A Dangerous Hunger: (The Sentinel Demons) (13 page)

Talia touched her mind to Drew’s often, but he was blocking almost everything from her, only leaving a pathway open so he could hear if she called. She knew he was exhausted and frustrated, but when he spoke to her in her mind, he didn’t mention any of those things. He reassured her he was fine, and nothing more. Zach did the same with Kat, but neither woman was fooled. Zach and Drew were facing some pretty tough odds.

The guardians were non-intrusive, but Talia could feel their presence constantly. And she knew there were more than just one or two. Honestly, she wouldn’t be surprised if Zach and Drew had them surrounded by a whole fleet of guardians.

Kat had decided to take some time off from her classes, her mind too focused on the Sentinel crisis to think about her studies. The two of them had spent almost every waking moment trying to figure out what was still to come in the future of Sentinels versus Evils.

So far, Talia had been able to identify previous events because she knew what had already happened, and she thought she was getting closer to being able to decipher the future using the phrases that had been used before.

“Look at this.” Talia pointed her finger at a particular passage, turning it around so Kat could see. The prophecies had been translated to the English language, which might account for some of the meaning being lost in translation.

The majesty of the Sentinels will fall, but will rise again if the light can be seen in the darkness.

Talia read the sentence aloud thoughtfully, watching Kat wrinkle her brow in concentration.

“In some of the other passages, majesty stood for king rather than the obvious meaning. I think this refers to Kristoff. And the light is a
radiant
.” Talia’s gut instinct told her she was right. “And Hunter is referred to as well.” She pointed to another line for Kat to look at.

When rage meets power, rage will be calmed by the untried creator, and divinity will once again be free in a different form, if divinity and anger can exist together.

“Power, creator, and divinity have both stood for a god or goddess in previous passages. I think the rage is Hunter. I’m a little shaky on the rest of the prediction. Is it possible that Hunter is going after a goddess who still exists?” Talia once again got a pang in her gut, a certainty that some of what she was decoding was true. “Kristoff said that the Sentinels were more bound to their rules than the Evils. The only way that could really be true is if their source and creator were still on Earth. The gods who created the Evils are gone. But what my father said could be true if I’m right. If the god or goddess who helped create the Sentinels still exists, it binds them more tightly to their honor and pledge they made to the creating deity.”

Kat looked up at Talia and smiled. “The way you think scares me sometimes. But I have a feeling you’re right. It all makes sense, in a weird sort of way.”

“After reading the prophecies, I think you and I are part of a bigger plan. Think about it, Kat. You can enter different realms. I can return power to the Sentinels. We really can enter the demon realm and rescue those women and my father.”

Kat raised a brow and took a large sip from a mug of coffee. “Zach will let me into the demon realm again when Hell freezes over. He was ready to go alone before Kristoff made him realize it was suicidal, but he won’t even talk about the fact that I can get them into that realm.”

Talia had a feeling Kat was right, and Drew would have the same reaction, but… “It may become critical that we do get in. It already is for the sake of my father and those women. But we need something more.”

“I’ve always known the day will come when I’d need my powers for entering the demon realm. Zach won’t like it, but when we can get in and out to rescue Kristoff and the women, I’m doing it,” Kate told her adamantly. “Kristoff taught me enough to control the powers, and I get better with them every day. And now that you can restore power to the Sentinels after they get in, we’re closer than we’ve ever been. I can’t stand the thought of those women suffering, and with Kristoff there, too, we have to find a way.”

“It’s not just the rescue. The balance between good and evil needs to be restored, Kat. The future of the Earth depends on it. The future of the Sentinels, too.”

“What else do you think we need?” Kat asked curiously.

“Firepower,” Talia replied. “The Evils have more power than the Sentinels do, and they have very few rules, now. The Sentinels need more power or they’ll never be able to achieve the balance.”

“Hunter?” Kat guessed. “Do you think whatever mission Kristoff sent him on is to obtain what we need?”

“I think so. I’m hoping it’s what we need to drive back the Evils. Even if Drew and Zach can calm the situation right now, it won’t last.” Talia hated to voice the words that she knew were true. She wanted to believe the Sentinels could drive the Evils back to their own realm, crying for their mommies. But the truth was, the balance of might was uneven. The only advantage the Sentinels had was their intelligence.

Kat released a long sigh. “Waiting is hell.”

Talia couldn’t have agreed more.

Pumpkin jumped into her lap, whining woefully. As Talia stroked her fur, she couldn’t help but wonder if her cat was crying for Drew. If so, she knew exactly how she felt.

D
rew returned the next day, looking wearier than Talia had ever seen him. His entire body was littered with lacerations and bruises. He’d obviously cleaned himself up, but it was hard to miss the fact that he was beaten all to hell.

He’d told her the Evils had been driven back to the demon realm for now, the warrior Sentinels taking a lot of casualties to accomplish that mission. Talia had been able to see the sorrow of the loss of every Sentinel on Drew’s face.

Zach had taken Kat home, and Talia had climbed into bed with Drew. He’d been asleep almost from the moment his head hit the pillow.

She’d risen the next morning, trying to shower and dress as quietly as possible so Drew could catch up on his rest.

She went downstairs to cook, determined to feed Drew the moment he woke up. She’d caught up on her own research projects for work during the last few days, completing one of the texts that was coming due very shortly, and that had been neglected during her mystical compulsion to research demon history. As she prepared a massive breakfast, she wondered about the fact that she didn’t miss her home in Idaho at all. For years it had been her sanctuary, but also her prison, her place to hide away from the world and the people in it. Now, she wondered how she had managed to live in that kind of isolation.

Because it’s all I knew.

But over a short period of time, Drew had changed all of that, bringing her into a world where she actually had friends…and family. Maybe her weirdness really wasn’t weirdness at all. Maybe she was just…different from the norm. But here…she fit.

What are you doing, love?

She’d felt Drew stirring before he actually spoke to her telepathically. She pictured him tousled and naked in bed, his massive body stretching before he tumbled out of bed.

Cooking.
She answered him with a smile, flipping the pancakes over with a practiced flick of her wrist.

I’ll be right there.
His tone was hopeful.

Talia’s chest ached, and she whipped up the rest of the breakfast with double portions, knowing Drew could eat the majority of it. She doubted that her desire to feed him would ever go away, and that his desire to eat would ever subside. She actually hoped he always ate this way, enjoying everything he had access to now after nearly dying of starvation.

“I’m more hungry for you than I am for food.” Drew’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back against his rock-hard body. “I woke up and you were gone. The only thing next to me warm and purring was the cat.”

Talia smiled. “She loves you. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t talk to her this morning or give her a morning dose of affection.” Pumpkin had jumped up into Talia’s place the moment she’d gotten out of bed, curling up beside Drew like she owned him.

“I don’t like cats,” Drew replied with very little conviction behind the declaration.

Pumpkin strolled into the kitchen behind Drew, rubbing against his leg affectionately. Talia turned and lifted a brow at him. “Really?”

“Bloody hell! She’s still a menace,” he said unhappily, reaching down to pick up the plump cat. He went to the cupboard and opened a can of tuna and set it on the floor, letting Pumpkin down to devour it from the can.

Talia put her hands on her hips, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing. “She can eat cat food, you know.”

“She’s particular,” Drew answered defensively.

“Because you’re spoiling her,” Talia replied with a laugh, unable to hold it back.

“Nothing wrong with eating well,” Drew grumbled, watching as Pumpkin devoured her fish. “Food is important.” Turning away from the cat, Drew slipped behind her, his arms once again encircling her. “I’m hungry,” he reminded her, stroking his hands over her abdomen.

Talia shivered as his hot breath hit the sensitive flesh of her ear, his low, husky baritone making her panties damp and her face flush. “I’ve never cooked for you before. Sit.”

“I missed you,
mo grha
.” He didn’t let go. He drew her closer, turning her so he could kiss her.

His words tugged at her heart, and her arms slipped around his neck, marveling that this incredible man was actually hers.

Drew pulled her away from the hot stove before he devoured her lips and mouth with his, staking his claim on her, body and soul, with one scorching hot kiss. Talia melted against him, relieved that he had come back to her in one piece.

I missed you, too.
The thought flowed from her to him easily as he took his time tasting her, claiming her.

Finally, Talia ended the kiss, worried her breakfast was going to burn. “Sit,” she asked again, her voice a little less firm than it had been before. For her, Drew was the ultimate temptation, and she was doubtful there would ever be a time when she didn’t want him. “Tell me what happened.”

Drew demolished his breakfast, telling her about the battle with the Evils as he plowed through his eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. Talia sat, slowly eating her own plate of food and drinking her coffee as they talked.

Finally, when he had finished catching her up on the last few days, she told him about her theories. “I think whatever Hunter is doing is important. It’s in the prophecies.”

“It makes sense. But what god or goddess could still be alive?” Drew said, frowning.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if my father was just saying it was a female to throw us off track, or if it really is a goddess. But I know it’s important. It has to be one of the final pieces to the puzzle of how to rescue those women and my father.”

Drew glanced up at her, sending her an obstinate look. “Tell me you don’t plan on being part of this rescue plan,” he stated dangerously.

“You have to know that Kat and I are part of what’s happening right now, Drew. There’s a reason we have these abilities.”

“No,” he stated ominously, his stormy gaze meeting hers. “Not happening.”

Talia took in a breath and let it out slowly. Sometimes guys could be so short-sighted. “So you’d rather I live in a world full of Evils where no place is safe? What if we have a child someday? I know it’s rare, but it could happen. Do you want our baby to live in a dark world filled with evil?”

Drew’s eyes started to shoot fire as he looked at her. “Bloody hell! I want to take you someplace where no one will ever touch you, ever threaten you. Everything inside me tells me to hide you away in some remote place so the Evils can never touch you,” he rasped, his breathing labored.

“And what if no place on Earth is safe? Then what?” Odds were, if the Evils tipped the balance too far, that kind of world would be a reality. Talia knew how hard this was for Drew, that his demon side ruled sometimes, but he had to understand that some things were worth fighting for, no matter what the risks.

“Controlling the Evils is worth almost any risk except losing you,” Drew said huskily, rising from his chair and moving around the table to pull her from her seat. “Or any child we may or may not have someday.” He pulled her roughly against him, his arms coming around her like steel bands. “Ask me for anything, but don’t ask me to willingly put you in danger. I can’t.” Drew’s tone was angry and desperate at the same time.

“I love you, Drew. More than anything or anyone else in the world. But I’m going to ask some day. And I hope you’ll rethink your answer. If I’m part of the prophecies, it has to be done.” Talia sighed and laid her head against his shoulder, twining her arms around his neck. Maybe by the time she and Kat needed to act, Drew would love her, accept her for what and who she was, and respect what she had to do.

“Do you honestly believe I don’t love you already? That I didn’t fall hard and fast almost from the very beginning?” Drew moved, pushing her backward and against the kitchen wall. “Look at me, Talia.”

Damn. The connection of their minds made it almost impossible for him not to discern her thoughts. “You’ve never said,” she answered, focusing her eyes in the middle of his chest, remembering her murmuring the truth in a moment of passion, and not hearing it back from him.

He gripped her chin, forcing her gaze to his. “I never had a chance, since you disappeared before I could say the words.” His voice was graveled, his stare incredibly stormy and intense. “What’s it going to take to convince you, so I’ll never again feel or hear your doubt?”

Talia had doubted her lovability all of her life, so she had no idea when she’d actually accept it. “Maybe when you tell me,” she teased lightly, her heart begging him to say the words, and her body wanting his to show her.

Drew crowded her, trapping her between his muscular body and the hard kitchen wall. “I love you,” he said in a low, guttural voice as he leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “I love everything about you,
mo grha
. I even love your stubbornness, even though it’s likely to make me crazy,” he continued, raining kisses over her face and neck.

Talia speared her fingers in Drew’s hair, her heart thundering wildly against her chest wall. Red-hot licks of flame rose wherever he touched, suffusing her whole body. She fisted his hair as he tasted the sensitive flesh at her neck, her body already crying out for her mate. “Drew, I need—”

“I love you,” he said again, tearing open her shirt with one tug, sending the buttons up the front scattering all over the kitchen floor. He moved his leg between her thighs, letting her straddle it.

Talia moved shamelessly, letting her heated, liquid core slide along his muscular leg, cursing the denim that was in her way. “Inside me,” she begged, needing more.

“I love you,” Drew said once again, his fingers teasing her nipples through the light, lacy fabric that barely covered them. “And I’m going to tell you again while I watch you come for me.”

Talia moaned, needing more of Drew between her thighs than just this, although her hips rotated wildly against the rock-hard muscles of his leg, her body straining for a release that was being denied to her.

“I’d never deny you that, Talia. I just want to make it sweeter,” Drew told her gruffly, reaching down to release the button and zipper of her jeans.

Talia wanted to tell him it was already going to be sweet, but her breath caught in her lungs as Drew’s fingers slowly slid into her panties, meeting nothing but damp passion and heat.

“Christ. I love the way your body responds to me,” he muttered harshly against her neck.

“I can’t help it,” Talia told him with utter abandon. “The moment you touch me, I need you inside me.”

“I don’t want you to be able to help it. I want to feel you and watch you come apart for me,” he said demandingly.

He was getting what he wished. Talia was nearly insane with need, whimpering as one of his fingers slowly traced over her clit, ramping up her need for him until she couldn’t form a single coherent thought. “Fuck me, Drew. Please.”

He grasped the back of her head, tilting it upward with a gentle tug on her hair. Talia saw a quick glimpse of his fire-like eyes before his mouth came down on hers in a powerful embrace that rocked her to her soul. He claimed her mouth, invading her with his heated tongue: exploring, possessing, devouring, and adoring all at the same time. Opening to him, she accepted all he wanted to give her, pushing her tongue back against his with a needy moan, showing him how much she wanted him.

Come for me, Talia.

Drew spoke to her in her mind, removing his leg from between her thighs as his hands moved to cup her ass. She gasped into his mouth as he impaled her, pressing her back hard against the wall as he buried his cock to the hilt inside her, having dealt with the encumbrance of their clothing with a mental command. At that moment, their minds and souls intermingled, their bodies connected; they were one. They had the same needs, the same wants, and they strained as one to reach the pinnacle together, each pummeling stroke of Drew’s cock lifting them both higher and higher. She pulled her mouth from his to take a breath, her heart racing and her breathing ragged as Drew pounded into her relentlessly, unceasingly.

“Mine,” Drew huffed possessively, gripping the cheeks of her ass tighter.

Talia’s arms were still around Drew’s neck and as she spotted the mating mark,
her
mating mark, on his shoulder, she moved her head forward, put her mouth over it, and nipped at it, as though it would make him more hers than he already was.

Drew growled, as though her actions had just inflamed him even more.

Her climax was swift and merciless, slamming into her body in pulsation after pulsation. “Yes,” Talia screamed, the back of her head hitting the wall behind her. Her body rocked against Drew’s as he groaned, “I love you, Talia. Only you. I love you so fucking much it scares me.”

His big body shuddered as his scalding release flooded her womb, his fiery stare consuming her as he watched her tremble with her own orgasm, letting herself go completely, trusting Drew to hold her to the earth as she shattered.

They clung to each other, breathless. Talia wanted to drop her legs to the ground, but thought better of it, not sure if her shaky limbs would hold her.

Two seconds later, they were both dressed and Drew swung her up into his arms as though she weighed nothing, his legs eating up the distance to a recliner in the living room. He sat, bringing her down on top of him, holding her against his body, his heart hammering beneath her ear.