Demons' Home Ch. 16-19

I stared at the swaying of the flame I lit in the meditation room, tapping the 'summons' on my knee. I crumpled the paper in my fist... again, then quickly smoothed it out... again. The man and I did not leave on hospitable terms. Granted, I was young and still holding a grudge against everyone and anything to do with demons. The missive gave no reasons, it simply stated that he wanted to talk with me. More likely at me.

I rose with a decision. Without telling the demons I immediately shifted into the shadows and travelled to the last place I lived as a trainee. The shadows touched and prodded me like thin tentacles before I was able to step fully into his underground home. He was waiting, sharpening a knife on a whetstone.

"Took you long enough to get here." MacKenzie's voice was as gruff and scratchy as before.

"I see you're losing your hair."

"I'm still as fit as ever, Dove." The bland reply drew attention to the scrape of his knife.

I surveyed his sitting figure. It looked to be all muscle, up and down his tall frame with a grey beard starting to shadow his face. He finally looked at me with his bright green eyes. "Smart move to come talk to me. You've always been rebellious. Some say stupid."

I shrugged and redirected the conversation. "I like how you set up security in the shadows. How's it done?"

"Of course I did. Can't have any shadow walker demon getting in here." He snorted, "Shouldn't be a secret to you since you filthened your magic by acquiring it from a kill. Only shadow walkers can set up security in shadows. It warps your brain just like all their magic does."

I watched in admiration as he danced the knife over his hands and stuck it in a wood block. Again, I ignored his barbed comments even though I envied how he seemed to know everything. "So you sweet talked someone into doing it for you?"

"You know me, I'm all sugar and honey," he replied without answering the question.

MacKenzie braced his hands on the table and groaned as he stood up. My eyes narrowed, almost sure he was acting. A twitch of his shoulder had me sidestepping to the left as a knife went soaring past my head. I could distinguish the swish of it as it passed my ear.

"You lose power when you throw a knife instead of stab with it," I said emotionlessly.

He laughed his raspy chuckle again, "Good to know you were listening to something I said. Doubt you apply it though."

"Stab, twist, pull, MacKenzie. Leave a hole and make it bleed."

"You don't have to recite everything I taught you," he said sternly.

I gave him a bored look, "Did you just want to reminisce about old times?"

"No. I want to berate you for being an idiot."

"Get in line," I said snidely.

"I know everything."

"Maybe. After all, you are the know-it-all ass in Chicago," I kept the tinge of scorn in my voice.

He scoffed and shook his head, "I thought you'd be dead within two years, Dove. You've surprised me with your talent for masochism."

That startled me enough to put me off balance and give him a confused look.

"Don't open you mouth. Everything you have done from the moment you were given no choice but to become a hunter has been a path of destruction. Do you know why?"

My lips compressed in a tight line of anger as I waited.

"Because you never forgave yourself for your mother's murder. You make choices that will bring you pain or death. That's why you never cared enough to excel." His words came out forceful, punctuated with a finger pointing in my direction. "You're not the first death seeker I trained, but you sure as hell were the last. But I misjudged the limits you were willing to go. Bound to two demons! Fuck, Dove! What the hell are you thinking?! AND OLDAVAI! You," he stabbed his finger towards me, "never should have accepted that warrant! You sure as HELL never should have accepted binding with EZRA!" He glared violently, "You are bound to the oldest and most powerful demon that we know of this side of the dimension. Are you waiting for him to kill you?!"

Emotion painfully choked itself in my throat for moments. Finally I was able to screech out of the constriction, "You know nothing." My hand flung out in a violent, if useless, gesture to punctuate my feelings.

His volume lowered as he continued, "You think you're the only one out there who knows sorrow and anger. Adapt."

I responded quickly, still angry, "I'm well aware of the details of my life. Why'd you want to talk to me?"

MacKenzie snorted and looked at me from the corner of his eye, his hand caressing the hilts of knives stored next to him. "They're using you and through you they can get to us. Find out what all those demons in your life want. I've an order to watch and kill you if you're a threat. Me, because I know your vulnerabilities and I'm the best shot at getting past Ezra. This is from our kind, your kind, not the Affairs' Office. There are even rumors about your involvement with a murder." He looked up at me sternly, "A demon hunter murder."

The blood left my face and my fingers went cold. I took a deep breath through my nose, held it, then let it out slowly. I did it again. My eyes never left the man who trained me for over three years. There were only three outside sources that had that information. I wasn't going to confirm or deny, I didn't even want to have this conversation. "Do you honestly think the demons are trying to destroy us all?"

His shoulders shrugged, "They tried. They failed. Maybe they're just trying to figure out the easiest way to control us. Or make us all look like deranged fools by the way the news is spreading about your little episode at the Sacramento A.O. What the Fuck, Dove. Eating too much demon magic. Stuff's a drug." He rapped his knuckle on the wooden table and regarded me with serious green eyes. "Obviously it was a short bout of insanity or I would've killed you by now."

Oh Gods, my reputation was in tatters. "It worked, didn't it, no more trap and subdue warrants," I said arrogantly then changed topics, "Have you looked at the newest edition of 'Spun Out'?"

"I have better things to do than read a magazine, although nice picture of you and those bastards. Never thought to see you in a dress." He gave me a suggestive look.

I rolled my eyes, "Ezra revealed our history."

"If you believe him."

Out of the blue I decided to ask a favor; he was one of the best trainers. "Will you teach me to use a gun?"

"So you can kill those blackguards you live with using a Haelithic bullet? Nobody's proved they can kill a demon yet. None of us is stupid enough to wait and watch to see if it permanently kills."

I shot out a laugh at his turn of phrase for Ezra and Taurin, gods what a know-it-all. "Those two aren't after us, MacKenzie. I swear it."

He scoffed, "So she says of the demon killing our kind. If not us, then you, so you best start asking questions. Who's the gun fight for?"

"I don't know. I just want to be prepared."

He grumbled, "It's about damn time," then looked steadily at me. "Dove, I believe in you. You have a truer and gentler heart than any trained or untrained hunter I've met. It was that heart that I thought would kill you, not put you directly into the company you presently keep. Even as it makes perfect sense to me now." He eyed me for a long time and I held my breath, waiting.

He finally spoke, "What kind of gun do you need?"

I let out a breath of relief, "Doesn't matter. I've Haelithic bullets that reform to any gun."

He raised eyebrows in surprise, "Remember this then: If you're not shooting, you're loading. If you're not loading, you're moving. If you're not moving," His fingers moved in the mimicry of a gun shooting me, "you're dead. Come back tomorrow, I'm busy now."

I'm not sure what Taurin and Ezra thought of my absence. They never said anything and I never invited them to ask. Maybe they knew what I was doing, probably actually, I did take their magic with me everywhere I went.

MacKenzie taught me day and night. Sometimes I never left. He pounded into my head rules about stance, guns, maintenance, rounds... the list went on. His range became another home, but even then he said it wasn't enough. I needed practice, practice, practice. He deprived me of sleep or food, claiming that I needed to know how to handle a fight in varied situations. He tried these tactics when I was younger. Then, I rebelled, this time I didn't.

Two plus months flew by before he threw a holster at me. Then handed me a Walther P 22 from his arsenal. One I always liked the weight and smoothness of.

"Keep it. It fits your hand. Keep the safety on. No more masochistic choices. Keep practicing. And when you do get in your gun fight, always win, cheat if necessary. I'll be watching. Now get the fuck out of here. My spies tell me Affairs' is comin' for you and we're out of time."

CHAPTER 18

I stared out the bedroom window the next morning feeling uneasy. While I had been learning a new survival skill winter had descended and snow blanketed the ground. My eyes hopped from snowflake to snowflake as they fell beyond the barrier of glass. Moving my gaze farther out I looked at the luminous gray sky as my mind raced in numerous directions. Eventually I turned and settled myself into preparing for the day.

Standing in the living room, I took stock of the other occupants of my home. Taurin's link directed me towards his room and Ezra's farther away, not even in the house. Since I didn't have any orders from the A.O. I decided to clean. It helped distract a busy mind. Without procrastinating I had music playing and cleaning supplies out of their cabinet.

By the time I'd finished most of the house my thoughts were in no better order than when I started. I gazed from the doorway of the meditation room towards the picture window in the living room again. No more nightmares and no more gold glitter. No warrants or chastisements from the Affairs' Office. The music wove in the background, barely getting my attention. If I was wise with my finances I wouldn't need to earn too much money. My relationships seemed on pause, friendships, business, Ezra, Taurin... As I thought of him he walked out of his room. Moving directly into my line of sight, he turned and look at me.

We stared at one another and I had the oddest turn of thoughts as his presence seemed to collide with the music in the background. The lyrics seemed loud and distinct as my eyes seemed to ask the question to him they were singing... How was he going to make amends to the dead?

I decided immediately that I had too transparent a countenance by the look of outrage on his face and took a cautious step backwards. He moved closer and I could feel the pounding of my heartbeat. My fist instinctively rose to my chest as if to keep my heart from shoving its way out. Taurin never stopped his even steps towards me and I backed up into the meditation room before he closed in.

I choked out his name and he placed a cold finger on my lips.

"Shhh. Do you question me? Dare you question me?"

The harsh whisper of his voice made me cringe and want to apologize, but I said nothing. I let him move my fist to his face and couldn't help relaxing it as he forcefully pressed a pressure point. My fingers went slack and opened until they moved over his lips and his tongue glided over their pads. I watched his mouth, a conflict of emotions warring in me. The fingers of his other hand massaged the small of my back. I couldn't relax. The chorus of music started up again and his eyes hardened.

"Do you think I need to atone for my evil deeds? Realign my karma? What if," he bit hard on my finger and I flinched, "this the universe's way of making up for the hell I went through? What if it goes the other way, IshaDove? What if you do good and then you get to be bad?" He loosened his grip and brought my hand down with his.

My mouth opened to speak, but it didn't matter because the breath got knocked out of me as he pushed me into him. He shifted slightly and his mouth settled on my lips. I stilled, unsure of both of us. Either one of us could push this moment towards harm or caress.

"What if, IshaDove..." He made the movements of talking sensual and air rushed out of my mouth. He licked his lips and made sure I could feel the progress of his tongue wetting not only his, but my own as well.

"What if your God gave you to me to make amends for what happened in my life?"

I was shocked and had no time to consider his words before he was kissing me, hands impatiently tugging my t-shirt above my head. Those long dexterous fingers were already unhooking my bra before it landed. His movements were rough and hurried on my skin and had my heart beating hard for different reasons than before. Still, I didn't know if I dare follow his lead. Taurin and I teased one another, but had only been intimate once and I never thought it should be repeated because of Ezra.

He ordered into my mouth, "Down. Now."

As he said the words I felt the roughness of jeans and satin of panties shoved down my legs.

I needed to speak. This wasn't a good idea. "Taurin-"

He sucked on my bottom lip and I forgot all words.

His hands grabbed my hips and he pushed me to my knees, his body mirroring the movement. Once we were on the floor his hands ripped off his own shirt in one fluid movement. I turned my head to watch the silk flutter to the hardwood. The feeling of his hands tenderly framing my face had me turning towards him again.

"Taurin," I whispered. Just his name. I had no questions, just an acknowledgement that he was alive and deserved something. I wasn't sure what though.

His smile was beautiful and sorrowful as he moved forward and leaned his forehead on mine. "I think you can save me." He paused. "I think you can save her."

I pulled away in shock. "Her?!"

He redirected me closer to him. "But not now. Right now it's just us." I could feel the softness of his lips touching the lines of my ear. He whispered, "You're as much mine as Ezra's. As much mine as your own. I won't let you deny me anymore."

I hesitated over the meaning of his words and felt him smile. In a deft movement he stripped off his pants and was back down next to me pulling me towards his naked form. I craned my neck to look up at those stunning corneas. They gleamed the bright hidden blue of glaciers and shifted with fault lines. I smelled the cold of winter coming from him.

His hand reached down between us and his palm cupped me. His fingers moved until they were snug between the folds of my womanhood. Slowly he squeezed and pulled on the petals until I felt a rise in my temperature and a wetness start to build. I closed my eyes and pushed into his hand.

Taurin spoke into my ear and dipped a finger inside of me at the same time. "Don't think."

He started a rhythm that had me pressing forcefully towards him. I couldn't think even if I wanted to. My body was still tense and aching as he slowly withdrew his finger while his other hand pushed me down until I was kneeling back on my thighs.

"All the way, IshaDove."

He kept pushing until I relented and maneuvered myself on my back. Those demanding hands changed course and caressed the inside of my thighs, following the muscles as they straightened.

Taurin immediately straddled me and inched his way towards my mouth, his hand stroking his penis. My breathing quickened as I watched his arousal increase. I tentatively licked a glistening drop from him and he tilted his head down to stare at me. With my mouth open he slowly pushed his cock in and I danced my tongue over its hardness. I gave a murmur of delight to hear his breath quicken as I sucked and my hand pulled on his testicles. One hand wrapped around his corded thigh as he moved in a steady rhythm in and out of my mouth.

Taurin's gentle tracing of the slope of my nose made me open my eyes to look up into his own. I let my tongue caress as he pulled himself out of my mouth. He quickly repositioned and pressed his weight on me, nudging between my legs. His cock nestled on my mound and his elbows propped him above me. I stared with amazement at the splintering and reforming of ice floes within the confines of his eyelids.

"What do those beautiful hazel eyes see?"

I raised an eyebrow, "You need me to indulge your ego, now!?"

He laughed and flaunted his blond hair. "I'm not that narcissistic, am I?!"

I couldn't stop the smile from his lighthearted laughter. "Seriously?" I asked drily.

"Ah." He kissed his way down the middle of my body, "Then let me show how selfless I can be." He looked up at me from between my legs and smirked, "I want you to grind that pussy into my face."

"Taurin," I cried, almost offended by his crudeness.

He wasted no time with acknowledging my shock and was promptly flicking my clitoris with his tongue. His fingers pressed into me slowly and I moaned. I became inflamed even more by his own noises of excitement until I was arcing myself into his mouth and my hands were pushing his head down. His fingers picked up pace and I frantically clenched my inner muscles.

"Oh God, Taurin!" I couldn't stop the yell as I felt the warmth liquid flooding from my insides.

"Mmmm, God has nothing to do with it," he murmured as he lifted his head and his thumb continued to gently press on my little bundle of nerves. "Again?"

I blinked my eyes into focus. "Again?"

"I don't want you thinking I only care about myself."

He worked his magic again and I was tightening up when he changed position and surged into me. My legs wrapped around his waist as I pushed up into him. We stared into each other's eyes as he drove even deeper into me.

"Give it to me," Taurin demanded.

I didn't have to ask what since he pulled on my magic and I let him open a pathway. It felt like he was grabbing as much as he could and storing it away. His thrusts grew harder and the slapping of our bodies turned me on even as I tried to sort out my confusion. My body tightened closer to climax and I had the weakest hold onto my magic. It stayed in me by a taut flaming thread and a tear slipped down my face, the entire process felt erotic and terrifying.

Taurin's eyes were feverish with shared power and the movement that always made my breath hitch was swimming under all that ice focusing solely on me. It was the monster barely glimpsed.

His tone commanded, 'Trust me.'

And then it hit.

We orgasmed together and he shoved all of our combined power into me. Sensation overwhelmed me and I could only gasp with ecstasy as I came over and over again. I was on fire and then burning with ice. My body gripped and massaged his cock with all the force it had. Exhausted, we lay completely listless, our magic slowly realigning into balance.

CHAPTER 19

'I could never take all your magic and not have it leak back into you. You should know that. If you're alive your power always wants to go home. It's not worth my considerable effort to keep it caged. We touch everyday, IshaDove.'

Taurin rolled off my sweaty body while he spoke in my mind. I gave a grateful sigh as he blew cool air over me.

'Then how does binding work? You have a part of mine and I have a part of yours.'

The soft touch of his fingertips drawing on my body helped lower my heartbeat and made me feel cared for. I turned to look at him. He lay on his side and elevated his head on his palm and bent elbow. My fingertips reached upwards and played over his slick shoulder and arm muscles.

'That's a voluntary ritual that gives magic the ability to grow something. A way to hold on to someone else. It wants to establish itself in the named entity. Which is why when you get close to the net of magic Oldavai created and Shorn holds, it wants to go to you. It's your magic because Oldavai named it for you.'

'Can Oldavai take it back into himself since he gave it away and part of me is in it?'