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  When he wrapped her in his arms, she flashed him a satisfied smile. Her body felt so good next to his. Her stomach rumbled. “Time to get me something to eat. I hope you don’t mind stopping. You know, I could really use a good shower too. But that can wait because I want you to wash my back.” She nibbled his lips.

  He ran the tip of his tongue against hers. “I don’t mind stopping. I can use some food myself. A good steak. I’d prefer long pig, but I guess cow will do. And when it comes to the shower, you shouldn’t be tempting me with the image of your glistening nubile body and those pert breasts. I can lick the water from your skin and say a prayer of thanks that you’re mine.”

  “Get a room,” a passerby said when they entered the diner.

  Bruno suppressed the urge to snap at them. What do they know? They’re only human. He licked his lips. He might not like to kill, but he had to admit he enjoyed the taste of human. It had its own unique spice that was similar to bison, only much smoother.

  Serena made a face and stuck her tongue out. “I’ve never understood your taste for humans.” Her stomach gurgled again. She tugged on his arm, and they headed into the restaurant.

  Once they were inside, the cool air blasted against his face. It did feel good after the hot breeze had given him windburn. The itch of the raw skin healing made him want to run his claws over it or slip his skin. But he wasn’t about to endanger his mate by revealing what they were to the general public. They sat down in a red vinyl booth. He slid over to the window so he could keep an eye on his bike. The sun was climbing higher and reflecting off the chrome of his fender. He squinted against the light, then turned his attention to the grease-stained menus behind the salt and pepper shakers. He glanced over the laminated paper. Everything at this point looked appetizing, even the plump woman sitting a few seats down at the counter. He imagined his snout stuffed into her meaty thigh, pulling on the fresh meat. His own stomach rumbled. It was getting closer to the full moon, and that meant the wolf would run. It would kill, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. The curse of his existence was that he couldn’t stop the hunger for human flesh. He was always trying to make peace with this part of his heritage. Guilt would eat away at him. He would confess his sins and pray for the dark hunger to be taken away from him. God understands. If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t have made me his Divine servant.

  “You’ve never hunted hu—”

  “What can I get you?” A lifeless waitress with flat mousy hair asked. The chewed-up pencil in her hand seemed to have been worried by a hyper Chihuahua. He studied her pink and white, checkered uniform. Her white apron was stained with bits of food, and he wasn’t sure when it had last been washed.

  “Coffee, rare steak, eggs over easy with bacon and home fries,” Serena said.

  “Same for me. Can you throw on an extra slab of ham?” Bruno chimed in.

  The server grunted. She turned to put in their order. After a moment, she returned with their coffee. The waitress slammed the cups down and then shuffled back behind the counter. Bruno stared at the dark swill. The liquid smelled burned. It’s going to take a ridiculous amount of cream and sugar to cover up what that’s going to taste like. Why does gourmet coffee have to be one of my weaknesses? Sadly, I haven’t had one of those in a while. He dug into the sugar container and pulled out five packets of sugar. He opened them all in one tear and dumped them in. Bruno stabbed several creamers and dumped those in also. After he mixed the concoction, he made a face. It was still burned and watery. Serena threaded her fingers through his and leaned over the yellow, speckled table. Her dark eyes were ringed with gold. He inhaled her musky scent. She was almost in heat. His cock stirred again. He readjusted himself and kept his focus on her. If not, they were going to be fucking on the table, no matter if there was an audience.

  “To answer your question, no, I’ve never hunted humans. The pack wasn’t too into sharing because I couldn’t shift. Your brother, on the other hand, had raiding parties. There were nights I’d been sleeping. I’d wake up and hear the rumble of the packs’ feet rushing through the forest after their game. Some helpless camper they had come upon. A game ranger who wandered into the wrong part of the forest. Your brother came close to my house on purpose because he knew I hated it. The screams in the night were worse than a mountain lion. That’s another reason I stayed away. The pack wasn’t kind to me. You were the only one who cared, besides your mother. So I’ve never had a taste for long pig. Isn’t killing a sin or something for you?”

  He smiled. “It is, but I believe the Almighty makes exceptions for me, being a werewolf and all. If he didn’t then, I wouldn’t have been able to bless the lake and turn it into holy water.”

  “True.”

  Her lips spread into a smile. Her eyes widened. He squeezed her fingers, sad for all the years of abuse she had suffered under his brother Terrance’s rule. The only reason his brother had terrorized Serena so much was that he wanted her to be his mate. Thank God they never cemented their mating. Not that it matters now because Terrance is dead. Serves him right. I know it’s wrong to say, but my brother was a dick, just like our father.

  He began to respond when he felt something sliding along the inside of his thigh. He reached down and caught it, only to find it was his mate’s foot. “Oh, you minx. What am I going to do with you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Show me who’s the boss? Bring me to some deserted part of the wilderness and ravish me?” Serena moved the tip of her toe over his crotch, touching his balls.

  He narrowed his eyes and held her foot when she tried to jerk it away. “If you keep saying and doing things like that, then I’ll do you here on the table. I don’t care whether we have an audience or not.” Bruno tickled his fingers over the sole of her foot. She reacted and slammed her knee into the top of the table. The whole piece moved from the force of the kick. She fell into the seat, clutching her knee.

  “Ow, that hurt!”

  “I’m sure it did. That’s what you get for being such a tease.”

  It took her a moment to sit up. As she did, the server reappeared with their food. It smelled wonderful. Serena gave him a secret look that promised a night of romping. He returned it and cut into his steak. It was rare, just the way he liked it. The eggs were a little runnier than he preferred, but they would do. The ham was thick and filled with fat. It was salty enough that it slid down his throat. The more he ate, the hungrier he became. While he munched on his food, he heard the door open. Bruno glanced over and saw three other customers come in. Two men and a woman sat down at the counter. The waitress rolled her eyes and got off her stool. She walked over to them, but they waved her away. Bruno studied the new additions while he chewed.

  The one man dressed in white seemed familiar. Something about the way he held himself. He couldn’t place it. I’m losing my mind. But it does seem like I’ve seen him before. The other man was dressed in jeans and a blue T-shirt. He had his arm around the woman’s waist. He sniffed the air. Their scents were intermingled more than the man in white. Their combined scents gave away that they were together, even though their body language told otherwise. The woman turned and met Bruno’s gaze. She smiled. He nodded, and then went back to his food. The steak was almost gone. He had to admit he was filling up on the plate of food. Serena had also made a large dent in everything she had ordered. He loved a woman who could eat, and damn, she was a good cook. His inner wolf growled in agreement at his last thought. Warmth flooded through him when he thought of her. Can’t let myself get distracted by food and women. I have to stay focused on the task at hand. When this is all over, then I can indulge.

  They were only a couple of hours away from the demon’s lair. His muscles ached to run, but he had no time to indulge in the wolf. The lure of the demon held him in its grasp. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, there was something else pulling him to the Devil’s Tavern. It was a deep feeling in his gut that he was being summoned. Maybe I’m going to end up being part of its damn pla
n after all. Or maybe this was the road that God has me on, and I just know that it’s the right thing to do. If he tried to fight it he sensed something horrible would happen, and he couldn’t risk that with Serena. Soon they were going to face it. When they did, he would be ready.

  Bruno finished the last bite of his home fries. He plunked down the money for their meal, including a generous tip. The place might have been run-down and the waitress was subpar, but the food was pretty good. He hoped they paid the chef well for his food. He’d been in better places where the food sucked. When they got to the door Bruno opened it.

  “Excuse me.”

  Bruno turned around. “Yes?”

  For a moment the man in white appeared differently. His suit was rumpled and dirty and his face covered in bruises. Bruno shook his head and the image faded. The man before him was perfect once more. His golden eyes and red hair made him out of the ordinary.

  “Do you happen to know the time?”

  Bruno glanced at the clock. That’s odd. The clock had stopped. It was running when we came in here. “No. Sorry. I guess this one just quit working or the batteries died.” He headed toward the door.

  The man in white shrugged. “No problem. May angels protect you on your journey.” His other two companions stared at him, but didn’t move.

  The words stopped him. “What did you just say?”

  The man in white smiled. “I said, may angels protect you on your journey. With the cross on your neck, you look like you’re a religious kind of man. Forgive me if I overstepped my bounds. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Bruno smiled. Now this is my kind of guy. “No problem. I forget all the time I have the tattoos. Safe journey to you, friend, and to your companions.”

  The man nodded. Bruno headed outside, but turned to say something else to the man. When he did, the three were gone and the clock was working again. He shook his head. What was that about?

  “Everything okay?” Serena didn’t seem to notice that anything was amiss.

  “Yeah. I was just talking to the fellow in the suit at the counter.”

  “What fellow? I didn’t see anyone inside. Just you and me.”

  He shrugged. What does that mean if she didn’t see them? Maybe it was a message meant only for me. “Guess it was all the food playing tricks with my head.”

  When they got back on the bike, his mate pressed the length of her body against his back. That drew him back to reality. Serena gripped him in a rib-cracking hug. Her hands played over his crotch, rubbing his cock.

  “If you do that, then we’re not going anywhere,” he said in a growl.

  “Can’t help it. You make me so fucking horny. I’ve always been this way around you. Do you know how difficult it was for me when you only showed up every two or three years? How much I ached to go with you? Terrance had forbidden it, and I died a little each time you left. Besides, you said we could pull over on the highway, find a little place, and you’d fuck the shit out of me.”

  He turned and saw the sorrow in her eyes. Guilt wound around his heart. Bruno had always hated to leave her. When his pack was alive, he wasn’t allowed to stay at the compound more than a couple of weeks before his brother drove him out again. He had loved Serena ever since they were pups. Serena would never come with him because she was bound by pack law. She had grown up within it and wasn’t about to defy it. Even though she had been a near-outsider, being mentally connected to them had kept her going. He, on the other hand, had been cut off from everyone when he was exiled. Now he and Serena were together, and both being alphas, they had connected on the mental level. Soon they would rejuvenate their pack. “I didn’t know the true depths of your feelings. If I had known, I’d have taken you with me a long time ago. Now we don’t have to worry about the laws of the pack. You’re mine now.” He kissed her full, inviting lips.

  “I never wanted you gone. From the time we were cubs, I wanted to run away with you. You’ve always been the one for me in my heart. You never cared that I couldn’t become a wolf. My childhood troubles never bothered you. You defied the pack and followed your heart. Not like me. I stayed because I was too afraid to face the real world. I was a coward.”

  “You’re not a coward. You confronted the demon, and it didn’t get the best of you. You gave yourself to my brother to save the children of the pack. If he had listened to you sooner, it would have worked. Never forget that you remained alive for me. That’s the most important thing. You did everything in your power to stay sane. You even came after me with a silver dagger because you thought I was Terrance. I know I asked you this before, but are you okay with us chasing after the demon?”

  She rested her hand on his cheek. “I want you to kick its ass back to hell. I never want it to cause the pain it did to our families with anyone else.”

  He nuzzled her hand. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.” He kissed her palm, turned around, and started the bike up.

  The sun was on its downward arc when they pulled onto a dusty dirt road. Bruno’s internal map indicated that the tavern wasn’t too far away. Sweat poured down his face and stained his bandanna. His heavy leather jacket made him roast, along with Serena’s added body heat. He rested his feet for a moment and wiped his arm across his forehead, feeling the dirt smear on his flesh. Taking in a deep breath, he sensed the dark force emanating from what was ahead even from there. The essence of it sat on his tongue. He wiped his sweaty palms onto his jeans and gripped the handlebars again with a renewed vigor. I’m coming to get you, you bastard.

  He eased the bike forward and made his way down the road. Within minutes, a building appeared on the horizon. At first he thought it was nothing more than a shanty, but this was a rather large building with several rooms. Nothing else was around it for miles. There was a broken post outside that he assumed was once used to tie horses to. The roof was caving in on some parts. The windows were boarded up, but the door was open. He pulled up out front and shut the bike off. Once the echo of the engine died, the silence was eerie. He glanced around the landscape. A few cacti were seen in the distance. Dead grass remained here and there. However, there was no life around the tavern. The evil was stronger now because they were nearer to the building. It was all around him. It was in the ground, the wood of the tavern, even the air that he breathed. The demon was here. It’d been thriving here for a long time. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was the very mouth of hell itself. Serena hugged him and then swung off the bike. He stretched his legs, took off the bandanna, and wiped the sweat from his face. He slipped off his jacket and draped it over the gas tank.

  “So this is it?”

  He glanced at Serena. “Yes, love. This is it. It might not be much to look at, but don’t let that fool you. Evil is all around us.”

  Chapter Four

  Valerie & James

  Silky hands glided along the insides of her thighs, parting her legs. A jolt of pleasure ran through her so surreal that she gasped. Valerie tried to look around but saw only blackness. She tried to raise her arms and felt the bindings holding them to the bed. Valerie hadn’t been bound in a couple of weeks. Immediately, she was brought back to the months of sensuous torture that her dream master had given her. She understood that the real world had fallen away, and she was dreaming. Her body was ready for him. Here her subconscious self had dominion over her conscious self. Here she was at his mercy. And no matter what happened in reality, he was all she craved.

  Sharp nails scratched lightly along her legs. Small shivers ran along her muscles the closer they got to her pussy. The tip of a wet tongue flicked over her breasts. A velvet laugh that caressed her insides sounded next to her ear. His hot breath blasted against her neck. She wrapped her fingers around the ropes and gripped them harder. She was already so wet. During all of their sessions, the only thing he had denied her was his cock. She had desperately wanted him to ride her. That same urge overwhelmed her now.

  “Master, it’s been so long.”

  “I know, lo
vely one.”

  “Why have you pulled me back here?” Valerie asked, finding a sense of rationality for a moment.

  The dream master chuckled. “That’s my girl. You know you’re dreaming. You’ve been telling yourself, since I freed you and your sister from the genie, that you wouldn’t come back to this place. That you wouldn’t be seduced, and yet you wind up here no matter how your rational side fights it. Your subconscious knows what it wants. The both of you are so connected, and yet you deny that. You come when I call. Here you are, and you have to admit it. I make you feel sooo good.”

  She didn’t answer because he slid a cold finger deep inside of her wet pussy. He pinched her nipple with his free hand and bit down on the other. The sudden pain made her come. Her head fell back against the pillow. Valerie had missed this. He was right. He did make her feel good. She hated to admit it, but even her lucid side wanted him. In the real world, she was loyal to her fiancé James. In the dream world, her body belonged to her phantom lover. During the two weeks she and Niki had been free of the djinn her twin had conjured up, Valerie’s dreams had been filled with lines and maps. She hadn’t even dreamed about the other creatures which haunted her nighttime slumber. After a while, she assumed she was free of her dream lover’s influence too.