A Demon Mates Novella Series Book 2

Book 2: Necessary Protection

EMILY

My lids felt like sandpaper as I stretched lazily, letting out an obscene yawn while my legs fought off the sheets. I hadn’t slept that great in a while, not since I had started finals and with the extra shift I had picked up at the art gallery. Sleep was a rare commodity, but last night, I slept like a fucking baby. I tried to remember if I had taken drugs or downed a bottle of wine, but all of that was a bit fuzzy.

I let out a deep breath and rolled over, my lips coming in contact with skin. Miles and miles of bare skin covered in muscles. Freaked, I racked my brain for answers. Last night…last night… oh.

“Em-muh-lee!! Come have another shot!”

The rave we had been all but forced to go to with my older cousin and his friends had been a little more fun than I was expecting, but I still wasn’t feeling it. I hadn’t been feeling great in general the past few weeks, hating how sluggish I felt and how it always seemed like someone was watching me. I twisted around to see if I could find the eyes firmly planted on the back of my head, but no one seemed to be paying me any mind.

Except for my on-again, off-again boy toy, Rick. He waved at me again and I obliged, his arm immediately plastering me against his chest as he sucked at my bottom lip. “Babe, lighten up. This is fun!”

“Thought you two were over,” my cousin said, waggling his brows.

“We are. He’s just a good fuck every now and then.” I chuckled as Rick mocked being hurt before handing me a shot. I knocked it back and then slid into the booth, frowning at the little slips of paper sitting on the table. “Ben, what’s this?”

My cousin looked up. “Ah, shit. Emily, I know you hate that shit. Don’t touch it.”

His friend, Arnold, just laughed. “Let her try one. It won’t hurt her.” He slid toward me, grabbing a small square. “May I?”

I looked to Ben for approval and he just sighed, his shoulders falling. “It won’t hurt you, but you’re also not going to work tomorrow.” I didn’t need to go. I could call out. I nodded at Arnold as he gripped my chin, prying my mouth open and laying the square beneath my tongue.

They all stared at me, waiting, even Rick. For several seconds, nothing happened. And then? Every goddamn color and sound rushed at me, threatening to upend my existence.

I let out a whimper, recognizing the onset of a headache. I hadn’t even asked what those fucking drugs were. I just took them. And now I was here, next to a really, ~really~ sexy man.

Thrashing around for my phone to see if anyone had tried to contact me, I also realized that I still had my clothes on. So…I had passed out in a random sexy man’s house and didn’t even fucking get laid? This was bullshit. I cupped my hand against my mouth and blew out a breath, confused. I didn’t even throw up.

I wasn’t an ugly bitch, so I knew that that couldn’t be the issue. So, it didn’t make sense for this guy to drag me here and not have his way with me. I knew it was wrong, per se, but I was kind of disappointed.

I rolled onto my other side, intent on slipping from the bed, only to come face to face with another goddamn man. It wasn’t possible, but this fucker was sexier than the other one. Dark brown curls, gentle features, and lips that made me want to…

No. I need to get out of here.

I scrambled to safety, frantically looking for my shoes. What was the protocol for the morning when we didn’t have sex? Like fuck, how unfuckable was I that no one touched me? ~Two~ of them and I still had all my clothes on? And they were still wearing their pants!

I sounded like an ungrateful bitch, but come on.

My steps came to a halt as I stopped in front of a mirror, grimacing at the barefaced bitch staring at me. I definitely had a full face of makeup on last night. What the—

The tall one with jet black hair and hints of lime green streaked through it helped me into the house. He had a firm grip on my waist, all but carrying me over the threshold as he yelled to someone else. “Yo, come! We need to get her on the bed.”

I wasn’t coherent enough to speak as I was laid out on the mattress. Another sexy god appeared from the hallway, a delicious chocolate man bun sitting on top of his head, and helped me out of my shoes. It was a relief to wiggle my toes, the man giggling. “You’ll be all right, sweetheart.”

I didn’t even know when they had taken me from my booth or why, but his warm hands on the soles of my feet pushed all thoughts of ‘stranger danger’ out the window.

“What did she take?” The one at my side asked. He gestured for me to open my mouth before reaching in and stealing that little sheet. My mind cleared up a little as I frowned. “What the fuck is this?” He handed it to the other guy.

“No idea. But she’s getting her color back. Fuck, this is bad. Call Alma.”

I guessed one of them had cleaned me up—sweet, but odd. Really odd. The rest of the memories ran into themselves, but the image of that square was burned into my brain. The way the guy had taken it out of my mouth, looking so concerned about my well-being, I had an inkling that it wasn’t just a regular drug.

My fingers slipped into my mouth of their own accord, running over a small square indent beneath my tongue. That definitely wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Hey, gorgeous. You’re finally up.” I swiveled around, eyes wide as the one with the messy man bun threw his hands up. “We were just trying to help. No harm, all right? We just didn’t want you to get hurt and—”

The other two rose from the bed as if they hadn’t been sleeping, stalking over to me as they fanned out in a half circle. “How are you feeling?” the curly-haired one asked. I needed to fucking get their names. I assumed he was Alma because he hadn’t been there last night.

“Um, fine? But I have this—” I opened my mouth to show them the square, Alma stepping forward and gripping my chin as he ran his finger over the spot. I didn’t really know what to do with this man’s finger in my mouth, my face heating from thoughts of a billion positions that they weren’t offering. It almost felt like being at a dentist. But naughty.

Alma stepped even closer, the heat from his bare chest making me squirm. A growl tore from his throat, something between possessiveness and rage; I stepped back, his finger slipping from my mouth. I bumped into the man bun, whimpering for an escape.

I take it back. No sex. Stranger danger. Time to run!

There was something off about these guys, and I suddenly realized how much smaller I was than they were and that I had no idea where I was.

“Alma, simmer the fuck down,” the man bun said.

Alma growled again, “Toz, someone fucking tried to claim her. The symbol in her mouth? Shit—”

“Claim me? No, I don’t wanna know,” I waved my hands in front of my face, starting to panic. This had to be some wild fucking dream where three hot guys ~didn’t~ fuck me, one of them stuck their finger in my mouth, another one took off my makeup (very well I might add), and now Alma was growling like a fucking animal. “I want my shoes and I want to leave.”

Toz pointed to the edge of the bedroom. I ran over and slipped them on, heading down the hallway as fast as I could. This place was fucking massive, which creeped me out even more. All three of them followed me to the entrance before Toz spoke again, “We can call you a cab or—”

I didn’t want any more hospitality. I wanted to leave.

Alma was still growling as I fumbled with the front door. Rich people and their locks.

“Would you quit growling like a fucking animal?” I yelled as I twisted around to look at him. His eyes were an unnatural shade of red, but I attributed that to the drugs from last night.

“We’re not animals,” the third said as I got the door open. “We’re demons.”

He said it so matter-of-factly like it was a normal occurrence to wake up in a house full of demons, as if demons existed. I took off down the steps, but not before I heard the slap upside of his head and Toz telling him off. “You fucking dimwit. Okomen, ~we didn’t get to explain the demon part yet.~ You probably freaked her the fuck out.” Curiosity got the better of me as I listened in to the one-sided conversation of Toz berating the other two. “You get to fucking apologize to her and take first watch. You’re such a shit. Remember how we were supposed to ease her into this shit? And Alma, ~stop fucking growling.~”

After that, I sped off down the street, hoping and praying that it was in the right direction because unfortunately, I still didn’t have my phone.