Sex and Trouble (3 page)

Going back to his bedroom, Rosier closed the door and with a flick of his fingers toward the far wall, caused the volume on the stereo to go back up. One thing he truly enjoyed about the mortal plane was the heavy metal music he searched out on the computer in the library. He’d “borrowed” Augustus’ credit cards on more than one occasion and purchased several CDs online. He frequently kept the sound up just to annoy Augustus.

16

Sex and Trouble

“Damn you, Augustus Greenlea. Couldn’t you have told me about your daughter?”

Ros had lied to Mari when he’d told her he’d loathed her father. They’d come to a grudging respect of one another over the years. Augustus had refused to release him, but he’d also refrained from making Ros into a complete, mindless slave.

Throwing himself down on the bed, Rosier stroked a hand over his cock as he considered his current predicament. Though he wasn’t fully erect, the feel of his hand on the texture of the jeans brought him a modicum of pleasure. It would have been much better had it been Marielle’s hand. He’d tried to let Marielle know what would dismiss him from being bound to the house—his release. His sexual release, that is.

He’d been bound in such a fashion that he had to stay within the confines of the house as long as a member of the Greenlea family lived. He was constrained from killing any of them and had to protect them with his own body if necessary. Fortunately for Rosier, only four members of the Greenlea family currently lived—Marielle, her missing brother Marcus and two distant cousins—one in Scotland and the other in Norway.

None of them were married, nor did they exhibit the kind of power Augustus possessed. He had a sneaking suspicion that Marcus might be in the world of the Demonae. Not that he could find out, his contact with the other side was strictly limited.

The only thing that would free him of this house—of his servitude to the Greenlea line—was having three mutual orgasms with a willing partner. That was the difficulty, wasn’t it? He had to reveal his true nature to his sexual partner, ensure she was willing to copulate with him, bring her to release and achieve his own orgasm at the same time she did. The first wasn’t difficult as he wasn’t constrained from wiping the memory of his true nature from his sexual partners after they’d fucked. Being an innately sexual creature, he’d never had a problem finding a willing partner, but having an orgasm had—pardon the pun—escaped him for the last twenty-three years.

17

Marilu Mann

A shrill scream from the master bedroom cut through a strafing guitar run. Rosier’s annoyance at the interruption made him forget what his new owner didn’t know. Her eyes rolled back in her head when he appeared at the foot of her bed.

“Perfect. You’re a fainter. Should have known you’d be a wanker like your old man.” Picking her up from the floor, he relished the warm armful of female before placing her on the bed.

He summoned a wet cloth, even though a glass of ice water to dash in her face would have been far more satisfying. Pressing the cloth to her temple, he checked the pulse in her neck. Rapid but strong. She’d live.

A soft murmur drew his eyes to her lips. Soft, inviting lips that spoke his name.

Resisting the siren call to slant his mouth across hers, he spoke sharply. “Come on then.

Wake up. What had you screaming like a banshee?”

He turned his head to scan the room. The problem immediately appeared.

“Issia? Is that you?” Forgetting the human on the bed, Rosier moved to the mirror over the dresser. “My beloved sister, how are you?”

He pressed a hand against the cool glass to match the blue-skinned hand of the slender demon looking lovingly at him. Her voice echoed in his head.

“Oh, Rosier! It’s been so long since that evil human has allowed you to speak to us!

I’ve missed you so much. Who is that annoying twit? She has the most piercing scream.

I thought blood might run from my ears. Thank you for making her faint!”

He smiled. Issia was ever a blunt speaker. “I didn’t make her faint on purpose, love.

How are you? How is the rest of the family? Tell me all the news.”

Summoning a chair, he leaned forward, never moving his hand from the image of hers. Movement at the edge of his vision reminded him that he still had the Greenlea woman to deal with.

He didn’t turn his head but addressed her, “Well, Miss Greenlea. Now do you believe me?”

18

Sex and Trouble

The strained moan that answered his query annoyed him. He didn’t want to turn away from his sister—afraid she might disappear before he had a chance to hear about his loved ones. Issia’s eyes widened.

“My brother, I think you need to catch her.”

The thud of flesh hitting the floor made him wince. Apparently she was not just a fainter. She was a repetitive fainter.

“Looks like you missed.” Issia’s familiar wryness made him laugh out loud.

He blew a kiss. “A quick update. The old man is dead. She’s his daughter.

Apparently he didn’t tell her much, if anything. You look lovely, Iss. Tell me, is everyone all right?”

His sister leaned in until her forehead pressed the glass on her side. He heard her voice catch. “The family is well on this side. Father is, as ever, working on various schemes. Mother’s garden flourishes like never before. Gavi and Mosa have grown so, you won’t recognize them, and I am well. Ros, about this woman…do you think you can get her to give you your release? We miss you so much. You will try with her, won’t you? Maybe she isn’t like her father.”

And maybe my cock will fall off from disuse.
He didn’t disabuse her of the idea that Augustus was inherently evil. He also didn’t give voice to his comment knowing it would only hurt his sister. Unlike most demons, her feelings were easily hurt. “Maybe, Iss. Maybe. I guess I should pick her up. If I am to get release, then I must pretend to care. Human females need so much attention.”

Issia smoothed a wayward strand of hair from her face and answered with a chuckle. “Rosier, my beloved brother—that is true of female Demonae as well. I love you. Now do not come back to this window. You know what will happen if you are caught. Be well. Love free.”

His voice broke on his reply. “Love well, little sister. Be free. Give my love to everyone. Tell them I will be home. I pro—”

19

Marilu Mann

She turned her face away. “Don’t. Don’t promise what you can’t control. It hurts too much. “

Watching her move into the darkness, he left his hand on the mirror for a few more seconds, silently wishing time would stand still and knowing it wouldn’t. His reverie shattered with one word.

“Release?”

Shoving himself away from the mirror, he snarled down at her. “Do not use that word unless you mean it, Miss Greenlea.”

When she flinched, he held his hand out to her. “Would you like to remove yourself from that oh-so-comfortable spot on the floor? We need to talk.”

Mari felt her world tumble and spin. She suddenly knew what a piece of lint must feel like in a dryer. Buffeted and confused. Rosier kept talking but she only caught every other word or so. Demonae. He called himself one of the Demonae.

Surreptitiously she pinched herself.

“Ow! That hurt!”

His lips pursed and his brow furrowed downward. “Are you even listening to what I say, Miss Greenlea?”

“This has to be a dream. That is all there is to it. I am a perfectly normal accountant from Boise, Idaho. I must have eaten something really strange. Or maybe it’s a head injury. That’s it. I must have had a wreck on my way home from work and this is my coma-dream.”

She gave him a firm nod. “I’m going to bed now. Well, bed in my dreams anyway.

When I wake up, my father won’t be a witch. You won’t be a demon. There will be no blue-skinned women in my mirror. Why can’t I have normal dreams? Like the ones where a seriously hot man like you just wants to whisk me away to some island to be his love slave?”

20

Sex and Trouble

His mouth gaped open. He looked like a fish skimming the water’s surface for food.

He seemed to grasp for something to say.

“I know. You’ve got nothing. It’s all good. See, I’ve read all about lucid dreaming. I am going to take charge of my dream now. When I count to three, I command you to be gone. One…two…three…”

Sure enough, the dream demon man poofed away just like he’d poofed in. She dusted her hands and gave a firm nod. “Yes, that’s it, Mari. Take control. Tell those sexy dreamy demon-men where to get off. Now back to your bed. When you wake up, don’t mention this to any doctors or nurses. They will lock you up for a long time.”

21

Marilu Mann

Cursing under his breath and pacing back and forth across the floor, Rosier waited impatiently for morning. She’d banished him from her room. For that matter, if he hadn’t been housebound, she’d have sent him into another dimension. First things first, if she was going to command him like that, they’d have to set up some definite boundaries. He paused long enough to check the time on the grandfather clock in the front hall. Surely she’d be up soon. The sun had risen hours ago.

Movement on the landing drew his attention upward, and he watched as Marielle Greenlea descended the stairs. He hadn’t imagined her beauty. She was just as appealing in the soft morning light as she’d been in the gloomy afternoon. Wrapped in a ridiculously thick robe and animal-head slippers and rubbing at her eyes like a sleepy child, she still caused his blood to race and his cock to stiffen.

On second thought, living with her might be worse than living with her father. At least he’d never been physically attracted to the old bastard, while he couldn’t seem to control his reaction to the daughter. Still, they had to have a serious conversation and the sooner the better.

“Well, good morning.”

“Oh no. You’re really here and that means I’m not in a coma.”

“No, you’re not in a coma. We have a few things to discuss. Are you one of those humans who has to have caffeine before conversation or shall we begin?”

“Caffeine, definitely caffeine. And food. I’m not talking to you on an empty stomach.”

“Very well. The kitchen is this way. Your father kept the pantry fully stocked.”

“Do you eat?” She followed him meekly, though he had no expectation of that meekness lasting for any length of time.

22

Sex and Trouble

“Every now and then. I do not require your human food for survival, however.”

“What do you require?”

“I’m Demonae. A creature of the elements. Air, fire, water, earth. These give me sustenance.”

“You eat air?” A massive yawn split her face and Rosier couldn’t help the smile that crossed his own. She reminded him of his siblings, grumpy in the morning but insatiably curious.

“No, of course not, but I have been known to consume a burning log or two.” At the silence from the other side of the kitchen, he turned to see her standing stock-still with her mouth open. “Joking, Miss Greenlea, I’m joking.”

“Of course you are. Witches and spells and fire-eating demons, oh my. More like double, double, sex and trouble if you ask me!” She moved further into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Oh, goody, apple juice.”

“There are a variety of cereals, both hot and cold. Meats, eggs, frozen waffles and breakfast bars of some sort. Your father had been stocking up for some time in anticipation of your arrival.” As he spoke, Ros turned on the tap to fill a carafe.

Reaching into a cabinet, he pulled down a can of coffee. Mari noted it was her favorite brand. His movements economical, Ros started the coffeepot. Apparently it was only making tea for the crusty old lawyer that he had a problem with.

“Wait, he knew he was dying?”

Rosier turned to look at her, glancing up from the coffeepot. It would not normally have moved him, but seeing the vulnerability in her face made him resist his first response. As gently as he could, he answered, “Yes, he knew. He’d hoped to have more time. To talk to you in person, but that didn’t happen. Miss Greenlea—”

“Mari. Just call me Mari. Do you have a surname?”

“No. Rosier is my only name. Though you may call me Ros if you desire.”

“That’s what she called you. The woman with blue skin. Your sister?”

23

Marilu Mann

He would not talk to her about his family. There was no way he would expose any more of his family to being vulnerable to the Greenlea heirs. “So. We need to set up some rules.”

She looked back in the fridge almost wistfully before grabbing a piece of sliced cheese and the apple juice. He watched as she first rinsed a glass then wiped down the lid of the juice bottle before putting it back in precisely the same place it had been.

“Your father did that too.”

A hunger stole across her face as her eyes softened. “Did what? Ate sliced cheese for breakfast?”

Ros snorted. He picked a coffee mug from several in another cabinet and poured a cup of the aromatic brew into it before setting the cup on the counter beside her. “No.

That putting things back exactly where you got them. I used to rearrange the pantry when I was bored just to hear him howl.”

“You really didn’t like him, did you? I don’t understand. What did my dad do to you? Why can’t you leave this house?”

The brown of her eyes deepened to burnt honey as her head tilted slightly to the side. She really looked like she was trying to understand. Ros sighed. Maybe she was different. Maybe she would not want to keep him chained to this place away from his own home and family.

“Your father, as you now know, was a magick worker. He called himself a witch. I would have called him far worse. He found my true name—which you also know because he commanded me to give you that when I met you. Knowing a Demonae’s true call name gives you power over me. I am your slave. Your servant. This is why I—”

Ros paused. Cruelty really was not in his nature. “Disliked your father. He tricked me and now I must live as a housebound demon. I did hate him at first. Over time we grew to respect one another. But he was still my captor. I have no life that is not dictated by you now.”