Kobe moved from the chair and joined Zion on the carpet. “Rescuing you was the right thing to do, short stuff. No man should give himself to another as a part of some deal. When you submit to someone, Zion, it should be because you want to, because it is your choice.”

  Zion inched a little closer. “Things have always been”—Zion glanced away, but not before Kobe saw the shame in the man’s eyes—“taken from me. I’ve never freely given.”

  The confession only confirmed what Kobe had suspected. He wanted to hunt down every man who had ever taken from Zion and yank their balls out through their throat.

  “It makes it very hard to trust anyone.” He moved his arms out of the way when Zion inched so close that he was at Kobe’s side. “I’m always afraid someone is going to use me. I hate living with that fear.”

  Kobe reached out and brushed Zion’s hair from his eyes, tucking it behind the demon’s ear. “I was the same way, still am. But there are a few who I’ve learned I can trust with my life.”

  “The Demon Warriors?” Zion asked, his head leaning toward Kobe’s hand.

  “You kind of learn to trust a man when the both of you rely on each other to stay alive.” It had been the hardest lesson for Kobe to learn. Trusting did not come easy for him. But after living and fighting by each Warrior’s side, a bond had formed, making their small group very close knit. He knew he could rely on any Warrior to have his back and be there for him. It was a treasured feeling and a trust Kobe would never break.

  He wanted that same trust with Zion.

  But the guy just sat there, staring up at Kobe. He knew when a man was hungry. The look in Zion’s indigo-blue eyes said he wanted Kobe. But Zion had to give himself freely. Kobe was not going to take.

  “I think maybe I should go to bed,” Zion said, but didn’t move. Kobe wondered if that was an invitation, but wasn’t going to assume. Pressing his back into the couch, Kobe tossed his arm on the cushion, opening himself if Zion wanted to make any kind of move.

  “I really should.” But again, the little demon stayed at Kobe’s side.

  The air became charged with sexual tension as the two gently danced around each other. Zion moved just a fraction of an inch closer to Kobe, and Kobe leaned in just a hair’s breadth. Pale-brown eyes locked with indigo-blue, both breathing just a little faster.

  Kobe had his fair share of sexual experiences, but nothing came close to the anticipation singing through his veins. He’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted Zion.

  “I want you.” Zion’s words were a mere whisper.

  “Are you freely giving yourself to me?” Kobe asked as his pulse quickened.

  Zion’s eyes dropped and Kobe feared the man would say he couldn’t do this, but then he gazed up at Kobe under the fall of his dark lashes and Kobe knew he would never want to be with anyone other than Zion. “I am.”

  Kobe reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind Zion’s ear before he ran the knuckle of his hand down the man’s cheek, watching in fascination as Zion rubbed his cheek gently against Kobe’s hand.

  The man was hungry for touch, so great the man was starving. Kobe could see it in Zion’s deep-blue eyes.

  Kobe didn’t move when Zion placed a slender hand hesitantly against his chest and then tucked his head under Kobe’s chin. It tore at him how much Zion was starving for affection. He had been the same way, and honestly still was. Kobe would just never admit to anyone how much he’d craved something like this.

  He held onto Zion with one arm while the other moved rhythmically over the man’s slender back. The demon’s body was pure heat and drove Kobe’s senses wild.

  When Zion leaned back, tilting his head to look up at Kobe, he leaned down, pressing his lips to Zion’s, then gently covered his mouth. He knew to go slow, to ease Zion into whatever was going to happen between them. Kobe should have been frightened at his need for Zion, a need so deep that it was overpowering. But the fear of losing himself in this small man wasn’t there. Kobe wanted to lose himself in Zion.

  Stroking his thumb over Zion’s chin, Kobe turned, slowly lowering Zion to the carpet. He braced his arms on either side of Zion’s head, careful of his weight. He threaded his fingers through the smaller demon’s raven hair, the strands feeling like cool satin over his fingers as his tongue stroked Zion’s lips.

  “I’ve been dying to taste your lips since the first moment I saw you.”

  Zion stayed closemouthed for a moment, and then he opened to Kobe. Sweeping his tongue inside the warm, wet cavern, Kobe could feel his cock thickening at the taste of Zion.

  He could also feel the demon quivering below him. Zion’s lush lips parted, pulling Kobe’s tongue into his mouth. Kobe’s tongue slid over satiny inner cheeks, strong, even teeth, and danced languidly with Zion’s tongue.

  The exhilaration shot through Kobe, straight to his groin where his cock became heavy with arousal. He was hard, needy, and his cock hurt so fucking badly that, for the first time since leaving adolescence, he thought he was going to erupt in his pants.

  Zion seemed to be just as needy. He ran his fingers over Kobe’s head, pulling him down as the little demon sucked at Kobe’s tongue. The action only made Kobe’s cock throb like a frenzied heartbeat in his jeans. He had to do something to relieve the pressure.

  It was a rush of excitement that shot through his veins as he kissed the man lower, on his neck, savoring the sweet aroma of salty skin and a racing pulse.

  “I want you, Zion,” Kobe breathed roughly against the man’s skin as he inhaled deeply, the exquisite scent racing through his veins. Zion was unbidden beneath Kobe, and that was all that mattered to him. The pulsing in his jeans intensified as he moved lower and pushed Zion’s shirt up, kissing his navel and tracing a long, wet line over his abdomen. Zion moaned and his stomach jerked before Kobe bit the man’s button of his pants.

  Even beneath the fabric he could smell Zion’s desire. It was the sweetest scent in the world—strong, musky, and all for him. He nuzzled the pronounced outline in the demon’s jeans, leaving a wet mark before he used his fingers to unsnap them, pulling the zipper down slowly, teasing not only the man beneath him, but himself.

  “W–what are you doing?” Zion pushed up onto his elbows, his eyes wide and filled with confusion.

  “Short stuff, if I have to explain—” Kobe stopped speaking, cocking his head to the side as understanding dawned on him. “No one has ever sucked your cock before, have they?” The obvious knowledge blew Kobe’s mind away. “They always took but never gave.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Zion didn’t answer him. He turned his head, humiliation etched strongly in his features. Kobe leaned up, cupping Zion’s face. “That is not something you should be embarrassed about. It wasn’t your fault, Zion.”

  Kobe was determined not to have this moment ruined by what those assholes had done to Zion. Releasing the demon’s face, he pushed back down between the man’s legs and pulled his jeans completely off. Zion’s cock jerked up and slapped at his belly. The man was now only half-hard. Kobe was going to fix that. “Just lay back and let me show you what real pleasure is.”

  Lying belly down on the carpet, Kobe grabbed Zion under his knees and pushed them back, licking a long path over the man’s cock. The man’s arousal, along with the clear liquid seeping from his cock, filled Kobe’s lungs, making his mouth water for just one taste. With a feral smile, he swallowed Zion’s semi-hard erection.

  Zion hissed and bucked, and Kobe could see the man’s chest rising and falling rapidly. His rear end lifted off of the carpet, plunging his cock further into Kobe’s mouth. He didn’t think the demon had done it on purpose, but Kobe opened wide, taking the now-growing flesh down his throat.

  Zion’s ass cheeks tightened, his fingers slamming down on Kobe’s head as he let out muttered moans. Oh, that would not do. He didn’t want Zion holding back those beautiful sounds. Kobe wanted to hear how he was pleasing the small demon.

  Pulling back, Kobe released Zion’s cock. “Let me hear you, short stuff. Give me every damn moan you’re keeping trapped behind your pretty lips.”

  Kobe dipped his head, licking one side of Zion’s sac, and then the other. Kobe licked a path to Zion’s cock. He nuzzled in the wiry curls before licking his way up the fully hard shaft and sucking at the engorged head to savor Zion’s pre-cum. As he swallowed, Kobe felt a hand on his head and looked up to see Zion gazing down at him.

  Zion thrust his hips upward toward Kobe’s mouth, pumping furiously with short, even strokes. He could tell the demon wanted to get off.

  Grabbing Zion’s hips, Kobe pushed and pulled on the man, sucking Zion’s cock down before letting it slide back out. The demon’s balls were drawn tight to his body, telling Kobe that the demon was close.

  “Oh…Kobe…ugh!”

  Kobe held tight as he drank down Zion’s seed. Never before had he felt so much gratification from getting someone else off while his cock lay neglected.

  “I need more, Kobe,” Zion begged. His tone was filled with a sound a man made when lust was the only thing on the guy’s mind. He knew Zion was feeling the drugging effects of his orgasm, and he knew that he could have the small demon right now if he wanted to.

  But Kobe wasn’t going to take advantage of the guy. As badly as he wanted to sink into Zion’s ass, he knew he needed to take this slow and build the trust between them.

  When he did take Zion for the first time, Kobe wanted everything to be right, nothing rushed, and he didn’t want it to happen because they were just reaching out to one another.

  Crawling up Zion’s body, Kobe pulled the demon into his arms, cradling Zion’s head on his shoulder. This seemed to satisfy Zion because he let out a deep sigh. And Kobe was just as content. Even if his very own world was falling apart, nothing mattered at the moment except keeping Zion safe in his arms.

  Chapter Eight

  Zion wasn’t sure what to think. He was truly stumped. Kobe was like no one he had ever met before. The guy had given selflessly to Zion, asking for nothing in return. The Warrior hadn’t even taken advantage of Zion when he was high off of his orgasm.

  He wasn’t used to dealing with honest people.

  “Name’s Dillon.” The blond man reached over the counter at Jake’s Java and shook Zion’s hand. “I’m glad to see that Kobe is settling down.”

  “You can’t say that,” Chris reprimanded Dillon. “You have to say that they are just friends.”

  Dillon looked completely confused. “But Rainerio told me that Kobe and Zion were knocking boots, doing the sheet tango…you know”—he leaned in closer and whispered to Chris, but Zion heard the man just fine—“having sex.”

  “That doesn’t mean a person is settling down just because they are doing someone,” Chris replied.

  “I’m right here.” Zion waved at them. “And I can hear you,” he whispered. These two were a strange pair. He knew Chris was demon. What surprised him was that Dillon was a vampire. As with shifters, vampires were very rare in Remtin. He didn’t really know any vampires himself.

  It seemed he was meeting all sorts of different species lately. He liked that he was meeting new people, but was still a bit shy when it came to making new friends.

  “You’ll have to excuse Dillon. He has absolutely no buffer between his brain and his mouth,” Chris said as he moved rapidly behind the counter. Zion was getting dizzy trying to watch the man. “But he’s a good friend to have.”

  “So.” Dillon leaned on the counter. “I heard you nearly killed Drake.”

  Zion glanced from one man to the other, wondering if he hadn’t stepped into some sort of parallel universe. “That’s not what happened.”

  “Casey said you wrestled Drake down and made him scream uncle,” Chris said before he snickered. “I would love to have seen that.”

  Zion glanced over to where Kobe was talking with Jake, wondering if it would be rude if he just walked away from the counter. Chris and Dillon seemed to be operating on some other level.

  “Here.” Dillon slid a drink across the counter. “On the house.”

  “What is it?” Zion asked. He picked the cup up and sniffed, smelling something tart. His nose wrinkled as he set the cup back down on the counter.

  “It’s just a bunch of stuff I threw together.”

  Yeah, Zion was going to pass on that. He could see Chris trying to hide his smile. Zion wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was nobody’s guinea pig. “I’ll pass.”

  “I swear.” Dillon threw his hands in the air. “Why is it no one wants to try my new concoctions?”

  “It was nice meeting you guys.” Zion hurried away before Dillon talked him into drinking that nasty-smelling stuff. Before he made it to Kobe, Zion heard a large explosion outside. Kobe was at his side in seconds, pulling him toward the counter.

  “Stay with Chris and Dillon.”

  That was not an option he would have chosen. Zion would rather stick close to Kobe. He gave the Warrior a nod before the guy took off.

  “What do you think is going on?” Chris said as he hurried from behind the counter. “I sure as hell hope it isn’t Crypt.”

  “Who?” Zion asked.

  “An oversized pea brain creature who probably would play with your entrails,” Dillon replied.

  And Kobe just ran out there? There was no way Zion was letting the man run out into danger. Even though he didn’t know the Warrior all that well, Kobe was the nicest and sweetest man Zion had ever met.

  He wasn’t going to lose what he was hoping to have with the guy.

  Hurrying toward the door, Zion ignored the men shouting for him to get back into the coffeehouse. Screw that. Knowing the man was in danger had put things into perspective for Zion.

  He wanted Kobe as his.

  Zion pulled back when he saw that it was the building next door that had been attacked. People were running everywhere and he saw…Zion swallowed hard as he gazed at the dead body on the ground in front of the wreckage.

  He wasn’t sure who it was, but no one deserved to die like that. What if that had been Kobe? What if it was the Warrior lying there dead? Zion’s heart clenched at the thought of anything happening to the demon.

  Pushing past the scattering men and women, Zion tried his best to locate Kobe. He saw one of the demons—what was his name again—Wayland. Zion saw Wayland doing something weird with his hands. Whatever it was, the fire that had been burning in the front of the building was slowly extinguishing.

  It almost looked like he was using water, but that couldn’t be right. How could anyone call forth the elements? Zion had never heard of such a thing. It just didn’t seem possible.

  Before Zion could run over to Wayland, he felt a rough hand on his arm, fingers digging into his flesh. “You little fucking rat.”

  Raphael!

  “Let me go!” Zion cried out as he struggled to get away.

  “Shut up.” Raphael reached his hand back and then slapped it across Zion’s face. “You’ve caused enough trouble already, you little urchin. I’m willing to bet I can use you against those damn Warriors.”

  “Help!” Zion shouted at the top of his lungs, but it did him no good. The man began chanting something, and the next thing Zion knew, he was back in Raphael’s apartment.

  No!

  “I know it was that elf that helped you last time. As soon as I find him, I’ll kill the fey for betraying me.”

  Zion kicked and punched, trying his best to get free, but that only pissed Raphael off. He hit Zion so hard that his head lolled to the side. “I can beat you into unconsciousness if that’s what you want.”

  That wasn’t what Zion wanted. The only thing he really wanted was Kobe. Why in the hell had he left the coffeehouse?

  * * * *

  Kobe made sure all the injured were taken care of before heading back to Jake’s. He wasn’t sure what had happened. There was no attack after Wayland put the fire out. No one was claiming responsibility.

  Malcor said he was just standing there talking with a customer when the front of the restaurant exploded. It made no sense to Kobe. Things just didn’t blow up for no reason.

  Walking into Jake’s, Kobe glanced around for Zion, but didn’t see him anywhere.

  “We tried to stop him,” Chris said as he hurried over to Kobe. “But he wouldn’t listen. Zion ran out of here right after you did.”

  It took a second for the words to register, but when they did, Kobe took off from the coffeehouse, scanning the streets. He didn’t see Zion anywhere.

  “Kobe!”

  He turned to see Peter running toward him. The vampire looked frantic. “I saw a little demon getting snatched. I’m not sure who he was, but he didn’t look like he wanted to go.”

  Zion.

  “Did you see who took him?”

  Peter nodded. “Some demon with long blond hair and dressed very sharply. If he didn’t look so dang sinister, he would be handsome as hell.”

  Raphael had taken Zion. Kobe was getting really sick of that demon. This time when he met up with Raphael, Kobe was killing the damn man.

  “Thanks.” Kobe spun on his heel and headed down the alley, using a shadow to enter Remtin. For a place he vowed never to return to, he sure as hell was coming back here a lot.

  He started to storm Raphael’s apartment building, but hesitated. This had to be a trap. Why else would he take Zion? Kobe knew the demon didn’t give two shits about Zion. It was the principle of things. Kobe had taken from Raphael. Now Raphael was taking from Kobe.

  Only Kobe was going to end the game today, right now…just as soon as he figured out how to get into the building without being caught. He was glad he slowed down and decided to think. There were two men on the rooftop and one down by the entrance.

  Maybe he should’ve brought backup.

  Turning his head, Kobe studied the layout. If he could get to the side of the building without anyone seeing him, he just might be able to find a way in. He wasn’t even sure if there was an entrance on the side, but going through the front door was out of the question.