Through the Red Door

By Devon Rhodes

Just a demon's luck. Seth finally finds the perfect house...and it comes with an angel.

The last thing that demon Seth expects to come across while househunting is an injured angel...especially one who has no idea he's anything but human. Every instinct in him wants to stay far away, but Kyrian is being targeted by another demon, and Seth reluctantly finds himself playing guardian to the irresistible male.

Kyrian has no idea what is 'haunting' his house, but after he breaks his ankle being shoved off the deck, he's had enough. Strong, handsome Seth is a godsend, making him feel safe and secure. But he alludes to secrets that will test everything Kyrian believes...and turns the tables on just who needs protecting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Jun 28, 2010
• ISBN: 9780857151698

Book preview

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Through the Red Door

ISBN # 978-0-85715-169-8

©Copyright Devon Rhodes 2010

Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright June 2010

Edited by Jess Bimberg

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-melting.

Vampires & Mages & Weres, Oh My!

THROUGH THE RED DOOR

Devon Rhodes

Dedication

For all my friends and fans who helped me choose names for my angel and demon…and who unanimously voted to make my demon male.

Kyrian and I thank you.

Chapter One

This one really has nice kerb appeal. Beautiful landscaping, and it looks like the owner really enjoys gardening. Let’s see here. The garish, loud real estate agent consulted the sheet on her clipboard as she minced her way up the front walkway. Seth trailed unenthused in her wake, wishing he had broken away to stop for a latte. All her inane yammering was giving him a headache, and missing his regular mid-afternoon caffeine fix probably wasn’t helping.

Rubbing his hand over his tired eyes, Seth tuned back in to what the agent was saying about their eighth house that day.

…just two years ago, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a new roof for a long time. And I love the colours, don’t you? Such a classic combination, with the black shutters and the red front door. Now where did they stick that lockbox?

Seth remained where he had frozen stockstill at the mention of the red front door. Fuck. Figures. Just when I hit full power again.

He resumed walking towards the front of the house, which did seem like a lovely house, even as he tried to avoid looking at the front door. He kept his eyes averted as the agent held her cell phone up to the lockbox until it opened, using the time for a silent pep talk.

Okay, now remember. You can do this. The owner said it was okay to come inside when they agreed to the showing. So technically, that’s like being invited in. Right?

Why don’t we just skip this house?

But it’s in a great neighbourhood.

Oh, shut up!

Wishing he felt more certain about the loophole, knowing that entering this house was going to leach a ton of power either way, Seth braced himself as he mounted the front step. Silently chanting a protective cadence to bolster his shields, he took a deep breath and followed the agent gingerly across the threshold.

As if walking through an electrical field, shocking pain flashed like a current through Seth’s body, but dissipated as quickly as it hit. Huh. Weird. That wasn’t nearly as bad as it should have been.

Not bad? After that, this had better be a fucking amazing house.

And it was.

Seth glanced dispiritedly around the last house in today’s excursion, expecting more of what he had been seeing during the past month of interminable house-hunting—a cookie cutter house with no personality that he wouldn’t be caught dead living in, or something with ‘potential’ that idiotic owners had beaten the crap out of…that he wouldn’t be caught dead living in.

He’d been surprised to find something in this neighbourhood in his price range and probably the only reason he was even able to think about affording a house here was because this house was small. He looked down at the info sheet in his hand. Very small. Only two bedrooms and an office. Seth shrugged. Fine for him since he lived alone, but he supposed for most people bigger was better.

The scent hit him first and the vice that was his headache immediately eased. It was a spicy combination, like nuts and cinnamon. Or maybe cardamom? He inhaled deeply and his mind cleared completely, making everything suddenly seem brighter, more vivid.

He finally began to really look around at the place. The vaulted foyer was bright and open, flanked on one side by French doors leading to the office and on the other a half-wall with glassed cabinets delineating the dining room. The white baseboards and crown moulding set off the rich earth tones of the walls and Brazilian cherry floors.

With rising excitement, Seth tuned out the nattering agent as he strode forward past her into the great room at rear of the house. The kitchen was a cook’s dream and spotless. Through the floor to ceiling bank of windows on the back wall of the family room, Seth could see a stone patio, a multilevel deck with what looked like a hot tub, and a view of nothing but green space. Privacy, ahhh.

Not even bothering to step outside, he ascended the stairs to find a tidy guest room at the front of the house, a small area on the top landing that overlooked the vaulted entry and dining room below, and a surprisingly large master suite that ran across the entire back of the house, complete with double doors opening to a private deck.

Inexplicably, Seth began to become aroused, his cock shifting in his jeans as it began to harden. The scent from before was strongest in here, which struck Seth as odd. Surely something in the kitchen was the source of the delicious smell? He took another long inhale and his lids drifted closed as his eyes nearly rolled back in his head with pleasure. He went unconsciously into tracking mode as he followed the scent across the room to the four-poster bed. His hand unerringly reached of its own accord for the pillow on the left side, pulling it from the covers and raising it

Reviews for Through the Red Door

[serenayates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great addition to the series, this second book deals with the slightly more serious "issue" of what happens when a demon, Seth, falls in love with an angel, Kyrian - only the angel thinks he's human.

I liked how protective Seth is of Kyrian from the very start. The fact that he risks everything, including his life, to save Kyrian is very touching. It makes the ending all the more fun and rewarding. This story, like the first, is written with a large dollop of humor and had me laughing out loud several times. I look forward to the next instalment!