Night of the Tiger(76)

Roric froze, every muscle in his body stiffened and locked into place. Aimee felt stupid hanging from his neck, but she didn’t let go. The pull of the black hole was too great. If she released him, she’d lose him. His mouth was hard and cold against hers, but she ignored that.

Tilting her head to one side, she kissed him with everything she had. She slid her tongue over his bottom lip before taking it between her teeth and biting gently. When his lips parted, she surged inward.

His fingers dug into her shoulders so hard she knew she’d have bruises, but still she held onto him. She couldn’t let him put her aside. Locking her arms tighter around his neck, she practically climbed his body, wrapping her legs around his waist. The action brought her mound into intimate contact with his pelvis. There was no mistaking the bulge in his pants. Aimee rubbed her sex against his erection as she continued to kiss him.

A low groan was pulled from deep within him. Aimee captured it in her mouth and returned it as he slid his hands from her shoulders to her butt. Roric gripped her ass cheeks in his palms, jerking her even closer.

Aimee forgot why she was kissing him in the first place. All that mattered was that he was kissing her back. As always, when they touched, the results were explosive. Aimee drank in the intoxicating scent of spice and hot male, and she broke away from their torrid kiss, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

She lapped at his skin, tasting the salt on her tongue. She wanted to eat him up. She burrowed her fingers through his amazing hair, strands of white and black sifting through her fingers.

Roric growled as he peppered her jaw and face with kisses. The heat rolling off the man was incredible. She had to get closer. Needed to feel his skin against hers.

Have to stop!

A slight movement off to the side caught her eye. Horror filled her as she watched Sandra rush toward them as if in slow motion.

“Look out!” Aimee screamed as she unlocked her legs from around Roric’s hips and shoved him to one side. She dropped to her knees and rolled. She felt the whoosh of a weapon being swung. Not looking behind her, she scrabbled on the floor to reach the sword she’d dropped earlier.

Stupid!

She was behaving just like some stupid heroine in a bad movie, more concerned about sex then about saving her skin. She hadn’t done it on purpose. Well, she had. It had been the only thing she could think of to keep Roric from crossing the threshold to Hades’ domain. But the passion that flared between them had quickly taken on a life of its own and gotten way out of hand.

Wrapping her fingers around the hilt of her sword, she surged to her feet. But both Sandra and Roric were ignoring her as they circled one another. Once again, Roric had manifested two massive blades out of thin air. But Sandra was armed as well. The demon was carefully maneuvering Roric closer and closer to the black hole.

Fury flowed through her veins. Hades would get him over her dead body. Ignoring the irony of that statement, Aimee crept forward, staying behind Sandra. It wasn’t easy trying to position herself so she didn’t get too close to the black hole herself while keeping out of sight of the demon.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She blinked as the salt stung her eyes. She tightened her fingers reflexively around the hilt of her sword. She watched as Roric and Sandra thrust and parried. It was like watching a macabre ballet. Both had landed blows. Blood seeped from a deep cut on Sandra’s left arm, while a red stain spread wider on Roric’s right thigh.

The demon swung hard. Roric ducked the blow, his blade coming up in a deadly arc. Aimee didn’t hesitate. As his sword pierced Sandra’s belly, Aimee lifted her weapon, holding it securely with both hands, and swung. A great battle cry broke from her lips as the blade whistled through the air.

At the last second, Sandra swung around, her lips pulled back on a snarl. Two rows of razor-sharp teeth glistened in the dim light. She tried to shift out of the way, but it was too late. Aimee’s blade cut into the demon’s neck and didn’t stop.

The shock reverberated up Aimee’s arm, but she held on, grimly determined to see this through to the end. The blade sliced through sinew and bone, coming out on the other side. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating Aimee’s arms, splattering her face. But still she hung onto the sword.

Sandra’s eyes went blank, her red lips parting as her body crumpled and her head fell to the ground, rolling until it hit Aimee’s boots. She stepped back, staring down at the face of her former friend, a succubus. Numbness crept over her. She sensed Roric beside her but couldn’t think of anything to say to him.

“Let me have the sword, Aimee.” It was only when he spoke that she realized he was prying at her fingers. His weapons were gone, poofed back into whatever realm he drew them from. She wished she could do that.