A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 7

Dev's eyes jerked open and he stared into the darkened room.

"So close, and yet you resisted," a familiar voice said next to him.

His hands balled into fists. He didn't need to turn his head to know its source. Loku already had tormented him enough times in the past.

"Dev, you disappoint me."

Anger flooded his veins, almost making him forget about the aching hard-on that remained from his dream. "Why? Because I didn't fall for your little trick?"

"No, because you deny yourself pleasure when you can so easily grasp it."

Dev took a deep breath before he rolled his head to the side and looked at Trouble. Just as he had figured, she lay perfectly still, staring at him with bright yellow-gold eyes that never blinked. "Let go of her."

The chaos god laughed. "And miss out on a new way of tormenting you? Never!" The eyes flickered to Dev's groin. "I see my little dream got you more worked up than I'd first thought."

Dev bunched the covers over the evidence of his desire, hoping it would conceal it, but Trouble's features morphed into a smirk.

"It's going to be so easy for me to gain her trust, especially with you treating her like she's a flea on your back. You should feel the power she possesses. As soon as I tasted it in that run-down little inn, I knew she had to become my next Soulbearer."

His fingers dug into his palm. So help him, he refused to see Trouble follow in the same path as Robb. His words came out in a low, even growl. "Let her go right now."

"Or you'll what? Slip your hands under her tunic? Or better yet, into her pants? I know exactly what you were dreaming, Dev, because I put it there."

"Why you sick son of a—" Dev stopped short, his fist raised in the air, and looked into the horrified blue eyes of Trouble.

***

Arden had no idea why she was pulled from a sound sleep, but she awoke to see her so-called protector on the verge of striking her.

She did the only thing she could think of doing at that moment—she screamed.

Cinder shot up and wedged himself between them, knocking Dev out of the bed. He landed with a loud thump on the floor.

She wrapped her arms around her furry hero and held on to him for dear life. Her racing pulse began to slow, but her lungs still sucked in air as quickly as they could. Sweet Lady Moon, what had she just witnessed?

"Trouble, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, no thanks to you." What else could she say?

She cast a side glance at him. He stayed on the floor. Pain tightened his features, but he refused to look at her.

"Why were you trying to punch me?"

He pulled himself into a seated position and ran his hand through his hair. His pupils stretched the green in his eyes into thin emerald rings, and his chest heaved up and down. "It's complicated."

Loku's laughter filled her mind as she shrank farther away from Dev.

"I was curious at first when I discovered that Dev was dreaming of doing naughty things to you, but now that I see how worked up he got from our conversation, I'd say it was worth it."

She grabbed her pillow and wanted to rip the feathers out of it. "Loku, you bastard! How dare you use me like that?"

"Oh, come now, I'm sure you would have enjoyed it if he acted out his fantasies."

His words produced a hum throughout her body. Images of Dev's dream flashed through her mind, of them lying naked in a bed, his lips trailing along her throat. Her mouth went dry and her breasts grew heavy as she imagined what they would feel like in his hands.

"You are a lusty wench after all. And more importantly, it looks like you almost had Dev persuaded to neglect his duty for one night. He has quite the tent pole in his pants." More laughter reverberated through her mind.

She hurled the pillow at the opposite side of the room.

"Trouble, what's wrong?"

Her cheeks flamed. Had Dev really been as aroused as Loku said? And if so, how did he manage to keep his hands to himself when she was sleeping mere inches away from him? "I'm sorry I screamed like that," she whispered.

"Let's face it. You're just like your mother."

Rage burned inside her stomach, making her forget every second of pleasure she had experienced moments before. "Shut up, Loku!"

"Ah, so he's tormenting you now."

"Loku was the cause of all this? Was that why you looked so angry?" She hugged Cinder even tighter and buried her face into his warm fur.

"He took control of my dreams and..." His voice broke.

He didn't need to finish. She already had a good idea what kind of dreams Loku had given him.

"I should have expected something like this from him. I think he gets some kind of thrill from tormenting me."

"How right he is." Loku chuckled like a devious child. "At least I woke you up before he struck you."

"Loku, I have half a mind to slit my throat in front of Dev just so you'll have no other option but to take him as your Soulbearer."

"But think of all the fun we'll miss out on. He'll never thrill you like I can."

"You're determined to drive me insane, aren't you? Just like all the others."

"No, my sweet Soulbearer. I have other plans for you."

She ran her hands through Cinder's fur. The solid warmth under them reminded her that this was real, and that thought comforted her. "I'm sorry, Dev. I don't know how I let him gain control of me like that."

A bitter sound that resembled one note of laughter burst from him. "Loku is tricky. He'll weasel his way into your mind and seek out your deepest desires. Then he'll use them to seduce you into surrendering your free will to him."

"I guess I should be happy Cinder woke up when he did."

"Yeah, me too," he muttered.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Something in the atmosphere changed, and an icy prickle of dread crawled down her spine. The scent of rotting meat assaulted her nose. "Dev, do you smell that?"

He sniffed the air. "No, I don't smell any—" His words broke off, and his body stiffened. "Trouble, get your boots on now."

"What?"

"I said, now."

His fierce tone made her jump. She obeyed without asking any more questions. Whatever she sensed unnerved him, too.