Deadly Sins Ch. 03: Lust

A male responded, "Did you think your mutt could stop me?" A thud sounded, the sound of soft flesh hitting a hard surface. "I found you first so he can't have you. You will always belong to me."

Thane kicked the door open, the sight which met his eyes causing his boiling anger to overflow. A demon had Rayn pinned to a wall, his hand at her throat securely holding her in place.

His beast snarling to be let free, Thane thwarted him. This wasn't the time. This was not how Rayn needed to find out what he was. Or the hazard he presented to her. "Turn her loose."

The demon turned towards him, letting his visage of a handsome dark cocoa complexioned African American man slip for a fraction of a second to reveal mottled red and yellow skin and soulless black eyes. "Back off, dog. She's mine."

"That's where you're mistaken. That's my mate you have your fucking hands on." The words were out of Thane's mouth, the significance of his relapse nothing compared to his rage.

"Mate?" Countenance in place, the demon rotated his head back to Rayn. Thane could tell by her expression that his grasp must have tightened. "I can't believe it. You deny me but willingly fraternize with-"

"I'm warning you...awww, fuck it." Thane freed his Glock from the waistband of his slacks, took aim and fired several times at the demon's free hand.

Cursing, the thing freed Rayn so he could use his remaining appendage to grab his newly formed stump. Rayn took advantage of the distraction, running towards Thane who pushed her behind him, shouting to Cael, "Take her outside!"

"Fuck!" the demon yelled. "That was a piss poor warning!"

"Really? You did get that it was a warning though, right? Last guy didn't." Thane kept his weapon trained on his adversary. "Why are you here?"

"Collecting what belongs to me." The answer was delivered through tightly gritted teeth. "I discovered her well over a year ago and well before anyone else knew what she was. I claim her as my own."

"See, here's the thing, soul sucker, all of that is pointless because she's mine. And I don't share." Thane advanced cautiously. "Show your true form."

"Happy to oblige." The man disappeared, a monster of seriously oversized proportions left in his place. "I must say, I'm going to enjoy absorbing your soul, mutt. I haven't had a werewolf in quite some time."

"And you won't today." Thane let loose another shot, the bullet whizzing past the demon's head to imbed itself into the wall behind. "Was that warning enough?"

Mirthless laughter rang loud, the sound grating and high pitched. "Idiot. Didn't your elders ever teach you bullets are useless against my kind?"

"Checked to see if your claw has re-grown yet?"

"What?" Raising his arm, an expression Thane guessed to be shock flittered across the demon's face on seeing the stump hadn't rejuvenated when he'd switched forms. "Wha-how?"

"Kensington."

The moment of comprehension was heralded with a bellow of rage. "You cannot kill me. It's forbidden as I've done nothing wrong!"

"That I know of. But, hey, I've always operated on a guilty until proven innocent premise. And I don't like you. Therefore..." Thane shrugged.

"You dare-"

"Follow in the footsteps of my ancestors? Protect innocents? Protect what's mine? Always."

"You can't kill me," the demon said again, cradling his arm to his chest, oblivious to the black shit oozing out of his wound to soil his shirt. "I'm immortal. I can't die."

But the lack of physical aggression spoke louder than the heat filled words. "I'm well aware of that unfortunate fact. But I'm also aware that disposing of your current form sends your essence back to hell. I'm guessing it'll take you another two hundred years or so to work your way out again. But I could care less since I'll be dead by then. As will Rayn." Thane moved his gun down a notch, no longer aiming at the head but the heart. "Ready to go home for what I'm sure will be a long overdue family reunion?"

Thane waited patiently as a silence stretched. He was prolonging the inevitable with the intent of gleaning any useful information he could. If there were more demons coming for Rayn, he wanted to know beforehand so he could be prepared.

But, useful information aside, the demon would still die. He had dared lay hands on Rayn. In violence.

And that wasn't the real reason he wanted to kill him, Thane thought darkly. The demon would die because he was in Rayn's personal sanctuary. Her personal space. And Rayn's sweetness was heavy in the air.

Thane was one hundred percent the demon hadn't fucked her...but the possibility was enough to doom the unlucky fucker regardless.

When the demon finally answered Thane's question, it was with a question of his own. "How can a member of the Kensington mate with her? She's a sin. And you're the mongrel designed specifically to destroy her."

"I'm Alpha. Didn't your brethren ever tell you we do whatever the fuck we want?" The time for talking done, Thane squeezed the trigger.

The bullet, etched with circular patterns which sealed in the sacred, ancient blessings passed down through generations of Kensington pack elders, pierced through the demon's skin. And the moment it entered the heart was signaled by an explosion of light.

Afterwards, the demon was gone, clothes and all. Disintegrated.

"Alpha's have all the fun," Cael's mocking voice said from behind him. "I'm jealous."

Still looking at the spot where the demon had stood, Thane said, "Shove it. And why the hell aren't you with Rayn?"

"She sent me in here to tell you to pack her bag."

*****

Despite the darkness of pre-dawn, Adriana sported large aviator glasses. She knew the lenses did little to hide the bruises which marred her face. Of course, that was also the plan. She didn't want them to.

She planned to use the evidence of her abuse to capitalize on a soft, tender part of Rayn. The part most women possessed to some degree...the unwillingness to turn a blind eye on another in such evident need of help.

Yep, she was counting on Rayn's bleeding heart to pull this off. And, hopefully, Rayn had a bleeding heart. Because not all women did. She should know, because she was one of the ones who didn't.

If the circumstances had been reversed, she would walk right on past Rayn's broken figure. But that was the nasty side of effect of being molded and nurtured in accordance with Satan's Hand Guide to Raising Dispassionate Little Shits.

Body sore, Adriana slowly crept up the stairs, wincing a little each time she had to bend a knee to ascend to the next tread. Marcus had really outdone himself this time. He'd beaten her brutally in his quest to break her and make her submit.

But she hadn't, at least not to the extent he'd wanted. There were a couple of times she'd tapped into the limited flow of power she was already able to access. And she'd been tempted to use it against him.

But her evil was child's play compared to his. Her evil, all evil with the exception of Satan himself, was a mockery of Marcus's. He was, after all, the son of Satan. Lucifer's spawn. The Devil's seed.

The Hand Guide's success story.

Her effort would've been futile for her. Somewhat of a victory for him. And well she knew it so she'd put a lid on it.

It took Marcus four full hours and countless orgasms to finally accept she had absolute control over her actions before he walked away from her semen soaked figure. Adriana didn't fool herself into thinking for one minute he'd left defeated, because that was not the case. He'd walked away resigned, the difference being that eventually he would return.

And when he did, she fully intended to have Rayn Holland with her to redirect his affection.

Reaching the top of the third flight, Adriana slid down the wall to the ground, next to a door sitting slightly ajar. She was surprised that she'd managed to make it that far, but determination always had been a good stimulant. Finding one of the six people who could free her from Marcus's attention was the best motivation she'd received to do anything in forever.

She would rest for a mom-

Adriana jumped as the door clattered in a noisy meeting with the wall right next to her.

A man pushing a woman out the door alerted Adriana to several key facts. She'd found Rayn Holland. Rayn's arm was being held in a vice clamp by the man. The man was not a man, he was a werewolf. There was an ageless evil inside of Rayn's apartment.

Along with a second werewolf.

Hell, Adriana thought. There was only one reason for werewolves to be at Rayn's house. There was only one reason for a demon to be here.

Like Adriana, they were all investigating the source responsible for the wave of lust that had consumed the city the previous night.

Adriana considered the situation. One demon, two werewolves. Not ideal, but doable. She could sense the demon was a lower level who would be easy enough to deal with. He was nothing. One mention of Marcus was known to send mid and high levels scurrying-

A gun shot rent the silence.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Adriana heard Rayn's soft, feminine voice question. The only answer the man gave was a curt shake of his head.

But Adriana knew the answer. Demons didn't need weapons in their battles; they were a weapon. So the only other explanation left was that the werewolf was shooting at the demon.

And that could only mean one thing.

These were not ordinary werewolves. These were werewolves who weren't scared of shit. These were Kensingtons. Bred since the dawn of time to hunt all things evil. And to kill it. Or arrange its assassination. Or participate in its murder. Or convince it to commit suicide.

Underlying theme to each scenario was identical. No matter the circumstance, when a Kensington came in contact with evil, the end result was the same. Death.

And although male werewolves were notorious for the high level of respect they paid to their females, when it came to their job they weren't sexist. They'd been responsible for the deaths of males and females alike. Their motto said it all, if it's evil, it dies.

Rogue vampires. Crazed werewolves. Demented demons.

Sins.

Adriana was tempted to succumb to the maniacal laughter bubbling in the back of her head. Marcus had driven her here himself, with the hope of coming away with two of the deadly sins at his disposal.

Instead, he was more likely to end up with none. He'd dropped Adriana off in the middle Rayn's death sentence. And if the werewolves discovered Adriana's true nature, she was good as done for herself.

"Cael," Rayn spoke again, "I changed my mind. Since I think your boy just committed a homicide in my bedroom, I think it best I leave. Go tell him to pack me a bag cause I'm not going back in there. Ever."

"Did I somehow give you the impression earlier that you had a choice about leaving with him?" the big man asked. "If I did, I offer my sincerest apology. Cause it was damn sure a mistake."

Something in his voice drew Adriana's notice. It was strong, resolute. She studied the man through the dark, just able to make out the sharp lines of his face and the strong set of his jaw.

This man was trouble. Maybe even Alpha.

"Can't you turn it off?" Rayn hissed. "Just for two minutes?"

"Turn what off?"

"Your asshole charisma. As charming as it is..."

As he re-entered the apartment, the man laughed raucously, sending chills down Adriana's spine. Her eyes remained on the door through which he'd disappeared before she finally realized, bingo, this was the opening she needed. It was less than perfect, of course, but she would make it work.

A second gun shot reverberated through the early morning.

But she had better work fast.

Issuing an authentic moan of pain, she called to Rayn, "I need your help. Please."

*****

There was a woman sprawled on the ground, almost right under her feet. But Rayn had been so intent on the actions going on inside of her home and thinking of calling the police, she hadn't noticed her until she spoke.

"Please," the woman said again. "He...I'm hurt. Bad. I need to go to the hospital."

Slowly, Rayn approached the woman, not sure if her prudence was a result of Dominic's unexpected appearance in her bedroom or because she didn't want to scare the woman with sudden movements. It was both, she finally decided, crouching next to the prone form.

"Oh sweet Jesus." The words escaped her mouth before she could help herself.

"That bad?" the woman attempted in humor.

Worse. Long, curly dark hair surrounded a battered face. The woman's skin contained more angry splotches of dark than patches of its natural porcelain hue. And even with huge glasses in the way, Rayn could tell the woman sported not one, but two black eyes.

"Who did this to you?" Rayn felt her anger rise. She didn't know the woman from Adam, but she knew a kindred spirit when she met one.

She too had been on the receiving end of a man's fist. Dominic's.

"Did Dominic do this?" she demanded. "If he did, I swear to God I'll kill him myself!"

"Dominic?" The woman's confusion was evident. "Not Dominic. It was..." she trailed off.

Rayn knew what she was doing. "Don't protect him, goddamn it! Never protect him! He doesn't deserve it!"

"Who the hell are you yelling at?" Cael inquired, emerging from the interior of the apartment. He came to stand right over her shoulder, issuing a low growl when his eyes answered his own question. "What happened to her?"

"My ex-boyfriend apparently."

"I was so right. I told Thane you need better friends."

"Did you hear the ex part? Cause I could've sworn I said it." But because of the woman, Rayn didn't press the issue.

The woman had withdrawn. There was no protest, no great to do, but the woman had frozen up and withdrawn into herself nonetheless. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, her body tense as the string on a bow. The only thing different between now and two seconds ago was...

"Cael," Rayn said quietly, "give us a moment."

His answer was instantaneous, "No."

But before Rayn could argue with him any further, before she had a chance to try and coax the woman out of her shell, Thane rushed out of her apartment. In his left hand was Rayn's duffle bag. "Let's go."

And if Rayn hadn't already been looking at the woman on the ground, she wouldn't have believed it possible for her to shrink into herself any more than she already had.

But she was looking at her. And she did see the woman's retreat.

The sight of Cael had scared the woman. It only took Thane's voice, however, to terrify her. And this was a level of emotion that only presented itself with a horror you were personally familiar with.

As she processed the seriousness of the situation, Rayn's gaze traveled from the woman to Thane then back again before finally settling on Thane.

The woman had shown up at the same time as him. And Rayn knew Thane was capable of violence, she'd just watched him shoot Dominic. After she'd left, there had been two more shots fired so there might not even be a Dominic anymore.

Much as she had to agree Dominic deserved to die, Thane didn't know that. And she didn't know Thane. At all.

Had Thane done this to the woman? And what had she gotten herself into? From where she was standing it sure looked like it could be construed as accessory to murder before the fact and domestic violence after.

Yet, given all of these facts, damn if there wasn't only one thing which was of real importance to her: Thane was sexy as shit.

And she wanted him.

*****

Thane's nostrils flared as he caught the scent. Sweet, sinful Rayn. Sweet, sinful, horny Rayn. It was all the push he needed to be shoved over the edge he'd already been toeing.

That demon had been male. And he'd been in Rayn's room. And he'd touched her.

And in the past they'd been intimate. Thane was sure of it.

Grabbing Rayn around the waist, he slung her over his right shoulder. In his crazed mindset, he didn't see the petite feminine form on the ground until he almost stepped on her. And although he didn't know who she was, how long she'd been there or how much she'd seen and heard, he already knew however much was too much.

"Take her to the estate," he barked to Cael. "Your keys are in the ignition."

His Beta pitched him the keys to the Navi before stooping low to gather the woman into his arms. Ever astute, Thane noted the level of care the male showed as he regained his footing, holding the woman in a tight embrace.

Werewolves never laid a hand on their females in violence. It was less than despicable, an evil in and of itself. And even though Cael only dealt with his females on their back with their mouths closed or on their knees with their mouths open, even he wasn't immune to the vileness of a male touching a woman in such a manner.

Thane didn't know what they would do with her. But for now, she was in safe hands. Cael probably wouldn't say more than two words to her other than trying to draw out the name of whatever bastard had used her as his personal punching bag.

But he also wouldn't harm her any further.

Rayn's wriggling figure, muffled protestations and the pounding of her fists on his back quickly drew Thane's attention back to the matter at hand.

He was going to fuck her. He was going to mark her. He was going to fill her with his seed and his scent.

Werewolf or not, any male able to coherently string together three or more words would know she was off-fucking-limits. Hell, even those who couldn't still had some sort of innate self-preservation to warn them off.

Thane bounded down the stairs, towards his truck. Using the keyless entry to disengage the locks, he carefully balanced his two loads while opening a rear door. Tossing Rayn's bag over the headrest into the front passenger seat, he dropped her on the rear, quickly getting in beside her and slamming the door shut behind him.

Shock plain on her face, she demanded, "What are you-"

"Mine." Burying his fingers in her hair, Thane guided her face towards his, crushing his lips to hers.

At first she was stiff, keeping her lips sealed against his probing tongue. But her stubbornness could not persevere in the face of his persistence. Indefatigably, he assaulted her over and over until, finally, he was rewarded by her groan and the opening her mouth.

Thane pushed his tongue inside, savoring her honey coated provocativeness. His cock blasted to full staff as her throaty sighs goaded him into further exploration of her delicious, minty cavity.

Sucking on her bottom lip, he released his grip on her head and reluctantly pulled away when he heard Cael's turbo charged engine roar out of the parking lot. Grabbing his cock, he shifted his length into a more comfortable position.

Damn, he had been close to shooting his load in his pants. And that was unacceptable. Only place he wanted to shoot his load was inside of Rayn.

But, fuck, that harsh bitch named reality came charging at him full force. He couldn't touch Rayn. Not yet. He had to keep his distance for a little while longer.

Jesus, he was going to end up with a serious migraine and a crippling case of blue balls before this was all over and done with.

A myriad of emotions played across Rayn's face. Shock. Hesitance. Perplexity. "W-what was that for?"

"You're mine. I know it. Question is, do you?" So much for keeping his distance.

Perplexity transformed into annoyance. "I don't-"

"Did you love him?" Thane interrupted the objection.

"Did I-dear God no!"

Rayn's expression of disgust was the best answer she could have given, the stress in her words an added bonus. "Did you hate him?"

Chewing on her bottom lip, she carefully mulled over his question. "I thought I hated him after he...no, I never loved or hated him. I only pitied him."