55.7
Marked by a Demon
Chapter 1
The first thing she noticed about him were the black rabbit ears that sprouted from his rust colored hair. The second thing that she noticed was that his right eye was bandaged. He was quite tall, so even though it was his bunny ears that had initially caught her attention, she could easily see his face as he walked through the crowd towards her.
Anthea wove her way through the heavy foot traffic along the bus mall like a salmon swimming upstream, trying to keep him in sight before they passed each other and he was lost to her. She wanted to commit all of his details to memory so she could recall them and think about him later.
He was beautiful, Anthea conceded, the kind of man who never notice a mousy corporate librarian like her. As they got closer, she could make out that he was wearing a white shirt with a blue tie and a vintage suit jacket. His hair was cut in such a way as to cover his bandaged eye if he tipped his head down. He had to be at least six foot four, she mused, a full foot taller than she. How delicious.
His hands were jammed in the front pockets of his faded jeans and he seemed to be concentrating on something. He was going to pass by her so closely that if she dared, Anthea could have reached out and touched him. He had to be a model, or maybe a rock star or even a gigolo. Maybe he was a rock star gigolo. Normally Anthea stared at her feet when she walked through the bus mall, but today she couldn’t peel her eyes away from the guy with the black bunny ears.
When they were parallel, he suddenly stopped and inhaled deeply. It was such an odd behavior that she stumbled and stopped too. He turned to look at her and she felt like someone had just grabbed her and squeezed her. The air was pressed from her lungs and the man smiled and lunged for her. She would have screamed, but she was utterly breathless as he yanked her into the narrow alley between office buildings and held her prisoner against the brick wall.
He held on to her upper arms and looked her up and down like he was hungry, hungry for her. She struggled in his grasp and looked frantically towards fifth avenue, but no one was looking at them.
“They can’t see you,” the man said.
“What?” He was terribly strong. She tried to squirm and wriggle away, but he held her still, her back pressed against the cool brick wall.
“I’ve put up a dimensional force field. You could scream and only I would hear you.”
“What do you want?” Anthea went still in his grasp and looked him in the eye. His right eye was bandaged, but his left eye was egg shell blue. Such a clear and bright color and it was trained on her.
“Kiss me,” he said.
Anthea felt her face turn red and she considered kicking the man in the crotch and making a break for it. As if reading her mind he leaned his body against her. His long legs pressed against hers and his pelvis grinded against her stomach.
“Why do you want to kiss me?” she asked.
“I think you’re the one I’ve been looking for.” He leaned in to kiss her and she turned her head to the side. “You would offer me your neck instead? I suppose a blood donation would be just as sufficient.”
“Blood?” she gasped.
“A blood donation would let me know if you’re her,” he said.
“You’d bite me on the neck?” she asked.
“Well, that is the funnest place to bite,” and he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent and reveling in her fear.
Anthea could feel a delightful flutter in her stomach and she new she was in definite danger. She wriggled against him, but she could tell from the hard bulge pressing back against her stomach, that he liked her struggling.
“There are other places I could take blood,” he murmured against her ear. “There’s a nice vein on the inside of your thigh,” and he slipped his leg between hers and slid his knee upwards.
“A kiss then,” she breathed.
“So fickle.” He ran his finger up the slope of her shoulder then slipped it up her neck, tracing her jugular, nice and slow, like he was mesmerized by the blood pumping furiously beneath his fingertip. He then slid his finger to her chin and tipped her head back. He tilted his head to the side and laid his lips against hers.
Anthea felt a jolt of pleasure crash through her body as their lips met. She opened her mouth to him as his lips demanded and the kiss deepened, his tongue invading her mouth, inviting hers to join in the dance. She willing submitted, her tongue playing against his, tasting him. She reveled in his essence, he tasted like wine and chocolate, like salt and pure sweet water. She was glad that he was holding her against the wall, since her legs suddenly felt weak and rubbery. His hand caressed her face and neck as he kissed her. His touch was electric and his fingers burned her skin in the most pleasurable manner. She felt lost in a sea of sensation and excitement. Anthea marveled that she’d never had a kiss this mind blowing before. No one had ever kissed her so, so soulfully before. When he pulled back, Anthea felt spent, like he had taken something from her.
“I’ve finally found you,” he said, still holding on to her face. “What do you see when you look down the alley,” he said and pointed up the alley towards Sixth Avenue.
“I see a dumpster and some water collected on the concrete and the two buildings on either side. Why?”
The man let go of her and backed up. He gave her a quick look like he was afraid she’d run away from him, but Anthea couldn’t run, even if she wanted to. His kiss had weakened her and she leaned against the wall, letting it prop her upright. He opened the satchel draped across his body and pulled out a pair of brass goggles. He handed them to Anthea.
“Put them on and look down the alley again.”
“Ooooookay,” she conceded. She pulled the goggles over her head and adjusted them so they were comfortable and looked down the alley and gasped. There was a large storefront that she couldn’t see before. There was a huge flickering red neon sign that said “Solomon’s Bar.” A canvas canopy sheltered the front of the bar and she could see windows and chairs out front. A couple of girls came out of the bar, talking animatedly together. The pulled their goggles up on their foreheads and headed towards Sixth Avenue and walked around the corner.
Anthea pulled the goggles up and the alley was empty, just as it had been before. “Augmented reality?” she asked.
“The bar is situated at a permanent opening on the dimensional rift, there are others in your city. This is one way to travel from your dimension into mine.”
“You’re from another dimension? Inside that bar?”
“Something like that. I have someone I need you meet. Will you meet me back here at midnight?”
Anthea nodded, although she wasn’t sure what was going one. The man smiled and held his hand out to her. She reached for him and he took her fingers and pulled the back of his hand up to his mouth. A jolt of pleasure raced through her at that simple gesture.
“It’s a date then?” he asked. “The goggles are yours, bring them with you. They’re your key to the dimension. Oh, and what’s your name?
“I’m Anthea, Anthea Darcy.”
“I’m Dantalion,” he pumped her hand in greeting. “See you later, Anthea, Anthea Darcy,” he teased.
She pulled her hand away and Dantalion snapped his fingers and she could suddenly hear the busy sounds of the street and of the people walking by. She walked back to Fifth Avenue. As she turned the corner she snuck a peek down the alley and Dantalion was leaning against the brick building watching her. She dipped her head and fought the crowd to her bus stop.
***
Normally Anthea read on the bus but she couldn’t bring herself to pull out the latest trashy vampire novel she was reading. Instead she leaned her head against the fogged up window and touched her lips with her fingertips. Did it really just happen or did she imagine it all? Maybe she was finally going mad, finally slipping between the pages of a book, never to be seen from again. She held up the brass goggles he had given her, proof of her sanity. They were real, cool and heavy in her hands. They were solid, nothing like a dream.
She wiped the condensation from the window and slipped on the goggles, ignoring the odd looks she was getting from the other passengers. This was Portland, surely everyone had seen stranger things, like a man with black bunny ears, walking through a crowded bus mall.
The city sped by in a blur, but when the bus stopped to drop off and pick up, she could occasionally spot foreign storefronts and buildings in the middle of parking lots or empty spaces. Dimensional rifts he had called them. They were doorways to another world, his world. He had said there was someone he wanted her to meet. What could that be all about?
As handsome as he was and as amazing as that kiss had been, all of her red alert sensors were going off. She should run far and fast and forget what had happened to her that day. She took off the goggles and put them inside her backpack with a heavy heart. She’d been punk’d. They were augmented reality goggles, probably the ones by Google she’d read about last week. She was stupid for believing a man that handsome would want someone like her. She was just a mousy bookworm that would rather stay home and read a book than meet a handsome stranger at midnight.
Chapter 2
Anthea rolled over in bed and wrapped her arms around something warm that smelled good. She nuzzled his shirt and started to drift back to sleep when something struck her as terribly wrong. She should be alone in bed. Anthea reached out for the lamp on the bedside table and clicked it on. She was in bed with Dantalion. Anthea screamed and scuttled off the edge of the bed. She came crashing down onto the floor, clutching her down comforter. Her back against the wall and she was curled up in little ball. Breathing heavily, she watched as two long black rabbit ears slid into view.
“You stood me up,” Dantalion accused.
“Of course I did!” Anthea yelled as she scrambled to stand up and wrap the comforter around her scantily clad body. “Some strange guy pulls me into an alley, sets up some weird force field and kisses me against my will and I’m supposed to happily meet him at some dimensional bar at midnight?”
“You think I’m strange?” he asked, sounding a little hurt.
“You have rabbit ears sticking out of your head. You broke into my house without my knowledge when I know that the doors are locked and the alarm is set. You gave me some goggles that allow me to see things that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Yeah, that’s strange.”
Dantalion smiled slowly, “If we keep Merihem waiting much longer, he’s going to be mad.”
“Who is this Merihem and why do I have to meet him?” Anthea groaned as she leaned against the wall.
Dantalion chewed on his lower lip as he thought. Anthea wondered what it would be like to chew on his lower lip for him. She remembered their kiss and how her body had reacted so strongly to him. Just thinking about the softness of his lips and how his tongue had caused her insides to clench in such a delicious manner caused her panties to get damp. She could feel her face turning red and she broke off eye contact with him and stared at the floor waiting for him to speak next.
“Merihem is your father,” Dantalion said quietly.
“My Father?” Anthea asked, her grip on the blanket faltering, letting it fall to the floor.
Dantalion crawled off the bed and grabbed her hand, bringing it slowly to his mouth. She felt a jolt of pleasure ripple through her body at that simple gesture. Why did he have such a strong erotic effect on her?
“I don’t believe you,” Anthea whispered.
“I didn’t want to force you, but we’re getting short on time,” he muttered and reached behind his head to untie the bandage that covered his right eye.
Anthea watched in morbid fascination as he unwrapped the pristine white ribbons. She expected to see a wound or a deformity, because why else would he keep part of his face bandaged? Instead she saw a perfectly serviceable dark brown eye.
Dantalion wrapped up the bandage and stuffed it in his pocket before turning his full attention to her. She was immediately caught in his gaze and pulled in against her will. It was like sinking into quicksand, the harder she resisted, the faster and harder she drowned.
“Merihem is your father and he’s eager to meet you. Now hurry and get ready.”
Anthea nodded her head in compliance. Her head felt foggy and she knew that normally she wouldn’t follow directions so easily, but this was different. She felt utterly compelled to pick out some nice clothes and shuffle into the bathroom for a shower. After all, her father was waiting for her.
She shampooed and conditioned her hair then stood under the blasting water and shut her eyes, trying to reassemble her thoughts and pull herself out of the murky deep. Her mother never spoke about her father. She knew that she was conceived on May Day, Beltane, as the commune had called it. In ancient times the king would leave the castle and join in the lascivious festivities of Beltane, the drinking, the dancing, the mingling with the local girls. If she had been born back then she would have been known as a Merry Begot, a holy child perhaps born from the seed of the king; conceived during the holy festival.
Growing up her father had just been a donor of half her DNA. He had always been a foggy mystery in her head, someone her mother never really talked about.
A hand slid up her back and over her shoulder. Anthea gasped in surprise but knew that it was Dantalion.
“What do you think you are you doing?” she accused.
“Just checking on you. You’ve been given a lot of intense information all at once and I was worried about you.” He grabbed the bar of soap from the shower caddy then began rubbing it across her shoulders and down her back. His hand came to rest on her lower back on the right side, just at her waist.
“Here it is,” he murmured, sounding relieved and giddy.
“My birthmark?” Anthea asked.
“Is that what they told you it was?” he asked.
Anthea thought that was a strange comment. “Yes, I was born with it. What else could it be?”
“Hmmm,” he replied and placed his palm over the center of the mark.
Pleasure surged through her body and she had to bite back a moan as her legs buckled under her. Dantalion easily caught her, holding her against his chest, his mouth at her ear.
“What was that?” she gasped.
“Just giving you a taste of my powers, darling.” His breath tickled her ear and she fought another moan as she rallied and pushed him away from her and turned off the shower.
“Please, get out first.” She kept her back to him and wrapped her arms over her breasts. Letting him see her naked back and booty was one thing, but she wasn’t ready for full frontal nudity, even though she was yearning to see what he looked like.
She sneaked a peek as he stepped out of the shower and the sight of his gorgeous backside made her insides clench and when she caught sight of his shaft, waving as he walked she had to swallow hard. Dear Lord, he was a sight to behold. Was it just him or were all demons…?
He dried and dressed in record speed and Anthea got ready, trying to think of things of a non-sexy nature. She pulled on a stretchy black dress with some boots and a jeans jacket. When she came out of the bathroom, Dantalion was standing in the kitchen waiting for her. He was wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a paisley blue tie that matched his left eye.
It was one thirty and she stifled a yawn. Normally she would still be sleeping at this time. Dantalion made a spinning motion with his index finger and Anthea did a catwalk show for him so he could see the entire outfit. He nodded approvingly and offered her his arm. He led her outside to a limo that purred to life at the sight of them. He opened the door to the backseat for her and helped her inside. She fell into the lush leather seat and Dantalion sat next to her so his thigh was resting against hers. She tried to scoot away, but he followed her until she was pressed up against the side of the car. He was so tall that his right ear was bent forward while his left one had to flop to the side. He put his arm across the back of the seat, letting his fingertips brush her shoulder.
Even that slightest touch had her body trembling and yearning for more. She wondered what was wrong with her. Was it the fact that she hadn’t had a man flirt with her in a few years? Was she aching for physical contact this much? No other man had been able to inflame her body this much with a simple touch. As if reading her mind, his hand enveloped her shoulder and he pulled her tight against him so she was nestled under his arm.
“Where to, Great Duke?” The man in the front seat asked.
“Solomon’s Bar, please Alastor.” Dantalion replied.
Anthea relaxed in the back of the car, allowing herself to be warmed by Dantalion’s body and lulled by his touch. She must have drifted off to sleep because she was suddenly being gently shaken awake. It felt like she had just shut her eyes for a second but they were already downtown, the limo idling in front of the alley way that Dantalion had accosted her in earlier that day.
Dantalion pulled her goggles from the inside of his coat and handed them to her. She pulled them on and suddenly the deserted alley way downtown was filled with people, lights and activity. What was previously a blank brick wall, had transformed into a bar front with a flashing neon sign that said “Solomon’s Bar.” A bored looking gargoyle perched by the front door on a stool was checking IDs.
Dantalion grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear. “Stay close to me, if something happens and we get separated, tell someone who your father is and promise a reward if you’re reunited with him. Merihem will honor that.”
Chapter 3
Anthea pulled on his arm so he stopped walking. “Wait, what could happen?”
Dantalion stroked her fingers and pulled her towards the bar. “We’ll be fine, come on.”
Dantalion walked past the gargoyle who waved his tail at them and snorted a friendly greeting. Once they were inside, Dantalion pulled his goggles up so they rested on his head just below his ears. Anthea pulled her goggles down around her neck and looked around the bar. A lot of heads turned their way as they weaved through the filled tables. One woman actually curtsied and kept her eyes adverted until they had passed. Anthea suddenly felt like royalty.
“Who are you?” she hissed at him.
Dantalion smiled, but kept walking.
They were almost past the huge glass bar, when a scary looking demon blocked path. He was just as tall as Dantalion, but twice as wide. He was dressed in leather pants and a black t-shirt that said ‘The Damned.’ His intricate goggles were strapped against his forehead and he stood blocking their way with hands on his hips, bald-head reflecting the neon from the window.“You know there’s a bounty on your fiancé’s head?” The man growled.
Anthea felt a little stab in her chest at the mention of a fiancé. She wondered why. She hardly knew this guy, why should she care if he had a fiancé? But she did care and she felt somehow disappointed. Why had he kissed her and climbed into the shower with her if he was already beholden to another? She admonished herself for caring so much.
Dantalion pulled her behind him so she would be safe. “Listen Gerhard, I don’t have time for this.”
Gerhard pulled his goggles down from his forehead and pulled out a dagger from his belt. “I had my goggles updated. Your cursed eye can’t fuck with me now.”
Dantalion laughed as if he’d just heard something terribly funny. “Dear, dear, Gerhard. I don’t need my right eye to defeat you. I just need two fingers.”
A heavy hand landed on Anthea’s shoulder and spun her around. “You’re nothing much to look at,” the woman spat, looking her up and down. She was a fiery red head with serious curves that were barely covered by a white slinky dress that was too low cut and had slits in the skirt that went so high, Anthea knew the woman couldn’t possibly be wearing any panties.
“You’re no super model either, Slutty McSlutterson.” Anthea said. She could hear a snicker from a close by table and Red Head hissed in anger and bared her claws at Anthea. Luckily the Gargoyle bouncer had been watching the commotion and grabbed Red Head before she jumped Anthea and clawed her eyes out.
Anthea turned her attention back to Dantalion and Gerhard who were still having a stand off in the hallway. Gerhard looked like he was beginning to have second thoughts about attacking Dantalion and his gaze kept flickering to Anthea. Finally he seemed to come to some sort of decision and lunged at Dantalion.
Anthea put her hands to her mouth, for some reason she seemed to like this idiot. Dantalion casually stepped out of the way and stuck his foot out, tripping Gerhard. As Gerhard was falling Dantalion poked the hilt of the dagger with his index finger so it popped out of Gerhard’s hand. As the huge bounty hunter fell on his face, Dantalion snapped his two fingers together against the hilt of the knife, sending it flying into Gerhard’s back. Gerhard screamed as he was neatly skewered to the floor.
The entire room erupted into applause and Dantalion gave a gracious bow before grabbing Anthea’s hand and pulled her past Gerhard’s howling body out the back door of the bar.
Once around the corner they walked along a busy street. Demons walked in and out of the different storefronts. There was a narrow street of compact dirt and some demons rode bicycles but there weren’t any cars that she could see.
“Who was that girl?” Anthea asked.
“Sorry about that. That was Inca. She is a succubus I went on one date with. Cra-zy!” Dantalion made a spinning motion by his rabbit ear.
“So, is Merihem close by?” she asked. She couldn’t bring herself to call someone she had never met, father.
“Actually he lives quite far away from here.”
“How are we going to get there?” she asked. “I don’t see any cars or buses.
Dantalion snapped on his goggles and looked around before pointing across the street at an empty lot. “From over there.”
Anthea pulled on her goggles so she could see what he was pointing at. There was a green box about the size of a phone booth located across the street that could only be seen whilte wearing the goggles. The box had a spinning globe over it with a pictogram of a person and a shooting star. They ran across the street and he pulled her inside the box after him. Once inside they removed their goggles.
There was a console, which Dantalion pressed his hand against. There was a beep indicating that his palm print was recognized then he typed in a string of numbers. He pressed a few buttons and when he seemed to be satisfied that their destination was entered, he turned his attention to her.
“The ride will take a few minutes.” He said as the box hummed to life and began trembling.
“So who are you?” Anthea asked.
“People show deference to me because I am a Great Duke with many armies at my command. I can make or break people on a whim. If they are wise, they treat me with respect. Now, how should we while away the time?”
He took a step towards her and she stepped back. The booth was small and soon she was flattened against the wall. Dantalion leaned into her and pressed his nose against the side of her neck. “You smell delicious.”
“It’s the orange patchouli soap,” Anthea murmured.
“No, it’s your natural scent that I like.” He inhaled deeply again and purred in her ear. “You smell good enough to eat.” And his tongue ran up her neck and lapped at her earlobe.
Anthea let out a little noise and grabbed at his coat. His tongue did amazing things to her body. Why did her body respond so forcefully to his tongue? To his touch? She knew she should push him away, tell him to stop but the truth was, she didn’t want to. Even if he had a fiancé, she wanted to be with him, even if it was just for this moment. Why was she succumbing to such madness?
His tongue caressed the shell of her ear and then slid down her neck to where it met her shoulder. She could feel his sharp teeth graze her flesh and he bit her, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough that she yelped. It hurt, but for some reason she wanted him to do it again. She found that she was breathing heavily and when she lifted his head, they stared at each other for a moment before he violently claimed her mouth. His lips bruised hers as he grabbed her by the waist and slid her up the wall so he could press himself against her without having to bend down. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and threw her arms around his neck. He pressed against her so hard, she was afraid they’d burst through the side of the booth.
What delicious madness was this, she marveled. His tongue wrestled with hers, filling her mouth, lapping at her, as if he couldn’t get enough of her taste. She felt the same, his mouth was like spice and honey and she fought his tongue for dominance so she could explore his mouth too. He relented, slowing the kiss, allowing her delve between his lips. Her tongue slipped past his sharp teeth and spiraled around his mouth massaging his tongue until he made a growling sound deep in his throat. She pulled away and ran the tip of her tongue across his lips, until finally was able to take his bottom lip between her teeth and carefully chew on it, as she had been longing to do since she caught him in her bed.
His breathing was ragged and she could feel his fierce erection sliding desperately against her, letting her know if it wasn’t for a few flimsy layers of clothing he would be taking her, making her as his, right there. He reclaimed her mouth, kissing her until she felt disoriented and drunk. She wanted him inside of her and that scared her. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t this lascivious with someone that she didn’t know. She wasn’t someone who easily gave in to wanton lust. What the hell was wrong with her? The console beeped and the door popped ajar.
“Damn.” Dantalion said and gently placed her on the ground with a final toe-curling kiss.
“Mmm,” Anthea said in a noncommittal tone and pulled down her skirt and patted her hair back into place. She pushed open the door and took a step but stumbled against the doorway. She still felt drunk. What was going on?
“It’ll pass in a few minutes,” Dantalion said as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side as they walked. “Demon saliva has a particle that binds with the pleasure center of human’s brains.”
“So I’m high?” Anthea asked.
“Quite!” Dantalion laughed. They walked down a dirt path lined with pretty little cottages.
“And your eye, you did that eye thing to me in the booth, didn’t you?” she accused.
“Darling, if I had used my eye, you would have been naked,” he whispered huskily in her ear and Anthea stumbled again. Her face felt like it was on fire, along with other parts of her body. Dantalion opened up a rickety gate and they walked up to the front door.
“This is Merihem’s house?” she asked.
“Yes, this is it.”
“I expected something bigger and more grand,” she said.
“Wait until you see the inside,” Dantalion said cryptically.
Wow, what a great read! I can't wait to read more! :D