Page 9 of Inferno (Drake Security Book 4)

VALENTINO

Montrose—Xazedose—gazes up at me from his circle while my brothers and their mates guard him. I needed a minute or thirty to compose myself after the stunning spell that left my dragon in turmoil. Even after being humiliated by the fucking demon, seeing his eyes roll back and his whole body go slack sent me into a complete tailspin. My dragon was ready to incinerate not only Dempsey, but anyone else who dared to touch Montrose.

With my arms crossed over my chest in some sort of useless defense, I nod. “Consider us warned,” I bite the words out dismissively.

Montrose sighs, rolling his pretty eyes. Did they always glow like that? And that bodysuit—balls of fire, he’s beautiful. My dragon practically whimpers. Stupid beast is so demon dicknotized he can’t function.

“Listen, gorgeous, I get that you’re pissed at me, but do you really think I’d show up here if it wasn’t for good reason?” Montrose looks up at me from his place on the ground, trapped inside the chalk circle Dempsey drew based on Dahlia’s instructions. He looks… desperate, embarrassed, remorseful. More tricks, no doubt. More attempts to make me look like the biggest fool alive.

“He makes a fair point,” Arson says, and I scoff.

“Still wouldn’t trust him,” Nico mutters. I nod vigorously, my hard gaze still fixed on the tricky, beautiful, dangerous demon.

“What kind of warning, demon?” Lord asks.

I huff. “It’s a trick. Demons love tricks. You just didn’t count on my family here.”

Mac, who’s been hiding in the hallway, peers around the corner. “Did… did you hear something about me?”

Montrose turns his head sharply in Mac’s direction and narrows his eyes. “Ah, the twerp with sticky fingers.”

“Don’t call him names,” I growl, taking half a step to the left to block his view of my baby brother. My fucking idiotic baby brother with an apparent death wish. “This is my house.”

Montrose has the decency to look apologetic, ducking his head. His auburn locks fall over his face briefly, and my fingers twitch with the urge to push them back out of the way.

“Tino?” Dahlia calls my name gently from where she’s sitting. “I think you should hear him out. There’s some truth in his words.”

“Some truth,” I grumble. “Go ahead then. Tell us your warning.”

Montrose glances at his hand, studying the talon-like nails that grace the tips. There’s something different about his features. He’s in his human form, but it’s almost as if parts of his demon appearance are poking out. His skin is slightly darker, and those nails are decidedly demon-like. Maybe it’s the effects of the stunning potion.

“I came to talk to you alone, deliciae.”

I both love and loathe that pet name, but as Arson snickers, I’m firmly on the side of hate right now. “If it’s about Mac, you can say it in front of all of us.”

“Fine.” Montrose pouts, glancing around the room.

Lake and Dempsey vibrate with excitement, and I’m reminded that talking to an actual demon is probably a unique experience for a human.

“I overheard some information in my realm. There’s a demon called Maggard. This dude is bad news. Even most demons steer clear of him. He’s very dangerous and known for killing, no questions asked.”

“Go on,” Lord says.

“He has his followers,” Montrose continues. “I heard them talking about some theft that’s been happening in some Columbian caves. Maybe elsewhere too.” His voice is dark and ominous as he cuts another accusatory look in Mac’s direction, staring right at my chest like he can see through me to my brother.

I turn and look at Mac, whose face is bright red now as he scrunches his nose. “Shoot,” he whispers.

Lord sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Maggard’s followers traced the thief’s scent and they landed on your brother.”

“How do you know it was Mac?” Hemingway asks.

“Well, unless you know another dragon named Macguire Drake, I’d say it’s him. They know his name, they know about your clan, and they plan to punish him.”

“How?” I growl.

Montrose’s eyes soften as he turns them on me. “Maggard is well known in our realm for his unique tactics. Torture is his favorite, and since he can get inside anyone’s head, he typically uses their greatest fears against them for as long as it amuses him. He’s had some prisoners for thousands of years before he finally frees them.”

“He lets them go?” Lake asks.

“If you can call it that,” Montrose replies. “They are depleted shells of themselves. They either wander aimlessly around our realm or they jump into the lake of fire to end their misery. Even by demon standards, Maggard is pretty cruel.”

“Gods of fire, Mac,” Lord hisses. “You’ve really done it now.”

“I… The stuff was really cool. How was I supposed to know I was stealing from the Al Capone of the demon world?” Mac shuffles his feet and ducks his head.

“No supes,” Arson says. “You know the rules.”

“Maybe a distracted vampire,” Dray adds sheepishly, and Arson snickers in apparent agreement, the two of them trading a heated look before sobering and glaring at Mac again. “But definitely not a demon.”

Mac huffs. “I couldn’t help it. It was like I was lured there or something. My dragon gets excited.”

“Can he just give it back?” I ask.

Montrose shakes his head. “I don’t think so. Maggard isn’t reasonable. I came here to warn you because…” Montrose stops, glancing around at my family. “I wasn’t going to hurt your brother. I just meant to scare him. Maggard will hurt him. I thought you should at least know what you’re up against.”

My dragon clamors in my chest, pushing forward as I willfully hold him back. Montrose’s scent is vague, I assume from the stunning smell, but the hint of it I can smell is stirring my desire, which is very bad timing. Besides…

“How do I know I can trust you? Maybe it’s a trap.”

“Tell me how to prove it to you.” The edge of desperation in Montrose’s voice tightens around my insides, tugging me towards him against my will. I take one step closer to the circle and scowl at him.

Lord sighs. “I suggest we bind Xazedose to someone to keep an eye on him just in case. If it’s a trap, we’ll be able to use him to our advantage. And if he’s some kind of double agent, he won’t be able to pop back to his realm and give them intel about any of us.”

“Oh, hell no,” Montrose says, shaking his head rapidly. “I didn’t agree to be anyone’s prisoner.” His jaw ticks and his eyes flicker into those demonic slits I noticed at the hotel the last time we were together. A shiver runs up my spine.

“If you came here to entrap us, it’s only fair,” Lord reasons. “If you’re not hiding anything, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

It’s a clear challenge. Let us bind him or basically admit that he’s only here to fuck us over. Montrose seethes, his skin flickering with flames. My dragon pants like a dog being teased with a frisbee. “I have a feeling what I want doesn’t really matter in this situation.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Lord says. “You came to my realm. These are the rules of engagement.” He turns to Dahlia. “Can you bind him to someone?”

“Of course,” she says, standing. “Any volunteers?” She winks at me as I grumble.

“You can bind him to me,” Dempsey offers, nearly exploding with excitement.

“The fuck she can,” Hemingway says, pulling his mate into his arms. “Bound to an incubus? Absolutely not.”

“No offense taken,” Montrose mumbles.

Dempsey pouts. “I just wanted to see what it felt like.”

“Obviously, he’ll be bound to Valentino,” Lord says, giving me a look that dares me to argue. I fucked up. I took the demon I was meant to be hunting to bed and this is my punishment. Fucking fantastic.

My dragon goes wild, thrashing and threatening to burst from its human confines. Montrose’s eyes land on mine at the same time I turn to him, and I’d swear the heat vibrating between us could rival all the lakes of fire in the underworld.

“I accept those terms,” Montrose purrs, the corners of his lips ticking into a grin.

Lake raises his eyebrows and giggles. “Nico?”

“Here,” my brother grumbles from the foyer near Mac.

“Take me home.” He fans himself. “I think the pheromones are getting to me.”

In a flash, Nico scoops Lake up and tosses him over his shoulder. Lake waves at us on the way out.

“I guess that’s our cue too,” Hemingway says, gently helping his mate to stand. “I’ve got something you can bind yourself to.”

Dempsey giggles, jumping into Hem’s arms and being carried out. I turn to Arson and Dray, who haven’t moved from their position on the armchair.

“What?” Arson asks. “I want to watch the binding. This is interesting.”

“Arson,” Lord says, “all of us are leaving except Dahlia and Valentino. And the demon, of course.”

“The demon, of course,” Montrose mocks, still pouting in his circle. “I have a name. Several actually.” He sniffs haughtily.

Lord ignores the quip, turning his intense gaze to me. “Let me know if we’re needed.”

“Yeah.”

I turn to face Dahlia, who’s scrolling through her phone. “Be right with you,” she says. “Just double checking a few things.”

“From ancient tomes to five second internet searches,” Montrose mumbles, rolling his eyes. I suppress a snort, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of making me laugh.

Standing over Montrose, I study his face as he studies mine. He looks calm, but I imagine I do too. Can he detect the chaos just beneath my surface? Does he know my dragon is desperate for another taste of him?

But there’s no way. I absolutely cannot fuck him again after his betrayal. With that thought, my dragon nearly drags me to my knees with a violent thrash. Montrose raises an eyebrow and cocks his head. I grit my teeth. He used me. He made a fucking fool of me. Reminding myself of his transgressions brings my rage boiling back to the surface but doesn’t do a goddamn thing to change my dragon’s mind.

“You need to take whatever spell you put on me off too,” I rumble quietly.

“I didn’t put a spell on you,” Montrose says, blinking innocently and furrowing his brow. “I’m not a witch.” He pulls himself to his feet, swaying slightly, unable to move forward thanks to the circle. “Maybe you just really like me, Tino.” He flashes me a cocky smirk.

I growl and flames flicker from my nose, making him flinch. “I don’t like you.”

“Shame,” Montrose sighs.

“Okay, got it,” Dahlia says, standing and walking over to us. “I need something of yours, Tino. An object that means something to you and that you can keep with you. Alternatively…” She pauses as her expression shifts to a tentative one. “I can use one of your scales.”

“What’s the difference?” I ask, but I notice how heat rises from the circle Montrose is trapped in.

Dahlia grins. “The demon knows.”

“The bond is easily broken with an object,” Montrose says. “All it takes is destroying the object.”

“And?” Dahlia prompts, and he winces.

“And a smart demon will go after the object to win their freedom,” he mumbles and rolls his eyes.

Dahlia chuckles.

“What did I miss?” I ask.

“A little truth serum in the stunning potion. He can lie, but not as easily, and not in all cases. Right, demon boy?”

Montrose only huffs in reply.

I sense she’s withholding something, but my attention is focused on the binding. “And if you get a scale?”

Montrose shifts his sultry eyes to me. “There’s only two ways to break it. With a releasing spell or by death. A demon can’t break it no matter what.”

“Given the circumstances, I vote for the scale,” Dahlia says. “When this is all said and done, I can break the bond and your demon friend can go on his merry way.”

“He’s not my friend,” I mutter.

“I know, Tino,” Dahlia says, rubbing my back, but her tone is oddly sympathetic.

Do I really want to be bound to this sex-on-a-stick demon? The rational part of my brain wants to get as far away as possible, but my dragon is losing his mind at the idea of wrapping itself around the demon one more time.

With a deep exhale, I allow my skin to ripple with shiny black scales. Montrose gasps, drawing as close as possible as his eyes change to his demon ones. My own eyes shift as well, allowing my dragon to gaze upon the gorgeous demon.

“Wow,” Dahlia whispers. There’s a sharp sting as she plucks a scale from my bicep.

Standing at the edge of the circle, I sway as my dragon clamors to get closer. I don’t know what this demon has done to me, but it’s got me fucked up.

“Get ready, boys,” Dahlia says. “This one is a doozy.”

MONTROSE

I can’t takemy eyes off the sexy dragon. I knew seeing him again would be a mistake, but there’s just something about the beast that does it for me on a level I haven’t experienced before. I’m still not sure the decision to betray my demon brothers in favor of Tino’s family was the right one, but what’s done is done.

I’m about to be bound to him. It’s a demon’s worst nightmare, but instead of panic and angst I feel oddly resigned to it. Maybe I just needed an excuse to be around him again and inhale his feral sexual energy.

The longer he looks at me, the more my body reacts, so I tear my gaze away to look around. His home is stunning, old-world, Parisian, but what stands out are the claw marks in the walls, pieces of snapped furniture strewn about, and the general unkempt appearance. Is this the hangover one of his brothers mentioned? Did I do this to him? It’s well known that incubus pheromones wear off a few hours after contact, so how is he still feeling the effects weeks later?

My attention shifts back to the pretty witch as the scale in her hand vibrates. She reaches into the circle, smiling as she plucks a strand of my hair.

“Ouch.” I reach up and rub my scalp. “You could’ve asked.”

“You’ll be okay, demon.”

She wraps the strand of my hair around the scale and the reaction is immediate. Tino must feel it too because his breath hitches and his eyelids flutter. A part of me resists the bond, digging my heels in against it metaphorically. It’s a natural urge to fight it, but another part of me seems to rise to the surface, towards the powerful pull to my dragon.

Then, as if a rope has been wrapped around my waist, I’m pulled forward, and it feels as if I’m being slammed into Tino’s chest. He stumbles backward, his eyes wide, and as the witch erases part of the circle around me, it becomes clear I have a new, much prettier prison.

Valentino. My dragon.

I couldn’t run if I wanted to, but fires of hell, I don’t want to. Valentino steadies himself, clearing his throat and dragging a hand through his hair. Dahlia rubs his arm, whispering something as she slips past us, leaving us alone.

“She’s, um, intense.”

Valentino nods. “She knows her stuff.”

I take a tentative step forward, waiting for Tino to tear into me, but instead his breath hitches as he inhales. For what it’s worth, his scent is intoxicating to me too. This… isn’t normal. Not at all. It must be magic, but what kind? I’d be tempted to blame it on the binding spell, but I know damn well that this started the second I laid eyes on Valentino weeks ago. Maybe there’s something about this dragon that I just haven’t sniffed out yet, something my demon is drawn to. I eye him curiously, probing him gently with my powers.

“Now what?” I ask, trying to find my footing again when I don’t feel anything other than the mountains of chaotic energy and raw lust under his surface.

Tino grumbles, a puff of smoke escaping from his nose. The scent of it is oddly soothing, and my mouth waters.

“You used me,” he growls, taking a step back.

“Not really. I could smell the family connection, but I just…” I lick my lips, remembering the pull to him the night we met. “I wanted you.”

He replies with a curt head nod before saying, “You knew I was related to the dragon you were hunting, but you just wanted me?” He scoffs. “I suppose it’s a coincidence that you just happened to be at the first bar I went searching in?” Valentino narrows his eyes in challenge.

I want to bite out that yes, it fucking was a coincidence, but the waves of aggression rolling off of him have my hackles raising and my demon pushing closer to the surface. I’ve never been very good at resisting a challenge or a threat.

“Does it matter?” I snap.

“Yeah, it matters, Montrose. Or Xazedose. Whatever the fuck you call yourself.”

Oh, he’s still big mad. I suppose I can’t blame him, especially considering he doesn’t believe a word I’m telling him.

“You threatened my brother,” he grits out. “That’s enough for me to kill you.”

“I know.” I blow out a breath and take a tentative step forward. “So doesn’t it mean something to you that I showed up here in spite of the danger to me?”

He eyes me warily. “Maybe it’s just more of your games. How do we know this Maggard is even real?”

“What would I have to gain if that were true?” The scent of his lust pours off of him, making me salivate and my cock swell. “Come on, pretty dragon. Forgive me. I broke all the rules for you.” I stick my bottom lip out in a pout, reaching out and dragging a finger down the middle of his chest.

He scoffs and bats my hand away, another puff of smoke billowing out of his nose. “I absolutely do not forgive you. I don’t trust you either. One thing matters to a dragon. One damn thing, Montrose.”

I nod. “Loyalty.”

“Loyalty,” he repeats in a hard tone.

“What about second chances? Loyalty matters to demons too, and I chose you and your family. I chose your little brother who stole from me. I put myself in danger. What about that?”

“Why?” he bellows, stomping forward and closing the gap between us. He keeps walking, sweeping me off my feet, until I’m pressed against the massive marble fireplace that dominates his living room. “That’s what doesn’t make a damn bit of sense to me. You got your ring and you fucking took off, so what are you doing here? Why not leave Mac to face his fate?”

Heat and sex pour off the man, and when he roars, blowing fire into the hearth beside me and lighting the logs, my entire body reacts, melting into him. Valentino gazes down at me, his pupils shifted into little slits.

“I don’t know,” I confess, my throat thick with lust and frustration. I don’t have any more answers than he does.

A strange noise between a growl and purr rises out of Valentino, prompting a wave of pheromones to waft up from me in response.

“Stop doing that,” he growls, putting his arms on either side of my head and caging me in.

“I swear it’s not intentional. I can’t help it.” My voice is low and trembling. Valentino’s eyes flicker and his dragon pushes to the surface.

He bumps his nose against my cheek before inhaling and burying his face in my hair. “What are you doing to me?” He spits the question out through clenched teeth, the words dripping with accusation and frustration.

“I could ask you the same thing.” If he thinks I have an ounce of control over this inexplicable pull between us, he’s mistaken. I’m just as much of a slave to it as he is. The only difference is I’m not mad about it like my prideful dragon is. I can soothe his ego if he’ll let me. I can make this all better. His body heat combined with the fire roaring behind us feels strangely like home. “Deliciae…”

Valentino groans, pressing into me, and the next thing I know he’s got his arm around my waist, lifting me up and carrying me across the room. He drops me on the sofa, gazing down at me with eyes that flicker from human to dragon form, both black and gold, and I don’t think Hades himself could create a creature more stunning.

“I still hate you,” Tino says, tugging roughly to open his jeans. “And I don’t fucking trust you.”

“Uh-huh.” I drag the zipper of my bodysuit down.

“Whatever happens between us doesn’t mean anything. It’s just… just lust,” he growls.

Nodding, I push the fabric of my suit off my shoulders. When he slides his jeans off, releasing his cock, another surge of pheromones rises from me, drawing a whimper from me. I’m not in control of my own body right now, which would probably worry me if I weren’t so desperate to get my hands on the dragon.

Scales ripple across his skin, and I gasp, suddenly very interested in seeing the dragon in its fully shifted form. Are they as big as the rumors say? What does his cock look like when shifted? Would he fuck me with it?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Xaze. We don’t get fucked. We do the fucking.

Heat swirls like lava inside me, rising to the surface and sparking across my flesh.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Tino says, climbing onto the couch and straddling me. He strokes his cock, leaking streams of precum that drip onto my skin and leave sizzling burns in their wake. “And so fucking dangerous.”

Overstimulated with desire, my body trembles, my senses tune into him completely, and as my nose fills with his scent, my genitals flicker and shift through the many options available. Tino gazes down at me with hooded eyes, breathing smoke and tendrils of fire, his body half-shifted.

I reach up to touch the scales on his arms, unsure of what I’ll find. They’re as soft as silk and fluttering under my fingertips, clearly alive and aware of my touch.

“Montrose,” Tino whispers, and the sound of my real name, even partially, on his lustful lips causes another violent surge of sex hormones to pour from me.

“Maybe we can fuck it away,” I moan, dragging my nails down his chest as he hisses. “We’ll just fuck until we feel normal again. Then we’ll deal with our problems. What do you say, deliciae?”

His eyes flicker, settling on the dragon for a few seconds until he blinks and they resume their human form. His expression hardens, flashing between anger and lust, and the energy wafting off of him in thick clouds is exactly the same. Enraged, wounded, prideful, horny.

Valentino bares his teeth and winds his fingers through my hair roughly, and my cock hardens even more.