Mating Fever by Susan Hayes
Leta
Leta had so much power coursing through her veins she didn’t know what to do with it all. Luc had, surprisingly, been a man of his word. The second she signed the contract binding her to his service, he began teaching her about her abilities and helping her unlock gifts she never imagined she had. He also added to her powers, all in exchange for her pledge of loyalty and obedience, just the way he’d described.
She was a Hell Hound now, with the same skills as Carnage and his men. It was a lot to get used to, but Lucifer had spent hours with her, patiently showing her how to channel and control her new abilities. She had wanted to teleport back to Carnage and tell him how things were going, but Luc had vetoed that idea. He didn’t want her leaving Hell until he was certain she could manage her new skills without killing anyone, including herself.
The first time she managed to manipulate a current of air her wings had manifested, called forth because she had finally managed to connect with the element of air. She was still getting used to them, but she had almost mastered the knack of getting them to fade away when she didn’t need them.
She had learned about her father, too. It turned out Lucifer had a number of children. Her father was one of his lieutenants, a position he held for several hundred years before his death. He died in an unauthorized skirmish with some of Heaven’s enforcers. Luc didn’t understand why at the time, but now he believed Skalos died trying to protect Leta and her mother from Heaven’s wrath.
In the course of one night, her entire world changed. She had everything she ever dreamed of. A home, family, a life defined by purpose instead of mere survival, and more money than she could spend in a thousand lifetimes. The only thing she didn’t have was Carnage. She missed him every second they were apart, and judging by the passionate way he was kissing her, he had missed her, too.
The next time they came up for air, he spoke. “I need you so fucking badly right now. I want to see you, feel you. I need to prove to myself that you’re here, and this isn’t some vivid hallucination. I’ve been out of my damned mind, thinking I’d never see you again; that you were dead, or worse. I’m not letting you go, this time, Leta. He’ll have to kill me before I let him take you from me again.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, finally taking a good look at Carnage. He wasn’t simply tired; he was exhausted, with several days’ growth of beard on his face and a lifetime of pain showing in his eyes. Without thinking, she cupped his face in her hands and let a wave of healing energy flow into him, renewing his body and cleansing the nearly toxic levels of alcohol from his blood with a thought. “What happened to you?”
He laughed. A sharp, bitter sound. “Luc sent me to the weapons vault below our clubhouse, then stripped me of my ability to teleport. I was trapped there until the next morning when one of the guys came down to restock. After that, I went to Haven, started drinking and didn’t stop until you appeared.” He wound her hair around her fist and tugged her head back so she was looking straight into his eyes. “I thought I’d lost you. I know it sounds insane, but I can’t ever lose you, Leta. You’re mine…and what the fuck did you do to your eyes? They’ve got black rims now.”
“You’re a real romantic, you know that? Is there no poetry in your fucking soul? My eyes are gorgeous, and they happen to match yours, black rings and all. I think it’s pretty cool, and you better agree with me, or this reunion isn’t going to end the way I hoped it would.”
“And how did you see this ending, exactly?” he asked, his voice deepening to a sexual rumble.
“With me getting fucked by my mate. He’s an asshole, but since he went and bit me, I guess he’s going to be my asshole. Forever.” If that’s what Car wanted. If he didn’t choose to be reborn. That’s the reason she’d come back for him so quickly. She had a lot to learn, but she needed Car even more then she needed to master her new powers.
His eyes widened. “Mate?”
“Yes, mate. Didn’t Luc explain any of this to you?” She looked around his bedroom again. Everything was exactly the same as it had been yesterday. Like no one had been here since then. A slick, sick feeling started in her gut. Something wasn’t right.
“I haven’t seen that bastard since he threw me out of my own house three fucking days ago.”
“You’re not making sense. Luc came for me yesterday evening. We talked. He promised me you were safe, and he wasn’t going to punish you. It was part of the deal I made with him. He said he’d send someone to tell you I was okay and would be back soon…are you telling me he didn’t?” Her stomach twisted as understanding dawned. Luc had lied to her. Son of a bitch. She should have known better.
“Did he also happen to mention he’s the Prince of Lies? It’s not a pretty turn of phrase, sweet cheeks, it’s his modus operandi. Time doesn’t pass the same on the other planes. You’ve been gone for days, not hours. And while he didn’t hurt me, he left me without my powers and no idea what was happening to you, which was fucking torture, so yeah, he punished me indirectly for what I did. He’s an expert at loopholes.”
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Car. Fuck. I’m so sorry.” Guilt slammed through her, making her heart stutter and a slow-burning rage ignited in her soul. Somehow, she was going to make Luc pay for this.
Car kissed her, cutting off her apologies. “You’re here now. That’s what matters. Explain what you mean about us being mates. And why you have wings, and well…everything.” He kissed her again. “Or better yet, explain it to me later. I just want to hear one thing from you right now. Tell me who you belong to.”
“You. But only if you’re sticking around. I heard you might be considering leaving all this behind and being reborn.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you. Since you’re on Team Hellfire now, that means I’ll be staying.” He gripped her hips and spun her around so that she was facing away from him. “Get naked. Fast. You’re about to get your wish about how this reunion ends.”
Leta tossed him a sultry look over one shoulder, then manifested a set of impressive claws and shredded her own outfit.
“You’ve got claws, too?” he asked, already tearing off his own clothes the same way she had.
“And fangs. All part of the Hell Hound package. You’re stuck with me now, Car. At least until that part of my contract is up in…oh…. about five hundred years.” She was bound to Lucifer until the end of days. After all, she had agreed to fight for him in the final battle, but for now she was signed to the same contract as the other Hell Hounds. Her duty was to Lucifer, and her job was to go where he told her to go and hunt the creatures she’d already been hunting. The dark, dangerous beings who preyed on the innocent and lived in a world of nightmares.
