Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
6
Shooting straight up in bed,Sharen clutched her blanket to her racing heart. But as real as the dream had felt, her room was just as she left it. Instead of the acidic scent of the demon realm, she inhaled her favorite scent: vanilla. Her gaze scanned her simple window where early morning light was just streaming passed the white curtains, and over the end tables and dresser. Nowhere did she see a large bed with three sexy, naked demons.
It was all just a dream. A crazy, hot dream.
“I’m losing my mind,” she whispered to herself, pushing her damp hair back from her forehead.
And I feel disgusting. Ugh.
Sighing, she climbed out of bed. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before and was sorely in need of a good shower. Stripping off the wrinkled outfit, she strode through her minimally decorated bedroom and into her bathroom.
Turning the shower on as hot as she could handle, she stood beneath the powerful stream and groaned. Her muscles were so sore. Her entire body seemed to melt as the glass doors of her shower grew heavy with moisture and steam filled the air.
She scrubbed her hair with shampoo and condition, then shaved. By the time she started rubbing her favorite vanilla moisturizing body wash into her skin, she was finally feeling more like herself. Visiting the demon realm always brought weird dreams, but never had a dream aroused her.
Freezing, she felt her nipples harden beneath the spray of the water. Everything about the dream was wrong. Demons weren’t hot studs bent on pleasuring human women. And they weren’t just a bit different than angels. They were the enemy.
Lifting her hand into the spray, she let the water wash off the soap. Her gaze moved to the dark band on her finger, and she froze.
A chill seemed to seep through her, straight to her core. She pulled her hand closer to her and touched the ring.
Breathing harder and faster, she felt her vision blur. It hadn’t been a dream? Then, she’d really been in the demon realm. She’d really had sex with the three hot demons.
And she’d really left her ring there, tying them to her forever.
What will they do with that kind of power?
She sensed movement on the other side of the shower glass.
“Sharen,” Alec’s deep voice seemed to stroke her flesh. “We made breakfast. I’ve got coffee for you, but we weren’t sure what you like in it.”
Painfully slowly, she opened the glass door and stared at a man. He looked like the demon king, only his flesh was tan, and he no longer had horns. Intricate tattoos curled along his bare chest and arms. She followed the designs down to where they stopped just above his sweatpants.
“See something you like?” he asked, in a teasing voice.
Her gaze jerked back up to his face. “How—how is this possible? You can’t be here. You’re a demon. You’re—“
“Sweetheart,” he moved closer to her. “I know this is a lot to take. We were going to give you more time, but when you reached out to us through your dream last night, we couldn’t refuse you. Our beautiful bride needed us, and God knows we needed you.”
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. “No, I didn’t call for you.”
He frowned. “You were lonely. You wanted a life surrounded by people who loved you. Your soul called to us, and luckily for your forgotten ring, we were able to answer your call.”
“I’m a demon-hunter,” she said, her voice taking on an angry edge. “Don’t you think I’ll tell someone? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”
His frown pulled into a slight smile. “Not even a little bit. Now, if you don’t want to experience round two of last night, better get dressed before my brothers see you. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Like what the hell this is?”
“I wish, but no. We need to talk about your friend, Elaina.”
She stiffened. What did he know about her best friend’s death?
“Why do you want to talk to me about her?”
He stared. “Because she said you were the one person we could trust to help. And the one person who could save her.”
Her stomach twisted. “Save her? How can I save her? She’s dead.”
“Is that what they told you?” There was an edge to his voice that was almost frightening. “No, she’s not dead. But they did trap her in a demon realm.”
Could Elaina really be alive?
“Who trapped her in a demon realm? And how do you know she’s not dead?”
He stared. “Because her husbands are still here in the human realm desperately trying to save her. And, because we’ve seen her and spoken to her. Apparently, your superiors suspected she was involved with demons. They didn’t realize that her husbands were demons, but their suspicions were enough to exile her. But she’s running out of time. We need to get her out of there, before it’s too late.”
This could all be a trap.
Demons can never be trusted.
So why do I believe him?
“I’m going to get dressed, and then you’re going to tell me everything. And I mean everything.”
I just hope I’m not making the worst mistake of my life.
And yet, staring at the beautiful demon, she was pretty sure if she was making a mistake, it would be worth any price she paid.
