Page 40 of The Book Reader
“What do you need, sir?” Mark has been with me so long that he knows what this means. He has always helped me to protect My Rose, no matter what.
I look down at Ari. She doesn’t have enough time. Sheneedsto find her book, and find it quickly. “Get the hellhounds ready. Send them to her home. They’re to stay invisible until I say otherwise.” Mark nods. I acquired a pack of hellhounds when they were puppies. They’re fully grown now, like large black wolves, but much more dangerous. They are loyal to the fault and will protect Ari at all costs. I raised them that way. “Send Rex to the hotel.” Rex is our personal hound. Herpersonal hound.
I lean down and place a light kiss on Ari’s lips. “I need you to hurry up. I will not lose you again,” I breathe as I shimmer us to the hotel I’m staying at.
Chapter 17
GAELAN
Ari has been out for almost two hours now; I cleaned her up, checked for wounds, and dressed her in one of my shirts. Seeing her naked body nearly killed me. I ran my hand over her soft skin as I washed her, my cock painfully hard the entire time. Trelor was panting in my head, wanting—begging—to have a taste, but my job was to make sure she was safe and cared for, not to let my wayward thoughts win. Luckily, there were no wounds on her body, so whoever’s blood that was, it wasn’t hers.
I need to clean myself up, but I don’t want to leave her. Leaning back in my chair, I wince at the pain in my stomach, trying to get comfortable—that bitch, Jade, stabbed me. I poured myself a large glass of Black and have been sipping it slowly to ease the pain.I could have lost my Rose, my Ari, again. After everything I’ve done these last few weeks, it would have all been for nothing.
I made the mistake of trying to make a deal with Macy centuries ago. It didn’t go as planned. I wasn’t in my right mind when I went to her. I offered her my services as a dream demon, knowing she had enemies she needed to defeat, and I could helpher manipulate their dreams in ways that would destroy each of them.
She agreed, but only if I would give my heart to her—something I would never do.
Now wants me for herself, but since the day I met my Rose, my soul has been tied to hers, and it wants no other. I’ll do everything to keep Ari safe, even if it means trying to do the impossible.
Kill Macy.
There’s something about Ari this time that feels different, more powerful.
Trelor purrs in my head, happy to have her back. We want to mark and claim her as ours again.
Looking at Ari to make sure she’s still asleep, I stride out into the living room to pour another large shot of Black after realizing I’d finished the one in my hand. I’m in the penthouse suite of the hotel; the entire top floor is an apartment, and you need a special key to access it.
The property features two bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom, a spacious kitchen with a bar, and a large living room. Everything is black and chrome—not really my taste, but it’s daemon-friendly and has the level of protection I need.
Heading into the kitchen, I stop when I hear a whining sound. Seconds later, Rex appears and sits down on the floor, his red eyes shifting from me to the room where Ari is lying. He missed her as much as I did.
Ari and I got the little hellhound a couple of centuries ago, and we raised them together. When she was taken from me that time, they were only puppies and couldn’t help us.
Hellhounds take longer to grow up and reach full strength, but once they do, they resemble what the non-supernaturals call wolves. However, with longer black hair and double the size, this little one has been by my side ever since. Rex was Ari’s favorite.He was the runt of the litter, but oh so clever. He bonded with her immediately, and he’s been almost as desperate as I have to get her back safely.
Walking over to him, I scruff his head. “Go. Be careful and stay hidden, she doesn’t know you yet.” He almost nods his head at me before vanishing, and I hear him pad over to the door. Hellhounds can become invisible and shape-shift into other animals for brief periods; they can also pass through walls, making them useful in battle.
My worry now is that Ari wakes up to a giant wolf staring at her. After everything that has happened tonight, she might freak out, and that’s the last thing she needs right now.
I down my glass of Black and pour myself another one. I walk over to the window to look out at the skyline. One of the reasons why I always rent this penthouse is that it gives me a perfect view of the city, something that always soothes me, but tonight… They trouble me. Every daemon out there knows about the bounty on Ari’s head. As soon as Mist and Jade tell Macy, they’ll all be after her.
My plans to return to the underworld and my realm will have to be put on hold. I had planned to go after tonight to set some of my affairs in order, but I can’t leave now. I must stay to protect Ari.
“Gaelan?”
Ari’s soft voice sounds from across the room. I turn, and my mouth almost drops open. She has buttoned my shirt in the middle, leaving a valley open at the top that lets me see the curves of her full breasts. Her nipples are hard, pressing against the white fabric, making my mouth water.
“How do you feel?” I ask, walking over to her. Unable to take my eyes off her, I thought she looked perfect in the little black dress she wore last night, now dressed in my shirt. I want to demand she wear nothing else in my presence from now on.
“Tired, confused… What happened?” Pouring her a glass of water from the decanter on the side table, I offer it to her. She takes it from me and sits down, her eyes looking around the living area, allowing me a few more seconds to remember the beauty that I’ve been missing in my life for so long. “Where are we?”
I sit down next to her, wincing at the pain. “My hotel room.”
She frowns but says nothing.
“What do you remember?” I ask her.
She takes a long drink of water before answering. “I remember… You had some business, so I was left at the table… then Mark and I were talking, these daemons came in, they had weirdly colored eyes, and Mark tried to fight them off.” She brings her hand to her mouth, her eyes turning to worry. “Oh god, is Mark okay?”
