by Lexi C. Foss
Cyprus dipped his head in respect but otherwise remained alert, his gaze returning to the guests.
Forever vigilant.
I approved.
Not that anyone would be suicidal enough to try anything with the Devil conducting today’s ceremony. I returned my focus to him, indicating with a polite nod for him to begin.
He smiled.
“Oh, but I do love a happy beginning,” he said, clasping his hands and commanding everyone’s attention. “Today we’re gathered to share in the beautiful union of Grigory, Prince of Noxia, and Zaya, Harbinger of the Underworld. They’re a perfect match, forged in hell by the creator himself, and will lead Noxia Kingdom with a flair unlike anything this world has ever seen.”
Forged in hell, Zaya repeated. How romantic.
He’s the Devil.
He really is.
“Now, Grigory, do you take Zaya to be your wife, to have and to hold, and to protect and to love, for all of eternity?”
I gazed down at her, losing myself in her hypnotic eyes. “I do.”
“And do you, Zaya, take Grigory to be your husband, to have and to hold, and to protect and to love, for all of eternity?”
She smiled. “I do.”
I didn’t wait for him to continue, this entire charade no longer mattering. I pulled her into me for a kiss, sealing the vow I’d given to her three days ago that I’d kiss her just as soon as she said “I do.”
Oh, I’d kissed her since because she was Zaya and I couldn’t keep my fucking hands off of her.
But this embrace meant so much more than all the others.
This one tied our lives together before my people, proving our love to the kingdom we were both destined to reign.
Lucifer coughed, remarking that he hadn’t gotten to that part yet. But I ignored him, instead lifting my bride into my arms and walking her out of the great hall.
She giggled. I don’t think we were done.
Oh, we were done, I told her, carrying her all the way to our room.
“I’m starting to think you only married me for sex,” she teased as I tossed her onto the bed.
“I did,” I replied, loosening my tie. “I intend to spend eternity between your thighs.” I unbuttoned my jacket, hung it on a chair, then worked on my cuff links. “Take off your dress.”
“So bossy,” she murmured. “And I can’t. It’s laced up in the back.”
“Hmm.” I studied the gown as I began unbuttoning my shirt. Her gaze followed my hands, her tongue sneaking out to dampen her lips. “Pull up your skirt,” I told her. “I want to see what’s waiting for me beneath the dress.”
She smiled and slowly inched the fabric up her toned legs to reveal the scrap of lace between her thighs. “I went with red, which sort of matches your aura right now.”
I finished removing my shirt, then dropped my hand to my belt. Her eyes followed, the turquoise irises flaring with need. “I bet your aura is red, too.”
“It absolutely is,” she murmured, her fingers slipping beneath her lacy panties.
A groan caught in my throat as she slid the lace down to reveal her damp flesh. My glimpse of heaven disappeared for a moment, the panties catching around her knees, then she finished removing the damp red fabric and held it up to me on the heel of her silver shoe.
So fucking hot.
I caught her ankle and bent to take the lace between my teeth. The aroma of her need elicited a growl from my chest, the beast within me eager for a taste, but instead I took the panties and put them in my pocket as a keepsake. It was our wedding night, after all.
Her eyes glittered in approval, especially when I continued to take off my pants. I kicked them to the side with my shoes and socks, then crawled over her on the bed and allowed my hips to rest between her splayed thighs. Unlike her, I hadn’t worn anything beneath my clothes, thus allowing my cock to greet her intimately as I pressed myself against her.
“I’m going to fuck you in this dress first. Then I’ll slowly take it off and fuck you again.”
I palmed her tits through the fabric and grinned as she arched into me. “Yes.” Her approval came out on an agonized hiss as I thrust inside her slick heat. She scratched her nails down my back, a moan catching in the air between us, and then she kissed me like a woman possessed by sex.
“Fuck, you’re going to be the death of me,” I breathed, her tight walls pulsating around me in a fiery grip that nearly forced me over the edge like a damn inexperienced demon.
She thrust her hips upward. “Death by fucking doesn’t sound too bad to me.”
Mmm, I hummed in agreement, pulling out of her to the tip, then sliding back in again.
“So good,” she panted.
“Only good?” I repeated the action with a little more power behind it. “I’m just going to have to try harder.”
She groaned in response, her little claws biting into my skin as she urged me to move faster. “Better,” she chanted, causing me to grin against her mouth.
I released her breasts to grab her hips, angling her to where I wanted her, then drove home again, causing her to cry out. “That’s better,” I corrected.
“Fuck,” she breathed.
“Yes.” I repeated the action, my tongue tracing her lip in a tease of a kiss. Then I dragged my mouth across her cheek to her ear. “I want you to scream again, Zay. I want the entire fucking palace to hear you.”
She shuddered beneath me, her nails seeking a better grip on my back.
And I sank my teeth into her neck.
My name left her mouth on a beautiful sound, one I forced her to make again as I picked up the pace between her thighs.
She liked it rough.
Harsh.
Thorough.
And I quickly drove her over the edge into a blissful state that I soon followed, our bodies trembling together in a series of glorious spasms.
But we were nowhere near done.
Fuck the after-party, the guests, the traditions.
I wanted my wife, and I intended to have her all damn night and for eternity.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” I vowed.
“That’s good,” she whispered, her body heaving in a much-needed breath. “Because if you leave me now, I’ll kill you.”
I smiled against her throat. “A true threat.”
“The absolute truth,” she replied.
“I approve.” I licked the wound I created on her neck, reveling in her decadent flavor. “Forever mine.”
“And you’re forever mine.” Her blunt teeth bit into my shoulder, causing me to flinch and then moan as her tongue caressed my flesh.
“Get this dress off me,” she whispered. “I want to fuck again.”
I growled in approval, pulling out of her and flipping her onto her stomach to unlace the gown. While I had a knife in my nightstand that would do the job quicker, I decided my hands were adequate. It allowed me to touch her. To worship her. To treat her with the care and sensuality she deserved. And there was something undeniably sexy about revealing her skin inch by inch to my gaze.
It also heightened the intensity, drawing out the moment, so that by the time she was naked before me, we were both ravenous for each other once more.
I took her slower this time, feeling every inch of her claim against my shaft, bathing in the heat of our union.
Zaya was my everything. My life. My future. My forever. I allowed her to feel every single emotion, including my devotion and adoration. My heart was hers. My body was hers. My soul was hers.
And if I were honest with myself, it’d been that way from the very beginning.
From the first time I laid eyes on the broken girl in Caluçon with a spirit underlined in fire. She’d wanted to die, but a stronger part of her had desired to live. I’d catered to that part of her—the warrior I’d seen beneath the fragile veneer. Then I’d watched her blossom into a fierce force of nature, a trait that would make her the perfect queen.
Together we would rule
Noxia Kingdom.
As husband and wife.
We were two souls joined in life and death.
And we made a formidable pair, one that was fortunate enough to find our own version of a happily ever after.
Two Months Later
Demon bars were so much better than human establishments. The décor came alive in fiery spurts, torches illuminated the rocky interior, and the bartenders had the appropriate amount of dexterity to handle the crowd.
I sipped my blood-infused wine at the counter while pretending to listen to the male beside me go on and on about his pet hellhound. He wasn’t exactly hitting on me, just making friendly conversation, which I allowed because it afforded me the opportunity to study the demon across the bar.
He was the final name on my list.
Braun.
I’d taken out his two buddies last week, and the second had been kind enough to give me this asshole’s location.
Finally.
Is he making you want a hellhound, baby? Grigory asked me via our link. He sat in the shadows, his legs crossed at the ankles, as he watched me work. He would only intervene if I needed him.
Do you think it would placate your mother? Lux had been going on about us creating an heir, which was ridiculous because Grigory and I had just wed. Fortunately, my husband agreed with my stance—we weren’t ready. Which was why he hadn’t even begun to look into the fertility rituals required for Noxia demons.
It might, he murmured, referring to the hellhound pleasing Lux. But I’ve heard they can be hell on furniture.
I smirked, his comment confirming he could hear everything the guy beside me was saying about his new pet. Apparently, they have a clawing problem.
So does my wife, Grigory drawled, sending me a memory from earlier this evening. He’d fucked me up against the wall of our shower, and my nails were a little overeager on his back.
I’m not sorry.
I know. He shifted subtly, his instincts going on alert as the demon across the bar stood. I think he’s about to head out.
Yep. I politely finished my conversation with Mister Hellhound, wishing him luck with his pet, then picked up the tab for his drink. “It’s on the King and Queen of Noxia,” I informed him. Because, yeah, those were our titles now that Grigory had ascended.
My buddy’s eyes widened. “What?”
“It was lovely to meet you, Max,” I added. “Feel free to bring your pup to the palace sometime. My husband would love to meet him.”
“You’re… you’re…”
I winked at him. “It’s the hair,” I said, pointing to my updated look. “Red is the new blue.” And as I hadn’t spent much time around the realms yet, my face wasn’t all that familiar either. Only my name.
“I had no idea, Queen Zaya. I… What are you doing here?”
“Working,” I replied, patting him on the back. “And I mean it. Feel free to stop by sometime.”
With that, I left him gaping after me and followed my mark out the door in the blistering sun of Neptune. Grigory hung back for obvious reasons, his mental link with me satisfying his instinct to protect.
After two months of practice, I’d more or less mastered my soul-sucking power. I didn’t like to use it often, but it was required tonight. Just like last week when I took out the other two demons. Their souls couldn’t be allowed into the resurrection cycle.
Rolling my neck, I trailed after Braun toward his little hideout.
He didn’t pay attention to his surroundings, not noticing me at all when I came up right behind him at his door.
His overconfidence would be his downfall.
“With a record like yours, I would think you’d pay better attention, Braun,” I told him conversationally as he inserted his key into the lock.
His shoulders stiffened, a bead of sweat appearing on the back of his neck.
That little tell gave me all the power.
He feared me.
I recalled a time where he haunted my nightmares, where his face appeared beside Necros as they laughed at my wilted form on the floor.
But now it was my turn to laugh, a sound that echoed when he swung around with a knife in his hand. I dodged his attempt with a smile. However, I wasn’t cocky enough to let him try again.
Rather than draw out the moment of revenge, I enacted my power, hooking into his soul and shredding him apart from the inside.
He bellowed in alarm, his hand going to his chest as if that would be enough to stop me.
I almost felt sorry for him, that action of hope futile and crumbling before me as he fell to his knees on a sound of anguish.
Whatever pity the act stirred died in the next breath as his inky essence began to shatter against my aura.
There was no virtue inside him.
No innocence.
No true desire to reform.
He was vile and without remorse, his hope centered around a need to survive more than a need to change his ways.
This male would no doubt rape again.
He thrived on the blood of innocents, adored breaking weak human females, and lived to harm others.
Braun was the kind of soul Lucifer wanted me to destroy. I felt his approval radiating with each passing second, my harbinger duties satisfying his every whim.
My prey fell to the ground in a husk of his former self, his eyes rolling back into his head as the last slivers of his spirit fractured against my will.
I stared at him for a moment, emotion failing me. No elation. No real pride. No satisfaction at having crossed the final name off my list. And yet, I didn’t really expect to feel any of those things. I’d grown beyond my need for vengeance, becoming a new demon in the process.
Zaya.
Queen of Noxia.
Wife of Grigory.
Harbinger of the Underworld.
I’d found my own version of satisfaction by becoming a stronger woman—not by bathing in the blood of my enemies but by empowering my inner self through trials many would never have survived.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, Grigory kissing my neck. He couldn’t see, the sun too bright for his Noxia traits, but he’d found me through the links in our minds.
“Ready to go home?” he asked softly.
“I am,” I replied. “It’s finally d—”
A shimmer in the air cut off my comment, a green glow appearing a few paces away followed by a figure in a hood stepping into view. I frowned as he knocked the hood back, revealing the face of a male I’d only begun to know.
“Jeremiah?” I asked, confused by his attire. It wasn’t that of a guard. Maybe Narissa had changed his uniform since he’d transitioned to her court to assist with vetting her soldiers.
“Queen Zaya,” he replied before glancing over my shoulder. “King Grigory.”
“Nice upgrade,” Grigory said, using my sight to see him. “What can we do for you?”
Jeremiah cleared his throat. “Lucifer sent me.”
I nearly groaned. Of course he did.
“Why?” Grigory asked.
“Because Narissa and I need your help,” Jeremiah replied. “Neptune needs your help.”
I glanced around the village, noting the calmness in the air. “The realm feels fine to me.”
“Yes. But that’s about to change.”
“You see the future now?” Grigory asked, a hint of jest in his tone.
“Not exactly. But as the direct descendant of War, I sense violence before it happens.”
My brow furrowed. “Direct descendant of War?” Does he mean the horseman?
Jeremiah stared at me.
Then the pieces began to come together in my mind.
“Caluçon… Noxia… now Neptune…” He’d been in every place at precisely the right time to observe and assist with wars breaking out across the realms.
“Yes,” he replied. “Only this time, I fear it’s too big for Narissa to handle alone. Which is why I need you to come with me. Now. Because Narissa is going to need
all the friends she can get.”
Ah, hell, I thought.
My feelings exactly, Grigory muttered back to me. But she did help us in a time of need. It’s only fair we return the favor now.
I swallowed, then nodded. Forever an adventure.
Forever together, Grigory returned.
“Let’s go,” he said to Jeremiah. Something tells me there’s a history here we’re about to learn.
Yes, it should make for quite the story, I agreed.
Let’s hope it ends in a happily ever after.
I smiled. Don’t all tales in the Underworld?
Only for those who deserve it, my husband murmured. But I’m thankful we have ours.
Yes. Happily ever eternity.
Indeed.
The end.
The end, he echoed before taking Jeremiah’s outstretched hand, allowing the guard to whisk us into a new tale of war and vengeance.
My favorite kind of story.
The series continues with Happily Ever Guarded…
Curious about Valora and Adrik? Their story is available now with Happily Ever Crowned.
Looking for another dark paranormal read filled with vampires and sexy biting? Check out Lexi’s Blood Alliance world, starting with Chastely Bitten. It’s a dystopian universe where vampires and lycans make the rules, and humans are forced to obey them. #GetBitten
If you’re in the mood for something dark with contemporary vibes, then Anna’s Dark Sovereignty series will check all your boxes. It features a secret world of harsh politics, bride trials, and sinful decadence. Find out more with book one, Legacy of Succession.
Once upon a time, humankind ruled the world while lycans and vampires lived in secret.
This is no longer that time.
Willow
Run, run, run!
They’re chasing me, even into my dreams.
And when I awake, I see him. Striking blue eyes with a hint of the devil inside. He’s my savior and my worst nightmare combined.
Because he owns me.