Hagen, Lynn - Snooke [Demon Warriors 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (2 page)

“What aren’t you telling me, shorty?” Kane whispered as he tucked the blanket around Snooke’s shoulders and then stood, walking over to the chair Hondo just vacated.

Kane wasn’t sure what he was feeling inside. It wasn’t as if he really knew Snooke. They’d barely had a few words together. But when Snooke smiled, Kane’s whole world lit up.

“What the hell? Since when does my whole world light up?” Kane asked out loud as his head fell back on his shoulders. This shit was getting complicated. He lifted his head to look over at the slight demon.

Snooke moaned and turned over, his fingers instinctively going to his face. Kane pushed from the chair and knelt in front of Snooke. “Don’t touch it, shorty.” He moved Snooke’s fingers away from the bruises.

Snooke’s eyes fluttered open, and Kane held his breath as the most gorgeous indigo-blue eyes stared up at him. “Where am I?”

“In my apartment. You were attacked. Don’t you remember?” Kane asked gently. Snooke looked at him, confused. He tried once again to reach for his face, but Kane snagged his hands. “You have bruises on your face. I think they would really hurt if you touched them right now.”

“How did I get bruises?” Snooke tried to sit up, but Kane placed his hands on Snooke’s chest, gently pushing him back down.

“I was hoping you could tell me that.” Kane picked up the wet washcloth and wiped at the dried blood on the side of Snooke’s mouth that he’d missed.

“I don’t remember. I remember being at the barbeque, walking into the house, and then…I woke up here.” Snooke pushed the blanket from his chest and once again tried to sit up.

Kane once again pushed him back down. “I found you behind the Pancake House unconscious and beaten to hell.” Kane set the cloth down.

Snooke pushed up onto his elbows, knocking Kane’s hands aside when he tried for a third time to make Snooke lay down. “How the hell did I end up back there?” Snooke sounded accusing, as if Kane himself had knocked him out and placed him there.

“You tell me.” Kane stood and walked around the coffee table. “You did one of your disappearing acts and that’s where we found you.” He didn’t appreciate Snooke’s tone of voice. The only thing Kane had done was to try and take care of the demon.

“We? I thought you said you found me? Which is it?”

Why was the small demon on the defensive? Up until now, Snooke had blushed and ogled Kane every time they were near one another. This didn’t make sense. “Yes, I had Hondo and Takeo with me.” If Snooke honestly didn’t remember, Kane wasn’t sure if he should tell the demon that he had lay mere inches from a dead shifter.

“I don’t know what’s going on or why I was back there, but I need to go.” Snooke threw his legs over the side of the couch, tossed the blanket aside, and stood. His hand automatically went to his head as he weaved a little.

“I think you should rest. You’re in no condition to go anywhere.” Kane could see how pale Snooke had become just from standing. Maybe he should call Phoenyx. What if he had a concussion?

“I’m fine.” Snooke waved Kane off and headed toward the door.

Kane blocked him from leaving with his larger frame. “No, you are not fine.”

“Are you forcing me to stay?” Snooke asked as he waited for Kane to move. If Kane didn’t know any better, Snooke was running scared from him.

“I’d never force you to do anything. It would always be your choice.” Kane stepped aside, reluctantly letting Snooke go. His fingers itched to pull the slim man into his arms as he passed him on his way to the door, but he could see Snooke wasn’t being receptive at the moment.

“Thanks for pulling my ass out of whatever mess I was in,” Snooke said before opening the door and closing it behind him.

“Shit,” Kane cursed as he walked over to the couch and folded the blanket. He tossed it onto the back of the sofa before grabbing the washcloth and walking to the bathroom and tossing it into the hamper. What the hell was the guy’s problem?

Kane stood in the bathroom and stared at his reflection. Did he change from the barbeque to the apartment? Did Snooke all of the sudden find him unattractive?

He pulled the skin below his eyes to look at his copper-brown eyes. Nope, nothing new. Kane opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out, wiggling it around. It looked the same as this morning.

He was still extremely tall. At six-eight, he would notice a growth spurt or shrinkage. He ran his hands over his biceps, seeing no change. They were still well developed. His mahogany-brown hair still sat at his shoulders, the auburn highlights noticeable in the florescent lighting of the bathroom.

Kane blew out a breath. “So why did he run?” he asked his reflection.

Kane ran his hands threw his hair as he stared at his mirror image.

“So what the hell is his problem? I’m interested. He’s interested. One plus one equals two sweaty men wrestling naked in bed. I don’t get it.”

Kane cut the lights in the bathroom as he walked out. He was more than ready to twist the sheets with Snooke. If only he could pin the man down, literally.

“They say it’s a sign that you’re going mad when you start talking to yourself.” Rainerio chuckled from the living room.

“They say you can get shot sneaking into someone’s apartment, too.” Kane dropped down on the couch and grabbed the blanket from the back, holding it close to his face so he could smell Snooke’s scent on it.

What the hell was wrong with him? Kane tossed the blanket aside, seeing Rainerio watching him. “What?”

“Either you use really good detergent or someone has your nose wide open,” he teased.

“Neither. What do you want besides feeling the need to harass me?” Kane was looking at Rainerio, but all he could see was Snooke. He envisioned Snooke on his knees in front of him taking the head of his cock in between those plump red lips. He shuddered at the image.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.” The warrior snapped his fingers, trying to gain Kane’s attention.

“I did, too. You were talking about detergent.” Kane crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at Rainerio.

“I said that ten minutes ago. What did I
just
say to you?” Rainerio challenged.

Had the warrior been talking? Hell if Kane knew. He was too busy fantasizing about Snooke and those luscious lips of his. “Panahasi?”

Rainerio snorted and shook his head. “Not even close. So who has you sniffing behind them? Is it that skinny guy that hangs around Chris, Snooke?”

“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here?” Kane kicked his feet up on the glass coffee table and began fingering the blanket. He wasn’t about to tell anyone how “wide open” Snooke really had him. Besides, he still had the job of pinning the guy down to have a decent conversation with him.

Oh god, the image of Kane pinning Snooke down took over. He could just imagine what it would be like to fuck that tight little ass of his. To have Snooke begging for Kane to…

“There you go again.” Rainerio snapped his fingers. “Demon realm to Kane. Hello?”

“What?” Kane blinked and looked over at the warrior again. “Will you stop interrupting me?”
Geez, can’t a guy fantasize in peace these days?
Why was Rainerio fucking with him?

“You got it bad.” Rainerio chuckled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The warrior pointed over at Kane’s crotch. “Hard-on, dude. You can’t tell me you weren’t thinking about the little white-headed demon. The proof is standing up and saluting.”

Kane growled and tossed the blanket over his lap. “Will you get on with telling me why you’re here?”

“I told you twice, but you weren’t listening,” Rainerio pointed out.

Had he? Damn, Kane needed to focus. “Then tell me once more, smartass.”

“Are you sure you’re going to listen this time?” Rainerio quirked a brow as he stared at Kane.

Smug bastard. “I’m listening, go on.”
Don’t think about Snooke.

“Torky and Ace Boogey have been taken off watch duty. Panahasi put a troll down by the river to watch for the crystal. He wants us”—Rainerio pointed between himself and Kane—“to go have a talk with Diablo. See if he’s heard anything.”

“He wants us to go now?” Kane tossed the blanket aside, his erection finally flaccid.

“Unless you want to wait until the thief figures out how to use the crystal and releases every prisoner in the detention cells.” Rainerio frowned as he looked over at Kane. “You don’t want that, do you?”

Was Rainerio serious? “No.” He wanted to wait to see if Snooke came back. That would have to wait judging by the look on Rainerio’s face. “I don’t want that.” Kane stood and headed toward his bedroom, the room that had the darkest shadows.

He could hear Rainerio behind him. Kane shut the lights off and walked toward the corner by the closet, walking through the shadows and coming out by the side of the Diablo’s club. He could hear the music vibrating through the brick walls from the outside.

They walked around front, seeing the centaur-shifter in human form standing by the door with his arms crossed over his massive chest. “Hey, Diesel.” Kane waved to the bouncer as they entered the club. Diesel gave a slight nod at the pair and then studied the entranceway once again.

The usual throng of patrons sat by the stage as the drag queen, Roxy, strutted across the stage. The stripper presently on stage seemed to be everyone’s favorite. Kane had to admit that Roxy was stunning, in drag or in his everyday wear. Kane had been interested in Roxy eons ago, but the guy was too high maintenance. The performer could also work himself into a snit like nobody’s business.

Kane spotted the Demon Warrior, Wayland, sitting at a table with a twink straddling his lap. The smaller man had on extremely short shorts, his ass cheeks hanging out as Wayland’s hands rubbed all over the twink’s bared ass.

He had a feeling they were in the middle of having sex. Kane strolled over and grabbed the beer bottle sitting on the table. “Is this yours?”

“Yep.” Wayland groaned as the smaller man bounced up and down on his lap.

“Good.” Kane tilted the bottle back and took a strong tug on the neck of the bottle. He’d eat and drink after people he knew and trusted. Like the warriors and Chris. But from the looks of the blond sitting on Wayland’s lap—while eyeing another man across the room—Kane wouldn’t touch anything the guy had his lips on.

Kane joined Rainerio at the bar as he finished Wayland’s beer. “Where’s Diablo?” he asked as he looked around. There were plenty of people pushed up to the bar, but Diablo, the owner, was usually behind the bar serving and watching everything that was going on in his club.

“Good question. I haven’t seen him yet.”

Kane’s eyes swept the club as he looked for Diablo, the dragon-shifter. His eyes swung back to the guy sitting at a table smiling at him. Kane saw the lust in the dark pupils from across the room but, for once, had no interest. The stranger wasn’t Snooke.

How the hell had he fallen so hard, so fast, in just a few short days? The demons, as far as Kane knew, were the only paranormal creatures that didn’t know who their mates were. There was no pull or a need to be near someone. They had to fuck until their cocks fell off to find the one destined to be theirs. It was a lonely feeling when you finished having sex with someone and found that they weren’t your mate. Kane hated it, as most demons did, but their race was desperate to find their mates.

So to pass up a romp with the man lustfully eyeing him from across the room was like passing up the chance to see if he was Kane’s mate. But for some crazy-ass reason, Kane felt he would be betraying Snooke if he indulged in a little skin-on-skin time.

If he didn’t fuck Snooke soon and get the indigo-eyed man out of his system, Kane could end up alone for a very long time. He wondered if the feeling he had for Snooke meant that they were mates, but Kane brushed it off as being a warrior and wanting to protect the man.