The Price of Possession, Dakota Brown [i have read the book a hundred times .TXT] 📗

I'd somehow nearly forgotten about the demon clingingto my leg. Mal had captured all of my attention.

"I'm up for anything, except being starved,"Sabian replied.

"Hint taken," Mal answered and held out hishand. "Care to show me your bedroom? I'm curious what a space you'vedecorated looks like."

"Just, uh, don't judge the mess. Haven't hadanyone to impress in a while."

 "Promise."

Chapter 5

Price

Mal held my hand as I led him and Sabian down thehallway to the back corner of the house where my room was. Sometimes I thoughtabout moving into the master. Then I thought about dealing with my parents'things. Note, I still slept in my old room.

Not much had changed since my mother had turned meloose with black and white paint. The walls were black, the trim and theceiling white. I'd since painted wards all the way around the room, making it extrawarded in addition to the house wards. I'd done the same with the basement, butfor different reasons.

Both Mal and Sabian passed through with nodifficulties. That made me a little uneasy.

"Hey, Mal, how'd you get in the house, anyway.Wards should have kept you out."

The vampire turned from his contemplation of a posterof one of my favorite eighties vampire flicks, and glanced at me, eyebrowraised.

I blushed a little and shrugged. "You everactually seen that movie?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"One of my favorites. Sue me."

"I promised, no judging."

"Right. I never redecorated after I moved backin."

He smirked at me.

"So, wards?" I changed the subject away frommy childhood décor.

"I may have altered my personal protections sothat the wards would not recognize me as any sort of threat."

My jaw dropped. "Wait, you can do that?"

"Well, I can," Mal answered. "I verymuch doubt too many others have the ability."

"Whoa, wait a minute. How do you know that?"

"I'm an occultist. I should have thought thatwould be clear from the reading materials I lent you."

"So am I. Never knew you could do that withwards."

"Chris, I'm considerably older than you are. Ihave probably forgotten more about the occult than most people know."

"Oh, right. How old?"

He gave me a cagy smile before turning his attentionback to the décor.

Sabian also glanced around, before he found a cornerto curl up in and just sort of faded from my awareness.

My phone chimed, distracting me from the pile ofclothing in the corner I'd intended to shove in a closet. I fished it out of mypocket and read the text.

"Hey, before you leave, can we send a picture ofthat ritual to unbind the demons to Darius?"

"Yes."

"Great, thanks."

Mal stepped over to me, took my phone and turned itoff before tossing it onto my window seat.

My heart raced as he stepped back into my space andbrushed his fingers over my hair. I was definitely a little afraid of him and Iwas fairly sure he knew it. If he had tricked my house wards, I suspected mypersonal protections wouldn't respond to a threat from him, either.

Still, I kissed him back when he pressed his lips tomine, and soon I'd forgotten my fear as my tongue chased his, his lips meldingto mine.

I wrapped my arms around him, running my hands upunder his shirt and across his muscled back.

Mal held me tightly, one hand pressed between myshoulder blades, one cradling my head, somehow making me feel as if I were themost important thing in the world to him at that moment. Only one other loverhad made me feel that important, and the emotion nearly brough tears to myeyes.

"You all right?" Mal broke off our kiss towhisper. He ran his thumb across my cheek. Apparently, I had teared up.

"Yeah, mate. I'm fine." Shit, that wouldtake some getting used to if we got up to this again. I wasn't used to someoneso perceptive. I guessed a vampire would have to be to survive.

Mal ran his hands down my shoulders, caressing myupper arms, then down my sides.

I moaned softly and pressed against him. He slid hisfingers under the hem of my shirt and tugged gently. I raised my arms, wishingI'd had some sort of idea this morning that someone else would be undressingme. I would have worn the lacy underwear.

Mal tossed my shirt aside before letting his eyes roamover my inked skin. He traced his fingers up the knotwork on my arms, pausingover the hidden runes, before lightly brushing his hands down my front,exploring the ink.

Before I could say anything, he turned me so he couldsee my back.

I wondered if my art had completely distracted himfrom our intentions, but then he unclasped my bra. I let that slid off my armsand fall to the ground.

He finished investigating the exposed tats andreturned to caressing my skin with his hands. Mal pulled me backward so my backwas pressed against his chest, one hand went to my chest, gently massaging mybreast, while the other cupped my chin and tilted my head back, baring mythroat.

My heart skipped a beat when he lowered his lips to myneck, but he only kissed me, lips gentle as he kissed to the curve of myshoulder. I relaxed into his embrace, letting him have my body for the moment.He knew what he wanted, and for once I was happy to surrender control for atime.

"You are beautiful," he murmured, lipsagainst my skin.

"Bet you say that to everyone." I jumpedwhen he tweaked my nipple, annoyed at my quip.

"Only when it's true," he growled back atme, biting at my shoulder.

"Thank you," I replied, chastised.

He really was skilled. I hadn't even lost most of myclothing and he already had me far more hot and bothered than just about anyoneelse I'd ever been with. I was starting to think I'd seriously been missingout.

Mal's hands wandered lower, tracing across my stomach,before unsnapping my jeans.

I was about to pull away so I could slide out of mypants when he ran both hands to my hips, hooked my jeans, and slid them off me,sinking down to the ground behind me on his knees.

Shit, he was smooth. He even carefully lifted my leg withone hand, while supporting my waist with another so I wouldn't stumble. Yay fora man with experience.

Mal