“Let’s get you back to my place then. I can make you something warm to drink, run you a bath? Whatever you wish, I’ll make it happen, Goldie.”
Warmth did sound good, and maybe a nap. Definitely a nap since I had no idea why I was here or how I’d get back home again.
Waking up in Bram’s giant bed, the sun was shining outside and I had lost absolutely all sense of time. The satin sheets felt delicious against my skin and I stretched out like a cat, only to remind myself of Kai. Sigh. How long was I going to be stuck here? I missed my guys. Tears pricked my eyes and I rolled my face into the pillow.
They must have been so worried. I could barely recall the events that happened before darkness took me and I woke up here, the pain was the focus of my attention, but I did remember their panic, the fear in their shouting. Is my body just laying there in my bed still? Are they all sitting around me like I’m Snow White? I need to figure out how to get back, and soon.
A snore that was most assuredly not my own startled me, and I sat upright, eyes wide as I frantically searched the room before lowering my gaze to the bed. That sneaky little demon. Bram was snoring like a freight train, an arm slung over his eyes, the sheets low on his waist. Outrage tried to stir, but was pushed down by curiosity. My greedy eyes trailed over every exposed inch of his skin.
Black tattoos covered much of his body, all of them some type of rune or symbols that I didn’t understand. They must be important to his culture, and that would explain why I was clueless. On his chest, right above his heart, there was a bare spot. Like he was holding that place for something important.
The freckles that smattered his face covered his whole body, I realized. Dark russet hair sprang from his chest, trailing down, down, down to fun town. A peek of thick curls peeked just over the sheet and I froze when I realized he was naked under there. Shaking my head, I rolled over and swung my feet off the mattress. I need coffee. Stat.
Padding silently through the room, I searched for the kitchen that ended up being just off of the sitting area, so it wasn’t too difficult to locate. My stomach rumbled. When was the last time I ate anything? Food and coffee, in that order. I wondered if I could eat here… but my stomach was growling so that was a good sign.
“GOLDIE!?” A panicked shout from the bedroom made me stop and run back to Bram. Oh shit, is he in trouble?
Bursting into the room, I glanced around, finding the demon sitting on the bed, hair askew, eyes wild.
“What is it? Are we in danger? What’s wrong? Is your dad on the way to kill me?” I whisper shouted as I looked around.
“Oh, by the stars, you scared the shit out of me. I thought you’d left again. Whew!” Bram flopped back on the pillow and I stared at him, mouth open. What does one say to someone who is like this?
My hands were pressed to my chest, my heart racing as I tried to take some deep breaths. “I thought you were in trouble, holy moon maidens, you need to learn some social skills. You scared me half to death.”
“Nobody will harm a hair on your head ever again, Goldie. I guarantee you that,” Bram growled, his eyes flashing with darkness. And now we’re back to scary demon prince.
Propping myself up on my elbows, my brain whirled with murderous intent. No man or beast would ever hurt my Goldie, not unless they wanted to experience the most pain they'd ever felt in their miserable existence moments before I flicked my wrist and incinerated their bodies from the inside out. I wondered if that would soften her toward me at all. She could pretend she didn't feel the mate bond, but she was full of shit, and I was an extremely patient man.
After getting sick and tired of my dad's bullshit, pimping me out, trying to get me to make babies right and left, I swore a life of celibacy. This dick had not felt the caress of a lover in nearly fifty years, so I could wait for my little warrior to come to terms. It had been written by the stars, fate itself brought us together and I wouldn't lose her now.
"Alrighty then," my ray of sunshine chirped before clapping her hands in front of her chest, "but now that you're up, can you please make me some coffee? Oh, and I need food. Like, real bad. A breakfast buffet would be fantastic!"
This, I could do. Swinging my legs off the side of the bed, I stood tall, stretching out my long body with a groan. Cracking an eye when I heard a soft gasp, I watched as Goldie slapped her hands over her eyes. Okay. Definitely not the response I was going for. Fuck, maybe there's something on it? Peeking down at my retired dick, I breathed a sigh of relief that it was still as magnificent as ever.
"Bram! Can you like, throw some shorts on? I don't need to see your peen first thing in the morning, okay?"
"So you would like to see it at other times of the day? That can be arranged."
"I'm going to the kitchen. Get dressed, you... flasher!" She "insulted" me. Wow. What a stinger that one was.
"Whatever you say, tiny warrior. This demon dick belongs to you now, so it shall obey your orders."
She threw her hands up in the air as if I was the one being impossible. How does she not feel what I feel? How does she not feel the magnetic force between us? How the fuck else does she think her ass keeps getting pulled into Besmet while she's dreaming away in her bed? I wondered if her lover was there right now, cuddled up against her, not realizing she's actually here, peepin' my demon dick at six in the morning.
Grumbling, I waltzed over to my closet and snagged some gray sweatpants, the kryptonite to women from her realm. With my confidence restored, I strutted into the kitchen like a god about to gift his goddess with the best coffee in all the world.
"By the moon, what are you doing?" I choked out.
Goldie swung her head back to look at me, her shapely body on all fours on the floor digging through a cupboard. "I'm looking for coffee! What's it look like?"
Gritting my teeth, I inhaled deeply through my nose.
"Well, it looks like you're presenting yourself, if I'm being honest." I leaned against the fridge and stared down at her juicy ass.
Her pouty lips fell open and she scrambled up onto her feet, wiping her long red hair out of her face.
“What the hell do you mean, presenting myself?” She stepped up against me, her tits grazing my chest. Clearly, the woman didn’t know their reach. Lucky me.
“It’s what a female demon does during mating. It’s an offering to her mate, getting into position and preparing to be mounted,” I whispered and smirked as her eyes widened. Maybe I could kiss her? Well, I could try… I leaned down and looked at her mouth. Just before I made contact, she spun away.
"No. Not happening, demon boy. Where is your coffee machine? If I don't get some within the next five minutes, I'm going to have a total WF," she threatened, like that meant anything to me, but regardless, it didn't sound like something pleasant.
Smirking, I snapped my fingers and a carafe of freshly pressed coffee materialized on the kitchen island, and I watched her face go from confused to absolutely gleeful.
"Oh, my stars, how the fu– no, doesn't matter. Coffee!" she squealed, rushing over to me and giving me a quick hug before hustling over to the delicious smelling liquid. Right as she was about to ask for a mug, I snapped my fingers again and two mugs appeared.
Snapping once more, I conjured up some cream and sugar, and she went about making her perfect creation before scooting over to hop on a bar stool. Following her lead, I poured myself a cup and slid onto the seat beside her.
"Gods, this coffee smells amazing. Thank you," she breathed, lifting the mug to her lips for a long sip. She paused, closed her eyes, and gave a satisfied smile before taking another long drink. “Sooo goooood.”
Damn, I could watch her drink coffee all day long. "You're welcome. Oh! You wanted breakfast, too. Pancakes? Bacon? Sausage?" I asked with a wink and she shoved my shoulder playfully.
"Uhm, yes? All of the above?"
Snapping my fingers had the countertop filled to the brim with stacks of pancakes and an assortment of breakfast meats. Goldie's stomach growled
and mine answered. I was pretty damn hungry too. Grabbing some forks from a drawer, I slid one to her before stabbing a sausage link and shoving it in my mouth.
"This smells fucking delicious. Gah, I'm so hungry." She snagged a plate that was stacked with a load of pancakes and smothered in butter and syrup. Not wasting any time, we both descended on the spread of food like a pack of goblins. Who knows how long we sat there stuffing our faces and drinking coffee, but holy fuck, I felt like I was going to blow up.
"Ahhhh, I totally overdid it. That was the coolest shit I've ever seen though. I wish I could do that. Snap my fingers and make things appear in the blink of an eye." Goldie leaned back against the barstool, rubbing her full belly, and satisfaction spread through my body at knowing I did that. Provided for her. Something I would always do.
"I'll teach you sometime. It's not that hard, just takes some practice and a little bit of focus. For example, you wouldn't want to try to conjure a plate of breakfast sausages and instead have a plate of dildos land in front of you. Well, unless you're into that kind of thing? I can get some dildos here in a real fuckin' jiffy. Just say the word..."
She was laughing, then groaning, "Oh my gods, don't make me laugh right now. I can't take it. Too full. And no, no plate of dildos, thank you very much. I think I just need to lay down for like half an hour and digest some, then I'll be good to go. Well, after a shower..."
"Come on, let us digest together in bed," I announced, spreading my arms wide as I hopped off the stool, snagging her hand in mine and tugging her behind me as we slowly made our way back to my bedroom. Once we stepped inside, I dropped her hand and sprinted across the floor, catapulting myself onto the bed, bouncing on my stomach, and flipping over onto my back.
"You're ridiculous," she laughed, "but that did look kind of fun..." She ran to the bed and launched herself, twisting in the air to land on her back, yelling out a warrior cry that had my cock twitching.
After a moment of laughter from both of us, we laid there in silence for a few minutes, my mind thinking about all the things I knew for certain. First, she was my fated mate. Not all demons were lucky enough to find theirs, and with our numbers dwindling, the chances of such a blessing happening were getting slimmer and slimmer. For the past one hundred years, our race had been stricken with fertility issues; we were lucky to have a hundred purebred demons born each year and for a world of our size, that simply wasn't sustainable for our future.
My father had sent a team of his highest ranked and most trusted advisors to the earth realm to tackle the problem head on. Khol, Asrael, Eronne, and Thijs had all been earth side for the past century. One goal: make babies. One problem, no babies had been made.
They started with humans, and while some were able to conceive, none of the pregnancies lasted past twelve weeks gestation. The human women were not strong enough to carry a demon spawn, and it appeared to have a negative effect on their minds. After a few years, they switched to witches. And not a single pregnancy happened. Nothing. It seemed there was nothing to be done. The team had confided in a few talented mages and witches—well, more like tortured and killed—to access certain spells that might increase chances of conception.
Still, nothing worked. So The Four continued, their frustrations growing with each day that passed and they were forced to stay earth side. That was the stipulation set by my father: you can't return until you have a live birth. A demon hybrid, one that could further the race and end our struggles. In the beginning, I'd been completely on board with this plan, survival of the fittest and all that. Now? Shit, I was kind of happy that there had never been a successful spawn. Who knows what the fuck my father would put them through... and if it was a woman? Ugh, I couldn’t even think about what she would be put through at his hands.
And now, not only was our fertility practically nonexistent, but parts of our world were starting to die. Forests that were once green and lush were dying, the trees blackening to the point that when the wind whipped through the forest, they would crumble into ash. It didn't make any sense. My father was convinced that there was dark magic at work, possibly the witches earth side that knew what we'd been up to the past century were sick of our shit and decided to curse us.
Good thing they couldn't just enter Besmet; you needed to be a demon to open the portal. And that's why I was confused by the witch laying beside me in the bed right now. A fated mate was always the same species, at least for demons, and how was she able to project herself here? It didn't make sense and I had a suspicion there was much more at work here than met the eye. The only person I would confide in would be Khol; if my nutty ass dad got wind of this, he'd probably kill her on principle, and then I'd have to kill him because fuck if he was ever going to get his hands on my woman.
"It's peaceful here, for a demon realm," Goldie murmured, breaking the quiet.
"Mmm, yeah. It can be. It can also be bloody and darker than your worst nightmare. But here? In this room? Nobody would dream of disturbing us."
"Are demons violent? I admit, I don't know much at all about your race. Until recently, I hadn't even realized that you existed. How is that possible? To be so elusive that the masses don't know that you're not myths?"
Rolling onto my side to face her, I studied her round face, slightly pink cheeks, full lips, and hair fanning out across the dark blanket we were sprawled out on. So beautiful.
"Demons are quick to anger and violence. We like to deliver swift and precise responses. Dicking around is not in our blood; we don't do things by halves. Once a demon's mind is made up, that's pretty much it. Getting us fired up is not a wise decision as once the rage kicks in, there's really nothing that can stop it."
"So do any of you live in my realm? What does your real form look like? Do you really have a tail? Oh shit, I'm sorry, that was probably too personal." She slapped her hands over her face, embarrassed.
Chuckling, I reached over and pulled her hands away, looking her in the eyes. "Some do live there. Have you ever heard of the notorious gang that runs Port Black?"
"You mean The Exiled? Yeah, who hasn't heard of them?"
"Well, all five of them are demons. Really powerful fucking demons. They were booted from here years ago and they made a life for themselves in Port Black. My father wrote them off, so we don't communicate with their crew at all anymore. As for my true form?" I laughed. "It mostly only comes out if I get really worked up, pissed off, usually. Or during sex, but like I said, that's been a while. And yeah, of course I have a tail, you saw it in the drawing, remember?" I winked and her eyes widened. "Maybe I'll show you sometime in person, we'll see. You've already seen my horns; those actually weren't fully elongated. They're quite impressive."
She seemed to process my words for a moment, which made sense. I was giving her a shit ton of new information. Her eyes met mine again and she shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see your tail, but we can save that for another time. So, the snapping thing you do, is that your only power? What all kinds of powers do demons possess?"
"Procuring items is a fairly basic demon power. The higher ranking the demon, the more powers they can master. It's similar to witches and mages. Not every demon gets every power. For example, I am able to do telekinesis, voice mimicry, dream walking, and shapeshifting. Once I ascend to the throne, all of my father's powers should transfer down the bloodline to me. So I will be able to do everything he can, which includes deal making and biokinesis. That's why I keep telling you to be careful around him, he can make your body go boom with the flick of his wrist. He's a kill first, ask questions later kind of king," I told her sternly, the tone of my voice hopefully bringing across the severity of the situation.
"I will do my best to never piss him off. I hope I don't run into him again, ever... and that will make it very easy to stay true to my word."
"Good. I just want to keep you safe, Goldie."
"I'm not your responsibility. And hopefully, I can figure out a way to stop myself from being sucked into
this realm! I don't want to be here or anywhere near the king, for that matter."
Her words pinched my gut in an uncomfortable way. She would be here, though. She would be the next Queen of our realm; she just didn't know it yet. Oh well, plenty of time for her to warm up to the idea before it would ever have to happen.
"You mentioned a shower. How about you go do that and I'll make us some more coffee, and then we can go out and explore some more?" I offered, trying to sweeten her up with caffeine and adventure.
"Yes, that sounds perfect." She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "Can I borrow some more clothes? Do you think you could procure me something a little more... feminine? A basic tank top, underwear, a bra? Leggings? Oh, sweet, sweet leggings, the appropriate at all time of the days pants," she sighed dreamily at the thought.
"Sure thing, tiny warrior. Everything you need is in the bathroom."
She padded off to the bathroom and I starfished out like the princely stud I was. She'd be wrapped around my finger in no time.
While she showered, I got her clothes in order. Black leggings with a black tank top that I personalized with a hand drawn creation. Getting dressed myself, I paused when my phone began ringing.
"Yeah?"
"Is that any way to greet your oldest friend and mentor?" Khol chuckled.
"Sorry, man. I'm trying to get dressed. What's up?" I asked, putting him on speaker as I slid my pants down before slipping into a pair of jeans.
"The report I've been waiting for will be done tonight. Get over here around eleven. We'll read it together. I'm confident this is what we've been waiting for. We'll discuss how to proceed after it's official."
"I'll be there. Any news on the bitch's whereabouts?"
The Magic Of Betrayal Page 4