Sexy As Hell (6 page)

A heat started radiating from between her legs, the warmth spreading through her whole body. The rush of arousal overtook her —— her nipples hardened, her cheeks and chest growing flush. Tiny beads of perspiration began forming on her skin. Her irresistible pheromones grew stronger as she became more aroused, the seductive scent no doubt making its way to where Seth was sleeping.

She took another deep breath and let her mind wander beyond her cage. Her spirit slipped through the bars and crossed the room. Seth was kicked back in his chair, his breathing slow and soft. He was a beautiful male specimen, with dark strands of hair that fell across the chiseled features of his face.

It was a pity she had to destroy him, but she would do whatever it took to get out of Hell for good. The higher echelon demon that approached her had promised her freedom if she could deliver the immortal life force of the warrior Seth. It would be a challenge. She knew that. But the reward was so precious if she was successful.

Isra’s
spirit reached out and touched his cheek, her mind connecting to his in an instant. Back in the cell, her eyes rolled up into her head. It was time.

"
Seth...
"
she spoke the word silently in Camille’s voice, reaching out to him in his sleep through the connection she’d made.

Seth stirred slightly in his sleep, grunting and turning himself to another position.

"
Come to me, my darling.
"

Isra
concentrated on creating a fantasy in her mind of the two of them together. In his mind, he would think it was just a dream. She tried to envision something different from the earlier dream she’d inspired in him. That one was too dark, too rough. He imagined his Camille to be sweet and innocent. If he really were dreaming about her, this is how he would see her.

This time she imagined herself in a flowing white lace negligee, her blonde hair spilling around her bare shoulders. She stood just out of his reach, her perfect breasts showcased by the deep v-neckline of her gown.

Seth watched her as he stood a few feet away. The gold in his eyes grew more intense as he surveyed every inch outlined by the silk and lace. His bare chest rose and fell with uneven breaths.

Isra
let her gaze travel down the rippled muscles of his chest to settle on the low riding waistband of his pants. She had to admit, she enjoyed her work. By nature, she was a purely sexual creature. There was little she wanted more in this moment than to unbutton those pants, and not just to steal his soul.
"
Come to me,
"
she whispered.

Seth took a step forward and
Isra
took a step away to maintain her distance. She
couldn’t let him touch her. Not yet. He frowned as she moved back and out of his reach.

"
Don’t you want me, Seth?
"

"
Yes,
"
he growled, his hands balled into fists at his sides. He took another step forward and again
Isra
retreated.

"
You know what you have to do, don’t you?
"

Seth’s furrowed his brow as he tried to make sense of their dreamy world.
"
No.
"

"
You have to let me out. We can’t be together until you unlock the door. Do you have the key?
"

Seth shook his head, his desires and his faint recollection of reality clashing.
"
I can’t let you out.
"
His words seemed anything but certain.

"
Yes, you can. You are a big, strong man. You can do anything you want to. Don’t you want this?
"
Isra
ran her hands over the slippery fabric to outline every luscious curve of her host’s body.

"
Yes.
"

Isra
nodded and slowly started stepping further and further away from him until she was back in her cell.
"
Then let me out, Seth.
"

Isra
strained to maintain the fantasy in her mind. She could hear Seth as he got up from his chair and made his way over to the cell. He was sleepwalking, his eyes open yet not seeing anything but what she chose for him to see. If she lost her concentration, he would wake up. She was too close to screw this up.

Seth pulled a set of keys from his pocket and fumbled with them in his fingers.

"
Yes, yes...
"
Isra
urged.
"
We can be together now.
"

He slid the key into the lock, his hands shaking ever so slightly with the desire overwhelming him.

"
Open the door,
"
Isra
whispered.

At that, the keys slipped from his fingertips and fell to the stone floor with a loud clank. Both
Isra
and Seth jumped out of their trance at the sound echoing in the stone-encased room.

Seth shook his head, gripping the cell in an attempt to shake the sleep that was clouding his mind. As his eyes focused on
Isra
, sitting naked in the cell, they grew wide with surprise.

She lunged forward, trying to blow him a pheromone-laced kiss in the hopes that she could still ensnare him in his
groggy
state. He leapt back, snatching up the keys and taking three more big steps away from her.

"
Tricky,
"
he yawned, wagging his finger at her.
"
You are very, very tricky.
"

8:29 P.M.

Seth cussed all the way up the elevator. How in the hell had he let that happen? He almost let a demon walk right out of her cage. He gripped the package under his arm even more tightly and brought another can of energy drink to his lips.

Not enough sleep, he supposed. He was immortal, but he wasn’t without his weaknesses. He had to eat and sleep. Maybe not as much as a regular human, but if he didn’t get enough his condition would suffer. He’d been up for days tracking and subduing the last creature from Hell Michael funneled his way. He’d awoken this morning after only three hours of much needed sleep.

When the demon fell asleep, he went to sleep.
Simple as that.

It was stupid of him. He couldn’t make that mistake again. From the very beginning this assignment had been trouble, but he should’ve known that the minute Michael told him he was being deliberately targeted, and why. Whoever orchestrated this scheme to steal his immortality had been wise to choose Camille as the host. He wasn’t detached. He was too invested in Camille to do the work properly.

He almost wished Michael had sent another immortal on this assignment. Then again, he didn’t. The mere thought of another man seeing Camille’s naked body on crude display made his blood start to boil.

Seth
could
handle this. He just needed to take additional precautions.

The doors of the elevator opened, letting him out into the warehouse. The door sealed tightly behind him, but he needed to hurry. He didn’t want her left alone for long. He wouldn’t have left her alone at all if it weren’t absolutely necessary. At least the break and the fresh air would clear his mind and smother his arousal.

Seth jogged to the opposite side of the warehouse, opening the small door that was closest to the front entrance. From there, he could spy the courier truck parked outside the gates of the property. He used this company for all his shipping and delivery needs. They were quick, reliable, and most important, discrete.

He called and asked them to come after he’d been able to shake off the sexual haze Camille had trapped him in. They said they would meet him outside the gate at eight-thirty. Seth glanced at his watch. They were right on
time
.

He jogged across the parking lot and handed the package through the gate to the courier he recognized as Jeff.

Jeff accepted the padded envelope, eyeing the label in confusion as he went to scan it with his tracking gun.
"
You want me to deliver this back here?
"

Seth expected the confusion.
"
Yes. Deliver it back here tomorrow morning at exactly six. I’ll meet you at the gate.
"

Jeff was trained not to ask too many questions, and Seth paid enough to soothe his curiosity.
"
Yes, sir.
"
He turned on his heel and climbed into his truck.

Seth watched him disappear into the distance before he started back to the warehouse. He was filled with newfound confidence as he waltzed back through the
safe house door and sealed it behind him.

"
You look pleased with yourself,
"
Camille noted.

"
I am.
"
He slammed back the last of his energy drink and crushed the can in his hand before tossing it in the trash. He let a smile spread wide across his face as he plopped into the chair at her cell and leaned in.
"
Wanna
know why?
"

She seemed confused, but still curious. Camille approached the edge of the cell, gripping the bars and poking her face through.
"
Why?
"

"
Because I’ve won,
"
he gloated.

Camille wrinkled her freckled nose as her confusion increased.
"
You mean you think you’ve beaten me already?
"

"
I don’t think —— I know.
"

"
And what makes you so certain, Seth? What makes you think that in the next nine hours you’re not going to open that door and make passionate love to me the way you want to?
"

"
I know,
"
he grinned,
"
because I no longer have the key.
"

The color drained from Camille’s face.
"
W-what do you m-mean?
"
she stuttered.

"
I mean it doesn’t matter how much pixie dust you blow on me or how badly I want to bend you over that table and give it to you. I can’t let you out. The one and only key is gone.
"

"
But what about Camille?
Are you just going to leave her in here?
"
Her voice cracked. The demon’s low voice now had an edge of hysteria building in it.

"
The key is coming back, but not until
tomorrow —— and not
until after sunrise.
"
Seth got up from his chair and flipped the television back on.
"
Enjoy your last few hours on Earth, Honey.
"

10:13 P.M.

Isra
needed to think of a way out of this cage. She was running out of time. Even if she couldn’t seduce her initial target, if she could get away, perhaps she could find another man in time. Maybe his heart wouldn’t be quite so hardened to her charms. That would buy her another day. And then maybe she could outsmart Seth.

She needed to come up with something. Something he wasn’t expecting. He was an immortal warrior of the Archangels after all —— he’d probably seen every trick she knew to throw at him. She had been told he was the oldest and strongest, and therefore the one they had to target first before they got suspicious and raised the alert to what they were really trying to do.

But battling the oldest and strongest meant she had to be at the top of her game. She was chosen because she was the best.
Isra
had to find a way to knock him off his guard.

"
He’s not going to let you out of here.
"
Once again, Camille fought her way into
Isra’s
mind. Once again, she had something smart to say. It was annoying, but she appreciated her spunk.
"
He can’t, even if he wanted to.
"

"
Oh, shut up,
"
Isra
pouted.

"
What’s that?
"
Seth peeked around his chair again.

"
Nothing.
"

Seth sighed and came back around to the cage. He lowered himself onto the chair and propped his elbows onto his knees.

Isra
watched him, her mind racing with options. Her instinct was to smile and start the seduction game again, but she was growing weary of this game. It hadn’t gotten her very far anyway. Instead, she flopped to the concrete floor, hugged her knees to her chest, and ignored him.