was going to be held.
There were only a few people there when we arrived and were ushered inside. I immediately liked the vibe of the place, though the decor would need some updating. Damon would have to tour the premises when I acquired the club to check for securityconcerns. From what I had been told, the club had been closed temporarily after abuses by alphas over an omega. That obviously couldn’t happen anymore. This was supposed to be a place of safety and sanctuary for omegas in heat. If they didn’t have an alpha to mate with, they could come here to find one, or use some of the beta shifters on staff.
In all honesty, with our magic, we could create a knot, so omegas might prefer to take their heats with a demon. Plenty of incubi would love to help a shifter in heat.
Blake’s assistant, Dakota, was happy to make a list for me of things that either needed to be repaired or replaced throughout the club. He even gave me some useful suggestions as a former patron of the club. Dakota was now settled with a mate, a baby, and two older children, one being the Alpha Mate, Kade. He spoke with so much love for his family.
People trickled into the club as the time for the auction drew nearer. The auctioneer set up her equipment, laptop and microphone at the ready.
A hush came over the crowd as the auctioneer called the lot out. She gave a brief description of the building, the business, and certain responsibilities that entailed with owning a heat club. Then it got under way.
Quickly, it was apparent they weren’t expecting me to have the funds necessary to buy the club. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a problem later on.
Naturally, I was the highest bidder. When I wanted something, I went for it. Dakota, Blake and Blake’s brother, Axel, clapped their hands enthusiastically for me, while the rest made a token gesture.
I had just signed the paperwork, assuring the auctioneer on behalf of the seller that I would pay within the next week, when there was a prickle of magic.
“Portal!” Keren yelled, pushing Blake behind him and next to me.
Seconds later a portal opened, and a frantic-looking Barr ran through behind a sheepish-looking Damon.
“Hey, did you miss me?”
The Demon Realm
Damon
What was a humanto do when he was left alone in the demon realm? Not explore, apparently. That was ill-advised despite the many assurances that the demon realm was much safer for me, for anyone, than the human one.
Something about this didn’t feel right. Whether it was Mori’s insistence I stayed put or my gut feeling, but something was off.
So like the good human boyfriend I, hopefully, was, I did as I was told and waited in the suite for someone to come collect me. First I showered, packed our things neatly, then ordered a hearty breakfast. I hoped Keren thought to get Mori some food. All that sunshine and rainbows needed to be powered by sugar.
My lips lifted in a brief smile at the thought of Mori. The night before had been amazing. We had proved without a shadow of a doubt that we were compatible. The smile slipped when I thought about the shower when Mori had naturally headed somewhere… thememory of being penetrated flashed through me, making me shudder.
No, Mori had apologized, then respected my boundary. He was just so good. All the shower had been was a tiny blip in an otherwise wonderful night. The shower had ended well for us both.
A smirk returned at all the ways I’d taken Mori through the night. Being with an incubus was an experience I’d never forget. I wasn’t going back to human guys.
