CHAPTER TWO

BARIQ

On his knees next to Allesandra’s grave, Bariq peered into the dark expanse of the night sky. Was his wife looking down on him?

Given what he’d become — what he’d done — did she even care? He wouldn’t blame her if she’d gone to her afterlife and forgotten about him.

It was nothing more or less than he deserved.

When they’d been caught in a portal and brought to this world, everything had changed. She died shortly they’d arrived.

He’d nearly died, too, and often wished he had. But being an incubus, it wasn’t so easy to die.

Centuries later, he missed her.

On an intellectual level, he realized after hundreds of years, there was little left of Allesandra’s physical form, and she felt no discomfort. Still, he brushed snow off the worn tombstone. She had always hated being cold. It was time to replace the headstone. Again. The words were faded. Like his memories.

It was harder and harder to remember her voice. How long before he forgot her smile and the sound of her laugh? She loved to laugh.

A roar tore through the night, yanking Bariq out of his downward spiraling thoughts. Tilting his head, he expanded his magic, picking up two auras. What were they doing here?

The man had a touch of magic to him and was enraged. The woman was more interesting. There was some sort of block, its energy hot against his. Her aura revealed nothing other than that she was female before he had to pull back to avoid being roasted.

Her heat left his aura tingling.

Any man bellowing like that intended murder, and Bariq wasn’t so numbed to the world that he’d stand by and let a woman be killed.

He leapt to his feet and sprinted through the cemetery toward the noise.

The door of a large crypt stood open, allowing candlelight to spill out. A woman fled through the graveyard. He let her go. The threat was the man.

Or, maybe he wasn’t. Growls and snarls filled the air. Ghouls.

Firelight and shadows danced wildly, and sparks flared.

Bariq sidled nearer the tomb. This close, the enraged man’s aura was vampire, but didn’t feel like anyone he’d met at Oubliette. Not a complete surprise — the part of the club Bariq frequented catered to specific tastes.

Taking the steps two at a time, he descended into the tomb.

The vampire brandished a blazing torch, swinging it in arcs to hold several ghouls at bay. They’d devour him as readily as anyone else.

The dirt floor was a churned mess, but part of a chalk circle hadn’t been destroyed yet. What was the vampire up to?

An odor of rotting flesh, along with remnants of pain and terror filled auras, meant the woman who’d escaped wasn’t the first victim brought here. The others hadn’t survived.

Bariq went back up the stairs and closed the crypt door. Borrowing a statue from a nearby tomb, he blocked the exit. He’d call for a capture and cleanup team. In the meantime, the man could live or die on his own. He deserved what he got from the ghouls, and fewer ghouls was fine with Bariq.

Extending his aura, Bariq searched for the woman, found her heated energy, and raced in her direction. She had stopped her headlong flight. Arms wrapped around her middle, like she was holding herself together by sheer force of will, she muttered to herself. Wild eyes unseeing, she paced, taking deep breaths.

Her eyes. That blue that was sometimes purple. She was his wife returned to him.

“Alessandra.” Her name slipped past his lips before he could stop it. Pain and longing flowed through him as he took in the woman before him.

She wore combat boots, black jeans, a corset, and a collar around her neck. Her long legs were muscular, as were her bare arms. Full breasts and a narrow waist were emphasized by the corset — like her jeans revealed the flare of her hips and a round ass his hand itched to spank.

Moonlight danced shadows across her face. As he edged closer to her, he reached out to touch her and make her aware she wasn’t alone. Unable to stop himself, he slid his fingertips across her cheek.

Her skin was as soft as he remembered.

A shriek filled him with elation and self loathing. But damn if his cock didn’t twitch.

Heat from her body seared him, robbing him of thought. A shock of flame rushed from her to him, filling his aura with brightness and life for the first time in centuries.

For a few eternal moments, he basked in the heat, letting it travel through him. With the return of life to his aura, lust wasn’t far behind. He informed his cock to calm the fuck down.

She staggered away from him, beautiful eyes wide in shock and fear. Last time he’d seen an expression like that, was right before she died.

That jolted him out of the past. Shaking his head, he blinked to clear his vision.

This isn’t her. This isn’t my Alessandra.

Once he could think rationally, the differences were noticeable. A heart-shaped face rather than oval. Hair a shade too dark, and a few inches too short. Skin more golden than alabaster.

However… her eyes. They were the exact same blue-purple color. Every time her gaze connected with his, he was reminded of nights filled with love and laughter.

Before this world.

Bariq couldn’t stand the accusation and fear in her eyes. Not again. He pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry.”

She snapped out of her stupor. Her fists, a lot harder than they should be, pounded against his chest. He let her out of his embrace, but grabbed her wrists.

“Calm yourself. I’m here to help. I have a car nearby. Let’s go.”

“I can get home on my own.” There was strength in her voice, but she swayed on her feet.

Who knew what the vampire had done to her? No obvious injuries marked her, but the vampire could have sealed any punctures. It wasn’t safe for her to wander around the cemetery alone, though — especially weak, and with the ghouls riled up.

Hauling her to him, he embraced her. “Shh. You’re safe now. He’s not going to hurt you. I promise. No one will ever hurt you again.”

An eerie silence filled the cemetery. It was enough to put him on edge.

“We’re leaving. Come with me. Now.”

She took a wobbly step away from him. “Fuck that. I don’t know you, and I am not in the damn mood. I’ve had enough shit for one night.”

Bariq frowned at her. “Watch your language.” He slid his thumb across her bottom lip, reveling in the petal softness before pinching it lightly. Just enough to get his point across.

She slapped his hand away hard enough to make his skin sting. “Stop touching me, you creep!”

Resisting a growl, he pulled at her wrists, trying to get her away from the dangers lurking in the cemetery. To get her somewhere safe. She went limp, her dead weight taking him by surprise.

Bariq stooped, tossed her over his shoulder, and headed for the cemetery gates. Her squeak of protest was music to his ears.

I’ve been spending way too much time in Oubliette’s dungeon.

Or maybe not enough.

Bariq was playing with fire. And maybe he was acting like a creep. But for the first time in centuries, a spark of desire ignited from what was nothing but ash.

His incubus nature was awakening after a long hibernation. His cock stirred, and hardened as she struggled.

Along with Hunger.

No. He would not give in to Hunger ever again.

Her body was warm, even through the clothing separating them. The scent of her, spicy and female, made his senses swim.

Bariq wasn’t sure what he intended to do with her, only that he couldn’t let her go. She wore a collar. Maybe she would understand how he liked to play. How he needed to play. He imagined her naked, bound, and ready for him. His steps faltered as a wave of lust swept over him.

Maybe she belonged to someone else. A surge of jealousy stabbed into his soul, shocking him with its intensity. The instinct to get her away from danger, and keep her for himself, wouldn’t be dismissed.

It was going to be a long night. He needed a distraction. Pulling out his phone, he called Lucius.

“Bariq. How are things?”

“I don’t want to go with you!” His captive planted her hands on his back and reared up, nearly toppling them. He tightened his grip on her.

“Uh, Bariq? Are you in the middle of a scene?”

Lucius’ curious, amused voice filled one ear as her loud protests pierced the other.

“The cemetery, actually.” Bariq said into the phone. “There’s a rogue vampire.”

“Weird. I didn’t realize there were areas to nest.”

“He’s in one of the big tombs at the back. I blocked the door.”

“Hey!” the woman screamed, her wiggling becoming frantic. “I’m being kidnapped by a pervert!”

“Are you actually kidnapping her?” Lucius chuckled.

Bariq wanted to reach through the phone and smack the smug look he knew Lucius was wearing right off of his face.

“No, I’m not kidnapping her.”

Yes, he was.

“Yes, he is! This creep won’t let me go!”

“Hold on one moment, please.” Tucking the phone between shoulder and ear, Bariq took his free hand to her round backside, giving her a hard swat on each cheek.

Her body froze. Even her breathing stopped for a moment. But only for a moment.

“You do not have my permission to touch me, much less hit me, you bastard. You get off on that? Hitting women you don’t know? Put me down and back the fuck off, or I will make you.”

Her words were full of an icy conviction that gave him pause. He didn’t like this cold side of her. But she wasn’t screaming about being kidnapped anymore.

Reluctant to let her go, he tightened his arm across her legs and delivered a much harder swat to each sit-spot.

Bariq didn’t think he could get any harder, yet her indignant howl, and ferocious bucking, made him swell uncomfortably in his pants.

Something with the impact of a boulder crashed into the back of his skull, driving him to his knees. His phone skittered from his hand as he tried to catch himself and not drop her.

“Fuck,” he growled.

She landed on her back and scrabbled away like a crab. Something tore inside him as she increased the distance between them.

Climbing to his feet, he stalked after her.

“Ask him if he even knows my name!” she shouted. “Because it’s not Allesandra!”

Bariq stopped in his tracks. The words were like a blow to his soul. No, she wasn’t his Allesandra. Why couldn’t he walk away from a woman who clearly wanted him to?

Mustering all his will, he turned from her and scooped up his phone.

“Bariq? Are you all right? If you don’t answer me, I’m sending a team —”

“I’m fine.” He touched the sore place on the back of his head. What had she struck him with? Her hands were empty.

“Uh, Bariq?” Lucius sounded uncharacteristically hesitant and worried. “She sounds coherent, and not at all happy about being with you. Maybe you should let her go. This isn’t what you do.”

Lucius knew about Allesandra. Would know what Bariq calling a woman by that name meant. Maybe he should let this woman go.

No, he definitely should. But he couldn’t. She was clearly not helpless, but the need to keep her safe nearly overwhelmed him.

He hadn’t even asked her name. Just put his hands on her. No wonder she thought he was a kidnapping creep.

“I… I can’t,” he murmured.

“Oh. It’s like that?”

It couldn’t be like that, could it? He’d found the love of his life before. An incubus rarely found his one chance, he certainly didn’t get two.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Lucius cleared his throat and returned to business. “How many teams do you think we need? Anything other than a vampire to deal with?”

Bariq kept his eyes on the woman. “Two teams. There’s the one vampire I know of, and at least a few ghouls.”

“He was killing women and feeding them to the ghouls,” she muttered, using a headstone to pull herself up. “Try not to destroy the evidence.”

“Maybe I should be talking to her.”

Next time Bariq saw Lucius, he was going to kill him. “Just hurry up and get here.”

“Very well. What do you intend to do with the woman?”

What am I going to do with her? It wasn’t her fault she was attacked by a vampire, but I rescued her. That makes me responsible for her.

“I’ll take care of her.”

“I’m sure,” Lucius murmured, only a little mocking.

Bariq turned the phone off and slid it into his pocket before reaching for her.

“Touch me again, and I promise you’ll fucking regret it.”

“Did I not tell you to watch your language? Such a beautiful mouth shouldn’t utter those words. Be grateful I don’t wash your mouth out. A swat is nothing. A sting, then it’s over. Not so easily done with the mouth.”

Closing his eyes, he pictured her mouth full of his cock. His cum coating her tongue. Sliding down her throat along with the profanities. That would be a much more pleasant way to punish her.

She’s not your to punish.

Yes, an inner voice purred. She is.