"Don't you try to flip this around on me," I gritted out. He wasn't the victim here.
"Quit. Sulking," he bit out, moving toward me with each word, like a Scottish Highlander coming to claim what was his after a battle, and my thighs clenched. "And stop fucking pretending like you don't feel it. Like you don't feel this," he motioned his finger at the space separating us, "because if you want to keep pretending, well, then that makes you a fucking liar too, princess." He towered over me, looking down his nose into my eyes and I couldn't breathe.
His hand came to the back of my head, fisting my hair and pulling my head back, my neck straining. The only sounds in the large room were our harsh breathing and the gentle lapping of water against the stone sides of the pool.
"Fuc—" my curse was cut off when Bram smashed his lips against mine with brutality and determination. Fireworks detonated in my blood, and before I really processed what was happening, his tongue darted between my lips and I moaned as he stroked my tongue with his. Bram groaned into my mouth, his hard cock pressing against my stomach, letting me know just what he felt for me. My body was on fire, I was furious and sad and turned the hell on.
My nails sank into his shoulders, no doubt leaving marks. Good. All these men thought they could leave their mark on me, and while I may not have any physical representation of those right now, my heart was carved up with their names.
I felt my body shaking, trembling, a pain along my spine that made me wonder if he was digging his fingers into my back, but one was cupping my ass and the other was still tangled up in my hair. What the hell is that pain? Something that sounded like an umbrella snapping open, echoed in the room and my eyes popped open just as Bram's wings exploded from behind him.
Gasping, I pulled back and looked at his face, two black horns rose from his forehead and when I felt something long trailing up the side of my thigh, I knew it was his tail. Holy fuck.
"Oh my gods," I breathed, but before another word could slip through my lips, a quick, sharp pain had my back arching and that snapping sound came again, loud in my ears. A scream left my throat as I glanced back and saw a pair of light green wings. My wings.
"Fucking hell," Bram marveled, staring at me like he was seeing me for the first time.
"Bram?" I whispered, because my voice wasn't strong enough right now for anything louder.
"Yeah, princess?" he answered, still locked in a daze as he stared at me.
"Do I... do I have horns?"
I wanted to check myself, my hands were itching to fly up to my forehead and find out the truth, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Yes, princess. You have the most precious, cutest little baby horns I've ever seen in my entire fucking life. Your wings are magnificent. I have never seen any that shade of green before, they're almost like... leaves. Like fairy wings." He stood there, breathless and staring.
Inhaling, I reached back under the water, past my hip and closed my eyes when I felt it. A tail.
Holy moon maidens, I'm a legitimate demon. Full on, all the shit.
"Breathe, Goldie. You're still you, this is who you've always been. It's just manifesting now. Nothing has changed, not really. You shift when you feel strong emotions, it's something I will teach you, okay? That's why I wanted you here, so you can learn. You need to learn."
Bram had a point. A very good point, but he still shouldn't have gone about it the way he had. We could have had a discussion, like normal people. You don't just grab someone and disappear with them to another realm.
My breathing slowed, returning to normal, and I was surprised when I realized that my wings were weightless. If I hadn't seen them with my own eyes, I wouldn't have noticed they were there at all. The back of my nightgown was shredded, the front of it wasn't much better from the force of my shift. I may have horns, but at least my tits were covered.
Finding the courage inside, I lifted my hands and felt the sharp little points on my head, just peeking out from my hairline. They were only about an inch long, and Bram's were more like four.
"I think I want to see what I look like," I murmured, thinking that maybe seeing my new form would help me wrap my head around everything.
"Let's get you cleaned up first and then I'll tell you everything you need to know and answer all of your questions. I know you have them," Bram joked, smiling shyly at me now, his cheeks red.
The fuck is he blushing about?
"Okay. But can you wash my hair like last time?"
Bram belly laughed and got to work.
Afterward, he left me in the bathroom and I’d been standing in front of a full length mirror for the past twenty minutes. Every time I thought I’d stared long enough, I stared some more. I was never going to get used to this. My wings moved with ease— if I thought it, they responded. The same was mostly true for my tail, though it seemed to have more of it’s own mind. It was the same color as my wings, a sea foam green color with silver markings that almost looked like outlines of scales. My eyes fluttered shut and I searched for my anchor.
His purring calmed my racing heart. Baggie’s yellow eyes flashed as he moved closer to me in my mind.
‘I’m different, Baggie. So different.’
The big cat shook his head, like he was disagreeing.
‘Can’t you see my horns? The wings and tail?’ I asked, spinning in my mind so he could see.
‘Still ours, Cub,’ he assured me, and I was still not processing how I was able to communicate with a panther in my head.
Just accept it, Saige. Stranger things have happened. That’s what I told myself. It’s what I had to tell myself to avoid some kind of psychotic break.
‘You shouldn’t abandon Kai, Baggie. Go back to him. I’m fine.’
Baggie sat his huge ass down and his tail flicked behind him.
‘Don’t be stubborn. Please, I’m sure he’s struggling. I know he is. I can feel him sometimes. Take care of him, Bagheera. Go.’
He padded over to me and bumped his huge face against my stomach, my hands sank into his soft dark fur. The volume of his purring raised goosebumps on my skin.
‘Thank you, my dark knight. Take care of him.’
Blinking, I felt Baggie’s presence fade from my mind and while it hurt, I felt better knowing Kai would have him. Sure, I was still hurt and pissed, but I wasn’t heartless.
Staring back at myself in the mirror, my waist actually looked a bit thinner, probably from hardly eating the past several days, but my hips were still large and in charge. Leaning closer to the mirror, I eyed my little horns and tentatively felt them. After almost cutting a finger, I realized real quick that they were quite sharp. I really needed to go get dressed, Bram was going to teach me a whole bunch of demon stuff this afternoon and for the first time since I arrived here, I actually felt excited about something. There was no changing this, it was who I was. Now I just needed to know what all I was capable of.
"First rule of Demon Fight Club?" Bram smirked, flexing his muscles and I rolled my eyes.
He'd jumped us out to the pine forest, we were in a clearing that gave plenty of room for whatever he had planned. He was still staring at me and I realized he actually wanted an answer. Of course he did.
"Uh, we don't talk about Demon Fight Club?" I guessed, distracted by my tail that kept winding around my leg.
Bram chuckled. "Good guess, but that is not correct. First rule is, always wear comfortable clothing." He snapped his fingers and I gasped as I took in his new look. Knee high purple socks, a pair of Nikes, really fucking short neon orange shorts, and no shirt. Oh, and of course, he had a fucking orange sweatband over his forehead.
"What in the name of moon beams are you wearing?" I laughed, and he grinned, striking a pose.
"Not to fear, dear warrior woman. We can be matching, all you had to do was ask!" He snapped his fingers before I could shout at him and then I too was wearing the same shoes, socks, and shorts. At least he'd given me a sports bra.
"Bram Winston Carlisle,"
I scolded. "Shirt. Now."
"Who the fuck is Winston?" he growled, stalking over to me, that wild look in his eye that was both exhilarating and terrifying. My wings wrapped around the front of my body, shielding my bare skin.
"Oh quit, I made the name up because I don't know your middle name. Now, give me a shirt," I warned, glaring.
"You can do what we need to do in that outfit, Goldie." He waved me off.
"Bram," I said a little more softly. "I'm not comfortable wearing this."
He spun around in a flash, his expression absolutely puzzled as to why that would be.
"Why not? You look scrumptious, princess."
My face heated and I let my wings pull back to reveal my midriff, Bram was still eyeing me like I was a scantily wrapped gift he wanted to open.
"If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have the body figure to go waltzing around like this," I pointed out.
He stared at me like I'd grown nipples for eyes.
Then, he moved. His hands gripped my waist and I let out a soft squeak as he tugged me close, leaving only an inch between us. The smell of an aged book being cracked open slammed into me and I groaned, leaning closer to get more of it.
"If. I. Haven't. Noticed?" he growled and my insides flipped. "All I've done is notice, Goldie. The curve of your waist," he trailed his hands over my skin, "how your hips flare out." He bent to run his hands over those, too. My brain was melting.
"These thick thighs that I'm dying to have wrapped around my head, squeezing the fuckin' life out of me... and this," he moved his hands back to grip my ass, "this fucking ass, princess. I wanna see how it bounces when you're riding me," he rumbled, dropping a kiss to my neck and I moaned. This man, this demon, he was insane, dangerous, and oh so fucking sexy. Sinful.
"Bram," I whispered.
He straightened, leaving one hand on my ass and bringing the other up to cup my cheek.
"You're the most beautiful creature I've seen in my entire life, Goldie. If I have to spend the rest of my lifetime assuring you of that, then it would be my honor," he vowed, his words fierce and true.
"I... thank you," I replied, as a rogue tear fell and trailed toward his fingertips.
"Who made you think otherwise?" he inquired, studying my face.
I chuckled without humor, shrugging my shoulders.
"Society? Mean girls in school? My ex," I confessed.
Bram's eyes flashed with all the stabby feels, an expression of his I had quickly learned.
"Ah. The ex from the night I drank with you in your store?" He shook his head, piecing that evening together. "That's why you were blasting Lizzo? Body positivity?"
My cheeks heated and I tried to look away, but he held me steady, refusing to let me hide.
"Yeah. He uh," I cleared my throat, "he cornered me in the grocery store that day. Threatened me, tried to drown me, he's a water mage. Promised me that he was going to get me back, and that if I told the guys, he'd drown them in their beds," I told him, my heart racing as I recounted the event.
"What else did he say, Goldie?" Bram practically snarled, he knew I wasn't telling him everything.
"He told me that I should cut back on snacking because most mages don't like fucking fat witches," I said quietly, looking down, ashamed. Disgusted by his words and that they were still affecting me.
Bram blinked several times while he stood still as a statue. It was oddly owl like.
"Is that it?" he bit out between his clenched teeth.
Tears swam in my vision now, but I was going to tell him, because I needed to tell someone. Maybe getting it out there would help me move past it.
"He... he touched me," I confessed and Bram snapped, pulling me tightly against him as a sob wracked my body and I buried my face against his bare chest. He held me while I cried and cried. I cried because I was sick and tired of men thinking they could say what they want, touch when they weren't fucking allowed, taking my confidence, my safety, my fucking dignity.
"Oh, princess. I'm so fucking sorry. I'm so sorry," he soothed, rubbing his palms up and down my back.
I hiccupped and pulled back a little to wipe my face that was now puffy and raw. Sniffling, I tried to get myself together, but I felt exposed. All of the things Bryce had done to me in the past, everything was at the forefront of my mind and those were memories I wanted locked down forever.
"I'm going to teach you, Goldie. I'm gonna teach you so many things that if you are ever in a situation like that again, you'll be able to get out of it. But, make no mistake, beautiful princess," he held my face and it was like time stood still, "when I see that piece of shit, I will not hesitate to end him. There won't be one second for him to open his vile lips and whisper poison into the air. He will never get near you again. This, I promise you. I will hunt him down the moment we return and his death will set you free," he vowed and I found myself nodding in agreement.
The old Saige would argue that nobody deserves death. That nobody is purely evil. The old Saige was no longer in the building. I was done and wanted vengeance with a longing I'd never felt before. My arms snaked around Bram's neck and I rose to my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his. He tasted like safety and danger at the same time and I moaned into his mouth. Most importantly, he tasted like mine.
Groaning, he used his wings to lower us to the ground gently. My legs wrapped around his hips and he ground against my core, his short shorts doing absolutely nothing to hide what he was packing in there.
"Bram," I panted when he broke our kiss to move down my throat.
"So soft, so gorgeous, so delicious," he murmured against my neck and I urged his hips to move against me.
"Where did you come from?" I questioned as I wiggled beneath his weight.
"Your best dreams and your worst nightmares, Goldie. You know I'm both. I straddle the line between light and dark and I'll never, ever let you go," he growled, taking my lips again in a brutal, punishing kiss that flooded my veins with heat.
"Need you, Bram," I moaned, tipping my hips to feel his cock against my clit.
"Bloody hell, princess," he stilled, then sat up to run a hand through his hair.
"What's wrong?" I asked, studying his face.
He bit his bottom lip, trailing his eyes all over my body.
"As badly as I want to fuck you, we don't have the time right now." He pushed back and stood, offering me his hand.
Not gonna lie, I pouted. Like a fuckin' whiny baby.
"Nuh uh. Don't give me that face. You don't understand, Goldie. The first time we come together, it's going to be epic. Monumental. A quickie in a pine needle bed isn't possible," he explained, shaking his head with a smirk kicking up the right side of his mouth.
"But you haven't had sex in decades." I followed behind him as he walked over to our water bottles. "Don't you think it might go a little quick?"
Bram threw his head back and laughed so loud, birds in the trees took flight.
"You're cute, Goldie. What do you know about demon mating?"
"Uhh... nothing. Is it different than regular sex?" I asked, feeling like an idiot for not knowing more about his species.
"Yes. It's very different. For starters, no, it will not be quick. We're fated, princess. That's why we have these special scents to one another, it's like pheromones. The first time we come together, we'll be locked together for hours," he explained, studying my face.
"Locked together? Like, in a room?"
"No. Like, our bodies will be connected. Have you ever heard of knotting, princess?"
My eyes widened. I may or may not have read a few romance novels that had knotting...
"You have a knot?" I choked.
"I do. And I cannot wait to fill you up with it and have you clenching around me for hours," Bram groaned and reached down to rearrange himself.
"Won't it hurt?"
"It won't hurt; it's going to feel like the best thing in your life. So typically, a male demon wouldn't be able to knot a female unless she were i
n heat. It works differently for fated mates. I'll be able to do it every time, but it will only last for extended periods of time if you lock on me, which means your body is fertile and wants to conceive. The first joining is always hours long, no matter the probability of reproduction," he explained, taking a swig of his water.
"But I don't want to be pregnant. Not now, anyway. I do monthly contraceptive spells."
"Then you won't get pregnant. It's just our bodies doing what they're programmed to do. You're going to love it, I promise. But when that time comes, it won't be in the middle of a forest." He tossed me my water and I greedily drank it down. Water dribbled down my chin, but before I could wipe it away, Bram was invading my personal space and licking the droplets from my chin before kissing me deeply. My knees went weak with the pure fucking passion behind his kisses and we were both panting when he pulled away.
"Had to do that one more time. Your lips were all shiny and glistening and shit,” he groaned, lifting his hands to readjust his ridiculous sweatband. "Okay, enough sex talk. Let's get started on the basics. Oh, one sec." He snapped his fingers and a tank top appeared on my body. Glancing down, I saw that it said 'Demons do it better'. "The last thing I want is for you to ever feel uncomfortable when you're with me, Goldie girl. Though, I stand by my earlier statements about you looking sexy as sin."
I smiled at him, once again speechless at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."
He cleared his throat and got right back into teacher mode. "One, in order to hide your demon appearance, just calm yourself and focus on hiding your demon form. Shifting is tied to emotion, so if you get too worked up on any emotion, you're more likely to shift. Especially at first, because you're still learning. The more skilled you become, the easier it'll be for you to quickly shift and also repress your demon form if you so choose.
"So, let's try. Take a deep breath, focus on hiding your demon form. Close your eyes if it will help you concentrate," he encouraged and I let my eyelids flutter shut.
The Magic Of Betrayal Page 25