Destined Mates: Purely Paranormal Pleasures

Chapter 4: Stormy Weather

The storm raged all around him. Wind whistled through the trees, the entire grounds would have been engulfed in darkness were it not for the strategically placed security lights and the flash of lightning every now and then. But none of that mattered as he turned his head towards the source of that delectable aroma.

Avail growled as his prey came into view. Was this why he'd practically run from the woods back to the house when he'd been trying to drive back his Devil's baser urges? Was this the magnetic force that had beckoned him forward in the stormy night?

Beautiful, was his first thought. The blonde woman, clad only in scraps of black lace straddling his fence, was simply breathtaking. Bountiful curves, soft and womanly, she was enough to tempt the Devil himself. This Devil, for sure.

How the hell did she get up there? She didn't look particularly athletic. No, she looked just as a woman should. Curvy and plump, all pale skin and long, golden hair. He inhaled and his Devil growled deep and long.

That hypnotizing scent. It's her! Avail breathed deeply, tasting her sublime fragrance on his tongue. He faltered as one glaring thing registered in his barely human brain. She's a normal! Well, f**k him. Could this be a mistake?

How could this woman whose scent tempted him from a mile away be a normal? The Fates must hate me. Well, that was one answer. Perhaps his beast was simply too overcome by the last quarter phase of the moon to differentiate scents correctly?

Grrr. It seemed his Devil took exception to that supposition. Okay. Fine. I admit her scent speaks to me, but what the heck is she doing here?

He was a big enough devil to admit when he was attracted. But that couldn't explain her presence on his land. Was this delectable morsel just another groupie? Anger furrowed his brows. Of course. That damned Bambi and her ridiculous interview was bound to produce some unhinged weirdos. Even gorgeous ones.

Sometimes they got a tad aggressive, taking matters into their own hands, thinking it within their rights to stalk him. To these unhinged individuals, the Naughty Dark Prince was free game. Every time those paparazzi vultures found one of his affairs or evenings out newsworthy, they filled their tabloids and blogs with images of him, usually in various states of undress, for the whole damn world to see! Sometimes to dire consequences.

He hated to admit it. Oh, the shame. A healthy Devil like himself brought so low by women! If Denise and Grandmother could see him now. Shudder.

They'd told him time and again that he needed to choose more discerningly if he was going to fool around. But was he to blame, really? How could he know that some of his dates would snap pictures of him and later sell them when he was unawares?

Okay. He should have suspected, after all, he was filthy rich, devilishly handsome, and powerful to boot. A triple threat if ever there was one. And that was in all modesty, just plain speaking.

Avail didn't believe in beating around the bush. It was why he was so damn good at playing the market and earning millions upon millions for the family. If only Grandfather hadn't put that stupid clause in his will giving his Grandmother a way to tighten the noose.

Ugh. He could hear her now. "Avail, haven't I told you to settle down. Stop fooling around with all this insta-fame nonsense. Your grandfather would not approve of your behavior. For Devil's sake, boy, stop acting like a peacock and find your promised."

Every time he heard his grandmother's words in his ear, he grimaced. How disappointed she sounded, even if only in his head. It was not his fault the Naughty Dark Prince had a surprisingly large number of followers on Twitter and **. Don't even get him started on his f******k page. Of course, he didn't actually run any of those social media pages.

No, that was up to his somewhat deranged fans. And here he was stuck with another one who thought to trespass during a thunderstorm in nothing but her panties. And what nice panties they were. They'd look better on my floor. Growl.

Still, he had to exercise caution. No matter how hard his devil was pushing him to go to her. Maybe this would be fun after all. Besides, he didn't see any hidden cameras on her person. Where would she put it? She slipped precariously on the wrought iron, swinging one plump thigh around the top and gripping it with all her might. He could hear the increase in her heartrate from where he stood. Damn. He needed to stop this before she got hurt and tried to sue him.

"What the hell are you doing?" He bellowed. Looking to startle the Venus into telling him the truth, angered as he was by the idea that she'd come to tempt him with her wiles only to use him for her own bit of insta-fame.

Her surprised gasp and consequential fall towards the ground were not what he had intended. Still, the danger was evident. Avail moved quickly. Using his supernatural speed and strength, he raced over the slippery cobblestone to catch the tumbling female in the nick of time.

His hands touched her wet skin and, zap, he felt as if he'd grabbed hold of a live wire. Heat spread through his body from that one point of contact. He hardly felt the rain for the woman burning in his arms.

An insatiable desire to kiss the woman, taste her lips, and elsewhere filled him. Lust addled he pulled her tighter against him. The need to carry the stranger home pounded in time with his thunderous heartbeat. What is happening to me? Never before had he felt this way, still, deep down, way down, he knew. Mine, growled his Devil.

"You're naked!" The trembling blonde beauty screeched over the storm.

Well, that's surprising. He hadn't taken her for a prude. Especially in her current state of undress.

"So are you, pet," he countered.

Ignoring her meager struggles to be put down, Avail turned with the near naked beauty in his arms. A sassy little thing for certain, he mused.

Determined to find out if his initial reaction was a fluke, he started his trek back towards his home. The little blonde squirmed in his arms, this way and that. She pummeled his chest, as if her tiny little fists could hurt him.

He smiled. Didn't she know it was futile to resist him? Besides. He was Avail Leeds, women clamored to gain his attention? The little groupie should be happy.

Finally, she gave up her struggles with a harrumph. She crossed her arms, pushing her plump bosoms up further. Mmm. Berries. He wondered for a second if they'd be dark and dusky, or pink and tip tilted? Either way, he couldn't wait to taste.

The rain continued to pelt them. The cold apparent despite it being spring. The woman shivered and he held her closer, using his body to heat her. The woman turned her head refusing to look at him. Well, that won't do.

Missing the feel of her fingers, he jostled her a bit, approving the way she gripped his arms. Her tiny squeak of surprise was adorable. Even better was the way she squirmed closer to him. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest had his Devil, and other parts of him, perking up.

She seeks warmth. Is drawn to our heat. As it should be. A feeling of rightness settled into his body. Perhaps Grandmother was correct, and he'd been missing this in his life? But did mates generally fall off fences into the arms of waiting Devils? He'd never heard of such a thing.

"Where are you taking me?" Her voice was husky from the ravages of the storm.

He'd see to it she got some tea once they were inside. The need to comfort and protect paramount. Well, right after the need to do other things. His c**k hardened, bobbing just under her plump bottom as he carried her across the paved patio, despite the cold rain pelting them.

"Inside," he inhaled her light, delicate fragrance and almost groaned at the sweetness.

His Devil tensed. So sweet. So special. So mine. He started across the slip free tiles surrounding the covered up in-ground pool.

It would be another month before they opened it for the summer. He wondered briefly if she liked swimming. Pictured her in the cool depths with him and nothing else between them. Yes.

With each step his Devil pushed forward. The feel of her soft skin, the delicate perfume that surrounded her, the timbre of her sweet voice, all of it, all of her, made his heart hammer inside of his chest and his c**k pulse with need.

"You should put me down now! Really, I'm too heavy for you to carry like this," she leaned into him, cupping his ear before speaking.

Oh f**k. He knew he should answer her, but he couldn't speak. Electricity danced down his spine, zapping him with awareness as her heated hands reached for him of her own volition. Warm breath tickled his earlobe, the heat assaulting his senses. And what a sweet assault it was!

Avail breathed through his nose. In and out. Sucking in the fresh, damp air that with it, brought her own sweet scent into his body. Hell, into his very blood. Want to taste. His heart thudded. Head pounded. His Devil scratched at his skin.

He couldn't let him out. Not now. Not when he held her in his arms. She was delicate and fragile. A normal. He'd hurt her if he Changed. It was too dangerous. Never hurt her, snarled his inner Devil. She is ours. Mine. My promised.

"I said you can let me go!" The luscious creature yelled over the booming rain yet again, but he found words were a little hard to form at the moment while his Devil raged inside.

What? She wants to leave me. NEVER! An overwhelming surge of possessiveness nearly sent Avail to his knees. He did not know this woman from Eve, but she was his. His. And she wasn't going anywhere.

"No," he grunted the word forcing one leg to move in front of the other. It was getting more and more difficult to hold on. The clouds and rain hid the moon, but he still felt it pull at him. His Devil begging for release with each step.

"But-" she sputtered, her blonde hair sticking to her gorgeous cheeks as she tried again to persuade him to drop her.

"You. Are. Mine," he stared into her bright blue eyes as he spoke. The exact color of the heavens, he thought.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The woman who was his yelled, batting her tiny fists against his chest. So freaking adorable.

"Oh pet, you have no idea, do you?"

"You can't just pick people up and say they're yours!"

"Can't I?"

Her stunned expression was not a denial. At least, Avail didn't think so. He couldn't help himself. Needed to get closer. Grinning like a madman, he leaned down anticipating what she'd do once he captured her plump lips in a short, searing kiss.

Or, that was the plan. Until his lips actually met hers. In that one moment, when his mouth touched upon the silky perfection of hers, all thoughts of a quick peck evaporated.

Avail groaned and deepened the connection. Her shocked gasp allowed him entrance to the hot, seductive cavern of her mouth. And did she respond to him? Hell yes! His little pet was right there in the moment. Lips pressing, tongue twisting, earth-shattering as any kiss ever was in the history of kissing.

Holy hell! A rumbling growl built up from his soul, threatening to erupt like a dormant volcano from his mouth. Grrrrrrrowwwlllll. His Devil side wanted out. Last quarter moon or not, his beast wanted to mark this woman. Here. Now.

Well, f**k me. This is really happening. He couldn't have known that the entire world as he knew it was going to turn upside f*****g down and inside out the very moment, he'd tasted her, could he? Hello, Universe, not even a warning?

Okay. He'd been kind of certain this delicate female was his when he saw her straddling the fence in her decadent underthings. Black lace. His favorite.

Kinda certain. With a hint of skepticism. But not now. Not after he'd laid his mouth upon her sweet lips and sampled her heady flavors. Certainty took on a whole new meaning in that one single touch.

Without any sense of self-preservation, Avail dove head-first into that passionate kiss. And he knew without a doubt. She. Is. Mine. My mate. My promised.

Speaking of which, his soon-to-be mate whimpered as he raised his head. Blue eyes glazed with lust met his. Shock and something akin to awe evident in their depths. Rain still poured from the skies, he knew he should hurry and get her indoors, but he couldn't move. Not yet.

"I, uh, guess you proved me wrong," she said.

"Yes."

"Seriously though, who are you?"

"What is your name?"

"Stephanie Decatur."

"Why did you come here?"

"I came to see the Leeds'," her guileless baby blues blinked up at him and his heart skipped a beat or two. Damn, but she was lovely.

"Well, you found one." Not a lie. Kudos to me!

"But who are you?" A curious little one, he grinned.

"I'm all yours, pet," he winked.

"Tell me who you are!" She shouted over the weather.

"How about I show you?"

Blue eyes flashed, her temper really starting to show as he smiled again. At least she would never bore him! Stephanie Decatur, he liked the sound of it. Liked Stephanie Leeds even better.

She wanted to know him, did she? Well then, here goes, he thought and did the one thing he swore he would never do as long as he lived.

Avail tipped his head back, reveling in the rain as it turned to steam once it made contact with his burning hot skin. Savored the flavors of his tiny mate on his tongue. Yes. So good. He reached inside himself and called to his other half. That part of him so deeply embedded he sometimes wondered if there was a difference. Come, our mate wants to know us, he crooned to the beast. Yes, was the ready answer.

The tiny woman eeped as he began his Shift with her still balanced in the cradle of his steel arms. Magic hummed over his body, the power warming them both. Stephanie's eyes flashed with fear, but he knew it would be over soon.

Human skin gave way to thick, reddened flesh. Face elongated taking on the wyvern-shape of his other half. His nostrils grew and with that his senses increased. The woman in his arms smelled f*****g delicious.

Arms and chest both thickened, covered in smooth, oval shaped scales the same dark red of his skin. They glistened in the rain and flashes of lightning that shone overhead. Yessss, his Devil hissed the word as he emerged.

Claws, four inches long and black as night, grew from the tips of his fingers. Avail was careful to keep them tucked away from his soft-skinned mate. He would not hurt her for all the world. Mine.

Electricity and something more zipped along his spine. He welcomed the magic, feeling the Change wash over him was nothing new. In fact, he reveled in the fierce strength and heightened awareness that accompanied it.

Muscles bulged and grew. His feet transformed into huge, cloven hooves. Thick, black fur sprouted along his long, powerful legs. Enormous black wings unfurled from his back at the same time a great rack of antlers protruded from his forehead.

"Oh my God!" Stephanie shouted.

"Not quite. You wanted to know who am I, pet? This is who I am," his voice emerged as a seductive growl over the rain and thunder that continued to boom in the distance.

His forked tail whipped to and fro behind him as he pressed the woman closer to his chest. Smells good. Want her. Mark her. My promised.

Desire thrummed inside of him. Her eyes, the color of a summer sky, widened as they took in his massive, reddened form. Impressive, he knew.

Avail wondered if it was his tail that came a little too close to her face before tucking behind him that was the final straw. Those perfect eyes of hers met his once more before rolling up in the back of her head.

His mate had passed out! Hardly flattering considering he'd never revealed his Devil to anyone besides family before. Maybe he should have waited? Tried harder to deny his Shift. But, how could he?

Everything in his blood told him the female was his. His mate, his other half, the one being in the world to temper his beast. A beast that had wanted to meet her. Mate her. Mark her.

Lightning sounded and he looked down at the now unconscious female. He had to take care of her first. Then he'd explain. All of it.

"Come, mate, let's get you inside."

A direct descendant of the first Jersey Devil born by his ancestor, a White Witch lovingly referred to as Mother Leeds by his family, in the early eighteenth century, Avail was perhaps the closest, truest thing to the original Jersey Devil alive today.

Rumor had it that his ancestor had had an affair with the actual Devil himself, resulting in one small, gifted offspring who turned out to be Avail's grandfather's grandfather. Of course, the Devil she'd had the affair with was a lesser Demon, name of Rosier, but most didn't know that.

A prince of Hell, his powers were extremely strong. Still are for that matter, tough he had not come back to the surface as far as Avail knew. His son, Avail's ancestor, being half-Witch and half-Demon, took on the shape of a hybrid Wyvern Shifter and was even gifted with some magic of his own.

True, there were other half-Witch half-Demon beings running about, but none had the reputation of the Jersey Devil. Thanks to his uncles and cousins, sightings have kept them in the limelight over the centuries. The gift, as it were, being passed down to the men in the family only, was still passed through the women.

There were a few dozen Jersey Devil descendants running around the north east, but Avail Leeds was the one and only direct heir.

Dark Prince, indeed. And now he'd found her, his promised, the princess of his heart. The one woman in the whole world born to tempt and tame the Devil himself.

His blood sang with the heat of her nearness. Her light heady fragrance assailing his sensitive nose as he cradled her against him. He wrapped his large wings around them, keeping her safe from the battering winds and rain of the storm.

"Mine," he growled.

Avail stomped towards the front entrance of Leeds Mansion. Usually, his Devil was out for blood or s*x during the last quarter moon. Not that he'd deny wanting the nearly nude beauty in his arms, but, to his immediate surprise, his first instinct was to care for her.

Strange. He'd never felt such a compulsion before. And to think, had his grandmother and Mr. Henries not forbidden him to go out that evening he might not have been there to receive his beautiful promised. He'd have to send them a gift basket. One of those fruit flower thingies should do nicely.

He'd store that thought away for later. Right now, he had better things to do.

Mine.