Brady's Hellion (7 page)

“I’ve never done that. I don’t like heights.”

Brady grinned and pressed a hard kiss on her lips.
“You dove off that cliff.”

“That was different! I was falling into nice soft
water. Not the chance of landing onto a very hard pavement!”

“Then you’ll just have to trust me, baby.”

Raven barely managed to smother her scream, as Brady
seemed to toss her overboard, although he was lowering himself and
her at the same time. He remained even with her, silently ordering
her to look at him and not up or down. Not that she could look down
even if she wanted to. She hadn’t lied to Brady. The idea she could
fall onto the pavement had her feeling nauseous and dizzy. It was
only by focusing on his face and the glint in his eye that she
managed to make it to the ground without having a full blown panic
attack.

Once they reached the ground, he had the rope off her
in quick order and back in his backpack. He pulled her around the
perimeter of the hotel and toward one of the popular hiking trails
leading up the mountain.

Raven remained quiet and close behind him, sometimes
even touching his back for reassurance. She was a demon with more
strength than the average human and gifts that she could call on to
protect herself and Brady, but she didn’t feel this was the time to
bring them on. Every so often he stopped to look down at the
resort. He eventually steered her off the trail and they moved
upward at a fast and steady pace. He didn’t stop until they were a
good distance up the mountain and in a protected area that
overlooked the resort.

Never so happy to stop, Raven dropped to the ground
and just sat there.

“This will help.” He bumped her arm with a bottle of
water.

“If this is your idea of a pre dawn hike, it so
sucks,” she grumbled, drinking half the contents of the bottle
before slowing down to only take small sips. “What was really wrong
with those people? And why is it so quiet down there?”

He dropped down beside her and rummaged through his
backpack again, bringing out a couple of packets and a pair of
high-powered binoculars. He dropped one packet in her lap. “Trail
Mix. You’ll need the energy.”

“A triple espresso would have been better.” She
opened the packet and picked through the contents, eating the
chocolate candies first then the cashews and peanuts.

Brady upended his packet and poured the contents into
his mouth. “The raisins won’t hurt you,” he said, amused by the way
she carefully picked around them.

She wrinkled her nose. “You can have them. I won’t
even tell you what they remind me of.” She set the packet to one
side. “Now are you going to tell me what’s going on and why we
snuck out of the resort?” She glared at his back as with binoculars
in hand he edged closer to the edge. “Brady!” She smacked his
back.

He ignored her for about five minutes then looked
over his shoulder. He gestured for her to join him then scooted
back, settling her in front of him and handed her the
binoculars.

“Look down there at about two o’clock,” he
murmured.

“Two what?”

“Think of a clock and look in that direction.”

He kept his arms around her and guided the
binoculars. When he heard her swift indrawn breath he asked, “What
do you see?”

She handed him back the binoculars. “They shouldn’t
be here. It’s not allowed. It took me centuries to gain permission
to come up here.”

Brady took another look, the binoculars bringing the
images so close he felt as if he could reach out and touch them.
Not that he cared to touch what he was looking at.

The leader of the group was in no way human even if
he tried to look that way. The stiff way he walked and the way his
head moved in an odd manner told him what he was looking at came
from Shar’s part of the world. The creatures behind the leader
didn’t bother with a human disguise. Their reptilian bodies
reminded him of the creature from Alien times fifty as they
slithered down the walkway. And here he thought Shar’s private
guards were ugly.

What the hell did they do to the people down there
and how were we spared? Or were we?

Then Raven’s words kicked in. They shouldn’t be
here.

He turned around and faced her. “What the fuck are
those things?” Brady’s whisper may have been barely audible, but he
may as well have shouted the words for the fury in his voice. He
laid his binoculars to one side. He’d seen enough to last a
lifetime.

Raven’s shoulders rose and fell in a deep sigh. “The
leader’s name is Pahso and those are his private security
guards.”

“And you know this because?”

She looked down at her fingers lying in her lap.
“Shar and Pahso are looking for an alliance between the two familes
that will gain both sides a great deal of power in my realm. I’m
the conduit. I told my stepbrother I wouldn’t marry Pahso. In our
world, knowledge is power. I learned that Pahso wants to destroy
Shar and gain all that he has. . I told Shar what I learned in
exchange for my coming up here for a month. If Pahso is here, that
means that Shar didn’t find anything wrong with his dealings and
even though I told them I will not take Pahso at my mate, they
still consider the betrothal is on.”

Brady felt the bile travel up his throat at the
thought of the creature down there being linked to Raven. The idea
it would actually touch her had him thinking murder.

Shar expected Raven to marry something like that?

”You’re engaged to that thing down there?” He made it
a strict rule to never mess around with married women or even
engaged ones. He might not have a lot of principles, but those were
two rules he never went against. “Shar never said anything about
you being engaged. He only talked about your duty to the family.”
He snorted. “But I guess that’s part of your family duty, isn’t
it?”

“No!” Raven protested. At his glare, she lowered her
voice. “It’s not what you think.”

“Then why don’t you tell me what it means.”

She winced at his sarcasm. Not that she could blame
him. “Arranged matings are normal among the higher families. My
stepbrother set this one up. It’s considered to be an excellent
alliance between two powerful families who help rule our world.
Shar sees it as a good political move that will further his own
ambitions.”

Brady felt sick to his stomach. “What you’re saying
is he’s selling you for political favors?” Damn, why had he taken
this job? Correction, Shar called in a favor and to be honest,
Brady had no choice no matter how Shar made this assignment sound
like your everyday bodyguard job.

She looked everywhere but him. “I told you. It’s done
all the time.”

“So you’re saying that thing down there is here to
claim his bride whether you want him or not?”

She blew out a breath and nodded jerkily.

He wondered why Shar hadn’t clued him in on Raven’s
pre-marital status. “But you said you bargained for a month for
your getaway.”

This time she did look at him. “That’s correct. But
Shar didn’t know that I have other plans. I had already intended on
not going back. Not that I would tell Shar that at the time.
I-ah-told him when I talked to him that last night. I also talked
to Pahso and informed him that in no way would I ever be his mate.”
Her gaze flickered down toward the resort. “I guess Pahso didn’t
like what I said. He’s not used to not having his way and he
especially doesn’t like being told no.” A shiver worked its way
over her body. Even in that short time, Brady knew every emotion
that had gone through her. Seeing her experience fear was a new
one.

“He wants you even if you don’t want him?”

“He prefers it if someone objects.” She looked away
again then turned back to him. “You have to get out of here, Brady.
Pahso, well, he could hurt you badly. Bad enough that you would
pray for death.”

Translation, he’d tear Brady apart until there was
nothing left to mail home.

He held her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.
“So what are you saying? That you’ve changed your mind and decided
to marry tall, slimy, and ugly after all?”

Her tongue appeared, dampening her upper lip.
“Normally he couldn’t have come here without permission. Either
he’s gained it or he now has enough power that he doesn’t require
authorization to leave the realm.”

Damn, she was gong to cry. He didn’t think demons had
the ability, but he saw the moisture pooling in her eyes and he
sensed they’d overflow any moment now. If she cried he was well and
truly lost. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her roughly against
him. His tongue thrust into her mouth, tasting the heady spice that
was pure Raven even as he pulled her tank top up to her waist and
shorts down her hips. Understanding his intent and wanting it just
as badly, she unzipped his shorts and straddled his hips. As their
mouths devoured each other, he held her hips and pushed her down
even as his cock surged upward. Her pussy was wet and open; sucking
him in until her damp curls nestled against his balls. When he
opened his eyes, he found hers already open. This time they were an
even deeper blue as if the color matched the intensity of her
passion.

“Does he do this to you?” he asked roughly, thrusting
upward and keeping her firmly in place. He needed this connection
more than he had any other time. Needed the feel of her body
surrounding his. “Can he make you scream his name?”

“No!” she sobbed. “I’ve never—“ She pulled in a deep
breath as she tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “I never
would do such a thing with him! He doesn’t believe in creating
pleasure, only pain! He doesn’t want his mate to enjoy but to
suffer extreme agony.”

He felt fierce satisfaction to know she’d never had
sex with that creature, but it didn’t stop him from pushing her as
far as he could. He rolled forward until she lay on the ground with
him over her. His hips couldn’t stop pumping as he sought the high
only Raven could give him. He felt the blood flowing from his dick
up to his brain and back again. Raven wrapped her arms and legs
around him while her tears stained his shoulder. Her fingertips
pressed against his spine, sending a flash of fire upward.

“I won’t go back. I won’t go back,” she repeated over
and over again.

Brady froze. That sick feeling was coming back. “Is
that what this is about? You saw me as a way to stay here?” Sure,
at first he’d lied to her about his motives. Could she have lied to
him too? Was she that much of a manipulator? Anger simmered low in
his belly.

Raven correctly read his thoughts. “No. I might do
everything in my power to stay here, but I would never lie to you
or use you.” She framed his face with her hands and pressed her
lips to his but he lifted his head from hers. Hurt flashed across
her face, but she never veered her eyes from his face.

He felt his balls tightening and the sheer force of
his orgasm ripped through him like a freight train. As soon as he
could, he rolled off her and sat up, panting.

“I never lied to you,” she whispered, reaching with
shaking hands into the backpack for tissues. She froze when she saw
his Glock tucked into one corner and a money clip securing an
impressive amount of cash. She looked up and shot him a look meant
to set him on fire. He was surprised that didn’t happen. She pulled
her shorts up over her hips and tank top down over her breasts. She
moved away a few paces and sat with her legs curved under her. For
a moment, her eyes flashed that unearthly blue color, a hint of her
heritage. “I’m not the one walking around with my stepbrother’s
mark burned on my ass.”

Brady relaxed at her show of temper. Here was the
ball of fire he’d known from that first day. Then he saw the hint
of vulnerability in the set of her shoulders as she retrieved her
discarded packet of Trail Mix and picked through the rest of the
contents and still leaving the raisins alone.

Damn, he thought of her as someone who could handle
anything thrown at her. So far, she’d given as good as she got. He
never pushed a woman the way he’d just pushed her. Any further he
would have called her a demon whore. Something told him he would
have deserved everything she did to him if he’d tried that kind of
shit.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, reaching out for her. “And
believe me, I’ve never said that to another woman.”

She delivered a punch to his stomach that drove all
the air out. He choked. “Okay, you’re not ready to accept my
apology just yet,” he wheezed.

“I hate you.” She pressed her forehead against his
chest. “You are a brute. You lied to me. You fucked me as if you
meant it. You wanted me to eat raisins and I hate raisins.” She
sniffed. “And you smell really bad.”

Brady wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin
on the top of her head. He smiled as he listened to her whispered
rants and curses she rained on his head. More than a few had him
worrying about his masculinity. Once she ran out of steam, he
planned to do just what she wanted-fuck her like he meant it.

She suddenly became silent. “And you are so not
getting make-up sex.”

Brady settled for raining kisses on her face. “Okay,
we’ll call it ‘Raven’s punishing Brady’ sex.”

She thought about it for a minute. “Okay.”

Chapter Six

Rough appendages that were razor-sharp claws dragged
Brady away his protective curl around Raven’s sleeping form. He
lashed out at the evil-smelling bodies surrounding him and was
struck in the face for his trouble. Raven woke up immediately and
screamed as she was likewise brutally pulled to her feet. Brady was
only grateful they’d put their clothes back on after the last time
they fucked. He didn’t consider it a good idea for the lizards to
see them naked. He was furious enough with himself for not taking
proper precautions to make sure they weren’t found this easily.
Although he knew there weren’t all that many places to hide on an
island.