Free Demon's Embrace by Abby Blake

spray glue under the bed,” Ronan said breathlessly as he managed to somehow pull Kali behind him and aim the gun at the pixie’s collapsing ash pile. Alex nodded, slipped back to the house, located the aerosol can, and slipped back to the forest. Ronan was already kicking the ashes apart. A few sprays of sticky glue held them apart. Each time that there was any movement from the ashes, either paranormal or from the wind, Ronan sprayed some more. Alex smiled at his friend’s ingenuity. Pixies were simply considered unstoppable amongst the paranormal community, so nobody had ever given any real thought as to how one might slow their reformation down. As Ronan obviously expected, the pixie didn’t rematerialize.
    “Shit! That is not what I expected when we climbed into bed,” Kali said with a strange sort of smile on her face as she picked herself up off the ground. She peeked at the mess of glue and ash from a safe distance. “Is she dead for real this time?”
    “Not sure,” Alex said with a smile of his own. “Nobody has ever thought to glue pixie ashes down.” He turned to Ronan, adrenaline and relief playing havoc with his own emotions. “Always knew you were handy to have around in a fight.”
    Ronan dipped his head in acknowledgement but seemed to be all business. “How far are we from the house?”
    “Only about a mile or so.”
    “Okay, slip back to the house, grab us some clothes, and we’ll walk back.”
    “Hey,” Alex said as he realized that neither Ronan nor Kali seemed as nauseated as they had last time they’d traveled by slip. “You’re both okay?”
    Ronan pulled Kali into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m fine. How about you, baby?”
    “I…um…seem to be pretty good.” She screwed up her face a moment and added, “Except for the fact that I’m standing naked in the middle of a forest and really need a shower.” She made a face as she tried to brush leaves, dirt, and other forest debris from her beautifully curved body
    “I could just—” Alex began to offer, but Ronan held up a hand to stop him.
    “I suspect that the reason we’re fine is due to the fact that we were both in the middle of orgasm at the time. Our senses were otherwise engaged. So, thanks for the offer, but I’d rather walk.”
    “No problems,” Alex said as he turned to Kali and winked. “That’s something I’ll remember for next time though.”
     
    * * * *
     
     
    “Do I have time for a shower?” Kali asked as they finally made it back into the house. The moment Ronan nodded she stripped the shirt straight off and headed for the bathroom. “Will she come after me again?”
    “We have no way of knowing,” Ronan said as he stepped into the shower behind her. “But I’m guessing that even if a pixie can reform after being incinerated and glued, it will take her some time. I doubt they’ll send a replacement assassin just yet.”
    “That’s true,” Alex said from the doorway, “and since nobody officially knows how to kill a pixie, it’s likely they’ll just assume she’s still working on it.”
    “So you think she’s dead?” Kali asked quietly. It didn’t really sit well with her, but if the choice were her or the pixie, she was very glad to be the one still standing.
    Alex just shrugged.
    “How do pixies normally die? Do they grow old?” Ronan asked as he finished cleaning himself down and turned his attention to her. His warm hands were rather distracting despite the impersonal efficiency he was using.
    “I doubt anyone but the pixies know about pixies,” Alex said. “There’s a lot of folklore surrounding them, even in the paranormal communities, but I don’t know what’s true and what’s not.”
    “So we really need to get out of here in case she can overcome the glue and reform?”
    “Yes,” Ronan said as he dragged Kali out from under the water and wrapped a towel around her. Alex stepped under the water and washed quickly.
    He was just