Page 1 of Inferno (Drake Security Book 4)

VALENTINO

This wedding is nice and all, but I got an itch that needs scratching, and unless I’m willing to fuck a wolf like Arson is—spoiler, I’m not—then I need to find a polite out. Love might be in the air, but I’d rather have some dick in my bed.

Maybe it’s all the pheromones, or the fact that I’ve been too distracted to get laid lately, but my dragon is restless as hell. I can feel my skin prickling with scales that want to form, and my beast is tugging at my chest like a dog at the end of a leash.

I’m about to ditch the suit jacket when the scent of family tickles my nose. I don’t think, I just act, my brothers and I all running in the same direction at once, acting on pure instinct.

At the edge of the woods, a smaller figure comes into view, and the adrenaline pumping through me simmers into joy.

“Macguire?” Arson says. “What are you doing here?”

My brow furrows when I see the condition my younger brother is in. His dark hair is disheveled, his clothes are torn, and his face is smudged with dirt. His scent is tinged with fear. My dragon snarls and snaps, ready for a fight with whoever did this to our own flesh and blood. I’ll roast them. A puff of smoke billows from Nico’s nose, echoing my sentiments to a tee.

“Who is this?” Heller, the alpha of the wolf pack, aka our newest species-in-law, asks.

“One of our younger brothers,” Nico says, his face creased with concern as he hovers over Mac.

“How did you find us, Mac?” I ask.

“I can’t believe I found you guys here,” Macguire says. “The scent was strong. I followed it from the compound.”

Maybe this is what had me so restless tonight without realizing it. My dragon must have known Mac was close, even if I didn’t register it consciously.

Lord brushes my brother’s wild curls from his face. “What’s happening? Why are you here?”

Our younger brother looks up, his eyes filled with tears. “I’m in trouble, Lord. I need my brothers.”

The protective streak that lives inside me rears up wildly again. I can feel my dragon gnashing its teeth, ready for a fight. “What kind of trouble?” I ask, my voice a deeper rumble with my dragon so close to the surface.

Mac turns to me, blinking his big brown eyes. “Someone is after me. A demon.” He licks his lips nervously. “He’s real mad, too.”

“A demon? How did that happen?” Dozens of scenarios run through my mind about how he might have ended up on the wrong side of one of those amoral, mischievous fuckwads.

Mac shrugs. “I’m not really sure. I must have done something to offend him.” His eyes dart between me and the other brothers. He’s clearly not telling us the whole story, but whatever. It doesn’t matter what he did. We’re going to protect him regardless. “Now, he’s trailing me. I see him everywhere I go, taunting me, threatening me. I’m in over my head, Tino.”

Lord’s eyes are on me, and I already know the unspoken request. Not like I need to be asked—protecting the fam is a given. I might not be the most homebound dragon, but I don’t turn my back when my brothers need me.

“Well, it’s your lucky day, little bro.” I clap his shoulder. “I happen to be free, and I don’t have a lot of love for demons. We’ll find your troublemaker and make a shish kebab out of him.” The taste of fire blooms on my tongue, signaling my dragon’s agreement with barbequing the demon when we find him.

Mac shudders, but he nods before looking around for the first time now that he’s relaxing and no longer running for his life. “What is this? A party in the woods?”

“A wedding,” Arson says, gripping his mate’s hand.

Mac sputters. “You got married?” He sniffs the air. “To a wolf?” He wrinkles his nose.

“Yep. And don’t be cheeky.” Arson’s eyes narrow into lavender slits, a warning from his dragon not to insult his mate. His fated mate. Ugh. “We’re family now.”

Mac shakes his head, dragging a hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t be rude. I’m just a little surprised.”

“There’s been a lot happening around here lately,” Lord says in his deep, authoritative voice. “Why don’t we let the lovers get on with their…celebrations? We’ll go back to the compound.”

I pull Mac closer to me as we bid goodnight to the wolves, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. “Besides your demon troubles, how you been?”

His face lights up. “Good. Mom and Dad have been giving me a little more freedom after the Cornwall incident.”

I snort a laugh. “Oh yeah. Those witches you met during the summer solstice. What was it you snatched?”

“A crystal. They were big mad. Threatened to hex us.” He shivers. “But I made up for it. All I had to do was let them have one of my scales.”

“I swear you’re Arson’s mini me,” I rumble with amusement.

“Maybe, but a wolf?” Mac looks over his shoulder at the fading celebration again.

I chuckle. “Long story, but Dray’s alright. He makes Arson happy, so…” I shrug, letting my words trail off.

“What about those other guys?” He nods towards the rest of our brothers and their mates walking a short distance ahead of us, eyeing the newest additions with curiosity. Lake is decked out in his wedding attire, which means he has now clambered onto Nico’s back for a piggyback ride home, and Hemingway is walking hand in hand with his adorkable little mate.

“Well, Nico’s mate is Lake. The sassy blond one. He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s amazing too. He can actually make Nico smile,” I say, and Mac’s eyes go wide.

“No way. Like actually smile?”

“It’s true.” I glance at my brothers walking up ahead. “Then there’s Dempsey. He’s Hemingway’s mate. He owns an antique bookstore.”

“Oh damn. Hemingway must be in paradise.” Mac chuckles.

“He is.” I smile as warm feelings spread through my chest. “It’s nice to see my brothers happy.” Finding a mate, let alone a fated mate isn’t anywhere on my to-do list. If anything, I’d say it’s item number one on my hell-to-the-no list. But if getting all shackled to one man is their kink, then more power to them.

“Lord?” Mac asks.

“Nah, still being Lord. I’m not sure where he stands on the mate thing. If he wants one, he keeps that desire close to his chest.” I give him a knowing smirk. “If he does find a mate, I hope to hell they like being bossed around.”

Mac snorts in agreement.

“And you?” He cocks his head.

I grimace and squeeze his shoulder again. “I’m a free bird. I’d rather clip my wings than settle down. The world is full of intriguing people, and I plan to hoard as many experiences as possible.”

“That sounds about right.” Mac chuckles before his smile fades. “Maybe I’ll find a mate someday, if I can shake this demon before he drags me to the underworld.”

“Hey.” I stop walking and turn to my brother, holding him by the shoulder. “You’re a Drake and we protect our own. You’re not going anywhere. Don’t even think like that.”

He nods, smiling slightly as we exit the woods into the clearing where our cars are. I lead him to my sports car, nodding at Lord to tell him that I’m on it. If any of us are prepared to handle a demon, it’s me. I’ve spent my fair share of nights drunk on incubus pheromones—I know how they think and the games they play. The lower-level ones are even easier to handle. Shouldn’t take me long at all to find the demon and deal with him.

Once we’re in the car, I fire up the engine, glancing at Mac before I put it into gear.

“Do Mom and Dad know where you are?”

“No.”

“Okay. Call them and tell them you’re visiting with me. You’ll be staying here until we’re done with your demon problem.”

Mac nods. “Can I still go out though?”

I huff with amusement at his priorities. Can’t say I blame him, honestly. “Hard to say, little bro. Depends on how dangerous this demon is. He’s got you jumbled enough to hunt your brothers down in the forest, so I’d say you need to lay low for a while.”

Mac pops his bottom lip out in a pout, looking like the teen whelp he was when I last lived at home. He’s a young man now, but I wonder how prepared he is for the real world. Judging by the trouble he’s in with a demon, not very.

This isn’t how I planned to spend my evening, but I can still go out and sniff around a bit. Maybe some of my friends downtown have spotted a new demon around. Assuming the demon followed Mac, but I’m pretty sure he did. It’s almost like I can smell him. My nose twitches and my dragon rumbles deep in my chest, doubly agitated now with a potential threat lurking around.

“Hey, did you fuck the demon?” The question comes out more gruffly than I mean for it to, but the smell hanging all over my little bro is… well, there’s no way to put it other than horny.

Mac pulls his head back and makes a gagging noise. “Fuck no.”

“Such a reaction. You don’t find demons attractive?” I grin and call up a handful of blurry memories from nights long past, spent with various species of demon in my bed.

“Do you?” He arches an eyebrow at me.

“Sexy as fuck. A night with a horny demon can cure most ailments.” I jostle his shoulder playfully. “Good to know I can cross ‘jaded lover’off the list of reasons this dude is up your ass though.”

“If we could skip talking about your sex life, that’d be great.”

I snort a laugh as I swing into the driveway leading up to the gate of the compound. “Fair enough. Does this demon have a name?”

“Called himself Xazedose.”

“Za-zah-dose?” I repeat, enunciating each syllable.

“That’s what the witch I asked for help told me. He had a human name too, but I can’t remember it.” He rubs the back of his neck, then grimaces. “I’d describe him to you, but I didn’t get a good look.”

“I thought you said he’s been following you?” I frown.

“He has, but I haven’t seen him. It’s more of a sense, I guess. My dragon is agitated as fuck, and I have this prickling feeling all the time like I’m being watched.”

I growl at the implied threat of it and huff out a cloud of smoke through my nose.

“That’s okay, a name is a good place to start,” I mutter through gritted teeth.

I pull up in front of my house and step out, opening the passenger door for Mac to join me. Once inside, I nudge him.

“Take a shower and relax, eat what you want, stay out of my hoard room, and if you need anything, you know where Lord and the others are.”

“Where are you going?”

Grinning, I reply, “Demon hunting.”

MONTROSE

Tappingmy long nails on the bar, I glance around, looking for a tasty mortal to distract myself with for the night. The energy in this club isn’t ideal, a little too passive for my tastes, but I’ve already been to four others looking for fun. Something is off in the city tonight, or maybe it’s just that things have changed since I was here last. It has been a while. Ten years… wait, maybe thirty. Whatever. Time is meaningless and it bores me to consider.

“Buy you a drink, sexy?”

I turn to my left to look at the tall, beefy man beside me, grinning ear to ear. He’s hot enough, but I sniff the air and his scent does nothing to stir my excitement. Satan’s balls. I’ll know fun when I find it tonight, and this man simply isn’t going to cut it.

“Sorry. I’m waiting for someone.”

Not a total lie. I am waiting for someone who lights me up. I give him a little mental nudge, pushing him away gently without lifting a finger. Humans don’t know they feel it, but he’s already moving on to his next pursuit by the time my sentence is finished, even if he doesn’t know why.

I glance down at my heavily braceleted wrist, smiling as the jewels and precious metals catch the lights of the club. Sapphires straight from the demon realm, imbued with just a touch of lust to give them a stunning glimmer. I know I look good tonight. Not that I don’t every night I go out. An incubus has a reputation to uphold, after all.

But I put a little more effort into my appearance tonight. No idea why. Sometimes a boy just likes to look pretty, I guess. I busted out my favorite black leather bodysuit along with my high heeled boots, and took the time to curl my long ginger locks. I find the look appeals to a variety of mortals, but so far, no catch. At least not one I’m interested in.

Then the door opens, and a breeze blows in, carrying the scent of my most recent nemesis. I twirl around, ready to confront the little twerp currently irking me, but instead I’m met with a vision of tall, dark, and dragonly. Well, hello there.

As the man crosses the bar, his eyes flitting around the club, I drink in his intense sexual energy. Gods of the underworld, he smells delicious. He’s wearing a tight dress shirt that can barely contain the straining muscles beneath it, and slacks perfectly tailored around thick thighs.

My mouth waters. He’s exactly who I’ve been waiting for all night.

Come to Papa.

He turns sharply in my direction, nostrils flaring as he closes the space between us. His gait is all cocky assurance, like he knows he’s sex on a stick, and I’m here for it. I love breaking the confident ones.

When he’s right in front of me, he leans his arm on the bar, nearly closing me in. “Hey, pretty boy. What’s your name?”

“Montrose.” I drag my finger down his chest. “Yours?”

“Valentino.” He leans in and takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring and his eyes flashing subtly. I can taste his lust hanging in the air when he exhales. “And if you’re wondering whether I live up to my name, the answer is yes.”

Valentino’s scent is intoxicating, heady, addictive. It’s also laced with hints of the little shit who’s on my list. Lovers? Doubtful. This beautiful man and the little twerp? Relatives. No doubt. But I’ve never let a minor technicality get in the way of fun, and I’m not about to start now.

“Well, Valentino, I was just looking for some adventure. You up for it?”

“Always,” he says gruffly, “Lead the way.”

I slide my hand down his arm to grip his hand, leading him through the club. There’s no way he doesn’t know I’m a demon—supes can’t hide from each other, so that means he’s down.

“You ever fuck an incubus?” I ask once we’re outside.

Valentino chuckles, the sound rumbling from his chest and vibrating through me, and gives me a cocky smirk in answer to my question. The spike of lust stirs my cock to life. Oh yes, he was definitely a good pick.

“Where you taking me, little demon?”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Nothing is little about me, dragon.” I turn around and walk backward through the parking lot. “You’ve got a lot of pent-up energy. I can feel it.”

Valentino nods as his tongue flicks across his bottom lip and he watches me with heavy eyes. “Sure do. You ever fuck a dragon?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I tend to prefer mortals, but I like the way you smell,” I purr.

He makes an amused sound, using my arm to pull me into him. “What do you drive?”

“I don’t.”

“Come on then.”

Valentino guides me in the opposite direction, leading me to a shiny deep blue car with iridescent streaks of gold down the sides. It’s showy but tasteful. Most dragons are gaudy, in my experience.

He swings me around so that I’m pressed against the hood, and before I can even try to take charge of the situation, I’m overpowered by his hulking frame. Oooh, this is nice. Maybe I’ve been missing out by skipping over dragons.

Valentino’s hand moves to my neck, sliding down my chest, then gripping my thigh. “You smell good too.”

I hook my leg around his waist to draw him closer, our hard cocks rubbing together through the material of our clothing. My lips part, inviting him in, and I vibrate with anticipation.

“Mmm,” he rumbles before finally claiming my kiss.

The taste of him explodes on my tongue—earthy, smoky, and definitely lusty. He’s pure hedonism, and it seeps from his pores as he grinds against me. His energy is a full meal, and definitely one worth gorging on. My insides twist pleasantly as desire surges through me, and I kiss him back with long strokes of my tongue over his, both of us canting our hips as our hands grope wildly.

I was definitely missing out.

Valentino reaches between us, dragging the zipper of my jumpsuit down. He breaks the kiss to follow the action with his mouth, leaving a trail of hot kisses on my flesh. I should have known the combination of a demon and dragon would be fire. Literally. My skin sizzles as he scorches a path with his tongue. The singes heal instantly, but not before making my cock ache with their heady sting.

The dragon nuzzles my skin with his nose, inhaling deeply when he reaches my cock. He seems pleased by what he finds, but I have to put my best foot forward. With a slight twitch, I lengthen and thicken just enough to draw a surprised gasp from my dragon.

“Well, now,” Valentino says, gazing up at me. “What else can you do?”

I tut at him playfully. “Some things are more fun when they’re a surprise.” I wink.

Valentino’s eyelids flutter as he licks a stripe up the length of my cock. “Fuck. You taste like…” He shakes his head. “I have no comparison.”

“I’m what you want me to be, Dragon.” I reach for him, and he slides up my body again. As I unbutton his pants, I search his nearly jet-black eyes, but the more I look, the more I catch the ring of shimmering gold around the iris. “You’re so sexy.”

He smiles, and it’s so brilliant, it nearly knocks me off balance. I get his slacks open, moaning as all that hot, hard flesh falls out. Valentino rubs against me as our mouths collide again.

Quickly, it becomes clear we’re both gifted with an abundance of self-lubrication, making our passionate frotting slick and perfect. Our combined scent, Valentino’s heady lust, and my own pheromones fill the air around us, seeping into my skin and fueling my energy reserves.

He hooks his hand under my leg, roughly pulling it up to his waist again, which serves to unite us even more. My hole throbs in a way I’m not at all used to, but I think if this dragon tried to enter me, I might let him. I rasp out a laugh at my own thoughts. Who am I kidding? I would bend him over and wreck his hole until he begged for mercy.

Instead of playing a delicious toppy dominance game though, he rubs against me like we’re trying to start a fire, and Hades, maybe we are. He breaks our kiss, moving his lips to my neck and nibbling on my skin like he’s doing his best not to bite me. Do dragons bite? Shit, I think they do.

“Fuck, little demon,” Valentino whispers, “you smell so good. It just keeps getting better.”

I bury my fingers in his thick hair, nodding in agreement. He does smell really good, but I should have figured out that a greedy, hedonistic dragon would be a perfect elixir for a good-time-seeking, energy absorbing incubus like me.

“You’re addictive,” I whisper. “Horny dragon.”

Valentino chuckles, raising his head to gaze down at me. “I want your cum, demon. I’m dying to taste it.”

His comment sends unusual shivers through me. “Be careful. You may not be satisfied again after you taste me.”

“A risk I’m willing to take.”

I dig my nails into his shoulders, and he hisses, but instead of moving off me, he bucks his hips even harder, his nose pressed into the space behind my ear. We thrust against each other wildly, our tongues tangling and our skin sizzling everywhere we come into contact. Valentino is a dragon on a mission, his hands moving along my body as he grunts and moans, a tendril of smoke wafting up around us as he tenses. He lets out a low growl and I sink my teeth into his bottom lip, giving him another heady burst of my pheromones. With a roar, Valentino throws his head back, bucks his hips, and starts to pump spurts of hot cum onto my skin.

My body immediately reacts to his, and a geyser of cum shoots from my cock, spilling between us. Valentino moves slightly to the side to watch the event, dragging his fingers through my release and raising them to his lips.

I watch in awe as his eyelids flutter and he moans happily. The scent of his cum splashed on my skin has some kind of stranglehold on me, and within seconds, I’m writhing against him like a snake, lapping up every drop.

Moments later, completely sated and drained, he rolls onto his back on the hood of his car, his eyes closed. Normally, this is the part where I dip pretty quickly, leaving my prey wondering where I went, but my legs are shaky and I’m still recovering from that epic orgasm.

Damn, if I had known dragons were such good lovers, I would’ve fucked one a long time ago.