Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

10

Hours later,Sharen walked down the halls of her school, her breathing ragged. The day spent laughing and enjoying life felt like a dream… and now the nightmare had set in.

Beside her, Ryder seemed to fill the entire hall with his massive frame. He’d hidden his tattoos under a grey sweater they’d picked up on the way home, along with dark jeans and black boots. In his new clothes, he looked like an incredibly handsome human, but he also could’ve passed for a Hunter. Which was what they’d going for.

But even so, she worried about someone realizing what he was.

The only way to detect a demon in this realm is if they use their magic. Otherwise, they need to cause trouble for us to find them. That was the thing that bothered her about her demons’ plan. If they actually just intended to live normal lives, chances were they would never be caught. The idea fascinated her.

And terrified her.

How many Level 10 demons were walking around her without her even realizing it?

She typed in the code for her classroom and led him in without saying a word. He needed one of her student’s badges to be allowed below the normal classrooms, and she was sure at least one student had to have left their badge by mistake.

Moving around the room, she checked in the desks and the floor. Nothing.

“Damn it!”

“Is there another way?” Ryder asked.

He was leaning against the back wall, arms crossed over his chest in a strangely casual way given that he was sneaking into an enemy building and trying to infiltrate their most secure areas.

“No,” she said. “We need a badge.”

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the classroom door opened. Rorde came in, his hair a mess. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before, and there was a franticness to his movements that worried her.

“Mrs. Bran!” He froze, wide eyes going between her and Ryder.

“Rorde, what are you doing here? You don’t have class today.” She moved closer to him, her gaze going to the badge on his shirt.

“I—I,” he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I did something bad.”

Oh, right. He was the asshat who left my ring behind.

She stiffened, realizing for the first time that it probably wasn’t a mistake.

“Listen, Rorde—“

“I left your ring in the demon realm yesterday… uh, by mistake.”

Schooling her expression into a calm one, she reached out and gripped his shoulder. “I think you might be a bit too stressed out because I’m wearing my ring right here.”

She moved the finger that still wore the dark one the demons had put on her hand.

He frowned. “No, that’s impossible. You had a gold ring. It looked the same as Blake’s, and I…”

You’ve got to be kidding me. He risked my eternal soul to try to get rid of Blake, so he could move in on his fiancé? This sorcerer just keeps getting worse.

“Blake and Lily have their rings. I have mine. You must have gotten mixed up.”

“I didn’t,” he said, shaking his head.

She leaned in and gave him a hug. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Pulling back from him, she put her hand behind her back and gave a reassuring smile. “The stress gets to us all sometimes.”

His gaze went to Ryder.

Does he recognize him? Shit. I didn’t think about that.

“But—“

“Get some sleep, and that’s an order.”

He hesitated a moment longer, then muttered, “yes, ma’am.” Turning, he walked out the door of the classroom.

She let out the breath she was holding.

Ryder, to her surprise, was glaring.

“What?” she asked, feeling uncertain.

“Is there something going on between you two?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Rorde? He’s a student!”

“You hugged him.”

“To get his badge!” she exclaimed, holding it up.

His scowl deepened. “I don’t like seeing other men touching you.”

“But you don’t mind your brothers touching me?”

He walked slowly toward her like a predator.

A chill ran up her spine. Here’s the sexy man beneath his casual boy-next-door surface. She licked her lips, unable to look away from him.

Stopping just inches from her, he seemed to radiate a maleness that had her transfixed. “I like watching my brothers with you. It turns me on. But I don’t want to see another man touching you.”

She nodded, mesmerized as he leaned forward and kissed her so intensely that when he pulled back, she had to hold onto him or fall.

He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get this over and done with, so I can fill your sweet ass with cum again.”

Wow, that’s… hot.

Nodding, she clipped the badge onto his broad chest, facing it the wrong way so that no one would realize it didn’t belong to him. Heading back into the hall, they passed a few students who cast Ryder curious glances but seemed unconcerned as they saw a teacher leading him down the hall.

At the elevator, she typed in the private floor below the regular school building and the sensors scanned over them before it started down. Ryder said nothing, his expression guarded.

Something strange fluttered in her stomach. They’re tricking you! Her brain yelled, but she pushed the thought aside. Elaina would take the risk for her.

“What are Alec and Kade doing right now?” she asked, as the elevator dinged open.

“Arranging our new lives,” Ryder said, a slight smile touching his lips.

They walked side-by-side down the empty hall. “How are they planning on doing that?”

“We’ve decided to run a business. To invest in some stocks. To make use of our… talents.”

Why does that make me nervous?

“What talents? And where did you get all this money?”

He raised a brow as they stopped at the door to the map of the realms, and beyond that to the room with the portal door. “Level 10 demons can be very, very convincing.”

She froze, her fingers hovering over the control panel. “Is that why I’ve taken you here even though every logical thought is telling me not to?”

His brow rose. “Sharen, if we were secretly trying to trick you, would I tell you about our ability right at this moment?”

The truth tumbled past her lips. “I don’t know.”

He sighed. “There’s nothing more we want from the demon realm. If you want to walk away right now and forget about Elaina and just enjoy our lives together, we can do it. I’ll go in a heartbeat.”

Her hand trembled as she typed in the code. God, I hope I’m not wrong.

When they moved past the rows of chairs to the computer screen, she pulled up the strange spinning map of red, yellow, and green shapes. At first, she moved through them slowly, watching his face as his gaze slid over them. But then, he pushed her hand aside and started spinning through the shapes faster and faster.

“There!” he said, abruptly stopping the screen.

A large red shape stared back at them.

“It’s labeled red.” She took a deep breath. “That means someone went in and decided it was too dangerous to go back in.”

“Or your superiors labeled it that way so no one would ever find Elaina.”

It made logical sense, but still, her stomach turned.

Everything about this is wrong.And yet, when she pictured her best friend, snorting when she laughed too hard, or screaming at a scary point in a cheesy horror movie, she knew she could never live with herself if she walked away now.

She memorized the realm’s number, went to the portal room, and typed in her code. When she entered the next area, she immediately grabbed her white suit and went behind the screen to change. Stripping down, the last thing she expected was to see Ryder appearing beside her.

She stifled a small shriek, but his gaze was locked on her naked body. Instantly, she felt herself heating up.

“Turn around,” he commanded.

There wasn’t time. “No, someone could come in. What we’re doing is--”

“I need to fuck you. To touch you. It’s the only way I can possibly let you go.” He paused. “Please.”

She shivered at the raw need in his voice.

“Turn around,” he commanded again.

Her nipples pebbled as she slowly turned around.

“Put your hands on the wall.”

She obeyed.

The sound of his zipper going down had her wet, needy. She spread her legs further apart and waited.

But she didn’t have to wait long.

He moved behind her, positioning the tip of his cock at her womanhood. At first, he simply slid in her wetness, coating himself. She tried to hold herself still, but her entire body trembled.

And then, she heard the door to the portal room open.

Stiffening, she tried to turn around, but Ryder pressed her back into place.

Two voices, the familiar ones of the guards, came. They were arguing about some football game they’d bet on as they slowly circled the room.

She had to bite back a shocked scream as Ryder slowly slid into her womanhood from behind. One of his hands moved around to cover her mouth, while the other one teased her clit. He thrust in and out of her, faster and faster. Absolutely silent.

The fear of getting caught should have stopped her enjoyment, but for some reason, she only felt her body responding faster. The guards were feet from them, just on the other side of her screen, when she felt her orgasm coming to its peak.

Clenching her teeth together, she willed herself not to make a sound as her inner-muscles squeezed his cock so hard she felt him swell and cum. He continued to ride her, his hot seed driving her over the edge.

She came, silently, her orgasm shattering inside her body. Leaving her tingling and completely satisfied.

Collapsing against the wall with him still buried inside her, she listened as the room to the portal opened once more and then closed.

“Ryder, that was—“

“Incredible?” he nibbled her earlobe. “I know. Now, get dressed. You’re going to get us caught..”

“ME get us caught?” She swatted at him as he laughed and moved back into the room.

Scowling even though the sex had been incredible, she dressed quickly. But even her scowl felt out of place now and slowly faded away. She wasn’t sure if she believed in all that soulmate stuff, all the stuff about them having a connection, but she couldn’t deny that some part of her heart had never been happier. When she was dressed, she put on the plain white shoes, dropped her ring into the bin, and grabbed her weapon.

She turned and stared at the large black demon-stone. All she had to do was draw the doorway and write the realm name at the top, and she’d be on her way. To a demon realm. Alone. That was labeled dangerous.

I need to shut my damn thoughts down before they drive me crazy! “I guess it’s now or never.”

“None of us would blame you if you decided not to do this,” Ryder said, his voice no louder than a whisper.

She straightened her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

“I know you do, but you can’t blame me for trying.”

Picking up a piece of chalk, she wrote the sweeping numbers and letters of the portal name, then drew the massive doorway. A second later, the portal opened, revealing dark crashing waves in the center.

Taking a deep breath, she moved forward.

Ryder caught her arm.

She looked back at his tortured expression. He wishes he was powerful enough to go with me, and still be able to return to the Earth.

So do I.

“You’re really sure about this?”

The concern in his eyes, no, the pure love in his eyes, erased all her doubts in one perfect moment. “I’m sure. I’ll be back. Promise.”

His hand dropped, curling into a fist. “I’ll wait right here.”

Turning, she gripped her weapon tighter and stepped into a dangerous realm.

Alone.